The family didn't get home until almost nine o'clock.
After a busy day, the second branch of the Zhou family and Old Mrs. Zhou went straight back to their room to rest.
Zhou Sui and the other two didn't even bother to wash up. They sat around the table in the main room and started counting the money they had earned that day.
The couple stared intently at Zhou Sui as she counted, afraid she might miscount.
"Six hundred and thirty-one, six hundred and thirty-two, six hundred and thirty-three."
"Our final sales for today are 633." Zhou Sui had two large stacks of change laid out in front of her.
"Earning over six hundred in one day is truly incredible." If he hadn't been watching his daughter count the money one bill at a time, Zhou Dayong would never have believed it.
“Dad, this isn’t all the money we earn in a day; there are costs involved.” Zhou Sui found a rubber band and tied the loose change together.
"So how much money can we make today after deducting costs?" Li Qiuju asked.
Zhou Sui mentally calculated the cost, "I estimate it will be around four hundred."
"Four hundred a day, wouldn't that be more than ten thousand a month?" As he said this number, Zhou Dayong stood up excitedly. He had never dared to dream of such a number before.
"Ten thousand or so is the minimum." Food is the most profitable item, and it's also essential for people.
"Judging from today's situation, it seems that just the three of us won't be able to handle it." There are a total of seven people today, and everyone has been busy without a break.
Of course, it's also because it just opened today, so there's a lot of foot traffic.
"I can manage."
“Your mom will be in charge of the kitchen. I’ll help serve the food, pick up the dishes, and wash the dishes. Sui Sui, you’ll take orders and collect money at the counter.”
Zhou Dayong thought that he didn't need to wash the dishes all the time. If necessary, he could just buy more bowls and wash them at the end.
"You guys are working too hard, you don't even get to touch a chair all day."
She wants to earn money, but her parents' health is also important. Wasn't her original intention in earning money to give her parents a better life?
"Tomorrow we'll put up a job posting and find someone to help with odd jobs."
Li Qiuju and Zhou Dayong were both unhappy. "Finding someone will cost money, so don't waste that money. Your dad and I will just have to work harder."
Both of them are used to hardship, so it just takes a little more effort and is much easier than solving the problem with money.
Zhou Sui insisted, "Dad, Mom, it'll only be a hundred or so yuan a month at most, but with one more person, we can develop more varieties. Won't we earn more money than if we hired someone else?"
"You should all listen to me on this matter."
The couple exchanged a glance; since their daughter had said so, they could only listen.
The Zhou family went to town for several days in a row, leaving early and returning late, and almost lost touch with news from the village.
Zhou Sui returned home early that day and heard the villagers talking about it.
"Have you heard? Old Zhao's daughter got divorced."
"Is it a real divorce or just a pretense? Didn't you say you were going back to your parents' house for a while?"
“You’ve been staying here for so long. How can you stay at your parents’ house and never leave?”
“I felt something was wrong when she suddenly came back. Why would she leave a perfectly good big city and come back to this remote corner of our city?”
"I heard it from Old Qi next door. He said that Zhao's son-in-law came over several times before, but they wouldn't let him in."
"Then why did they get divorced? I heard that Zhao's son-in-law is a big manager, rich and powerful."
"I don't know. The Zhao family is very tight-lipped. Zhao Wenxiu doesn't go out much, so even if you want to ask, no one will."
Zhou Sui listened for a few minutes and then left. When she reached the intersection, she saw a white sedan parked with two people next to it. She recognized both of them.
One was Song Qi'an, and the other was the man I met at the alley entrance that day.
That man must be Song Qi'an's father, Song Yuan. Judging from their tense demeanor, the father and son must be arguing.
The two of them said something, and Song Yuan angrily opened the car door, then slammed it shut with a loud bang.
The white sedan sped along, and Zhou Sui, head bowed, tried to leave quietly and unnoticed.
"Sui Sui." Song Qi'an called out to her.
"Hmm." Zhou Sui raised her head with a fake smile. What kind of bad luck was this? She stumbled upon people arguing and couldn't even slip away.
"I heard you opened a shop, congratulations!" Zhou Sui didn't expect Song Qi'an to bring this up with her right away.
Despite his parents' divorce and his recent argument with his father, he didn't look gloomy at all; instead, he seemed quite relaxed.
"Thank you."
"You must come to the store to eat when you come to town another day."
"It's my treat." Come to think of it, Song Qi'an had helped out a few times, so it was only right that he treat her to a meal.
“I’ll be coming to town to work for a while starting tomorrow, I hope it won’t be too much trouble for you.” Song Qi’an glanced at Zhou Sui. He felt that Zhou Sui seemed to have lost weight in the few days he hadn’t seen her, and her face looked smaller.
Look at her face, then look at your own hands; one hand could completely cover her face.
"No trouble at all."
Zhou Sui reached up and touched her face. "Is there something on my face?" She noticed that Song Qi'an had looked at her face several times.
Song Qi'an looked away. "No."
"Going home?"
The topic changed a bit too quickly. Zhou Sui nodded and said, "Yes."
Then she noticed that Song Qi'an was walking with her along the intersection. "Aren't you going home?" Zhou Sui couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
Song Qi'an should have turned in at the fork in the road; Zhou Sui was almost ready to say goodbye.
“Go back, can’t we get back by taking this road?” Song Qi’an retorted.
This~
It's true that you can get back, but wouldn't it be shorter to take the side road? Zhou Sui didn't ask this question. There must be a reason why people take this route. It's not her property, so why should she care which road they take?
"The braised pork you brought to my maternal grandfather's house last time, my mother said it was delicious." After a moment of silence, Song Qi'an suddenly said.
"Auntie, you flatter me," Zhou Sui replied modestly. "It's probably just that it happens to suit your taste."
Mentioning Zhao Wenxiu, Zhou Sui recalled the discussions she had overheard earlier. After hesitating, she finally asked, "Is Auntie alright?"
"Not good."
That's true. After years of marriage, the husband cheated on his wife with another woman, and then they got divorced in middle age. It must have been incredibly painful for him.
Zhou Sui felt sorry for Zhao Wenxiu and thought about what words of comfort she should say.
They didn't even notice the fox-like expression on Song Qi'an's face beside them.
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