“Wasn’t Ma Fei ranked eighth in your class last time?” Zi Yan asked in bewilderment.
Mengmeng talked about what happened in her class every day. As time went by, Zi Yan and Zhang Han also learned about some of Mengmeng’s classmates. They had met some of them when dropping Mengmeng off at school and picking her up. Mengmeng had also mentioned Ma Fei several times.
The students sat in four rows in her class. Each row of students was a team. And the team with the highest overall grades in the exam could get a present from Teacher Lu.
Of course, that only applied to the final exam, which was held only once every semester.
And the rule had just taken effect in this second semester. Thus, no one yet knew what present Teacher Lu would give, and Mengmeng was looking forward to it.
The higher her expectation was, the more she worried about Ma Fei’s grades. The performance of other students on her team was quite stable. Yet, Ma Fei abruptly became the second from last in the class.
“That’s not the case.”
Mengmeng leaned back in the back seat, dangling her legs.
Then, she muttered, “In the first monthly exam, Ma Fei ranked eighth. In the second monthly exam, his ranking was below 20th. In this third exam, he ranked second from last.”
“How could his grades drop so fast?” Zi Yan was also confused. “It would be understandable if one dropped from eighth down to 12th. But he suddenly dropped from eighth to second from last. That’s kind of preposterous. Has he been addicted to computer games recently?”
“No idea. Ma Fei seldom plays mobile games. He even seldom speaks. And he is just boring. Teacher Lu has called his mother to the office twice,” Mengmeng replied, “but that doesn’t seem to work.”
“It’s enough as long as you yourself do well in the exam.”
Zi Yan stroke her little head and said, “In the second semester, our Mengmeng has won first place, third, and second place in the three monthly exams. In the final exam, if you can rank among the top three, Mummy and Daddy will take you on a trip.”
Zi Yan had never said that Mengmeng had to win first place in every exam. Basically, she would tell her that she would be rewarded if she made it to the top three. She didn’t want to put pressure on Mengmeng. Also, she had had a talk with Rong Jiali and understood that if she asked Mengmeng to be number one every time, not only would she be under great pressure, but she would also feel disheartened if there was once when she didn’t win first place.
Zi Yan didn’t care about Zhang Han’s attitude on this. To Zhang Han, it didn’t matter if Mengmeng ranked first or tenth. Given his disposition, he would reward Mengmeng all the same even if she only ranked 30th in class.
However, the couple’s views coincided on one thing—The rewards would be more abundant if Mengmeng got higher grades. For example, she was most generously rewarded the time she won first place.
“Well, I see.”
Mengmeng had already regarded traveling as part of her normal life now. She nodded as if she had really understood Zi Yan’s words.
“But I still want our group to win the first prize. Teacher Lu said this time that the prize for the winning group will likely be a trophy. This can be the first trophy I win in primary school.”
“Even so, we can’t make others learn better.” Zi Yan sounded a little helpless.
“But you want the trophy!”
Zhang Han suddenly looked thoughtful.
“If my daughter likes trophies, then I’ll get her some.”
The top three students in the class could get trophies.
The excellent class monitor should have a trophy.
Outstanding students in the grade could also be rewarded with trophies.
And there could be trophies for merit students.
For those with good looks.
For the cutest.
For the most adorable.
“There seems to be a lot of chances to win trophies.
“Should I tell Luo Shan about this?”
“Ahem.”
All of a sudden, Zhang Han sensed a sharp gaze.
“Hiss!”
Zhang Han shivered all over. “Mengmeng’s mom’s eyes are so sharp!”
Looking at Zi Yan’s look in the rearview mirror, Zhang Han forced a smile.
The two of them could already communicate with each other by making eye contact.
Obviously, when she saw Zhang Han’s thoughtful look, Zi Yan knew that he was up to no good.
He shouldn’t let Mengmeng get whatever she wanted as long as she said she wanted it.
“Ma Fei used to study very well. But it seems that something has happened to him recently. Maybe he is having a small problem or something. Now that Mengmeng wants the group to take first place, Daddy will take you to visit Ma Fei. As long as we solve the little problem he is having, he can focus on studying again. Then, if his grades go up, your group can take first place in the exam,” Zhang Han said casually.
If he wasn’t allowed to give Mengmeng the trophy directly, then, he would have to take some trouble and solve the problem at the root.
Mengmeng’s mom certainly wouldn’t have any objection to him helping Mengmeng’s classmate.
As expected, Zi Yan contemplated for a moment and said, “You may give it a try.”
“Really?”
Mengmeng’s eyes gleamed with hope. “Then our group can have a chance to take first place in the exam!”
After saying that, Mengmeng was a little dazed.
“But there is only half a month to go before the final exam. There is not enough time. Even if Ma Fei works hard to study since today, can his grades really improve that much?”
“That’s hard to tell. So, Mengmeng, you should be prepared to see your group fail. Anyway, we never expect you to be number one in everything. You just need to make sure that you wouldn’t regret not trying hard enough.”
“Daddy, when will we go to Ma Fei’s?”
“The day after tomorrow is Saturday. So, let’s go there tomorrow.”
“Ah?”
Zi Yan’s expression froze for a moment, but then she realized what Zhang Han meant.
Since the day after tomorrow was Saturday, Zhang Han would want to take Mengmeng out and play, so he wouldn’t have time to do that. But tomorrow was Friday. When the kids were dismissed from school in the afternoon, he would have time to go to Ma Fei’s place and have a look.
In the first grade, some students had been required to study for a long time even after they went back home from school. And the parents of many students had even signed them up for tutoring classes. However, Mengmeng was done with study once she finished her homework every day. And she also got to have some fun trips on weekends. Even so, her grades had always been in the top three in her class. If she had focused all her attention on studying, she would definitely be number one.
Nonetheless, Zi Yan did not expect Mengmeng to always be number one. She really didn’t want to stress Mengmeng with her grades. Moreover, the little girl was so bright and her grades were also fairly good. As her mother, Zi Yan was actually quite proud of her.
After all, Mengmeng carried her genes, so she would definitely shine.
“So, tomorrow, I will first tell Ma Fei that I and my Daddy and Mummy will go visit him. We will chat with his mother. Then, what’s next?”
“We’ll just have a discussion about his grades,” Zhang Han replied, “and tell his parents that Ma Fei’s grades are a drag on the whole team, and we’d like him to study harder…”
“…”
The family of three chatted and laughed in the car. It took about half an hour to drive back to Mount New Moon from the Eastern District.
This brief drive was always very interesting. It was also part of the reason why Zhang Han picked the Dongli Elementary School.
After returning to the mountain, Mengmeng went straight to the pet area by herself to play with Dahei, Little Hei, and Tiny Tot.
The Tiny Tot’s recent bizarre transformation had really given Dahei quite a turn.
Since that transformation, every day, he would lift Tiny Tot up and look him up and down for ten minutes, wondering if his second brother was sick or something.
Yet, it was quite weird that Tiny Tot still appeared to be in a trance.
Sometimes, Tiny Tot would stare at the fresh grass and become absorbed in his thoughts. Sometimes, he would gaze up at the Thunder Yang Tree and slip into a trance. Other times, he would gawk at the Thunder Yang Flower or those livestock and be lost in thought for a few seconds.
No one knew what Tiny Tot was pondering over.
However, every time Mengmeng came, the three of them were as happy as always. They played together and had fun together.
After Mengmeng played for just ten minutes, Zhang Han and Zi Yan also came out and sat in the pavilion under the Thunder Yang Tree, exchanging some private remarks.
“Master, Wu Ming is here.”
Soon, Zhao Feng strode over quickly and said, “He’s at the foot of the mountain and is on his way up here.”
“Noted.”
Zhang Han got up and headed for the front mountain.
Just as he came to the square in front of the castle, he saw Wu Ming with a beer belly stagger toward him.
“This place is really nice.”
“If you like this place, stay for an extra couple of days,” Zhang Han said with a casual smile.
“Maybe next time,” Wu Ming replied, “I still have to go on a trip. The disciples of our Black White Palace who went out last time have disappeared. We don’t know what happened to them. No one heard from them anyway. This time, I came here with the expectation that I could nicely fight a few battles to turn some heads. But since so many martial artists have gone, it’s not fun anymore. So, I figure I’d better go visit other places. I plan to explore the Boundless Sea. Are you by any chance interested?”
“I’ve had sufficient martial arts resources for the time being. If the resources run low, I’ll just go to Si Nan. So, for now, I don’t have any plans to take any adventure.” Zhang Han shook his head.
When Si Nan learned that Zhang Hanyang could help the Dark Shadow Clan leave the Ancient Mine and see the vast world outside, he was completely fascinated.
He told Zhang Han that he would report it to Lord Liu as soon as he went back.
There was no Dark Warrior who would not want to go out and see the real world, was there?
When Zhang Han let them go to the world outside, he would charge each of them for the service. It would be an easy way to earn resources. Thus, he was more than glad to do it.
Therefore, Zhang Han was very satisfied with how he was doing.
“I knew it.”
Wu Ming shook his head and said, “Then I’ll just go out by myself.”
“Didn’t they say that it’s easy to get lost in the Boundless Sea?” Zhao Feng couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
If it were in the past, Zhao Feng would never ask such a question, for Wu Ming was a member of the Black White Palace. He had a noble identity. It was fine for his master to talk with him, but Zhao Feng himself was not qualified to join in the chat.
But since he became Zhang Han’s disciple, those rules had no longer been strictly obeyed.
Zhao Feng became more casual and liberated in life. At this time, he was curious and eager to know some secrets, so he posed that question to Wu Ming.
Hearing Zhao Feng’s question, Wu Ming smiled, then said, “The Boundless Sea is quite dangerous. To be more precise, the sea suppresses one’s cultivation. Above the sea, except for those treacherous illusory formations, there’s not much to worry about. Our Palace Master has awarded me a treasure, which can help me keep my bearings. If I discover something nice when exploring the outskirt of the sea, I will give it to our Palace Master’s daughter. Well, coincidentally, our Palace Master’s daughter is also eight years old. She’s a lovely little girl, only that she’s a little wild. Her cultivation is going quite smoothly, and she’s about to catch up with me, the slacker.”
“Catch up with you?” Zhang Han gave Wu Ming a scrutinizing look.
He was indeed a person who couldn’t be seen through. The first time Zhang Han saw him in the Ancient Mine, he knew that Wu Ming was a high-level cultivator.
But, of course, under the suppression of this world, his cultivation was at most in the Elixir Realm.
“I never work hard to cultivate. Usually, I just drink and sleep. But my cultivation just keeps going up.”
“Pfft, cough, cough…”
Zhao Feng choked on his saliva.
“Is he serious?”
“Zhang Hanyang, your strength is also catching up with mine. Even I can’t see you through. In this world, you are the third one that has amazed me like this.” Wu Ming was clearly enjoying himself. He laughed, took out the wine gourd, and again took a big gulp.
“Who is the first one?” Zhang Han asked nonchalantly.
While talking, they sat down on the chairs on the side of the square.
Wu Ming took two more gulps of wine and answered, “The first one is, of course, our Palace Master. She is the favorite of God. The second one is our Palace Master’s spouse. And the third one is you.”
“As for the others, such as the 13 magnates in the King’s Domain in the Ancient Mine, I can feel the monstrous strength of the other 12 magnates. I can tell that their aura is extremely strong and formidable. But our Palace Master is more like a mist drifting by an unpredictable route. Our Palace Master’s spouse is a man like a pool of water, which seems perfectly calm and tranquil. As for you…”
Wu Ming looked at Zhang Han, and there were beams of dim light in his eyes.
“You seem to be as unfathomable as the sea or the starry sky.”
