1409 Pick Up Skills Everywhere



Qiao Qiang seemed to be living his life like an "old immortal" now. He spent his days at home, eating and sleeping. If he felt bored, he would go out to take a walk around and chat with the neighbors nearby.

The residents living in these two alleys were all quite well-off. Each family had at least about 500 dollars in savings, which meant they were considered to be middle-class households in the capital.

There were also many retirees who lived here. Most of them were senior technicians who were very skillful. Even after they retired, many people still came to visit them to ask for guidance! Qiao Qiang learned a lot from them during this period of time and even brought back many rare playthings which these retirees gave him as gifts.

"Look at this gourd. It's so beautifully carved! Zhang Chao really likes it and keeps asking me for it!" Qiao Qiang said to Qiao Mei as he held up the gourd sculpture which Grandpa Feng had given him.

"Since the kid likes it, why didn't you give it to him?" Qiao Mei asked with a laugh.

In the past, as long as Qiao Mei liked something, Qiao Qiang would give it to her. To him, no matter how precious the thing was, it was not as precious as Qiao Mei.

"No. I sent Zhang Chao directly to your Grandpa Feng's house to learn the skill," Qiao Qiang said with a relaxed expression.

Qiao Mei looked at Qiao Qiang in shock. This was not the first time Qiao Qiang had done such a thing. Some time ago, Qiao Qiang realized that Old Mister Sun, who lived at the entrance of the alley, was very good at calligraphy. Seeing that Zhang Chao liked the writings, he sent Zhang Chao over there to learn calligraphy for a period of time. Later on, he realized that his neighbor, Grandpa Liu, was quite knowledgeable about cars, so he also sent Zhang Chao over to study for a period of time.

Nowadays, everyone in the alley was very fond of Zhang Chao. There were even a few retirees who wanted to take Zhang Chao in as their disciple and teach him everything they knew.

"Is Zhang Chao happy about this? Does he like to learn all these skills?" Qiao Mei asked.

"That kid always goes out after dinner to take a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone wants to teach him something. That kid is obedient and smart and willing to learn. These old fellows all have their own set of skills and they all want to pass down their skills down to someone. They all treat Zhang Chao like a piece of treasure!" Qiao Qiang said proudly.

"Grandfather, no matter what happens outside today, can you refrain from going out to take a look?" Qiao Mei said.

"Huh? Isn't it Xia Xing's engagement party today? The Shao family isn't willing to let their daughter marry Xia Xing?" Qiao Qiang asked curiously.

Qiao Mei did not know how to explain the situation. She blushed and said, "It's… it's just like back then, when Xia Zhe and I…"

Qiao Qiang immediately understood what she meant and even felt a little embarrassed. He was even the one who orchestrated the whole thing between Qiao Mei and Xia Zhe back then! Whenever he thought about that day, he still felt apologetic towards Xia Zhe.

"I get what you mean… Is the Shao family really so bold? I thought Xia Xing had already agreed to marry her? It's so unnecessary to do such a thing," Qiao Qiang said.

"That's because it's not Xia Xing, but Xia Wen," Qiao Mei explained.

Qiao Qiang was a little surprised to hear this, but that feeling passed quickly. Xia Wen was definitely an eligible bachelor. Most single women would fall for Xia Wen after knowing him for a while. He was good-looking, had a good family background, a nice character, a great job, and most importantly, he was trustworthy and responsible. Such a man was hard to come by.

"I get it. You have to protect yourself too. Are the two children alright? Why don't you leave them in my room? It's safe here," Qiao Qiang asked in detail.

"The children are with my mother now. The Shao family won't go over there. My mother-in-law even asked Luo Yu to guard the main door there. It's definitely much safer than our side," Qiao Mei said.

"That's good. You have to be careful and don't be rash," Qiao Qiang reminded her.

"I know." After saying that, Qiao Mei left Qiao Qiang's room. It was starting to get dark and Shao Tu and Shao Xian were about to throw up from all the drinking they did with Xia Wen. Feeling that the timing was right, Xia Wen pretended to be drunk and "fainted" over the table.

"Xia Wen? Wake up?" Shao Tu gave Xia Wen a push to test his reaction.

Seeing that there was no reaction from Xia Wen, Shao Xian and Shao Tu discussed for a bit and decided to bring Xia Wen to the backyard to rest.

"We'll bring Xia Wen inside to rest! You guys continue chatting!" Shao Xian said.

Shao Chun wanted to go forward to help, but Xia He stopped her.

"Auntie, where are you going?" Xia He asked.

"All of them had a lot to drink, so I want to go and help out. It would be bad if they fall and damage something," Shao Chun explained.