Qin Lei drove her home in the military region's jeep, and it was almost six o'clock when they arrived.
Zhu Yingying had just returned from the military canteen with her food, so I'll add a dish for her.
These past few days she has finally started eating properly again, and with the medicine prescribed by the doctor every day, her complexion has become much rosier.
Remembering her previous "famine-stricken" appearance, Zhou Qiqi was filled with anger and lightly tapped her forehead with her fingertip.
"Yingying, you need to be more careful. We're all college graduates, how can we believe in such feudal superstitions as 'tying a doll to someone'?"
Zhu Yingying blushed, lowered her head, and murmured.
"I know I was wrong. I don't know what came over me at the time; I was just single-mindedly focused on getting involved..."
Looking back now, I feel incredibly stupid; I almost buried my head in my clothes.
Zhou Qiqi was deeply moved after reading it.
She had seen plenty of news like this in her past life—so many highly educated, worldly people falling for simple scams.
Just like elderly people saving money to buy health products, or middle-aged women pouring their hearts out to a fake "Jin Dong" on their phones.
Some things are less about deception and more about people being blinded by their own obsessions.
Zhu Yingying has been married for more than three years and still doesn't have children. She wants children so much that she can't sleep at night, so she's fallen into the trap of unorthodox methods.
At this point, you need someone to lend you a hand so you can come to your senses.
While Zhou Qiqi was lecturing, she gently patted Zhu Yingying's shoulder.
"You're still young, relax, listen to the doctor and take good care of yourself, you'll have a child sooner or later."
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Zhou Qiqi told her to call her when she went for her follow-up appointment before hurrying off to Deng Cuixiang's house.
As the sun set, it bathed the alleyway in a warm golden light, and from afar, one could see a dozen or so little boys huddled in a circle, all lying on the ground.
A dozen little bottoms were sticking out high, swaying with each movement, instantly attracting Zhou Qiqi's attention.
Among them, Jiang Xiangyang, who is right in the center, has the highest buttock sticking out.
The little boy was focused, flicking the glass beads with his wrist, hitting them one by one into his own hole.
His little pit was almost full of marbles of all colors—red, green, and transparent with gold dust.
After finishing the last note, he casually wiped away his sweat. Sunlight streamed through his damp hair, casting a string of colorful spots in the dents.
After wiping away his sweat, the transparent marble, along with the remaining marbles outside, all rolled into his pit.
"I won!"
He lifted the hem of his faded blue cotton jacket to use as a pocket, and shoveled all the marbles in the pit into it. His little face was covered in dirt, but his eyes shone like fallen stars.
A little boy sniffed, wiped the snot bubble off the tip of his nose with his fingertip, and left a gray mark on his trouser leg with his fingertip.
"Xiangyang, how come you're so good all of a sudden? You won all our marbles!"
Another boy in a sailor shirt frowned and muttered something.
"Exactly! He used to try and steal from my pockets when he lost all his money, but now he's like a completely different person?"
Jiang Xiangyang emptied the marbles from his jacket into his jeans pocket. The pants Zhou Qiqi had made for him fit perfectly, with all four large pockets bulging and making a "whoosh" sound when he walked.
He tilted his little face up, his ear tips as red as ripe cherry tomatoes, and pretended to be nonchalant, rubbing the tip of his nose with the back of his hand.
Hehe~ I won't tell you~
Before he could finish speaking, he strode out, saying, "I'm not playing anymore, my mom's calling me for dinner!"
The boys immediately erupted in excitement, clamoring for another round.
One child was so upset he kept slapping his knee, "You won the whole box of new beads my mom just bought me!"
Another grabbed his sleeve and wouldn't let go, saying, "My gold-threaded one is still with you!"
Jiang Xiangyang shook his head like a rattle drum, as agile as a little mudfish, slipping through the gaps in the crowd, the marbles in his pocket jingling as he ran.
"I'm really not coming! I still need to help Zhouzhou set the table!"
A chorus of cheers and jeers rose from behind.
"Aren't you ashamed, Zhouzhou? You're always hanging out with girls!"
"Shame on you! Pick your face!"
......
Zhou Qiqi couldn't help but chuckle, wanting to hear more of their jokes about Xiang Yang.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the group of little boys squatted down again, their round-headed figures forming a circle once more.
At this moment, Liao Xiaolei and Liao Xiaofeng, brothers, came over and squeezed into the circle with marbles in their hands.
The snotty-nosed child, upon seeing them, immediately stuffed the beads into his pocket, sniffled, and said, "I'm going home for dinner too," before running off in his open-toed cloth shoes.
Seeing this, the other children also dispersed in twos and threes, leaving only four-year-old Qiu Yaozu in the end.
He was too young, and Qiu Chunfang was afraid he would accidentally swallow marbles, so she never bought them for him. At this moment, he could only squat on the side and watch with longing.
The Liao brothers stood there, clutching their marbles, looking at each other, their thin backs conveying a sense of helplessness and loneliness.
Looking at their drooping heads, Zhou Qiqi's heart softened; she felt sorry for the two children.
When they arrived at Deng Cuixiang's house, Xiangyang was showing off the beads he had won to Zhouzhou in the yard, and teaching Zhouzhou how to play.
Zhouzhou didn't seem to know how to play. Her posture and angle were correct, but she was just weak and powerless. Xiangyang helped her flick the marbles out and took out a bunch of marbles he had won, letting her choose whichever she wanted.
When the two children saw Zhou Qiqi return, they quickly stood up.
Seeing that the two children were having a great time, Zhou Qiqi waved her hand and told them to keep playing.
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