Chen Jiaojiao sat in the middle of the living room, showing off her robot, while the other children gathered around, chattering excitedly.
Knowing that Chen Jiaojiao looked down on Zhouzhou from the bottom of her heart, and fearing another conflict later, she took Zhouzhou's little hand:
"Come on, Auntie will take you to eat outside. It's quiet there."
Zhouzhou followed her obediently. The small round table in the corridor by the door was polished to a shine. Zhou Qiqi pulled over a bamboo chair for her to sit down and then went inside to bring out a plate of cream cake.
Zhouzhou sat obediently, taking small bites of cake.
Zhou Qiqi gave her some more fruit and snacks and put them on a plate. Just as she was about to sit down and keep her company, Zhuo's mother came over.
"Qiqi, I've finally found you."
Zhuo's mother pulled her a couple of steps toward the door and said in a low voice, "I have something serious to tell you."
Seeing her serious expression, Zhou Qiqi also stopped smiling: "Sister Zhuo, please speak."
"Our performing arts troupe is going to hold a performance at the end of the year, and we've choreographed a new dance. The higher-ups said it will be selected for a national competition."
Zhuo's mother rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining.
"But we still can't decide on the outfit; it just doesn't feel right. The other day I saw the little dress you made for Guangming; it was stylish and fit perfectly, so I was thinking... could you help me out?"
She was in charge of costumes and props in the troupe and had had this idea for a while, but she was worried that Zhou Qiqi was young and inexperienced, so she asked her to make a little dress for her son first to test the waters.
I received the clothes yesterday. The stitching was fine and the waist was perfectly fitted. I immediately got my supervisor's approval for the paperwork.
After receiving the dress yesterday, she was extremely satisfied and completed the formalities overnight before inviting Zhou Qiqi.
Upon hearing that it was important, Zhou Qiqi immediately perked up and pulled out her notebook and pen:
"No problem, Sister Zhuo. Tell me, what type of dance? How many people will be dancing? What style do you want?"
Mother Zhuo spoke in detail:
"It's a group dance, about twenty girls, telling the story of educated youth returning to their hometowns. It needs to have both a rustic feel and a touch of youthful vigor..."
Zhou Qiqi listened and took notes, occasionally asking questions:
"How long should the skirt be?"
"...I don't really understand these things, but I have some rehearsal tapes here. Why don't you listen to them and get a feel for it?"
Zhuo's mother pointed towards the study, "The tape recorder is in the inner room, it'll only take a few minutes."
"That's great!"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes lit up.
Zhou Qiqi turned around and looked at Zhouzhou, who was quietly eating, then walked over, bent down, and gave him some instructions:
"Zhouzhou, Auntie and Aunt Zhuo are going to get something, they'll be back soon. You sit here and eat your food, don't run around, and don't get into trouble with the other kids, okay?"
Zhouzhou nodded vigorously, and the cream from the corner of her mouth smeared onto her cheek, like a little white cloud.
Zhou Qiqi couldn't help but pat her head before following Zhuo's mother to the study.
In the study, Zhuo's mother found a cassette tape and put it into the tape recorder, and melodious dance music flowed out.
"The years of youth are like a river, and the river of time flows into a song..."
The song is called "An Unforgettable Song," which incorporates the educated youth's feelings and nostalgia for the past. The melody is soothing and profound, reflecting both the vicissitudes of time and the yearning for the future.
Zhou Qiqi listened, her chin resting on her hand, her fingers unconsciously tapping on her knees, her mind already racing:
When educated youth returned to their hometowns, they should wear jackets made of faded blue cloth, with thin red stripes of cloth around the hem of their skirts—simple yet eye-catching…
Zhuo's mother added her thoughts from the side.
"Do you think we could add some embroidery? Like ears of wheat or something, to bring out the rustic feel..."
Five or six minutes later, Zhou Qiqi had a general idea of what was going on and was about to have a few more words with Zhuo's mother.
Just as they were getting into the conversation, a sharp, piercing cry of a little girl suddenly came from the direction of the courtyard outside, followed by the sound of a plate breaking on the ground and adults asking questions in a panic.
"Wow—!!! My dress! My new dress! Mom—!!!"
It was Chen Jiaojiao's voice, crying as if she were being strangled.
Zhou Qiqi's heart skipped a beat. She exchanged a glance with Zhuo's mother, and their expressions changed. They turned and ran outside.
As soon as I got to the glass door, I saw that several people were already gathered around the small round table in the corridor.
Chen Jiaojiao collapsed to the ground, her beautiful dress smeared with sticky cream and cake crumbs, her face a mess, kicking her legs and wailing.
On the ground, shards of broken porcelain plates mixed with cake batter created a sticky mess.
Chen's mother stood to the side, hands on her hips, her face contorted with anger. She held her wailing daughter in one arm and pointed at Zhouzhou standing by the table with the other, her voice so shrill it could pierce eardrums:
"What's wrong with you, child?! How can you be so wicked at such a young age! Did you deliberately try to push the cake onto our Jiaojiao?! Do you know how expensive this dress is? We couldn't afford to pay for it even if we sold you!"
All eyes immediately fell on Zhouzhou.
The little girl stood beside the mess, still holding the small fork she used to eat cake.
Faced with the barrage of accusations and the stares of everyone in the room, she neither cried out in fear nor tried to hide to the side; she simply pursed her lips and stood ramrod straight.
There were no tears in those clear eyes, only the stubbornness of being wronged, and a trace of inexplicable bewilderment.
Such a small child, yet he exudes a toughness beyond his years.
Zhou Qiqi felt as if her heart had been violently clenched, a mixture of sourness and pain.
This appearance is exactly the same as when Zhouzhou was locked in the dark storage room by Xiao Lei and Xiao Feng not long ago.
She did the same thing that time; she didn't cry out, but found a stool and climbed out the window to save herself.
Heartache instantly overwhelmed her anger. Zhou Qiqi rushed over, pulled Zhouzhou into her arms, shielded her from the piercing gazes with her back, and softly asked:
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