"Who else could it be?"
Zhou Qiqi's lips curled slightly as she gestured with her chin toward the neighboring yard, her tone laced with a mixture of sarcasm and helplessness.
Isn't she just Qiu Chunfang from next door?
The entanglement between the two is quite complex.
The first time was when Zhou Qiqi was on her way to join the army. She ordered a train meal that cost 1.25 yuan, and Qiu Chunfang immediately started finding fault with her, scolding her for being extravagant and wasteful in front of everyone on the train.
However, in the end, Qiu Chunfang was severely reprimanded by her and was even taken in for questioning by the train police.
The second time, Zhou Qiqi finally arrived at the military dependents' area, only to be picked up by Qiu Chunfang again. Qiu Chunfang insisted that Zhou Qiqi was not Shen Huaichuan's wife, which almost resulted in her being put in solitary confinement.
Fortunately, she was quick-witted and retorted on the spot, making Qiu Chunfang lose face in front of everyone in the security department.
The third time was about building the toilet. Qiu Chunfang took advantage of the fact that her house was the only way to get the pipes, thinking she would make a big fuss about Zhou Qiqi and make some money off her.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qiqi took a different approach, and Qiu Chunfang not only didn't get a penny, but also gained a reputation for harming others without benefiting herself, and was criticized by many people behind her back.
These three times alone were enough for Qiu Chunfang to hate her.
During this time, there was no shortage of gossip about Zhou Qiqi behind her back.
She appeared to have toned down her behavior somewhat this past week.
But Zhou Qiqi would always catch a glimpse of her peeking furtively through the crack in the door, her eyes full of ill intent.
Last night, when Director Zhou came to confront her, she was momentarily careless, and Qiu Chunfang probably overheard her.
Sure enough, Qiu Chunfang immediately ran to Li Hongjuan to complain.
This Li Hongjuan is no pushover either.
Because Zhou Qiqi and Zhu Yingying were close, he didn't like Zhou Qiqi very much.
With Qiu Chunfang adding fuel to the fire, it was now concluded that Zhou Qiqi had seduced Lei Ming, which prevented her from becoming related to Commissar Lei.
With these two troublemakers from the military dependents' district joining forces, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the entire district in less than a day.
Upon hearing this, Deng Cuixiang's face flushed red with anger. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront someone, her eyes filled with fury.
"Those two are absolutely outrageous! Come on, I'll go talk to her for you!"
She strode forward, looking ready to fight to the death.
Although she had only known Zhou Qiqi for a little over half a month, she already considered Zhou Qiqi as family and couldn't bear to see her suffer any grievances.
Zhou Qiqi quickly reached out to stop her.
"Sister Cuixiang, don't get so agitated. They've been gossiping behind our backs more than once or twice. If we confront her like this, she definitely won't admit it!"
Deng Cuixiang was so anxious that she stomped her feet, and the veins on her neck bulged out.
"Even if she doesn't admit it, we still have to give her a piece of our mind. We can't just let her tarnish your reputation like this, can we? Don't worry, I'll help you scold her! I refuse to believe I can't out-argue her!"
Her chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with resentment.
Just kidding, Deng Cuixiang grew up eating chili peppers, and no one has ever been able to out-choke her since she was a child.
"Sister Cuixiang, calm down and listen to me."
Zhou Qiqi gently shook Deng Cuixiang's shoulder, her expression serious.
"She's already spread all the rumors she wanted to spread. The whole family compound is buzzing about it, just waiting to see what happens. If I go and argue with her, even if I win, people will think I'm just angry because my shameful secret has been exposed, and I'll have no good reputation at all!"
Deng Cuixiang was stunned; she had been blinded by anger.
Now that I've calmed down and listened to it, I have to admit that Zhou Qiqi is right, and we really shouldn't go.
She deflated instantly, but her face was still full of resentment.
"What should we do then? Are we just going to swallow this bitter pill?"
Zhou Qiqi shook her head firmly, a sly glint in her eyes.
"How could that be? I, Zhou Qiqi, am not that kind of person!"
She looked down at the dough balls in the basin that were gradually expanding, lost in thought.
A moment later, her eyes lit up, and she leaned close to Deng Cuixiang's ear and whispered something.
As she spoke, she put her rosy lips close to Deng Cuixiang's ear and whispered something.
Deng Cuixiang, who had been looking worried, couldn't help but smile as she listened, and her eyebrows and eyes relaxed.
But then she became worried and asked with a frown, "Will it work?"
Zhou Qiqi straightened her back, her face full of pride.
"Why not? We need Sister Cuixiang and Yingying to help out."
She leaned closer to Deng Cuixiang and whispered a few words of advice. Deng Cuixiang nodded repeatedly, as if she were pounding garlic.
"No problem, this is a small matter, I'll take care of it!"
After saying that, she hurriedly went next door and called Zhu Yingying over.
The three women sat around in the courtyard, chattering away for a long time.
They whispered among themselves, clapped and laughed, and finally settled on a plan.
In such a short time, it's already getting late, around 5:30.
Zhou Qiqi made a lot of dough this time, so she simply fried it all up and had Deng Cuixiang and Zhu Yingying each take one back.
This will save the two of them from having to cook (or buy) food so late at night.
She skillfully kneaded, rolled out, and fried the dough. Before long, golden, crispy, and hollow fried pancakes were ready, and the aroma of fried food wafted over the military dependents' compound.
She also prepared a side dish with both meat and vegetables. The meat was thinly sliced pork belly, which sizzled and crisped in a frying pan.
The vegetarian dish consisted of sweet potato sprouts picked from their own backyard.
The seedlings that Sister Cuixiang helped her plant a little over a week ago are now growing tender and green. Stir-frying them with minced garlic is a perfect way to cut through the richness of the dish.
Deng Cuixiang happily carried a plate of fried dough home. Along the way, many military wives who were chatting and picking vegetables under a big tree saw her.
Their eyes were immediately drawn to it, and some couldn't help but swallow hard, saying enviously.
"I think it came from Commander Shen's house. They eat so well every day! These fried dough sticks must have used a lot of oil! How many did they fry?"
One of the military wives immediately curled her lip, her tone sour.
"If you're envious, go be a vixen! You can seduce men everywhere and still eat so well!"
This sentence is like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.
Several military wives immediately gathered together and began to whisper among themselves.
"You've all heard, haven't you? No wonder she's been buying meat and vegetables every day, and no one's seen her going into town on the shopping truck. Turns out she's riding in Commissar Lei's big car..."
"I never would have guessed! Zhou Qiqi seems so quiet and well-behaved on the surface, but she's actually doing this kind of thing behind the scenes. She's shameless!"
"Are Commander Shen and Lei Ming blind? How could they have been bewitched by this vixen?"
"Who says otherwise? If Sister Qiu hadn't seen it, we wouldn't have known!"
As they spoke, they shook their heads and sighed, their eyes filled with disdain.
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