27. Pinky promise at Guan Shan No. 1 Residence

"I got an extra 200 too."
"Me as well."
"What's going on?"
After asking around, everyone realized the additional 200 was the half-year bonus for the first half of the year. Old Dong said it was Principal Qin who fought for it on everyone's behalf. Everyone had thought the bonus for the Yudong campus was a lost cause; no one expected to actually receive 200 after all. Naturally, this new leader felt a little closer to everyone now.
Li An, delighted with his fresh 3,513.5 yuan, gave Wang Xiaohu a lesson. Perhaps because he’d been a bit stern with Wang Xiaohu at the end of last class, he tried to lighten the mood with a joke before starting today. To his surprise, Wang Xiaohu’s teacher-student rapport score actually rose a few points, returning to 18.
The class went quite well—clearly, Wang Xiaohu had practiced piano at home after school on Tuesday. Li An thought to himself that things were indeed different now that the boy’s mother was back, though today, it was still his grandmother who brought him to class.
“Xiaohu, do you think you can manage to learn Duvernoy’s piece at home in the next couple of days?”
“If I do, will you play video games with me?”
Bargaining, was he?
Li An wasn’t about to fall for that, nor did he believe in luring children into practicing piano with such promises. Still, given the current situation, there was no way to control his playtime anyway. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to motivate him a little through his interests.
“If you can learn it, I’ll let you add me as a friend in the game.”
“Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise.”
Li An crouched down.
Two pinkies, one big and one small, hooked together.
[Wang Xiaohu’s teacher-student rapport score increased to 29]
Li An thought: This kid...
After class, Wang Xiaohu left with his grandmother, content. Li An returned to the classroom to practice his own basic skills for the day.
Time flew by, and there were less than three hours left until 8pm.
Tonight was going to be a tough battle.
A busy day finally eased as he stood in the elevator after work.
The usual four, plus Lin Pengfei and a delivery guy, squeezed into the cabin.
“Brother An, any word from the agent yet?” Xu Hongxin asked with concern.
Li An shook his head. “No worries, I’ll wait a bit longer.”
Lin Pengfei chimed in, “Looking for a place to rent? Tell me where and I’ll hook you up—my buddy runs an agency. He’ll waive the agency fee for you.”
“Thanks, I haven’t decided where I want to rent yet. I’ll let you know if I need the help.”
Whether Lin Pengfei meant it or not, his words felt comforting, especially considering Li An’s current situation.
Another day had passed, and still nothing from Xiao Wang; it seemed housing was indeed hard to find.

After stepping out of the elevator, Li An waved goodbye to the others and left ahead.
Watching Li An’s back, Chen Xuan wondered if finding a place to rent was really that hard. The apartment she lived in had been arranged by Sun Yuman before she even arrived in Rong City—she’d never dealt with this herself.
...
Once home, Li An changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes, took a shower, and put on clean ones he’d washed in advance and hung to dry.
A plain white shirt and light blue jeans—fresh, neat, and sunny. If only his hair weren’t getting a bit long.
He fussed in front of the mirror for a while and was quite satisfied with what he saw.
Handsome enough—though not quite as much as himself.
The original owner was a good-looking guy, but Li An was even better looking.
It’s true; otherwise, certain things would never have happened.
Xu Hongxin had a point sometimes.
...
At 7:30, the bus stopped promptly at the foot of Guanshan No. 1 Courtyard.
Getting off, Li An looked around—gone were the clusters of towering apartment blocks, replaced by scenic views bordered by mountains on two sides.
A wide avenue stretched before him, lined with endless varieties of lush greenery, imparting a sense of calm and ease.
Looking north, he could still savor the vibrant charm of Yudong’s city lights as night began to fall.
It was, indeed, a wonderful place.
A high concentration of greenery, low population density, yet not at all removed from the heart of the city.
The planners had blended the unique terrain of the city with urban development, creating this exceptional place.
The Southern District—
the gathering place of the wealthy from Rong City and neighboring cities alike.
Li An once again sighed at the privileges of wealth.
He, too, had dreamed of one day having a place to call his own in such a part of a big city.
People need a few unrealistic dreams to make life interesting.
Stretching, Li An turned and walked toward the grand entrance not far away.
He took out his phone and opened the visitor entry QR code sent by the child’s parents.
Security let him in without a hitch.
Each elegant, detached villa stood nestled among verdant trees, enough to make anyone lose their way.
Following his phone’s map, it took Li An a while to find Building 24.
He waited nearby until five minutes to eight, then approached and rang the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened to reveal a smiling woman in her fifties.
“You must be Mr. Li.”
Li An smiled and nodded, “Yes, that's me.”

“Please, come in.”
The woman ushered Li An inside.
He stepped into a spacious marble foyer.
A large potted plant by the wall, together with a few small silver decorations beside the shoe cabinet, formed a uniquely cohesive space.
The design was impressive.
Li An took the disposable shoe covers from the woman and put them on. He’d taught in villas before—the procedure was always much the same.
Just then, faint piano music drifted in from somewhere.
It was Chopin’s Black Key Etude.
There’s a problem with the finger passagework, Li An quickly deduced.
He followed the woman through the foyer, keeping his eyes to himself.
In the airy ground-floor living room, he finally met tonight’s first challenge.
“Good evening, Mr. Li.”
Hu Rong, dressed casually, rose from the sofa and greeted Li An with just enough warmth, inviting him to sit.
“Good evening, Yangyang’s mother.”
Li An didn’t stand on ceremony, sitting easily on the comfortable couch.
Soon, the housekeeper brought him tea.
Hu Rong wasn’t one for small talk; she’d invited Li An over mainly to meet and chat. If satisfied, she would immediately start formal accompaniment lessons for her daughter; if not, there’d be no need for a trial lesson—he could finish his tea and leave.
Her first impression of Li An was quite good; he wasn’t as awkward as some young tutors coming to a new house for the first time.
“Mr. Li, we’ve already discussed the basics by phone. Yangyang needs an accompaniment teacher. I understand you’re Professor Wei’s student; naturally, we trust your professionalism,” Hu Rong said with a polite smile, then changed tack, “Now I’d like to know your opinion on the difference between a main piano teacher and an accompaniment teacher.”
Li An smiled inwardly. Interesting—she was making her expectations clear right from the start. This was her way of telling him not to interfere too much with her child’s main lessons.
Li An replied, “If the focus of the main teacher is on building the student’s professional framework and imparting a structured body of knowledge, then the primary role of the accompaniment teacher is to play a supporting function.”
Hu Rong asked, “And how, in your view, should an accompaniment teacher fulfill that supporting role?”
Li An answered methodically,
“A competent accompaniment teacher should first systematically and clearly summarize the problems the student encounters in practice. Then, during the lessons, these issues should be addressed, step by step, and tailored to the child’s individual learning style, so as to identify the real obstacles in their piano study. Finally, the teacher should apply suitable methods to resolve them. Please rest assured, I know where to draw the line.”