"I don't care about promotions. I recently came up with an improved formula. If it were made into a traditional Chinese medicine, it would help many patients." Although Deng Jianyan only dispenses medicine at the Chinese medicine pharmacy, he has never been idle and often does his own research.
“This is a great thing. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda,” Zhou Xing’s mother chanted.
"Listen, my mom is about to become a nun!" Zhou Yue exclaimed.
“My grandma would never become a nun. How could my grandma not eat meat?” the little girl said without looking up, and everyone burst into laughter.
"Oh my, look at that little mouth of yours, you're determined to sell your grandma, aren't you?" Zhou Xing's mother affectionately patted her little sister's cheek.
"Madam, eat! Why are you just looking?" Qin Xiaoyu disliked the constant offerings at the table, which made everyone feel awkward. But seeing that her wife was holding her bowl without touching her chopsticks, she couldn't help but speak up.
“This is what a home should be like. I’m thinking that from now on, this is how I’ll live my life.” The wife raised her hand and wiped away a tear.
Zhou Xing's mother took good care of her, and the lady adapted to life here in just two days. Qin Xiaoyu felt relieved and went back to her work.
The garment factory's production was proceeding smoothly, but Da Cui remained silent.
Qin Xiaoyu knew she was waiting for the peak season, and that she needed to find the right time to dismantle the scheme. Since she hadn't gone upstairs yet, there was no point in dismantling it. This cat-and-mouse game had turned into a TV series.
Now she drives around every day, inspecting various places, and that's basically all she has to do. The four points together form a circle.
I would go to the garment factory in the morning, arrive at Hengchang around 10 a.m., mostly to grab a meal, then wander around the construction site for a bit, and then head back to the military compound.
When she arrived at the construction site that day, it was already 2 p.m. She saw Captain Chen talking to someone from afar, looking impatient.
Qin Xiaoyu walked quickly closer, feeling uneasy. It turned out to be her rarely seen father.
"Why are you here?" she asked softly, her eyes lowered.
"I just heard about your house construction and rushed over to see it. Such a big thing, why didn't you tell me? I could have given you advice. You don't understand anything, you're just getting ripped off!" Xiaoyu's dad said, glancing meaningfully at Captain Chen.
“My brother Chen won’t try to fool me. I’ll just listen to him. His opinion is the most professional.” Qin Xiaoyu didn’t give him any face.
“If you don’t understand, come here and let me explain. There aren’t enough hemp ropes used here. Look, the plaster is peeling off the wall because of the dampness!” Little Fish’s father tore off a piece of hemp rope to show Qin Little Fish.
"I told you, whether it's enough or not is up to Brother Chen. He'll have to live here eventually, so why should I worry about it?" Qin Xiaoyu simply walked away and ignored him.
"He lives here?" Little Fish's dad was dumbfounded. He paused for a moment, then immediately chased after them.
“Xiaoyu, our area is going to be relocated too. In my workplace, housing is allocated based on seniority. Look, I’m only a few months short of being on the list. Once this bungalow is demolished, I’ll be homeless,” Xiaoyu’s father complained.
"Then rent a place. You two earn quite a bit." Qin Xiaoyu smiled coldly.
“Renting a place? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing for my daughter? Look around, who in this city doesn’t know Tang Gua… Qin Xiaoyu? She’s a big boss. If I, as her father, were to rent a place, wouldn’t people gossip about me behind my back?” Xiaoyu’s father chased after her, panting.
"I'm not afraid, go ahead and stab me. Haven't we stabbed each other enough? Don't our own family members stab us in the back too?" Qin Xiaoyu wasn't stupid. Didn't she understand what he meant by swallowing back those words? It was one thing for others to call her Widow Tang, but now even her own father was calling her that. What kind of family affection was left for her to cherish?
Sure enough, where there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather; it's better to just not have this stepfather.
"Hey, Xiaoyu, don't go. How about I come over every day to supervise the construction? That way we can save some money." Xiaoyu's dad got anxious when he saw Qin Xiaoyu getting into the car.
"Brother Chen, you should take full responsibility for things on this construction site. Don't listen to outsiders giving orders. Get a dog over tomorrow to guard the house and keep watch, so they can keep an eye out for outsiders." Qin Xiaoyu made a tough decision, and Xiaoyu's father could only watch her drive away angrily.
Although she said she didn't care, Qin Xiaoyu's mood became heavy as she sat in the car. Her family of origin was a wound that she could never heal, and she wanted to avoid it, but it haunted her like a nightmare.
She sighed and slowed down. Suddenly, a small stall by the roadside caught her attention.
This is a stall selling plaster statues. The trends these days are quite interesting. Families with a bit of culture like to display plaster statues, those exposed to more foreign cultures display David, and those who prefer tradition display an eagle with outstretched wings. Qin Xiaoyu certainly didn't intend to buy one to display at home; she recognized one of the two people at the stall as her third uncle.
She parked her car on the side of the road and jogged over.
"Little Fish? It's been a while since I've seen you." Third Uncle's eyes were full of smiles.
"What's going on here?" Qin Xiaoyu asked, noticing that her third uncle was trying to buy a plaster statue and seemed quite familiar with the stall owner.
"This is my friend; we brothers made this plaster statue together," Uncle San said with a smile.
"How's business?" Qin Xiaoyu looked around and saw that although there were many people coming and going, not many stopped to linger.
"Selling a few a day is enough to break even," Uncle San said, sounding somewhat unsatisfied.
"I also think this business is a bit niche. Uncle, have you thought about doing something else?" Qin Xiaoyu felt a little sorry for her uncle's talent.
"Let's talk this over in detail," Uncle San said to his friend before getting into Qin Xiaoyu's car.
Qin Xiaoyu followed the same routine and took him directly to Qi Si's shop. The shop was empty at that time; the group from noon had left, and the group from evening hadn't arrived.
The waiters were tidying up and taking a break.
Qi Si stood at the door watching them pull out the carpet and wash it with a hose. When he saw Qin Xiaoyu get out of the car, he came over to greet her.
"Hey! Third Uncle!" Qi Si had a good memory, his eyes lit up, and he reached out to shake hands.
"Long time no see, Mr. Qi, may your business be booming," Uncle San said with a smile.
"Third Uncle, you're just making fun of me. How did you manage to sell your shop?"
"Hotels are too time-consuming, I can't handle it, and I also have official duties," my third uncle said regretfully.
Qi Si led them into a private room and called for a waiter, but Qin Xiaoyu stopped him.
"They've finally managed to get a break, so don't bother them. I'll go to the kitchen and find something to eat. I'm not hungry anyway, I just want something light."
Qin Xiaoyu, familiar with the routine, went to the kitchen and got a plate of cashews, two bottles of beer, and then smashed a cucumber, mixed it with chili peppers, and sprinkled it with a few sprigs of cilantro. This dish is called "tiger dish" in Northeast China and is the best accompaniment to alcohol.
She had just put her things down and sat down when a waiter brought out a plate of spicy pig ears.
"Sister Xiaoyu, you didn't see this? It's in the freezer."
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