"I got a new inspiration today! Look!"
Xu Haizhou was about to pack up his stall and go home when he was thrown into the arms of his enthusiastic daughter-in-law... In her arms was a cloth bag, also a patchwork one, with a slightly changed style, from the previous vertical rectangle to a horizontal rectangle, the size of a small bag.
The straps are particularly unique, with metal buckles on both sides and cloth straps on the metal buckles. The shoulder straps are not just one strap, but two, twisted into two strands, which are very decorative. A thin red decorative strap is sewn on the edge of the bag, which is simple and elegant without losing its high-end feel.
Xu Haizhou raised his eyebrows in surprise, took the small ornament off the car head, and walked into the room with the bag in his other hand: "Is this a scarf?"
Qiao Lu followed him excitedly: "Yes! Do you feel that this bag becomes more classy with a scarf?"
“Well… although I don’t have any artistic talent, I do feel like I have it.” A plain handbag paired with a tie-dyed silk scarf makes the bag more elegant and the scarf more beautiful.
The most important thing is that the material of this cloth bag is different from the previous one. The previous one was softer, but the material of this handbag is particularly hard, and feels harder than work cloth. After a careful inspection, it turns out that it is made of two layers of stitching. The hardness is almost comparable to softer leather.
This has an advantage, that is, it can stand upright. When the handbag is placed on the table, it also appears square and will not collapse like an ordinary cloth bag. It is very easy to put items in and out, and it looks beautiful.
"Not bad, it's really good. But... I feel like it could have a little more pattern here? It feels a bit too plain." Xu Haizhou pointed to the blank space in the middle of the cloth bag.
"Sure, but I left it blank on purpose. If I want to put some patterns, I'd better use patchwork, small ones, not big patterns. I'm just struggling with whether to use warm or cool colors."
Cool colors may look more classy, while warm colors may be more eye-catching... In short, each has its own advantages.
"Forget it, let's not think about it for now." Qiao Lu couldn't hold back her excitement. She put her hands on Xu Haizhou's shoulders and said excitedly, "I made three this afternoon and will revise them tonight. You can try them tomorrow. I have a feeling they will be a big hit!"
Xu Haizhou turned his head, and their lips were only one centimeter away from touching.
He smiled and nodded: "Okay."
After he finished speaking, he grabbed the back of her head with one hand and pulled her into his arms, instantly grabbing her pink lips, twisting and turning them, lingering on them.
"Hmm..." The kiss came too suddenly and caught her off guard. Qiao Lu's breathing was interrupted and she almost suffocated.
She pushed him away with force and took two breaths before the man continued to catch up with her, grinding her lips repeatedly and kissing her until she was exhausted.
"I haven't finished explaining yet!" She punched him unhappily, and he held her fist in his hand, put it to his mouth and kissed it.
"Anything else you want to tell me? I'm all ears." He spoke in a hoarse, unclear voice.
Qiao Lu took a breath, pinched his earlobe, and gently said, "Also, remember to emphasize that you will get a free scarf when you buy a bag. You have to make the customers feel that they are getting a bargain from us. This will make it easier to sell! Got it?"
"I know." Xu Haizhou shrugged, his ears irritated. "I didn't expect my wife to know so much."
"That's right." Qiao Lu smiled narcissistically and let go of his earlobe: "But I bought this scarf from a department store for six dollars. It's very expensive. The price of this bag must be at least 15. Also, isn't Brother Hou in that business? Can you ask him... to find some cheap scarves for us? If they sell well, we will definitely have a large quantity and won't lose money."
"Okay, I'll go find him tomorrow." Anyway, whatever my wife says is right. If it's not right, we can discuss it again. After all, with two brains, we can always work out the best solution.
"When I make more money, I want to try making leather bags!" No matter how well a cloth bag is made, it will never have the texture of a leather bag.
Xu Haizhou's eyes were as gentle as water: "Okay."
I can't help but think, how many good things I did in my last life, I married such a smart wife in this life. In fact, when I married her, I had the idea of letting her take care of the housework at home for the rest of her life, but I didn't expect that she herself couldn't sit still.
This is good, it makes life more fulfilling and makes people more energetic.
"If you have the channels, it would be best to get some of these scraps of cloth. All kinds of colors are fine. It's best to be made of this kind of material, which is more wear-resistant." Qiao Lu handed him the sample. Because the cost is a bit high, she hasn't purchased it in large quantities yet.
"It would be a waste if we use all new fabrics to cut the pieces. " As a small business, you should save as much as possible.
"Oh, and there are buttons, too. I want all kinds of pretty buttons. The more the better!"
Buttons can not only replace zippers, but also be used as decorations. The most common cloth bags on the market are made of homespun cloth. They are wear-resistant, but the patterns are generally dyed with indigo, which is dull and ugly. Young girls don’t like to carry them and would rather find some cloth to make them themselves.
So, after getting used to the monotonous blue, gray and green era, colorful colors are so popular. No matter if it is tacky or not, people like bright and "tacky" things these days. The extreme tacky is trendy!
To celebrate the great sales of the new bags, I prepared a sumptuous dinner: stir-fried pork with green peppers, served with steamed egg custard, and a small bowl of seaweed and shrimp soup. It was quite sumptuous... When the meat was being stir-fried, all the aunties from next door came over to watch. If there was anything wrong with living in a large compound, it would be this: there's no privacy. Let them watch, but they were amazed and had to tease me by saying that your family must be really rich.
Although this is indeed the case.
Qiao Lu decided that she would try to make meat soup whenever she bought meat in the future, as fried meat was so fragrant and appealing.
After the meal was done, Xu Haizhou took his son to the grocery store and bought three bottles of Orange Juice in glass bottles. Normally, Qiao Lu would not let her son drink this kind of sugary drink, but today she was in a rare good mood and let him drink the whole bottle.
But in the middle of the night, it was all over.
When she woke up the next day, Qiaolu felt her back was damp. She reached out and touched it, but something was wrong. She wasn't sweating. Where did the water come from? It was damp.
I thought of something and my brain almost exploded like fireworks.
When Qiao Lu lifted the quilt, she was dumbfounded.
"Ah, this..."
Feeling the cool breeze, Qiao An woke up from his dream belatedly. In a half-awake state, he found that his butt was wet and hot.
Realizing something, he jumped out of bed. A large and messy map appeared in front of him. His little face turned pale and his lips began to tremble.
"I, I, I didn't mean it..."
…
Qiao An wet his pants and felt so guilty that he didn't even eat breakfast. Not only that, he started crying whenever he saw Qiao Lu. He cried and cried. His eyelashes hadn't been dry since he woke up, and they were wet and stuck together. His mother was really afraid that he would cry himself to death.
I finally forced a brown sugar steamed bun into his mouth. He was a foodie and couldn't refuse it. He pinched a small piece of the steamed bun and ate it bit by bit. He started crying while eating and his little face turned red.
"I didn't mean it, Mom... I remember, I remember I found the toilet, it smelled a bit, and then I went in, I went in, Dad took off my pants, and then I peed... I clearly found the toilet, I didn't pee anywhere." Who knew that the toilet was actually in a dream, and that pit was not a pee pit, but a bed!
It has been a long time since she last saw her son suffer from depression. As a mother, Qiao Lu's heart is broken.
Helplessly, I held the little guy in my arms and comforted him: "It's okay, it's no big deal. Mom also wet the bed when she was a child. Dad also wet the bed when he was a child. If you don't believe me, ask him."
Xu Haizhou was also anxious, but seeing that it was getting late, he was in no mood to set up the stall.
"Yes, Daddy also wets the bed. Three-year-olds wet the bed, four-year-olds wet the bed, five-year-olds wet the bed, too. This is normal. All children wet the bed. But Daddy believes that our An An definitely didn't do it on purpose. Just control it slowly in the future, okay?"
The kid sniffled and sniffed, his voice so hoarse that you couldn't even hear his baby voice: "Then, will daddy's mom and dad laugh at you?"
Xu Haizhou rubbed his head and shook it: "No."
Qiao Lu pinched his little fleshy hand: "No, our parents won't laugh at us, and An An's parents don't laugh at you either."
Qiao An lowered his head: "You, you can't laugh at me in your heart..."
Phew - you don’t have the ability to read people’s minds, so you don’t know whether your parents are laughing or not.
Of course, I have to try my best to comfort her: "No, I'm not kidding. Bedwetting is a normal thing. We just need to be more careful next time. It's okay."
She curled up in her mother's arms and whimpered, feeling very aggrieved: "Well... don't laugh at me... don't dislike me... An An didn't mean it."
After dinner, Xu Haizhou rode his bicycle and hurried to set up the stall. Qiao Lu took out the sheets, quilt covers and Qiao An's trouser crotch and washed them. Fortunately, the sun was shining brightly today, so the cotton wool could be taken out to dry in the sun.
After washing and drying his clothes, he took his son to the market to buy vegetables. The little pig didn't say a word the whole way and was obviously depressed.
Qiaolu asked her son to help her pick and wash the food for lunch today. When they were busy, he actually forgot about the bed-wetting incident for a short while. It was not until Qiaolu took the dish to the kitchen to cook, leaving her son alone in the room to play with Bubble and Xiaobai, that she became depressed again.
"Do you two wet the bed too?" He stretched out his index finger and stirred the water in the basin. The two little fish were frightened and scattered with their tails wagging.
They don't have mouths, so they can't tell their little masters whether they wet the bed or not.
Qiao An didn't give up, so he ran to the kitchen door and asked Qiao Lu in a low voice: "Mom, how old are Paopao and Xiaobai?"
Qiao Lu paused in her cooking and after quick thinking said, "About the same age as you, maybe one or two years older."
The boy bit his lip and said, "So, Bubble and Xiaobai, do they wet the bed, too?"
Qiao Lu: "...well, if you really want an answer, then...they will definitely wet the bed!"
The boy was comforted, but he said with a sigh: "Oh, if I were Bubble White, then no one would notice if I wet the bed."
puff--
How come my son is so cute?
The dishes cooked at noon were all Qiao An's favorites, and there was also dessert after the meal, which was the time-honored almond-flavored mille-feuille from Yifangzhai. My mood finally turned from gloomy to bright, but I never expected that I was actually feeling angry inside.
At night, Qiao An lay obediently beside Qiao Lu, without any movement. Qiao Lu thought he was asleep. But after turning off the lights, the little guy suddenly grabbed his mother's sleeve and muttered something.
"Mom, I didn't mean it."
Qiao Lu remembered reading in a book or on the Internet that children between the ages of three and six are in the conflict stage of active guilt. The general meaning is that if you put pressure on children when they feel guilty, they will develop a guilty personality in their later life and often choose to give up trying for fear of being blamed.
For children at this stage, blindly blaming them will not work. It is more important to help them analyze the reasons and stay away from regret.
Besides, it is normal for a three-year-old to wet the bed. Qiao Lu certainly wouldn't blame him. Seeing his guilty look, she felt so heartbroken.
Oh, who would have thought a bed-wetter could be so difficult to deal with.
The next day, at daybreak, while the couple were still asleep, Qiao An had already woken up. He repeatedly touched his butt and the quilt under it, and confirmed that it was dry before he curled up back into the quilt and continued to sleep.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Qiao An seemed no different from usual, except that her appetite was still not very good.
In this state, how could I hide it from my mother's sharp eyes? I was worried and at a loss.
Before Xu Haizhou left, he stopped him and said, "Haizhou, our son is too stubborn. What do you think we should do?"
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Haizhou said, "Leave it to me."
He suddenly stopped the car and went to Chen's house across the street. No one knew what he did. When he came back, he said to his wife, "It's done. Let's check the situation later."
After saying that, he took the small accessories and went out to set up his stall.
Qiao Lu was completely confused. At about 11:30, Chen Jingkang came home from school at noon and suddenly came to the house to look for Qiao An. The two children hid in the room and whispered. Chen Jingkang also specifically reminded Qiao Lu: "Aunt Qiao, I have something private to say to Qiao An, please don't eavesdrop."
Qiao Lu couldn't help laughing. She closed the door for the two people before leaving. "You guys can talk as much as you want. I won't eavesdrop. I'm going to cook."
Almost at the moment when the door of the room was closed, Chen Jingkang pulled Qiao An to the window to peek, and only when he saw Qiao Lu really went into the kitchen to cook did he breathe a sigh of relief and said to Qiao An in a low voice: "Qiao An, I want to tell you a secret today!"
Qiao An chewed a cucumber, chewing it crisply: "Brother Kang Kang, what's the secret?"
Chen Jingkang got straight to the point and asked, "Qiao An, have you ever peed in your pants?"
Those words were like a thunderbolt exploding in Qiao An's weak body. In an instant, his body straightened up and his heart almost jumped out of his throat. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Could it be... that his parents had told him the secret? !
He was so angry that he clenched the cucumber tightly and was about to cry.
"I...I...I..." I gripped the ground nervously with my toes, and after a long time I couldn't come up with any result.
"I'm going to tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else." Chen Jingkang put his mouth close to Qiao An's ear and whispered.
"What, what secret?" Qiao An actually didn't want to hear any secrets at all. He was so sad and upset now. Why did mom and dad tell brother Kang Kang that she wet the bed? Why?
Chen Jingkang scratched his head, his face flushed with shame: "Um... I, I wet the bed last night."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air around him seemed to freeze.
"Brother Kang Kang, you wet the bed?!" This is even more surprising than finding out that you wet the bed!
Brother Kang Kang is already eight years old, but he is still a primary school student. Can primary school students also wet their pants?
"Hmph..." Chen Jingkang was so ashamed that he quickly covered Qiao An's mouth: "This is our secret. Apart from you, only my father and my mother know it. You can't tell anyone else!"
The boy blinked his eyes, pushed his hand away, and nodded very seriously, "Yes! Brother Kang Kang, I won't tell anyone!"
"Well, then you...then do you know whether I have peed my pants?" Qiao An asked very embarrassedly.
Chen Jingkang frowned: "How do I know if you peed in your pants? Anyway, I peed in your pants yesterday."
After saying that, he touched his trouser pocket and found a one-dollar bill inside, a full one-dollar bill! It was given to him by Qiao An's father, asking him to break his dirty water... Alas, if it weren't for this dollar, he wouldn't want to ruin his reputation in front of Qiao An!
Qiao An was finally no longer sad or upset. It turned out that her parents didn't tell anyone, that all children wet their pants, and that wetting their pants was a very normal thing!
"But, Brother Kang Kang, why did you tell me this?"
"Because, because..." Chen Jingkang scratched his ears and cheeks, because it was your father who ordered you to do so!
"Because I thought you wouldn't tell anyone!" He said it, but it seemed like he didn't say it.
The young man nodded heavily, expressing his excitement at Chen Jingkang's trust in him: "Yes! An An is a good kid."
Chen Jingkang repeatedly stressed: "This is a secret between us children, you can't tell the adults!"
"Brother Kang Kang, I won't tell anyone."
Chen Jingkang stretched out his little finger: "Hook."
"Hang yourself on the hook for a hundred years and don't change! Whoever changes is a puppy!"
At lunch, after Chen Jingkang left, Qiao Lu found that her son was no longer sad. He looked completely different and enthusiastically picked up food for Qiao Lu.
"Our An An is so happy today." He rubbed the back of his son's head with satisfaction.
"Mom, I'm happy every day!" He picked up a potato and chewed it with relish.
Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows in surprise, looked at Xu Haizhou, and silently raised her thumbs up.
The kid’s father is really awesome!
"mother."
"Um?"
"I want to tell you a secret."
"What?" Qiao Lu leaned forward.
Qiao An hesitated for a moment before saying, "I, I wet the bed yesterday. You and Dad can't tell anyone else. This is a secret between me, Mom and Dad."
Only the three of them know about this, just like brother Kang Kang, only his parents know about it.
Qiao Lu couldn't help laughing, "Okay, this matter is known to heaven and earth, you know it, I know it, and Dad knows it, okay?"
"OK!"
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of March, and it happened to be the return of the south wind. It was very annoying. Not only could the clothes not dry, but it also rained frequently.
At the beginning of April, a sunny day finally came, and Xu Haizhou asked someone to send a bicycle to Qiao Lu. It was the same brand as the one he rode, both were Forever brand.
Qiao Lu found it a little funny that Xu Haizhou never seemed to go to pick up the valuables he bought. It was as if he had hired a mover and always asked someone to move them home.
Although almost every household in the compound has a bicycle, the new one sent by Xu Haizhou still caused widespread discussion.
"You two are really capable. You even bought two bicycles."
"I noticed that Xu Haizhou's business has improved since you married into the family, with radios and bicycles. Is your family's savings sufficient?"
Everyone didn’t think highly of Xu Haizhou before, and they didn’t know how much Xu Haizhou earned, let alone pay attention to him. Is it true that setting up a stall can make a lot of money?
"It's OK, as long as I can get by. I don't plan to save much. I just spend what I earn and enjoy life while I can."
When she said this, everyone didn't know what to say. They just smiled and said, "That's great, that's great. Look how loving the couple is."
"Let's just be jealous, but there's nothing we can do to envy you!"
But in my heart, I felt that the couple didn't know how to live. One bicycle was enough for the family. Instead of buying a new one, they should buy new clothes or improve their diet. At the same time, I couldn't help but secretly feel jealous.
Even those selling bicycles on the street are willing to buy two bicycles. The world has really changed.
When the new car arrived, Qiaoan was very excited, regardless of what others said, and couldn't wait to ask his mother to take him out for a ride.
Qiao Lu pinched his face and said, "It's not like you've ridden in your father's car before, so why is that so strange?"
Not only was it strange, he was so excited that he was running around in a panic, and he was so lively that he didn't seem like himself anymore: "Strange, so strange! I have never ridden in my mother's car. This is a new car. I want to ride in a new one!"
Qiao Lu stroked his chin and said, "Little clever boy, you still like new things and hate old things."
"What does it mean to be easily disliked by the old and easily attracted by the new?" He blinked his little deer eyes, his thirst for knowledge overflowing.
Qiao Lu: "It means you only like new things and don't like old things."
The young man shook his head vigorously: "No, no, An An likes both the old and the new!"
"You have such a good brain. I'll teach you a lesson someday."
Qiao An didn't understand and was completely immersed in the joy of making a new bicycle.
Qiao Lu is very good at riding a bicycle. Even though she had never ridden a bicycle before after the crossing, she got on the bike and rode away without even having to adapt.
She didn't know where to go, so she walked around the city in circles, asking residents along the way if there were any rental houses with private bathrooms. This idea had been deeply buried in her mind. Anyway, she had nothing to do today by riding around, so she might as well ask around.
It’s a pity that I still couldn’t find it, but I’m not discouraged. I’ll be able to live there eventually if I hold on.
I was just about to take my son to Qingteng Lane to look for Xu Haizhou, when an idea suddenly occurred to me and I decided to take a detour and take my son to meet his second aunt first. We haven't seen each other for more than two months since the Chinese New Year.
Soon, they arrived at the Li'an Chemical Plant. There was an old guard guarding the gate. She asked if she could go in. When she heard that Qiao Lu's sister and brother-in-law were leaders in the factory, he readily called the office for her.
After getting the approval, he rode his bicycle and took his son into the factory.
Factories these days were much better than those of later generations. Not only were they large in size, but they also had clinics, nurseries, canteens... everything you could imagine. They were a bit like residential communities of 20 or 30 years from now, except that they were also workplaces.
Upon hearing the news that her sister was going to work in the factory, Qiao Yan went to wait downstairs in the office building. Before her bicycle had even stopped, the little guy couldn't wait to wave at her.
"Aunt, look at my mom and I's new car! Dad bought it for us!"
Qiao Yan couldn't help laughing as she walked over. The little guy quickly slid down from the car. She squatted down, hugged her nephew and kissed him again and again. There was still the familiar scent of milk.
"You bad guy, the first thing you said was that you missed your second aunt, and you asked me to see your new car. What, are you here to show off?"
Little Qiaoan is not that kind of person. He just wants to share his happiness with his second aunt.
"What do you mean by showing off? Auntie, I'm so happy! Come and see my and mom's new car!"
Qiao Lu laughed wildly, and Qiao Yan sighed helplessly: "Forget it, there's no point in talking to a fool like you."
What's so new about bicycles? He boasted about them randomly and turned to Qiao Lu, "What do you want to talk to me about? I have nothing to do today."
Qiao Lu smiled and rubbed her son's head: "It's okay. I stay at home every day. I just bought a bicycle today and took Qiao An out for a ride."
Then he asked her, "How are you doing recently? Are you and my brother-in-law doing well?"
Speaking of Yuan Jianghe, Qiao Yan smiled very sweetly, an old couple... They were not like this before, but today she was abnormal, she was actually shy?
As expected——
A bomb was thrown out unexpectedly: "Qiao Lu, I'm pregnant!"
The author has something to say:
Ahem, I wonder if anyone is scared by the chapter summary.