"Wow, that's amazing! You sold so much all by yourself," Zhou Sui praised without reservation.
Zhou Xu snorted, "I told you, this is much easier than studying."
He's handsome and has a sweet voice; he always calls people "brother" or "sister" as soon as he opens his mouth, and he sells out really fast.
Look at his smug look. He'll only realize how easy studying is compared to working once he enters the workforce.
The family of three found a noodle shop to have a quick bite to eat, and let Li Qiuju rest there while Zhou Sui led Zhou Xu ahead.
She wanted to make a food truck and some other things for setting up a stall, all of which couldn't be bought and had to be custom-made.
There was a welding shop in town, and Zhou Sui asked for directions and went straight there.
"Master, I have a blueprint here. Can you see if it can be made?" Zhou Sui took out the blueprint she had drawn earlier and handed it to the boss.
The shopkeeper held up the paper, looking it over from left to right. "What is this thing? I've never seen it before. It looks like a pushcart?"
"Well, it's just a cart. Besides this, there are these too. Do you think you can make it?"
The other sheet of paper was covered with strange and unusual drawings. After looking at it for a while, the master said, "I can make it based on your drawing."
Zhou Sui was overjoyed. She had been worried that her master wouldn't be willing to do it, since these things were quite complicated.
"How much does it cost? When can it be made?"
The master tore off a piece of paper, picked up a pen and started writing and calculating. Zhou Sui couldn't understand a single word. She only heard the master announce a price, "Three hundred and fifty. Come and pick it up the day after tomorrow."
"Three hundred and fifty? That's so expensive?" Zhou Xu squeezed through the crowd. His sister couldn't earn that much even after selling clothes for two days. "Boss, are you quoting prices randomly?"
The boss was also a man of temper, and immediately shoved the paper back into Zhou Sui's hand, saying, "You think it's too expensive? If you think it's too expensive, then we won't make it."
"Pricing inappropriately? When I first opened this shop, it was just a blacksmith shop. I've been open for almost twenty years, and no one has ever said I'm overcharging."
"Don't you even know if I'm that kind of person?"
"Go, go, go. If you're not going to do anything, don't just stand there."
The boss raised his hand as if to kick them out. Zhou Xu already thought the price was expensive, and seeing the boss's arrogant attitude, he wanted nothing more than to drag Zhou Sui out with him.
Zhou Sui stopped him and turned to the boss in a gentle voice, "Master, please don't be angry. My brother is ignorant and doesn't know how to speak properly."
“I know your skills, and the price is fair. I will definitely do it here.”
The boss remained silent with a blank expression, but had already started working. Zhou Sui knew that this was how experienced craftsmen were, especially when questioned by others.
She tugged at Zhou Xu, "Quick, apologize to Master."
"Why should I?" Zhou Xu was about to retort when Zhou Sui froze, calling out, "Zhou Xu!"
When the boss called him by his full name, Zhou Sui immediately backed down. He stiffened his neck and, though unwilling, apologized. Only then did the boss stop what he was doing.
Zhou Sui handed over the blueprints at the right moment, "Master, how should we pay the deposit?"
“The young lady looks young, but she’s capable.” The boss took the blueprints and put them on the clipboard. “My rule here is half deposit, and the balance is paid when you take delivery.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Sui took out two hundred and handed it over, saying, "It's exactly two hundred, so don't bother giving me change."
"No, I have my rules." The boss dragged over a metal box, gave Zhou Sui some change, and wrote a receipt with the name Zhang Daya on it.
This name.
Just like the boss, she has a strong personality.
After agreeing on a time, Zhou Sui pulled Zhou Xu out. After only a few steps, Zhou Xu couldn't help but mutter, "Sis, that's too expensive. Look at that guy's attitude. We're there to support his business, but it's like we're the ones who have to coax him. We're the ones who are paying."
After doing business for half a day, Zhou Xu had grasped the difference between buying and selling two different identities, and he felt that it shouldn't be like this.
Zhou Sui looked at the sulking boy with amusement. "Ah Xu, he's an old craftsman. This shop has been open for over twenty years and it's still going strong. That proves his skills are still here."
"Besides, this is the only shop in town. If they don't do it for us, where else are we supposed to get it?"
"You know how to do it? Or you can go to the city to do it. You won't spend less money then, but how to get it back is another question."
Zhou Sui understood the personality of the veteran craftsman; she urgently needed the food cart and didn't want to waste any more time and effort.
After hearing what she said, Zhou Xu's anger subsided considerably. "Okay, I understand."
"It's nothing that he can make it, it's you who are amazing for drawing it."
"Sis, how did you come up with that design? And why do I feel like you suddenly know so much?" This was the first time Zhou Xu had seen the food cart.
"I read it in a book." Zhou Sui was unwilling to discuss this topic further.
"Hurry up, let's meet up with Mom. We need to buy some things and go back early, otherwise we'll miss the last bus and won't be able to carry all that stuff."
Although there were three of them together, Zhou Sui was in charge of buying things, while Li Qiuju and Zhou Xu followed behind to help carry the items.
The family of three entered the village before dark, carrying large and small bags, and inevitably attracted questions from people along the way.
"Sister-in-law Qiuju, what did you buy?"
On the way back, Zhou Sui had already discussed things with them and prepared her explanation.
Li Qiuju replied, "We haven't done any grocery shopping in a long time. It's a rare trip to town, so I just bought everything."
"You bought a lot, what did you buy?"
"What else could it be? Food and household items, bought just before people were about to close up shop, and I had to take half a day off to get a discount."
Li Qiuju answered fluently, "Dayong also needs to make a living at the brick factory, so I need to buy him another one. Buying too little won't be enough."
No one suspected her when she said that, "Your family is like two families now. You need to have one for your extended family and one for your own."
"That's why Qiuju is such a virtuous woman; she always thinks of Dayong."
Li Qiuju smiled but didn't say anything. Just as the topic was about to end, an aunt looked at the Zhou siblings behind her.
"Wow, I never noticed before, Sui Sui and A Xu have grown so tall."
"You've grown into a young lady and a young man."
"Hey, by the way, has Sui Sui gone looking for someone yet?"
Li Qiuju knew what she was going to say next, so she cut her off, saying, "Sui Sui is still young, she'll be here in a few years. You two can talk slowly, we'll be going now."
These women, young and old, could talk endlessly. The mother and her two children quickened their pace in unison, and to avoid being questioned further, they even took the small path on the edge of the field.
There were hardly any people in the fields at this time; everyone had gone home to prepare dinner.
But after walking for a while, Zhou Sui and the others still ran into someone, Zhang Xiaoqing.
A few plots of land away, she was tidying up the withered grass in the field and did not notice their group.
"This child is pitiful, having to do all this all by himself," Li Qiuju muttered. Zhou Sui, thinking of what had happened before, didn't reply.
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