On the way, Zhou Qiqi told Deputy Factory Director Zhang that Sister Zhao had arranged to meet her at the intersection at four o'clock, and that she would wait until four-thirty at the latest.
Deputy Factory Director Zhang glanced at his watch; it was already 4:20. It would take at least 30 minutes to get from the factory to the intersection, and he would arrive at 4:50, by which time everyone would have already left.
He suggested.
"Isn't this a wasted trip and a delay? Otherwise, I would have just taken you home to your family compound."
Zhou Qiqi waved her hand, a hint of certainty in her eyes.
"Sister Zhao isn't that kind of person. She's very stubborn. She says it's 4:30, but who knows, she might have to wait until 5:00."
Hearing her say that, Zhang Guoqiang pressed the pedal even harder.
The two arrived at the intersection just after 4:40.
Looking from afar, Sister Zhao was indeed still guarding the same old spot, her blue cloth shirt swaying gently in the wind.
Zhou Qiqi hurriedly went to greet her, "Sister Zhao, were you waiting long?"
Sister Zhao hurriedly waved her hand.
"No, no! I just arrived a little while ago. Something came up on the way and I was delayed."
As he spoke, he took an ice pop from the bamboo basket.
"I bought you a creamy popsicle, eat it quickly!"
Zhou Qiqi pursed her lips, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.
The older woman might not earn more than a few cents a day pulling a cart, but these cream popsicles cost five cents each.
Sister Zhao seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled kindly.
"You said you wanted to eat this morning, but I didn't see any for sale then. I just happened to pass by and saw it, so I bought it on the way."
Although the words weren't explicitly stated, Zhou Qiqi understood that this was a return gift for the pan-fried buns she had brought to her older sister that morning.
Sister Zhao is an honest person; if someone is kind to her, she will repay them tenfold.
As soon as the popsicle wrapper was unwrapped, a sweet aroma mixed with moisture wafted out, and the tip of the stick had already melted into a small point.
Afraid of disappointing her older sister, Zhou Qiqi quickly licked it, the coolness spreading from the tip of her tongue.
On the other side, Sister Zhao had already rolled up her sleeves and was helping Deputy Factory Director Zhang load the snakeskin bags onto the donkey cart.
Zhang Guoqiang had been rushing and riding hard, and his legs were still trembling. He slipped while carrying the bag and tilted to the side.
As luck would have it, there was a fresh pile of dog poop right at my feet.
Sister Zhao wanted to remind him, but she was afraid it would be too late and she was also afraid of getting Qiqi's snakeskin bag dirty. She rushed forward, stretched out her long arm, and picked up Zhang Guoqiang and the bag together, and put them on the donkey cart with a "thump".
Deputy Factory Director Zhang was still shaken, so he quickly patted his chest and said thank you.
Sister Zhao didn't even glance at him, but turned to ask Qiqi if she wanted to come.
Zhou Qiqi waved to Deputy Factory Director Zhang.
"Let's go, let's go, hurry up and go!"
It's almost five o'clock now, and I estimate it will be six o'clock by the time we get back to the military dependents' area.
It's autumn now, and she noticed that Zhouzhou's skin was a bit dry. She was planning to stew some white fungus, lily bulb, and lotus seed soup this afternoon. She had soaked the white fungus and lotus seeds before leaving home this morning, but she didn't know if she would have time to cook them when she got back.
There is no pressure cooker at home.
Seeing her anxious expression, Sister Zhao raised her whip, and the donkey's hooves sent pebbles flying.
Before 5:40, the donkey cart had already stopped at the entrance of the military dependents' compound.
When Zhou Qiqi rushed into the kitchen, the soaked white fungus was still trembling slightly in the basin.
She didn't even bother to wipe her sweat. She tore the white fungus into pieces and threw it into the pot. She turned up the heat to make the water boil, and kept stirring with a wooden spoon until the amber-colored gelatinous substance started to bubble. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
After the gelatinous substance comes out, cook it for another ten minutes or so. I estimate we can have dinner around 6:30, which isn't too late.
In the afternoon, it was just her and Zhouzhou eating. Since they had the white fungus soup, she planned to make a simple wrap, fry some luncheon meat, lettuce, and other things to eat together.
I had just taken out the eggs and was cracking them when I heard someone banging on the door from outside.
"Qiqi, are you back? Open the door quickly! Something's happened!"
Even through several walls, Zhou Qiqi could recognize that it was Sister Cuixiang's voice!
Something happened?
What happened?
Her heart skipped a beat.
The hand gripping the egg tightened, and the yolk dripped onto the floor through her fingers. Without time to clean it up, she rushed to open the door.
As soon as Deng Cuixiang saw her, she quickly said.
"Great! You're home! Come with me right now! Zhouzhou's had an accident at school!"
At first, Zhou Qiqi thought something had happened to Shen Huaichuan during the cross-country race and didn't think about Zhouzhou at all. But when she heard Deng Cuixiang say that, her eyes immediately reddened and she quickly asked.
"Huh? What happened?"
Seeing that her eyes were red, Deng Cuixiang couldn't help but have tears in her own eyes as well, and quickly said...
"Xiang Hai sent a message saying that Zhouzhou and Xiangyang got into a fight at school and were both punished by the teacher to stand in the corner! They want us parents to come and pick them up!"
"Fight? Impossible! How could Zhouzhou possibly fight?"
Zhou Qiqi instinctively retorted, but her feet were already on the ground following Deng Cuixiang as they ran outside.
Before the apron around their waists was untied, Deng Cuixiang ripped it off and threw it on the ground. The two of them ran wildly towards the school in the setting sun, turning a ten-minute walk into more than five minutes.
Zhou Qiqi had never been to the teacher's office before and didn't know where it was, but Deng Cuixiang knew the way and led her there directly.
The first-grade teachers' office is on the far left of a row of bungalows.
The first-grade office is located on the far left of the single-story building, and you can see two small figures standing side by side at the door from afar.
Zhouzhou was wearing a white dress she had just changed into this morning, which was now a muddy gray, with bits of grass and mud on the hem.
Her once neat pigtails were now a mess, with clods of dirt stuck in her black hair. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was covered in ash, and only her eyes were still bright, but they were empty and lifeless.
Zhou Qiqi felt a sharp pain in her heart and rushed over to hug the little girl.
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