While eating, Xu Mumu couldn't help but glance at Xu Xue a couple of times. Xu Xue had been reborn for several days now and seemed a bit too quiet. Didn't she want to divide the family?
Back in her own room, Xu Mumu was still pondering this question. In the end, she thought of nothing and fell asleep directly.
Friday came quickly. Xu Mumu packed her things and went back home. Zhao Qing was still waiting for her.
"Mumu, why are you out so late today?" Zhao Qing looked at Xu Mumu curiously.
"I just talked about something with my classmate." Xu Mumu said calmly. Naturally, it was about tutoring with Du Yu.
When she got home, the younger ones were already waiting obediently. Xu Mumu was very satisfied. Having more people was indeed beneficial, and it brought competition to learning.
The main reason was that the snacks Xu Mumu provided were quite competitive.
Today, Xu Mumu used the remaining money from her weekly allowance to buy some candies, planning to share them with the kids this evening.
"Sis, I finished my homework." Tiedan said first. Nowadays, he called Xu Mumu 'sis' even more affectionately than Xu Minglei did.
"Sis, I finished mine too. Come and see if I did it right." Xu Minglei wasn't willing to lag behind either. Tiedan was really dreadful, always trying to win over his sister.
"Alright, let me check." Xu Mumu said with a smile and then took the two kids' homework to check.
After a week of tutoring, elementary knowledge wasn't hard. The two kids had some foundation, so it was easier for them to learn than Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao.
Xu Mumu carefully examined the homework notebook. There was some progress over a week, and it wasn't filled with mistakes like before.
"Sis, what's the treat today?" Xu Minglei looked at his sister. She had promised to bring them candies today. They hadn't had snacks for days.
"Ta-da! Look, in a bit, I'll ask questions. Whoever answers correctly gets a candy. I'll ask about what I taught you in the past few days." Xu Mumu took out a small packet of candies from her backpack. There were quite a few in there.
"Big Sis, we've all memorized it. We're sure to answer correctly." Xu Tao's eyes brightened. Candies were also rare treats at home.
"Great, wait a moment. Let me first go over the homework with Minglei and Tiedan, then we'll talk about the candies." Xu Mumu ruffled Xu Tao's hair. Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao were much more diligent than Xu Minglei and Tiedan in their studies.
Xu Mumu pointed out each of the mistakes in the two kids' work and explained them carefully until they understood.
Xu Minglei was after all her own little brother, so naturally, Xu Mumu took extra care of him.
After finishing with the homework explanations, all of their eyes were brightly fixed on her.
"Okay, let's have an impromptu quiz today." Xu Mumu said, smiling.
The questions Xu Mumu asked were simple additions and subtractions within a hundred, as well as the multiplication tables. These were what she had been teaching recently.
She had started with math because it was the kids' weakest subject.
But the two weren't dumb. Xu Mumu found that even Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao were quite smart and learned quickly. They really had potential for school, but unfortunately, their family was too poor.
After several rounds of on-the-spot questions, Xu Jiaojiao's quick responses surprised Xu Mumu. Xu Jiaojiao got everything right, while Xu Minglei and the others always made some minor mistakes.
"Xu Jiaojiao, how did you suddenly become so good?" Xu Minglei asked curiously, looking at Xu Jiaojiao—his little cousin whom he never took seriously but who turned out to be even better than him. He felt a little defeated.
"It's because Big Sis teaches well." Xu Jiaojiao said shyly, her head down, her face slightly red.
"Sis teaches well. The teacher praised both me and Minglei these past two days." Tiedan said with a smile. Honestly, it felt nice not being scolded by the teacher.
"The three of you haven't been as diligent as Jiaojiao, so Jiaojiao gets the most candies today." Xu Mumu took out the candies and started distributing them.
"Big Sis, I want to save these candies and eat them slowly." Xu Jiaojiao said excitedly, her face beaming. The candies Xu Mumu gave her totaled ten pieces. Eating one a day, she'd have enough to last for quite a while.
"It's up to you. They're yours now, do what you want with them." Xu Mumu said with a smile.
The two kids from the fourth family were well taught by Auntie Sun Huiping. They were very obedient and polite, and she wasn't biased between sons and daughters, which was nice.
After everyone left, Xu Minglei stayed behind. He had made the most mistakes today and felt quite embarrassed himself.
"Sis, teach me more, will you? I refuse to fall behind Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao." Xu Minglei said, feeling a bit downcast.
"That's because you're not careful enough. If you're not mindful, even they who've started later became better than you. They might even outdo you in the future." Xu Mumu pinched his cheeks; he was still the chubbiest in the family.
"I'll definitely be careful next time, Sis. Could you teach me a bit more, please?" Xu Minglei said, trying to be cute.
"Alright, I'll teach you tomorrow morning." Xu Mumu said, smiling. It was late now, too late to have a tutoring session.
"I knew Sis is the best." The little guy immediately beamed and decided to himself that next time, he would be the one to get the most candies. He wasn't going to fall behind anyone.
After sending off Xu Minglei, the smile on Xu Mumu's face hadn't faded. It was quite nice to keep the young ones together, that way they wouldn't get into trouble.
In the evening, Xu Mumu heard her grandparents talking about the third uncle's family. They were coming back the day after tomorrow.
"Laosan and his family are coming back again, surely to take things again." Li Caixia was the most reluctant about Laosan's return. Every time Xu Laosan came back, it was either asking for money or food, always claiming poverty, saying life was hard in the city.
How could life in the city be tough, where would it be better then? Why doesn't he just go to heaven?
"Wife, say less. Third brother's life is not easy either; he's staying at his in-laws' and has to humble himself." Xu Hai pretended to scold Li Caixia.
"Staying at his in-laws' doesn't mean he lacks food or drink, yet he keeps coming back to take more." Li Caixia immediately continued the conversation.
"Granny, why is Uncle Third coming back?" Xu Mumu saw her grandparents' faces change a lot and immediately smiled to change the subject.
"It's been over half a year since they've been back; naturally, they're coming to visit. Your uncle must be worrying about the family." Madam Chen still spoke well of the third son, who always sent half of his salary back every month.