Chapter 374: No One Is Allowed to Bully Her Except Me (7)Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
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In the morning, Jin Qingyue dropped Jin Bao’er off at school, where she instructed the teachers to forbid anyone else other than herself from picking Jin Bao’er up, even if they claimed to be a relative.
While driving back from the school, Jin Qingyue chanced upon a fortune-telling stall along the way. In a moment of curiosity, she decided to have a look and try her luck to see if the fortune-teller was accurate with his readings. She pulled over and got down from the car.
She sat down in front of the elderly fortune-teller and said, “I’d like to know about my marriage prospects.”
“Miss, what are your birth characters?” asked the fortune-teller.
Jin Qingyue revealed her birth characters to him.
The elderly man then took out a book slowly and flipped through its pages before saying, “Have you already ended your marriage?”
“Yes,” Jin Qingyue answered with a nod.
“From what I see, you’re going to have another marriage in your life. The catch is, he has a bad temper. However, he’s definitely a good man. On top of that… you two know each other,” said the fortune-teller as he looked up at her.
“We know each other? How long more until I meet him again?” Jin Qingyue asked eagerly.
“Very soon.”
“But, I’ve consulted another fortune-teller before and I was told that I would only meet him in the next month. How then could it be someone I already know?”
“You two know each other, but your romance has yet to begin. It’s only predestined to begin recently.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” Jin Qingyue said as she handed him 100 dollars.
“Miss, there’s no need to pay me so much.”
“You absolutely deserve it.” She then stood up and left.
Jin Qingyue hopped back inside her car and began driving towards Wei Ni Estate.
She had initially thought that An Xiaoning was not at home. To her surprise, An Xiaoning was leaning against a chair in the yard and reading some books leisurely.
Upon sight of her arrival, An Xiaoning sat up straight and asked, “What brings you here, Sis-in-law?”
“Sis-in-law, try this. It’s from a newly-opened dessert shop that I passed by along the way. Thus, I decided to buy some for you to try,” said Jin Qingyue as she placed the snacks she bought onto the table.
An Xiaoning scanned her from head to toe before asking teasingly, “There can’t be rat meat in there, can there?”
Jin Qingyue snorted with laughter and said, “Sis-in-law, could you just trust me a little? I wouldn’t dare to do that to you anymore. I was too insensible in the past. I just want to get along well with you now, okay?”
An Xiaoning decided to do her the honor and picked up a piece of snack. “I’m not used to you being so nice to me.”
“It’s because you’re the person my brother loves the most and my brother is my closest kin. That makes you my family too.”
“Since when have you gotten such a glib tongue? Don’t tell me you have something to request from me?” An Xiaoning asked calmly.
“No, I don’t. It’s purely because I’m in a good mood. You know I don’t have much friends anyway. I don’t have anyone to chat with, so I decided to come look for you,” Jin Qingyue said smilingly.
An Xiaoning was rather surprised and bewildered to see such a friendly side of Jin Qingyue.
“I know you still don’t quite trust me yet, but I’ll earn your trust in the future and let you know that I can be a trustworthy person too.”
“Why do I feel like you’ve changed so much?” An Xiaoning remarked.
“People grow and change. Before I met Shi Shaochuan, I used to think that my life was extremely blissful. I was born into a wealthy family and could live a carefree life, rid of any financial burden or woes. I didn’t have to worry about having a roof over my head or fret over establishing a stable career. Neither did I have to work hard to run my company, unlike Brother. I would go about my willful, bratty, and stubborn ways without ever heeding anyone’s advice unless failure hits me in my face. In hindsight, I was really such an ignorant and naive girl who doesn’t know she’s walking herself to the end of a cliff. As much as I wish I could go back in time and stop myself, it’s impossible, and there’s nothing I can do now,” Jin Qingyue said with a wry smile.
An Xiaoning placed her book aside and picked up the teacup on the table to take a sip of her floral tea. “It’s good that you’ve realized it now. Life is indeed a journey of continuous growth. How else are you going to learn about what the world has to offer if you don’t experience trials and tribulations?”
“I passed by a fortune-teller on my way back after dropping Bao’er off at school and decided to give it a try.”
“What was the result?”
“The same as you said. He even mentioned that the person I’ll be meeting next month is someone I already know,” Jin Qingyue answered with a smile.
An Xiaoning looked up and said, “Looks like that fortune-teller does have the trick of the trade, not bad. That person is indeed someone you’ve known for a very long time. However, you two’ve just never felt the spark for each other in the past. Don’t keep trying to find out who it is, you can’t stop fate in its tracks. Just let nature take its course, got it?”
“Got it. No matter who he is, be it a servant or a bodyguard, I’ll accept him as long as he’s good to me,” said Jin Qingyue as she nodded smilingly.
“Has Shi Shaochuan come to look for trouble since his release from prison?”
“Yeah, he even showed up at my gate and told Bao’er that he was her biological father. I’m afraid he’s up to no good,” Jin Qingyue explained truthfully.
“He’s seriously such a thick-skinned and annoying scum. But, I suppose he’d definitely bear a grudge against you for causing his downfall. Bring more bodyguards with you whenever you go out, don’t ever leave your home alone by yourself.”
“Alright. By the way, you and Brother should really hurry and get married again.”
“No rush.”
“You may not be in a hurry, but I am. I’m really looking forward to seeing you marry my brother again. If I were you, I would be so eager and anxious. But perhaps it’s because I’m really insecure right now.”
An Xiaoning began to find Jin Qingyue rather adorable all of a sudden. It took her long enough to finally see such a side of Jin Qingyue. Well, people do change, after all.
“The snacks are delicious. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I’ll buy them for you frequently if you’d like.”
“…”
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“Long Xiaoxi, please recite the ancient poem ‘Quiet Night Thought’, which I asked you all to memorize yesterday,” said Long Xiaoxi’s teacher.
Long Xiaoxi rose from her seat and stared blankly at the teacher, unable to recall the poem after pondering for a long while. Thus, the teacher prompted, “Moonlight before my bed…”
“Moonlight before my bed…” Long Xiaoxi repeated after the teacher in her piping, delicate voice.
She could not remember the rest of the poem.
“The writer is Li Bai,” the teacher said to remind her again.
“Moonlight before my bed… Li Bai pushes the window open… Lift my head and see the Heavenly Court… Lower my head and hit the jar.”
The teacher froze in utter shock.
“Long Xiaoxi, you’ve gotten the poem completely wrong! What did I say before dismissal yesterday? I said that you must memorize this poem and I’ll be checking the morning after. Yet, not only did you not memorize it well, you even tweaked the lines any old how. Go and stand outside now!” the teacher hollered, pointing at the door.
Long Xiaoxi stood up again and walked towards the door, hanging her head low. Once she exited the classroom, she looked up all of a sudden and scurried away frantically.
She ran to the door of the upper kindergarten classroom.
She leaned against the door and peeked through the crack.
She would often be infuriated by what she saw and stop after catching a few glimpses.
After class ended, Long Xiaoxi ran inside the upper kindergarten classroom and sat down beside Long Wenlun. “Brother, what’s your next lesson?”
“Arts and craft.”
“I have a free period next and we’re allowed to play freely in the courtyard or do whatever we want. Can I sit beside you and attend class together with you guys? I promise I’ll pay attention and not disturb you. And…” She turned around to take a glimpse of An Youqing before continuing, “I promise I won’t disturb Brother Youqing too.”
“Alright, my table mate also happened to be absent today. You may sit next to me. Just don’t let Teacher find out.”