With her granddaughter acting this way, what else could the old lady not understand? "Oh, you child, no matter how much money you need, you can't sell your cotton-padded coat. It's so cold that even adults can't stand it, let alone a child like you."
The old lady didn't even bother to eat; she'd been in a daze these past few days, and she genuinely hadn't noticed the child dressed like that.
Jiang Qiao couldn't let the old lady do it herself. "Grandma, Grandma, I'll do it. Just tell me what to get. You should eat quickly, or your old stomach will hurt if it gets cold."
Following the old lady's directions, Jiang Qiao took out a bundle from the broken cabinet. Inside was a sheepskin cotton-padded coat, which looked quite old.
The old lady touched the cotton-padded coat, her face full of nostalgia. "This was a gift from your grandfather when I was young. No matter how difficult things were, I never thought of selling it."
Knowing the origin of the cotton-padded jacket, Jiang Qiao refused to wear it no matter what. The old lady's face darkened and she said, "Grandma's words no longer carry weight, do you? Hurry up and stop dawdling. If your grandfather knew that this cotton-padded jacket was being worn by his granddaughter, he would definitely be happy."
"It's just a piece of clothing, it's been sitting there for ages, it's not really of any use anymore. Put it on quickly, let Grandma see it."
The sheepskin coat is indeed very warm to wear, and apart from being a bit too big, it's quite nice.
The old lady patted her granddaughter on the back with satisfaction, "From now on, this coat is yours."
"Qiao'er, Qiao'er, are you home?"
The voice outside was Song Lianfeng's. Jiang Qiao quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and went out to answer. Song Lianfeng and Du Chengsong had come together, and Du Chengsong had even brought a load of firewood.
"Third Aunt, what are you doing?"
While instructing her husband to put firewood in the small shed, Song Lianfeng explained to Jiang Qiao, "Your third uncle and his men went into the mountains to collect firewood this morning. Here's some for your family to tide you over for a while. You need to get better eventually."
"Hey, little girl, you've got new clothes?"
Jiang Qiao nodded shyly, "It was worn by my grandma when she was young."
Song Lianfeng nodded repeatedly, "Not bad, not bad, that's more like it. Getting sick can also be related to not wearing enough clothes. Is your grandma awake?"
Jiang Qiao nodded happily, and Song Lianfeng hurried into the house to see the old lady. "Oh my, Auntie, you're up now! You have no idea how hard it's been for Qiao'er these days. This girl has been running around doing everything. I really didn't realize she had such abilities..."
Although the old lady looked sickly, she was in good spirits. This was the first time in recent days that I had seen her sitting down to eat like this.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Song Lianfeng pulled Wang Dahua aside and talked about how impressive Jiang Qiao's performance had been that day.
To the old lady, it sounded like a lament; her beloved granddaughter was showing signs of turning into a shrew.
In fact, Wang Dahua knew in her heart that her child's timid personality in the past was inseparable from her influence. She was afraid that if her child caused trouble, she would not be able to be a good support for him.
Seeing that Wang Dahua remained silent, Song Lianfeng continued, "Auntie, actually, it's quite good that the girl is like this. Do you think it's good to be like before, where anyone could bully you?"
When the girl grows up and gets married, she'll have to suffer in her husband's family, won't she? She'll be so resentful!
Besides, you raised Jiang Qiao yourself. How could you not know your own child? That girl isn't the type to cause trouble. She wouldn't throw a tantrum if she had no reason or evidence.
I think your comfortable life is just around the corner. Your daughter is capable of managing the household, so what are you afraid of? They say women hold up half the sky, and I'm sure your Jiang Qiao is no exception.
Wang Dahua sighed, "Lianfeng, I was wrong. I used to think that it was good for a young girl to be quiet and gentle. You said that a shrew like that is annoying."
"Besides, I'm so old, I can't support my child anymore. Sigh, now it seems I almost ruined her life. You're right, if things had gone like before, and before I even recovered, Qiao'er had been bullied to death, where would I have gone to cry then?"
This was the first time Song Lianfeng had directly discussed the issue of children's education with the old lady. She used to think that Jiang Qiao was being taken care of by her grandmother, and that it was not appropriate for her, as an outsider, to say anything.
But it pained her to see her child being bullied, so she took this opportunity to have a good talk with the old lady.
She had seen all of Jiang Qiao's efforts during this time. This girl may be young, but she has a strong sense of purpose.
Jiang Qiao came in and told the old lady about Song Lianfeng and her husband bringing firewood.
The old lady felt even more ashamed. "Tell me, these past few days, we've relied on your help. Otherwise, who knows what would have become of us, grandmother and grandson?"
Song Lianfeng said dismissively, "Auntie, you're too kind. We're neighbors, if we don't lend a hand, are we even human? If we're going to thank someone, it should be your Jiang Qiao, that kid has had a tough time."
After chatting with the old lady for a while, Song Lianfeng went home first; she had a large family to support and was busy.
After everyone left, the old lady quickly pulled her granddaughter aside and checked her over. "Qiao'er, are you hurt?"
Jiang Qiao smiled and shook her head. "Grandma, I'm fine. Uncle used to teach me martial arts, and I've been practicing these days, so I haven't suffered any losses."
Speaking of her youngest son, the old lady sighed again. The reason her son taught the girl martial arts was because he was afraid that the child would suffer losses and be bullied. He thought it was because she was useless.
"It's all Grandma's fault. I shouldn't have made you endure everything. From now on, as long as you don't do anything too outrageous, you can do whatever you want. At worst, Grandma will risk her life to stay by your side."
Jiang Qiao was both amused and exasperated. This old lady really had problems educating her children; she was either too strict or too lenient.
"That's not the case, Grandma. I know what I'm doing, and I can tell right from wrong. I won't do anything unless you push me too far."
By the way, I asked Li Meilan for some food. You won't be angry with me, will you?
Wang Dahua gave a bitter smile and sighed, "Grandma thought that if we got closer to Li Meilan's side, at least their children wouldn't bully you. But Grandma was wrong. Good people are good people no matter where they go, but bad people are bad no matter what."
If she doesn't bring it over tonight, I'll go to their house tomorrow and demand it. With your Uncle Tiezhu there, let's see what that woman can say."
Jiang Qiao sighed inwardly. This old lady was a bit confused. She didn't believe that Wang Tiezhu was completely unaware of what Li Meilan and her children had done.
"Grandma, let me handle this. You're an adult, so you don't need to fall out with them. I'm just a child, so no one will say anything. You should continue to recover. As for Wang Tiezhu, I don't think he'll be any better off."
"Did you see the paper on our windows? When I woke up this morning, I saw that both of our rooms had holes in them. You can imagine, someone probably hoped we both froze to death overnight. Luckily, we're okay. Those are the new holes I patched up."
She said everything was fine, but only Jiang Qiao herself knew that Little Jiang Qiao was gone, and she had taken her place.
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