House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 89 - Dispute About Kindergarten

In fact,this embarrassment has always existed faintly, but neither of them liked toexpress these extreme emotions, so when they sat together again, they tacitlyremained silent about what just happened.

Before noonbreak, Mo Fei came to the guest room, the bedroom where Yang Yi slept. Sheleaned against the door frame and said, “Yang Yi, I want to discusssomething with you.”

Yang Yinodded and sat up on the bed. He asked Mo Fei to sit in the chair, but Mo Feididn't want to and preferred to stand.

“I think it’s time for Xixi to go to kindergarten!” Mo Fei hesitated and said.

Yang Yi frowned. For him, who had never been to kindergarten, kindergarten was equivalent to the gathering place of child abuse demons - He was influenced by the news that was frequently exposed in his previous life.^[1]

So, he saidsubconsciously, “Why? Why go to kindergarten? If you don’t have time totake care of Xixi, let her live in my house!”

He didn’tnotice that his voice kept rising as he spoke.

“Ididn't mean that. It's not because I don't have time to take care of Xixi thatI wanted to send her to kindergarten.” Mo Fei didn’t expect Yang Yi toreact so much. She was a little uncomfortable with Yang Yi’s agitatedappearance.

Mo Feiexplained very earnestly: “I will arrange for Xixi to go to the bestkindergarten in Jiangcheng, let her receive the best bilingual education, andalso have her learn music and painting…”

If there was one word to describe Mo Fei, It's “Tiger Mom”. She believed that Xixi should have the best education as she did when she was a child. Moreover, she also wanted her to develop her morality, intelligence, physique and diligence, an all-round development…

If Xixi wasn't too young, it was estimated that Mo Fei, like other mothers, would have asked Xixi to take part in various training courses and learn all about the four arts^[2].

But Yang Yi didn't think so. No matter in his past life or in his predecessor's memory in this life, he has received that kind of sheep-raising education^[3]. Even Yang Yi felt that learning was just a requirement for the assassin profession. He had his present achievement because he took the initiative to learn, was willing to learn, and went all out to learn.

He didn't think that kindergarten could teach Xixi anything, and that the teachers who teach the four arts in the kindergarten really couldn't play with half a bucket of water.^[4]

So Yang Yisaid discontentedly, “I can also teach her at home! Why does she have togo to kindergarten?”

This made MoFei angry that she forgot that she had other reasons to persuade Yang Yi.

She bit herlower lip, her face blushed in anger, and said bluntly: “Yang Yi, don't thinkthat since you didn't have the conditions to receive high-end education, youalso want Xixi to follow your path! Xixi, she is going to go to college and geta master’s degree! I don’t want her to be like you, who didn’t even get a highschool diploma!”

What shesaid was a little excessive, and Mo Fei regretted it as soon as she said it!

But she wasstill angry, and she didn’t know how to apologize on her own initiative. Sheregretted it for a while, and then she found a reason to tell herself that YangYi deserved to be scolded! This entanglement made her turn her head angrily.

Mo Feididn’t see that Yang Yi’s eyes suddenly became cold.

Perhaps MoFei simply didn't realize how hurtful her words really were! Yang Yi himselfcouldn't have imagined that the emotion of his predecessor actually had a greatimpact on him.

The formerYang Yi has two things that he has taken to heart in his relationship with MoFei. The first was that he felt that Mo Fei looked down on him because he waspoor, and the second was that he felt that Mo Fei looked down on him because ofhis low education and low social status.

Althoughthey both believed that they were not wrong, it has to be said that Yang Yi wasalso a person with strong self-awareness and was easily infected by thisemotion.

He wasn'thappy with Mo Fei’s words: what about not having a diploma? Is it great tohave a diploma?

Yang Yi feltthat even though he didn’t go to school in his previous life and didn’t have adiploma, but when it came to ability, he was much better than those graduatesfrom famous universities.

Therelationship between the two people who had become close during this period ofcontact once again showed a crack. Maybe they didn’t notice it yet, but Yang Yisubconsciously wanted to distance himself from Mo Fei.

“Althoughthe books I've read aren't that many, I can still teach Xi some basicknowledge!” Yang Yi said coldly, “Besides, a child should have ahappy childhood, not a painful memory in learning! I’d rather Xixi play a fewmore years than rush to study!”

The latter part of what Yang Yi said was actually what he summarized from reading those parenting books. Most experts believed that preschool education for children was unnecessary. It was not good for the child’s physical and mental health!

But Mo Fei doesn't read the expositions of these “brick experts^[5]“! She was focused on the future development of Xixi.

“YangYi, don’t be so naive, okay? If Xixi doesn’t learn these things, by the timeshe goes to school, she will be far behind others!” Mo Fei turned aroundand said angrily, “It’s like a 100-meter race. How can you catch up withthe others if your starting point is ten or twenty meters behind them?”

Well, itseemed that on this topic, Yang Yi and Mo Fei were bound to have a big fight.

But when Yang Yi and Mo Fei were at a stalemate, a small figure poked out her head.

“Oh, you’re here with Papa!” The little beauty^[6] giggled.

Xixi hadjust been ready to go to bed but she waited for her mother. When she couldn'twait for her mother to return anymore, she jumped out of bed curiously and ranout barefoot.

Theappearance of Xixi immediately diluted the smell of gunpowder between Yang Yiand Mo Fei.

Although MoFei was still bitter about it, she, like Yang Yi, put down the dispute first.Her eyes fell on Xixi’s feet and said angrily, “Little Yang Xi, you didn'twear slippers!”

“Heehee, I want to sleep with Papa!” Xixi twisted her body, avoiding hermother’s grasp. She laughed, which sounded like a silver bell, and ran to herfather.

In the blinkof an eye, she had climbed into her father’s bed. Fortunately, Yang Yi wipedthe floor spotlessly every day. Although Xixi was barefoot, her feet weren't dirty.

It was justthat when Yang Yi, an obsessive-compulsive guy, looked at that place, thecorner of his mouth couldn't help but twitche, somewhat helpless. He had nochoice but to wash the sheets again later.

“LittleYang Xi, come down, you go back to bed with me!” Mo Fei ordered.

Xixihurriedly got into her father’s arms. She poked out her little head with messyhair, and then made a face at her mother mischievously: “No, I want tosleep with Papa. Papa will tell me a story!”

“I cantell you a story, too!” Mo Fei was a little aggrieved.

“But Papa's story is the best!”

Xixi's black eyes turned like jewel^[7], and she suggested, “Or Mama, you can also come, we sleep with Papa together.”

“Bah,children’s words carry no harm, the wind blows away!” Mo Fei's face turnedcrimson because of her daughter. She glared at the innocent Yang Yi and turned togo out. “Then you sleep with your Papa. I'm going back to my room!”

“Bye-bye,Mama!” Xixi wasn't reluctant at all. She giggled and waved, and was filledwith joy.

Now, she canhave Papa by herself!

__________

[1] From what I understood about this sentence. In his previous life, there was a lot of news about children being abuse in kindergarten and this is what influenced him. He called those who abuse the children as child abuse demons (bad teachers?).

[2] Four Arts - Zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting.

[3] Sheep-herding education - The child is allowed to develop freely according to the child's preferences. The child will learn what the child wanted to learn. And others (family members) will not interfere or limit the child.

[4] Couldn't play with half a bucket of water - this means that they were all half-baked teachers, they are still lacking. Not professional/proficient enough.

[5] Brick expert – Broadly refers to people who are non-learning and inexperienced, but boasting of pretending to be academic authorities. The so-called cultural master that has no scientific basis for their doctrine. Mo Fei believed that those people who wrote those parenting books were "brick expert".

[6] Original text was "Bright eyes, white teeth". Describes a woman’s beautiful appearance, also refers to a beautiful woman. Or can be translated as "the little girl with bright eyes and white teeth".

[7] This just mean, she suddenly thought of a good idea. Like "her eyes lit up".

TN: A shout out to Andrei V for the support. Thanks and much appreciated.

TN: If you like my translations support me in ko-fi: .