Zhou Qiqi was packing clothes into a snakeskin bag, too lazy to argue with anyone, and just gave the proprietress a sweet smile.
"Who said I only took a few items? I'm just ordering a small batch to test the waters. Once this batch is sold out, I'll definitely come back to you for more!"
The young girl was pretty and delicate, with a sweet mouth like honey. The proprietress was pleased to see her and nodded.
"Alright! I'll give you the same discount as a regular customer next time!"
Unexpectedly, the woman was quite persistent, standing arrogantly to the side with her eyes full of contempt and disdain.
"Let's test the waters?"
"The style you chose is so outdated and tacky. You think you can sell it all? I bet you'll end up with nothing! You'll be crying your eyes out then!"
Just then, several customers entered the store. Her shrill voice drew everyone's attention.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Zhou Qiqi slowly smoothed out the snakeskin bag, then suddenly looked up, her gaze clear as a sharp blade, slicing across the woman's distorted face.
"It's better for me to cry in a bad mood than for some people to be in a bad mood in appearance!"
Upon hearing this, several onlookers couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You ill-mannered little hussy! Who are you calling ugly!"
The woman's face flushed red, and she stomped her feet in anger, about to pounce on Zhou Qiqi in her high heels.
The proprietress hurriedly stepped in between them, pulling and persuading them.
After much persuasion, they finally managed to pull the woman away, but she was still cursing and swearing as she left.
"A country bumpkin like her, trying to sell clothes. What good is being good-looking? Doesn't she even know how to judge her own taste?"
The proprietress wiped the sweat from her forehead, shook her head helplessly, took Zhou Qiqi's hand, and whispered.
"That's just how she is! She was one of the first to set up a stall in our city. After making some money, she thinks she's someone special. She looks down on everyone and always feels like everyone else is in her way!"
"Don't take it to heart, little girl. You look clever; you're sure to succeed!"
There was no way around it; they were all customers, and she couldn't afford to offend either of them.
Zhou Qiqi didn't make things difficult for the proprietress. She tightened her grip on the snakeskin bag slightly, raised the corners of her eyes, and curled her lips into a meaningful smile as she spoke.
"Boss lady, you seem to know her quite well. Do you know where she usually sets up her stall?"
——
As soon as I stepped out of the stall, Shi Tou rushed over in a flurry of activity.
"Sister-in-law? Were you bullied by that woman? I'll go teach her a lesson for you!"
He was outside just now, and although he couldn't hear clearly, he could roughly tell what had happened.
Seeing the woman lunging at his sister-in-law with her claws outstretched, he immediately wanted to rush in.
But his sister-in-law asked him to watch over Zhouzhou, and he couldn't leave his post without permission, so he had to endure it.
Zhou Qiqi quickly stopped him.
"No, no, no! You're a soldier. Even when you're out in the field, you represent the military. You can't just start a fight with anyone. Your sister-in-law will take revenge herself!"
"But..."
Stone was still unconvinced, and Zhou Qiqi raised the snakeskin bag on her shoulder.
"But what? You're not just being lazy and don't want to carry your bag, are you?"
This thing was so heavy that she didn't want to carry it for even a second longer, so she quickly tossed it to Shi Tou.
Shi Tou knew his sister-in-law was a woman of principle, so he didn't say anything more. He scratched his head, held Zhou Zhou's hand with one hand, and obediently carried his bag with the other.
Zhou Qiqi took the two of them to a nearby fabric store, bought some fabric, some clothing accessories, and also bought herself two new pairs of shoes.
When I passed by the supply and marketing cooperative, I bought some fresh meat and vegetables, and then headed towards the department store.
She had been here once before with Zhu Yingying, but last time they were in a rush to buy pots and pans for their home.
This time I finally had time to properly explore the area.
As soon as I stepped inside, I heard the salesperson shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Last one! Don't push!"
The crowd surged forward like a tide. Zhou Qiqi stood on tiptoe to look and saw a small black and white television set, no bigger than the palm of her hand, placed in the center of the counter.
The screen was showing footage of the women's volleyball team heading to the World Championships.
"Four hundred yuan? And you still need an industrial ration coupon?"
Hearing the murmurs in the crowd, Zhou Qiqi gasped.
That's equivalent to almost half a year's salary for an average person!
Her gaze swept over the refrigerator model next to her, priced at 800 yuan, and her eyes widened even more.
She had originally thought that since building the toilet and bathroom hadn't cost much, she could use the money saved to buy some big-ticket items for the house.
After thinking about it, I decided against it and will wait until I've made more money.
After strolling around for a while, the three arrived at their destination—the stationery section.
She patted Zhouzhou on the shoulder, cleared her throat, and said nonchalantly.
"Ahem, take a look, take whatever you like."
“I brought you out, so I can’t just leave you with nothing, right? That would make me seem stingy.”
Zhouzhou blinked in confusion, then slowly turned around, her gaze lingering on the art supplies.
Finally, she cautiously pointed to a small box of crayons in the counter.
Zhou Qiqi spoke with such righteous indignation, yet the child chose the cheapest one. The sales clerk curled her lip, somewhat dissatisfied with her, and said impatiently.
"You want this one? It's 42 cents!"
"Who said you only wanted this one? Pack this one, this one, and this one too!"
Zhou Qiqi pulled out a large 10,000-yuan note and picked out all the watercolor paints, oil paints, and other items that Zhouzhou had just looked at.
Zhouzhou tilted her little face up, her eyes red-rimmed like a little rabbit's.
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