Ah Qiao

Part 9 [End]

13

From the teachers to the students at Guanhe Academy, everyone noticed how Dr. Meng kept a close watch on anyone near Madam Ah Qiao.
Xu Chang rolled his eyes and commented that Dr. Meng was like someone who had lost a treasure, seeing a thief in everyone.

And really, who wouldn't like Madam Ah Qiao?

She was gentle, easy to talk to, and an excellent cook.

Even when people delayed paying her for mending or washing, she didn't hold it against them.

Seeing Meng He Shu so anxious and worried only made me chuckle.

Not everyone, after all, lives their life in such a mess that they always treated others as their second choice.
After finishing the entrance examination at the academy, Bai'er was filled with pride and satisfaction.

In the evening, Ah Hu returned looking dejected, like a defeated rooster, with his head hung low and his eyes downcast.

The two of them stood at the doorway, and somehow, Ah Hu appeared to be half a head shorter than he really was.

Bai'er, having achieved excellent results, proudly lifted his chin, waiting for my praise:

"Mother! I got first place! The teacher couldn't stop praising me!"

Ah Hu was on the verge of tears:

"Mother, Ah Hu was useless, I didn't pass the exam."

I asked him, "Did you at least have a good meal this afternoon?"

Choking up, Ah Hu responded, "...Yes, I did, but I was in a bad mood, so I only ate two chicken legs."

I patted Ah Hu's head:

"That's good enough. Now wipe away your tears and come eat."

Bai'er looked at me in disbelief:

"Mother, are you crazy? I did better than him, I'm smarter than him, even the teacher praised me..."

Bai'er, love doesn't work that way.

Love isn't about comparison or weighing.
Love doesn't allow for comparison or weighing.

I know I'm not as beautiful as Miss Yu Zhe, and I'm aware that I'm not as skilled at making people happy as she is.

Bai'er, I never needed you to lie or to pretend that the silver hairpin looked better on me than on Miss Yu Zhe.

What you shouldn't have done was compare me to her in the first place.

Ah Hu might not be able to excel in academics, but the teacher suggested that, with his strength and build, he could train in martial arts.

I thought it was a good idea.

In the future, with martial arts skills, he could support himself as a bodyguard or even earn a name for himself on the battlefield.

But to train in martial arts, we couldn't stay at Guanhe Academy; we'd have to go to Sucheng.

I packed our things and took the letter of recommendation that the headmaster of Guanhe Academy had written for me.

The headmaster smiled and said, "In the past, there was Mencius's mother [1]; today, we have Qiao's mother."

Ah Hu cried as he knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times with a resounding thud:
"Mother has given me a second chance at life. If it weren't for you, Ah Hu would have already rotted in the mud."

The day we set off, a bothersome autumn rain drizzled down.

The boatman called out from the shore in a crisp voice:

"Anyone else going to Sucheng?"

Meng He Shu was the last to find out that I was leaving.

He rushed to the dock with Bai'er, but it seemed the boat was playing tricks on him.

When the people from the academy were bidding me farewell, the boat refused to depart, but as soon as he arrived, it gently drifted away from the shore.

Though only a river separated us, it felt like an uncrossable chasm.

He didn't make it in time and could only call out to me from afar:

"Ah Qiao—"

I wasn't sure what more there was to say to them, feeling hesitant.

But the boatman, noticing my hesitation, lifted his straw hat to reveal a familiar face:

"Madam Ah Qiao, once you're on the boat, don't look back at where you came from—only focus on where you're going."

I understood the deeper meaning of his words. With a relieved smile, I asked him:

"Will two taels of silver be enough for this boy and me to reach Sucheng?"

"Madam, you're joking! That'll get you to Sucheng with some left over!"

(The End of Main Story)

________
Footnote:

[1] Mencius (孟子) is a Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar. Mencius' mother (孟母) is a famous figure in Chinese history known for her dedication to her son's education, famously moving three times to find the best environment for his upbringing.