Chapter 604: Chapter 594: The Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Stepping Stone 82
Anning really investigated the young man named Xu Han.
Upon the investigation, some real issues came to light.
Anning learned about Jingyu dating someone from Liu Qi, but she had never seen Xu Han herself and didnāt know what kind of person he was.
Initially, Anning didnāt want to interfere too much, thinking Jingyu, being mature and worldly, wouldnāt be easily deceived.
But after hearing what Xiao Shiman said, Anning started to take it seriously.
She stayed in the Capital for a while, secretly observed Xu Han outside his school, and looked into his family background, then she discovered something shocking.
Xu Hanās father, Xu Mao, was precisely the man who eloped with Wang Baozhu.
What a goddamn mess of relationships.
Anning felt like cursing after finding out about this.
Just for this reason alone, Anning would never allow Li Jingyu to be with Xu Han.
Moreover, Xu Hanās behavior was really not good; he always hung out with the wrong crowd, and it was only under his fatherās coercion that he managed to enter a fairly decent university. During his university years, he dated a girl who was pretty and gentle but came from a poor rural family. Xu Han liked the girl but only wanted to have fun without any responsibility.
As a result of Xu Hanās playful attitude, the girl ended up pregnant and was expelled from the university due to some issues.
The girlās hometown was extremely remote, and her family was poor. It was a struggle for them to send her to university, hoping she would get a good job and help the family. But then she got expelled from university due to the pregnancy, and her father nearly beat her to death.
The girl tried to commit suicide by jumping into a river but was rescued, only to become mentally unstable afterwards.
With that incident, Xu Han did not dare to date anyone from the school and got into messy relationships in society, eventually contracting an STD from promiscuity.
After learning all this, Anning immediately called Li Jingyu and asked her to come over after school.
Li Jingyu was in her office, grading papers while talking to Xu Han.
Xu Han, with a smile on his face, said, "Iāve told my mom about us, and sheās really happy. When do you have time to visit my place?"
Xu Hanās pretense was of a gentle and refined man, who seemed very willing to help others in school, appearing to have a good character, which Li Jingyu liked very much. After dating for a while, she thought it might be time to pay a visit to Xuās family.
"Letās wait for a bit, my mom is also in the Capital these days, I need to accompany her."
Li Jingyu thought for a moment and then told Xu Han, "Iāll surely visit before the winter vacation."
"Your aunt is here?"
Xu Han was startled and hurriedly said, "Why didnāt you say so earlier? Does... does your aunt know about us?"
Li Jingyu smiled gently, "She knows."
"Then, I need to meet your aunt. What should I buy for her? What does she like?"
Xu Han looked anxious, trying to please Li Jingyu.
"I havenāt told my mom about your visit yet; let me tell her first so she can also prepare, okay?"
"Okay, okay."
Xu Han eagerly nodded, "Do you know how anxious I am to stay with you forever? I really canāt wait to get married."
After finishing grading the papers and noticing the school was about to end soon, Li Jingyu stood up, poured a cup of tea, and while drinking it, told Xu Han, "I need to accompany my mother tonight, so I canāt have dinner with you."
"Thatās understandable," Xu Han, showing great manners, said, "Go ahead, and send my regards to your aunt."
When the school was over, Li Jingyu left with a happy mood to find Anning.
Meanwhile, Xu Han happily returned home.
As he entered his house, his mom asked, "When are you bringing home the girl youāre dating?"
Xu Han said with a smile, "Soon, sheās busy these days, but she should come to visit in the next few days."
Mrs. Xu quickly asked Xu Han to sit down, "Look, Iāve told you, once youāre married, you canāt move out. Iāve worked hard for most of my life, and once a daughter-in-law comes into the house, I need to take it easy. Iām still waiting for her to do the chores."
"Of course."
Without giving it a second thought, Xu Han agreed: "She will definitely do the household chores, mom, donāt worry, Jingyu is an industrious girl, she will not let you get tired, from now on, you just wait to enjoy life."
Hearing Xu Han say this, Mrs. Xu was quite satisfied.
What she was mainly satisfied with was Li Jingyuās identity as an outstanding teacher.
Li Jingyu has a good educational background, and since she became a teacher, she has been very devoted and responsible. She has taught three graduating classes, each of which performed exceptionally well in the college entrance examinations, and the students all liked her a lot. Last year, she was even awarded the title of Outstanding Teacher.
The school, in order to retain her, offers her not only a good bonus but also allocated a faculty apartment to her.
Of course, this kind of allocated apartment is not free, but one needs to spend some money, though it is already much cheaper compared to the market prices outside.
After Li Jingyu went to university, she has been saving money; she took some tutoring jobs while studying, plus the money given by her seniors every year, and the rewards from elders for getting into university, all of which amounted to quite a sum.
After her university, Yuzhen was learning financial management with Anning. Yuzhen was very interested in finance and wanted to explore the stock market, but since she did not have much saved money herself, she used the money of her siblings to invest.
Although Yuzhen was young, she was exceptionally talented in finance. She had unique insights and a steady and decisive nature. She managed to earn a lot after a round in the stock market.
And Li Jingyu also earned quite a bit through this, she handed over the money she earned and her subsequent earnings to Yuzhen for management, and indeed, over the years, the money has been growing more and more.
For Li Jingyu, the money required for the school-allocated apartment really was not much.
She chose a three-bedroom apartment, paid for it straight away, and moved in after it was furnished, thus establishing her own little home in the Capital.
And Xu Hanās pursuit of Li Jingyu was also because of this.
Mrs. Xu, pulling Xu Han along, chattered: "Once youāre married and move into our house, Jingyuās apartment will be vacant, I was thinking of letting your cousin move in. Your cousin is also getting married, the bride requests a house, but you know your uncleās financial situation; he canāt come up with that much money, so Iām thinking of borrowing Jingyuās house for him to live in temporarily."
Xu Han really was a filial son; he dared to promise whatever his mother said.
The two of them were really thinking beautifully, daydreaming even in broad daylight.
Li Jingyu didnāt know any of this.
She took a taxi and found the address given by Anning.
When she got there, Li Jingyu was really quite surprised.
This area is in the old city district, featuring those old-style Capital alleyways and surrounded by courtyard houses everywhere.
And the address Anning gave was a two-courtyard quad.
Li Jingyu stood outside the courtyard and knocked on the door.
Soon the courtyard door opened, Anning smilingly said: "Come in quickly."
"Mom, why are you living here?"
Li Jingyu asked as she walked.
Anning led her on a thorough tour of the courtyard: "What do you think, not bad, right?"
Li Jingyu particularly liked this kind of old house, and after seeing Anningās renovations, she liked it even more: "Itās great, the layout of this house is good, and mom, your renovations are good too."
"I bought it last year. Look, itās just been renovated."
Anning took Li Jingyu to sit down in the living room: "What would you like to drink? Soda, coffee, or tea?"
"Tea, please."
Li Jingyu leaned back on the sofa, relaxing completely.
Anning brewed some tea and brought it over: "Is your work at the school tiring? If so, next year consider teaching just first-year students, donāt always take on the graduating class, it can truly be exhausting."
Anning had also been an Outstanding Teacher and had taught many graduating classes, so she understood the hardships of managing graduating classes.
"No worries."
Li Jingyu smiled lightly: "I find teaching the graduating class very rewarding. I do my best to help the students improve their grades, to get them into the colleges of their choice. When itās time to send them off, their happiness makes me happy too..."
Anning smiled and asked about more work-related matters, then came to the main point: "This Xu Han, do you know him well?"