Chapter 127 Qiao Bai's Pride
It was pitch black all around, but Xiao Qing felt strangely calm.
If an emperor of a country could be easily caught in a net and carried away simply by leaving the palace, wouldn't that be a bit too... ridiculous?
"What...what are you thinking?" Two eyes blinked in the darkness; it was Qiao Bai, huddled to the side.
Xiao Qing looked over, a strange thought forming in her mind, but she hadn't been able to verify it yet.
She recognized that person when Ying Ziye threw him away. He was one of the people she and Zhao Youchen encountered three years ago when they rescued Ying Ying.
She remembered that they said they were Jiang Tianba's men.
That person's appearance wasn't particularly memorable, but if she could remember that person, there was no reason why Ying Ziye, who suffered so much as a result, couldn't.
Xiao Qing shook her head, and seeing that Qiao Bai was still staring at her expectantly, she could only reply, "I'm wondering who kidnapped us."
This is a carriage, covered by a completely black cloth on all sides. Judging from the degree of bumping, the carriage is traveling very fast. Judging from the speed of travel and the sounds around it, there is no place this big in the city. It must be outside Nanhua City.
They had been knocked unconscious, and when they woke up they were here, unaware of day or night, or where they were.
Fortunately, none of them were tied up—although they were trapped inside and couldn't get out.
Since things are already like this, I might as well save my energy to stay awake.
Xiao Qing leaned back with his hands behind his head, his expression indifferent.
As Qiao Bai looked at her, his heart gradually calmed down.
He thought that the boy in front of him seemed to have a kind of... very attractive quality.
"How old are you?" he couldn't help but ask Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing looked at him but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "You like reading?"
Qiao Bai nodded, "Reading makes one wise, and besides, I also need to participate in the provincial examination."
Qiao Bai has fair skin, and perhaps because he loves reading, he has a scholarly and refined air when he's not speaking. However, when she grabbed his hand and ran away just now, she noticed that his palms had many calluses, probably from years of managing household affairs.
"Actually, you shouldn't have come out just now. Now, I've dragged you into this mess."
Qiao Bai shook his head. "The illegal activities are right in front of me, how can I not come out? Besides, it's not you who implicated me, it's these people who committed the crimes."
Xiao Qing smiled.
There seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in her laughter, which Qiao Bai keenly noticed, and he became somewhat annoyed.
"why are you laughing?"
"It's nothing." Xiao Qing thought to herself, this person is a bit stubborn. Even Zi Ye said the same thing. This kind of person is the hardest to teach. If you say something clearly, not only will you not understand, but you will also make her angry. She doesn't want to get angry.
Qiao Bai took it seriously. "You clearly smiled." He was displeased. "A person should be honest. You clearly smiled, so why did you say nothing happened? You're definitely making fun of me!"
Xiao Qing had no intention of arguing with him, so she simply kept quiet and closed her eyes to rest.
Qiao Bai was already feeling uneasy, and seeing her like this, it was as if a powder keg in his heart had been ignited, and he became relentless.
"Tell me why you're laughing!" He suddenly stood up and pointed at Xiao Qing.
"why are you laughing?"
Unable to handle the commotion, Xiao Qing retorted, "Did any of the books you read teach you to be this short-tempered?"
"I'm not angry!"
“Then you can sit down and be quiet for a while, just like I did.”
Qiao Bai was speechless and angry. He felt a lump in his throat and didn't speak for a long time.
Finally, he deflated and plopped down.
Xiao Qing thought to herself that children this age are still in their rebellious phase, and it's normal for their emotions to be unpredictable; no matter how much they read, it won't change anything.
But then he heard Qiao Bai say, “You’re just like them, all you do is laugh at me, say I’m useless for studying, that I’m a bookworm, that I’m stupid, that I can’t read people’s faces, that I can’t do business. My mother got sick because she had a son like me. I didn’t bring her any honor, I only made her suffer and be ridiculed by others…” He sniffed as he spoke, then choked up, and finally burst into tears.
Xiao Qing felt terrible.
"Don't cry, okay? I apologize. I really wasn't laughing at you. I just remembered my... teacher." Xiao Qing was at a loss, her mind racing, trying to find a suitable reason.
She really shouldn't have laughed. Qiao Bai's living environment wasn't good to begin with. If he were content with the status quo and just drifted through life, that would be fine. But he also loved reading, wanted to participate in the imperial examinations, and wanted to make a name for himself. Moreover, he was stubborn and inflexible. People like that have the strongest sense of self-esteem. Normally, it would be fine, but in this situation, he would be much more sensitive than ordinary people.
"Oh dear... don't cry..."
Xiao Qing scratched his head in annoyance, but Qiao Bai cried even louder.
"I was wrong, I apologize, please say sorry."
"Then tell me why you're laughing?" Qiao Bai asked, sobbing.
"I said I was thinking of my teacher."
"You're lying! You're not telling the truth... Waaah..." Qiao Bai cried even more miserably.
Why lock this person up with her?! Is she supposed to be responsible for comforting the child too?!
"I didn't lie..."
"You're lying, you're making fun of me. Am I wrong? Or do you, like them, think that my education is useless, that I'm incompetent, and that I'm a burden..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Xiao Ting couldn't stand it anymore. Seeing him still crying, she couldn't help but yell, "I told you to stop crying!"
Xiao Qing originally wanted to coax him, but it was no use no matter how hard she tried. Qiao Bai, having heard her helpless and soft persuasion before, was suddenly startled by her thunderous voice, and his crying was blocked in his throat, not coming out for a long time.
Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ve never thought reading is useless. It’s good that you love reading; it’s a good habit. People who don’t read will only become stupid. Those who laugh at you for reading are complacent and unambitious. Their lives may be very comfortable, but their minds may only be able to hold what they already have in their lives, not anything more. You’re different. The more you read, the broader your horizons become, and the more you can hold. As big as…” She gestured, “the whole world.”
This was the first time Qiao Bai had heard such a theory. He looked in Xiao Qing's direction, and although it was dark all around and he couldn't see Xiao Qing's face clearly, he felt that her eyes were very bright.
"However, just reading books isn't enough. Books are written by people, and every person has their own thoughts. Some thoughts may be suitable for you, while others may not. When you're reading, have you ever noticed that some parts are hard to understand, while others resonate with you at a glance? Have you ever felt that some parts are written incorrectly, while others are written with great satisfaction?"
Qiao Bai nodded unconsciously, "I don't think there's anything wrong with what I wrote. I just feel that I'm not smart enough to understand the reasoning behind it."
Xiao Qing clapped his hands. "That's right, this is what rote learning is all about."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
