Qin Jian left, with Li Junping stomping her feet in anger.
After pondering for a while, she still decided to visit An Hao. If she couldn’t persuade Qin Jian to give up on An Hao, then perhaps she could convince An Hao to give up on Qin Jian.
By the end of May, the heat was intense.
With the sun blazing overhead in the morning, Liu Junping, wearing a straw hat, went straight to An Hao’s house.
Fortunately, the school had finished teaching all the required knowledge, and the remaining time was dedicated to self-study. Since her home was too far from school, An Hao was afraid to waste too much time on the road, so she simply stayed at home to review.
This past month was quite peaceful. Song Yueqin and her daughter were calm, Bai Xue and her daughter were calm as well, and An Hao devoted all her attention to reviewing.
With the high school examination just over a month away, the thought of the impending new life filled An Hao with a sense of elation.
Li Junping arrived at the gate of An Hao’s house, saw that it was open, and thus walked straight in.
This was her first visit to An Hao’s small courtyard, which she kept quite tidy and clean. In the east side of the yard, there was a plot where tomatoes, cucumbers, and several beanstalks were planted, all thriving well.
The peach tree in the courtyard was lush and shaded; underneath laid a small table with several books spread out on it, but An Hao was nowhere to be seen.
"An Hao... An Hao!" Li Junping stood in the middle of the yard and called out twice, then saw An Hao coming out of the house, holding a glass of water.
Seeing Li Junping’s arrival, An Hao was a bit surprised, but she graciously greeted her, "Auntie, what brings you here? Such a rare visitor, please sit! I’ll get you a glass of water!"
"No need, no need!" Li Junping waved her hand and quickly sat down, pulling An Hao’s hand as she said with a smile, "An Hao, your auntie wants to talk to you about something."
"Sure, Auntie, go ahead." An Hao listened intently.
"I know about you and our Qin Jian. He likes you, and you like him, right?"
An Hao felt rather embarrassed by Li Junping’s sudden probing and nodded, "Yes, Auntie. I like him."
Li Junping laughed sheepishly, patted An Hao’s hand, and said, "An Hao, you are a good girl, and your auntie can’t bear to see you in the dark. Let me tell you, Qin Jian’s fortune-telling has been done, and they all say he will bring disaster upon his wife! If you two end up together... I’m afraid... I’m afraid it won’t be good for you."
An Hao picked up on the implications of her words. She had heard the rumors on the street during this time; everyone knew about her and Qin Jian.
It seemed that many of the villagers pitied Qin Jian, feeling that he, a company commander, was getting a raw deal by being with someone from An Hao’s family background.
If the villagers felt this way, then what would Qin Jian’s mother think?
She must have come with the intention of persuading An Hao to give up on Qin Jian.
An Hao smiled politely and spoke in an even tone, "Auntie, thank you for your concern. I don’t believe in this talk of bringing disaster upon one’s wife. Even if Qin Jian does, I am willing."
This somewhat surprised Li Junping. Generally, talk of bringing disaster upon one’s wife would give anyone pause, so why wasn’t An Hao the slightest bit afraid?
If one approach was ineffective, then it was time to try another.
"An Hao, you know about the girl who likes Qin Jian, the daughter from a municipal leader’s family. If Qin Jian married her, it would definitely benefit his career. You are a good child, but your family background... It’s quite lacking. Qin Jian is my son, my pride, and I cannot watch him make the wrong choice. Isn’t that right, An Hao? Please have some understanding for this mother’s feelings!" Li Junping said with a beaming smile.