Chapter 94: Asked for It
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Sister, which of Zhu Baoguo’s words were exaggeration? Which of the words were lies? When did I defame you?”
“Old, Old Qiao.” Ding Jiayi still didn’t get it. She stared at Qiao Dongliang with a look of guilt. “You, you don’t listen to Qiao Nan’s nonsense, Zijin went to The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China… ”
“Stop it, no one is to mention this again.” Qiao Dongliang pulled a long face, they had no idea who he was angry at.
It was Elder Lee who told Qiao Dongliang about his daughter’s enrollment. Hence there was the possibility that Elder Lee could have mentioned this to Zhu Baoguo as well.
Besides, before Elder Lee told him the news, he also had no inkling either. Old Ding and Zijin would never let Nan Nan know about this matter, then how did she come to know about it? Zhu Baoguo must have told her.
He had to blame himself for being muddleheaded. The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China was such a prestigious school, one might not be able to enroll in the school despite forking out money, one still had to have connections.
“Zijin, you must study hard, if not I would be so embarrassed.” Qiao Dongliang sighed, because of Qiao Nan he finally could hold his head high in front of Uncle Lee, but his elder daughter had to create this trouble.
But luckily the elder daughter’s results had improved after studying in The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China.
As long as Zijin did well for her studies, Uncle Lee would eventually forget about how she enrolled in the high school.
Qiao Zijin paled and nodded her head reluctantly.
What did this have to do with her results? She was not Qiao Nan.
Initially she had wanted her parents to uphold justice for her, but in the end Qiao Nan remained unscathed. Qiao Zijin who was in low spirits pursed her lips and said, “Dad, Mom, it’s late, I will return to my room to read.”
“Zijin, wait. Apologize to Nan Nan.” Qiao Dongliang stopped Qiao Zijin.
“Why?!” Qiao Zijin widened her eyes in disbelief.
Why should she apologize to Qiao Nan, Qiao Nan had bullied and defamed her today. She was thinking to make her kowtow and admit her mistakes.
“What do you think is the reason?” Qiao Dongliang did not explain, he wanted Qiao Zijin to reflect on her own mistakes. “Don’t you think that your actions and behavior just now were too much, shouldn’t you apologize to Nan Nan? Who was the one who framed and badmouthed people? Zijin, you are ambiguous with your words. You meant to mislead us into having the wrong impressions. And yet you ask me why? Is that how a elder sister should behave? Did the teachers in school teach you to behave in this way?”
“What are you so angry for? It was just a misunderstanding. We are one family, we shouldn’t be so calculating and acting like outsiders.” Ding Jiayi jumped in to defend Qiao Zijin.
“Calculating? Acting like outsiders? Then what about the big spectacle that you created just now, as if you wanted to send punitive forces against someone. Isn’t that calculating, isn’t that treating Nan Nan like outsiders?” Qiao Dongliang shot Ding Jiayi an absurd look and turned to face Qiao Zijin. “Zijin, you are more educated than your Mom and you are so intelligent, you wouldn’t be like your Mom who can’t tell right from wrong, right? Should you then make this apology?”
She could not have new clothes and now her father wanted her to apologize. Qiao Zijin’s eyes reddened, she was on the brink of tears. “Dad, I was too angry that’s why I… Nan Nan, don’t take it to heart. I meant no harm, it’s just that Zhu Baoguo dissented me and I, I was anxious. I, I did not do anything bad, Nan Nan, I am sorry.”
Qiao Zijin then returned to her room with red eyes.
“Old Qiao, you are too much.” Ding Jiayi stomped her feet and pointed at Qiao Nan, “It was all because of you. Will you grow more meat just because your sister apologized to you? You, you are so heartless towards your sister!”
Qiao Nan who has just been through an unexpected ordeal laughed. She might not grow more meat just because Qiao Zijin apologized to her, but she was happy inside.
“Alright, why are you always picking on Nan Nan? Is this the differential treatment between family and outsiders? If you continue to pamper Qiao Zijin, can she survive in the outside world with the way she treats others? Instead of persuading her to change her attitude, you sided with her while she bullied Qiao Nan?” Qiao Dongliang chided Ding Jiayi.
“You! Was it me who pampered Qiao Zijin or you who pampered Qiao Nan? Forget it, now you only have eyes for one daughter. It would be useless to talk to you. You can look after Qiao Nan, I will dote on Zijin, she still has her mother who will protect her.” Ding Jiayi could not take it lying down, she said her piece and went off to comfort Qiao Zijin.
“What a headache, the child acts this way, the adult also acts this way.” From the looks of it, Zijin learned her bad ways from Old Ding.
“Dad, I will go back to my room.” Qiao Nan had her dinner at Lee family residence before coming back. She decided to have a bath before turning in. After all, it was chilly in the winter.
“Go ahead.” Qiao Dongliang gave a faint sigh. Nobody understood his good intentions.
Nobody understood?
Some did not wish to know, while some pretended not to know. Qiao Nan belonged to the latter.
Her father was trying to inculcate the correct values in Qiao Zijin. He noticed her character flaws and wanted to correct them.
Qiao Zijin was not willing to learn and her mother did not feel the need for her to change anything.
But since it had nothing to do with her, it did not matter if she understood her father’s intentions or not.
Ding Jiayi felt sorry that Qiao Zijin had suffered such grievances today and she could not seek justice for her. She could only watch helplessly while Zijin apologized to Qiao Nan. So in the end, Ding Jiayi agreed to buying a set of new clothes for Qiao Zijin and Qiao Zijin was finally appeased with that.
Qiao Zijin was all smiles when she received her new clothes. She was so thrilled that she could not contain her smiles.
But on the other hand Ding Jiayi had to take on private handiwork at home so as to buy Zijin her new clothes. She spent a lot of the days bent over the dim lights, working on the handiwork till midnight before going to sleep.
There was once when Qiao Nan woke up in the middle of the night to have a cup of tea, and she saw a tired Ding Jiayi rubbing at her eyes till they turned red.
“You sure are enjoying your good night’s sleep, didn’t you see that I am still busy with work. Now that you are on holiday, you should help me out.” Ding Jiayi boiled with anger when she saw Qiao Nan walked past with sleepy eyes and flushed face. “From tomorrow onwards, you have to help out!”
“Alright, I will let Dad know. From tomorrow onwards, I won’t go to the Lee family residence to tutor Zhu Baoguo.” Qiao Nan did not say no, instead she agreed.
Ding Jiayi turned red with anger. “Are you stupid?!”
If Old Qiao discovered that Qiao Nan could not go to Lee family residence as she had to help Ding Jiayi with her private jobs, he would tear her apart.
“You do not have to be at Lee family residence for 24 hours a day. You could come home earlier after tutoring Zhu Baoguo and helped me out. Wear your clothes and start working now. Finish them quickly, I have to prepare for new year.”
“No.” Qiao Nan rejected her coldly. “I am going back to sleep.” With that, she walked off.