Li Fanghao walked into her room satisfied, putting down her shoulder bag just as she heard Qiao Qingyu knocking on the half-closed door.
“Mom, can I put your clothes on the bed?”
“Sure.”
The first time Qiao Qingyu came in, Li Fanghao was facing away, bending over hurriedly writing something in a notebook on the desk. The second time, Li Fanghao was stooping to get pajamas from the wardrobe. The third time, Li Fanghao sat at the foot of the bed waiting for her with a suspicious look.
“Couldn’t you bring all these clothes in at once? Isn’t it a waste of time going back and forth?”
Qiao Qingyu responded: “I’ll remember next time.”
She quickly put down the socks in her hand and turned to leave, but Li Fanghao caught her.
“Qingqing, sit down, let mom chat with you,” Li Fanghao patted the bed, “Come.”
Qiao Qingyu obediently sat beside Li Fanghao.
“How’s school?”
“It’s okay,” Qiao Qingyu replied, “Teachers teach very fast, sometimes I can barely keep up… My classmates are all very capable, many can balance studies and extracurricular activities… Of course, I know my task is just to study, not to think about other things…”
Li Fanghao’s deep gaze made her heart tremble.
“There are some things to get used to like the cafeteria doesn’t have any spicy dishes, not much flavor…”
“Tell mom honestly,” Li Fanghao suddenly took her hand, “Last time when mom called that male classmate of yours, were you angry with mom?”
Qiao Qingyu hesitated, then followed Li Fanghao’s lead: “I’m not angry anymore, Mom. I was wrong.”
“Mm,” Li Fanghao nodded, pulling Qiao Qingyu’s hand closer, her expression softening at Qiao Qingyu’s frankness, “It’s normal for you to be upset, but you need to understand why mom is so strict. It’s all for your own good… You’re grown up now, not a child anymore, you need to be aware of many things…”
She lowered her head, stroking Qiao Qingyu’s hand while speaking. Meanwhile, Qiao Qingyu discreetly observed the room’s layout. There was little furniture: an empty single desk by the window, a yellowing white plywood wardrobe by the door. Looking up, she found that familiar deep red calligraphy plaque placed on top of the wardrobe, uncovered, probably gathering dust.
“Mom wants to tell you something from the heart,” Li Fanghao raised her head, startling Qiao Qingyu into quickly withdrawing her gaze, “You like studying, that’s good, but as a girl, what’s more important is to maintain your dignity, and later find someone responsible to live a good life with… That’s what your father and I worry about most…”
“Mom,” Qiao Qingyu gripped Li Fanghao’s hand in return, “At this stage, I’ll focus on studying, not thinking about other things. After college graduation, I’ll find a good person and live a good life, don’t worry.”
This mature response left Li Fanghao speechless.
“It’s getting late, let me help you put away the clothes.” Qiao Qingyu stood up, opened the wardrobe, quickly surveyed it, turned back to give Li Fanghao an obedient smile, and efficiently sorted and folded the clothes and pants by category.
Li Fanghao watched her with satisfaction.
“I’ll go to sleep now, I need to get up early for school.” Qiao Qingyu said as she left the room, taking the initiative to close the door.
Closing her own room’s door, she jumped onto her bed like a carp.
Just now, while helping put away clothes, she had discovered a white metal box at the bottom of the wardrobe’s dark side.
It looked like a safe. Without a doubt, if she could get the safe’s key or password, all the questions in her heart would find answers.