Chapter 29: Take In Hand One Each

Qiao Nan was pleased, Qiao Zijin was just a Literature and Art Committee Member, and her mother was so proud and flattered.

Qiao Nan suspected that Qiao Zijin managed to land the role because of the money from her mother.

In high school, Literature and Art was not popular, the fewer activities they had in school the better. Literature and Art had the most arduous but thankless jobs, unless Qiao Zijin was interested in a career path in this field.

Otherwise, whenever there were school activities, the Literature and Art Committee members worked the hardest, could she still study?

Qiao Zijin did not have good grades, by putting Literature and Art under her charge, was she being valued or mocked? It did not cross her mother’s mind.

“Nan Nan, what role did you take on?” Qiao Dongliang smiled, to him, being a school committee member was a good matter.

“Vice Class Monitor in class. Dad, I’ve always been the Vice Class Monitor. Every semester, I bring home the certificate of award to me for being one of the top three model students and outstanding class committee member.”

“Vice Class Monitor?” Qiao Dongliang was surprised. He did not know that his younger daughter had been the Vice Class Monitor for years. “Where’s the certificate of award? I don’t think I have seen it at home before.”

Top three model students and outstanding class committee member, these awards were worth being proud of!

Each year, when Qiao Dongliang saw other children instead of his own receiving an award, he would console himself that it did not matter. As long the elder daughter was obedient and sensible and the younger daughter was good in her studies – these mattered the most.

It only occurred to Qiao Dongliang today that his child had actually received awards before, and these were the best awards. Top three model student, that was not an award that could be given to any Tom, Dick or Harry.

“It’s just Vice Class Monitor, not Class Monitor. What is so great about this.” Ding Jiayi’s face was awkward.

“Aren’t you quite pleased that Zijin became a Literature and Art committee member? Don’t tell me that Vice Class Monitor is worse than Literature and Art committee member.” Qiao Dongliang was speechless. What was Old Ding’s logic?

If this continued, even if the elder daughter’s feet stank, Old Ding would think that it was fragrant.

“Nan Nan, four semesters have passed. Two certificate of awards for each semester, you should have received at least eight, take them out and show me!”

His child was an award-winner!

In future, when his colleagues from the same department asked, he finally had something else that he was proud of to talk about besides his younger daughter’s academic results.

“Aren’t they just a few pieces of lousy paper, there’s nothing to see. It’s already so late, are we still eating?” Ding Jiayi interrupted Qiao Dongliang and quickly served the food.

As Qiao Zijin was not at home, Ding Jiayi initially did not want to buy any meat. After all, the family funds were low.

But Qiao Dongliang requested, so Ding Jiayi had no choice but to prepare meat for today’s dinner.

To shut Qiao Nan up, Ding Jiayi filled Qiao Nan’s bowl with meat using her chopsticks: “Hurry up and eat, then go back to your room to revise your homework. Don’t waste the money that was used to let you go to school.”

Qiao Nan’s eyes flashed with sarcasm, she did not argue with her mother and proceeded to eat her meat.

“What do you mean?” The then Qiao Dongliang frowned. “Old Ding, Nan Nan’s awards, where have they gone?”

Ding Jiayi slapped the chopsticks on the table. “Aren’t they just a few pieces of paper? How should I know where they are? They do not belong to me. It’s paper, not gold. Isn’t it normal for them to become rotten?”

“Rotten?” Qiao Dongliang’s face changed. “Even if it’s paper, there is no reason that it would be rotten after two years. Tell me honestly, where did Nan Nan’s awards go?”

Nan Nan had clearly received many awards but he did not get to see or hear about them once. Of course, this was all his wife’s doing.

Qiao Dongliang pressed on and refused to stop, Ding Jiayi wanted very much to throw a fit but could not lose her temper when she saw Qiao Dongliang pulling a long face. She reluctantly said: “I used it to start the fire while I was cooking.”

Yes, Qiao Nan’s awards were always burnt and used to start the fire by Ding Jiayi shortly after she brought them home.

Therefore, it was impossible for Qiao Dongliang, who was always the last to reach home after his work, to see the awards that Qiao Nan had won.

“Start the fire?” Qiao Dongliang raised his voice. “Why don’t you burn yourself? Aren’t there any ignition straws at home? You have to use Nan Nan’s awards to start the fire? Do you want to go out and ask others, which parent will use the awards received by his child to start a fire, you’re really proud.”

“What is there to be proud of? Isn’t it just a piece of paper, can keeping it make it produce gold or lay eggs?!” Ding Jia was angry. She even used all the money at home, not to mention that few pieces of paper.

Those few pieces of paper, keeping them would only take up space, burning them would at least put them to some use.

“Fine, you’re good, you can. Satisfied?” Qiao Dongliang would not bother to talk to Ding Jiayi anymore. His wife could not hide the younger daughter’s academic results as he would ask about them.

As for these awards, they were all burnt by his wife. Nan Nan said that she had won the awards but that now they were just all words and no evidence.

Fine, it seemed that for many years, his wife had hidden a lot of matters from him.

“Zijin became a Literature and Art Committee Member and you were so pleased. You insisted to wait till the weekend to prepare food for her. Nan Nan is Vice Class Monitor and that is not good enough, even her certificate of awards are just waste paper. Okay, you dote on Zijin, I dote on Nan Nan. Each of us will take care of one, no-one is being left out.”

“What do you mean by this?” Ding Jiayi’s face was red with fury. “Zijin is not your daughter, are you so biased?”

“Then Nan Nan is not your daughter? You only have Zijin in your heart. Both are my daughters, I will not treat one worse than the other. With you, I am not worried that Zijin will suffer and be wronged. With me around, I will not let Nan Nan continue to live like she did before.”

This time, Qiao Dongliang was determined to stand on the side of his younger daughter.

He really had not known that the younger daughter was so outstanding.

At the thought of the younger daughter’s words earlier, and her results, Qiao Dongliang immediately figured out why the younger daughter was the Vice Class Monitor instead of the Class Monitor.

It was not that the younger daughter was not qualified to be the Class Monitor. It was because the teacher was afraid of tiring out the younger daughter with too many matters. Hence, she arranged for her to take on the deputy role.

The teacher in the school had spared such a thought for his younger daughter. This went to show how highly they valued her. This also proved that the younger daughter was a person with a bright future and had gained the favor of her teachers.

The child who was well-liked by the teacher in the school was neglected to this extent by her own mother. Qiao Dongliang did not know what to say except to sneer.

To think that half a month ago, his wife was still clamoring for the younger daughter to quit school and find a job. Qiao Dongliang broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately Nan Nan insisted on studying and he also supported it. Otherwise, they would have held back Nan Nan’s future with their own hands.

“Nan Nan, from today onwards, you don’t need to tell your mother what happens in school, your mother is busy and doesn’t have the time. You tell Dad, Dad will help you think over the matters.”

A man should take care of external matters while his wife take care of domestic affairs – this did not work for his family.

Fortunately he found out about the situation, otherwise he really could not imagined how much longer his younger daughter’s future would be held back by his wife.

“Okay.” Qiao Nan chewed the meat in her mouth hard. Today, the meat seemed to be extraordinary fragrant, extraordinarily delicious.