Chapter 181: 183 Poor Foundation

“To solve this, you should…” Tang Yuxin took out her own notebook, carefully illustrating every step of the equation. After speaking for a long time until her mouth was dry, she asked the two of them.

They both looked utterly bewildered.

“Don’t understand?”

Tang Yuxin asked, feeling like she’d explained the concept very clearly. Her approach was simpler than the teacher’s, and yet the two of them still didn’t understand.

The two diligent students nodded, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

Tang Yuxin flipped to the previous page of the textbook and asked, “Do you understand this?” Math is cumulative, it builds step by step. If you don’t understand the previous step, how can you possibly understand the next? If you fail to grasp the foundations, the more you learn, the more confused you become, until everything becomes a muddled mess.

And math is a major subject. When it comes to entrance exams, it’s a big scorer.

That’s why they say, if you are good at math and science, you will fear nothing in this world.

The two diligent students shook their heads again.

Tang Yuxin continued flipping back a few pages, pointing to the content, and asked, “Do you understand this?”

The two children looked even more embarrassed. Clearly, they still didn’t comprehend.

With a frustrated sigh, Tang Yuxin flipped back to page one, “Do you understand this?”

This time, the two students finally nodded. If they didn’t understand this, it would be beyond hope.

“What part do you two understand?” Tang Yuxin stopped doing her homework. She could finish hers anytime as her foundational knowledge was sound, so the homework assigned by the teacher wasn’t difficult for her.

If she couldn’t grasp where these two were struggling, no matter how she taught, she’d be teaching blind. Math wasn’t about rote memorization, you had to comprehend the underlying patterns. And the task felt as though a heavy burden was placed on her shoulders.

If her memory served right, these two weren’t just weak at math, they were weak across all subjects. Unlike her consistent high scores across all subjects, their performance was consistently poor.

Despite being attentive in class, they weren’t the class clowns, but their grades were poor and were always the bottom of the class.

After a brief assessment of their knowledge, Tang Yuxin found that their foundational knowledge was severely lacking. If they couldn’t comprehend what was taught in the past, they wouldn’t be able to grasp future lessons. The further they got behind, the less motivated they’d be.

She took out her textbook and began to teach them from the very basics. Thankfully, they were only in the first year of junior high school, the math concepts were relatively simple. By gradually guiding them, they could easily catch up. However, if they were in the second year, reinforcing their basics would be a daunting task.

It took her about an hour to help them catch up on the basics, and then she started today’s homework.

Math was like this, while other subjects were quite straightforward, relying on rote memorization.

They settled into silence, working on their homework. To be honest, the learning atmosphere Tang Yuxin created was just as intense as being at school. The quiet setting allowed them to focus on their studies.

At that moment, a small head peeked through the door.

Chen Lidong put down his pen, stretched a little, and then looked back to find a pair of round eyes looking back at him.

Sisi smiled at the unfamiliar big brother in her home, her sweet little face was like a delicate flower bud, making her quite lovable.

“Sisi, come do your homework.”

Tang Yuxin also noticed her little sister outside and waved her over.

Sisi ran over, carrying her books and notebooks in her hands.

She sat down and neatly placed her textbooks, and then began writing with a pencil, line by line.

“Is this your little sister?” Chen Lidong patted little Sisi’s head, finding such a tiny child incredibly adorable. Not having any younger siblings themselves, it was a novelty to be around such a small child. Especially one as well-behaved as Sisi, who didn’t make any fuss. Her cute and adorable face made her even more endearing.

Being good-looking certainly had its advantages. Tang Yuxin touched her own face. Alas, her plain features always left her at a disadvantage. But at least, it saved her the trouble of make-up because no amount could brighten her up, unless she used plain flour.

Sisi lifted her little face and gave Chen Lidong a smile, causing him to be so taken by her that he wanted to take her home.

“She’s my second uncle’s daughter,” Tang Yuxin pinched Sisi’s cheek, “She’s in first grade. Look at her handwriting, then look at yours. Isn’t it embarrassing?”

Xu Miaomiao and Chen Lidong’s eyes quickly shifted to the elementary school student’s book. Despite her childish handwriting, the strokes were precise and well-proportioned, even exhibiting an elegant flair of calligraphy. Compared with Tang Yuxin’s graceful handwriting, it was no surprise they found themselves feeling inadequate.

“Can we write well too?” Xu Miaomiao dreamed of having beautiful penmanship, but she felt as though she lacked the natural talent. No matter how much she tried, her handwriting was always chicken scratch.

“There’s nothing definitive in this world,” Tang Yuxin continued writing her homework, “Persist and strive, then you will succeed, as long as you can endure the loneliness in between.”

“I can,” Xu Miaomiao puffed out her chest confidently. Regardless of her academic performance, she was determined to have good handwriting.

Tang Yuxin stood up and opened a drawer. From within, she took out a few pages of her handwriting to share. Aside from her handwriting, there wasn’t much else she was proud of in her two lifetimes. Having practiced calligraphy with Chen Zhong for years, her calligraphy was impressive. She made copies of her writings for Sisi to learn from.

One day, Sisi would have beautiful handwriting too, otherwise she would get a smack on her hand.

Although technology progress meant fewer people were handwriting, being able to write well was a reflection of one’s personal cultivation.

Therefore, no matter what, Sisi must write well.

She generously shared her handwriting sheets, hoping they would stay persistent and keep practicing. It wasn’t too late to start from scratch now. It might take a year, two years, or even three years, but eventually they’ll improve.