Chapter 134: Like You More ②
“Why do you like Chinese-style decoration? Aren’t European styles more attractive nowadays?” Li Kai wasn’t angry. Instead, he walked with Nie Qiu into the living room, placed the books he had prepared on the coffee table, then stood up, turned on the gramophone on the high cabinet, and played the music called 《Dimple Smile》.
“Think about it, most people nowadays have European decoration, which is mostly Western style. For floor tiles and such, wouldn’t it be better to see something different when you visit someone’s home?” Nie Qiu smiled, and chuckled upon hearing 《Dimple Smile》. This song was her favorite from her student days. Every time she heard it, it felt like returning to that era. She continued to say to Li Kai with a smile, “Exquisitely carved rosewood furniture, tatami mats, tables and chairs, coffee tables, hollowed-out doors, and then a few scroll paintings, wouldn’t that look good? If it’s the same as everyone else’s, there’s nothing unique about it, is there?”
“Haha, Nie Qiu, you’re right. My dad also likes Chinese-style decoration. His study is full of rosewood furniture.” Li Mingxue brought over some juice and placed it on the coffee table. Then she said to Li Kai, “Nie Qiu is the tutor I hired for you. When Dad gets back tonight, let’s have him meet her too.”
Li Kai nodded. “But, Sis… how do you know Nie Qiu?”
Li Mingxue smiled and said, “Do you think I got my CET-6 score just like that? I was also in Class 10 in junior high!” This meant that her junior high grades weren’t very good, implying that her foundation wasn’t solid, which is why she struggled to learn.
Li Kai’s eyes widened. He pointed at Nie Qiu, then at Li Mingxue. “Sis, are you saying you still need Nie Qiu to teach you?” He wanted to ask if Nie Qiu’s grades were really that good, to be able to teach a university student.
Although Li Mingxue felt a little embarrassed, she still patted Li Kai’s head. “You little brat, don’t underestimate Nie Qiu. I’m going back to my room now. Nie Qiu, please teach my younger brother well. Stay for dinner tonight, and I’ll take you home after that.” Li Mingxue said the first part to Li Kai and the latter part to Nie Qiu, her tone softening considerably.
Nie Qiu smiled and nodded, watching Li Mingxue go upstairs and leave.
After Li Mingxue went upstairs, Nie Qiu and Li Kai looked at each other in silence. After a quiet moment, the only sound in the entire living room was the music from the gramophone. They exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Nie Qiu took out her books from her schoolbag and asked Li Kai with a smile, “So? Is there anything you don’t understand that you want to ask me?”
Li Kai was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out three books from the pile of books he had arranged. One was History, one was Politics, and the third was… English. Li Kai looked at Nie Qiu and said, “Today, I want to study these three subjects.”
Nie Qiu took the books from Li Kai’s hands and slowly flipped through them. There were no notes in the areas that needed studying before; the notes only started appearing from the middle onwards. It was undeniable that Li Kai’s handwriting was good, suggesting he had studied diligently in elementary school.
After looking through them, Nie Qiu looked up and said, “When did you start… uh…” Nie Qiu didn’t know how to phrase it. She wanted to ask Li Kai when he stopped studying seriously, so she could figure out where to begin teaching.
Honestly, any knowledge isn’t difficult if you have a solid foundation. Once the foundation is laid, it’s easy to understand other knowledge. However, if the foundation isn’t solid, you can only grasp half of what’s being taught in current classes. For liberal arts subjects, it’s fine; you just need to memorize and understand. Science subjects, on the other hand, require understanding, formulas, and calculations, all of which depend on the initial foundation.
“Junior high first grade…” Li Kai answered before Nie Qiu could finish. He knew his problem, and almost everyone in Class 10 had this problem: the foundation! Now, the teacher had to teach third-grade material, but because of the foundational knowledge issues of the students in their class, every time a knowledge point involved basic concepts, the teacher had to re-explain it. It was one thing that they weren’t serious before, but now that they were trying, and the teacher was also trying, this kind of teaching was actually the slowest. Logically, the teaching progress for one grade level should be similar, and even if there were differences, they wouldn’t be too far apart. However, their Class 10 was now very far behind other classes. For example, other classes might have reached the ninth lesson in their studies, while they were still stuck at the fourth lesson.
“In the first year of junior high, I liked going to KTV to sing, playing basketball, and going to internet cafes with friends to play games…” Li Kai wasn’t afraid of Nie Qiu being disappointed in him. After all, Nie Qiu knew the situation in Class 10, didn’t she? He was just not an exception. Moreover… now, it wasn’t just him; many people in the class had started to work hard and make progress. They were all changing, so Nie Qiu wouldn’t mind his past foolishness. “So, I was always sleeping during class…” He hadn’t skipped class or been late, that’s all.
Nie Qiu put down the book in her hand and nodded. “I understand. I need to start explaining the knowledge points from first grade to you. For each volume, for each subject, I will give you a general overview. However, how you learn and whether you learn well still depends on you. You know that history and politics require rote memorization, and I can’t help you with that. After this semester, there will be final exams for biology and geography. Do you still have your first and second-grade books?”
“Yes, they’re in my study.” Li Kai stood up, about to go to the study to get them. But after taking just two steps, he saw his older sister standing at the top of the stairs, looking down. He felt a bit helpless and said to Nie Qiu, “How about, Nie Qiu, we go to my study?”
Nie Qiu glanced at Li Kai. Since it was called a study, wouldn’t it be better to study in the study? Nie Qiu nodded without objection. Li Kai smiled happily, bent down to tidy up the books on the coffee table, then turned off the gramophone with the golden trumpet-shaped horn, and led Nie Qiu towards his study.
Li Mingxue, standing at the corner of the stairs, stomped her foot and turned back to her room.
Li Kai’s study was the epitome of a modern boy’s room. The wall by the entrance was covered with posters of basketball stars, and a white electric guitar hung on the wall. On the two side walls were bookshelves, resembling a library, with a complete collection of various books, neatly arranged. The reason it resembled a library was also because Li Kai had probably read less than a third of the books; they were all new and still had their plastic wrap on.
Opposite the entrance was a window. Below the window was a computer desk, with a computer on it. The gaps between the keyboard and the mouse gleamed with a soft light, indicating they were gaming peripherals favored by boys. The small bookshelf next to the computer desk was the one frequently used, and the area closest to the computer desk was messy, clearly indicating it had been rummaged through many times.
