??53: Chapter 53: Self-Examination_1
53: Chapter 53: Self-Examination_1
A week flew by just like that.
After school that day, Li Qiao didn’t wait for Qin Jin and couldn’t find any sign of him after searching the opposite alley.
Couldn’t make it from Digging River Ditch?
After waiting for a few minutes, she started walking ho.
Li Jinhua was heading the sa way and kept calling her “third sister, third sister.”
Li Qiao ignored her, but she caught up saying, “Third sister, you should’ve cald down by now, right?”
“I am not your third sister.” Li Qiao stared at her, saying earnestly.
Li Jinhua took it as an angry retort, “I know I was an, but do you have to be this angry?
Dad told
to invite you ho for dinner this week.
He said that if you don’t co, he’ll co to invite you in person.”
“Let him co then, he’s my father after all, and I’ll naturally treat him well.”
Li Jinhua: “….”
Li Qiao passed by the supply and marketing co-op wanting to settle an account, but worried about Qin Jin coming by and repeating the embarrassnt, she went straight ho.
Li Jinhua nagged her the whole way.
As they were nearing the crossroads, Li Qiao saw Qin Jin riding toward them and excitedly hopped and waved to him, “Jin~”
Qin Jin reached Li Qiao and naturally took the bookbag off her shoulder.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bathed, I’d have co straight to pick you up.
The road is over ten miles, you must be tired, hungry?”
Li Qiao figured that he had dressed up new after getting dirty from digging ditches, to not embarrass her, and it felt good to be cherished by him, so she smiled, “Not tired, not really hungry, walking is no trouble.”
Li Jinhua’s jealousy flared again, especially when facing the Li Qiao who indirectly caused Old Mrs.
Qin’s death and Qin Jin’s lonely end in her previous life, now intent on enjoying the glory and wealth of the Qin family this life.
If Qin Jin couldn’t appreciate what he had, then she couldn’t be blad for being heartless.
Her devious idea surfaced as she sched and said, “Brother-in-law, at school, soone hit third sister on the back of her head.”
Li Qiao glared at her, that Li Jinhua really knew how to stir things up!
Was she deliberately telling Qin Jin to provoke his anger?
He’s young and hot-blooded, won’t he end up fighting soone?
What if sothing happens?
“Who did it?” Qin Jin held Li Qiao, examining the back of her head; her black hair shone, with a scalp white and delicate, nothing else was there.
Li Qiao took a deep breath, casually saying, “It’s all healed.
That night was too dark, the streetlamp dim, don’t know who it was.”
“I suspect it was Hu Xiaobing.
Last week he ridiculed third sister in school, saying she’s marrying a loser.
She was almost crying.”
“Dare to ridicule my wife!
I’ll punch him so hard, if I can’t knock the shit out of him, then he’s really clean!” Qin Jin said and was ready to head toward the school.
Li Qiao stopped him, “Mouths are on other people’s faces, let them say what they want.
If you fight everyone, a day won’t be enough.
Actually, Jinhua is to bla, she started it.”
“Oh, playing the victim first!” Qin Jin turned his bicycle, blocking Li Jinhua’s way.
Li Jinhua instantly went weak in the knees, her tongue twist as she spoke.
That damned Li Qiao had turned the gun on her, cursing Li Qiao a thousand tis in her heart.
Yet, she said ekly, “Third, third brother-in-law, you’ve misunderstood.”
“Don’t talk!
I didn’t bring a gas mask today, I’m afraid I can’t block your bad breath.”
Li Jinhua’s face turned red with anger, “I, I, I don’t have bad breath.”
Qin Jin was intimidating, coldly saying, “I’ll give you three breaths to compose a reflection letter to apologize to your third sister for your behavior, or else I’ll beat you today!
And your youngest sister’s crushed face will be even more unbearable to look at.”
Li Qiao’s eyes shone looking at Qin Jin.
He really knew how to curse soone.
Why didn’t she co up with these words?
“Third sister, save ~” Li Jinhua was desperate, she didn’t doubt Qin Jin’s capability to follow through.
Li Qiao looked on leisurely; scared now, aren’t you?
Let’s see if you dare to play tricks again.
She sat on Qin Jin’s bike seat, “Jin, let’s leave it, it won’t look good if I have to explain this to our parents.”
Qin Jin: “Next ti you ss with my wife again, see how I’ll deal with you!”
With that said, he took Li Qiao and rode off.
Li Jinhua, frightened, eventually regained her composure and cursed, “Blinded by lust!”
….
On the rural path, a bicycle moved at a steady pace forward.
The wind whipped up the green waves of wheat in the fields, moving like a surging erald carpet.
Li Qiao was in high spirits, whistling away.
Qin Jin’s bike almost ran into the ditch, oh no, it was all going wrong.
The polite and sensible daughter-in-law he’d influenced for the worst.
Even picked up the whistle of a rogue.
Suddenly, the bike swerved and Li Qiao, startled, quickly held onto his waist, “What are you doing?
You almost fell.”
“I…
got distracted.” Qin Jin said, thinking to himself that he couldn’t whistle in front of her again next ti.
She learned all the bad things and none of the good.
Grandma would have to tan his hide.
Li Qiao, “Right, did you go to the supply and marketing cooperative?
How much did the knitting sell for?”
“Didn’t go.
It’s money you made on your own, you should spend it on so at, the school cafeteria has at, right?” Qin Jin said.
Li Qiao, “I still have money on , I’ll settle it next week after school, just in ti to buy so pork on the way back for making dumplings.” She didn’t know if it was because at was a rare treat due to their poverty, but every ti they cooked at at ho, she thought it slled better than it had in the past decade or so.
“You don’t need to worry about the household expenses.”
“I’m also a mber of the family, isn’t it right to contribute money when I have it, and effort when I can?”
Qin Jin’s lips curled, a mber of the family?
He felt as though his heart was filled with a bottle of honey, smiling with the corners of his eyes.
The two chatted one sentence after the next, and once ho, caught up with Old Mrs.
Qin just as she finished steaming cornbread.
Qin Jin changed into clean clothes, took two cornbreads, and left with a shovel in tow.
Li Qiao ate a cornbread and drank a bowl of salty soup, then joined Old Mrs.
Qin in knitting.
Old Mrs.
Qin hadn’t been idle that week, having knitted a pile of vases and placed them in the corner.
Li Qiao counted them, a full twenty.
“If all of these sell, after paying what we owe people, there should be three or four yuan left.
By working nonstop for a month, we can earn twenty yuan.” Old Mrs.
Qin grew happier as she spoke, grinning from ear to ear.
Li Qiao originally planned to make a few each week to add to her living expenses and reduce the burden on the family.
She hadn’t thought about how much money she could actually make from this.
And making these was hard on her hands, every ti she had to do it, her fingers would peel for days.
The old lady had housework to do, the occasional odd job for the team, and a small vegetable patch at the door.
Looking at it now, it was sprouting anew; the family must be busy.
To then add handicrafts ant she had no free ti all day and night.
Thinking about it, Li Qiao felt a bit heartbroken.
She said, “Grandma, once we’ve earned enough for twenty yuan, let’s stop knitting, it’s too tiring.”
Old Mrs.
Qin, “What’s tiring about it?
It’s much easier than farm work.
As the grandchild and grandmother were talking, soone knocked at the door from outside.
Li Qiao, “Who is it?”
“It’s , Chunhua.”
Li Qiao turned to Old Mrs.
Qin, who gave a nod of her chin.
Li Qiao understood, aning for her to open the door.
Was the old lady now on good terms with the neighbor?
Li Qiao opened the door, letting Peng Chunhua in.
Peng Chunhua, “Yo!
Are you busy?
How is Qiaoqiao doing in school?”
Li Qiao, “Doing very well.”
Peng Chunhua, “…” That sounded too proud, wasn’t she afraid of not getting into college and others laughing at her?
She blurted out, “Very well?
So you’re confident of getting in this year then?”
“Yes!” Li Qiao said.
Old Mrs.
Qin was beaming; she also felt that the child could get into college, and a good one at that.
….
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