Xia Qingqing wanted Qin Chuan and his sister to stay for lunch, but Qin Chuan refused.
Qin Chuan said apologetically, "Sister Qingqing, I still have to deliver vegetables later. My regular customers are waiting for me."
His vegetable prices are actually a bit higher than those of grocery stores, but his vegetables are picked fresh from the fields every day, and he also delivers them to people's homes. So many people are willing to pay a few extra cents, since going to a grocery store involves queuing and you might not even be able to buy fresh produce.
Xia Qingqing understood when she heard that he had something to do later: "Okay, then come to my house to play again next time you have time."
"Okay, Qingqing, we're heading back now. Remember to come tomorrow!" Qin Chuan smiled and waved goodbye to Xia Qingqing.
After watching the brother and sister ride away, Gou Dan looked at his sister with a troubled expression: "Sis, what do you think I should give Xin Xin and the others? How about giving each of them a comic book?"
Xia Qingqing smiled and ruffled his buzz cut: "Forget about comic books, those are for you kids. Think about it again. It's not important whether the gift is expensive or not, it's the thought that counts."
Thoughts? Gou Dan pouted and thought for a long time, then suddenly a brilliant idea struck him: "Then can I give Sister Xin Xin and the others some wild fruits that I picked myself?"
"Of course you can. Picking the fruit yourself shows a lot of sincerity," Xia Qingqing affirmed his idea.
"Hehe, then I'll go pick wild fruits with Da Niu and the others this afternoon," Gou Dan said happily.
Xia Qingqing returned to her room and searched through the system warehouse for a while before finally deciding to give each of the siblings a fountain pen.
But two pens seemed a bit monotonous, so I found a sailor shirt that fit Qin Chuan in his size from the system's inventory, and a light blue dress for Qin Chuxin.
The next day arrived quickly. Before leaving home, Xia Qingqing told Zhang Hongyan that she was taking Gou Dan to a friend's house for dinner.
When Qin Chuan and his group arrived yesterday, Zhang Hongyan and the others were not home, so they did not see the two siblings.
Zhang Hongyan was happy to hear that Qin Chuan and his sister had both been admitted to university.
"That's great. Qingqing, remember to invite people over to play after school starts."
Xia Qingqing had already planned this, and nodded with a smile: "Mom, Gou Dan and I will be leaving now. Is there anything you need me to bring back? Or should we buy a few more pounds of meat?"
Zhang Hongyan quickly shook her head. With her daughter's extravagant spending, how could she dare to let her bring anything again?
"No need, no need. If you need anything, I'll have your dad buy it. You should hurry up and go, don't keep them waiting."
Before dawn, Qin Chu'an rode his bicycle to the countryside to collect vegetables. He also bought a fish and an old hen from the villager he often collected vegetables from. He had arranged to buy these two items the day before and asked the villager to help him prepare them.
Qin Chuan hurriedly delivered the fish and chicken home so Qin Chuxin could start cooking, and then rushed out to deliver vegetables to their regular customers.
Qin Chuxin felt a pang of heartache seeing her brother covered in sweat from exhaustion.
She suggested yesterday that Qin Chuan take a day off today. In the past, even without Qin Chuan delivering groceries, those families still went to the grocery store to buy groceries, so missing a day wouldn't have a big impact.
However, Qin Chu'an felt that since he had promised someone something, he should do it well. It was also because he had always been honest and reliable that he had accumulated such a group of loyal customers.
After delivering all the groceries, Qin Chu'an was on her way back when she suddenly noticed a familiar figure on a bicycle ahead of her. She pedaled hard and caught up with him.
"Sister Qingqing! It really is you guys! I knew you looked so alike."
Xia Qingqing turned her head and saw Qin Chuan, whose clothes were soaked. She asked in surprise, "Xiao An, did you just deliver the vegetables?"
"Yes, I didn't expect to run into you all by such a coincidence," Qin Chu'an said with a bright smile.
Although he looked energetic, Xia Qingqing could still see a trace of fatigue in his eyes.
Upon arriving home, Qin Chuan immediately went to his room to change into clean clothes. His clothes were soaked through, and he was covered in sweat and smelled terrible, so he was worried about bothering his guests.
Qin Chuxin, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the door opening and closing and knew that her brother had returned. She did not come out to check immediately, but when she looked up, she saw Xia Qingqing standing at the kitchen door staring at her.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Qingqing, when did you arrive?"
“I ran into your brother on the way, so we came together,” Xia Qingqing replied with a smile.
Qin Chuxin put down the kitchen knife in her hand and casually wiped her hands on the hem of her clothes: "Sister Qingqing, why don't you go sit down and rest in the main room for a while? I'll go pour you some tea."
"No need to be so polite, let me help you cook. It'll be much faster if the two of you cook together," Xia Qingqing said, stepping forward to help.
Qin Chuxin couldn't agree, of course; there was no reason to ask a guest for help. But in the end, she couldn't persuade Xia Qingqing otherwise.
When Qin Chuan came out after changing his clothes, he found that Xia Qingqing was already peeling garlic in the kitchen.
He went up to try and snatch the garlic from Xia Qingqing's hand, but Xia Qingqing dodged him.
Upon seeing this, Qin Chu'an immediately became anxious: "Sister Qingqing, you're here as a guest, how can we let you do chores?"
"Why are you being so polite with me? Go to the main room and play with Lele for a while. He must be bored by himself," Xia Qingqing said as she pushed Qin Chuan out of the kitchen.
The Qin family's kitchen wasn't very big; it was difficult for three people to stand and turn around. After Qin Chu'an left, the space immediately became much more spacious.
Actually, when Xia Qingqing and the others arrived, Qin Chuxin had already prepared most of the dishes, and all that was left was to cook them.
Xia Qingqing helped peel some garlic, slice some lotus root, and wash some greens before Qin Chuxin kicked her out.
"Qingqing, why don't you go and rest for a while? I'll be able to finish these dishes soon. You can try my cooking later."
Xia Qingqing glanced around and realized there was nothing she could do to help, so she obediently listened to Qin Chuxin and left the kitchen.
Inside the main room, Qin Chu'an and Gou Dan sat staring at each other without saying a word, an awkward atmosphere filling the air.
Finally, Gou Dan took the initiative to start the conversation: "Brother Chu An, do you have to deliver vegetables every day? Isn't it very tiring?"
Qin Chu'an smiled and shook her head: "It's okay, not too tiring."
As long as he can make money, he's not afraid of hardship or fatigue. Besides, making money is always tiring, and he's not as tired as those farmers who work in the fields under the scorching sun.
Dog Egg nodded, seemingly believing but not quite, and continued trying to find a topic to talk about: "I heard from my sister that you got into their school. So, are you going to Beijing for the semester? You and Sister Xin Xin can come to our house as guests... Let me tell you, that roast duck there is so delicious, you must try it sometime... And that braised beef at that state-run restaurant..."
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