How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 183 - 185: Showing Off_1

As night fell, the bustling city gradually became shrouded in darkness, with shops lining the streets casting out twinkling lights, and passersby hurried on their way.

Li Qiao knocked on the door of the hostel room and, seeing no response for quite some time, decided to go out and ask the receptionist.

Learning that Qin Jin hadn’t returned, she decided to enter the room and wait for him. Since the room was registered under both their names, she easily obtained a spare key from the receptionist to unlock the door.

After turning on the light, she noticed a black cloth bag on the bed.

What did he buy?

She closed the door and moved closer, reaching out and pulling at it. It was a small straw hat—was it for her?

Underneath was folded fabric.

The quality seemed quite good.

Was it for making clothes?

Li Qiao sat for a while, washed up, and fell asleep, only to vaguely sense someone beside her. It was the familiar scent of fresh grass; she snuggled closer and dozed off, only to be woken up early the next morning.

"Qiaoqiao, time to get up for school."

Li Qiao, still half-asleep, mumbled, "What were you up to yesterday? I waited for you for so long."

"Scraping wall plaster took a bit longer."

Li Qiao felt a pang of sympathy, "You don’t need to push yourself so hard; we’re not in a rush to move in."

Qin Jin smiled with a hint of mischief, "I thought you weren’t coming back. Isn’t it dull to sleep alone?" As the harvest season approached, he wanted to finish dealing with the house quickly so he could go back to his hometown and plant wheat seeds, hoping to make some money. This time in the city, he had wandered around a bit.

Many factories were not as prosperous as they appeared.

For instance, the button factory’s products weren’t selling and ended up discarded at the factory entrance.

The soap factory, overwhelmed with stock, was busy seeking sales channels.

He had a premonition that individuals would eventually be allowed to take over unprofitable factories, and then he planned to acquire one and run it himself.

He squinted his eyes, contemplating future business ventures, when he suddenly heard a shout, "Jin, why did you throw away my T-shirt?"

"The hem’s threads were loose."

Li Qiao: "Just give it a stitch. It’s still wearable."

"Stitching it up would accentuate the waist, making others envy my loss? Wear a dress." Qin Jin presented the black dress with a floral pattern.

Li Qiao picked up the T-shirt from the corner, "Wash it, and a little sewing will make it wearable." She stuffed the T-shirt into the bag, put on the dress, braided her hair into a single plait, and Qin Jin placed the straw hat on her head. She tilted her head to look in the mirror, "You know, it matches quite well."

Qin Jin intended for Li Qiao to look more rustic, but it only made her more beautiful. "Has anyone in your school asked to be your pen pal?"

Li Qiao: "No."

Qin Jin didn’t believe it. If he could attract butterflies, surely she had her bees?

After breakfast, they walked together for a while before going their separate ways. Passing by the alleyway, Qin Jin heard someone clearing their throat and instinctively turned his head—it was the woman he had encountered the day before, sitting on the rear seat of a young man’s bicycle.

Was she clearing her throat because it was itchy, or was she trying to get his attention?

"Uncle, the young man I talked about yesterday, does he look handsome?"

Xue Lingqing: "I didn’t pay attention. Relationships aren’t allowed at our school." He paused, then added, "Youths who don’t study or live in the countryside are mostly hooligans who wander the streets. Your family would definitely oppose you dating such a person."

Xue Sufen responded vaguely, "I know." She planned to stay overnight and get up early to wait at the alley the next day to inquire about the young man’s background. She believed his family must be well-off, as a strong backbone is often a sign of good standing.

And those from poor backgrounds usually stoop and hunch.

.....

Xue Sufen quickly got off the bike at the base of the teaching building and saw Li Qiao heading upstairs. She nudged Xue Lingqing and whispered deliberately, "Uncle, look at Li Qiao, dressing incoherently. It’s early in the morning and the sun isn’t even that bright yet, and she’s wearing a hat like she’s afraid no one will see her. Lucky for us, the boys in our class aren’t fooled by her nonsense."

Xue Lingqing glanced up and saw a girl with a slender figure, fair skin, and an excellent demeanor. Even with half her face obscured by the hat, she was still unmistakably beautiful.

The reason the classmates were not fooled probably was that they felt they were not a match for her.

He turned and said, "The more you focus on her, the more jealous you seem."

Xue Sufen leaned back, annoyed, "You must be Li Qiao’s uncle!"

Xue Lingqing: "Why else would you target her? Don’t let me find out that you are bullying a classmate. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you regret it!" He locked his bike and walked away.

Xue Sufen scoffed and climbed the stairs with her books.

By the time she entered the classroom, Li Qiao was already seated, with no one else beside her. Sufen sat down directly next to her.

Cheng Shuqin signaled Xue Sufen to sit in the spot she had saved earlier, but seeing Sufen sitting with Li Qiao, Shuqin felt a grudge against Li Qiao.

Stealing her friend? We’ll see about that!

Xue Sufen leaned in and noticed that Li Qiao’s exposed skin was fair and almost the same color as her fine hairs.

Comparing it to her own, which was dark, she subconsciously let her hand fall. She couldn’t help asking, "What do you use for skin care usually?"

Li Qiao: "Genetics."

Xue Sufen: "...."

....

In this English class, as soon the teacher entered, she asked the students in English to introduce themselves. The students had less than half a year of exposure to English, and with the accents of their teachers varying greatly, they were confused and struggling to understand.

While Xue Sufen excelled with ease, she was the first to stand up and answer, introducing her family members while doing so, emphasizing her father’s occupation, which also included her uncle Xue Lingqing, a professor.

Upon learning that Xue Lingqing was Sufen’s uncle, the English teacher’s expression changed from serious to a smile. "Xue Sufen, very good, please take a seat. Who else would like to introduce themselves?"

There was silence in the classroom.

They belatedly understood what the teacher wanted.

But Sufen had answered so smoothly, they were afraid to open their mouths and make fools of themselves.

Sufen lifted her chin; her English had been specially coached, after all, and she had scored full marks on the exam. Li Qiao, a country bumpkin, even if he had aced the college entrance exam, would definitely find it hard to keep up when it came to speaking.

Didn’t he show off in math class?

Why not do the same in English class?

She jabbed Li Qiao hard in the ribs.

Li Qiao yelped in surprise and pain.

"You there, come on," the English teacher said, addressing Li Qiao.

Li Qiao was immensely annoyed; did she need someone else to prompt her to answer a question if she could? Or did she want to compare which of their family members was more successful?

Showing off, huh! As if no one else could do it.

You brag about your family; I’ll showcase myself.

After Li Qiao introduced herself, she mentioned first winning the mathematics competition and being admitted early by the school, then talked about her ranking as the top scorer on the national college entrance exam and spending the summer working part-time as an assistant to a forensic pathologist.

Having provided several effective clues for solving cases and receiving numerous awards, she thought she was pretty awesome!

Sufen was dumbfounded.

Li Qiao’s spoken English was exceptionally good.

There were even some words whose meanings Sufen couldn’t understand.

Her classmates were full of admiration. College, indeed, was a place full of hidden talents.

The English teacher applauded. "Indeed, very well done! Take a seat."

Li Qiao sat down, and Sufen nudged her again, "Who did you learn your English from? What did you do with the doctor over the summer?"

Li Qiao moved her arm and didn’t respond.

Sufen pouted, showing off for nothing!

The teacher taught in English for a while, and only Sufen could answer her questions. Thinking that the other students might not understand, she switched back to their native language.

After class, the students gathered around Sufen and Li Qiao, curious about the details of their introductions.

Sufen bragged, "Just talked about family, work, and stuff."

"What about Li Qiao?"

Li Qiao: "I made up a bunch of stuff."

The next class was also English. She moved away from Sufen and found another seat.

Sufen glanced over and thought, avoiding me? Scared after stealing my thunder, huh? She followed and sat beside her, "Look at you, all petty. I accidentally nudged you, is it worth getting upset over?"

Li Qiao: "..." Accidental? She clenched her fist. "You really are petty-minded, I just prefer sitting alone."

Failing to garner any sympathy, Sufen returned to Cheng Shuqin’s side and complained about Li Qiao’s aloof and dismissive behavior.

"Country folks don’t know how the world works," Shuqin said. "When it’s time for job placement after graduation, she’ll realize that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t beat you."

Sufen felt much better at these words.

With the way Li Qiao had treated her, she would never get a good job in the future.

Ma Hongxiang sat next to Li Qiao: "Your English is amazing, can you teach me?"

Li Qiao: "My rental is being renovated, I’m busy lately. You should follow along in class and read more after school. Buy a couple of beginner’s materials from the bookstore and practice. You’ll see results soon."

"Help me pick some,"

"Me too," said He Yiyuan from the front row.

After considering, Li Qiao agreed: "Let’s do it this weekend." Saturdays were still class days, nowadays.

After English, it was time for ideological education.

After class, she ate a bowl of Zhajiang noodles in the cafeteria, took her books to the library, found a random spot to sit, and started to review mathematics. When she got tired, she stretched, looked up, and saw Professor Xue sitting across the aisle, bowing his head, writing something.

She pretended not to see and put away her math book, opening her physics book to review until a little before two o’clock.

Professor Xue was still there; as she stood up, he looked up.

She felt obliged to greet him.

Xue Lingqing nodded almost imperceptibly and began to pack his pen and notebook, following Li Qiao out of the library. Once outside, he said, "Regarding your earlier mention of skipping a grade, I inquired about it. You need to write an application and submit it to your class advisor. If the school approves, they will arrange an assessment, and if your grades are excellent, you can skip a grade."

Li Qiao was intrigued, "Does the application format matter?"

Xue Lingqing described a general outline, then added, "After skipping a grade, you can start preparing for your postgraduate entrance exam."