25 – Saving the Village Demon
But they felt it must be something good.
“Sister-in-law, how do you know how to do everything?” Qingqing asked.
Qin Yue had long anticipated this question and had already prepared her response: “Because my father sent me to school in the city. I know all the latest trends there.”
The two girls admired Qin Yue even more. Attending school was something they had always dreamed of, but their family was too poor, and they didn’t even know a single character.
“If you want to learn how to read, I can teach you,” Qin Yue said with a smile.
“Really? We can learn to read too?” Their eyes shone with anticipation.
“Of course it’s true. I can start teaching you right now, beginning with your names.”
“Ah, that’s wonderful!” Qingqing and Cuicui were so excited they could hardly contain themselves.
True to her word, Qin Yue turned and went into the room. She found a notebook from Sang Mohan’s desk drawer and wrote the characters for “Qingqing” and “Cuicui” on it. “Look, these are your names. These two characters are ‘Qingqing,’ and these two are ‘Cuicui.’ Qingqing, you try writing these two characters first, following what I’ve written.”
Qingqing was extremely shy, but she still took the pen and clumsily wrote the two characters for “Qingqing.”
“No, my writing is too ugly. It’s so hard to write,” Qingqing said, looking at her characters that resembled awkward monsters, and she embarrassedly touched her head.
“It’s okay. For your first time, this is already quite good. Now it’s Cuicui’s turn to write.”
Cuicui held the pen, unsure where to start. The strokes of these two characters were too many, making it very difficult for her. Seeing her struggle, Qin Yue held her hand and guided her through writing the characters stroke by stroke.
Just then, Sang Mohan returned. He saw Qin Yue intently holding Cuicui’s hand to teach her writing and suddenly felt irritated. He walked coldly up to her and cleared his throat lightly. “I’m hungry. Make me something to eat right now.”
The three of them, immersed in their own fun, were startled by this icy voice. Qingqing and Cuicui hurriedly put down their pens, lowered their hands, and called out, “Cousin…”
Qingqing said anxiously, “Cousin, please wait a moment. I’ll go make you something to eat right away.”
The man said indifferently, “Both of you, get out. You’re not needed here.”
The two girls glanced at Qin Yue, unsure whether to leave or stay. Qin Yue said, “Go out and play. I can handle things here.” Only then did they leave.
Sang Mohan looked at the young woman before him. Though she wore coarse clothing, it was impeccably clean. Her pretty face carried a smile, giving off a reassuring feeling.
“Mo Han, what would you like to eat? I’ll go make you something right away,” the young woman asked, slightly raising her eyes with a smile.
The man didn’t answer her question but instead looked at the new table and sofa in front of him and said, “Where did these come from…”
“Qingqing, Cuicui, and I made them together. Last time during dinner, I noticed you looked uncomfortable sitting on the small stool, so I specially made this dining set. From now on, you can sit here when you eat. Try it out and see if it’s comfortable.”
Sang Mohan glanced at her, pulled out the sofa, and sat down. A flicker of imperceptible surprise passed through his eyes.
He hadn’t expected this girl to be so clever and skilled—she could even make sophisticated furniture like a sofa.
“How is it? Do you like it?” Qin Yue wore an expression seeking praise.
“How did you learn to make furniture like this?” His tone softened slightly.”My family has relatives in the city. I saw it when my father took me to visit our relatives in the city.”