Forty-four beautiful loach
Soon after, Cheng Fei's college entrance examination results came out. She missed the undergraduate admission score by two points, and as for vocational colleges, Cheng Fei didn't even apply for them.
Cheng Fei herself knew she hadn't done well on the exam, so she didn't go to school to check her results. Ding Anping volunteered to go and check them for her. And what he brought back was clearly not good news. For a moment, no one knew how to comfort Cheng Fei.
Cheng Fei was clearly prepared. After listening to Ding Anping announce the results, she continued to clean the hair accessories that had just been processed and submitted that day. Regardless of her mood, her face remained calm.
The atmosphere in the house suddenly became a little strange; it seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath.
In the end, it was Grandpa Cheng who said, "Everyone makes mistakes, even horses stumble. It's no big deal. If you want to go to university, we'll take the exam again next year. I'll support you no matter how long you study." Then he strolled away leisurely.
Li Wei had known the outcome for a while, so she didn't have any particular emotions. Her aunt's wonderful life wouldn't be dimmed just because she didn't go to university. Having missed this pivotal moment that changed her aunt's fate before, she could now observe everyone's expressions.
Others were fine, after all, they were just feeling sorry for their aunt, but Li Wei couldn't help but find Ding Anping's expression suspicious. He seemed a little happy, and the corners of his mouth kept turning up as if he was having a cramp.
What does this guy mean?
Li Wei quickly realized that since his aunt couldn't go to university, it would be easier for him, a greenhorn who had just graduated from police academy and was about to start working, to pursue her. He probably thought that his success rate was also higher!
This is absolutely outrageous! How dare he build his happiness on the suffering of our family!
Taking advantage of Ding Anping's inattention, Li Wei quietly circled behind him and slapped him hard on the back, saying in a voiceover, "Where did this fly come from? I'll kill it."
Ding Anping, who was secretly daydreaming, was so startled he almost fell off his stool. He grinned awkwardly at Li Wei, "Li...Li Wei, what's got you so angry? Over a fly? Is it really that serious?" This kid has quite a bit of strength. Was she slapping or scratching the ground?
Li Wei carefully sized up Ding Anping. He was a handsome young man with red lips, white teeth, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes. He was indeed good-looking. But his mother was, frankly, not so much to look at. So she leaned close to Ding Anping's ear and whispered, "I can tell you really like my aunt. But have you gotten your parents' permission to pursue her? I saw your mother last time, and she asked me to pass on a message to my aunt."
Ding Anping became a little nervous. He hurriedly asked, "What message did she send? What did my mother say?"
Li Wei cleared her throat softly, then mimicked Ding Anping's mother's haughty demeanor: "Tell your aunt that she's not suitable for my Anping. Tell her not to let it interfere with her studies!"
Li Wei had barely finished speaking when Ding Anping pressed on, "What did your aunt say?"
Li Wei looked at Ding Anping's satisfied expression: "Of course I didn't tell. If I had, would you still be able to stay in my family? How could I ruin your good deed? Now look. Your aunt didn't go to university. It's so easy for you to pursue her now. Aren't you very happy?"
Ding Anping was just about to praise Li Wei for being sensible when the second half of his sentence made him less happy. Had he really lost his composure so much that even a child could see through his intentions? Then what about the others…? He glanced furtively around…
"No need to look anymore. No one else has eyes as sharp as mine. All demons and monsters have nowhere to hide in front of me! Fiery Eyes... You should think about how to get past your mother first. If you've figured it out, hurry up. Didn't you see my aunt's wooden expression? Now is your perfect opportunity to fawn over her and use sweet words to your advantage. Don't waste it." Li Wei patted the spot where she had just patted Ding Anping again and walked away leisurely.
Ding Anping looked at her tiny figure, which was nowhere near as tall as a man, and strangely felt as if he were being earnestly spoken to by a superior. Moreover, after this young superior's words, all the romantic atmosphere vanished. His previously hidden, secretive enthusiasm had suddenly been exposed; what fun was left?
Ding Anping sat there for a long time, trying to come up with his own words, and then easily pulled Cheng Fei away, who was putting on a brave face. She didn't return until dinner, and no one knew where she went.
Li Wei, holding her rice bowl, peeked at the two of them through her big eyes. She wondered if Ding Anping had taken advantage of the situation and used sweet words to flatter them. He got off easy.
Ding Anping felt guilty under their gaze, as if he had done something wrong. He was secretly puzzled. He had never been guilty in front of Grandpa Cheng and Grandma Cheng, and he had never been guilty in front of his own mother. Now he was actually feeling guilty in front of his father. How strange!
Could it be that Li Wei is her father's illegitimate daughter? Bah, slap him!
After dinner, Ding Anping planned to take the last bus home. When he said goodbye to Cheng Fei, she simply nodded and didn't offer to see him off. Ding Anping was disappointed but forced a smile as he left.
Li Wei felt sorry for Ding Anping. Tsk, being a man is really tough sometimes. If he and his aunt were in the same situation, his aunt would have immediately turned on him, with a ready-made excuse: "You don't care about me at all, I won't recognize you anymore!"
Overwhelmed with sympathy, Li Wei took the freshly washed tomatoes to her future aunt's husband. She initially wanted to put down the beautifully presented tomatoes, which she had finally found, as eating while walking wouldn't look good. However, she worried that the tomatoes would end up in someone else's stomach if she returned, so she had no choice but to carry them. But silently following behind Ding Anping with such a large tomato was also quite uncomfortable, so she ate some as she saw him off.
After walking for a while, Ding Anping felt less depressed. Seeing Li Wei eating a big tomato while still having to keep an eye on the road, he thought it was quite difficult for her: "Alright, you can go back now. No need to see me off. I know the way."
Li Wei shook her head and swallowed a bite of tomato: "It's okay, I'm just killing time anyway."
...
After walking for a while longer, Ding Anping couldn't bear to watch any longer. Li Wei was stuffing tomatoes into her mouth while holding up her skirt with one hand, and she looked quite tired. He felt uncomfortable watching her and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, go back now. If you walk any further, I'll have to take you back again." I'd be happy if your aunt were half as attentive as you.
Li Wei lifted her face, which was smeared with tomato juice: "Are you getting impatient? I'm doing this for your own good. I'm worried that you might do something stupid because of my aunt's attitude towards you. If that happens, my family won't be able to explain themselves. We're almost at the station, so you should hurry up and go. Remember to be strong when you get home."
Ding Anping, who had been feeling a bit down, suddenly found himself both amused and exasperated after Li Wei's words. Even a child could see things clearly, yet he, a grown man, was still wallowing in self-pity—how embarrassing! He took out a handkerchief, knelt down, and wiped Li Wei's face. Actually, this child was quite clever and adorable.
Li Wei was startled. "Big brother, you can't scare me like that! If it weren't for my aunt's sake, I would have screamed for assault!" This was really awkward. Was my face really that dirty?
Ding Anping suddenly laughed as he wiped the baby's skin. He'd never done this before; the child's skin was so smooth and delicate. If he married Cheng Fei someday, he'd have a child like this too…
"Big brother, remember to come and get closer to my aunt tomorrow if you're free, otherwise your dream of marrying my aunt and having a cute baby like me will be ruined!" Li Wei could tell from Ding Anping's dazed look that he was up to no good, so she interrupted Ding Anping's daydreaming in a sinister way.
Even after Ding Anping had gotten into the car and was far out of town, he was still thinking about how every step of his relationship had been ruthlessly exposed beforehand, which was truly disheartening. That little girl from the Li family was too strange; he'd better not have such an infuriating child in the future, and just be well-behaved.
The next day, when Ding Anping arrived, he brought someone with him. Li Wei was doing her homework with a group of children when she suddenly looked up and saw Princess Ding Anni! How did she get here? How did she break through her mother's blockade? She stood up and affectionately pulled Ding Anni into a corner for interrogation.
Ding Anni glanced furtively at her brother Ding Anping, who was happily helping with the chores, and lowered her voice: "My brother and my mom had a fight, and my mom and my dad had a fight. My dad asked my brother to take me out to play. My dad and my brother are on the same side."
The Ding family is engulfed in war: "Then who are you on? You're not some little spy sent by your mother, are you?"
Ding Anni was really in a dilemma. Everyone was nice to her, and she couldn't afford to offend any of them: "I... I'll see... I'll decide later." The situation was rather complicated this time, and she didn't know who would win.
She was a fence-sitter in the Ding family.
"Do you even need to look? Given your family's situation, truth often lies in the hands of the majority of men. Listen to your dad; you can't go wrong. What does your dad do? He works in the police station, a place that fights bad guys. Anyone who goes against your dad isn't a good person; whatever your dad approves of, you must approve of. These are the two 'whatevers' that the newspapers often talk about. Haven't you heard your dad say that? How could what the newspapers say be wrong? Right?" They had to get Ding Anni on the opposite side of her mother. They couldn't let her aunt have another thug or another rival after she married into the family. They'd heard that sisters-in-law were difficult to deal with and easily sided with their mothers-in-law.
Ding Anni found Li Wei's words somewhat familiar, as if her father and some uncles and elders often talked about them. She couldn't help but admire Li Wei a little: "You know so much! This is something only my father knows. My mother doesn't even know!"
Li Wei quickly chimed in, "So your mom isn't as sensible as your dad. You should listen to your dad more in the future; that's how you'll have a bright future. If you don't believe me, go ask your brother and see if I'm right."
Ding Anni wholeheartedly agreed; no wonder her father held a higher official position than her mother.
Hurry up and finish your homework. Since we have guests, we should treat them well. Let's all go play by the river; consider it an ecotourism trip.
A few boys, led by Luo Da, had been brooding over catching some loaches. They'd seen Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei catching a lot of big loaches with a net the other day and were getting a little envious. The girls, on the other hand, joined in, carrying cans to collect the fish.
To catch loaches, you can't go to places with clear water and visible sand and stones. Loaches, loaches, where there's no mud, there are no loaches. You have to specifically look for waters with weeds, dark shade, and muddy bottoms, places that aren't so clean.
So after catching fish for a while, she lifted her skirt, frowned, and complained, "Ugh, it's so dirty! Those fish are really scary!" Everyone busied themselves cleaning up the net full of fish that had been scooped up, and no one paid any attention to her.
Ding Anni muttered a few words of boredom and stared wide-eyed. After a while, she complained, "It's so sunny! What am I going to do if I get tanned? Li Wei, can I borrow your hat?"
Li Wei reluctantly gave up her sun hat to Ding Anni, considering she was a guest.
Ding Anni happily put on the little hat she had been eyeing for a long time.
Ding Anni was so engrossed in admiring her dashing figure in her hat before going to sleep that she accidentally bumped into Luo Da, who was covered in mud. This startled her, and she jumped back a good distance, yelling, "Ouch! You've dirtied my clothes! How annoying!"
Luo Da acted as if he hadn't heard anything and continued to devote himself to fishing.
Although Li Wei was taking care of her, Ding Anni still felt a little out of place with everyone. While playing, she asked to go back to find her brother. Li Lin couldn't stand it anymore: "Why are you so fussy? You're so delicate, humph!" Luo Er and Li Lianhui nodded in agreement, while Erpangzi and Wu Feng looked at Li Wei but didn't dare to nod.
Li Wei glared at the three of them: "What are you saying? You should treat your guests better. They come to visit us, so you should be polite, you know? Don't gossip."
Finally, seeing that Ding Anni was exhausted, Li Wei decided to go back with her first. As they walked, she lectured Ding Anni on what it meant to adapt to local customs, to integrate with the people, and to enjoy nature—those loaches were little spirits of nature, after all!
Ding Anni thought to herself, "How can a loach look like a little elf? It's so ugly! What kind of eyesight does that give me!"
Seeing Ding Anni's somewhat dismissive attitude, Li Wei, despite her long-standing upbringing preventing her from overtly showing it, still noticed her childishness. She then solemnly hummed a sermon: "The night has given you black eyes; you must use them to seek the beauty of the loach." (Sigh!)
Ding Anni: ...
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