After Zhou Weiguang left, Qin Hanshu slowly got out of bed.
She had just finished washing up when Liu Ercui came knocking on the door.
"Hey girl, quick! We have to get to the cooperative and grab some stuff!"
Several days ago, the cooperative's supply was already more than usual, in preparation for the Chinese New Year.
However, fresh chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as some in-demand seafood products, will not be available until today.
Liu Ercui had already learned from experience that every year on New Year's Eve, the cooperative's entrance was packed with people until everything was sold out.
If you don't go early, you won't be able to buy them.
When Qin Hanshu saw Liu Ercui's belly, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "How come your belly is so big after just one night?"
Liu Ercui was two months ahead of Qin Hanshu in her pregnancy, but she wasn't showing much yet, though her belly was quite prominent at the moment.
Liu Ercui pulled a pillow out of her belly and said smugly, "I'm just pretending so I can grab things later! With my big belly, no one will dare to squeeze past me!"
After saying that, he also made Qin Hanshu put one on.
Qin Hanshu shook her head, "I'll pass."
Liu Ercui said, "Okay, you can follow behind me in a bit!"
Qin Hanshu didn't know what the evening's arrangements were yet, so she asked Liu Ercui to wait a moment and went to Cao Jing's place.
Cao Jing had already gotten up and was washing her face.
"I already discussed it with your brother yesterday. Let's eat at home. It's okay if it's a little late. The main thing is that it's more comfortable at home. What do you think?"
Qin Hanshu nodded and said, "I have no objection, then let's do it at home. I'll go to the cooperative with Sister Ercui now."
Cao Jing wrung out the towel and hung it on the washstand, saying as she put on her coat, "I'll go with you."
When Qin Hanshu got downstairs, she glanced at Fan Hongxia's door, which was tightly closed.
Liu Ercui said, "She's not home; she went back to her parents' house."
Qin Hanshu asked in surprise, "When did this happen? How come I haven't heard about it?"
Liu Ercui recalled: "Just the day before yesterday at noon, while you were all at work, she had a huge fight with her husband and ended up going back to her parents' home in anger. Since she went back to her parents' home at this time, she probably won't be back until after the New Year."
Fan Hongxia's family home is in a neighboring city, about 100 kilometers away.
Cao Jing: "What about the child?"
Liu Ercui: "Of course, they'd bring the kids along."
Qin Hanshu thought to herself that the two couples living upstairs and downstairs from her often argued.
In fact, it's quite common for couples to argue in the entire residential compound; some even fight.
Cao Jing and Qin Hanshu had the same thought and sighed, "Is it inevitable that a couple will grow tired of each other after being together for a long time?"
Liu Ercui snorted and laughed, "Is that even a question? After being together for a long time, even the most beautiful flower will become tiresome! When we first got married, he would cling to you so much that he wanted to hold your stinky feet, but after having a few children, he would treat even a kiss from you like it would kill him."
Sigh, she looks like a haggard old woman now, but who hasn't been young and beautiful? Who wasn't pretty when they were young?
She and her own man also had a passionate affair!
After Liu Ercui finished speaking, she thought of the two people beside her who had just gotten married and were currently enjoying a blissful relationship with their husbands. She knew they wouldn't like to hear what she was saying.
So Liu Ercui added, "But we can't generalize. I think the men in both of your families are quite good."
Qin Hanshu and Cao Jing didn't take it to heart.
Let the future be what it is; why worry so much about it now?
On the way, the group encountered two family members from the same building, and together they headed to the cooperative.
When I left home, it was still barely dawn, but by the time I arrived at the cooperative, it was already broad daylight; it all seemed to happen in an instant.
The cooperative opens at seven o'clock, but when I arrived it wasn't open yet, and there were already many people lined up at the entrance.
The group chatted as they waited, and time passed quickly.
When the door opened, the people who were originally queuing rushed forward, and there was no order at all.
If you're late, all the good stuff will be gone, and nobody will care about queuing properly anymore.
"Girls, follow right behind me, don't get pushed out!" Liu Ercui said, then clutched her belly and squeezed her way in.
Seeing her prominent belly, the others really didn't dare to get too close to her.
And so, Liu Ercui, along with Qin Hanshu and Cao Jing, managed to squeeze to the front with relative ease.
Today's cooperative is indeed rich in resources.
Qin Hanshu had already bought a lot of dried goods at the department store. In addition to a pound of peanut oil, her company also gave her ribbonfish and a basket of tangerines as New Year's benefits.
And a few days ago I even went to the black market and bought live chickens and fish to keep at home.
Qin Hanshu's eyes darted around, and in the end she only bought fresh pork ribs, pork, and some vegetables.
The sales clerk called out, "Does anyone want squid? We still have plenty."
The squid was a special supply from the cooperative this year, but not many people bought it.
The residents of the family compound come from all over the country, and not everyone is used to eating seafood.
Qin Hanshu heard a woman behind her complain, "Squid is awful. It's fishy and tough, like chewing a tire."
That's not something I'll do.
Qin Hanshu called out, "Give me two squids."
As they squeezed through the crowd carrying their belongings, Cao Jing said admiringly to Liu Ercui, "Sister-in-law, you really know how to come up with a solution."
Liu Ercui puffed out her belly, looking even more smug.
However, she was quickly exposed.
"Liu Ercui?" A woman of similar age to Liu Ercui suddenly appeared out of nowhere, staring at Liu Ercui's stomach.
“I ran into you on the street last month and your stomach was still flat.”
"What? Did you inflate it with air??"
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