The village chief and team leader ate their meal at Wen Qing's house with unease, not because Wen Qing's hospitality was different, but because the food was too lavish, far too lavish.
Braised pork ribs, braised chicken pieces, stir-fried green peppers and eggs, crucian carp and tofu soup, stir-fried bok choy, and a basket of fine, white, sweet steamed buns... Even during the Spring Festival, the village chief and team leader could not have a meal with chicken, fish, meat, and eggs.
"Village chief, team leader, please don't be shy, have some food," Yao Shiling called out.
The village chief and team leader responded in unison, but remained reserved.
At this moment, Wen Qing smiled and introduced to Tang Quan, Master Zhu, and Master Ye: "Among all the villages under the county seat, our Shuiwan Village is the best developed. We are ranked first every year in terms of folk customs, grain output, and labor enthusiasm. It is all thanks to the village chief and team leader."
The village chief and team leader repeatedly said, "No, no, no."
Wen Qing continued to praise, "The village chief and team leader treat each household like family."
"Of course, of course," the village chief and team leader replied with shame.
Following Wen Qing's words, Tang Quan praised the village chief and team leader.
Wen Qing and Yao Shiling enthusiastically added dishes for the village chief and team leader. The village chief and team leader not only ate more than ever before, but also felt very proud. However, when the two left the Wen family's courtyard, they also felt ashamed.
For a long time, because the Wen family was poor and because Wen Qing's second uncle had been to prison, they hadn't taken good care of the Wen family. But how did Wen Qing and Yao Shiling treat them? Warmth, gratitude, and trust. The village chief and team leader felt extremely ashamed by Wen Qing and Yao Shiling's awareness and understanding.
"Village chief, team leader, have you eaten?"
As soon as the village chief and team leader came out of the Wen family's courtyard, many people came up to ask them questions.
"Yes, we've eaten," the village chief and team leader replied simultaneously.
"Village chief, who is Wen Qing, the person driving this car?"
"Are you from Wen Qing's family?"
"Wow, they're really rich."
The team leader immediately flew into a rage as soon as a few of the gossipy guys started talking about Wen Qing's family: "What husband's family? Wen Qing is an innocent girl, what husband's family does she have? In another month, Wen Qing will be going to high school in the city and then take the college entrance exam. All you are thinking about is ruining a young girl's reputation!"
"Why would someone driving a car come looking for Wen Qing?"
"That's Wen Qing's skill!" the captain shouted. "Unlike you lot, who like to get together and gossip about this person and that person and stir up trouble all the time!"
The captain's words left the others speechless.
The village chief, being more mild-mannered, explained, "The person driving the car is the owner of a garment factory in the city. He admired Wen Qing's craftsmanship and had her make two sets of clothes for them. They then put the clothes into production and made about ten thousand yuan. The owner of the garment factory came here specifically to thank Wen Qing."
Earn tens of thousands of dollars in one go?
The neighbors were dumbfounded. They were surprised that Wen Qing had such abilities. However, if someone else had told them this, the neighbors might not have believed it. But since it was the village chief and the second team leader of Shuiwan Village who told them, they believed it and instantly began to look at Wen Qing in a different light.
"Wen Qing is that amazing?"
"She must be amazing. Pengpeng told me that she made all the clothes she was wearing herself, and I think they look really nice."
"That's vanity!"
"City people just love to show off!" This statement hit the nail on the head. Whether people believed it or not, they all believed it. Besides, the facts were right in front of them: the cars, sewing machines, chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and candy were all genuine. These days, who would spend a lot of money on someone else if they didn't have plenty of cash? Therefore, Wen Qing's skills were confirmed through everyone's discussion. Moreover, because of the village chief and team leader, the rumor didn't go astray; it was a fact that Wen Qing used her tailoring skills!
The village chief and team leader didn't linger. They walked forward together, thinking to themselves that Wen Qing was going to high school. She was so smart; if she accidentally got into university, she might become an official, perhaps even their boss. Thinking this, they felt that Wen Qing's invitation to dinner and her warm hospitality were a great honor for them. They should take good care of the Wen family in the future.
Yes, we should treat the Wen family better from now on, and we must never let things like Aunt Wang bullying the Wen family happen again.
After seeing off the village chief and team leader, Wen Qing was about to see off Tang Quan, Master Zhu, and Master Ye.
Tang Quan wanted to hire Wen Qing, but Wen Qing only wanted to be the boss. Tang Quan then considered whether to cooperate with Wen Qing and share the profits, but he hadn't figured it out yet, so he left it aside for the time being.
Master Zhu and Master Ye then asked Wen Qingyi if there were any areas for improvement.
Seeing the three of them running over from afar, Wen Qing smiled and said, "After I told you about the improvement method, you're not going to take back the sewing machine, chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and candy today, are you?"
Tang Quan, Master Zhu, and Master Ye burst into laughter. They had always known that Qing was extremely mature and composed in his dealings with others at such a young age, but they never expected him to have such a childlike and lively side.
“You said it, and I promise I won’t take these things back!” Tang Quan said.
Wen Qing looked at Yao Shiling: "Mom, did you hear that?"
Yao Shiling scolded playfully, "You silly child."
Wen Qing smiled and then looked at Master Zhu and Master Ye: "Master Zhu and Master Ye, you don't have to follow my design to make clothes. You can make some changes, such as putting the pockets on the back of the buttocks, changing the lotus leaf collar to a sweetheart collar, etc. Based on two clothes, make some changes and you will have a different set of clothes. This is a derivative product of the main body. If the main body sells well, the derivative product will not be bad either."
Master Zhu clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Wen Qing, you're so clever! How come I didn't think of that!"
"Wen Qing, your idea is much more valuable than what I gave you today!" Tang Quan said with a smile.
Yao Shiling looked completely bewildered.
Wen Liang and Wen Peng were proud of Wen Qing because of others' praise, but now their sister has changed and become incredibly capable!
Tang Quan, Master Zhu, and Master Ye chatted with Wen Qing for a while longer before waving goodbye. After the three got into the car, Master Zhu said again, "President Tang, Wen Qing is a talented person. It wouldn't be a loss to hire him at a high price."
Tang Quan said, "The key is that even if we offer her a lot of money, she still won't agree."
"So what does she want to do?"
"Become a boss."
Master Zhu immediately fell silent. Wen Qing wanted to be a boss... This young girl really has big ambitions.
Wen Qing is not only carefree, but also meticulous.
After everyone had left the Wen family, Yao Shiling finally realized what was happening and asked, "You invited the village chief and team leader over, not just for entertaining guests, right?"
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Of course not."
What is that?
As Wen Qing cleared the table, she said, "In a while, the village chief and team leader will be the leading figures in our village. What they say, at least in the hearts of our villagers, represents the truth. Mom, you see, Uncle Tang just brought us a sewing machine, chicken, fish, meat, and eggs. Some neighbors are bound to think the worst. After all, my second uncle and I, who went to jail, never did anything good. It's normal for them to think the worst."
Yao Shiling remained silent, indicating her agreement.
Wen Qing continued, "Even if you explain that I can make clothes and earn money, and that Uncle Tang and the others have taken a liking to my skills, they won't believe you, right?"
Yao Shiling nodded.
"But if these words were said by the hot-tempered captain, and then by the gentle village chief, Mom, would you believe it?"
Yao Shiling was taken aback. She had always thought that her daughter was just good at sewing and a little clever, but she didn't expect her to understand such social etiquette and be even more thoughtful than her.
Wen Qing added, "Also, I'm going to the No. 1 High School in the city at the end of next month to start high school. The village chief and team leader will take better care of you, Liangliang, and Pengpeng because of this and our lavish feast. At least when I'm not home, Aunt Wang won't bully our family again."
Yao Shiling nodded. She understood Wen Qing's good intentions, and her heart felt warm.
“But, sister, Aunt Wang’s matter isn’t over yet,” Wen Peng suddenly interjected.
"How do you know it's not over yet?" Wen Liang retorted.
Wen Peng said, "When I went to deliver the big bench to Sister Zhou's family, I heard them say that Aunt Wang hadn't borrowed the corn seeds and sweet potato vines yet. She's so shameless, she'll definitely blame me again and pick a fight with our family."
"She dares!" Wen Liang said fiercely.
Wen Qing laughed and reached out to pat Wen Peng's head: "Don't worry, Aunt Wang's matter will definitely be settled tonight."
"How did you know?" Yao Shiling asked in surprise.
Wen Qing said, "It's just a guess. You'll see if you don't believe me."
“I’ll wait and see,” Wen Peng said.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Okay."
However, it started raining again before nightfall.
Wen Qing's room started leaking again. In order to make room for pots and pans to catch the rainwater in Wen Qing's room, we made sure to cook early. Actually, we were just reheating the leftovers from lunch. Yao Shiling was very clean. Whenever guests came to our house, she would cook extra food to make sure there wasn't enough for everyone. She would put just the right amount of food on each plate according to the number of people, and set aside the extras. If there wasn't enough food on the table, we could add more at any time. This way, we could avoid having too much food left on the table, which would be unhygienic to pick through.
Therefore, the leftovers that Yao Shiling reheated at night were all untouched.
After dinner, Yao Shiling placed seven or eight bowls and basins in Wen Qing's room to collect water. Then she said to Wen Qing, who was sitting in front of the sewing machine, "Why don't you come and sleep in the east room with me tonight? This room might leak somewhere again. When the weather clears up, we have to replace the old straw on the roof with new straw, otherwise we won't be able to live in this house."
"Okay," Wen Qing replied, then lowered her head to continue making pants for Wen Liang.
"Sister-in-law Wen, Sister-in-law Wen..." At this moment, a voice came from outside the courtyard. Although it was mixed with the sound of raindrops, it was still possible to tell who it was.
"Aunt Wang is here," Yao Shiling said.
Wen Qing hummed in agreement.
"Should I go open the door for her?" Yao Shiling asked.
Wen Qing nodded: "Please invite her into this room."
"Okay." Yao Shiling left Wen Qing's house with a black oilcloth umbrella. A little while later, Aunt Wang came in, all wet. As soon as she came in, she saw Wen Qing sitting in front of a brand new sewing machine. The sewing machine was so new and shiny that it looked particularly beautiful with a thin layer of bright yellow paint on the board.
"Wenqing, is this a sewing machine?" Aunt Wang asked with a forced smile, her hands nervously rubbing the fabric on her thighs. She was extremely embarrassed, unsure whether to stand or sit.
She was desperate. She borrowed from a whole village but couldn't get a single corn seed or sweet potato vine. She thought she could borrow from friends and relatives, but they all said they had run out or didn't have enough themselves. They even made sarcastic remarks about her. She went to Shanwan Village, but she was treated worse than before.
Seeing that other people's corn and sweet potatoes had sprouted, and with the rain pouring down like oil, while their two acres of land were still lying fallow, she and Wang Da were so anxious that they got blisters on their lips. So they shamelessly came over, letting Wen Qing and Yao Shiling scold and berate them, as long as they were willing to lend her corn seeds and sweet potato seedlings, she was all set.
"Oh, Aunt Wang is here." Wen Qing looked up and said warmly, "Aunt Wang, please sit down."
Aunt Wang immediately became embarrassed and shrank back: "No, no, no, I won't sit, I won't sit. I'm covered in rainwater, don't get your chair dirty. I'll just stand, I'll just stand."
Yao Shiling and Wen Qing exchanged a silent glance.
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