Chapter 6
The old lady had always been kind and friendly. Although she privately criticized the Qiao couple’s parenting methods, she still welcomed them warmly when she saw them.
After being busy and exhausted for many days, Mother Qiao finally realized that Qiao Xi would be lonely staying at home alone, so she considered finding a teacher for the child to learn calligraphy. Calligraphy was Qiao Xi’s own choice. Originally, the Qiao couple wanted her to learn piano or painting, but they couldn’t persuade the child, who refused both.
It was quite a coincidence that Fu Bei was also learning calligraphy.
Born into a scholarly family, she had dabbled in everything, and her handwriting was particularly excellent.
“Learning calligraphy is quite good. Have you found a master yet?” the old lady asked.
Mother Qiao was taken aback by the question, then replied, “Still looking.”
The gap between the two families was too great; a small matter could reveal the disparity. Mother Qiao thought finding any teacher would do, since it was just to help the child kill time. The old lady, however, took it very seriously. Not only did she recommend an acquaintance to Mother Qiao, but she also gifted a lot of high-quality and precious writing brushes, ink sticks, paper, and inkstones.
When the adults went upstairs to get things, neither Qiao Xi nor Fu Bei moved.
Qiao Xi deliberately stayed far away from the sofa, turning her back to ignore Fu Bei. When Nanny Chen asked if she wanted candy, she replied obediently, “No, thank you, Nanny Chen.”
She was losing her baby teeth recently, and Mother Qiao had repeatedly warned her not to eat candy anymore, or else her new teeth would be rotten and ugly.
Fu Bei watched her for a good while.
“Qiao Xi,” she spoke first. The child immediately looked up, and Fu Bei said calmly, “Come here.”
Pretending not to hear, Qiao Xi didn’t even make a sound in response.
It was Nanny Chen who reminded her, “Miss Qiao, she’s calling you.”
At that young age, she wasn’t at all used to being addressed like that by others. Qiao Xi actually felt a bit shy. After all, she used to live in the North District where everyone was from ordinary families; people called each other by their names directly, and no one addressed her this way. She said rather bashfully in a small voice, “Nanny Chen, my name is Qiao Xi…”
Nanny Chen laughed instantly, patting her head with gratification.
Seeming worried that her bun hairstyle would be messed up, Qiao Xi instinctively dodged and ran toward the sofa. However, she still ignored Fu Bei, sitting on the other end of the sofa, far away from her.
The Qiao family had always been generous with food, eating lavishly at every meal. Qiao Xi was well-fed and had gained a bit of weight recently. Her small arms and legs were fleshy, but she just wasn’t growing taller. Her skin was exceptionally white, a healthy kind of white, and she looked like a carved jade doll, exceedingly cute. The sofa was relatively high, so the child’s feet couldn’t touch the ground when she sat on it, leaving them dangling.
She wasn’t willing to acknowledge Fu Bei, yet she stole glances at her from time to time—simply awkward.
Fu Bei went to the kitchen, poured a glass of milk, placed it on the coffee table, and sat down next to her. Qiao Xi shifted her body unhappily, showing quite a temper.
“Do you want some milk?” Fu Bei asked softly, rarely this gentle.
Qiao Xi didn’t speak, just short of pouting angrily. Her spoiled nature was innate; no amount of coaxing seemed to work. Fu Bei was patient, though. Seeing the child stay silent, she pulled her a bit closer. As a result, Qiao Xi struggled to break free in a huff, and only then did Fu Bei notice she was missing a tooth.
“Lost a tooth?” Fu Bei said softly.
Missing a tooth looked strange. The child was vain and didn’t want others to see, so she quickly shut her mouth. She wanted to speak but didn’t dare open her mouth, turning her small face beet red.
After a long while, she replied in a muffled voice, “Only lost one.”
Actually, she wasn’t as angry as before. After enough time passed, she couldn’t help but want to come find her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come with Mother Qiao tonight. A child’s temper comes and goes quickly; they are easy to coax. A small gesture of kindness from others, and they forgive in their hearts. Give them an out, and they’ll take it immediately.
“Remember to eat fewer sweets,” Fu Bei said.
The child nodded. “I know.”
Fu Bei raised her hand to rub the back of her head. Qiao Xi didn’t dodge; instead, she leaned into Fu Bei. Perhaps because she had felt too aggrieved before, now that she was being coaxed, her heart felt sour. All principles vanished. She pursed her lips in grievance and suddenly reached out to hug Fu Bei’s waist.
It was so sudden that Fu Bei was startled. The child was very soft, smelling faintly of milk, clinging to her tightly, almost lying completely in her embrace.
Qiao Xi nuzzled her head.
Before Fu Bei could react, voices came from upstairs. The child abruptly let go, and Mother Qiao and the old lady came downstairs, laughing and talking.
Before leaving, Qiao Xi specifically said, “I’m leaving now.”
It wasn’t clear if she said it to everyone or specifically to Fu Bei.
The matter passed easily, without even a fuss. The next two days returned to how things were before, but for a long time, Qiao Xi didn’t wear a dress again. She still cared deep down.
The acquaintance the old lady introduced was named Li Xunian, a prominent calligraphy master in Jiang City. He had long retired but reluctantly accepted Qiao Xi for the sake of old friendship. Li Xunian had only two students: one was Fu Bei, and the other was Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi was incredibly sincere when offering the tea for the master-disciple ceremony, bending her waist so low she almost pasted her body to the floor. Li Xunian’s expression was complicated; he immediately thought this child might not be very bright and would be hard to teach, probably far inferior to Fu Bei. Sure enough, Qiao Xi studied for half a month straight and still hadn’t learned how to hold the brush properly, not even recognizing all the simple characters.
Li Xunian was very strict and old-fashioned. If she couldn’t learn it, he made her practice repeatedly. So Qiao Xi spent every day learning how to hold the brush, lifting her arm until it ached.
She wasn’t much taller than the wooden table and had to stand on a low stool to practice.
Fu Bei was at the table next to her. Compared to the hyperactive Qiao Xi, she was calm and focused, completely undisturbed by external things.
When Li Xunian wasn’t around, Qiao Xi would always sneak over, cling to the table, and whisper, “Fu Bei, what are you writing?”
Fu Bei lowered her eyes nonchalantly to look at her and asked back, “Have you mastered it?”
Qiao Xi’s face fell. “No, it’s too hard.”
“If you’re serious, it’s not hard. Don’t be half-hearted.”
“I am trying, but I still can’t learn it.”
There are great differences between people. A person’s ability is ultimately limited; it’s not true that you can learn whatever you want or achieve whatever you set out to do. Just as later, Qiao Xi tried her hardest but only barely managed to get into an undergraduate program. She simply wasn’t cut out for studying.
But one couldn’t conclude she was stupid because of this. The child was still very smart, just lacking talent in this area.
Fu Bei didn’t reply. Instead, she finished the last two characters unhurriedly, put away her brush, and said, “Bring your things over.”
Qiao Xi understood immediately. Knowing she was going to teach her, she hurriedly moved her paper and brush over, even bringing the low stool along.
She talked a lot, getting distracted from time to time.
“Your hands are so nice looking, bigger than mine.” As she spoke, she tilted her head to look at Fu Bei.
Fu Bei, as always, didn’t respond to the flattery, only saying flatly, “Focus.”
That period passed like this. They were together almost every day—during calligraphy class and back at the compound. The unpleasantness had officially turned a page.
After moving into the compound, the Qiao family transferred Qiao Xi to a new school. She had been studying at a school in the North District, but now she transferred to the Primary Section of Jiang City International School.
Fu Bei was in the Middle School Section; they were technically attending the same school.
Adapting to a new environment was hard, and as luck would have it, she was in the same class as Zhou Jiaqi. Zhou Jiaqi had taken a half-year sick leave and was held back a grade after returning to school. When “enemies” meet, sparks fly. Seeing her enter the classroom, Zhou Jiaqi pouted so hard you could hang an oil bottle on her lips.
Qiao Xi wasn’t in a good mood, especially after learning that Zhou Jiaqi would be taking the Fu family’s car home after school. She was completely sullen.
Zhou Jiaqi had mastered the art of being annoying from a young age. She loudly declared nearby, “Don’t follow us after school. There’s no room for you in the car.”
“Who wants to follow you?” Qiao Xi said with annoyance, but in her heart, she cared very much that Zhou Jiaqi was taking the Fu family’s car.
The Zhou family had latched onto the Fu family, so naturally, they helped each other out. The adults didn’t think much of it since it was on the way, and Zhou Jiaqi was indeed sensible and polite outside, very likeable.
After school that afternoon, Zhou Jiaqi really got into the Fu family’s car. Seeing Fu Bei waiting inside, Qiao Xi felt wronged to no end. She stood straight on the spot watching, her hands tightly gripping her backpack straps.
It was at this moment that Zhao Shihuan appeared. Seeing her, her eyes lit up, and she suddenly called out from behind, “Qiao Qiao.”
They hadn’t seen each other for a long time and weren’t that close, yet she called her so intimately.
Qiao Xi turned around and responded sullenly.
Fu Bei in the car looked over, frowning slightly.
Zhao Shihuan waved happily and asked loudly, “Fu Bei, is there still room? Can I catch a ride back?”
This person was truly overly familiar. Before Fu Bei could answer, she took Qiao Xi by the hand and walked over, saying as she went, “You come too. No need for your family to pick you up.”
The Qiao family’s car was right nearby. The driver recognized the Fu family, and seeing Qiao Xi get into their car, he followed them all the way.
Since someone was sitting in the back, Zhao Shihuan took Qiao Xi to the front passenger seat. But one seat couldn’t fit two people, so without a word, she lifted the child onto her lap. Both she and Fu Bei were tall, taller and thinner than their peers, unlike the tiny Qiao Xi. Zhao Shihuan held Qiao Xi easily.
Qiao Xi wasn’t used to being held. Sitting on a stranger’s lap for the first time, her face flushed red, and she said awkwardly, “I-I can stand…”
“It’s fine, you’re not heavy.” Zhao Shihuan held her down and suddenly tightened her embrace. “We’ll be there in ten minutes or so. Just sit and don’t move.”
She was still young then and didn’t have much concept of boundaries. Being held didn’t seem wrong. Qiao Xi struggled a bit, then sat quietly.
The two in the back didn’t say a word. Zhou Jiaqi disliked Qiao Xi; although she didn’t show it on her face, she wouldn’t initiate conversation. Fu Bei, on the other hand, was exceptionally silent. Her long, narrow eyes were half-closed as she looked thoughtfully at the front passenger seat.
