The flower shop's business had expanded, and Qiao Lian had become a popular person on the street south of Liuliqiao. A few old bachelors who were familiar with him would often come over to hang out for a while. With their old faces, they would call him "Boss Qiao". They were not respectful, but more or less fawning.
Qiao Liansheng was very kind. He would always take out a packet of 20 yuan worth of smoke from the black leather bag he had just bought and distribute it to them one by one. Then, he would politely light it for them. Qiao Liansheng wasn't so evil as to think of giving out a fifty-cent cigarette just to see these old bachelors 'panicked expressions. He wanted peace of mind, the feeling of not distancing himself from them. He didn't want to jump. He knew that he was still a commoner at the bottom of the food chain. Even if he had a few more coins, he couldn't change.
The black leather bag was bigger than the one with the words " Ma Hou ". It looked like a bag for a laptop. When she hung it on her body, from a distance and up close, Qiao Lian looked like a salesperson.
Qiao Liansheng really thought of himself as a salesperson. Like the other salespeople, he carried three packs of cigarettes and two packs of soft cigarettes worth twenty yuan in his black leather bag every day. He distributed them to the wholesale store owner, Chen Jiude, and occasionally to a few old bachelors and a few more familiar customers. A pack of ten yuan worth of cigarettes, identical to the cigarettes Qiao Xianjing left behind before he died, and he smoked them occasionally.
Perhaps it was due to this habit that Qiao Liansheng started smoking more and more frequently. Although she did not recall the stone tablet carved with the Gu Lian Flower on the Dog Bone Mountain as she smoked, she habitually smoked with a cigarette in her mouth when she was thinking about something.
Qiao Liansheng sometimes felt that it was very strange. After arriving in Beijing, he seemed to think about the stone tablet engraved with the bone flower much more than when he was in Lugou Village. He remembered that the half-blind woman had once said that if one's flesh and blood were connected, one would not be able to forget it no matter where they went. They would think about it and remember it. Qiao Liansheng felt that this was the truth.
Every time he saw Qiao Liansheng standing in front of the flower shop with a cigarette in his mouth and a frown on his face, Zhang Xianyong would run over and make fun of him in disdain. No future! A good young man had been led astray by that bastard Horse Monkey!
Ma Houwen smoked, but he didn't like to smoke. He didn't smoke cigarettes either. He liked to smoke the Red River that cost five yuan a pack. It was a feeling of choking his lungs and making his heart beat. It was comfortable. When Ma Houwen met Zhang Xianyong, he always liked to force a lit cigarette into his mouth and force him to take a puff or two. No wonder the little kid called him Ma Houwen and called him Qiao Liansheng but called him Brother Qiao. It was a little extreme.
Qiao Liansheng couldn't be bothered to bicker with Zhang Xianyong, this little bastard. A fierce person who dared to claim that he had taken off his pants more than Qiao Liansheng had seen, what could Qiao Liansheng bicker with?
Sometimes, Qiao Liansheng really couldn't find words to refute this little brat. Counting Zhang Xianyong's heroic deeds in school, Qiao Liansheng had seen more women than he had taken off his pants. Just thinking about it made him laugh.
There were times when Zhang Scum Yong would admit defeat. Not long after the mid-term exams, this little rascal took out twenty yuan and walked up to Qiao Lian Sheng. He mimicked the monkey script with a wretched smile and called out sweetly,"Brother Qiao, can you do me a favor?"
"Twenty yuan?" It was rare for Zhang Xianyong to look like he had been deflated, so Qiao Liansheng learned to be calculative.
"Brother Qiao, aren't you being too mean?”Zhang Xianyong had an expression that said," You only get 10 yuan for a day's work in my restaurant. This is your salary for two days!”
"Too expensive? Alright! You can keep this 20 yuan to woo your homeroom teacher.”It would have been better if he didn't mention it, but the mention of it reminded Qiao Liansheng of the embarrassing incident that day.
Zhang Xianyong glared at Qiao Liansheng hatefully and raised his voice stubbornly,"Qiao Liansheng! Don't look down on me! If I really hook up with the form teacher one day, I'll bring her to your door and make you crave her!”
"Alright! I'm waiting for Brother Yong to teach me how to pick up girls.”Qiao Liansheng held back his laughter and teased.
Zhang Xianyong pouted, twisted his butt, and turned to leave. Five minutes later, the little cub came in again. It gritted its teeth and widened its small eyes." Thirty!”
Qiao Liansheng ignored him and sat at the table, looking down at the magazine that he had just bought from the newsstand.
"Forty!" Zhang Xianyong gritted his teeth.
Qiao Liansheng remained calm.
"Fifty!" Zhang Xianyong clenched his small hand into a fist, as if he wanted to rush up and beat Qiao Liansheng up.
Qiao Liansheng looked up and touched his glasses. His slightly tanned face was expressionless.
"Qiao Liansheng, you dog! Sixty!"
"Deal!"
Qiao Liansheng's expression changed as quickly as flipping a book. He stood up and walked over, grabbing the money that Zhang Xianyong was clutching tightly in his hand and stuffing it into his black leather bag. He smiled like a citizen." Your income is not bad! Speak! What can I do for you?"
"Parent-teacher conference!" Zhang Xianyong glared fiercely at Qiao Liansheng and spat out these words from between his teeth. Looking at Qiao Liansheng's smug expression, he wished he could rush up and bite his neck.
——————
Qiao Liansheng, who had never played the role of a parent at a parent-teacher conference, felt very uncomfortable sitting in a classroom full of legitimate parents. He wanted to retreat, but Zhang Xianyong held him back and said," I've already paid the money, don't think about running away with the money before you've done anything."
Looking at Zhang Scum Yong's smug expression, Qiao Liansheng's smugness from winning the money was swept away. She felt as if she had been tricked by this little bastard.
She patiently scanned her surroundings and realized that the other parents were all holding a few test papers. Qiao Liansheng felt that since she was an actor, she had to be more professional. She put on a stern father's expression and reached out to Zhang Xianyong." Where's your test paper?"”
"It was burned long ago! Don't tell me you're still keeping it for my mother to see!" Zhang Xianyong retorted righteously, as if he was very proud of himself for spending money to hire actors.
Qiao Liansheng didn't believe this nonsense. He stared at the little rascal for a few seconds, then the little rascal dejectedly took out a few test papers from his backpack and handed them to him.
Qiao Liansheng casually flipped through it, shaking his head and sighing inwardly. He was the boss's child after all, inheriting the boss's meticulous planning. Other than getting 86 points in mathematics, the rest were all in single digits.
"How's your child's studies?" The female parent who was sitting next to her leaned over and asked.
"It's alright, it's alright." Qiao Liansheng smiled sheepishly and stacked the math paper on top. It was embarrassing. He had never done something like covering up for a little kid in his life. Zhang Xianyong, this little bastard, actually cursed him in a low voice,"hypocrite." How could he endure this?
Even so, Qiao Liansheng still felt that earning sixty yuan was easy. In just a moment, Qiao Liansheng completely dispelled this thought. Every female parent who entered the classroom would rush over to argue with Qiao Liansheng. A few male parents even cursed in a Beijing accent.
Qiao Liansheng had no way to fight back. She could only nod and apologize awkwardly. She patted her chest and promised that she would discipline Zhang Xianyong, this little bastard, and not let him do things like teasing innocent girls. Occasionally, she would even sternly reprimand Zhang Xianyong. Otherwise, it would be difficult to appease the indignation of the parents.
Five to six minutes later, Ye Qingxuan arrived. She accidentally caught a glimpse of Qiao Liansheng sitting with Zhang Xianyong. She was stunned for a few seconds, then glanced at Qiao Liansheng's face meaningfully before dutifully holding the parent-teacher conference.
After she finished her words, the parents swarmed around Ye Qingxuan and asked her non-stop. Occasionally, a few parents would turn around and point at Qiao Liansheng and Zhang Xianyong. Qiao Liansheng didn't have the face to stay any longer. She pulled Zhang Xianyong and quietly walked to the classroom door. Then, she ran away, without the airs and demeanor of a parent.
"Qiao Liansheng!" Unexpectedly, Ye Qingxuan caught up with him after he left the classroom.
Qiao Liansheng stopped in his tracks helplessly and turned around with Zhang Xianyong. He nodded awkwardly at Ye Qingxuan." Yes, Teacher Ye!”
"You're Scumbag Zhang's parent?" Qiao Liansheng looked at most twenty-three or twenty-four years old. According to Zhang Xianyong's age, Qiao Liansheng had already started giving birth when she was thirteen or fourteen years old. How could Ye Qingxuan believe that?
"Yes, I'm his father." Qiao Liansheng's expression did not change and his heart did not beat. He sighed with a serious expression,""It's my fault. I didn't educate this child well and made you worry.”
Ye Qingxuan was stunned and turned to look at Zhang Yong. Who would have thought that this little brat would cooperate so well. He grabbed Qiao Liansheng's hand and obediently pressed it against his body.
"It's nothing. It's my duty as a form teacher. However, Zhang Scum Yong is a little different. It's better for you to take care of him.”Ye Qingxuan's tone was clearly much more unfamiliar. She felt that she should keep a certain distance from a man who was already giving birth at the age of thirteen or fourteen. She should also keep a distance from Zhang Yong.
Qiao Lian Sheng's lips suddenly curved into a strange arc as he said indignantly,""I heard that this bastard even gave you lilies and asked for a kiss. Is that true?”
"Ah?" Ye Qingxuan didn't know how to react. She blushed and didn't know how to defend herself.
"Looks like there really is such a thing. Teacher Ye, don't worry. When I get back, I'll hang this ignorant little brat up and beat him up! Let's see if he still dares to do such a wicked thing in the future!”Qiao Liansheng glared at Zhang Xianyong as if he was serious.
"You…can't physically punish a child.”Ye Qingxuan didn't know how to respond. Qiao Liansheng was scolding her at the same time. Giving her flowers was a wicked thing. What was this?
"It's okay. His skin is rough and thick. It won't hurt!”
"You…"
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, we'll be leaving!”
Qiao Liansheng did not say anything and pulled Zhang Xianyong away with a smug expression. Ye Qingxuan stomped her feet in anger. She had never seen such a parent.
But just as she was about to turn around and return to the classroom, Ye Qingxuan heard Zhang Xianyong's angry scolding.
"You're the one with thick skin! Your whole family is thick-skinned!"
"If you keep arguing, we'll be exposed! What a waste of time! Don't come to me for parent-teacher conferences in the future. I won't do it no matter how much you give me! How embarrassing!"
"A hundred!"
"No!"
"Two hundred!"
"Deal!"
“……”
Ye Qingxuan chuckled, shook her head, and walked back into the classroom.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]