How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s
Chapter 281 - 283: A Wave of Scorn_1

Chapter 281: Chapter 283: A Wave of Scorn_1

Li Qiao chatted idly with the family of three until Xue Sufen came back from outside, at which point she suggested it was time for her to leave.

Old Mr. Xue, aware of the conflict between Li Qiao and Xue Sufen that had yet to be resolved, deliberately said to the two, "Sufen, you should see Qiaoqiao out."

"I certainly will not," retorted Xue Sufen with a dark expression as she strode upstairs.

Old Mr. Xue cursed under his breath, calling her a "stinky girl" before turning and saying, "Lingqing, you send her off."

Jiang Wanqiu immediately interjected, "I’ll do it. I was just about to go to Qiaoqiao’s house to dig up a couple of flowers to plant."

"Why would you dig up someone else’s flowers? Can’t you buy your own to plant?" Old Mr. Xue scoffed at her, labeling her a lazybones and a lover of bargains.

Li Qiao said, "Transplanting them now, I don’t know if they’ll survive. In the spring, I bought some seeds, the same kind that are blooming in the corner of my yard. I have plenty left. Madam Xue, you can take some back and scatter them, and in about sixty days they should flower, lasting two to three months."

Jiang Wanqiu said, "If I dig up the flower with the surrounding soil, it should survive when planted, right?"

Li Qiao, "...", Are you so insistent on digging up my flowers? "Well, you can try. Professor Xue, why don’t you come along? I can’t dig, and the sapling is quite large, Madam Xue won’t be able to carry it by herself."

Xue Sufen thought, You can’t dig? Putting on an act of frailty? You were stronger than anyone when you hit me! Hooligan!

Xue Lingqing agreed and stood next to Jiang Wanqiu.

As they left the family courtyard, Jiang Wanqiu deliberately said, "My Sufen received a 150 yuan scholarship, how much did you get? The academic load must be huge since you skipped a grade, I guess you ended up with nothing."

Li Qiao quietly replied, "A total of 350, but there’re 50 yuan I haven’t gotten yet. I’ll ask about it tomorrow when I return to school."

Jiang Wanqiu’s face, previously lit with pride, stiffened instantly, "Lingqing, how come you never mentioned this?"

"Why should I?" replied Xue Lingqing, his tone cold. He used to mention Li Qiao at home quite often, but after his mother quickly picked up on his intentions, he stopped speaking of her voluntarily. At most, he would correct some unkind remarks Sufen made about her if he happened to overhear them.

Jiang Wanqiu caught his drift and, feeling slightly embarrassed, paused before saying, "Qiaoqiao is quite capable, managing to get a high scholarship even after skipping a grade. Why is it that my granddaughter’s grades aren’t as good after she went to university? How many points did you get?"

"I got full marks for my major, but I didn’t spend much time on the elective subjects, so I lost quite a few points there." Aside from ideological and political courses, which she would recite in her daily routine, she barely opened the textbooks for the less important subjects until the exams approached.

"My Sufen’s grades are more balanced," retorted Jiang Wanqiu, refusing to concede, "You seem a bit biased in your subjects."

"My scores are fairly close to each other, not really biased," responded Li Qiao.

As they arrived at the gate of the house, Li Qiao opened the courtyard door.

There was a path left through the yard with flowers planted on both sides.

Under the eaves, there was a bare space with a round table and chairs.

"Your yard is almost overflowing with flowers and plants, doesn’t it attract mosquitoes?" Jiang Wanqiu looked around, seeing butterflies flit and the dog sleeping. It was a picture of natural harmony.

Looking down from her own building, the view wasn’t nearly as pleasant.

A sweet fragrance filled the air nearby amidst bouquets of flowers, lifting her spirits without reason.

Ruan Xiangjun certainly knew how to enjoy the comforts of the capital.

"Indeed, we can light some mosquito incense," Li Qiao offered as she invited her guests to sit down.

She lit incense to ward off insects, served tea, and presented snacks as hospitality.

Xue Lingqing commented, "Sitting here in the cooler evenings, sipping tea and enjoying the flowers is rather pleasant."

Li Qiao smiled, "Yes, Jin loves to sit here and do his worksheets. He even installed a lamp overhead because of it."

Xue Lingqing glanced up subconsciously at the light bulb, took a sip of tea and appreciated the refreshing sweetness. "Are these green leaves picked from the roadside? Did you put sugar in the tea?"

"It’s honey, sent by Jin’s brother from his hometown. The leaves are mint, picked from the side of the road south of your house. There’s a lot there, and I even brought some back to plant." Li Qiao moved a cracked ceramic pot from the corner, with lush and flourishing mint inside.

Xue Lingqing couldn’t help but compliment, "You really know how to live."

Jiang Wanqiu, not happy to see the two chatting so amicably, interjected, "Is your grandma still working at the library? She’s in her sixties now; be careful not to overwork her to sickness."

Li Qiao replied, "I’ve told grandma to rest; she says she’s not tired. She wants to wait until I finish my graduate studies."

"Once you graduate, you’ll have to think about having children," prodded Jiang Wanqiu, curious.

"Yes," Li Qiao said candidly, "The folks in the village around Jin’s age almost all have children. Grandma used to push for it, but ever since I started studying, she hasn’t brought it up again. Truth is, I could have a baby now, but Jin doesn’t want to; he says we’re too poor, and the child would suffer with us. He wants to make some money first, hire a couple of people to help with the child, so it wouldn’t disrupt my studies or work."

Jiang Wanqiu felt a wave of disdain. How much can a little accountant earn, after all?

Only if they’re embezzling.

Would they be found out and thrown into jail to rot.

Jiang Wanqiu finished her tea and began picking flowers.

She specifically chose the ones that were blooming most vigorously, thinking that Ruan Xiangjun would be sad when she came back, which made her happy.

Xue Lingqing said, "Wouldn’t it be better to dig up two from the corner? Why choose such a conspicuous place to dig, leaving a bare spot that’s so ugly?"

Li Qiao, "It’s fine, dig up whatever you want."

Jiang Wanqiu laughed, "Qiaoqiao is so decisive."

Li Qiao replied politely with a smile.

Xue Lingqing was unwilling to get started, his mother did it on purpose!

Jiang Wanqiu urged, "Start digging."

Li Qiao also said, "Go ahead, Professor Xue, don’t be shy."

Only then did Xue Lingqing slowly pick up the tools.

Jiang Wanqiu chose three plants with the most flowers, dug them up, and happily walked away with one in hand.

The dog barked and dashed out.

Li Qiao called out, "Dahuang."

It immediately wagged its tail at the terrified Jiang Wanqiu and then turned back to Li Qiao’s side.

Jiang Wanqiu collected her wits and said fearfully, "Keep your dog on a leash, it would be terrible if it bit someone."

"Okay," Li Qiao acknowledged.

Xue Lingqing, who was walking behind, said, "Later I’ll go to the flower and bird market and buy some other green plants to make it up to you."

"No need."

Li Qiao walked him to the door and then, as if remembering something, said, "Wait." She went back inside to look for seeds, "These are the seeds from the yellow, white, and red flowers in the yard; just water the ground and scatter them directly."

Xue Lingqing had his hands full.

Li Qiao sized him up, a white short-sleeve shirt paired with sweatpants, with just a bit of the pants’ pocket showing. She casually stuffed the packet of seeds into his pocket.

Xue Lingqing felt a tingling on his skin through the fabric below, as if he’d been electrocuted, and his heartbeat sped up, his ears instantly turning red.

This scene was just caught by Jiang Wanqiu, who had turned around, and she grew angry, "What are you doing?"

Li Qiao was clueless, "I’m giving him seeds, Madam Xue, are you yelling at me?"

Xue Lingqing said, "She’s probably had too much menopause medication, don’t mind her."

Li Qiao, "..."

Jiang Wanqiu, "...Who’s menopausal?"

Xue Lingqing, "You."

Jiang Wanqiu, "..."

Xue Lingqing strode away purposefully.

Jiang Wanqiu caught up with him and whispered, "Did Li Qiao just touch you?"

Xue Lingqing’s expression was stern, "Touch what? You’re really disgusting with your words. You came here to dig up the plants but only took one, and I didn’t have a free hand. She just stuffed the seeds into my pocket."

She hadn’t actually touched him.

It was just the packet.

Such a simple contact and yet it left him feeling so flustered.

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