Lin Yao usually looks down on her and calls her a country bumpkin.
He actually invited her to a banquet today; the sun must have risen in the west!
And look at the wedding candy in her hand, it's actually White Rabbit milk candy!
This stuff isn't cheap; it costs more than two yuan per kilogram!
She still remembered that the last time Li Hongjuan arranged a blind date for her sister, the host, Director Zhou, only bought shrimp-shaped candies, which cost 1.2 yuan per kilogram.
In the compound, when there's a happy occasion in a family, this is usually the kind of candy they give—it's considered presentable.
Few people would spend that much money on White Rabbit milk candy.
It's unclear whether Lin Yao bought this candy through the Xu family's gritted teeth or through her own pocket.
Zhou Qiqi glanced at it lightly, but didn't take it seriously, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"No, I have nothing to do with the Xu family anymore. This feast is for whoever wants to eat; I'm not going to join in the fun."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the "crunch" sound of someone cracking sunflower seeds came from the other side.
Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan strolled over with two familiar sisters-in-law. All four of them held sunflower seeds in their hands, spitting out the shells as they walked, leaving a trail of shells scattered on the ground.
Qiu Chunfang glanced at Zhou Qiqi's clothes. It wasn't a new dress, but an old batwing-sleeved top paired with flared pants, the cuffs of which were frayed.
She spat out the sunflower seed shells from her mouth with a "pfft," her eyes slanted upwards.
"Hey Zhou Qiqi, how long has it been since the military dependents' district had a wedding? Everyone's looking forward to going and joining in the fun, why aren't you going? Are you afraid of giving money as a gift? Or did you finally squander all of Regiment Commander Shen's allowance?"
Seeing that someone was backing her up, and noticing that Zhou Qiqi was dressed "shabby," Lin Yao immediately felt that she had the upper hand. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and giggled, her laughter as high-pitched as a cat's meow.
"Oh, it's just a few dollars as a gift. If you really can't afford it, just tell me, and you can eat and drink for free."
Zhou Qiqi frowned, about to retort, when Deng Cuixiang stepped in front of her and pointed to the cloth bag in her hand.
"Who can't afford three or five yuan? Look at our Qiqi, she's making popcorn today, and she bought imported Eagle Brand condensed milk, which only costs three yuan a can! If this money is spent on the kids, they'll smack their lips and praise her, saying, 'Auntie is so skillful!' But if it's spent on the wrong things... tsk tsk, it's like feeding a dog. That dog won't even want a bone; it'll bite you back!"
Her words were delivered in a roundabout way, and Qiu Chunfang didn't understand them for a moment. Her eyes were fixed on the popcorn, and she swallowed hard without saying a word.
Lin Yao, having attended university, was quick-witted. Her face flushed red, and her fingertips trembled as she pointed at Deng Cuixiang.
"What's it to you! Who...who are you calling a dog? How can you speak so rudely!"
Deng Cuixiang pursed her lips, put her hands on her hips, and glanced at Qiu Chunfang and the others.
"Anyone who sticks their neck out to say that, I'll curse them! Oh, and those lackeys who blindly follow along!"
"you!"
Qiu Chunfang finally understood and was so angry that her face twisted in anger.
"Deng Cuixiang, don't push your luck! You've only been selling pickles for two days, and you've forgotten who you are just because you made a little money? I don't believe that when you were setting up your stall, you weren't all smiles and begging people to buy from you!"
Li Hongjuan chimed in, letting out a snort.
"Exactly! Her husband is a battalion commander, and she's out there selling pickles in the alleyways, doesn't she feel ashamed of him!"
Deng Cuixiang slammed the stool in her hand to the ground with a "thud".
She stood with her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out high.
"What's wrong with me setting up a stall? I'm selling pickles, it's a mutually agreeable transaction, fair trade! Unlike you guys, who bark at people like vicious dogs!"
She spoke with great force, but Qiu Chunfang and her group, relying on their numbers, were not afraid at all.
Thinking about how Deng Cuixiang is now acting all high and mighty here, when she was selling pickles, she still had to smile and fawn over people.
Just as the argument was getting heated, Zhu Yingying, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward, imitated Deng Cuixiang, slammed down the stool in her hand, and cleared her throat.
The girl was usually quiet, but at this moment she tilted her head back and spoke in a clear voice.
"Chairman Mao said, 'Rely on our own efforts and work hard.' In the new society, everyone is equal. Why is doing business shameful? Our military region's propaganda department is even encouraging military spouses to step out of their homes! You're complaining about this and that now because you think the military region's policies are wrong? Why don't you send your husbands to the military region to reason with them?"
These words were like a thunderbolt.
Qiu Chunfang and the others' expressions changed instantly; they looked at each other.
Everyone knows that the worst thing you can do in the military is to go against the policy. If you really make a scene with your husband, you'll get a scolding when you get back.
Li Hongjuan lowered her head and muttered "little vixen" under her breath, but dared not shout any louder.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Lin Yao quickly stepped in to smooth things over, smiling as she offered the plate of wedding candy to Zhou Qiqi.
"Oh dear, we were talking about my wedding, how did we get so far off topic! Calm down, everyone, have some candy!"
She paused, then turned her gaze to Zhou Qiqi, a hint of smugness in her eyes.
"Qiqi, even if you don't want to attend the banquet, you can still go to the hall to watch the ceremony tomorrow. You don't need to give any money as a gift."
As she spoke, she suddenly widened her eyes, circled around Zhou Qiqi, and clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.
"Oh, by the way! Qiqi, when you married Commander Shen, I don't think you held your wedding in the military dependents' area, right? Maybe you're not familiar with it!"
As she spoke, she pretended to feel sorry for Zhou Qiqi and comforted her.
"Look at my mouth, Qiqi, you're not sad, are you?"
Her eyes darted towards Zhou Qiqi, raising her eyebrows as she waited for her reaction. The meaning was all too clear—look at you, you don't even have a wedding, how pathetic.
"Comrade Lin Yao, stop with the 'Qiqi' thing. We're not familiar with each other."
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qiqi showed no envy, jealousy, or hatred on her face. Instead, she looked at Lin Yao with sympathy.
"Why should I be sad? You married that kind of man, your wedding was practically a funeral. If I'm sad, it's for you. Why did you have to jump into a fire pit instead of living a peaceful life? I'm afraid you won't have many more comfortable days ahead!"
She spoke from the heart, genuinely wanting what was best for Lin Yao.
Lin Yao, however, felt that Zhou Qiqi was jealous, jealous that she had taken Xu Shu away and stolen the "glory" that should have belonged to her.
She tilted her head back, looking incredibly smug.
"What do you know? Brother Xu Shu is so good to me! I think you're just being sour grapes!"
Looking at her like this, Zhou Qiqi suddenly felt a little ridiculous and a little pitiful.
"Think what you want."
Seeing that Zhou Qiqi's voice had softened, Lin Yao assumed she had backed down and became even more boastful, proudly picking up the plate of wedding candy in her hand.
“It’s not just Xu Shu who’s good to me; my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law are all incredibly kind to me! They all dote on me! Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bought me such expensive wedding candy!”
"Are they good to you?"
Zhou Qiqi reacted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
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