How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 186 - 188: Mother Tiger_1

For the next two days, Li Qiao attended classes as usual, spending all her remaining time in the library.

She ran into Professor Xue every day and later learned that he was working on a paper.

Li Qiao felt inspired to write one herself, hoping to get it published to pave the way for her future application to stay on at the university. She pondered her wording and humbly sought advice, "I’d like to write a paper too. Could I ask you for some guidance when the time comes?"

Xue Lingqing didn’t understand. One moment she wanted to skip a grade, and now to write a paper—did she have enough brains for all that? "The specialized courses are quite difficult; you should focus on preparing for your exams."

"No problem, I can handle it." Li Qiao then shared her paper’s topic, outline, and her approach.

Xue Lingqing grew more astonished as he listened. She hadn’t been enrolled for a week and already had some understanding of academic papers.

No wonder she wanted to skip a grade.

He admired her initiative, "Not bad, you can write it."

Li Qiao was extremely happy, just about to express her gratitude.

"Li Qiao!" Xue Sufen yelled, drawing a crowd of onlookers. She stepped forward and accused, "Were you complaining about me to my uncle behind my back?"

Li Qiao was puzzled, "Complaining?" Even she wasn’t foolish enough to criticize his niece in front of Professor Xue.

"Is it not true?!" Xue Sufen was furious. Recently, her uncle often mentioned Li Qiao’s diligence to her family, while she was accused of only caring about play, which led to her being scolded by her parents to the point where she dared not even go home.

"I’d rather memorize a couple more formulas than waste my time speaking ill of you." The subtext of Li Qiao’s words was that Sufen wasn’t worth the effort. Turning to Xue Lingqing, she said, "Professor Xue, I must go now."

Xue Lingqing nodded slightly.

Xue Sufen wouldn’t allow Li Qiao to leave and tried to stop her, but Xue Lingqing grabbed Sufen by the collar, "How many times have I told you, classmates should get along in harmony."

"Get along in harmony? She’s fiercer than a tigress in private. The other night, she beat up Cheng Shuqin so badly, she even pulled out her hair," Xue Sufen recalled the incident, breaking out in a cold sweat. Li Qiao was truly hands-on when it came to fighting.

It was as if she had martial arts skills.

Shuqin did not get the upper hand with her aggressive manner. "You don’t know how sneaky she is. Cheng Shuqin said she dumped a bucket of water on her head and then played the victim," Sufen relayed.

Xue Lingqing remarked, "You started the trouble first, didn’t you?"

Xue Sufen stamped her foot in frustration, "Is Li Qiao a niece of yours lost and wandering outside? Why do you always side with her? You wouldn’t recommend her for the acceleration exam, would you?"

Xue Lingqing coughed unnaturally, "As a teacher, it is only right to support students in their studies. Although I do not know her well, I do know you. You’ve always been trouble-seeking since childhood, and you deserve the scolding."

Xue Sufen: "..."

....

There were only two classes on Saturday morning. After class, Li Qiao was planning to go back to her rental and check on things when Ma Hongxiang mentioned buying study materials.

Li Qiao was true to her word and immediately invited He Yiyuan as well, and the three of them headed to a nearby bookstore.

In Beijing, supplies were abundant. Apart from grain and electrical appliances that required coupons, one could buy almost anything with money.

After entering the bookstore, Li Qiao chose materials for them according to the English proficiency of the educated youth. He Yiyuan thought the chosen book was slightly difficult after flipping through it, "What about this one?"

Li Qiao replied, "It’s a bit simple, not on par with the textbooks."

"But the materials you chose aren’t on the same level as the textbooks either. Shouldn’t we progress gradually?" He Yiyuan held to her own opinion.

Ma Hongxiang listened to Li Qiao’s suggestion and took two supplementary materials, "Li Qiao, teach me when you have time."

"Of course."

The materials were not cheap, costing three yuan and fifty cents for two books.

Ma Hongxiang clutched her pocket, her face turning red, "I’ll just take one, Li Qiao. Which one do you think is better?"

Li Qiao suggested, "The thicker one."

After paying and leaving the bookstore, Ma Hongxiang sighed, "I thought I could save a lot of money in university, but now I see buying books is also a significant expense."

Li Qiao: "I don’t know where there are private markets, but the books there must be cheaper, and sometimes you can even find treasures." Speaking of treasure hunting, she planned to stroll around the junkyard to pick up some broken furniture to refurbish for near-use. "I’ve got something to do, so I won’t be leaving with you."

"What’s up?" He Yiyuan demanded to know.

Li Qiao: "Picking up some junk at the junkyard."

He Yiyuan laughed: "Be careful not to get yourself beaten up."

Li Qiao also laughed, and after parting with the two, she asked her way to the junkyard, a deserted courtyard filled with waste paper, glass bottles, foam, waste copper, waste iron, and bicycle tires....

"Miss, what are you here for?" A middle-aged man asked as he sized her up. Seeing that her hands were empty, he said, "You’re not here to sell scrap, right?"

Li Qiao stated her purpose: "Do you have any old furniture here? I’d like to buy a couple of pieces for my home." freёnovelkiss.com

"You’ve indeed come to the right place; there are a few cabinets by the east wall corner."

Li Qiao adjusted her line of sight in the direction indicated, and there stood a carved cabinet about one meter wide and two meters tall in the corner of the wall.

But one of the doors was broken.

Next to it was a small chest of drawers, only the frame was intact.

There were also two larger ones that took up too much space.

They would be too cumbersome to place in her home.

She decided to buy the small cabinet and the chest of drawers: "How much for those two small ones?"

The middle-aged man stretched out two eights with his fingers.

Li Qiao: "Eight dimes?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

Li Qiao found it to be a great deal: "Can you deliver? To 36 Hu Family Alley near Beijing University, the delivery fee is one yuan. If you agree, deliver it now."

Upon hearing such a generous delivery fee, the middle-aged man naturally agreed: "Is there anyone at home?"

"I’ll be heading home right now." Li Qiao paid the eight dimes for the furniture and left. On her way, she passed a paint store and bought a tin of light paint and a tin of thick paint. She also stopped by the stationery store not far away to purchase brushes, drawing paper, and pigments. By the time she reached home, the middle-aged man was already waiting at the door.

But he had only delivered the chest of drawers.

Li Qiao opened the door and let him into the yard: "Just set it down here."

The middle-aged man put down the chest of drawers and rushed to bring the next piece.

Li Qiao took out Qin Jin’s renovation tools and began scraping off the old paint from the chest of drawers, and had just finished cleaning up the table surface when the middle-aged man returned with the cabinet.

Li Qiao paid the delivery fee, and the middle-aged man pocketed it without a glance. "Aren’t you going to count it?"

"You’re a student at Beijing University, aren’t you? A university student definitely wouldn’t cheat."

Li Qiao smiled: "You seem like a straightforward and honest person too. Do you know where the wood mill is? I want to buy two planks, with a thickness similar to that of the broken cabinet door."

"There’s no place in the city I can’t find."

Li Qiao followed up his statement: "Could you please help me get two big boards? The delivery fee will also be one yuan, and for the cost of the boards, you can tell me later. I’ll pay."

"No problem." The middle-aged man did not ask for a deposit and agreed before preparing to leave.

Li Qiao called him back and went inside to take out half a box of cigarettes Qin Jin had left to give to him.

The middle-aged man grinned ear to ear, assuring her repeatedly that he would take care of her request. After he left, Li Qiao locked the door and focused on stripping the paint from the chest of drawers.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Li Qiao, it’s me."

The voice was that of Xue Sufen; her tone was much kinder than usual.