Wandering in the vast darkness

Chapter 69 Please Attend the Parent-Teacher Conference

The knocking on the car window woke Yu Wenhao. Opening her eyes, she saw Diandian already standing outside the car. Yu Wenhao quickly waved to her and said, "Come in, come in!"

Dian Dian opened the car door, said "Hello, Uncle," and then sat down.

Yu Wenhao straightened his seat and kept slapping his cheeks to try and wake himself up. Dian Dian looked at him and giggled.

Yu Wenhao smiled too. He took the schoolbag from Dian Dian's hand, turned around and placed it in the back row. He then took a blanket from the back seat, handed it to Dian Dian, and said, "Cover yourself up and go to sleep."

Dian Dian said "Thank you, Uncle," covered herself with the blanket, turned her head, and looked at Yu Wenhao. She didn't immediately close her eyes and take a nap in the car as usual.

Yu Wen found it strange. He turned to look at Dian Dian and asked, "What's wrong, Dian Dian? Is something the matter?"

Nodding slightly, Yu asked, "Go ahead, what is it?"

"Uncle, we have a parent-teacher conference tomorrow night at seven o'clock. Could you go for me?"

Yu Wenhao was surprised; why would someone make such a request? He asked, "Where's your mother?"

"My mother went out yesterday to Hong Kong, and she won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

Yu Wenhao had never attended a parent-teacher meeting before and didn't know what parents should prepare. He thought he'd call and ask San San, whose wife and children were in Canada. San San had attended parent-teacher meetings before, but those were in Canada, and they were different from those in China.

"No, my mom is already up," Dian Dian said. "I was at home earlier and talked to her on the phone; we even had a video call."

"I know," Jiang Yihe said. "What's wrong, Brother Yu? Is Qianqian going to school?"

Yu Wenhao said no, "Dian Dian is already in my car. I have something to tell you. Dian Dian just told me that they have a parent-teacher conference tomorrow, and she asked me to go to it for her..."

"Get lost!" Yu Wenhao cursed and hung up the phone. Staring at the phone, he said, "Your mother doesn't know how lucky she is. If I could attend parent-teacher conferences, I would go every single one."

"Don't show your face. No matter what the teacher criticizes you for, keep your head down and don't look up. Just pretend you didn't hear it. If you hear it too much, you'll get very angry and give your child a good beating when you get home."

Dian Dian didn't say anything, but stared at Yu Wenhao with pleading eyes, which softened his heart. Yu Wenhao turned to look at her, and Dian Dian began to beg again:

"Good students, you just need to show your face, listen to the teacher's praise, and see how other parents look at you. The way they look at other people's children will make you feel proud," Jiang Yihe said.

Yu asked, "I'm driving now. Can I call you while you're having breakfast?"

Yu Wenhao called Er Mao, and as soon as the call connected, Er Mao exclaimed, "Don't be so nice! You really are being so nice! It's so early, I'm still taking a dump, and you're already calling. What, want to take a look?"

"Brother Yu, why haven't you given me any orders yet?"

Yu asked, "Go to sleep."

"And your dad? Is he home?" Yu asked.

Dian Dian nodded quickly.

Yu Wenhao quickly replied, "I forgot, I was so busy just now, I forgot, I'm sorry. By the way, Xiao Jiang, do you know what parents need to prepare for a parent-teacher meeting?"

Yu Wenhao thought for a moment, then said to Diandian, "You can't just attend parent-teacher meetings casually. I need to ask your mother, okay?"

After dropping Dian Dian off at school, Yu Wenhao headed towards the company. His head felt heavy, but he was still thinking about the parent-teacher conference. He couldn't understand why Dian Dian didn't want her father to attend the conference and preferred him to go instead.

"Master Yu, what's wrong? Haven't you picked up Dian Dian yet?"

Yu Wenhao said it was no problem, and that he would go over tomorrow night.

Before Yu Wenhao could finish speaking, Dian Dian's mother sighed on the phone and said, "Did Dian Dian tell you that she doesn't want her father to go to school?"

"Please, Uncle, I'm begging you, please go to the parent-teacher conference for me."

Yu Wenhao's phone rang. It was Jiang Yihe. Oh no, her head was spinning today, and she'd forgotten to video chat with her. As expected, Jiang Yihe complained on the other end of the line:

"No, no, it's another child, one of my guests. Her parents aren't here, so she asked me to attend."

Moreover, after I agreed to attend her parent-teacher conference, Dian Dian seemed relieved.

"What is it? Tell me quickly."

After saying that, he added, "Besides, it's so early now, your mother probably hasn't even gotten up yet."

"Do you know what parents need to prepare for a parent-teacher conference?"

"Go to hell!" Yu Wenhao cursed.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a sigh. Dian Dian's mother said:

"Uncle, can you call now?"

Dian Dian said, "After school, we will help decorate the classroom, and we will eat dinner in the school cafeteria."

"Oh, thank you, Master Yu. You can go and do the work for me. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back. I'll talk to you about the rest later. Thank you for your hard work, Master Yu."

"How would I know? I've never attended a parent-teacher conference; my wife always goes," Er Mao said. "Hey, hey, don't be so sure. Where did you get these parent-teacher conferences from? Do you have another one outside?"

Yu said yes.

Jiang Yihe said "Oh," and asked, "Is she a good student or a bad student?"

Yu Wenhao couldn't help but laugh. He didn't know if Dian Dian was a good student or a bad student, but he didn't care anymore. Anyway, whether he had any shame or not, he had his own face on his neck.

Dian Dian nodded "Mmm," closed her eyes, then opened them again and said, "Uncle, I'll wait for you at the school gate tomorrow."

Yu nodded in greeting, and then Dian Dian closed her eyes and began to sleep.

Yu asked, "Can we go to sleep now?"

After saying hello, he asked, "So, what are you planning to do for dinner?"

"What is it? Speak up," Er Mao said. "It's not like someone else is going to the neighborhood committee again, is it? I already called yesterday and followed up. They said your friend has already gone. How about that? Am I reliable?"

Why?

Yu Wenhao quickly said, "Dian Dian's mom, that's not what I meant. It's not that I didn't want to help Dian Dian, but I felt that I should definitely tell you about this first."

While Yu Wenhao was on the phone with Diandian's mother, Diandian kept staring at Yu Wenhao. When Yu Wenhao hung up the phone and turned her head towards her, Diandian smiled.

"Okay." Yu Wenhao shook his head helplessly. He saw a temporary parking space on the side of the road ahead, pulled the car over, picked up his phone, and called Dian Dian's mother.

Dian Dian's eyes dimmed, and after a moment of silence, she said, "He's at home, but... but I don't want him to go."

"I know, I know, that's not what I meant," Yu Wenhao said.

She nodded and responded, but she didn't close her eyes. Instead, she kept her eyes wide open, looking at Yu Wenhao and waiting.

Yu asked, "What do good students say, and what do bad students say?"

The phone rang once and was answered immediately. Dian Dian's mother called out urgently on the other end:

"Master Yu, do you have time tomorrow? If you do, could you please attend for her? Just say... just say you're her uncle. Tell me what the teacher said at the parent-teacher meeting. Oh, and I'll charge you extra."

Yu Wenhao laughed loudly and asked, "What about the bad students?"