"Jian Zhiqin," Jian Zhiqing called out Jian Zhiqin’s name.
Jian Zhiqin immediately lifted his face. Upon seeing Jian Zhiqing, his stubborn little face was set firm; but as soon as he saw Qin Xiangnuan standing behind Jian Zhiqing, tears started crashing down like raindrops. Qin Xiangnuan sighed. After all, he’s still a child. Whatever success The Jians’ upbringing had, it couldn’t stand against his tender age.
Linlin, come here, Qin Xiangnuan motioned to Jian Zhiqin with her hand.
Jian Zhiqin hurriedly ran over, his little hands gripping her sleeve. But he said nothing.
"I should know what happened by now, right?"
Jian Zhiqing’s voice was slightly cold. Qin Xiangnuan now understood that although Jian Zhiqin’s upbringing was strict, a boy shouldn’t be too pampered. Even Taotao wouldn’t feed him a spoonful of rice, but in some ways, Jian Zhiqing was incredibly protective.
He would never think that if a child is scolded at school, it’s necessarily the child’s fault. Jian Zhiqing knew his own little brother best. If he did something wrong, not to mention facing the teacher, once he got home, he would surely get a beating, then handed over to Laozi and his mother for their share of punishments.
Thus, to avoid those three rounds of beatings, Jian Zhiqin wouldn’t dare to commit any serious misdeed.
And what’s this now? An inquisition? Why so serious?
Mr. Jiang didn’t know what to say. Looking at Mr. Yan, who was still holding his chin high, he realized that Mr. Yan wouldn’t let the matter rest easily today. But he felt truly grateful towards Qin Xiangnuan. After all, Sakura Dance had indeed led to his promotion to director of teaching at the school, and his salary had increased. He couldn’t cross the bridge and then demolish it behind him.
"Mr. Jiang, please speak."
Jian Zhiqing could see the difficulty Mr. Jiang was in. "If my child really did something wrong, after going back, I will discipline him properly. He’s grown up now; if he still doesn’t understand, then he really deserves a beating. I’ve been too lenient with him daily."
"Exactly," Mr. Yan huffed out from his nose, then stood up, sizing up Qin Xiangnuan from top to bottom.
"You’re the sister he mentioned, the one who can write big characters?"
Qin Xiangnuan was still confused, what’s the relevance of her being the sister who can write big characters?
Mr. Jiang hadn’t had the chance to explain when Mr. Yan’s words spilled out like beans, bombarding them relentlessly.
"I can write a bit," Qin Xiangnuan merely smiled in response, her hand gently stroking Jian Zhiqin’s hair and shielding him subtly. As a child, whenever she faced grievances, she always hoped someone would stand in front of her, shielding her from these undue burdens. Unfortunately, she never had that opportunity.
She couldn’t rely on a big tree for shelter, but she could be one to others, providing shade from the storm.
"Ha..." Mr. Yan snorted coldly, "You parents only puff up your chest in front of your children, making the little ones naughty, disrespecting their elders, only boasting about yourselves, putting others down."
"What do you mean by that?" Jian Zhiqing took his hands out of his pockets, stepped forward a few paces, and stood directly in front of Mr. Yan. His towering height gave others great pressure, naturally.
Mr. Yan’s face turned even uglier. "Mr. Jiang, I don’t think I can teach your class anymore. It’s better to find someone more capable."
"Mr. Yan, what are you saying? It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," Mr. Jiang quickly tried to mediate, pouring a cup of tea for Mr. Yan, suggesting him to sit down and calm down. Mr. Yan had always been proud of his scholarship, and though he wasn’t tall, his arrogance was sky-high. Now, Jian Zhiqing, with his height, had totally offended Mr. Yan, as everyone knew that what Mr. Yan hated most in life was his short stature.
Mr. Yan held his cup of tea, huffed again through his nose.
"The students nowadays, the more you teach them, the worse they seem to get. They have no real skills, they just like to boast." His gaze was pointed and dismissive, falling on Qin Xiangnuan, making her feel as if she were a piece of cheap, spoiled pork belly.
She was still somewhat confused, waiting for someone else’s explanation.
Mr. Jiang wiped the sweat off his forehead, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was cold sweat in the midst of winter. He felt this matter was really going too far. Actually, it was not a big deal. It’s just Mr. Yan got angry when he overheard Jian Zhiqin whispering to a classmate that his sister’s handwriting was good while he was teaching the class. Mr. Yan took offense when he heard that Jian Zhiqin’s sister was just a seller of Conghua pancakes, feeling that his dignity was insulted. He, a great calligrapher, was being compared to a lowly vendor. If others knew, where would he put his face?
Oh, Qin Xiangnuan understood now.
She wore an unconcerned smile, but the amusement didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Mr. Yan, still with a proud face, didn’t want to spare Qin Xiangnuan another glance, "A Conghua pancake seller, what kind of good handwriting can she produce? I don’t know how you teach your children, making them tell lies, claiming they can write with both hands. What a joke." His full contempt, coupled with his bulging fish-like eyes, was enough to make one feel the urge to vomit.
Qin Xiangnuan gently ruffled Jian Zhiqin’s hair. Her eyelashes lowered slightly, and she said mockingly, "I never knew that telling the truth was also wrong. My Linlin has always been an honest child. Is the education now teaching children to lie?"
Mr. Jiang suddenly felt awkward, additional beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. It seemed they were really butting heads now.
"What do you mean by that?"
Mr. Yan abruptly stood up, but the sight of Jian Zhiqing’s height made him feel like a Wu Dalang, and his mood worsened drastically.
I mean no offense, Qin Xiangnuan was much calmer and more indifferent than Mr. Yan, who was frantic, "My child simply told the truth. Mr. Yan is making a big fuss about it. Calligraphy is supposed to bring peace of mind and calmness, so why is Mr. Yan’s temper flaring ?"