Chapter 21 Celebration

When I got off work, there was a drizzle in the sky. The raindrops fell on the umbrella, splashing ripples on the umbrella surface and making a clattering sound.

Lin Qiu didn’t feel that today’s rain was annoying at all. When she encountered puddles, she jumped over them lively. In Zhang Guixiang’s words, she was “like a little girl.”

I went to the nursery to pick up Wang Shan. As usual, I exchanged a few words with Teacher Huang, and then the mother and daughter went home holding an umbrella.

Because it was raining, Lin Qiu wrapped Wang Shan in his raincoat and held her in his arms, while Wang Shan held the umbrella over their heads with all her strength.

Under the umbrella, Lin Qiu carefully asked his daughter about her daily life. Wang Shan answered one by one, and occasionally uttered a few innocent words, which made Lin Qiu laugh out loud. Wang Shan also laughed, and the laughter attracted the attention of passers-by.

He first sent Wang Shan home, warned her not to touch electrical wires or climb high, locked the door, and then Lin Qiu hurried to the vegetable market holding an umbrella.

Lin Qiu was lucky today and decided to buy some delicious food to celebrate.

I walked to the cooked food stall and gritted my teeth and bought half a crispy roast duck. The boss chopped it into pieces and put it in a plastic bag. I went to the seafood area and bought a pound of shrimps and weighed a handful of water spinach, and seven dollars was gone.

Seeing a tricycle selling lychees on the roadside, Lin Qiu decided to go for it. He had already spent so much money anyway, so it didn't matter if he spent one or two more dollars.

As a result, I had a handful of lychees in my hand and one dollar and seven cents less in my pocket.

After returning home and putting things away, Lin Qiu prepared to cook. Wash the rice and put it in the pot to cook. While the rice is cooking, put the crispy roast duck on a plate, remove the shrimp heads, pick out the shrimp threads, and wash the water spinach and set it aside to drain.

Wang Shan sat on a chair and ate lychees. She liked eating lychees very much, but eating too many lychees would make her get a sore throat, so Lin Qiu only picked three for her. She did not fight for the food, but peeled the shells with her little hands and took small bites, completely immersed in the sweetness of the lychees.

When Wang Xiuren returned home, the food was already on the table, waiting for him to eat.

"Hey, such a good day today!" Wang Xiuren was surprised, "Did you pick up some money?"

"Yes, I picked up the money!" Lin Qiu joked with him, "Go wash your hands! Can't you see your daughter is about to drool?"

"Right away!"

Wang Xiuren washed his hands and sat at the table. He picked up a piece of roast duck and put it in his mouth. "This roast duck is delicious!"

"If it's delicious, eat more!" Lin Qiu passed the duck leg meat to Wang Shan, "This meal cost me half a day's salary."

"Where did you pick up the money? Take me there!" Wang Xiuren peeled a shrimp for Wang Shan and put it in her bowl, and peeled another for Lin Qiu, "Look, I bribed you."

Lin Qiu smiled and told Wang Xiuren about the big job, "Twenty yuan a day, you can't do it just because you want to!"

"That's great, honey!" Wang Xiuren praised, "Today is indeed worth celebrating."

"Do you know what good news I have for you today?" Wang Xiuren kept it a secret.

"Dad, pick up the money!" Wang Shan suddenly replied while chewing shrimp.

Wang Xiuren laughed out loud, "Yes, Dad did pick up the money, Shanshan is so smart!"

Wang Shan laughed along and continued to eat the duck meat.

Lin Qiu bit into the roast duck, "Did you really pick up money?" He slowed down his chewing speed, "Are you kidding?"

On the one hand, Wang Xiuren felt that it was not a big deal, but on the other hand, he was a little proud. "Brother Man wants me to help him manage the construction site in Century City and give me an extra 300 yuan a month."

When Lin Qiu heard this, he thought that an extra three hundred yuan a month was indeed worth celebrating. "I would have bought a bottle of beer if I had known!"

In this case, it's suitable to clink glasses.

Wang Xiuren hadn't drunk for a long time, and when he heard this, his alcohol addiction was aroused. "How about we celebrate again on the day we get paid?"

"Okay! Let's celebrate again after we get our salary at the end of the month!" Lin Qiu answered unhappily when he saw his greedy look.

"Eat the food quickly! It's getting cold!"

"Eat some vegetables! You eat too!"

Wang Xiuren scratched his head with his hands after peeling shrimps, looking so stupid that it was simply unbearable to look at.

By the end of April, there were finally signs of clearing up in Pengcheng. The sky became bright and the humid days were finally coming to an end.

The sky finally cleared up, and the roof of the HDB flat was already covered with quilts of various colors, including Lin Qiu's house.

Early in the morning, everyone started to feel absent-minded but excited. Because today is April 30th, the day when Hongxiu pays salaries.

It is a custom in every factory to have a holiday on the day when payroll is paid. After receiving their pay, some send their wages home, while others go out shopping, so everyone is particularly excited today.

Lin Qiu was also excited and planned to take Wang Shan out for a walk today, so he asked for leave from the teacher when he picked her up from school yesterday.

The boss lady walked into the finance office with a bag in the expectation of everyone. Seeing this, everyone quickly lined up in a long line.

This month's salary was paid for March. Lin Qiu took Wang Shan's hand and walked slowly in the middle of the line.

Soon it was Lin Qiu's turn.

"Lin Qiu, your salary for March totals four hundred and sixteen yuan and thirty cents. Please check it!" The boss's wife handed the salary calculation sheet to Lin Qiu.

Lin Qiu had a small notebook to keep accounts, so he took a quick glance and confirmed everything was correct, "No problem!"

The boss lady pointed at a certain place on the payroll with her hand wearing a gold ring, "Sign your name here and put your fingerprint on it!"

Lin Qiu did as he was told.

The proprietress then handed the counted bills to Lin Qiu, "Count it!"

After Lin Qiuqing checked everything and confirmed everything was correct, he took his daughter and left.

Zhang Guixiang followed behind the team, chatting and gesticulating with a middle-aged woman, probably a colleague who cut thread ends with her.

"Sister-in-law, do you want me to wait for you?" Lin Qiu and her daughter walked over.

"You go first. I think I'll be here for quite some time." Zhang Guixiang waved her hand. "I'll invite you to go shopping in the market this afternoon!"

"good!"

Lin Qiu carefully put away the salary, then quickly walked back to the rented house holding Wang Shan.

These days, public security is not very good, and many gangsters hope to make some money on payday. If I'm unlucky enough to get robbed, I won't even have tears to cry.

After returning home, he hid his salary, then lay down on the bed with his arms around Wang Shan and planned to take a nap.

Wang Shan was just a child after all, and fell asleep soon. Lin Qiu couldn't sleep because of his biological clock.

She looked at her sleeping daughter carefully. She didn't know if it was because of the bottle of milk she drank every morning, but Shanshan had grown almost an inch taller and her skin had become much whiter, with a rosy face. She now loved to laugh and talked more. She could also count and recite poems, and she didn't look like she came from the countryside at all.

She thought of Wang Xiuren again.

It has been almost three months since he came to Pengcheng. He has not missed a day of work and never complains about the hard work. He seems like a different person. He no longer drinks, smokes less, and helps buy groceries and wash dishes. She suddenly realized that they hadn't had a quarrel since some time ago.

Is it really the butterfly effect?

Did it change in the previous life? Or is this life another world? Lin Qiu couldn't understand.

"Mom, I want to pee!" Wang Shan squinted her eyes and sat up.

Lin Qiu quickly carried her into the bathroom.

Who cares!

Live a good life in this life, love your daughter, your parents and yourself!