Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 119 Tutoring a Senior High School Girl

Liu Qingqing smiled gently: "These are just some home-style dishes, I hope they suit your taste."

Zhiyuan, how's your first day at your new workplace? Are you settling in well?

Not wanting Liu Qingqing to worry, Wu Zhiyuan only said the good things: "It's great. My colleagues are all very friendly, and the leaders are very caring. Secretary Lin talked to me and encouraged me to adapt to my new position as soon as possible."

Today's main purpose was to familiarize myself with the environment and understand some basic work processes.

"You'll get used to it." Liu Qingqing put a piece of braised pork on Wu Zhiyuan's plate. "Zhiyuan, the work at the Discipline Inspection Commission is stressful and fast-paced. You need to take care of your health and balance work and rest. Take it slow at the beginning, don't rush."

"Thank you for your concern, Professor Liu." Wu Zhiyuan felt a warmth in his heart and then inquired about Xu Youwei's situation, "Has Secretary Xu settled in at the Provincial Political Consultative Conference? Is everything going smoothly?"

When Xu Youwei was mentioned, Liu Qingqing's expression dimmed for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure: "He's alright, but it's just that stepping down from the front line all at once must be a bit of a letdown for him, and he needs time to adjust."

However, Youwei is quite optimistic. He told me that he finally has enough time to do things he's always wanted to do but never had the time for.

She served Wu Zhiyuan a bowl of soup and continued, "He joked to himself, 'Well, this is great. I'm living a semi-retired life ahead of schedule, with just a cup of tea, a pen, and a stack of manuscript paper to write history.'"

He said he wanted to calm down and write a book about local officialdom and grassroots governance in the Ming Dynasty, a topic he had been pondering for many years. Previously, while in office, he could only jot down scattered thoughts, but now he could finally systematically organize them.

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiyuan felt both gratified and somewhat bittersweet.

Thankfully, Xu Youwei was not defeated, but found a new spiritual anchor in adversity;

What's heartbreaking is that a young and ambitious municipal party secretary, who should have been showcasing his talents on a broader stage, is now forced to bury himself in old books. One can only imagine the helplessness and resentment he felt.

Wu Zhiyuan said sincerely, "Secretary Xu has a broad vision and can find a way to shine wherever he is."

For him, studying history and gaining insight into the world might also be a form of reflection and sublimation.

"Yes, I feel much more at ease knowing he thinks that way." Liu Qingqing nodded, her gaze falling on Xu Yunxi. "However, right now, the person I worry about most at home is Yunxi."

She glanced at Xu Yunxi, who was eating quietly, and said slowly, "Yunxi has entered her senior year of high school, the most crucial year."

She's an art student, so I'm not too worried about her drawing skills in her major courses. She's interested and willing to put in the effort.

Her weakest areas have always been academic subjects, especially math and English, and her grades fluctuate greatly.

With the college entrance exam just over six months away, her dad and I are both quite anxious.

When Xu Yunxi heard Liu Qingqing mention her studies, she put down her chopsticks, looked up at Wu Zhiyuan, and said, "Aunt Qingqing, I'm so motivated now! Isn't there a super-achiever here?"

She pointed at Wu Zhiyuan with a grin: "Brother Zhiyuan is a top student who graduated from a prestigious 985 university! His college entrance exam score was extremely high back then!"

Having him tutor me in his spare time would be much better than hiring private tutors.

I can't concentrate on what the other teachers are saying, but I'm sure I can understand what Zhiyuan is saying!

Liu Qingqing shook her head and said, "Yunxi, your brother Zhiyuan just transferred to a new unit. He's very busy with all sorts of work. How could he have time to be your tutor?"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled slightly: "It's true that I'm busy with work, but tutoring once or twice a week is basically no problem. I just don't know if it will be effective?"

"Really? That's great!" Xu Yunxi exclaimed excitedly. "Brother Zhiyuan, you can't go back on your word! I promise I'll listen attentively and never slack off!"

Liu Qingqing smiled and said, "Zhiyuan, then I'll have to trouble you. But please prioritize your work. Tutor me when you have time, and don't feel pressured if you don't."

After dinner, Xu Yunxi couldn't wait to pull Wu Zhiyuan into her bedroom.

"Brother Zhiyuan, look, this is my math test paper and my English notes. I've organized them all."

Xu Yunxi excitedly spread a stack of documents on the desk, her eyes full of anticipation.

Looking at the vibrant young girl in front of him, Wu Zhiyuan found it hard to connect her with the girl who had become depressed and whose grades had plummeted due to the pain of losing her mother.

He smiled and said, "Okay, let's start with math. Which part did you find the most difficult?"

"Functions, and solid geometry," Xu Yunxi said with a frown. "Those images keep changing, and there's spatial imagination; I just can't seem to grasp them."

Wu Zhiyuan did not rush to explain the problem. Instead, he took her most recent math test paper, carefully looked at the wrong questions, and then looked through her textbook and notes.

He discovered that Xu Yunxi did indeed have some gaps in her basic knowledge; she didn't memorize formulas well and her understanding of concepts was vague.

But more importantly, she lacks a systematic approach to problem-solving and confidence. She often feels intimidated by slightly complicated questions and dares not even start writing.

"Yunxi, look at this function problem," Wu Zhiyuan pointed to a wrong problem, "Actually, the core knowledge point it tests is the transformation and application of this formula."

It's not that you don't know how, but that you're intimidated by the seemingly complicated format of the question...

Wu Zhiyuan discovered that Xu Yunxi was actually very smart, but her basic knowledge was a bit lacking.

The bedroom door was gently pushed open.

Liu Qingqing carried a plate of sliced ​​fruit and tiptoed in.

Seeing that Xu Yunxi was listening attentively to the lesson, she felt very gratified.

"Aunt Qingqing, you've come at the perfect time! Brother Zhiyuan explained it so clearly! I always thought functions were difficult, but after listening to him explain it, it seems like I'm starting to understand!"

"That's good. Listen carefully and study hard. Don't let Zhiyuan's good intentions go to waste." Liu Qingqing turned to Wu Zhiyuan, her tone full of gratitude: "Zhiyuan, you've really worked hard. After a long day at work, you still have to take the time to teach Yunxi."

Wu Zhiyuan said modestly, "Teacher Liu, you are too kind. Yunxi is very smart and understands things very quickly. I feel very accomplished teaching her and I don't feel tired at all."

After tutoring math, Wu Zhiyuan then tutored English.

We finally finished work around 11 o'clock.

Xu Yunxi rummaged through a pile of sketchbooks and pulled out a piece of sketch paper, handing it to Wu Zhiyuan. She said slyly, "Brother Zhiyuan, look, who does this look like?"

The paper contained a close-up of a male face sketched in pencil; it was clearly his face.

Wu Zhiyuan doesn't understand art, but he thinks this painting looks very similar.

"Is this me?" Wu Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

"Yes, I drew this based on your facial features. Does it look like you?"

"Yunxi, your skills are amazing! You captured both the form and the spirit perfectly, making me look even better than I am in real life."

Xu Yunxi brought up the matter of life drawing models again, lowering her voice and saying, "Brother Zhiyuan, do you think my basic styling skills are okay?"

By the way, what about what I told you last time? How's your thinking going?

Consider it support for my artistic pursuits! I promise, it's purely academic research, with no ulterior motives!