The kitchen of Guifangzhai was not big to begin with, and Zhang Fengzhi's absent-mindedness that day was particularly noticeable.
Li Guifang watched her smash the egg into the trash can for the second time, but the eggshell remained in the basin. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore.
"Fengzhi!" She snatched the egg from the man's hand and dragged him towards the backyard. "You're going to piss off our chickens!"
There were several bags of flour piled up under the bare, crooked jujube tree in the backyard. Zhang Fengzhi sat on the bags, twisting the edge of her apron with her fingers.
Li Guifang handed her a cup of hot tea, and when she took it, half of it spilled on her pants.
"What's going on? Tell me." Li Guifang smacked her lips.
"I..." Zhang Fengzhi stared at the tea stain on her trouser leg, her throat feeling like it was clogged with cotton. "Let me take it easy..."
From the shop in front came Xie Dazui's loud voice greeting the customers: "Freshly baked croissants——"
Li Guifang squatted down and looked her straight in the eye: "Okay, we'll talk about it after work."
She patted Zhang Fengzhi's knee, and flour fell down with a patter. "But let's make a deal first. You're not allowed to use sugar instead of salt. You've already choked three customers today."
While working in the afternoon, Li Guifang was particularly careful and glanced at Zhang Fengzhi from time to time.
Fortunately, this time, apart from adding a little too much water in the dough, there were no other problems.
After finally getting to the end of the workday, Li Guifang deliberately dawdled flipping through the account book, sending Xie Dazui, who was waiting to go home with her, away: "Old Xie, you go back first, I'll check the accounts."
She pushed the abacus aside only after Xie Dazui's footsteps faded away.
"Fengzhi," Li Guifang said, carrying a thermos and pouring a cup of tea for each of them. "There's no one else here right now. Tell me, what happened?"
"Come on!" Zhang Fengzhi suddenly scolded and laughed as she pushed Li Guifang. "You're still calling me 'sister'? You're just trying to climb up after I gave you a pole, right?"
Li Guifang didn't get angry, instead she moved closer: "Hey, stop playing dumb with me! What's the matter that's got you so worried? Tell me now!"
Zhang Fengzhi didn't know if she was being pestered to the point of exhaustion or if she just wanted to share. She sighed, "Didn't that brat Zhou Qi at home drag me to Beijing before the New Year?"
"He didn't want to take me on a trip! It turned out that his unit was transferring him to the Beijing branch, and he was going there to take over the job.
You brought me along by the way. You don't know that after we went to Beijing, I even paid for the buns!"
"ah.....?"
"Humph, he's going to report in March, and this bastard wants me to move in with him!"
She suddenly raised her voice, her voice trembling, "What...what about renting me a house in a tube building in Beijing!"
Bah! Even if I were offered a place to live in a tube-shaped building where you have to queue up to use the restroom, I wouldn’t live there!
When Li Guifang heard this, she slammed the enamel pot onto the table. The splashing water wet her clothes.
"Oh my!" She slapped her thigh, "This is great! Jing City has a bright future..."
He was stuck in the middle of his words, and suddenly he remembered that in his previous life, Zhang Fengzhi went to Beijing, and there was no news from him since then!
It turns out that life has been too comfortable during this period, and I even forgot such an important thing!
Thinking of this, she quickly swallowed the second half of the sentence.
Zhang Fengzhi didn't notice Li Guifang's reaction. "What's good about that? I'm old..." Her voice trailed off. "I've retired and found a job at Guifangzhai. Now I suddenly have to go so far..."
The light bulb in the front hall flickered twice, making the wrinkles on Zhang Fengzhi's face particularly obvious.
Li Guifang suddenly remembered that after Zhang Fengzhi's husband left, she raised two children and supported the family by herself.
"Did you tell Zhou Qi that you didn't want to go? What did he say?" Li Guifang changed her mind and poured more hot water into the teacup.
Zhang Fengzhi's fingers traced the red Double Happiness pattern on the teacup, her knuckles turning white. "That kid was so sweet, saying things like, 'Mom, don't work too hard,' and 'It's time to enjoy a peaceful life.'"
She suddenly sneered, "Bah! Do you think I don't know his little thoughts? How could he care about me?
It's obvious that he's worried that after he goes to Beijing, all the money I earn will go to support Xiaowan.
"That girl Xiaowan is blind and married a loser. Even after they got married, she still lives at home with her family..."
Zhang Fengzhi's voice was filled with deep fatigue. "I disagreed at first, but he jumped out and said that they were brother and sister and should help each other.
He's said all the nice things, and now he's worried that his sister will take his property..."
Suddenly there was a "clang" sound outside the door, as if the wind had knocked something over.
The two fell silent at the same time, and Zhang Fengzhi hurriedly wiped her eyes with the corner of her clothes.
Li Guifang handed over a clean towel and said softly, "Children's matters..."
"I understand!" Zhang Fengzhi suddenly interrupted, her tone softening, "I just can't bear to..."
Li Guifang was lying in bed that night, wondering if Fengzhi was reluctant to leave Guifangzhai, or was she reluctant to leave the freedom she had endured for decades to finally gain?
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