Chen Xiuyuan, the little boy, actually preferred playing with his older sister.
However, as his sister was with their mother, he had to settle for playing with his second brother.
Su Ciliang, to coax the child, took Chen Xiuyuan to draw.
Chen Xiuyuan loved drawing, but his talent for it was truly not great.
Su Ciliang really wanted to tell his little cousin to give up drawing.
Yet, the little fellow wouldn't accept it.
Fortunately, Chen Zi'an said that no one knew if the little guy would become a painter in the future; cultivating a hobby was enough.
Since it was just a hobby, Su Ciliang wouldn't set high expectations.
The two of them played quite happily together.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu, the aunt and niece, tidied up the house and then went to the market.
The winter in Licheng wasn't cold, and Su Xiaotian, wearing a light dress, followed behind Su Manxiu.
Perhaps because the leaders in Licheng were transferred from elsewhere, many people lived in the family housing compound of the government complex.
Not long after Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu went out, they encountered two women a bit older than Su Manxiu.
The two women were very curious seeing Su Manxiu with such a beautiful young lady.
“Manxiu, you went back for the New Year, how come you brought such a pretty girl with you?”
The one who spoke was a woman around fifty years old.
Although she was older, it was evident that she had been very beautiful in her youth, and even now, despite her age, she was well-maintained.
Moreover, her attire and demeanor were very refined, suggesting she was from a well-to-do family and had received a good education.
“Sisters, this is my niece from my maiden family, Xiaotian.”
Su Manxiu first introduced Su Xiaotian to the two women, and then introduced them to Su Xiaotian.
“Xiaotian, this is Auntie Xie, and this is Auntie Zhao!”
Su Xiaotian, very obediently, greeted them as Su Manxiu had instructed.
The husbands of these two women held respectable positions in the government complex.
Of course, compared to Chen Zi'an, who was a young and promising leader, they couldn't compare.
The two women felt a bit of envy towards Su Manxiu.
But no matter how much they envied her, what could they do?
They still had to smile at Su Manxiu.
Even though they looked down on Su Manxiu, a woman from the rural northwest.
The two of them came from good families and had received a good education since childhood. Although they had suffered in previous years, they had persevered and were now doing well.
In Licheng, they also had jobs that everyone envied.
It was when they were looking for jobs that they learned Su Manxiu had no academic qualifications.
Therefore, in private, they had often spoken of Su Manxiu as an uneducated illiterate.
Only later, when they discovered that Su Manxiu was actually a writer who could write books, did these discussions lessen.
Of course, these were not the most important reasons.
For these women, the height of their husbands' careers determined their status.
Chen Zi'an, still young, was already the top leader, and his future prospects were vast.
Their husbands had repeatedly told them not to offend Su Manxiu.
Therefore, Su Manxiu had actually lived quite comfortably in the complex over the years.
Some people even tried their best to curry favor with Su Manxiu and build connections with her.
This included Auntie Zhao, whom Su Manxiu had just mentioned.
Unfortunately, Chen Zi'an and Su Manxiu had only one son, who was still young.
Her two sons and one daughter were all grown up and at the age to find partners.
Seeing Su Xiaotian at this moment, she instantly thought of a good way to connect with Chen Zi'an.
Although this young girl was only Su Manxiu's niece from her maiden family, not Chen Zi'an's niece, Chen Zi'an's affection for Su Manxiu was well-known in the complex. Su Dan Novel Network
It was just that this young girl's background was slightly lower; she came from the rural northwest.
Even though Su Manxiu had dressed her up beautifully, her upbringing was not quite up to par.
In this instant, Zhao Yulian had thought of many things, even imagining that Su Manxiu brought this girl to the complex precisely to find a good husband for her.
The more she thought about it, the more Zhao Yulian felt she had hit upon a brilliant idea.
“Xiaotian, is it? Oh my, this little girl is so pretty. How old is she this year? How many years of schooling has she had? Has she finished junior high school?”
Zhao Yulian's three children had all started working after graduating from high school, and her ideal daughter-in-law was also someone with a high school education.
However, she guessed that the girl in front of her definitely wasn't a high school graduate.
In the countryside, who would be willing to let their daughters study? Being able to recognize a few characters was already good.
Now, she just hoped she had finished junior high and hadn't even attended primary school.
It had to be said that Zhao Yulian had not done her homework properly.
Of course, this was also related to Su Manxiu's usual lack of ostentation.
Zhao Yulian never knew that Su Manxiu's maiden family already had over ten university students.
When Su Manxiu heard Zhao Yulian's words, she was momentarily taken aback.
Zhao Yulian had never been so friendly to her before; why was she suddenly like this today? It was a bit disorienting.
“Sister-in-law, this little niece of mine is currently studying at university in Beijing. She’s come with me to visit Licheng for the New Year.”
Although she didn't want to show off, Su Manxiu was also protective by nature.
She didn't mind if others looked down on her.
But if they looked down on Su Xiaotian, she felt uncomfortable.
Therefore, she revealed that Su Xiaotian was attending university.
Zhao Yulian was clearly taken aback for a moment.
But it was only for a moment before she smiled.
She thought to herself that Su Manxiu was truly hypocritical. Didn't she see how young this girl was?
Such a young child, even if her family supported her education, she surely hadn't even finished high school, so how could she be in university?
“How old is the little girl to be in university? When did university age become so young?”
Since she believed Su Manxiu was lying, Zhao Yulian no longer held back and intended to expose Su Manxiu's lie directly.
Su Xiaotian, being a sharp child, understood what was happening at this moment.
It was clear that they thought her aunt was lying.
She smiled gently and said, “Auntie Zhao, you might not know in Licheng, but a few years ago, No. 7 Middle School in Beijing recruited a gifted class. The students in our class all entered university at a very young age!”
Zhao Yulian still found it hard to believe. What gifted class?
How come she had never heard of such a gifted class in the world?
But the other woman, Xie Shuxian, had heard of this gifted class.
At that moment, her gaze towards Su Xiaotian changed.
Seeing that Zhao Yulian was about to say more, Xie Shuxian quickly interjected, “I have heard of it. The students in that gifted class are all outstanding. I didn’t expect to have the fortune to meet one today.”
Although curious why Su Manxiu, a woman from the rural northwest, had a niece who could attend No. 7 Middle School in Beijing, Xie Shuxian, with the intention of not offending anyone, flattered Su Manxiu and also reminded Zhao Yulian.