"Youwei’s owner? That’s Zhao Minglang’s niece?" Mrs. Qian seemed to have some connection with Uncle Xia. Upon hearing Xia Chuyi’s words, her expression softened slightly.
"You’re a Xia, right? Listen here, Miss Xia, Qian Qianqian doesn’t know any better. She’s still a student and shouldn’t be working here, so please be patient with her," Mrs. Qian directly told her.
Xia Chuyi confronted Mrs. Qian, saying, "Auntie, I have a question I want to ask."
Strike the snake at its weakest—through a series of recent comments and behavior, she had realized that Mrs. Qian held the highest authority in the household—she was the main opponent to Qianqian working.
"Auntie, why must Qianqian focus solely on her studies?" she asked earnestly, not just to argue.
Caught off guard by the question, Mrs. Qian hesitated before answering, "Her father and I, having only this one daughter, want her to succeed, to get into university, and to make us proud!"
Xia Chuyi asked, "So, Auntie, your main focus is for her to make you proud and to save face, right?"
Her question was a trap.
Mrs. Qian’s eyes flickered slightly as she said, "The main point is to go to university!"
Meaning, the only acceptable form of making them proud was through university education.
Xia Chuyi smiled and said, "Well then, Auntie, you can rest assured and leave student Qianqian with me."
Mrs. Qian, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean?"
"Auntie, student Qianqian herself doesn’t like going to school but instead enjoys doing business," Xia Chuyi spoke calmly and deliberately. "No matter how much you force her to go to school, she won’t study well, and she won’t end up getting into university."
"Of course, I know that. I just can’t swallow my pride. Why can my sister’s foolish daughter get into university and not my own daughter..." Her teeth clenched, Mrs. Qian stopped mid-sentence.
Xia Chuyi observed everyone’s expressions.
Mr. Qian and Uncle Qian, utterly helpless.
Qian Qianqian, pouting, with an "I knew it would be " look.
Privately nodding, Xia Chuyi understood that Mrs. Qian must have been provoked by the child of that "aunt" Qianqian mentioned, hence her insistence on university education.
"Auntie, if you want to earnestly make a statement and outdo someone, there are many ways, not limited to school— or rather, school-based education," Xia Chuyi confidently said, "In big places like Capital City, they’ve already started night schools for working individuals to study and earn degrees."
"Combining practical living experience with theoretical studies, those who study at night schools, as long as they are serious, receive degrees that hold more value than those of regular students."
Mrs. Qian shook her head, "As you said, that’s in Capital City. We don’t have that here in Ling County."
With that, Xia Chuyi smiled, "Auntie, do you mean to say if there were night schools, you would agree to let student Qianqian attend one?"
Mrs. Qian, looking puzzled, said, "But there’s simply no night school in Ling County."
Xia Chuyi laughed, "True, we don’t have it here, but other places do."
"You mean to let her go to a night school elsewhere? That’s not going to work. No one will be there to watch over her. She’s too courageous, give her a bamboo pole and she’d dare to climb all the way to the sky."
"It’s learned from you!" responded Qian Qianqian, who couldn’t hold her tongue any longer.
"You!" Mrs. Qian poised to strike.
Qian Qianqian quickly hid behind Xia Chuyi, "Save me, my hero!"
"Honey, calm down, calm down!" Mr. Qian hurried to intervene.