Li Xiuju was having a headache from the bickering of the siblings when she saw the well-behaved and gentle Wanqiu arrive. She immediately smiled and waved, "Wanqiu's here! It's hot outside, don't stand there, come in and sit down."
"Hey." Zhou Wanqiu pushed open the door and happily ran into the yard.
"Hey, you're here just in time. Let me give you something to try." Zhou Chenyu pushed aside the bamboo pole, turned around, and ran into the kitchen.
"Sister Chenyu, I've already eaten." Zhou Wanqiu stood there stunned. Li Xiuju pointed to the kitchen and said with a smile, "Your sister Chenyu made some delicious sweet soup. Go and try it."
"Really? Then I'll take a look." Zhou Wanqiu walked over with small, quick steps.
"This is my special mung bean and taro ball sweet soup, please try it." Zhou Chenyu handed her the bowl. Zhou Wanqiu looked at the full bowl of mung bean soup, with many small and exquisite snacks that she had never seen before. "Sister Chenyu, I don't want to eat this much, just a small bite is enough."
Looking at her thin frame, with barely any flesh on her face, and her malnourished appearance, Zhou Chenyu thought that if she didn't eat, she wouldn't be able to deal with Qian Rushan and his big guys; her own body would collapse first.
In the sweltering summer heat, people's hearts can become restless.
She said somewhat urgently, "It's only a little bit, how can you not finish it? No, you have to eat it all, leave nothing."
Zhou Wanqiu was completely oblivious to her anger. She held the bowl as if it were a precious treasure and smiled foolishly, "Sister Chenyu, you are so good to me. You are willing to give me all the good things to eat. Usually, only my two older brothers and my little nephew can eat these good things at home."
Hearing the sadness in her last words, Zhou Chenyu regretted speaking so hastily and said to herself, "Silly girl, we've all eaten. You should try it and see if it suits your taste."
"Hey." Zhou Wanqiu scooped up a yellow taro ball, put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly. It was soft and chewy, and sweet but not greasy. It was even better than the glutinous rice balls and rice cakes made at home.
Zhou Chenyu squatted there, cupped her cheeks, blinked, and stared at her without moving. "Is it delicious?"
Two tears clung to Zhou Wanqiu's eyelashes. "Mmm, delicious." After saying that, she couldn't resist trying the other two colors of taro balls. "These are even better."
Zhou Chenyu also disliked the taste of pumpkin. Having met a kindred spirit, she squinted and smiled, "I prefer those two too. Eat slowly, there's still plenty left in the pot. If you're not full, just ask for more."
"Mmm." Zhou Wanqiu watched her walk away, quickly finished emptying her bowl, washed it clean, and walked over to them. "What are you doing?"
Li Xiuju said, "To make tables and chairs, your sister Chenyu will set up a stall on the street to sell sweet soup, the one you just ate."
"Really?" Zhou Wanqiu picked up a bamboo stool and looked at it, praising it repeatedly, "Sister Chenyu is so amazing, she can make everything and even do business on the street. This mung bean soup is so delicious, it will definitely sell for a good price."
Zhou Baoyu looked up amidst the busyness, revealing a sly smile, "Sister, I also think it will definitely fetch a good price."
Zhou Chenyu smiled and said, "Then I'll take your good wishes."
"I'll help you too."
Zhou Wanqiu rolled up his sleeves, picked up two bamboo poles, and with an extra person to help, not only did the speed increase, but there was also a lot of laughter and joy.
In the following days, Hongmei, who lived not far away, heard the commotion. Feeling bored at home with nothing to do, she brought her baby, still in swaddling clothes, and Grandma Wang over for a chat.
When they came to visit, Zhou Chenyu gave each of them a bowl of mung bean and taro ball sweet soup, which was well received by everyone, especially Grandma Wang, who loved the taro ball sweet soup even though she had no teeth.
After finishing their sweet soup, Hongmei and Grandma Wang joined the team making bamboo stools. The group of people, young and old, sat around in the courtyard enjoying the cool air. The wind blew the fallen leaves, and they chatted and laughed. Time passed little by little, the sunlight weakened, and people's shadows were lengthened. Before they knew it, it was sunset.
With the help of neighbors, the necessary bamboo tables and chairs have been prepared.
——
Afterwards, many villagers emerged from the golden rice paddies outside the courtyard, celebrating their bountiful harvest.
As dawn broke, the able-bodied young men of the village set out to harvest an acre of rice and level the land before the midday sun became too intense.
When the rooster crowed at dawn that day, Li Xiuju got up before dark, followed by Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu.
Zhou Chenyu and Li Xiuju stayed in the kitchen, making taro balls and boiling mung bean soup, while Baoyu neatly arranged all the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks on the cart.
With everything ready, the two quickly ate breakfast and then drove off to set up their stall with a whole truckload of their belongings.
When the villagers in the rice paddies saw them on the road, they asked curiously, "What are Xiuju's two children doing so early in the morning?"
The villagers, supporting their backs and raising the brims of their hats, looked over there. "Are they preparing to do business? I heard they're going to set up a stall on the street?"
Chen Cuiping straightened up in the distance, saw Zhou Chenyu and the others, spat into her palm, rubbed her hands together fiercely, and gripped the sickle tightly. "What else can they do? Their family owes so much debt, they must want to run away from their debts as soon as possible."
Zhou Wanqiu, who was working silently, looked up and watched them walk away.
Knowing the truth, Hongmei couldn't stand Chen Cuiping's attitude and sarcastically retorted, "Oh, how can you talk so casually, Auntie? You know Aunt Xiuju's family is in debt, why don't you lend a hand? We're family after all, how can you say such sarcastic things?"
Chen Cuiping glared at her and said with a sarcastic smile, "A mother should think carefully before she speaks. If she doesn't accumulate some good karma for herself, she should at least accumulate some good karma for her child. Be careful that the retribution doesn't fall on the child."
Hongmei, unafraid of being wronged, sneered: "Some people take advantage of others' misfortunes and do whatever they want. These heartless people aren't afraid of retribution, so why should I be afraid? I should worry about myself instead of others. It's pointless to meddle in other people's business."
"you!"
"Enough!"
Chen Cuiping wanted to retort, but Zhou Wenwu roared at her and cursed her back.
Seeing that Chen Cuiping was sulking and didn't dare to talk back, Hongmei smiled smugly.
Zhou Shuqing smiled helplessly, "Wife, why did you provoke her for no reason?"
"I just can't stand her arrogant attitude. Relatives, indeed! She just can't stand seeing others do well." Hongmei rolled her eyes, and then, in a fit of anger, plopped down on the edge of the field.
"Don't get so angry you'll ruin your health." Zhou Shuqing brought over a bowl of tea, which Hongmei gulped down, but continued to curse, "It's a good thing she doesn't dare to mess with me, otherwise I would definitely show her what I'm capable of. Does she really think everyone in the world is as easy to bully as Aunt Xiuju?"
Zhou Shuqing wiped the sweat from her temples with his hand. She was making a fuss, so he stood behind her to protect her. "That's right, if anyone dares to bully my wife, I'll fight them to the death!"
Hongmei looked at him, her face flushed with embarrassment and embarrassment, and said, "Go to hell."
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