How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 197 - 199: Too Talented_1

Xue Lingqing responded, "Hello, Mrs. Qin."

Old Mrs. Qin smiled and said hello back. Jiang Wanqiu’s youngest son was impressive, handsome, and polite when he spoke.

Xue Lingqing figured that Li Qiao hadn’t told on him when he got home that day, otherwise his grandma wouldn’t be so amicable towards them.

Jiang Wanqiu promised while glancing at Xue Sufen.

Xue Sufen, still hung up on the fact that Li Qiao had borrowed her paper only to steal it, greeted reluctantly, "Hello, Old Mrs. Qin."

Old Mrs. Qin: "Very good, what a coincidence to run into you all here. And who is this young lady?"

"Her name is Su Qing, a girl from a friend of Old Xue’s family." Jiang Wanqiu approached Old Mrs. Qin, lowered her voice to a whisper that only the two of them could hear, and said, "This young lady graduated from Beijing Normal University, she’s currently a teacher at the city’s First Middle School, and her family background is particularly good, her parents both hold significant positions in their enterprise." She emphasized the girl’s family background and personal education. "Do you think she’s a match for our third son?"

Old Mrs. Qin: "A very good match."

Jiang Wanqiu: "This young lady also has many talents." She said with a louder voice, "Su Qing, what kind of instrument did you say you play?"

"Auntie, it’s the piano," replied Su Qing.

"That’s right, the piano. Our Sufen plays the flute. You two should get together someday and perform a duet for me," suggested Jiang Wanqiu.

Su Qing smiled: "Sure."

Jiang Wanqiu then asked, "Xiangjun, does your granddaughter-in-law play music?"

Old Mrs. Qin: "..." So after all that beating around the bush, she just wants to point out that my granddaughter-in-law doesn’t know music at all, doesn’t she?

And imply that my granddaughter-in-law is just a bookworm, right?

What’s with this person?

Old Mrs. Qin prepared to boast a little, since they probably wouldn’t check anyway.

Li Qiao said, "I can play the erhu. As for instruments, give me a minute and I’ll pick it up, won’t I?"

"Braggart," Xue Sufen muttered under her breath.

Li Qiao: "I’m not boasting!" She handed the dog’s leash to Old Mrs. Qin and jogged to the gazebo, addressing the elderly man playing the erhu, "Grandpa, the erhu you were just playing sounded amazing, almost like a heavenly piece. I’d love to learn—may I give it a try?" In Beijing, it was customary to use respectful terms toward the elderly.

She followed local conventions and said this.

The old man, pleased to hear his music called heavenly, grinned. "You’ve got taste, girl. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you." He handed the erhu to Li Qiao.

He was just about to demonstrate how to play.

Li Qiao had already started to play proficiently.

The rhythm was very lively.

The old man was stunned. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Was this her idea of learning?

She played even better than him! What a clever young lady—nobody would have guessed!

The surrounding grandparents who were exercising gathered around to listen:

"The girl’s got skill."

"Sounds good."

"Young lady, what’s that tune? Never heard it before."

Li Qiao: "It’s called ’Autumn’."

"..."

Old Mrs. Qin couldn’t believe her eyes or ears.

Good heavens!

Her granddaughter-in-law was so talented!

How did her grandson manage to find such an outstanding spouse in every aspect?

No wonder her son and daughter-in-law had come to her in dreams to tell her they were content with the new bride.

She straightened her back and bragged, "Wanqiu, how about that? My granddaughter-in-law is pretty remarkable, right? She can do crafts too; the cabinet in my room was made by her, and it looks incredibly stylish. She’s especially good at painting; the paintings on the walls of the courtyard were also done by her. Back in our hometown, the supply and marketing cooperative took notice of the woven vase she made and issued her an order. She led the villagers in work to improve their lives, and everyone in the village praises her. She’s even skilled at handling cases; during the summer vacation, the head of the county’s forensic department dragged her to work, and she helped crack several big cases. Now, her team at school is urging her to go back during her vacation..."

Old Mrs. Qin went on and on.

Jiang Wanqiu’s face looked unpleasant. "No matter how capable, she’s still a student, right, Number Three?" The implication being, my son is her teacher, I’m still superior to you.

Xue Lingqing lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Old Mrs. Qin said, "Lingqing is an elder." Is there any comparison with the younger generation?

Jiang Wanqiu took a deep breath and said, "Tomorrow, Sufen can bring her flute and perform for Old Mrs. Qin as well."

"I love listening to the erhu," Old Mrs. Qin said appreciatively. "Qiaoqiao plays with such youthful and spirited vigor. Listening to it makes me feel a lot younger."

Jiang Wanqiu said, "The erhu used to be played by street performers."

Old Mrs. Qin retorted, "Aren’t the piano and flute played by street performers as well?" They’re all performers, so who is more noble than whom?

The two went back and forth, with Jiang Wanqiu unable to outdo or outtalk, feeling choked and terribly uncomfortable.

.....

After Li Qiao finished playing the piece, she handed the erhu back to the old man. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Hey, you’re welcome." The old man was rarely met with someone who shared his interests. "Come and play again when you have time."

"Sure!" Li Qiao returned to Old Mrs. Qin’s side, not forgetting to take the dog leash from her hand. "Grandma, did it sound good?"

Old Mrs. Qin smiled affectionately. "It sounded wonderful. I didn’t know before that you could play the erhu."

Li Qiao laughed foolishly. "It’s not that rare a thing."

This comment sounded like a slap in the face to Jiang Wanqiu because she valued Su Qing and Xue Sufen for their talents. She couldn’t stay any longer. "It’s getting late; we should head home."

Old Mrs. Qin’s mood lifted at the remark, feeling exceptionally pleased. "We should be going too; it so happens we’re heading the same way."

Jiang Wanqiu: "..."

...

The group passed by the entrance of the large courtyard.

Xue Lingqing followed along with Li Qiao and Old Mrs. Qin.

Jiang Wanqiu said, "Number Three, aren’t you going home?"

"What’s the point of going home? I still have things to do at the school," Xue Lingqing walked on decisively.

Jiang Wanqiu: "..."

Su Qing called out, but Xue Lingqing didn’t look back. Stamping her foot, she complained, "Auntie, wasn’t this a matchmaking meeting? Why has Lingqing left?"

Jiang Wanqiu couldn’t keep up with the pace of the young ones and had Xue Sufen chase after him.

Xue Sufen made her escape, claiming a stomachache. The day before, she had brought up marriage, but her younger uncle was not even willing to listen to her. This morning, she lured him into jogging, ending up here to meet the girl. Although not stated explicitly, from his stiff expression, it was clear he understood this was a matchmaking setup.

And he wasn’t pleased with Su Qing, otherwise, he wouldn’t have ignored her completely. She wasn’t too impressed with Su Qing either. What was all that stuff on her face?

With her eyelids painted blue, she looked like a monster.

Su Qing herself was quite satisfied; Xue Lingqing’s looks, family background, and job all met the standards she looked for in a partner. However, she was too shy to pursue and could only look forward to Jiang Wanqiu’s next arrangements.

Old Mrs. Qin, who was ahead, was unaware of the matchmaking trickery. Having walked a bit, she called out to Xue Lingqing ahead, "Lingqing, wasn’t this supposed to be a match-making event?"

Xue Lingqing paused in his tracks. "Didn’t take a liking."

Old Mrs. Qin thought the match was not bad and caught up to say, "Your standards are a bit high."

Xue Lingqing glanced at Li Qiao out of the corner of his eye and smiled helplessly, "Indeed, a bit." If he hadn’t met Li Qiao, he might have agreed. But having seen her, whenever he saw other girls, he would involuntarily compare them to her.

None of them matched up to her.

Unfortunately, no matter how good, she belonged to someone else. Passing through the intersection, he bid farewell to Old Mrs. Qin and left first.

....