Jing Zhiwan forced a smile. Although she was filled with disdain in her heart, thinking that these ideas were too ordinary and far inferior to her own novel and bold ideas, she still responded with feigned enthusiasm on the surface: "Sister Su and Sister Yunrou's ideas are of course excellent. You can make the decision."
There was a subtle perfunctory touch hidden in that smile.
Just then, two little guys, Wei Zhi and Wei Li, ran over from the other end of the yard. Wei Zhi held a long branch high in his hand and shouted excitedly, "Mom, look, I found a really long branch. Maybe I can use it to decorate the shop!"
Wei Li followed behind, her face flushed red, and she looked at everyone breathlessly but with anticipation.
Su Huaiyue looked at the innocent faces of the two children, and her heart warmed. She took the branch with a smile, examined it carefully, and said, "Zhi'er is really amazing. This branch has a unique shape. With a little processing, it might really add some unique charm to the shop."
Wei Che also came over and touched Wei Zhi's head, his eyes full of doting: "Yes, Zhi'er has a good eye, this branch is very creative."
Jing Zhiwan looked at this heartwarming scene, the fire of jealousy burning in her heart. She felt as if she had been completely marginalized. In front of Wei Che and Su Huaiyue, she was like an unnecessary outsider.
She bit her lip and suddenly said, "It's just an ordinary branch. What use can it have? Using it as a decoration will only make the shop look shabby and tacky."
As soon as these words were spoken, the yard suddenly became quiet and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Wei Yunrou's expression changed slightly, and she couldn't help but retort, "Miss Jing, how can you say that? This is Zhier's gift, and as long as you design it with care, ordinary things can also become very stylish."
Su Huaiyue also frowned slightly and looked at Jing Zhiwan. Her tone was calm but with a hint of unquestionableness: "Miss Jing, every child's idea deserves respect. Let's think about how to turn this branch into a unique decoration."
Wei Che's eyes flashed with dissatisfaction. He looked at Jing Zhiwan and said in a low but firm voice, "Miss Jing, I hope you can respect everyone's ideas. This shop is the result of our joint efforts. It is not a place to show off personal tastes."
Jing Zhiwan's face turned pale and red due to the accusations from everyone. She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes were slightly red, and she felt wronged and angry, but she didn't know how to refute.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, Shopkeeper Hu hurried back. He noticed the strange atmosphere in the yard, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just smiled and said, "Everyone, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's continue discussing the shop business."
Seeing this, Su Huaiyue quickly tried to smooth things over: "Manager Hu, you've come at the perfect time. We were just discussing the decoration of the backyard."
As she spoke, she handed the branch Wei Zhi had found to Shopkeeper Hu and briefly explained everyone's ideas.
Shopkeeper Hu took the branch, examined it carefully, and a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes. "That's a good idea! I know a skilled carpenter who can definitely turn this branch into an exquisite ornament."
After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and the tense atmosphere eased a little.
Jing Zhiwan watched as everyone resumed their heated discussion, feeling like an outsider, and her sense of loss grew stronger.
She walked aside silently, watching Su Huaiyue, Wei Che and others talking and laughing, and suddenly a feeling of regret welled up in her heart. She realized that her behavior just now was a bit too much. Perhaps she was too eager to show off in front of Wei Che, which led to such a loss of composure.
After hesitating for a moment, Jing Zhiwan took a deep breath, mustered up the courage to walk in front of Su Huaiyue, lowered her head, and said with a hint of guilt: "Sister Su, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that just now. I was too impulsive."
Su Huaiyue looked at Jing Zhiwan's sincere expression, and the dissatisfaction in her heart immediately dissipated a lot. She smiled and took Jing Zhiwan's hand: "Miss Jing, it's okay. We are all doing this for the good of the shop. Don't take what happened just now to heart."
The atmosphere finally returned to harmony.
Everyone continued to discuss the decoration details of the shop, and before they knew it, it was getting dark.
The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled in the yard, covering the entire shop with a layer of golden gauze, making it look particularly warm.
Su Huaiyue looked at everyone gratefully: "Thank you all for your help today. When the shop is renovated and officially opened, we must celebrate it properly."
Everyone in the Wei family worked together, and the renovation of the shop progressed step by step.
Every day before dawn, Su Huaiyue would hurriedly leave home and go straight to the shop.
Her delicate figure shuttled among the craftsmen, carefully discussing every detail with them, from the color matching of the walls, to the style selection of furniture, to the placement of decorations, no matter how big or small, she strived to perfectly outline the warm and comfortable vision in her heart.
However, just as the decoration work of the shop was proceeding in an orderly manner and everything seemed to be moving in a good direction, a dark cloud quietly enveloped Youzhou City.
A large number of refugees poured in from the neighboring Lingzhou like a tide.
At first, there were only a few refugees who dragged their tired bodies and quietly appeared at the gate of Youzhou City.
They were dressed in tattered clothes, as if they had struggled out of the ruins, their faces were haggard, and their faces, which were once full of vitality, were now shrouded in fatigue and despair, and their eyes were empty and lifeless.
The guards at the city gate didn't pay much attention at first and just conducted a routine check.
However, as time went on, the number of refugees increased, like an unstoppable torrent, pouring into Youzhou City.
On the streets, refugees were sitting or lying, with wailing and begging sounds coming one after another, plunging the entire city into chaos and unrest.
Back at the Wei family, Madam Wei had also heard the news about the refugees. She called Wei Che, Su Huaiyue, and Wei Yunrou over and said with a worried look on her face, "We can't just sit back and watch this refugee situation. Che'er, Huaiyue, what do you think?"
Wei Che frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Grandma, I'm worried about this too. In this situation, we have to think of ways to help."
Su Huaiyue nodded gently, her eyes full of concern: "Yes, these refugees are so pitiful, any help is appreciated. We have a lot of food stored in our house, we can provide some relief."
Jing Fangchun was the first to receive news of the influx of refugees. As the chief officer of the city, he naturally took the brunt of the responsibility of dealing with this crisis.
He stood on the city wall, looking at the endless stream of refugees, his heart filled with anxiety and uneasiness.
He knew very well that if these problems were not resolved as soon as possible, Youzhou City would face a huge disaster.
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