Su Manxiu's maternal family had three children who were enrolled in the gifted youth class at No. 7 Middle School.
This fact alone made people hesitant to underestimate them.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Auntie Luo, back when we were in the gifted youth class, we had to put in a lot of effort just to keep up with our classmates. Speaking of which, all our classmates were very outstanding."
Su Xiaotian said this casually, as if it were just a passing remark.
However, to Luo Yiwen, it sounded like rolling thunder.
Did this mean what she thought it did?
Did the young girl mean that she had barely managed to keep up, rather than struggling to catch up to others?
In other words, she was the most outstanding, the best-performing student in the class?
That made sense; if her grades weren't good, she clearly wouldn't have been able to get into Capital University.
After all, Capital University's position in the higher education world was undeniable.
"I never knew Xiaotian was so outstanding. I'm meeting her for the first time today. My own two children are so disappointing; they've become arrogant just by getting into a university in the provincial capital. They really should see what true excellence looks like."
Unknowingly, Su Xiaotian had become the "child of someone else" in Luo Yiwen's eyes.
Du Liang still suspected that Su Xiaotian might be boasting.
After all, children from the city who had received a good education couldn't possibly be inferior to children from the countryside, no matter what.
When the couple went out, Du Liang voiced his suspicions.
As he spoke, he scoffed dismissively, clearly suspecting Su Xiaotian of lying.
However, Luo Yiwen sighed and said, "I'm in this profession. Can't I tell the truth from a lie?"
The Su family was truly outstanding. Analyzing from every angle, Su Xiaotian was indeed one of the students from that batch of gifted youth.
Du Liang asked in surprise, "She's not just bragging?"
"Of course not. Her knowledge reserve is more substantial than that of an average teacher. At the very least, I, a teacher with decades of experience, can't compare!"
This statement shocked Du Liang even further.
He knew how excellent his wife was as a teacher. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have been transferred from a provincial high school to a high school in Licheng.
Yet, this walking encyclopedia claimed her knowledge reserve was inferior to that of a young girl like Su Xiaotian. How astonishing was that?
With Du Liang and Luo Yiwen's endorsement, others were sure to come. Su Xiaotian met them all, appearing poised and performing exceptionally well.
Moreover, without revealing too much, she introduced the general situation of her family.
By the next day, almost all the families in the compound knew that Su Manxiu was truly from a scholarly family.
As for why she lacked academic credentials, that remained unclear.
But it was certain that she came from a scholarly background.
"No wonder she can write books. We were mistaken before!"
"Exactly. When I saw her file stating she was born in a rural area in the Northwest, I truly thought she was a country girl from the Northwest."
"I used to proudly show off my education in front of her. Now, I realize she must have been laughing at me in her heart back then!"
Several women sat together, picking vegetables and murmuring.
"I don't think she would mock us behind our backs. Generally, people from good families are more magnanimous."
One woman thought for a moment and still felt that Su Manxiu wasn't the type to gossip.
"Regardless, we can't underestimate her from now on."
A middle-aged woman with a neat short haircut spoke, glancing at another woman who was slightly older.
The older woman, met with the short-haired woman's gaze, shot back.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you looking at me?"
The older woman was clearly a little uncomfortable.
Everyone present knew each other well.
The oldest woman, named Zhou Yuan, had a husband who was a bureau chief in Licheng. She had a daughter who had returned from the countryside a few years prior.
Her daughter hadn't found a suitable partner since returning.
Later, Zhou Yuan set her sights on Chen Zi'an, the top official in Licheng.
Although Chen Zi'an was married with a child, Zhou Yuan had learned that Chen Zi'an's wife was merely a country girl with no family background, and she intended to replace her.
After all, she believed her daughter was young and beautiful, and her family had some background, making her far superior to Su Manxiu.
On several occasions, she had tried every means to get her daughter closer to Chen Zi'an.
Unfortunately, Chen Zi'an was a rather uninteresting man, and her daughter had not yet managed to win him over.
She had originally planned to think of ways during the New Year to see if anything could happen between Chen Zi'an and her daughter. Su Dan Novel Network
Who would have thought that Chen Zi'an would first go to his mother-in-law's house for the New Year? This infuriated Zhou Yuan to no end.
She had cursed him privately several times, asking what was the point of a man spending the New Year at his mother-in-law's house?
Couldn't he just stay at home and have people visit him?
But despite her complaints, Zhou Yuan dared not voice them.
Finally, when Chen Zi'an returned, not only had he returned alone.
That was one thing, but then, as soon as Su Manxiu's maternal nephews and nieces arrived, news spread that they were all students from prestigious universities.
This instantly stunned Zhou Yuan.
She had thought that someone with no background had suddenly become from a scholarly family.
What was she to do now?
Zhou Yuan didn't doubt for a moment that a family capable of raising so many university students would not be ordinary.
She felt that the son-in-law she had set her heart on was slipping away.
"I was just thinking that Xiaochen is getting old and it's time to look for a husband. Someone told me the other day that they were interested in your Xiaochen and asked me to arrange things." the short-haired middle-aged woman said.
If it were before, the short-haired middle-aged woman would certainly not have said this.
But the situation was different now; the wife of Secretary Chen was not without a background.
Even if she was born in a rural area in the Northwest, her maternal family was now in the capital, and her nephews and nieces were all outstanding.
In a few years, they would become Secretary Chen's right-hand men.
Especially since she heard that one of them worked in the Translation Department.
Was the Translation Department a place ordinary people could enter?
Zhou Yuan's expression was not good, but she also felt that there was completely no hope with Chen Zi'an.
She couldn't put all her eggs in one basket.
She would go home later and talk to Xiaochen to see what she thought.
Her daughter was already in her twenties; if she didn't find a husband soon, she would truly be delayed.
Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu and the others were unaware of these matters.
Su Xiaotian didn't even know how many events had unfolded in the compound because of her boasting.
She woke up early the next morning, had a simple breakfast, and went to the factory with Su Ciliang.