How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 294 - 296: Bluffing_1

"No, it won’t take that long." Li Qiao took about ten minutes to produce two simple design sketches for Old Mrs. Qin to review.

One resembled a cheongsam with buttoned closures, featuring a relaxed waist, simple and elegant.

The other was a round-necked, long dress, standard and proper.

Old Mrs. Qin liked them very much and said, "I’ll have these made when I go back to my hometown."

"Then I’ll keep the sketches for now," Li Qiao said.

"Okay." Old Mrs. Qin went back to her room for a nap.

Li Qiao sat in a recliner in the courtyard reading a novel and unwittingly fell asleep. She was dimly aware of being called by her name.

"Who is it?" Li Qiao responded almost reflexively.

"It’s me."

The voice belonged to Xue Lingqing.

Li Qiao instantly snapped out of her drowse: "You’ve arrived." She went to open the door. "Hello, Professor Xue, please come in."

Xue Lingqing cracked an almost imperceptible smile: "Jin’s colleague gave him two bags of dog food, just right for feeding your dog."

"Where did his colleague buy the dog food?" Li Qiao examined the dog food closely, which bore the mark of Chunfeng Pet Food Factory.

They sell dog food these days?

But she had never seen a pet shop.

Xue Lingqing said, "Not sure."

The dog rubbed against Xue Lingqing’s pants, leaving a leg full of fur.

Li Qiao exclaimed and shooed the dog away, instinctively bending down and reaching out to brush it off for him.

Xue Lingqing stepped back: "I can do it myself."

Li Qiao belatedly realized the impropriety of her actions and let out an awkward laugh. "Please have a seat, Professor Xue." She went to her room to get some tape: "Use this to pick them up."

"Okay, thanks."

Xue Lingqing got rid of the dog hair with the tape.

Li Qiao served him some tea and asked, "When did Xue return?"

Xue Lingqing responded, "Last night."

"That girl’s issue has been completely resolved, right? Xue really should not have given out his work address so easily just after meeting someone," Li Qiao said. She herself had been acquainted with him for nearly a year and still did not know his workplace.

"It’s settled, thankfully discovered early," Xue Lingqing said, recalling how last night Old Mr. Xue had scolded Jingyi for this matter. Jingyi denied it vigorously at first, but after checking, they confirmed what Xue Sufen had said.

That idiot Xue Sufen revealed everything about the home like there was no tomorrow.

It almost sent Old Mr. Xue to the hospital in a fury.

He added, "And it’s also thanks to you."

Li Qiao smilingly replied, "You’re welcome."

Xue Lingqing had finished cleaning his pants and set down the tape. "Do you always read these kinds of books at home?" He saw ’War and Peace’ and ’Anna Karenina’. She really was bold.

Li Qiao said, "I read them to pass the time. Do you want them? I’ll give them to you."

"I don’t read those," Xue Lingqing said.

"I have other novels that aren’t against regulations."

A twitch appeared at the corner of Xue Lingqing’s mouth. She knew about breaking the rules?

To thank him for the two bags of dog food, Li Qiao went inside to search through the boxes. All her books were gone. She remembered when Qin Jin was organizing the boxes, the one with the books had been placed underneath. She called Xue Lingqing into the room to help her move it.

Xue Lingqing hesitated for two seconds before entering the room.

During the New Year, the room had been the dog’s. He had been inside before. The room was cleaned meticulously, not even a mirror on the table, and only the bedspread was laid out on the bed.

It was the same now.

Except for the summer bedding which consisted only of a bamboo mat and two pillows.

There was a considerable distance between the pillows.

Did she and Qin Jin sleep separately?

Li Qiao opened the box and lifted two big stacks of books onto the table.

Xue Lingqing asked, "Don’t you ever look in the mirror? How do you comb your hair?"

"Of course I do, I look at myself for at least five minutes when I’m free before leaving the house," Li Qiao answered as she pulled open the drawer beneath her vanity, everything arranged neatly.

Xue Lingqing expressed surprise, "Why don’t you put it on the table? It would be so much more convenient."

"I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. It bothers me to see things on the table. If I forget to put something away and remember it in the middle of the night, I have to get up and fix it."

Xue Lingqing: "..."

.....

Carrying a bag of dog food, Xue Lingqing said he would deliver it to Li Qiao. Jiang Wanqiu watched from the back window, noticing he had entered Li Qiao’s room and had not come out for quite some time.

She grew anxious.

And immediately headed to the Qin family’s house.

The courtyard gate was wide open.

The dog lay under the eaves.

She carefully stepped inside, planning to catch them in the act. To shame Li Qiao and make Ruan Xiangjun lose face.

The dog recognized Jiang Wanqiu and did not bark at her.

Jiang Wanqiu silently appeared at the doorway of the room.

Li Qiao was sitting on a stool, with Xue Lingqing standing beside her, both were seriously discussing something.

It seemed like they were discussing a book.

Why was it different from what she had expected?

She was about to quietly retreat.

But Li Qiao suddenly caught sight of her and said in surprise, "Madam Xue, are you here to find Professor Xue?"

"Eh." Jiang Wanqiu didn’t know whether to stay or leave.

Xue Lingqing glared at Jiang Wanqiu: "Why didn’t you say anything before coming into Li Qiao’s courtyard?"

"It’s not like it’s someone else’s home," Jiang Wanqiu said somewhat guiltily. "I should be the one asking you. What are you doing in Li Qiao’s room? How would it sound if word got out?"

Li Qiao: "..." She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

"So you came to spy?" Xue Lingqing asked indifferently.

"How could I?" Jiang Wanqiu laughed it off, quickly changing the subject, "Qiaoqiao, where’s your grandma?"

"Here I am," Old Mrs. Qin said, yawning as she appeared. "What brought you here?"

"I’ve come to seek your advice on caring for flowers," Jiang Wanqiu quickly found an excuse. "The flowers I transplanted are alive, but they don’t bloom as big as the ones in your garden, why is that?"

Old Mrs. Qin: "I don’t know much about flowers; it’s Jin and Qiaoqiao who take care of them."

Li Qiao: "I only handle pruning. Maybe it’s because you haven’t pruned them? They haven’t been planted for long, perhaps the seedlings haven’t adapted to your environment yet."

"Then I’ll wait a few more days and see," Jiang Wanqiu managed to gloss over the matter.

Xue Lingqing picked up a book: "I’ll return it once I’ve finished reading."

"Alright, you can give it to Jin when it’s time."

Xue Lingqing agreed and left directly without even saying goodbye to Jiang Wanqiu.

Jiang Wanqiu hurried after him, not forgetting to say farewell to Old Mrs. Qin: "Xiangjun, I’m leaving first."

"Eh, I won’t see you out then," Old Mrs. Qin said.

Li Qiao thought Xue Lingqing and Jiang Wanqiu usually interacted in this way and didn’t make much of it, bending her head to continue organizing the books.

Old Mrs. Qin followed to help.

Li Qiao closed the box and Old Mrs. Qin got hold of the iron handles as if to lift it, but Li Qiao said, "Grandma, don’t lift anything with your bad back. Let’s leave it like this for now, and Jin can handle it when she comes back."

"That’s fine."

Li Qiao sat back in the yard and continued reading until Qin Jin got off work.

...

After dark, Li Qiao helped Qin Jin with a test paper and nodded continuously while reviewing it: "Not bad at all, a pretty high accuracy rate."

Qin Jin: "Many of the question types are similar to those I’ve done before, so they’re not too difficult for me."

Li Qiao cautioned: "Don’t get too proud too soon."

Qin Jin said confidently, "If the exam difficulty is about the same as usual, I think I can pass."

Li Qiao smiled.

Qin Jin opened the wardrobe to look for clothes to go out and wash, when the bag of dog food caught his attention: "What’s this?"

"It’s dog food given to Xue’s colleague, which Professor Xue passed on to us."

Qin Jin: ".....sometimes people don’t even have food to eat, and dogs do, people with money must have nowhere to spend if they buy these kinds of things." Life is simply worse than a dog’s.

"Can’t help it, though people are said to be equal, life has its hierarchies; it’s the world’s disparities. I lent Professor Xue some books to read; when he returns them, you can take them."

"Got it."