Under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, the straw hat stall that was once bustling with activity is now as deserted as fallen leaves swept by the autumn wind.
Shen Qiqi looked at the pile of straw hats, her brows knitted into a deep "chuan" shape.
The sun was still hot, but now it seemed to bring a hint of coolness when it fell on her.
In the past, villagers would rush to buy straw hats, but now they don’t even look at them. There is a depressing atmosphere in the air, like the calm before the storm, making people breathless.
The wind blew the edge of the straw hat, making a rustling sound, like a silent sigh.
Shen Qiqi felt that the straw hat in her hand had become unusually heavy. It was no longer the "cash cow" that she was proud of, but instead felt like a hot potato, making her anxious.
She could feel that the atmosphere around her was not right, as if something big was about to happen.
Just then, Zhao Tongxing came over staggeringly like a victorious rooster.
There was a gloating smile on his greasy face, and his eyes were narrowed into slits, as if he was watching a wonderful play.
He cleared his throat and spoke in a deliberately high-pitched voice, "Hey, isn't this our 'Straw Hat King'? What's wrong? Business is bad today? I heard that there's a new technology in town, and our old straw hats are probably going to be eliminated!"
Zhao Tongxing's words were like a bomb, instantly detonating the hidden panic in the crowd.
The villagers, who were already somewhat shaken, started talking even more after hearing this, and some even started packing up their things and preparing to find another way out.
Amidst the panic, Zhao Tongxing became more and more proud, and his voice became sharper and sharper, like a fly flying in the crowd, disturbing everyone.
His ugly face, coupled with his smug smile, looked particularly hateful.
Shen Qiqi listened to what Zhao Tongxing said, and she gritted her teeth in anger. A surge of rage rushed to her head, as if a blazing flame was coming out of her head.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh.
She understood that Zhao Tongxing was taking advantage of her misfortune and wanted to completely destroy her straw hat business.
At this moment, she felt that the air around her became thinner, making it hard for her to breathe.
She wanted to rush up and tear Zhao Tongxing's hateful face apart.
"Hey! Qiqi, what should we do?" Lu Qing's worried voice sounded in his ears, pulling Shen Qiqi back to reality from his anger.
She looked at the worried look in Lu Qing's eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.
She looked around and found that the villagers all looked worried, and some had even started packing up their stalls and preparing to give up.
Shen Qiqi's eyes were firm, and her lips were tightly pursed. She looked at Lu Qing and slowly said, "You, wait for me, I'll go..."
Shen Qiqi ignored Zhao Tongxing's face that asked for a beating, and gave him a murderous look, signaling Lu Qing to calm down.
She rushed home in two steps, got an old sack, and rushed to the town in a hurry.
She wanted to let those who looked down on her know that she, Shen Qiqi, was not so easily defeated!
The streets of the town are bustling with people, and the sounds of hawking and shouting can be heard one after another, making it very lively.
Shen Qiqi took a deep breath, put the sack on the ground, and neatly took out a few straw hats from it and placed them on the open space in front of them.
She smiled brightly and called out to passersby in a clear voice, "Don't miss it if you're passing by! Come and take a look at our hand-woven straw hats. They're sun-resistant, durable, and absolutely a summer must-have!"
While Shen Qiqi enthusiastically introduced the advantages of the straw hat, she gently stroked the hat with her hand so that everyone could feel the texture of the hat.
Like a salesperson who was pumped up with energy, she talked incessantly about the process of making straw hats and the effort she put into them.
Her confident look seemed to say: Buy it!
You definitely won’t lose out!
Her enthusiasm, like the summer sunshine, infects those around her.
Passersby were attracted by her sincerity and the beauty of her straw hat and stopped to watch.
Some people picked up a straw hat curiously, looked at it carefully, with admiration in their eyes, and more people paid for it directly.
After a while, more than half of the straw hat in front of her was gone, replaced by a pile of heavy banknotes.
Shen Qiqi watched the straw hat she had worked so hard to weave turn into money, a satisfied smile on her face, and her mood was as bright and brilliant as a rainbow after a sudden rain in summer.
Just as Shen Qiqi was busy collecting money, a familiar figure appeared in her sight.
It’s Lu Qing!
He ran to Shen Qiqi breathlessly, with beads of sweat on his forehead and his eyes full of worry.
"Qiqi, are you okay? I'm worried about you..." There was a hint of trembling in his voice.
When Shen Qiqi saw Lu Qing's figure, her heart felt warm, as if she was wrapped in a warm current.
She smiled and winked at Lu Qing, "Look, I'm fine, and business is good!" She pointed to the remaining straw hats on the ground and the bulging purse, like a kitten seeking credit.
Lu Qing looked at the confident smile on Shen Qiqi's face and the cheerful atmosphere around her. All his worries disappeared in an instant, replaced by full of relief.
The corners of his mouth also rose slightly, and the people around him were also infected by the sweet interaction between the young couple and showed kind smiles.
Just as the two were immersed in the sweet atmosphere, Shen Qiqi's eyes swept across a shop on the corner of the street.
She noticed that the straw hats displayed in the store were exactly the same style as hers, but the quality was much worse.
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