"We should get along well. We're both mothers, so we can communicate more about raising children." Jiang Qingqing felt a bit embarrassed by what she said, asking if she always acted one way or another. She wasn't that kind of person and couldn't do such things.
"Mrs. Zhang, you're so kind. Can I call you Qingqing from now on?" Mrs. Wang seized the opportunity to get closer.
Zhao Zhijie and Zhang Guihua, who were eating nearby, were stunned.
"Of course, you can call me whatever you like," Jiang Qingqing was fundamentally a very easygoing and approachable person.
It was precisely because Mrs. Wang noticed this that she wanted to continue interacting with her.
"Hurry up and eat, it's getting cold." Zhang Liunian saw that his wife had already given the other woman a "friend zone" card. He picked a piece of pork rib for her and urged her to eat quickly.
Mrs. Wang's expression changed slightly but she quickly recovered. "I've heard for a long time that Mr. Zhang is good to Mrs. Zhang. Seeing is believing."
Jiang Qingqing felt a little shy, her small face blushing, and she dared not make a sound.
Zhang Liunian glanced at Mrs. Wang and said nothing more.
It wasn't until Mrs. Wang and her son disappeared from the Zhang family's main gate that Zhang Liunian turned back into the house.
As Jiang Qingqing turned around, she caught sight of her husband's retreating back. She quickly followed, only to hear her husband earnestly instructing their daughter.
"Huabao, there are many bad people outside. You must be on guard. For example, the boy named Little Stone who came today, his mother is not a good person. This morning she pushed your mother. In the future, Little Stone will learn from her. You cannot play with him, do you understand?"
Huabao was a bit drowsy after eating her fill, but seeing her father's serious instructions, she could only perk up and say in her milky voice, "Huabao remembers, I won't play with Little Stone anymore. But he's really fun to play with..."
"..."
Zhang Liunian was very happy to hear the first half of her sentence, but his face darkened at the second half. "Even if he's fun, you can't play with him every day."
"Then... can I play with him once a month?"
Huabao heard that they would be in the same class and that she couldn't play with him for a month, which was difficult.
When she used to attend school in the county town, she played with many people.
Zhang Liunian looked at his daughter's furrowed brow and thought about whether he should change kindergartens.
"Liunian, don't make it difficult for Huabao. She really played well with Little Stone today. Little Stone isn't what you think he is; he's very gentlemanly and always lets Huabao have her way. I think they played very well. We shouldn't dismiss a child just because of a bad first impression." Jiang Qingqing came to the father and daughter and said.
She had interacted with Mrs. Wang for an afternoon. Although she was surprised by the significant changes in her, her behavior after they arrived was very good.
Perhaps, she was just in a bad mood in the morning and pushed her. Or maybe there were other reasons. In any case, Jiang Qingqing didn't want to dismiss them based on first impressions.
Seeing his wife speaking up for Mrs. Wang, Zhang Liunian sighed and put down their daughter before returning to the room.
This was the first time Jiang Qingqing had seen her husband with such a complex expression. She wanted to chase after him to talk, but saw their daughter's eyes drooping. Helpless, she could only help her daughter wash up and put her to bed before she had time.
Upon entering the room, Zhang Liunian was already lying on the bed, turned to his side, deep in thought.
Jiang Qingqing sat down beside him, leaned in, and touched her forehead to his. "Liunian, I know you're still angry that Mrs. Wang pushed me and looked down on us. But she hasn't done anything truly wicked.
Can we not dwell on their matters for now, alright?"
"Dwell on it? Are you saying I'm being petty?" Zhang Liunian pushed his wife away and said with his arms crossed and a muffled voice.
This was the first time Zhang Liunian had pushed her away, and Jiang Qingqing panicked. She quickly stepped forward and hugged his neck. "No, that's not what I meant. I just thought it's hard for Huabao to make a friend, and Little Stone is so accommodating and yields to her. Having a playmate is good."
This time, Zhang Liunian did not push his wife away. Instead, he looked directly into her eyes, seeing into her heart, and slowly said, "Huabao will have plenty of opportunities to make friends in the future. You don't need to rush this. When she starts school, will she lack friends?
You can't place children with potential risks around Huabao just because she's young and doesn't understand things or differentiate right from wrong.
I don't deny that Little Stone is young now, and perhaps he's not like his mother. But with such a mother, his chances of turning out wrong are certainly higher than others.
If such a person influences Huabao from a young age, can you imagine what Huabao might become?" People are shaped by their environment, and children are mostly reflections of their parents. Zhang Liunian had a bad impression of Mrs. Wang.
He wouldn't change his mind just because she came to apologize and cooked a meal.
However, seeing Jiang Qingqing's desire to deepen their acquaintance, he had to remind her of the complexity of human nature.
Jiang Qingqing was stunned, her eyes darting around, already contemplating the meaning of Zhang Liunian's words. However, what she first picked up on was that her husband still seemed to have a rather poor impression of Mrs. Wang.
"I interacted with Mrs. Wang this afternoon, and I think she's quite nice. Perhaps she's not the kind of person we thought she was," Jiang Qingqing was still trying to make excuses for her.
Zhang Liunian didn't give her a chance to fool him. "Is that so? Then haven't you considered that her behavior this afternoon might be fake? People are very smart; they can pretend. If you don't believe me, try the method I suggest next time, and you'll know if she's truly as good as you think.
Until then, don't interact with them anymore, and Huabao shouldn't have too much contact with Little Stone."
Jiang Qingqing hesitated after hearing this, but then she thought that this was not a big deal. It would only take some time to assess Mrs. Wang's character, which was a good thing for Huabao, so she agreed.
"The method is this: you hide in the dark and have someone pretend to accidentally bump into Mrs. Wang, or step on her.
If she can still speak kindly and not get angry at all, or reason with people with evidence, then it proves you are right, and we shouldn't dismiss her character just because of a bad first impression. But if she acts like we saw this morning, then you and Huabao should stay far away from her."
"Okay." Jiang Qingqing felt much more at ease when she heard that it was just a small test.
Seeing that she still believed Mrs. Wang would not act like she did this morning, Zhang Liunian smiled and turned to go to sleep.
Jiang Qingqing looked at her husband's back, feeling a slight ache in her heart. After she washed up and got into bed, hugging her husband's waist, she spoke again, "Liunian, don't be angry. I promise I'll interact with Mrs. Wang after assessing her."
Zhang Liunian, who hadn't slept, heard this and turned over, pressing her beneath him, his eyes burning like torches. "You think I'm angry about this? I'm angry that you're too careless. If she wanted to harm you, wouldn't you be letting the wolf into the house?"
Jiang Qingqing raised her hand and circled Zhang Liunian's neck, tilting her head to give him a kiss. "I know I was wrong. I'll never do it again. Can you forgive me this once?"
This was the first time Jiang Qingqing had acted so affectionately towards Zhang Liunian. Her soft, lisping voice made him unable to resist.
"I'll find someone to test her tomorrow. If Mrs. Wang is all a pretense, I promise I'll stay far away from her. Can we make up?" Jiang Qingqing saw that Zhang Liunian was not moving, thinking he was still angry. She tilted her head, wanting to kiss him again, but Zhang Liunian grabbed the back of her head and entered forcefully.