Li Qiao said thanks and bid farewell as he turned the corner.
After the afternoon class ended, he returned to the library and did not leave until nine o’clock.
The roommates in the dormitory had already gone to bed.
Xue Sufen was telling everyone about her travels with her aunt, who was in the army, making everyone envious.
Li Qiao poured water to wash up and was coming back from the washbasin when—
Xue Sufen said, "Li Qiao, have you ever been there? Seen anything of the world?"
Cheng Shuqin: "What could Li Qiao, a country bumpkin, have seen? Nothing but from the head to the tail of his village. Fiddling with the family’s scant plot of land."
Li Qiao: "The countryside is rich with poetic pastoral scenery; in the summer, fireflies dot the reed marshes, both romantic and beautiful. When there’s no meat to eat at home, we’d go fishing in the river or climb trees for bird’s eggs, a hundred times happier than in the city."
"If the countryside’s so beautiful and happy, why didn’t you stay?" Cheng Shuqin said, "Still romantic, when you can scarcely fill your belly? Romantic my ass! If you’re so capable, why come to the city for college?"
Li Qiao snapped back, "What’s it to you?"
Cheng Shuqin played innocent: "It was you who said the countryside was happy."
"You’re just being a damn contrarian! As a kid, you liked drinking your mom’s milk, so why didn’t you keep at it for a lifetime?" Li Qiao, having spent so much time with Qin Jin, swore without thinking and grew increasingly good at retaliating.
Cheng Shuqin: "...."
Xue Sufen was shocked: "You actually cursed!"
Li Qiao: "Uh-huh! What about it? You planning to play the hero? I warn you, don’t mess with me! Otherwise, there’ll be no discussing beating both of you!" Don’t think that just because you have an uncle who’s a professor, you can do whatever you please, she wouldn’t indulge it!
Xue Sufen: "You you you..." She would tell the uncle that Li Qiao was nothing but a hooligan!
"Stop your stuttering, I want to sleep. You can talk, but if you disturb my sleep, wait until you’re asleep and I’ll sing folk songs by your ear." Li Qiao climbed into bed, covered her stomach, and closed her eyes.
Xue Sufen: "...."
Cheng Shuqin: "...."
Ma Hongxiang secretly envied her; if only she had Li Qiao’s courage.
...
The next morning at half past six.
Li Qiao was dressed in sportswear running laps around the track, hearing that there would be a sports event in a month, she was determined to participate.
She was sweating after just two laps when she ran into Xue Lingqing.
She thought to herself, with such a big school, why did she always run into Professor Xue? Was there some kind of magnetic field at work?
As she hesitated about whether to greet him or not, he took the initiative: "Do you also have a habit of running?"
"Not really. Us country folks have more village paths than we could ever walk, who’d want to run? I’m prepping for the school sports event." Li Qiao said cheerfully, planning to take first place and squash the arrogance of your niece.
Xue Lingqing’s brow twitched.
Was she indirectly referring to Sufen’s comment about her being a country person?
He left the track, ready to go find Xue Sufen and get to the bottom of why she looked down on a classmate. Before he could reach the girls’ dormitory, he saw Xue Sufen coming out.
Where was she going so early in the morning?
He followed, watching as she stopped at the entrance to Hu Family Alley.
He hid behind a camphor tree and observed as, around seven o’clock, she took the initiative to approach a young man with a remarkable figure and striking appearance.
"Hello comrade, may I ask where you live, interested in being pen pals?"
"Are you fucking forgetful? I already told you days ago I’m not interested in pen pals, are you deaf? If you dare to bring it up again, I’ll feed you a fist!" Qin Jin shoved her aside and left.
He had too many things to do to be bothered with her.
What use were pen pals?
Could they help him lay bricks?
Can you help carry two sacks of lime?
He wants a pen friend, can’t he find his own wife?
Xue Sufen’s face reddened to the base of her neck, wanting to rush forward.
A chilly voice reached her ears:
"Xue Sufen, coming here so early in the morning to humiliate yourself?"
Upon seeing this scene, Xue Sufen became utterly flustered, guiltily saying, "Uncle, how did you get here? That young man just now insulted me, please teach him a lesson for me."
Xue Lingqing said, "How come I saw you instigating it?" He was just walking along, and she ran up to block him, truly asking for it! "You’re lucky he wasn’t a hoodlum. If it were someone with ill intentions, you would have been in real trouble! Hurry up and follow me back to school."
Xue Sufen said, "We have no classes scheduled for the first two periods today."
"Then you should spend more time reading books. Your classmate Li Qiao, she’s either at the library or up early exercising. Could you not learn a thing or two from her?"
Xue Sufen snorted in disdain, "Please, should I learn to swear like her? When she cusses, it’s all ’her mother this, her mother that.’" Her tone was strikingly similar to that young man’s, as if they descended from the same master.
Xue Lingqing said, "How come I’ve never heard of it?"
"How many times have you seen her? Just last night she wanted to pick a fight with me and Cheng Shuqin, a complete hooligan," Xue Sufen said.
"If you can drive a decent person to become a hooligan, you’re no good either!" Xue Lingqing walked away.
Xue Sufen: "...."
....
On her way back to school, Xue Sufen came face-to-face with Li Qiao. A thought flashed through her mind — Li Qiao lived nearby; it’s possible she had seen that young man. She must ask her. She simply had to make him apologize for what he said!
She composed herself, "Li Qiao, where are you going?"
Li Qiao answered indifferently, "Going home."
"I’m asking you, have you seen a tall young man with especially good looks, about our age, near your home?"
Li Qiao’s gaze shifted, "Why? Got your eye on him?"
"Nonsense, I found a dollar of his, and when I called to him, he ignored me," Xue Sufen made up an excuse on the spot.
Li Qiao said, "That sounds like my boyfriend. It’s also his style, he just doesn’t like talking to strange girls. Give me the money then."
Xue Sufen: "You have a boyfriend? Stop bluffing!" Trying to swindle money, huh?
Li Qiao indignantly said, "Why can’t I have a boyfriend? My boyfriend is handsome and dashing, the epitome of charm. He’s the most enchanting, the most charismatic man in the world!"
Xue Sufen rolled her eyes and walked away; she should not have asked Li Qiao!
Li Qiao muttered, "I wasn’t lying, why the eye roll?"
She arrived at the entrance of her rental, pushed the door, and walked in.
Qin Jin was laying the walkway tiles in the courtyard with two workers.
Qin Jin asked, "What brings you here today?"
Li Qiao replied, "I don’t have class until 9:30, thought I’d come over and take a look." She stepped into the house where the walls of the three rooms were painted white. Curtains hung on the windows, the kitchen faucet had been replaced with a new one, a stove was set up, many coal balls were stacked at the wall’s base, and stools were placed under the table.
With such arrangements, it was beginning to feel like a home.
After disposing of the renovation trash in the house, she checked the time; it was 8:30. "Jin, I’m leaving now."
Qin Jin saw her to the door and told her, "I’ll be waiting for you at the school gate at six o’clock this evening."
Li Qiao responded, suddenly feeling an unusual sense of loss, "Are you going home tomorrow?" Perhaps he wanted to see her tonight only because he was going home, right?
"Yeah," Qin Jin said. "I will bring grandma over to keep you company once I’m done with the family affairs back home."
Li Qiao immediately brightened up, "Okay, I’ll wait for you."
....