Zhou Meimei peeked into the kitchen. There was a window between the counter and the kitchen. Sometimes, when Li Qiuju had takeout orders, she would hand them to her through the window.
At this moment, Zhou Meimei was dumbfounded as she watched Zhou Sui's series of actions in the kitchen. "Sui Sui, that..."
She meant the seasoned sauce that should be added to the stinky tofu, not the stinky tofu soup.
Zhou Sui made a shushing gesture at her, her smile looking somewhat eerie.
Before long, Zhou Sui came out with a tray. Grandma Li and Zhao Xiaohua sat steadily, but Li Qiuju could only stand to the side.
"Mom, the kitchen is a bit dirty, why don't you go and clean it up? I'll stay with Grandma and Aunt."
As Zhou Sui served the dishes to the table, she spoke to Li Qiuju.
"Oh, okay." Li Qiuju assumed that her daughter had made a mess of the kitchen while cooking, so she didn't think much of it and turned around to go over.
Zhao Xiaohua finally looked at Zhou Sui closely. "Are you the wild girl that my older sister picked up?"
It wasn't that she didn't recognize Zhou Sui, but rather that the person in front of her didn't seem like Zhou Sui.
"Even a stray baby girl is dressed so well. This shop must be making a lot of money." Old Mrs. Li looked Zhou Sui up and down with a disdainful gaze. She had a sharp eye and could tell that Zhou Sui was very well taken care of. Her complexion was rosy and she had gained some weight compared to before.
Zhou Sui didn't say anything, but handed chopsticks to the two of them, then pulled over a stool and sat down casually next to them, watching them eat.
The two were probably really hungry, because they picked up their chopsticks and started eating. But as soon as the food entered their mouths, Grandma Li spat it out. "What is this? It tastes so sweet."
Zhao Xiaohua gagged immediately, "It stinks!"
Zhou Sui promptly pushed two glasses of water over, and to cover up the unpleasant taste in their mouths, the two picked them up and drank without thinking. "Salty, so salty, what is this!"
Zhou Meimei peeked out from behind the counter and caught a glimpse of the expressions on the faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who looked like they had eaten shit. She couldn't help but smile and said, "How could Sui Sui not be able to tell the difference between salt and sugar?"
Zhao Xiaohua swallowed hard and said incredulously, "You only sell these things in your shop?"
"Yes, Auntie, are they delicious? These two are our best-selling items. Ten people eat them every day." Zhou Sui opened her big eyes and started talking nonsense.
"Hurry up and eat, we still have plenty left in the shop. I'll make more for you after you finish eating."
Zhou Sui's enthusiastic gaze made Zhao Xiaohua feel nauseous. That dark, stinky thing was really disgusting; it smelled bad, and it tasted even worse. She thought of the toilet.
"Take it away, take this thing away from me." Zhao Xiaohua felt disgusted just looking at the thing, especially when she thought about how she had just put it in her mouth and taken a bite, and how the juice had flowed out.
I can't think about it anymore, or I won't be able to eat anything today.
"Okay, I'll take it right away." Zhou Sui obediently got up, but she was in a flurry of activity as she grabbed the things.
As the stinky-smelling liquid flew over her head, Zhao Xiaohua shouted anxiously, "You better watch out! If you spill it on me, you'll be sorry!"
"No, it won't happen." Zhou Sui had barely finished speaking when her hand slipped, "Oops."
"Ahhh!" Zhao Xiaohua screamed from inside the shop. She quickly stood up and frantically patted the stinky tofu that had spilled on her clothes.
Zhou Sui took two steps back without making a sound, coldly looking at Zhao Xiaohua, who looked like a clown.
She was wearing a bright pink cotton coat today, and the soup stains on it probably won't be easy to wash off.
"Zhou Sui, you brat, what kind of behavior is this?" Zhao Xiaohua shouted at the top of her lungs. This dress was a brand new one she had just bought this year, and she only wore it because she came to town. She usually couldn't bear to wear it.
"You owe me my clothes!"
Her angry shouts attracted Li Qiuju, who was in the kitchen. "Oh dear, what's going on?" Li Qiuju asked blankly, not seeing the actual situation.
Zhou Sui said slowly and deliberately, "It's just a piece of clothing, why make it so precious? Just wash it and wear it again. If that doesn't work, I'll ask your uncle to buy you another one."
"My aunt shouldn't be the kind of person who's petty. I just accidentally knocked over the bowl. I hope she won't be mad at me."
Zhao Xiaohua was furious. "You didn't do it accidentally, you did it on purpose!"
Although she was angry, she felt that the words sounded familiar, as if she had heard them somewhere before.
Li Qiuju immediately recognized the voice, "Sui Sui?"
Zhou Sui gave her a calm look, and Li Qiuju knew that her daughter was really doing it on purpose.
Last year, when Li Qiuju went back to her parents' home for the Spring Festival, she wore a new dress. Zhao Xiaohua spilled a bowl of soup with sauce on her clothes and said those words.
Li Qiuju washed those clothes for a long time afterward, but there was still a faint stain. Every time she wore those clothes, Li Qiuju felt that perfectly good clothes had been ruined, which was a pity.
I never expected that my daughter would still remember something I had almost forgotten.
Zhao Xiaohua was still yelling loudly, and Old Lady Li couldn't stand it anymore. She was old and preferred quiet, so she found Zhao Xiaohua's voice grating.
"Alright, shut up, you're making so much noise."
"Mom," Zhao Xiaohua looked at her mother-in-law with a wronged expression, "my new clothes!"
"Just let them compensate you." What an idiot, no composure at all, making such a fuss over such a small matter.
As if she had received a royal decree, Zhao Xiaohua said to Li Qiuju and her daughter, "Mom said you have to pay for the clothes."
Zhou Sui rolled her eyes. "You think I'll just pay up like it's an imperial edict?"
"Big sister, look at Zhou Sui's attitude!" Zhao Xiaohua said shrilly again.
Grandma Li finally got angry and slammed her hand on the table, "Zhao Xiaohua, shut up!"
Zhao Xiaohua was still very afraid of this fierce old woman, so upon hearing this, she could only shrink back and glare at Zhou Sui.
Zhou Sui ignored her and called out to the backyard. The older woman who was washing dishes came over and tidied up the place.
Grandma Li was surprised that the Zhou family's shop had grown to the point where they had hired people. It seemed that what the villagers had said was true; the Zhou family had indeed made money.
Her cold gaze fell on Li Qiuju. Everyone outside knew this, yet this good daughter of hers hadn't said a word to her family.
If she hadn't come to town today, who knows how long this ingrate would have kept it a secret.
"Qiuju, why didn't you tell the family about such a big thing as opening a shop?" Old Mrs. Li questioned.
"I already said that," Zhou Sui answered before Li Qiuju could speak.
"When did you say that? How come we didn't know?" Zhou Sui said earnestly. Even Grandma Li couldn't help but think back, but she didn't remember it.
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