章 8: Chapter 008: Who Are You Really Looking at Through Me?

The matter had escalated to a point where it had already caused a sensation in a small circle.

After all, aside from her academic performance, Song Jiawen's appearance was quite outstanding, and many in the village took notice of her.

Further spurred by the eager spread of the news by Li Yun's friends, it wasn't long before a crowd had gathered at the doorstep of the Song household.

At this time, Song Xiwen, with her child in tow, was hiding in the home of a childhood friend, quite a distance away, across half the village.

But even that distance couldn't prevent word from reaching her.

Someone rushed into her friend's home, informing her that there was trouble at her house, and it concerned her sister, urging her to hurry back.

Song Xiwen thought it must be a quarrel involving Jiajia with the Chen Family and her aunt and grandmother, so she quickly picked up her son and rushed home.

But just as she stepped through the door, she heard a familiar voice from the main room asking where she had gone.

Xue Ying?

Why had she come?

"Auntie..."

Haohao's call snapped Song Xiwen out of her thoughts and also drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Song Jiawen bent down to pick up Haohao, who ran towards her, and then stood still behind Xie Yanhai. She glanced at Song Xiwen as she entered, then quickly turned her head, refusing to look in her direction again.

Song Xiwen felt uneasy in her heart, sensing that the course of events had veered off from what she had anticipated.

And where were the people from the Chen Family?

What about her selfish aunt and grandmother?

Without drawing attention to herself, she quickly scanned the main room. Her maternal grandparents, uncle, and aunt were all present, and there sat her old schoolmate Xue Ying, next to Jiajia's homeroom teacher, Teacher Yu, whom she had met twice at parent-teacher meetings.

Sitting by Teacher Yu was Principal Wang.

Principal Wang, Teacher Yu, Xue Ying...

Why had they come?

Had they heard the news about Jiajia not participating in the college entrance exam?

Impossible, how could the news have spread so quickly?

But apart from that, she could think of no other reason why the principal of Jianghai Middle School and Jiajia's class teacher would be at their house at this time.

In the whirl of thoughts that took mere seconds, Song Xiwen greeted her grandparents and Principal Wang before addressing Xue Ying, "Why have you come at this time? Is there some kind of emergency?"

"You don't know?"

Xue Ying's face showed puzzlement. She was always forthright, and her feelings were clearly reflected on her face.

Now she looked incredulously at Song Xiwen, "Your grandmother and aunt brought someone to your house for Song Jiawen's matchmaking, causing such a commotion, and you knew nothing about it?"

Before Song Xiwen could respond, Xie Jingying quickly interjected, "We didn't tell her, she genuinely did not know. The place she went to this morning was fairly far from here, isn't it normal that she didn't hear anything?"

Song Laosan, who had been silent so far, also spoke up, "We were also afraid that she would argue with her grandmother and aunt, and it would look bad, which is why we kept it from her."

The implication from both was the same: Song Jiawen's matchmaking with the Chen Family was kept secret from her elder sister.

Xue Ying looked at Song Xiwen, then at Song Jiawen, and finally at Xie Jingying and Song Laosan, and let out a cold, scoffing laugh, choosing to say no more.

That scoff felt like a slap on Song Xiwen's face, causing her carefully maintained image as a good elder sister to crumble.

Principal Wang didn't want to meddle in other families' affairs, but with Song Jiawen's college entrance exams at stake, he couldn't back down.

He had also realized that Song Jiawen's parents were not kind to her; if it had been possible to reason with such people, he wouldn't be sitting here right now.

Fortunately, he knew Xie Yanhai.

Principal Wang took Xie Yanhai outside for a thorough talk before leaving with the two teachers.

Afterwards, only the Song household remained, along with Shi Peirong—oh, and there was one more.

Jiang Yan squatted by the side of the door in the main room, a straw in his mouth. With the earlier crowd, he had gone unnoticed.

Xie Jingying looked at him and said, "Young Jiang..."

"Got it, I'm going," replied Jiang Yan as he patted the dust off his bottoms and stood. He turned to Song Jiawen and said, "I'll head over to my grandma's place first, just call me when you leave."

After finishing, he waved courteously at Shi Peirong and Xie Yanhai and Li Yun, "I'll be taking off now, goodbye Grandma, Uncle, Auntie."

Once Jiang Yan had left, Song Laosan closed the big gate to the courtyard and dispersed the few onlookers still at the doorstep.

"What's there to see? Get on home," he said.

"Song Laosan, are you really planning to marry Jiajia off to your sister's in-law's nephew?"

"They say he's the dean's son; it's quite normal for Song Laosan to want a dean as his relative by marriage."

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