Many people stayed up all night to welcome the New Year. Starting at 11 p.m., the sound of firecrackers and other fireworks continued until around 1 a.m.
After eating dumplings, fearing the children wouldn't digest them properly, Qin Xiaoyu played with them for a while longer. Seeing that their eyelids were practically glued together, she finally took them upstairs.
We have already assigned them rooms; the two children are sharing a room, each with their own small bed.
Qin Xiaoyu heard a sudden firecracker go off outside, so she stayed behind, afraid that the two children would be frightened.
"Asleep?" Zhou Xing's mother was worried and came in to check on him.
"They're asleep, they're tired from playing." Qin Xiaoyu looked at the two children's chubby faces and smiled with relief.
"Next spring, I plan to renovate the room next door and turn it into a princess room for my younger sister. The two children are getting older, and they will need to live separately." Zhou Xing's mother was making plans.
"Mom, didn't you say we'd move out in the spring?"
"Ah, I did tell you. But where can you go?" Zhou Xing's mother couldn't bear to hear this, and her eyes reddened again.
"Then let's not move for now. You should go to sleep early too, you must be tired after a long day." Qin Xiaoyu realized she had misspoke and didn't want to upset her on such a holiday, so she quickly comforted her.
"You promised me you wouldn't move out." Zhou Xing's mother gave her a playful glare, and the two of them left the room together.
Zhou Xing walked towards us in the corridor.
"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Zhou Xing's mother asked.
"Go to sleep right away. Jing Tian just called again. I'm really fed up with him. I just called the guard post. If he dares to come again, we'll arrest him." Zhou Xing said angrily.
"Don't go too far during the New Year," Zhou Xing's mother said worriedly.
"He's too ruthless! He did something and he doesn't even dare to take responsibility for the consequences!" Zhou Xing slammed the door shut, clearly angry.
"This child!" Zhou Xing's mother sighed. Seeing Qin Xiaoyu looking thoughtful, she tugged at her and gestured for her to go downstairs.
"Jing Tian has been looking for you. What's going on? I feel uneasy. Could it be that he likes you too?"
"Mom! What are you thinking!" Qin Xiaoyu stamped her foot, knowing that she could no longer hide this matter.
"Then why are you clinging to me so persistently?"
"He dated my sister-in-law for a while, but it wasn't because his family introduced him to Bai Weiwei that they broke up," Qin Xiaoyu said truthfully.
"He likes your sister-in-law? I see, the one with short hair, who looks very capable. Where is she?"
Zhou Xing's mother had met Tang Wenwen and remembered her.
"She's given up on this relationship and has gone to another city. Who knows when she'll be back?" Qin Xiaoyu would never dare tell Tang Wenwen that she went to give birth, as that would ruin her life.
“I’ve never thought highly of Jing Tian since he was little. He’s always surrounded by girls. Look at our Zhou Xing, he’s never like that…” Zhou Xing’s mother suddenly realized that the woman sitting in front of her was the future daughter-in-law she had broken up with, and she was immediately embarrassed.
"It's all about fate between people," Qin Xiaoyu could only say.
"To be honest, Zhou Xing is not good enough for you." Zhou Xing's mother gave a bitter smile.
"Let's not talk about the past anymore, we don't care about it anymore." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to discuss these things from the past, it was too hurtful.
“Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I’ve thought about what we would do if you found another husband and left our family one day,” Zhou Xing’s mother said, sitting in the shadows so her face couldn’t be seen.
"It's a holiday, let's not talk about such sad things. I only have one thought right now: make money, make lots of money." Qin Xiaoyu rested her head on her shoulder. She had a faint, sweet fragrance that made people drowsy.
"Mom, I'm so tired." Qin Xiaoyu then realized that she was almost falling apart from exhaustion.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep now." Zhou Xing's mother told her to lie down, tucked her in, and then left, closing the door behind her.
Qin Xiaoyu stared at her back, momentarily lost in thought. Could this really be her mother?
Qin Xiaoyu had only slept for a few hours when she was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. Setting off firecrackers on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year is a tradition; everyone gets up early to welcome the new year with the rising sun, hoping for a prosperous year ahead.
Hanhan and her younger sister ran downstairs. Hanhan was wearing a white shirt with a navy blue wool vest over it, while her younger sister was wearing a red corduroy pinafore dress with a Peter Pan collar. They greeted everyone they met with New Year's greetings, and soon they had several red envelopes in their hands.
"Mom!" Hanhan handed over the red envelope.
The younger sister hid the red envelope behind her back and refused to hand it over.
"Keep it for Mom. You're too young to save money."
"No," the younger sister pouted and refused.
"What do you need the money for? Give it to your mother now."
"I want to buy Grandma a dress," the little girl said stubbornly.
"What kind of dress does my little sister want to buy for Grandma?" Qin Xiaoyu squatted down and asked patiently.
"I want to buy Grandma a pretty dress," the little girl said proudly, raising her head.
"Give the money to Mom and let her take you to buy it." Zhou Xing's mother had no choice but to come over and coax her little sister, unable to hide the smile on her face.
"Even I, as her mother, am jealous! You bought a dress for Grandma, but why not for Mom?" Qin Xiaoyu deliberately sulked.
"I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep, don't wake me up." Zhou Yue came downstairs in her pajamas, gave Hanhan and her younger sister a red envelope each, and then rubbed her eyes as she went upstairs.
"Sister Xiaoyue, this is for you. I didn't have time to give it to you yesterday." Qin Xiaoyu called out to her on the stairs and handed her a red envelope.
"What's this?" Zhou Yue opened it and saw that there were twenty brand new ten-yuan bills inside.
"This is your salary. My store pays based on sales commission. Even though you haven't been here long, your salary is several times that of others," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile.
"My salary?" Zhou Yue was taken aback when she saw the two hundred yuan.
"Yes, you'll get a salary and commission if you keep helping out at my shop. If you can manage on your own, I can help you register a new shop and run it. What do you think?"
"My salary?" Zhou Yue murmured again.
"What's wrong, Sister Xiaoyue?" Qin Xiaoyu then realized that her tone was off.
"Dad, look at my salary." Zhou Yue waved the bill in her hand.
"Okay, my daughter can earn a salary now." Commander Zhou appeared at the top of the stairs at some point, looked at them, nodded, and then turned back.
"Xiaoyu, I've been living a muddled life all these years, and only today have I become a useful person. Thank you." Zhou Yue hugged Qin Xiaoyu tightly and refused to let go.
"This is something you earned through your own hard work, what does it have to do with me? If you were lazy and didn't work, you wouldn't get any money from me, would you? It wouldn't be fair to others if I paid you a salary." Qin Xiaoyu then noticed that Zhou Yue was crying.
This year was equally difficult for Zhou Yue, from being newly married to becoming infertile, and then to getting divorced, she lived through half of what most people experience in their lives.
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