What did you find?
"Dad, it's hard to explain over the phone. I left a letter in the bottom drawer of your desk; all the answers are written in there. Please keep my whereabouts a secret from Mom. Just say I took my daughter south to visit my aunt and clear my head. Don't tell Zhao Qian anything else."
"So where are you staying now?" Liu Daqiang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that his daughter was prepared, as he was afraid that Liu Zi would act impulsively.
"I rented a house in Lianxian County. The landlord is my classmate. I'm safe, so don't worry."
"Then...call your mom too, she was so worried this morning she couldn't eat anything." Liu Daqiang still felt sorry for his wife.
"Dad, I'll call you every two weeks to let you know I'm safe and sound, so you and Mom can rest assured."
In that instant, Liu Daqiang suddenly felt that his daughter had changed; it was as if she had grown up.
"...I will reassure your mother." Liu Daqiang paused for two seconds, then decided to trust his daughter one more time.
"And Dad..." Liu Zi hesitated for a moment, but still decided to remind her father.
"If Zhao Qian brings Zhao Gang over, don't be soft-hearted. That child has been corrupted by the adults."
"..." Liu Daqiang remained silent.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Zi called her mother's office.
Xu Mei was somewhat absent-minded all day, and almost burst into tears when she heard her daughter's voice.
Unlike Liu Daqiang, Xu Mei didn't have a private office, so it wasn't very convenient for her to speak. However, after hearing Liu Zi's explanation and knowing that she was safe and sound, she was relieved.
After calming down the two elderly people at home, Liu Zi rushed to the department store without even catching her breath. The department store closes before 5 p.m., and it would be too late if she went any later.
Liu Zi bought clothes for herself and her daughter for the fall, and even gritted her teeth to buy a ready-made quilt.
The price of this one bed is equivalent to the price of two beds she ordered at the market.
Liu Zi was exhausted from running around all day. Knowing that she would have to cook when she got home, she decided to buy a boxed lunch outside and take it home.
Liu Zi hadn't taken care of such a young child for a while, and had even forgotten to bring water for Zhao Qi.
It was only when Zhao Qi asked her mother for water that she remembered and quickly bought her a bottle of soda at a small restaurant.
Zhao Qi happily drank it. Before, when her family bought soda, her grandmother would always make an excuse that it wasn't good for her health and only buy her brother's share.
She finally got to drink it this time, and it was so delicious!
Looking at her daughter's flushed face, Liu Zi's eyes were filled with guilt. She blamed herself for being too hasty and neglecting Zhao Qi. Zhao Qi was so small and well-behaved; she must have been extremely thirsty to have thought of troubling her.
"I'm sorry, baby, Mommy didn't take good care of you." Liu Zi hugged her daughter.
"Mom, the soda is so delicious!" Zhao Qi snuggled into her mother's arms and snuggled close to her.
Liu Zi suddenly realized that this seemed to be the first time her daughter had drunk soda, even though she knew that soda was made with artificial flavorings and sweeteners and was bad for her health.
But Zhao Qi must remember that Old Lady Zhao only bought things for her grandson and not for her granddaughter.
"You can tell Mom what you want to eat or drink next time," Liu Zi said, patting her daughter's head with a touch of sadness.
"Really?" Zhao Qi asked incredulously, her eyes wide.
"certainly!"
"But isn't all the money in the family going to be saved for my brother's wedding? We can't just spend it recklessly, can we?" Zhao Qi said after hesitating.
Liu Zi gritted her teeth; she was going to tear Old Lady Zhao apart.
"This money belongs to Mom, and Mom can give it to whomever she wants to spend it!"
"Mom, you're so good!" Zhao Qi said with a look of deep affection.
Liu Zi felt extremely guilty at this moment. Living in the same family, she hadn't even noticed the tricks that Old Lady Zhao was playing. As a mother, she had really failed.
Fortunately, everything could still be salvaged. Liu Zi picked up her daughter and put her in the child seat.
"Qiqi, we're going home!"
"Yay!"
Liu Zi returned to Songzhuang in the evening with her daughter, her car full of belongings.
It was the time when everyone was going home for dinner, and the streets of the village were crowded.
Everyone watched with curiosity as the mother and daughter rode past on their bicycles, and some gossipy people were already asking around to find out whose family they were.
Liu Zi noticed the gazes of the crowd, pedaled her bicycle even harder, turned a corner, and disappeared into the alley in the blink of an eye.
After returning home and putting her things down, Liu Zi immediately went to the Song family's house to return the car, bringing a small bag of fruit candies as a token of her gratitude.
Song's mother warmly invited them to stay for dinner, but Liu Zi could only explain that she had already eaten out, and that was the end of it.
The sheets and duvet covers that were washed at noon were all dried in the sun. Liu Zi made the bed first, and finally she had a place to sleep tonight.
Liu Zi found a suitable brick in the yard, moved the only table in the house into the inner room, stood on it, and wedged the thin iron nails into the brick wall by the window. Then she connected the two nails with wire, strung the floral fabric she had chosen on it, and the curtain for covering the window was completed.
Since it's just her and her daughter at home, Liu Zi is very concerned about privacy and security.
She plans to go and get a puppy in a few days, and then go to a hardware store in the city to find some parts to make a small stun gun. It's a simple thing, and the regulations aren't strict these days.
Since they haven't bought a gas stove yet, Liu Zi has to use a regular stove to boil water.
I bought the stove at the market this morning. The stove doesn't look very big. The outer layer is stainless steel, and the inner cylinder can only hold a maximum of three honeycomb briquettes.
The honeycomb briquettes stalls weren't open today, so Liu Zi couldn't buy any. Luckily, Song Yan's family had some in stock. When they rented the place, they agreed that she could use these things as she pleased, so she didn't hold back.
Soak toilet paper in soybean oil, light it on fire, and then throw it into the stove. Add small strips of firewood, followed by larger pieces of wood. Once the fire is lit, place a honeycomb briquette on top.
Taking advantage of this moment, Liu Zi picked up the rest of her daughter's lunchbox and ate a couple of bites.
As darkness fell, Zhao Qi anxiously came out of the house to look for her mother.
Zhao Qi was afraid of the dark, and Old Lady Zhao once secretly locked Liu Zi in a dark room behind her back.
Zhao Qi was traumatized by this.
Liu Zi turned on all the lights in the house. Although they were just incandescent bulbs with limited dim light, it still brought a smile to Zhao Qi's face.
Song Yan's honeycomb briquettes burned very well; they clearly had a high proportion of coal dust, and all three briquettes were quickly put in.
Pale blue flames emerged from the coal vents, burning very thoroughly.
Liu Zi put the kettle down and could finally take a breather.
She plopped down on the steps by the door, gazing at the starry sky, too tired to speak.
Zhao Qi sat down with her mother, leaning against Liu Zi, looking happy.
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