The people inside were having a great time talking.
As soon as one voice fell, another eagerly followed, their words coming out one after another at a rapid pace, like a machine gun, one sentence after another.
"Yes, Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law Wang, look at her! She's only been selling flowers for you for a few days, and she's already wearing new clothes. The colors are so bright, you can tell the material is good quality. It's all your family's money that's being spent!"
Upon hearing that sarcastic tone, Zhou Qiqi frowned. It was none other than Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan, those two troublemakers.
These two people usually like to hang out in the alley, gossiping about everyone and everything, and they can't stand seeing the people around her doing well.
Earlier in the square, I heard them say that Sister Cuixiang's business was a disgrace to her husband, and now they've set their sights on Zhao Damei.
Zhao Damei wasn't from a military dependents' area, and had no grudge against them, yet she was still gossiping about them behind their backs.
Just as the two finished speaking, Granny Wang's leisurely voice came out as well.
"Yes, those clothes are even brighter than my old woman's clothes; they're obviously new fabric, and I reckon they weren't cheap..."
Granny Wang's words even carried a hint of sourness, making Zhou Qiqi feel uneasy and her brows furrow even more.
She cleared her throat and coughed loudly twice on purpose.
"Ahem... Sister-in-law Wang, are you home? It's me, Qiqi. I've come to bring you something!"
Her voice was clear and crisp, like a lark, and the chattering house instantly fell silent.
Half a minute later, Sister-in-law Wang came out of the house somewhat awkwardly, with an unnatural smile on her face, and waved to Zhou Qiqi.
"Oh, Qiqi, you're here! Come in, come in and sit down."
Zhou Qiqi smiled politely, but didn't move her feet. She simply raised the bundle she was holding in her arms.
"I won't go in. I have things to do at home. The hawthorns I brought are quite heavy. See where I can put them?"
Her eyes darted around, a hint of probing in them.
Sister-in-law Wang immediately understood what she meant, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes, and said.
"Let's put it in the backyard cellar. Come on, I'll go with you."
There was still no movement inside; it was so quiet it was as if no one was there. You couldn't even hear breathing. I wonder if they were all holding their breath.
Zhou Qiqi deliberately walked a little slower, making them hold their breath a little longer, hoping they would develop some health problems from holding it in.
Sister-in-law Wang didn't say anything more, nodded her chin towards her cellar, and led Zhou Qiqi over.
She hadn't seen it clearly from inside the house, but when she came out, she saw that Zhou Qiqi was carrying such a big bag of hawthorns, and she quickly said...
"Look at you, you're here, that's fine, we can chat and talk, but why did you bring such a big bag of hawthorns?"
As Sister-in-law Wang spoke, she reached out to take it, but Zhou Qiqi quickly stepped back and shook her head.
"No need, no need, just open the cellar door quickly."
Sister-in-law Wang responded and jogged over to open the cellar door. She then reached out to help Zhou Qiqi slowly walk down the steps, carefully reminding her, "It's dark inside, be careful on the steps."
Digging a cellar is a big project and will cost a lot of money. Unlike Zhou Qiqi's family, Wang's family didn't dig such a big cellar. It was just low and short, enough to hold things.
Zhou Qiqi said as she carefully walked down the path.
“I didn’t take this. Sister Mei gave it to you. She said the two kids picked wild hawthorns in the mountains themselves. Look, they’re very fresh.”
Sister-in-law Wang looked up and took a closer look. She saw that the hawthorns in the bag were all big and red, with green calyxes still attached to the stems. They looked so fresh and delicious.
She smiled and nodded: "It's fresh."
After saying that, he tilted his head, his face full of doubt.
“I remember she had two children, an eight-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. How could she be so sensible at such a young age? I know that wild hawthorns grow on hillsides and the branches are covered with thorns, so they are not easy to pick.”
Zhou Qiqi placed the hawthorns steadily in the corner that Sister Wang pointed to, straightened up, patted the dust off her clothes, and said with a smile.
"They also gave me a bag of hawthorns. Sister Da Mei's family is poor, and the children are grateful, but they don't have anything of value to offer, so they have no choice but to risk picking these mountain produce."
At this point, her expression turned serious, and her eyes were full of sincerity.
"They are all honest people."
Sister-in-law Wang smiled and reached out to hold Zhou Qiqi's hand.
"Yes, yes, I know. I could tell she was a good person when we were discussing the collaboration. Don't worry, I don't doubt her. After all, I don't go out myself, and she's the one who runs the errands and puts in the effort to make money selling flowers. I won't be swayed by others, and I certainly won't hand this job over to someone else."
Zhou Qiqi's heart tightened suddenly. She had only thought that Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan were trying to sow discord because they couldn't stand the people around her doing well and making money. She never expected that they would actually be thinking about stealing her business.
She was furious.
Just two days ago, these two were gossiping in the square, saying that Sister Cuixiang's business was a disgrace to her husband.
They're shamelessly trying to steal my job right now; they have no shame whatsoever.
Zhou Qiqi bit her lip and gripped Wang Dasao's hand tightly in return.
“Sister-in-law Wang, although this cooperation is a matter between the two of you, I did recommend Sister Damei after all, so I have a few words to say in her defense. I also hope that you can tell Grandma Wang about it later.”
Sister-in-law Wang nodded, signaling her to continue.
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