"Yuhua? What's wrong?"
Zhou Shuhua's heart tightened, and she quickly took her daughter's hand and asked,
"Why do you look so pale? Did you have a bad talk with Director Zhuo and the others?"
She assumed her daughter had run into a snag with someone.
Lei Yuhua plopped down in the empty chair next to her mother, head down, lips pressed tightly together.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz:
"Mom, that designer, she...she really is..."
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but then she remembered her father's stern warning and the embarrassment she had just experienced, and she swallowed them back.
"What is it? Tell me!"
Zhou Shuhua became even more anxious, "What can't you tell Mom? Who is it that's so mysterious?"
Lei Yuhua looked up at her mother's worried and confused face, feeling a tightness in her chest. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she muttered under her breath, with a hint of despair:
"...It's that...person whose name I can't say!"
"Zhou Qiqi?"
Zhou Shuhua was taken aback, but her face didn't show the shock or immediate frown that Lei Yuhua had expected. Instead, she revealed a knowing look of "I knew it," and even sighed softly.
"It's her, I guessed it."
"Huh? Mom, how...how did you know?"
Lei Yuhua was genuinely surprised.
Zhou Shuhua pointed to the lingering crowd around her and said with a wry smile:
"As soon as the show ended, a lot of people were talking about it, saying that the designer this week was really talented. I think it would be hard not to know about it."
She paused, then turned her gaze to the empty stage, her eyes filled with complex emotions and an indescribable sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).
"I never expected this child to be so talented! To be able to arrange the clothes and the set like that, she's so clever..."
Hearing the genuine admiration in her mother's voice, without the slightest hint of reluctance, Lei Yuhua's tense nerves inexplicably relaxed.
She secretly observed her mother's expression and cautiously asked, "Mom, are you...aren't you angry? Aren't you sad?"
Angry? Sad?
Zhou Shuhua shook her head, her face showing deep exhaustion and a hint of relief.
"Seeing how capable he is, Mom actually admires him a little. I was blinded by greed before."
She seemed to want to say something, but ultimately didn't, only sighing again.
"Yuhua, I heard from someone that she doesn't just design clothes, she also does some kind of...contracting?"
"Um!"
Seeing that her mother wasn't angry at all, but instead showed appreciation for Zhou Qiqi's abilities, Lei Yuhua grew bolder and spoke excitedly.
"Director Zhuo said it herself! She said she contracted the production line of the city's No. 1 garment factory! The clothes she makes sell very well in the south! Isn't that amazing? That's real talent!"
As she spoke, she completely forgot her previous disdain for "parasites," as if she had discovered some incredible treasure.
As Zhou Shuhua listened to her daughter's story, tinged with admiration, a glimmer of light appeared in her cloudy eyes, and she murmured:
"Really? Contracting a production line...that takes real skill! I never imagined she was so capable..."
She felt a mix of emotions.
She truly admired him, but that familiar, sharp pain quietly spread from her heart, making her unable to resist raising her hand to press it.
"I really misunderstood them before..."
Zhou Shuhua's voice lowered, carrying a heavy nasal tone and deep confusion.
"I don't know why, but whenever I see her or hear about her, my heart... it aches terribly, so I subconsciously feel that there's something wrong with her."
This seemed to have become an unsolvable knot in her body, an involuntary reaction.
Seeing her mother's pained and confused expression, Lei Yuhua's initial excitement faded, replaced by heartache.
She quickly put her arm around her mother's shoulder and awkwardly comforted her:
"Mom, don't overthink it! The doctor said that your condition is most aggravated by excessive worry! Come on, I'll take you home to rest!"
Zhou Shuhua leaned against her daughter's chest and nodded wearily.
After leaving the municipal cultural troupe, the mother and daughter remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
The bicycle creaked and groaned as it rolled over the asphalt road, casting long shadows in the afternoon sun.
After passing two intersections, we passed Huabaolou at the intersection of Jiefang Road.
This place has a small storefront; it's a long-established trust store in the city, specializing in consigning items such as jade, old jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings.
Zhou Shuhua sat in the back seat, her eyes sweeping over the old-fashioned signboard, and suddenly patted her daughter's waist:
"Yuhua, stop for a moment, let's go inside and take a look. Your uncle's birthday is next month, and Mom wants to pick out a nice jade pendant for him."
Lei Yuhua's mind was still in turmoil, thinking about Zhou Qiqi, so she replied casually:
“Mom, Uncle has been gone for so many years, but you still can’t let go of him and buy him a birthday present every year.”
Despite saying that, she still braked and stopped the car, locked it, and helped her mother into Huabaolou.
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