When I came out of the supply bureau, the sun was already high in the sky, almost noon.
Although things at the factory were urgent, Zhou Qiqi understood one thing: no matter how big the problem was, she had to fill her stomach first.
Your health is the foundation of everything; the more stressed you are, the less you should neglect yourself.
As long as you've eaten your fill, you'll be able to cry louder than others when you have no other choice.
Instead of returning to the factory, she rode her bicycle into a state-run restaurant and, without hesitation, ordered three dishes and a soup.
In those days, the portions were large and affordable. She couldn't even finish one dish by herself, so ordering so much was a bit extravagant, but she couldn't possibly waste it.
They were already packed up, and I carried them in a net bag, then turned into Sister Ping's clothing stall as if I knew the way well.
After not seeing her for a week, Li Ping and Zhao Damei were extremely affectionate when they saw her, pulling her aside to ask her all sorts of questions.
Zhou Qiqi didn't mention much about the unpleasant things in Xujia Village, only briefly saying that she had gone back to her hometown.
As they were talking, Li Ping's mother-in-law brought over lunch. Today, the old lady steamed buns, large flower rolls, and a few cold dishes.
With the main dishes Zhou Qiqi bought, the small wooden table was piled high with food.
After a busy morning, Zhou Qiqi was starving. She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily, sharing food with Li Ping. They ate with great relish.
However, Zhao Damei, who was standing to the side, was clearly distracted. She rummaged through her bowl with her chopsticks for a long time but didn't eat much. She didn't touch the steamed bun in her hand at all.
Her eyes would occasionally dart towards the main road outside the stall.
Zhou Qiqi and Li Ping exchanged a glance, both of them knowing exactly what was going on.
She tugged at Li Ping's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Sister Ping, is it because Director Zhang hasn't been delivering vegetables at noon these past two days?"
Li Ping sighed, but didn't lower her voice:
"That's right! It's so strange. Before, without fail, they would come to deliver food every day at noon with their lunchboxes. And the food, which was also provided by CCTV, was different every day of the week! But for the past two or three days, we haven't seen a single person..."
As she spoke, she gently nudged Zhao Damei with her elbow.
"We were so worried about Da Mei... oh no, I mean, Da Mei and I were so worried! We didn't know if something had happened. That's why we kept looking outside!"
Zhao Damei's face flushed red immediately, and she hurriedly defended herself:
"Sister Ping, don't talk nonsense! Who's worried about him! I... I just looked at the sky outside, it looks like it's going to rain, and I'm worried the warehouse will leak..."
Zhou Qiqi glanced at the bright sun outside, amused inwardly, but deliberately put on a serious face and nodded, saying, "Yes, something has indeed happened..."
Zhao Damei's chopsticks fell to the table with a "clatter," her face turned pale, and she asked anxiously:
"Something happened? What happened? Is it...is something wrong with the children, or is there an accident at the garment factory???"
"Oh,"
Zhou Qiqi raised an eyebrow and teased, "Didn't you just say you weren't worried?"
Seeing that Zhao Damei was really anxious, Li Ping also became a little worried and quickly tugged at Zhou Qiqi's sleeve.
"Qiqi, stop teasing her. Tell me quickly, what happened? What's wrong?"
Zhou Qiqi put away her joking expression and said seriously, "The factory has run into some trouble."
She briefly explained that her import quota for Australian wool had been transferred, and then specifically instructed, "Don't tell anyone about this for now."
Li Ping had been working in the garment wholesale industry for many years and knew the situation of garment factories in the province very well. She immediately frowned:
"A huge foreign trade order? There are factories in our province that can take on these kinds of orders? That sounds incredible!"
In their large northern province, the clothes they produce are basically only consumed within the province. If a factory can sell well within the province, it's considered a good factory. Selling to other provinces is difficult. It's unbelievable that these clothes are being sold abroad all at once. She just couldn't believe it.
Zhao Damei didn't understand any of this, and just asked worriedly, "Then...what should we do, Qiqi? Do you have any ideas?"
Zhou Qiqi shook her head and said,
"We don't have any clue yet, but I've already sent Director Zhang and some people to keep an eye on things at the wool mill's warehouse. The shipment will be out in a day or two, so let's see where this batch of materials went."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Damei frowned even more deeply and murmured:
"Well... Guoqiang... With such a big incident at the factory, he must be extremely busy. Will the children have lunch?"
During this period, she went out to sell flowers in the evenings, and Zhang Guoqiang's children always came to help her.
The children are quick-witted and sensible, and we get along with them like our own children, and our bond grows stronger with each passing day.
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became, and she couldn't eat a single bite of her food.
Seeing this, Li Ping pushed the small steamer basket containing the buns over:
"Qiqi bought a lot of groceries, and my mom can't finish this basket of steamed buns! Damei, if you're really worried, take the buns and go check on Guoqiang. I'll give you two hours off."
"This...this isn't a good idea."
Zhao Damei hesitated.
Li Ping waved her hand, "What's wrong with it? It's the middle of the day, there's not much business around. You should go."
Zhou Qiqi also urged, "Yes, hurry up and go, Sister Da Mei, the children must be hungry."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Zhao Damei clutched the steaming basket of buns, her face contorted in a smile. But this time, she didn't hesitate. Worry took over, and she turned and quickly walked out of the stall, not even having time to take off her sleeves.
Watching the departing figure, Zhou Qiqi couldn't help but smile and ask Li Ping:
"Sister Ping, what's going on with these two now?"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com