Chapter 2129: Comparing Results
Even with him as a buffer, Qiao Nan’s anger toward Qiao Zijin had not dissipated. Now, he was not even interfering any longer.
When Qiao Dongliang’s package had been returned, Qiao Dongliang finally realized that Qiao Nan would not fall for Qiao Zijin’s tricks. It was also because of the package that Qiao Nan had raised her guard against even her father. The sight of the package made Qiao Dongliang feel sour. He seemed to have ruined everything again, pushing Qiao Nan even further away from him.
In the face of this situation, Qiao Dongliang was infuriated at himself, Ding Jiayi, and Qiao Zijin. It seemed as though he would always encounter such situations as long as this mother-daughter pair was involved. He wondered how the three of them had managed to live together as a family for the past two decades.
“Old Qiao, what are you thinking about? This is quite a good show. Why don’t you sit down and watch it with me?” Ding Jiayi waved Qiao Dongliang over. The Qiao family was not particularly close, but neither were they on bad terms. It was uncomfortable just watching on from the side.
Even the Qiao family’s neighbors could feel that the atmosphere in the Qiao family had gotten a little strange these days. What on earth was that family of three doing? They could not even enjoy a day of peace. As neighbors, they were tired from just watching on from the sides. Did the Qiao family themselves not feel exhausted?
“That won’t be necessary. You guys can go ahead.” Qiao Dongliang had never had much interest in watching the television anyway. “Where’s Zijin?”
“Where else could she be? She must be in her room using her computer. Old Qiao, look at all these things on the table. They’re all Zijin’s. She said they’re her materials. The words are as small as ants. I can’t even read them clearly.” Ding Jiayi glanced at the pile of papers on the table, ‘casually’ mentioning them to Qiao Dongliang.
“Materials?” Qiao Dongliang was surprised. Ever since Qiao Zijin had graduated from university, she had never bothered to upgrade herself or widen her knowledge. Had the sun risen from the west today? Why was Zijin doing such things? “Oh right, didn’t I tell Zijin that it’s good for her to study more now that she’s still young and for her to take a Level Six certification in English? How’s it going? When is she going to sign up for the exam?”
After hearing that Qiao Nan had taken the exam, Qiao Dongliang had suggested that Qiao Zijin take the exam too. He hoped that Qiao Zijin would try to improve herself. Besides, Qiao Nan had said that the exam was extremely easy. Qiao Zijin had a better foundation in the language, after all. As such, he thought that it would be good for Qiao Zijin to get certified too.
A person’s knowledge was his own, and no one else would ever be able to snatch it away. As such, it would definitely be beneficial to Zijin if she were to study more now.
Nan Nan had been able to tutor others in English and make a living for herself. He was not expecting Zijin to do the same, but if Zijin had a certain standard in English, she would probably be able to use it to eke out a living when times called for it.
Ding Jiayi’s expression stiffened. Zijin was not just her daughter. Old Qiao should know what Zijin’s temper was like too.
Although it was a little late, Ding Jiayi had to admit that Qiao Zijin had indeed been eager to study, but it was also true that she could not match up to Qiao Nan in that aspect. Qiao Nan truly enjoyed studying while Qiao Zijin studied for the sake of it. “Forget it. Zijin has been out of school for almost two decades. Why are you asking her to take an exam? She’s already given everything back to her teachers. I didn’t tell you about this in the past, but Zijin had to retake the Level Four exam a few times before she managed to pass.”
The learning environment had been unbeatable in school, and studying had been Zijin’s only task. Even then, Zijin had needed to retake that exam so many times, whereas Qiao Nan had managed to pass it easily without putting in any effort.
What Ding Jiayi had not said was that Qiao Zijin had only worked so hard to pass that exam, even sitting for several retests up until her graduation, not because she really loved the language or because she had wanted to improve on her score. It was only because she had to pass the Level Four exam before she could graduate.
Zijin had struggled so much in school for the sake of the status of being a university graduate. Hearing that she would not be able to graduate otherwise, Zijin dared not give up on the exam so easily. Unfortunately for her, the invigilators were not her own teachers and were especially strict when marking the papers.
Even though she had already graduated more than a decade ago, Qiao Zijin still often complained to Ding Jiayi how she had nightmares of returning to school and sitting for that dreaded English examination. Qiao Zijin felt as though she could faint even in her dream from looking at those warped characters.
Qiao Zijin had never mentioned this to Qiao Dongliang but often complained to Ding Jiayi about it. As such, Ding Jiayi was certain that it was impossible for Qiao Zijin to continue with her English studies because she had already been traumatized by it.
The mention of an English examination would make Qiao Zijin turn on her back and run as fast as a hare. There was no need to mention it to Qiao Zijin. It would definitely be a failure.
“Is that so?” This was Qiao Dongliang’s first time hearing about it. “Didn’t you say that Zijin’s grades were pretty good in university even though she did not receive a scholarship?” That was what Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin had told him.
She had never received a scholarship. After all, there were so many talented people in the same school and Qiao Zijin had not been exceptionally talented in junior high school or high school. Qiao Dongliang was already happy enough that Qiao Zijin had managed to compete with these talents for a scholarship, missing the cut just by a sliver. This proved that their family’s insistence on sending Qiao Zijin to university had been right. See, Qiao Zijin’s results had improved by leaps and bounds after entering university.
How was Qiao Dongliang to know that Ding Jiayi had simply been playing a game of wits with him at that time?
Ding Jiayi had said that Qiao Zijin’s results were pretty good and it was just that she had not made the cut for the scholarship. Anyone who heard that would naturally assume that Qiao Zijin’s results were good and were just slightly behind those who had been awarded the scholarship. That was why she had lost out on it. Someone who had almost gotten a scholarship in university must have had excellent results!