Since getting caught in the rain that day, Xia Nuo had been feeling unwell, resting at home and lying in bed.
Faced with the meals and porridge carefully prepared by mom, Xia Nuo didn't have any appetite for food.
"Mom, I feel really awful."
Xia Nuo shook her head, "I'm really not hungry, I don't want to eat anything."
"Eat a little at least, have some food before you take your medicine, otherwise, your stomach won't be able to handle it."
Under the covers in bed, Xia Nuo covered her face with the blanket, "But... I just don't want to eat."
"Nuo Nuo, you have to be obedient, force yourself to eat something, otherwise you'll break down."
Seeing this, Xia Anyang was also extremely anxious, but he couldn't lose his temper in front of his daughter, so he had to ask in a soft and gentle voice:
"Nuo Nuo, if you won't eat when mom feeds you, do you want dad to feed you?"
"No... it's not about who feeds me."
Xia Nuo muttered, "I'm not a little kid anymore, I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'm just not in the mood."
Xia Anyang wanted to say more, but at that moment, Lin Yi gave him a look and pulled him away.
"Then, mom and dad won't disturb your rest now, we'll leave the food here, remember to eat it while it's warm, otherwise it'll get cold."
"Okay..."
Lin Yi and Xia Anyang exited Xia Nuo's room, gently closing the door behind them, and tiptoed down the stairs.
Xia Anyang voiced his concern, "I think our daughter is a bit behind in her studies, take Chinese characters for example—you're a Chinese teacher, you know... she knows fewer than a thousand characters now."
"But look at how many characters You You knows. Last time I saw him flipping through the 'Cihai' at home, you have no idea how shocked I was."
"After all, it's You You we're talking about—"
"What about You You? I think our Nuo Nuo isn't any worse! She's just a little too playful."
"But you can't compare her to You You, he is different..."
As the quintessential "child from another family," Fang You's name was not only acclaimed in his class but also among the parents in the nearby community, far and near.
He was not just proficient in reading, but his grades were excellent in every subject.
Even though there were no class rankings in the first and second grades, everyone knew You You was that genius child who could score full marks in every subject.
In contrast, although Xia Nuo had been well-known as a child star two years ago, she didn't show any spectacular performance in elementary school, and now, in the eyes of the parents, she was just a pretty and lively little girl and no longer mentioned as a role model.
Xia Anyang was also a bit uneasy about the growing gap between Fang You and Xia Nuo, "And think about it, dear, if Nuo Nuo grows up and still can't catch up with You You, she might end up blaming us for not nurturing her properly, right?"
"We do need to think about this... "
Lin Yi fell into contemplation.
Though it wasn't yet the age to fret about grades, if the gap between friends became too large, it was indeed easy to lack common ground.
This was not what Lin Yi wished to see.
"I'm not too busy this month, I could give the kids two lessons a day, right, we could also invite other interested kids over."
"Ayu could come over, she's quite pitiable all alone at home. You You... I guess he doesn't need tutoring, right?"