Chapter 90 - Build Good Relations
Qiao Zijin did not want to disgrace herself, she had no intention of being late in her school fees payment. But when it was about Qiao Nan, she thought it was all right and proper to do that.
“Qiao Nan that wretched girl has become so stubborn now, she is no longer as submissive as she used to be. I could bring myself to say this, yet Qiao Nan was not willing to obey?” Ding Jiayi was not silly either, she used to dislike this daughter, of course, she still had no likings for her now.
But in comparison, Qiao Nan was considered to be a very obedient daughter.
If she ordered her to head east, she would not dare to head west; if she ordered her to walk, she would not dare to run.
But now, one sentence from Ding Jiayi, and Qiao Nan would rebut her with ten sentences. Even if Qiao Nan kept her silence and did not retort, she would not obey her words either.
“Mom, Qiao Nan has changed, she was not like this in the past. Why does she have a change in temperament ever since her fever last time?” Qiao Zijin frowned and grunted.
“Now that you mention it, it really seems like it.” Ding Jiayi puckered her lips, “Did she discover something?”
With that, Ding Jiayi cast a meaningful glance at Qiao Zijin.
Qiao Zijin stomped her feet in anger. “Mom, are you referring to the time when Qiao Nan mentioned that someone opened her windows in the middle of the night. I have already told you that it has nothing to do with me!”
“Alright, it’s okay. But since that time, Qiao Nan became weird. Is she by any chance possessed? Her temperament is different now, it was unlike who she used to be.”
“That’s true.” Qiao Zijin nodded. In the past, whenever their parents quarreled, Qiao Nan was so foolish that she would believe Qiao Zijin’s instigations and tried to be the middleman when they were in fierce arguments. She would try ways to maintain her mother’s dignity even if it meant disregarding her own interests.
But recently…
Qiao Nan did not try to be affectionate to Ding Jiayi in this half year, in fact she was keeping her distance from her. Qiao Zijin found her sister’s behavior to be very weird.
“Mom, what do you think is wrong with Qiao Nan, she has changed into a different person. If she was still like who she was used to be previously, everything would be fine for us.” Qiao Zijin had absolute confidence in the Qiao Nan who used to be at her beck and call.
Back then, Qiao Zijin had never thought highly of Qiao Nan, but in retrospect, she missed the times back then.
“How would I know what’s wrong with her? That wretched girl won’t listen to me anymore. If you mess with her, she would just go to look for her father. I don’t know what to say, your father is biased towards her now.” Ding Jiayi could not bring herself to tell Qiao Zijin that she had quarreled with Qiao Dongliang for this and she had cried through the whole night, not being able to sleep at all.
“Then what should we do?” Qiao Zijin grunted. Why did they have to have two children when they could not even bring up a single child well? “I did not ask for much, I only wanted a new set of clothes. Is that too much to ask for?!”
Ever since Qiao Nan was born, every new year she would have new clothes. Why did this year has to be an exception?
“Mom, I am not going to be like Qiao Nan who didn’t even have a piece of new clothing for new year. This year I am not going to pass down my clothes to Qiao Nan.” She had no idea if she would be able to get her new clothes, if she did not have new clothes for new year, she would not hand down her old clothes to Qiao Nan either. Qiao Nan would have to suffer with her.
“She has no use of your new clothes anymore. Your father already went with her to buy two sets of new clothes!” Ding Jiayi gritted her teeth.
Ding Jiayi was boiling with anger. She had forgotten to be mindful of Qiao Zijin’s feelings.
Qiao Zijin turned pale and her eyes reddened. She might not have any new clothes this year, but yet Qiao Nan could have two sets of new clothes! Tears almost spilled from her eyes. “Why should she have two new sets of clothes while I don’t have any at all?”
This year why did it seem like she and Qiao Nan had reversed their fates? She was being treated unfairly while Qiao Nan was being treated like a princess?
“Don’t ask me about this, it’s your father who bought Qiao Nan her new clothes.” Ding Jiayi had a splitting headache. “Alright, Zijin, every year you have quite a lot of new clothes, you bought a few sets this year as well. As for this winter, just give it a miss.”
They could not possibly not hand in Zijin’s school fees for next year just because they wanted to buy new clothes for her?
There was no way she could do this, let alone Zijin.
Qiao Zijin could not take it lying down after she was sent away by Ding Jiayi.
She gritted her teeth and knocked on Qiao Nan’s door. She had lifted her hand in mid air when she remembered that Qiao Nan was not at home.
Even when she had finished her exams, Qiao Nan still went to the Lee family residence to tutor Zhu Baoguo.
“Mom, I am going over to the Lee family residence. Qiao Nan has been intruding on Grandpa Lee for such a long time, as her sister I should thank Grandpa Lee on her behalf.” She also wanted Grandpa Lee to remember that aside from Qiao Nan, her father still had another daughter, and that was her.
“Fine, do you remember the way there?” Ding Jiayi was more than happy that Qiao Zijin wanted to build good relations with the Lee family.
“I remember the way, how could I have forgotten the way to Grandpa Lee’s house.” She did not have any excuses in the past, but now she could use Qiao Nan as an excuse to be closer to the Lee family.
The Lee family and the Qiao family all stayed in the same quad, yet the Lee family residence seemed so majestic and grand. Qiao Zijin casted an admiring glance at the Lee family residence. It would be wonderful if she could stay there.
“Who are you looking for?” The Lee family residence was not a place that Qiao Zijin could come and go as she pleased, she was stopped by the soldiers at the front door.
“I am Qiao Zijin, I am here to look for Grandpa Lee.” Qiao Zijin plastered a sweet smile on her face, and the soldier at the door immediately relaxed his demeanor.
“Please wait here.” The soldier could not let her in at once, he would have to notify the owner first.
“I am Qiao Nan’s sister.” Qiao Zijin stiffened. She did not know that it would be such a hassle to enter the Lee family residence. When she used to pass by the house in the past, she would take a few glances, now then she realized that they have a lot of rules and regulations.
At the mention of Qiao Nan, the soldier quickly ushered her in. “Well, okay, please come in with me.”
The soldier knew Qiao Nan. When she first came to Lee house, Elder Lee made it a point that all the soldiers must learn to recognize her and instructed them that whenever she came visiting, they should let her in directly.
The soldier thought, since Qiao Nan was so close to Chief Lee, Qiao Nan’s biological sister must be on close terms with the Lee family as well.
“Qiao Nan would drop by every weekend, why haven’t I seen you before?” The soldier looked at Qiao Zijin with curiosity.
Qiao Zijin gave a forced smile. She never thought that she was allowed entry to Lee family residence all because of Qiao Nan. “Nan Nan is in junior high school now, she has much more free time than me. I stay at the school, I could only go home once or twice a month. So I seldom visit the Lee house.”
“Seldom?” The soldier repeated her words, expressing his doubts. Could it be that before he was stationed here, this sister used to come by often?