Today was unusual, there was suddenly a popsicle cart at the school gate. However, the kids were shy and were used to buying popsicles from Qian Qing, so most of them went to Qian Qing's place.
Qian Qing now sells popsicles every day like she is fighting a war. Students gather around her. She is not short, but when she glances around, she sees little heads everywhere.
"Don't crowd, don't crowd, line up!"
"Please step back a little bit if you want to give the change."
"Hey, slow down, don't push anyone!"
…
Seeing Qian Qing was very excited, Wan Zhenzhen couldn't wait any longer and just started shouting at the top of her voice.
"Popsicle——"
"Salt water popsicles are 1.5 cents each—"
…
It would have been better if she hadn't shouted. As soon as she shouted, several elementary school students who were originally coming to her side immediately changed their routes and went towards Qian Qing.
Wan Zhenzhen was confused. Was she shouting incorrectly?
That shouldn't be the case. Didn't Qian Qing think of selling popsicles when she was on the way to see the women's director with me that day?
She remembered it clearly: salt water was 1.5 cents, and red and green beans were 20 cents.
Several kids who changed their route to go to Qian Qing's place were also grumbling.
"She sells them at a very high price. Salt water is 1.5 cents."
"That's right, I can buy a green bean for 1.5 cents."
"Let's go buy it at a small stall instead of from this black-hearted woman."
…
Wan Zhenzhen couldn't figure it out, so she stopped shouting and just waited there.
She didn't shout, but someone came to the door.
A few taller kids just walked out of the school gate holding a ball. When they saw so many people surrounding Qian Qing's stall, they were a little hesitant.
When they saw that there was no one near Wan Zhenzhen's popsicle cart, the children's eyes lit up.
He ran over with the ball in his arms: "I want a salt water popsicle!"
"I want the green bean one!"
"Is there milk?"
Wan Zhenzhen was happy when she saw someone coming to her door, and she hurriedly gave them popsicles and collected money.
"We don't have milk ones, but we have salt water and red and green bean ones."
The one who wanted to eat milk popsicles pouted, saying that this popsicle cart was really bad because it sold too few varieties. But his friends all bought theirs here, so he was too embarrassed to go to the stall.
"Then please get me a green bean."
Then he handed over 15 cents.
Wan Zhenzhen felt something was wrong after receiving the money, and she grabbed the kids and refused to let them leave.
"Well, you guys are really well-planned. You naughty monkeys came here together and thought I couldn't see clearly. You all gave me less money. Which class are you from? I will report to your class teacher! You are not good at learning at such a young age. You will be sent to the detention room when you grow up!"
These kids were all fourth-grade students. They were well-nourished and tall. They were grabbed by Wan Zhenzhen and scolded so much that they almost lost consciousness.
The one who wanted the milk popsicle was the smartest. He immediately responded by saying, "Who gave you less money? Aren't green beans only 1.5 cents? And salt water popsicles are 10 cents? We just gave them all to you!"
Several people nearby also chimed in: "That's right! I'll give you all the money!"
Wan Zhenzhen sneered and pulled the little boy by the back of his neck: "What are you pretending to be, you little bastard? Tell me who sells mung bean popsicles for 1.5 cents. I think you will cry until you see the coffin. You are so young and yet you are so smooth-talking. You will be shot sooner or later!"
After all, the little boy was still young, and when he was picked up and scolded by an adult, tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt very aggrieved.
Wan Zhenzhen didn't seem to have solved the problem. Instead, she picked up the little boy and vented her anger about the recent unhappiness. She kept talking like a machine gun.
Qian Qing was busy, but she still found time to glance at Wan Zhenzhen from time to time.
Seeing her scolding a little kid, I felt that she was not kind and my brows furrowed.
Wan Zhenzhen is a person of great contradictions. She wants to bring bad luck to herself, but her greatest courage is to instigate herself to quarrel with the leader and Zhou Hao. She made a popsicle cart to compete with herself, but she only dared to come a few minutes before school was over.
These days, when she was at home, what she often heard was the old lady Wang next door scolding her, but she never retorted. Wan Zhenzhen seemed to have endless tears, crying to Wang Hua, crying to old lady Wang, and crying to the people in the compound. The people in the compound didn't know the cause and effect, and many people thought she had a miserable life, blamed on Ma Qiuju, the evil mother-in-law.
As time went on, even Qian Qing began to doubt the reality of the dream. After all, Wan Zhenzhen did nothing but complain and cry. How could she be so "powerful" in the dream?
Now she left the others and changed her attitude towards the child.
A phrase suddenly emerged in Qian Qing's mind - "bully the weak and fear the strong."
I have never seen such a person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. He speaks in a vicious manner to children. It is really disgusting.
Qian Qing almost wanted to drop her business and confront Wan Zhenzhen, but the little boy had already pushed Wan Zhenzhen fiercely.
The half-grown child pushed Wan Zhenzhen hard, causing her to stumble. Unfortunately, Wan Zhenzhen's popsicle cart was behind her, so Wan Zhenzhen took two steps back and immediately knocked the popsicle cart over.
This time it was a disaster. The popsicle cart overturned, and Wan Zhenzhen forgot to close the metal box, so the popsicles inside fell all over the floor.
The little boy was frightened when he saw that he had gotten into trouble, and he ran away as soon as his friends pulled him away.
Wan Zhenzhen stood there dumbfounded for a long while before she turned around to look for trouble with those naughty kids.
This is a box of popsicles! She spent two dollars and sixty cents to buy these popsicles under the scorching sun! She can make four or five dollars with just one sale! Today, these naughty kids can't leave unless they pay her ten dollars!
I just started looking for him, but he's already gone.
Wan Zhenzhen almost couldn't hold back her tears, how could it be so difficult! ? Everyone is against her!
The security guard over there had just seen her picking up the children and scolding them, and was about to come over, but who knew something strange would happen. Now he didn't want to come over to check it out, for fear that the popsicle cart that had cost him so much money would come up to him and ask him which class those children were from.
He had been a security guard for a long time, and since they were all kids in the compound, he could really recognize them all.
But he didn't want to say it!
An adult was holding a child against her will and saying such unpleasant things to her. She deserved to have her popsicle cart overturned!
Wan Zhenzhen just stood there crying, with children all around her. Who would come up to help her pick it up? Not to mention that she looked so ferocious just now, which scared some of the children.
Qian Qing's frown deepened. Could it be that Wan Zhenzhen couldn't tell the difference between the important and the urgent?
Just now her popsicle cart fell over, and the popsicles were all wrapped in paper. If she picked them up quickly, she could sell the ones on top. She just stood there crying, and now the popsicles are soft, and she can't sell them even if she picks them up.
Wan Zhenzhen cried for a while, but no one came to support her. She could only wipe her tears and pick up the popsicles on the ground one by one. She had to continue selling them since they were wrapped in paper.
What if I don’t sell it? I can’t work so hard today and not make a penny, right?
Qian Qing sold all the popsicles one after another, and there were only a few dozen left. She piled them into a popsicle box.
It was not possible to sell things accurately every day. Qian Qing would rather buy a few dozen more and leave some space than not have enough. She would usually take the remaining popsicles back to the tube building and sell them to people in the compound at cost price.
——Her tricycle was parked in the bicycle parking lot, taking up a large area. A few old ladies had said something about her in a very subtle way a few days ago. But they didn’t say much these days, because Qian Qing would leave a few dozen popsicles downstairs to sell for a while every day.
Their grandchildren were so happy eating the five-cent popsicles, and the old ladies were happy too. Wasn't this a way of saving the family five cents?
Seeing Qian Qing packing up her stall and leaving, Wan Zhenzhen felt even more aggrieved. The flow of people at the school gate was only for a short while, and as soon as the children got out of school, the school was immediately empty.
Wan Zhenzhen sprained her ankle when she went to buy popsicles today, and asked the little boy to push her. She spent ten yuan to buy a box, and worked hard for an entire afternoon, but only earned more than 20 cents from her pocket, and didn't even get back her original investment!
Qian Qing cleared the goods downstairs in the tube building, then took a basin to the bathroom to take a shower, wiped her hair, and sat at the desk to count money.
After counting, she wrote it down in her notebook. She had been selling popsicles for almost a week and had earned more than she had imagined, more than four hundred yuan!
When Qian Qing was holding the notebook happily, there was a noise from next door, and Wan Zhenzhen came home.
She eventually sold the popsicles, but she was exhausted; just pedaling her bike around the yards was killing her.
She didn't make any money from the popsicles because some of them were broken and some became soft after the fall. Wan Zhenzhen could only sell them at cost price, just to make back her money.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw my mother-in-law with a dark face.
"Will it delay cooking? You really think I'm so confused! You're selling popsicles and you're back at this hour. Qian Qing next door has been back for more than an hour! Tell me, where have you been? Did you go to sell popsicles?"
Old Lady Wang thought Wan Zhenzhen was restless. What was so important about selling popsicles? How could he delay even cooking? If Wan Zhenzhen didn't look like a wolf, she would have suspected that Wan Zhenzhen was doing something shameful.
Just like Qian Qing next door, she is always flashy and even has to hold an umbrella when selling popsicles. She is coquettish and doesn't look like a good woman.
"I'm telling you, don't bring those bad habits from your mother's family here. If you want to sell popsicles, just sell popsicles, but you're not allowed to wear skirts! You dress up like a seductress all day long, which is not decent!"
"Okay, hurry up and cook. I'm starving."
Wan Zhenzhen responded numbly. She was almost dying of exhaustion, and her brain was almost paralyzed. How could she never have thought that selling popsicles would be such a tiring job!
Qian Qing from next door just curled her lips when she heard the old lady Wang's scolding. She was tired of hearing those scoldings from Wan Zhenzhen's mother-in-law. She was always making indirect accusations and always mentioned her in the remarks.
She takes what she says as shit!
She just likes flowery skirts, nice clothes, and her fair skin. Why does she make money? It's just to live a good life. If she has the conditions to make money easily and beautifully, why can't she?
Not only do I have to wear a skirt, I also have to put on lipstick tomorrow! This stubborn old man is so mad!
Qian Qing changed into a skirt and went to the cafeteria happily to eat.
Wan Zhenzhen was reviewing and reflecting in the intervals between cooking.
Just now when she was selling popsicles, she heard someone casually say, "The popsicles sold at the popsicle carts are all expensive. In the whole compound, only the popsicle stand opposite Zidi Primary School sells the cheapest ones. Salt water popsicles are only one dime each."
Wan Zhenzhen then realized where she had gone wrong. It turned out that Qian Qing had already lowered the price. Since she bought more, her cost was naturally lower, so she had an advantage in selling.
It seems that if I go to sell at the school gate, my price can't be higher than hers.
Wan Zhenzhen was cooking fiercely, saying that it was cheap, so who was afraid of who! Anyway, the cost of a popsicle was only five cents, and she sold it for eight cents! Let's see who can outsell who!