The next day, she passed by the supply and marketing cooperative and saw the same tin frog on the shelf. She immediately took out her money and bought one.
The moment Zhouzhou received the frog, she was overjoyed, clutching it tightly in her little hands.
That was her first toy, bought for her by her mother.
She was so happy that she wouldn't let go, and even tucked it under her pillow when she slept at night.
Later, Su Qingzhi learned that the little green frog that Zhenzhen was holding tightly in her arms was actually a gift her mother had bought for her when she was still alive.
At that time, Zhenzhen's mother had just returned from the department store in the city, carrying a small plastic bag in her hand.
She crouched down and placed the furry little frog into young Zhenzhen's arms.
"Sweetie, this is a gift from Mommy. You should cherish it."
From then on, this frog became Zhenzhen's most treasured possession.
He treasured it like his lifeblood and rarely showed it to others.
Even Yang Wenlan said that this was the first time he had ever seen Zhenzhen take out the frog for others to play with.
A sharp scream suddenly came from the other end of the carriage, interrupting Su Qingzhi's memories.
She subconsciously looked up and saw a chubby little boy clinging tightly to the old lady's clothes.
The child's voice was incredibly loud.
She couldn't help but frown slightly; the child was so fat he was almost a ball.
In an era when most families couldn't even afford steamed buns, it's remarkable that someone could grow such a large, fat body.
She didn't need to ask to know that her family must treat him like an emperor.
In contrast, the old woman was emaciated.
Even in her weakened state, she was still being pulled around by her chubby grandson, swaying from side to side and unable to stand steadily.
The old lady's heart broke the moment the child started making a fuss.
"My dear grandson, be good, don't cry... Grandma will buy it for you as soon as we get off the bus, really! The pastry shop at the street corner sells them, we can buy it right away. Don't take other people's toys, okay? We'll buy new ones ourselves."
But the chubby boy wouldn't listen.
Upon hearing the words "buy after getting off the bus," she immediately flew into a rage, her chubby little hands slapping at her grandmother incessantly.
The old lady was in so much pain that she kept frowning.
"Okay, okay, Grandma will help you grab it, I'll go right away!"
She finally couldn't take it anymore and gritted her teeth and gave in.
Then, the old lady slowly turned her head and looked at Su Qingzhi sitting opposite her.
"Hey girl, you know my kid's really craving one. Your kid has two frogs, could you spare one for my kid to play with for a bit? I'm getting off at this stop, I'll give it back to you as soon as I get off, I promise."
Before the words were even finished, Zhenzhen and Zhouzhou immediately became alert.
The brother and sister almost simultaneously hid the little frogs behind their backs and shrank back.
Su Qingzhi looked at the scene before her without responding immediately.
Instead, he gently patted Zhenzhen's shoulder before raising his head and speaking to the old lady.
"Auntie, I'm so sorry, these two frogs are my son's favorite toys. They're having so much fun playing with them right now, so I really can't lend them to him."
The old lady's smile froze instantly.
"You young wife, how can you be so heartless? Didn't you see my grandson was almost crying his eyes out? He was just borrowing it to play with, it's not like he's not going to return it! It's just a little toy, why are you so protective of it?"
Her words were barbed.
Su Qingzhi remained indifferent.
Her gaze swept over the cloth bag that the child was clutching tightly in his arms, inside which several pieces of golden-yellow sponge cake could be vaguely seen.
"Auntie, your cakes look delicious. My child is really craving them. Can we have a few pieces to try? It's like exchanging toys."
Upon hearing this, the chubby boy jumped back a step and hugged the bag of sponge cakes tightly to his chest.
"This is my grandson's food ration! Why should I give it to you!"
The old lady was furious when she heard this.
"I bought this for a dime! I counted the money and dug it out of my pocket one by one! And now you're asking for it back so easily? How can you be so shameless? What kind of adult taught their child to beg like this?"
Su Qingzhi raised the corner of her mouth and stared at her slowly.
The old lady felt a sudden tightness in her chest when she saw that look.
But she wouldn't back down verbally, stubbornly shouting back.
"Fine, don't give it to me then! You're so stingy! I haven't even wanted it yet! If we were outside, who would bother with this piece of junk! You treat a broken frog like a treasure, do you really think you're some kind of rich lady?"
"If you don't want to give it to me, then don't. At your age, why are you hiding it like a family heirloom? What's the point? If there wasn't nowhere to hide on this lousy train, who would even glance at your dried-out sponge cake? It's not like I've never seen food before."
Su Qingzhi replied with a cold laugh.
The people in the carriage suppressed their laughter upon hearing this.
So that's how you can roast someone?
These days, it's rare to see a girl who dares to speak like that.
Everyone knew perfectly well that the old lady was reluctant to give anything away herself, but she wanted to take advantage of the situation, all while making it sound very respectable.
To put it bluntly, it's about being stingy and greedy, yet pretending to be wronged and aggrieved.
"Wow!"
The chubby boy suddenly grinned and howled heart-wrenchingly.
Everyone frowned, their faces growing increasingly grim.
The train was already unbearably hot and stuffy.
Add to that the rumbling sound of the train tracks, and now this wailing from a brat—it's like adding fuel to the fire.
The boy was crying and kicking and slapping, and accidentally hit the knee of the passenger next to him.
The person who was kicked suddenly looked up.
"Scream one more time and I'll throw you out the window, let the train wind blow on your head and loosen your muscles!"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
