Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 139 – Attending Xiao Feng’s Parent-Teacher Conference

Not long after Ning Shaobai’s birthday came the parent-teacher conference for the kids. Back when Xia Mian was in high school, she never had time to attend. It was always Xia Wenyue or Ning Shaoyun who’d go for Mao Huizhu and Chenchen, and take care of Xiao Feng as well while they were at it. But this year, Xia Mian finally had the time, so of course she wanted to go herself.

When Xiao Feng heard that she’d be coming to his conference, he literally jumped with joy. “Really? Auntie, you’re coming?”

Then he asked sweetly, “Auntie, don’t you have class?”

“Nope, I’m free that day.” That afternoon, she only had one general Marxism lecture—her roommate could mark her as present.

“Haha!” The little boy gave a short laugh and hugged her waist, stomping his feet with excitement. “Auntie, I got first place!”

Xia Mian patted his head with a smile. “Well, I’m looking forward to your teacher’s praise. The teacher always compliments Xiao Feng, but Auntie has never heard it in person.”

Xiao Feng giggled, burying his head against her waist, nearly melting her heart.

On the day of the parent-teacher conference, she purposely dressed a bit formally and applied light makeup.

To be honest, this was her first time attending such a conference on behalf of the kid. It was kind of a novel experience.

She arrived fairly early. The children were still in the middle of a major classroom cleanup, and through the window Xia Mian could see a roomful of kids bustling about, busily “at work.”

Mao Huizhu was surrounded by a few kids, each one balancing brooms vertically on their index fingers to see who could keep it up the longest. The first to drop it had to take out the trash.

Chenchen and a few boys were mopping the floor. But soon, it turned into a game where Chenchen stood on the mop, and two boys pulled it along like a sled. In no time, several mop strings had fallen off.

Ding Sijin was rinsing two rags at the water basin and handed one to Xiao Feng. The two of them slowly wiped desks, one row at a time. Meanwhile, the two girls next to them had already cleaned five rows, while these two were just finishing their third.

But they were cleaning very carefully—especially Ding Sijin’s desk, which stood out among the rest.

Xia Mian couldn’t help laughing at the sight.

“Xia Mian, you’re here so early?” Ning Shaoyun called out.

Xia Mian turned and saw her arriving with Xia Wenyue.

“Sister Ning, Second Aunt.” Xia Mian grinned. “Yeah, it’s my first conference. I’m a little nervous.”

Xia Wenyue laughed. “You should be fine. When I came to my first one, that was nerve-wracking. I hadn’t been in a classroom for decades. Sitting at a student desk felt like I was sitting on nails. I was terrified I’d embarrass Huizhu.”

Then she added mischievously, “Good thing there were a few naughtier kids. The teacher didn’t get around to scolding me.”

Ning Shaoyun laughed. “I never saw Aunt look nervous.”

Xia Wenyue replied seriously, “Of course not. I couldn’t let you see it.”

Both Ning Shaoyun and Xia Mian burst into laughter.

As they chatted, more parents arrived. The children started to notice. When Xiao Feng spotted Xia Mian, he immediately beamed and ran over, cloth in hand, and threw his arms around her waist. “Auntie!”

Ding Sijin followed behind and stood quietly at her side.

Xia Mian gently patted both kids on the head and said to Ding Sijin, “I’ll pick up your grades for you later, don’t worry.”

Her grandmother had bound feet and was timid by nature, so she had never attended any of her school events.

Ding Sijin gave a small smile. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Meanwhile, Chenchen and Mao Huizhu each found their mom and began chatting away excitedly.

The children quickly finished cleaning the classroom and led their parents to their respective seats.

Xiao Feng, being the youngest and shortest in the class, sat in the front row on the side. Chenchen’s seat was somewhere in the middle. Mao Huizhu, as one of the older girls in the class and already going through a growth spurt, was the tallest, so her seat was in the second-to-last row.

Xiao Feng leaned sweetly against Xia Mian and explained the agenda to her. “The teacher will take attendance first, then read out the grades, and then we’re going to share learning experiences.”

“Is Auntie supposed to share too?” Xia Mian hugged the child with a smile. “What kind of learning experience do you have? Xiao Feng should teach Auntie, or I won’t know what to say later.”

Xiao Feng thought for a bit and answered seriously, “Just listen carefully in class and do your homework properly.”

Xia Mian chuckled and patted his tuft hair. “Alright, Auntie gets it.”

The mother next to them looked on with envy. “You’re Xia Yufeng’s aunt? What on earth do you do to raise a kid like this? He’s so well-behaved.”

Then she tugged on her own little boy’s ear. “If mine were even half as obedient, I’d go offering incense in thanks.”

Xia Mian’s lips curled up uncontrollably as she replied modestly, “Your boy looks well-behaved too! All kids are a little mischievous—it just means they’re smart.”

That mother laughed too. “Well, he’s got the brains, but refuses to apply them to schoolwork.”

Another mother chimed in, “Your Xia Yufeng really is something. Honestly, I should thank him. Ever since he became seatmates with my daughter, her grades have gotten a lot better.”

“Xia Yufeng, how did you teach her? Auntie tries to help her at home, but the little fool just doesn’t get it. She makes me want to pull my hair out!” She even shot an exasperated glare at the girl beside her.

Noticing the girl pressing her lips together tightly, her expression dim and withdrawn, Xia Mian sighed inwardly. This mom is way too harsh.

Xiao Feng blinked and looked seriously at the woman. “Auntie, Du Juan isn’t stupid. She’s really good at chess and really good at math.”

“She doesn’t like the piano. She likes Go.”

Du Juan’s mother froze, then immediately turned and stared at her daughter, raising her voice. “Since when did you learn Go?!”

The little girl flinched, her whole body tensing. Xia Mian quickly stepped in. “Your daughter taught herself Go? That’s amazing!”

Her tone was full of admiration, which made Du Juan’s mother pause. “That’s… amazing?”

“Of course it is,” Xia Mian said seriously. “Go isn’t something just anyone can pick up—it’s super complex. If she learned it on her own, that’s seriously impressive.”

Seeing Xia Mian looking at her daughter with such genuine wonder, the woman wavered. “Is it… more impressive than a piano?”

They really aren’t comparable… But Xia Mian understood that a mother like that likely didn’t genuinely care about her child’s interests or passions. Smiling, she said, “Of course. Piano takes talent, but Go is a first-rate mental sport.”

“Gifted kids can make the national team by the age of twelve or thirteen. Just think about it—each move requires thinking ten steps ahead, countering the opponent’s strategies, applying tactical thinking and logic. How could that not be impressive? Kids without sharp minds can’t learn it at all.”

Du Juan’s mother looked at her daughter. “I guess… So you’re saying she’s not dumb?”

Seeing the little girl’s face ease with visible relief at being acknowledged, Xia Mian couldn’t help but feel a touch of helplessness. That’s just how things were in this era—expressing affection or praise to children seemed almost impossible for many parents.

Xia Mian smiled at the girl. “Of course not! She’s incredibly smart.”

“But that stuff… not many people understand it,” Du Juan’s mother replied. “Who knows if she’s really any good? If she has to perform a talent one day, no one will get it.”

Well then! Clearly, a case of using her daughter as a tool for showing off.

Xia Mian sighed inwardly but still explained, “Go has a ranking system just like piano. Players earn official certificates issued by the national association as they rise through tournaments.”

She had originally thought about saying your daughter might even bring glory to the country one day, but she held back. If this mother made that her new goal, it would only become another burden for the child.

She continued, “Look at the kind of people who enjoy Go—plenty of high-ranking officials are fans. Not many play the piano. Plus, Go develops cognitive abilities, which is great for your child’s academics.”

Seeing her wavering, Xia Mian pressed a bit further. “Would you be prouder of her passing piano level 10, or getting into a top university?”

Without hesitation, the mother replied, “Of course, getting into a good university is more important.”

She turned to Xiao Feng. “So her grades improved because of Go?”

Xiao Feng tilted his head. “When she plays Go, she’s happy.”

Xia Mian gently patted his head and smiled at Du Juan’s mother. “Kids don’t always know how to explain things. She’s only in fourth grade—there’s still time. Just try letting her pursue it for a month or two and see how it goes.”

Du Juan’s mother thought for a moment and then chuckled. “That’s true… I really was getting ahead of myself.”

Just then, one voice rose from the back of the classroom. “Ding Sijin’s desk is still so clean and pretty. What did she use to decorate it? The colors haven’t faded at all.”

Another parent laughed. “You don’t know how protective that little girl is! She’d rather drink less water and avoid the restroom than let anyone else sit there.”

The room was filled with laughter.

Ding Sijin’s desk was famous not just among the students, but also among the parents.

That desk was so beautifully decorated that everyone wanted to sit there. At first, some kids thought they could sneak in during seat changes. But when it was Sijin’s turn to switch seats, she simply dragged the entire desk along with her. No one else got to use it. Even when the teacher tried to stop her, she insisted, and in the end, everyone just let her be.

And when kids couldn’t sit there, of course, they went home and told their parents—so the parents all heard about it too.

Apparently, during last semester’s conference, one parent had even questioned why Ding Sijin was allowed to draw on her desk, saying it was unfair.

So Teacher Liu had projected a photo Xia Mian had taken back then, showing how filthy and messy the desk originally looked. That shut everyone right up.

They would rather their children’s desks stay clean.

Seizing the moment, Teacher Liu had gone on to remind the parents to better manage their own children.

Not that she even needed to. Word had already spread that Fu Peng’s parents had ended up at the police station for bullying Ding Sijin. Naturally, the other parents took things seriously.

Even the most unruly kids quieted down when the word police came up. Ever since that incident, Fu Peng had become noticeably better behaved and never bullied anyone again—which, in turn, led to a significant drop in bullying cases across Longcheng Elementary School.

Du Juan’s mother glanced back enviously and said, “When did your Xia Yufeng start learning to draw? He’s so good at it.”

“Does drawing also help with brain development? Where does he take lessons? Maybe I should sign my girl up too.”

Xia Mian honestly didn’t know how to respond.

Fortunately, Teacher Liu came in and saved her. “Alright, kids, head outside. The parent-teacher conference is about to begin.”

The kids all rushed out in a flurry, and the parents sat up straight, waiting attentively for the teacher to speak.

Just as Xiao Feng had said, the conference followed its usual routine. Throughout it all, Xia Mian took quiet pleasure in basking in the envious looks of the other parents.

When it was her turn to share her “parenting experience,” she stood at the podium and happened to see Xiao Feng’s little head peeking in through the window. She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s probably because he’s an angel. He’s just naturally good at everything.”

The teacher and the other parents froze for a moment. Then, following Xia Mian’s amused glance, they turned toward the window and saw Xiao Feng beaming from ear to ear—and only then did they realize her words were meant for the child.

Xia Mian turned back to face the parents. “See that smile? When he’s happy, he does everything better.”

“So my experience is simple: praise them more. Kids love to hear kind words, just like adults.”

“Think about it. Would you rather hear ‘I believe in you; you’ll do better next time!’ or ‘You better get a good score next time or I’ll break your legs!’?”

The room erupted with laughter. Xia Mian smiled and continued, “If you watch closely, kids who are praised often tend to be more confident and perform better than those who are constantly scolded and criticized.”

“So good grades aren’t just the kid’s responsibility. As adults, we need to work hard too.” She beamed. “I believe all of us here are smart and capable, and that we can help our kids grow into even better versions of themselves.”

More laughter and nods followed.

When the conference ended, Xia Mian had barely stepped outside before Xiao Feng ran up and hugged her tightly. She bent down, scooped him up, and laughed. “Oh, our little angel! What a star!”

The little guy giggled gleefully.

Other parents looked on at their own kids—who usually avoided them out of fear—and fell into thoughtful silence.

No one could predict what the future might hold, but for the first time ever, the school gate wasn’t filled with threats like “Just wait till we get home!” or “You’re dead when your dad hears about this!” or “I swear I’ll beat you to a pulp!”

Later that weekend, Xia Mian heard from Mao Huizhu that Xiao Feng’s classmates were all super jealous that he had such a cool aunt. Xiao Feng was practically bursting with pride in class.

When Xia Mian heard this, Xiao Feng bashfully curled into her arms, nuzzling his head against her shoulder with a soft, “Hehe… Auntie.”

Xia Mian couldn’t help but laugh. “Baby, you’re my pride and joy.”

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