Chapter 5 Chapter 5
"Jiaxin is my niece, I will never ignore her."
"Her affairs will be left to me from now on, so don't worry."
At the dinner table, Qiao Wangbei said a lot and signed a series of military orders in front of Liu Shuqin.
Even though he doesn't have any children yet, from what he said, it seems he wants to treat Qiao Jiaxin like his own daughter.
Oh no, I love her more than my own daughter!
Liu Shuqin was moved by what she heard. The tears she had been trying hard to hold back now flowed down her face. But she still smiled and gave him the meat-filled dumplings from her bowl.
Just like when they were little, as long as Qiao Wangbei sincerely promised her that he would get a perfect score in both exams next semester, she would give him all the meat in the bowl.
She is soft-hearted and gullible, and truth or falsehood does not seem to be that important to her.
But Qiao Jiaxin, who was on the other side of the table, didn't feel moved at all.
The uncle who promised to treat her well hardly looked at her while talking, as if the "niece" he mentioned was not sitting at the same table with them. His attention was all on Liu Shuqin.
It was precisely because he ignored Qiao Jiaxin next to him that he put dumplings into her vinegar dish several times without realizing it.
The more Qiao Jiaxin listened to his words, the less reliable they seemed to her, and the more she felt like he was just exaggerating.
But I didn't know how to expose him, so I could only eat the dumplings in the bowl silently.
After dinner, while Qiao Jiaxin was washing dishes, Qiao Wangbei followed Liu Shuqin back to the inner room and talked for a long time.
When the two came out again, Liu Shuqin's mood had fully recovered.
The grievance and uneasiness that had lingered in his pupils a few hours ago were gone, leaving only a sense of peace of mind.
"Then I'll leave. I'll come see you again in a few days."
When he left, he took the initiative to find a plastic bag and put all the uneaten dumplings in the enamel basin into it.
Immersed in joy, Liu Shuqin took the initiative to help him hold the bag open: "Okay, then drive slowly on the road."
After Qiao Wangbei left, Liu Shuqin breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the old man's incense table with the towel around her neck, and relit three incense sticks.
There was clearly a smile on her face, but looking at her husband in the black and white photo, her eyes unconsciously became wet again.
This time, she was happy, happy that her once useless son had finally grown up.
"Jiaxin, we don't need to move. We can continue to live here in the future." Liu Shuqin said as she helped Qiao Jiaxin put the washed dishes back into the cupboard.
The reason why Liu Shuqin wanted to move in with her son was, on the one hand, because she was old and worried that she would not be able to take good care of her granddaughter, and on the other hand, because the factory house could be taken back at any time.
After all, this was the temporary housing allocated to Qiao Wensheng by the factory. It was fine when his wife was still alive, but now that he is gone, and there are so many people in the cotton mill who have not been allocated a house, it is hard to guarantee that the house will not be taken back.
Now, Qiao Wangbei had just promised her that he would go back and discuss with the factory leaders to apply in his name in place of the old man's place, so that they could continue to live there.
After wiping the water out of the bowl with a dishcloth, Liu Shuqin continued, "If you don't want to live with them, then don't worry. I can support you on my own even without their help, and we can still live well in the future."
Qiao Jiaxin took the dishcloth from her grandmother's hand and replied with a smile, "Grandma, I'm grown up now. You and Grandpa have taken care of me since I was a child. It's time for me to take care of you in the future."
"At worst, I can go out and find a job, which will pay..."
"What's the point of not working?" Liu Shuqin interrupted her. "Just focus on your studies and get into university. Don't worry about money."
Liu Shuqin’s current wish is that Qiao Jiaxin can get into a good university.
This is what the Qiao family owes her mother.
That year, Qiao Fenglai was admitted to high school, but Qiao Wangdong was also in junior high school. The family could not afford to support two children in school, so Qiao Fenglai had to give up school and go out to work.
Later, Qiao Fenglai saved up some money to attend night school and retake the college entrance exam. However, Qiao Wangdong just happened to get an admission letter from a university at that time, so she had no choice but to give her savings to her brother for tuition again...
The Qiao family owed her and didn't let her continue her studies.
So now, Liu Shuqin is determined to support Qiao Jiaxin to go to college, even if it means selling everything she has, just to make up for the shortcomings of her daughter in the past.
"We still have your uncle. He just said that he won't ignore you." Liu Shuqin said again.
Qiao Wangbei?
Qiao Jiaxin couldn't believe what he said.
It is said that the more good-looking someone is, the more deceptive they are. God knows if this will be another blank check from him.
…
After that day, my uncles never came home again.
Just like before, as long as I don’t call them, I won’t think about going home to visit.
Maybe it was because of the unpleasantness during the last meal. In order to avoid the topic of supporting them, they even temporarily put the burial of the old man's ashes on hold.
Qiao Jiaxin didn’t have the energy to think about these things for the time being, but instead stayed in the house reading and studying every day.
Before she came here, she studied vocal music and took the art exam as an art student.
But in this era, studying art is obviously not an option. One can only make up for the academic subjects and rely on the college entrance examination to enter an excellent university.
Fortunately, this was the 1990s, and the knowledge in the books was not difficult. It was much simpler than the content thirty years later, so she was able to learn most of the knowledge points by herself.
After school starts, I will review systematically with the teacher, and I think it will not be a problem to get into university.
The sun outside the window is hot, but the ceiling fan above my head brings a slight coolness.
After studying in the house for a whole afternoon, Qiao Jiaxin felt a little sleepy. Just as she lay down on the table and was about to take a nap, she heard a knock on the door.
Thump thump thump…
Did grandma forget to bring her keys when she went out?
"Here I come."
Qiao Jiaxin stood up and walked quickly to open the door, but the person outside was not Liu Shuqin, but her uncle Qiao Wangbei.
"Are you home alone? Where's your grandma?" Qiao Wangbei asked as he walked into the house.
Qiao Jiaxin: "I went out to buy groceries."
Not only Qiao Wangbei, there was also another strange man following behind him.
The man looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. Like Qiao Wangbei, he was also wearing work clothes, but his clothes were dark gray, different from the clothes worn by cotton mill employees.
It's from a cement factory.
They must have just gotten off work.
"What are you standing there for? Come in and sit down."
Qiao Wangbei was not the owner of the house, but he took the initiative to invite the man in.
With Qiao Wangbei's consent, the man relaxed a little, responded, and followed him into the house.
Qiao Jiaxin thought it was her grandma who called them over, so she didn't pay much attention to it. She took all the books on the table back into the house and took the initiative to pour them a glass of water.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that the man was staring at her, making her feel uncomfortable.
It was hot in the summer, so Qiao Jiaxin only wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.
That was an old piece of clothing I bought two years ago. It had faded after being washed so many times. The collar and cuffs were also very loose, and if I moved a little bit, wind would easily leak in.
Being in adolescence, Qiao Jiaxin's body has begun to develop. With her pretty and clean face, she attracts the attention of many boys even at school.
Seeing that the usually carefree man was a little shy at this moment, Qiao Wangbei naturally understood his thoughts, so he took the initiative to ask Qiao Jiaxin to come over and sit opposite him, "Jiaxin, come and sit down and chat with me for a while."
Birds of a feather flock together.
When Qiao Wangbei sat down, he casually crossed his legs and put his arms on the back of the chair, acting like a scoundrel.
The other man was not so unbridled, but Qiao Jiaxin could see that he was just pretending to be serious and honest.
"You guys chat, I still have to read." Qiao Jiaxin found an excuse to refuse.
"Let's take a break. We've been watching all afternoon," Qiao Wangbei said as he took out a handful of peanuts and sunflower seeds from his pocket and put them on the table. "Here, have some sunflower seeds."
Qiao Jiaxin had no way to refuse, so she had to sit down and silently grabbed some melon seeds in her hand.
Sitting directly opposite the man, he could now look at her more unscrupulously.
Even though he tried hard to restrain himself, the fire burning in his eyes could not be concealed.
Qiao Jiaxin felt uncomfortable being stared at by him, but she didn't want to look at him, so she had to pretend to be ignorant and look away, while subconsciously shielding her body with her arms.
"This is a brother I have known for many years, his name is Zhang Hua." Qiao Wangbei took the initiative to introduce him.
Qiao Jiaxin nodded and called him politely, "Hello, Uncle Zhang."
"Uncle? That's too old a title," Qiao Wangbei said again, "He's only seven or eight years older than you, just call him brother."
Qiao Jiaxin: ...
Qiao Wangbei is his brother, and Qiao Wangbei and I are uncle and nephew. Should I call him brother?
This generation structure is a bit confusing.
But since he said so, Qiao Jiaxin just called out.
Qiao Jiaxin: "Well, hello, Brother Zhang."
Zhang Hua: "Okay, okay..."
As he spoke, Qiao Wangbei looked at Zhang Hua again and said, "Well, I was right, wasn't I? My niece has been very well behaved since she was young. She's also smart, much better than those other girls in society."
Zhang Hua didn't say anything, but just nodded continuously.
Qiao Jiaxin felt uncomfortable after hearing what Qiao Wangbei said. It didn't seem like he was praising his niece, but rather introducing a product that he was in a hurry to sell.
Then he said to Qiao Jiaxin, "Brother Zhang is the second-in-command of Workshop 4 at the cement factory. He'll be promoted to the top position next year. He's very capable! An outstanding young man like him is very popular among young girls."
Qiao Jiaxin didn't know how to answer, so she just ate some melon seeds and laughed awkwardly.
outstanding?
A truly outstanding young man in this era would not be single until he is twenty-six or twenty-seven, and would not look at a girl younger than him with such an offensive look.
I don't see that he's outstanding, but he's definitely a pervert.
Seeing that Qiao Jiaxin didn't say anything, Qiao Wangbei continued to talk to himself, "Since we already know each other, how about I give you some land? So you can get to know each other better?"
"Tengdi?" Qiao Jiaxin was a little confused and asked hurriedly, "Uncle, what do you mean?"
Qiao Wangbei raised the corner of his lips slightly, his expression meaningful: "It's convenient for you to chat more. How can you have a blind date with a matchmaker acting as a light bulb?"
Qiao Jiaxin: "Blind date?!"
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