Chapter 240 Had to be One of Mediocrity
Josie hung her head and returned to her room. Soon the sound of piano music drifted through the air, but Daisy, irritated and annoyed, flung the door open.
"Keep it down!"
"Yes."
She was already playing as softly as possible, and the teacher had said that was the right touch, otherwise, the music wouldn't come out right.
However, every time she practiced at home, her mother complained that it was too noisy, to the point where she couldn't even complete the homework assigned by her teacher. Her teacher was disappointed in her and had criticized her performance.
Ten minutes later, the teacher arrived for Josie's lesson, and Daisy, ever the gracious host, had the nanny serve the teacher tea and fruit, also inquiring with great interest about Josie's progress.
The teacher spoke frankly, "Josie is actually quite talented, but she doesn't practice enough. Her learning progress is too slow. Even the best talent is wasted without diligent practice."
Daisy smiled, "Thank you, teacher. You've been working hard. Could you please teach her more? I always make sure she practices, but somehow, it seems like she's losing interest in the violin."
The teacher sighed, "Kids these days change their interests so quickly. Today it's the violin, maybe tomorrow it's the cello. They really need their parents to guide them properly."
"Of course, please start your lesson, teacher."
Daisy listened to the intermittent, out-of-tune music from outside and scoffed internally.
Josie sure knew how to pick the good genes to inherit!
However, what good was talent? She had to snuff out that talent!
Josie's life had to be one of mediocrity.
Not long after the lesson was over, Daisy called the teacher.
"Sorry to bother you, but you don't need to come to teach Josie anymore. I will pay you for three months of lessons as compensation. It's just that Josie really isn't interested in the violin."
The teacher was speechless, but there was nothing he could say.
Josie sat in her room, staring at her violin in a daze.
Her father had bought this violin for her, and the teacher had said it was very good and suited her well.
However, now she wouldn't be able to play it anymore.
She missed Miss Caroline. She wanted to learn from Miss Caroline, but Miss Caroline wasn't willing.
The teacher her father had hired was good, but he wasn't as good as Miss Caroline.
Tears dripped onto the body of the violin.
Josie hurriedly wiped it clean.
"Josie," Daisy entered.
Frightened, Josie quickly wiped away her tears.
Daisy spoke in a soft, consoling tone, "Don't be too sad. Since you don't have the talent, let's not learn anymore."
Caroline always told her that she had a real talent. However, it was Mom who wouldn't let her learn. Josie didn't dare say anything about it. She could only hang her head and suffer in silence.
The violin was taken away by Daisy.
"Hey, Nicholas," Daisy found an opportunity to call Nicholas.
Nicholas's cold voice came through, "What's up?"
"Josie—she doesn't like the violin anymore. She finds it dull and can't seem to learn it, so I decided to dismiss her teacher."
"What does she like then?"
"We don't know yet. We'll wait until Josie finds another interest, and then we'll arrange for her to have lessons in that."
'If Josie doesn't like it, then that is that.' Nicolas thought.
"Hmm."
Just as Nicholas was about to hang up, Daisy's voice came through again.
"When are you coming back?"
"Is there a problem?"
Daisy was taken aback by his icy tone.
"No, nothing. It's just that Josie really misses you."
"I got it."
This time, Nicholas hung up the phone swiftly and neatly.
At the kindergarten, the parent-child pottery event was in full swing. Sophia and Sam together had crafted a small tiger with a big head and a small body, giving it an artistic touch. The firing and glazing would be handled by a professional teacher, and in due time, the creations would be distributed to the kids.
The morning was almost over, and a shared cooking experience in the kindergarten's family kitchen awaited, along with lunch.
Cooking was Sophia's specialty.
Sam was looking forward to it.
After doing pottery together in the morning, a little more warmth developed in Sam's heart towards Sophia.
"Sam, can you help Mommy pick the vegetables?" she asked.
Sam silently went to rinse the veggies.
As Sophia reached for a knife to cut the meat, Gabriel took the knife from her.
"I'll do the cutting."
Sophia was skeptical. Did he even know how to?
Not wanting to waste words, Gabriel started chopping.
Soon after, Sophia, reassured, joined Sam to pick and wash vegetables together.
Most parents had some cooking experience, but there were those who were adept at pottery yet clueless in the kitchen, leading to a scene of chaos—near misses with the knife and pots almost burnt.
Sophia couldn't stand by and watch. She stepped in to help.
The grateful parent said, "You really are a good person."
The teacher was monitoring each family's cooking progress, explaining how activities like these helped children appreciate the hard work their parents put in.
After the meal came rest time. Some parents recognized Gabriel and tried to make conversation. Gabriel responded coolly, and sensing his disinterest, the parents would chat briefly before leaving a business card and moving on.
Sophia was holding Sam, thoroughly enjoying a lively conversation with other parents, while Gabriel stood off to the side with an 'off-limits' vibe, quietly observing.
Suddenly, a sense of serene contentment washed over him. It felt somewhat inexplicable and alien. His hand instinctively went to his chest where he could feel his heart beating warmth. His gaze involuntarily landed on Sophia's delicately beautiful face.
As she chatted, her smile was infectious, and you could see a sparkle in her eyes when she talked about children.
After lunch, the teacher organized an activity. The families were divided into two groups. One group took part in a three-legged race, and the other in a four-legged race, with the winning children receiving stickers and a toy set.
The children, learning about the prizes, eagerly tugged at their parents wanting to participate.
Sophia asked Sam, "Do you want to win the prize?"
Sam already had plenty of toys, some even more fun than the prize, but the thrill of winning was still appealing.
Gabriel could immediately see his son's desire. Even though Sophia was reluctant to join Gabriel in the four-legged race, she endured it for Sam's sake.
They strapped their legs together, and Sophia, with a stern tone, told Gabriel, "Start with your right foot." Then she said to Sam, “Start with your left foot, and remember - left, right, left, right, okay?”
Sam nodded.
At the whistle blow, the race began.
After only a couple of steps, Sophia realized she was naive – the four-legged race was incredibly challenging. Others were already tumbling over.
Sam, sandwiched between his parents, seemed on the verge of falling when Gabriel firmly grasped both of them, preventing the fall.
Relieved that Sam was alright after the close call, Sophia exhaled and threw Gabriel a quick glance. He remained calm throughout.
"Take it slow," Gabriel said with a deep, steady voice.
Perhaps it was Gabriel's composed demeanor that influenced her, but Sophia found herself falling into sync with him. Together, they carefully guided Sam to finish the race, clinching second place. They didn't win the toy, but they did earn the stickers.
Sam boasted to Sophia with the stickers awarded by the teacher, as if to show off his prize. "Look, Mommy, my stickers."
Sophia was deeply moved by the gesture. Sam was finally showing the emotions of a regular child.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
