mtl008 Chapter 458 What if 1% works?
Chapter 458 What if 1% works?
Li Xiangyang thought he would just give it a try, but Li Xiaoyun took it very seriously.
The next morning, as soon as he got out of bed, he saw that his wife had already laid out several books on the table.
"These are the high school textbooks I found. Take a look and familiarize yourself with them."
Li Xiaoyun smiled and pushed a math textbook towards her.
Li Xiangyang was stunned. He picked up the book and flipped through a few pages. The dense formulas and graphs gave him a headache.
"I'll go make breakfast first, you keep an eye on things," Li Xiaoyun said, turning and heading to the kitchen.
Li Xiangyang sighed, forced himself to sit down, and opened the first page of his math textbook.
He tried to concentrate, but the symbols and formulas were as incomprehensible as gibberish.
"What is Dad looking at?" Li Wangchen asked curiously, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Dad is reading a math book, preparing for the college entrance exam," Li Xiangyang said, rubbing his son's head, his face flushed.
"What is a university?" Li Wangchen asked, tilting his head.
“It’s a very far place with many books where you can learn a lot,” Li Xiangyang explained.
"Is Dad going to a very far place?" A hint of worry flashed in Li Wangchen's eyes.
Seeing this, Li Xiangyang quickly shook his head: "No, Dad won't leave you and Mom."
Just then, Li Xiaohua got up and saw her brother already studying. She exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, are you really going to take the exam with me?"
"Okay, I'll go with you and take a look." Li Xiangyang nodded helplessly.
After breakfast, Li Xiaohua took out her notebook and carefully planned her review schedule: "Chinese, math, physics, chemistry, history, geography, politics—so many subjects, we need to make a timetable."
Li Xiangyang's head throbbed even more as he looked at the long list of subjects.
"That room is too dirty, I'll clean it up. You can read a book for a while." Li Xiangyang stood up, preparing to leave.
"Brother!" Li Xiaohua exclaimed in dissatisfaction, "You just agreed yesterday, and you want to run away today?"
Li Xiangyang wanted to argue, but Li Xiaoyun came out of the kitchen and said softly, "Xiangyang, starting today, I'll do the housework. You just focus on your studies."
Now, Li Xiangyang had no excuse left.
He had no choice but to sit down and open the math textbook with his sister.
"Let's start with this quadratic function," Li Xiaohua said earnestly. "I can understand this one."
Li Xiangyang stared at the parabolic graph on the paper, feeling completely bewildered.
Having lived two lives, he had never used this knowledge before, and Li Xiangyang felt increasingly confused as he read on.
"Look, this is how you use this formula." Seeing his troubled expression, Li Xiaohua wrote down a few steps on a piece of paper and patiently explained.
As Li Xiaohua explained, Li Xiangyang was initially able to follow her train of thought and at least understand what she was saying.
Two hours later, his mind was completely blank.
"Let's take a break." He stretched and went out into the yard for some fresh air.
In the yard, Li Wangchen was playing with Xiaohu. Seeing his father come out, he immediately ran over: "Dad, I want to see the deer!"
Li Xiangyang readily agreed, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to escape the suffocating textbook.
"Xiaoyun, I'm taking Wangchen to see the deer farm. I'll be right back!" he called into the house.
Before he could get a response, he grabbed his son's hand and quickly walked out of the yard.
At the deer farm, the deer are leisurely grazing on grass.
Li Wangchen excitedly pointed to a fawn: "Dad, that fawn is as big as me!"
Li Xiangyang smiled and nodded: "Yes, that one was just born not long ago and still needs to be fed properly."
Looking at his son's innocent smiling face, Li Xiangyang suddenly felt that this was real life.
The college entrance exam and university are all too far away for him.
Just as he was lost in thought, Wang Ergou walked over from a distance.
"How's your studies going?" Wang Ergou teased, "Future college student."
Li Xiangyang gave a wry smile: "Don't even mention it. At my age, how can I possibly learn anything new?"
"You're nothing compared to what's to come," Wang Ergou patted him on the shoulder. "I've heard some people in the city are over thirty and still taking the exam."
“That’s different,” Li Xiangyang shook his head. “They have a foundation, while we’re just peasants at heart. If it’s about knowing which plants to eat on the mountain, I guarantee I can do it, but they don’t test us on that…”
Faced with Li Xiangyang's tirade, Wang Ergou, unusually serious, said, "It's truly been difficult for you. But you promised, so hang in there. It's okay if you don't pass the exam; the main thing is to be with Xiaohua and encourage her."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "That's true, let's just keep her company."
When I got home, it was already lunchtime.
Li Xiaoyun and Li Xiaohua were busy in the kitchen. Seeing them return, Li Xiaoyun asked, "How was your reading?"
"It's alright," Li Xiangyang replied casually, "but there are some parts I don't quite remember."
Li Xiaoyun seemed to see through his thoughts, but didn't expose him: "Let's continue after we finish eating. I'm free this afternoon, I can tutor you in Chinese."
After lunch, Li Xiangyang forced himself to sit at the table and listen to Li Xiaoyun explain Chinese language knowledge.
The Chinese text wasn't particularly difficult, but as Li Xiangyang listened, his eyelids started to droop.
We all share the same language system, so if someone describes a spring breeze, and you insist on analyzing the meaning behind the spring breeze and the author's state of mind at the time, isn't that making things difficult for them?
Besides, did the author really think that much about it?
How can I begin writing if I think so much...
Without realizing it, Li Xiangyang's head drooped down little by little.
"Xiangyang? Xiangyang!" Li Xiaoyun's voice startled him awake.
"Huh? I'm listening." Li Xiangyang suddenly looked up and said in a panic.
Li Xiaoyun shook her head helplessly: "If you're tired, go and rest. Don't push yourself."
Li Xiangyang said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sorry, I don't know why, but whenever I hear this, my head starts buzzing..."
"Brother, why don't we rest for a bit and continue tomorrow?" Li Xiaohua said considerately.
Li Xiangyang nodded, a wave of guilt washing over him.
He knew all too well how much his younger sister longed to go to university. Yet, he couldn't even help her study.
That night, after the child had fallen asleep, Li Xiaoyun sat by the bed and softly asked, "Is it really that difficult?"
Li Xiangyang sighed: "To be honest, it's really difficult. The formulas and theorems are like gibberish. The underlying concepts are completely incomprehensible."
Li Xiaoyun was silent for a moment, then said, "If you don't want to take the exam, that's fine. Don't force yourself."
Li Xiangyang held his wife's hand: "Um, are you very disappointed? I...maybe I need some time to adjust."
Li Xiaoyun smiled and nodded: "A little bit, but if you find it too much, then forget it."
"Ah, no! Let me get used to it a little more, what if it works? Even if it doesn't, it'll be good to spend time with Xiaohua."
……