Chapter 195 - You Were a Good Father
As a girl, Qiao Nan might be able to find a rich husband and lead a good life in the future if she was pretty.
However, Qiao Nan was not as pretty as Qiao Zijin. In the future, it would be good enough if she could find someone who would be true to her. Given her looks, it would be impossible for her to find a man who was rich enough to provide her with a good life.
It was amazing what a spouse could do. Ding Jiayi had brainwashed Qiao Dongliang for eighteen years. Qiao Dongliang no longer used his own judgment to decide whether Ding Jiayi’s words were correct or wrong.
Now that Qiao Dongliang calmed down, he could finally make his own judgments.
Being bright at an early age did not necessarily bring success upon growing up. If that was the case, Zijin would not have any big achievements when she grew up.
Impossible…
Yes, Nan Nan might not be as good with words as Zijin, but Nan Nan was the industrious type. What was the use of being good with words? People could tell whether one was capable or not from their performance.
Speaking of looks…
Qiao Dongliang looked at Qiao Nan’s face closely, and his heart became more and more depressed.
Qiao Dongliang used to be a soldier. As he was always out under the sun, his skin complexion was very dark. Naturally, Ding Jiayi looked fairer in comparison. Ding Jiayi often said that Qiao Zijin looked like her, having skin as fair as her. Apparently, Qiao Zijin had the same complexion as Ding Jiayi.
However, although Qiao Dongliang might have a dark complexion, the parts of the body that were not exposed to the sun were fair, a tone lighter than Ding Jiayi’s.
In terms of skin complexion, Qiao Nan was like Qiao Dongliang, fairer than Qiao Zijin.
As the saying goes ‘A fair complexion is good enough to cover one’s faults’. Qiao Nan had an advantage over Qiao Zijin. Besides, Qiao Zijin had facial features like that of Ding Jiayi: a rather square face. Meanwhile, Qiao Nan looked like Qiao Dongliang. She had a defined chin, the most popular face shape in the 21st century.
Others might need to do plastic surgery, but Qiao Nan was born with it.
Qiao Zijin’s face, while round and fleshy, was slightly square. On the other hand, her body shape was exactly the preference of the elders at the end of the 20th century. According to the elders, women with this type of body shape would have children easily.
But Qiao Dongliang was a man. He knew that as compared to how elders judged and decided who the best daughter-in-law was, men judged women based on different sets of standards.
Qiao Dongliang did not know which face shape was popular in the 21st century, but he knew that people with pretty-looking faces could make others happy regardless of what the popular face shape was at that time.
Qiao Nan’s face was a typical example. Her face was the size of the palm. She had a defined chin, dewy jet-black eyes, a little cherry-shaped mouth, and a noble nose.
The more Qiao Dongliang looked at his own daughter, the more he felt that not only did she have extraordinary features but also beautiful. Her looks could rival those of superstars on TV.
Given all these attributes, Nan Nan had the good looks and the brains. She was nothing like what Ding Jiayi had said—that she would not have a promising future and would be worse than Zijin.
How did Ding Jiayi come to this conclusion? The strangest thing was how did he believe in this kind of nonsense for eighteen years? Why did he not realize his mistakes earlier?
In terms of Qiao Zijin’s and Qiao Nan’s abilities, Qiao Dongliang had the firsthand experience. Qiao Nan was more reliable than Qiao Zijin in all aspects.
If what Ding Jiayi said was true—that Qiao Nan would not do as well as Qiao Zijin in the future, and she might have to rely on Qiao Zijin to aid her financially—then why did Zhou Jun and his family not take a fancy to Qiao Zijin and insisted on telling Qiao Dongliang that Nan Nan was better when Ding Jiayi had wanted to introduce Qiao Zijin to Zhou Jun?
“Dad, what’s wrong with you?” Seeing that Qiao Dongliang was in a daze, Qiao Nan was worried that he might have been angered by her words and could not accept what she said.
“Nothing, I feel that I have been too muddleheaded in the past.” Qiao Dongliang smiled bitterly. He had been misled by Ding Jiayi.
Both of them were obviously his biological daughters, yet it took him such a long time to finally tell the differences between his daughters.
“Nan Nan, since you know what you are doing, I will not persuade you anymore. Zijin and you have a mind of your own. Both of you shall lead your own life in the future. Your mother and I cannot and are unable to intervene.” Qiao Dongliang shook his head.
“Dad, are you angry?”
“No.” Qiao Dongliang smiled reluctantly. “I just feel that I am too muddleheaded. Your sister was right to say that about me to your mom.”
“Dad, don’t take my sister’s words to heart. To me, you are definitely a good father. There are four people in our family. All this time, Dad has been the sole breadwinner. Our family has to depend on Dad to provide for us. Dad is also able to finance both of us through school, so how can Dad be useless? Before I was born, Dad used to be a soldier. A soldier is the most useful and wonderful person in the world. Dad, I am proud of you!”
The conversation between Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi had made Qiao Dongliang lost confidence in himself. After hearing what the younger daughter said, he felt slightly at ease and was no longer in low spirits. “Nan Nan, are you telling the truth? Do you really think that I am a good father?”
“Of course. I have the best dad in the world!”
Looking at Qiao Nan’s sincere eyes, Qiao Dongliang was touched, but he felt bittersweet at the same time.
Qiao Dongliang had a guilty conscience. For the past eighteen years, he gave all his love and attention to the elder daughter, Qiao Zijin. He owed Qiao Nan an awful lot.
He doted and protected the elder daughter wholeheartedly, but she complained that he was useless and incompetent behind his back.
On the contrary, he did not give much love to his younger daughter, yet she told him steadfastly that he made her proud and that he was the best father in the world.
Qiao Dongliang had mixed emotions.
“Nan Nan, do you think that I am biased—that I side with your sister and did not treat you as well as I treat her?” Qiao Dongliang asked tentatively.
Nan Nan might see him as a good father, but did his foolish behavior in the past ruin their relationship?
“Yes, you are very biased.” Qiao Nan frowned. “Dad, I am not asking that you acknowledge what I have done. When you are in the hospital, what have I done and what has my sister done for you? Today, just because my sister supported you while you took a stroll, you were delighted that she was being filial to you. Dad, it’s no wonder Mom said that since I am not good with words, I will not be successful in the future. Is it true that all that I have done for you cannot be compared to the honeyed words sister said?”
Qiao Dongliang’s face was stiff and his eyes flashed with remorse. “No, there will be no such thing in the future.”
Although he had discharged from the army, how could he have forgotten about the army life? He had been corrupted by life and Ding Jiayi.
“Nan Nan, I know that I am biased, but am I still a good father in your heart?”
“Yes!” Compared with her mother, her father was definitely a good father. No matter how biased he was, he still knew his limits.