'That's Qin Jiqun's voice.'
As Qin Jiao walked into the courtyard, she saw her third uncle, Qin Jiqun, pestering her father, Qin Zhonghui, just as she'd expected. Normally at this hour, Mr. Du would be sitting in the rocking chair, teasing the myna bird under the eaves. But now, the old man wasn't there. The rocking chair swayed, the birdcage was empty, and the clever, talking myna had long since vanished.
Qin Jiao frowned and stepped inside. The moment Qin Jiqun saw her, his face lit up with a saccharine smile. "Ah, Xiao Jiao, you're back from school? How are things? Is studying hard?"
He was certainly laying it on thick.
But Qin Jiao knew exactly what he was after. "Uncle," she said, "what are you doing here?"
"What kind of question is that? This is my niece's home. Why wouldn't I be allowed to visit?"
"Oh, so you *do* remember I'm your niece? If I recall correctly, it wasn't too long ago that you were trying to trade that same niece for a new wife, were you?"
