The night was as dark as ink, but the Lu family courtyard was still brightly lit. However, the lights were lacking the previous laughter and joy, and were more solemn.
On Shen Qiqi's desk, a desk lamp emitted a dim glow, illuminating the dazzling account in her hand.
"How could this happen?" she murmured to herself, with a hint of disbelief in her tone.
The new elderly care service plan has just started, and it has indeed progressed smoothly in the early stages. The elderly people are full of praise for the new living arrangements and praise her as a "living Bodhisattva."
But after just a few days, the funds started to run into trouble. It was like encountering a "loophole" at the very beginning of playing a game. It was a bolt from the blue!
Shen Qiqi's brows were furrowed, like two little bugs fighting, and sweat oozed out of her forehead.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her depressed mood, but the naked numbers on the account were like needles piercing her heart, making her unable to bear it.
"No, we have to think of a way." Shen Qiqi put down the account book and decided to hold a family meeting to brainstorm. After all, "three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang."
Soon, the Lu family gathered together and sat in the living room, but the atmosphere was far less harmonious than before.
Shen Qiqi cleared her throat and spoke out the funding issue as if she was announcing "bad news".
"What? Out of money so soon?" The uncle was the first to speak out, a hint of impatience flashing in his shrewd eyes. "I've already told you that all this fancy stuff is pointless. I've already paid out my share, and I can't pay any more!"
"That's right, I don't have any money either!" Second uncle also complained, spreading his hands with an expression of "I am poor and therefore I am right", "I have a whole family to support at home!"
Lu Qing's cousin also began to complain, saying that he was not satisfied with the current health care arrangements. He had his own "health care concept" and did not want to be "arranged."
Lu Qing's son even asked a sharp question directly: "Why do grandparents want us to raise them?"
Facing a room full of people full of complaints, Shen Qiqi felt like a "punching bag", being "bombarded" by everyone's words.
She took a deep breath and tried hard to control herself from being angry, but there still seemed to be a fire burning in her heart.
"Is there no one willing to contribute more?" Shen Qiqi's voice was a little low, and her eyes swept over everyone present, disappointment spreading in her heart.
The living room fell into silence. Everyone looked at each other, no one wanted to speak. The air was filled with awkwardness, as if they were performing a pantomime.
At this moment, Shen Qiqi suddenly stood up, picked up a bunch of keys on the table, and said calmly: "I'm going out for a while."
She didn't explain anything, but turned and walked out of the living room, leaving a room full of people looking at each other in confusion, and a faint, uneasy atmosphere in the air.
Shen Qiqi walked out of the Lu family courtyard. The cool night breeze brushed across her cheeks, but it couldn't blow away the boredom in her heart.
She got on the creaking 28-inch bicycle and rode towards the town market.
In order to save money, she decided to purchase the items needed for the elderly care services herself.
The market was bustling with people, hawkers’ cries were heard one after another, and various smells mixed together to form a peculiar "vegetable market perfume smell".
Shen Qiqi shuttled through the crowd, feeling like a small stone, being swept forward by the tide of the times.
She selected each item carefully, bargained with the vendors, and tried her best to buy the best things at the lowest price.
"Boss, how much are these vegetables?" Shen Qiqi pointed at the pile of green vegetables in front of her, trying hard to make herself look like a "bargaining expert."
"Fifty cents a pound, no bargaining!" The boss was a strong middle-aged man, and his tone was very firm.
"Oh, boss, look at these vegetables, the leaves are all wilted, can you make them cheaper?" Shen Qiqi tried her best to persuade the boss.
After a heated exchange of words, Shen Qiqi finally bought the vegetables for 45 cents. Although it was only five cents cheaper, she still felt a small sense of accomplishment. After all, "saving is earning."
As the night deepened, the people in the market gradually dispersed, and Shen Qiqi's figure seemed particularly thin.
She was pushing a cart full of goods and staggering on the way home. Her tired figure looked a little lonely under the dim street lights.
Occasionally, people passing by gave her strange looks, which made her feel a little embarrassed, as if she was a "loser".
When we returned to the Lu family courtyard, everyone was already asleep, with only the dim lights still on.
Shen Qiqi gently unloaded the goods and walked into the house, but was surprised to find Lu Qing's son sitting in the living room with a cloth bag in his hand.
"Mom, this is for you." The son walked up to Shen Qiqi and handed her the cloth bag in his hand.
Shen Qiqi opened the cloth bag, and inside was a stack of scattered money, some candies, and small trinkets.
She was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"This is my pocket money, all for you." The son raised his head, his eyes full of sincerity and determination, "Grandma and Grandpa are my family too, and I want to do my part."
Her son's behavior was beyond Shen Qiqi's expectations, and it also caused a ripple in the originally quiet Lu family courtyard.
She looked at her son's innocent face, feeling mixed emotions, both moved and a little reluctant.
"Son..." Shen Qiqi choked, tears welling up in her eyes.
Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence in the house...
The knock on the door was quick and powerful, like a drumbeat hitting Shen Qiqi's heart, breaking the warm atmosphere.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
