Qiao Songzhi looked at them with a smile, then her smile faded. She twisted her fingers and hesitated: "Qingqing, tell me, if I set up a stall to sell things, will anyone buy them?"
Qiao Qingqing listened attentively: "Mom, what do you want to sell?"
"It's knitwear." Qiao Songzhi whispered, "The sweaters and scarves I knit are all very beautiful. The sweaters, vests and hats you wore when you were a child were all knitted by me. In fact, when I was running a store in my hometown, I also knitted some and hung them in the store when I had nothing to do. Sometimes people would buy them..."
She was very hesitant because the weather was so hot and knitwear was not selling well.
But what can she do?
When she was fleeing, her mind was completely focused on escaping. After she settled down, her heart was like a duckweed that had found its home, and she began to think about life.
People always have to find something to do. Now that the accumulated clothes have been washed and the house has been cleaned, what else can they do?
Qiao Qingqing understood her mother's mood. In fact, her mother's mood was the same as her parents-in-law's. Only having something to do could make them truly happy.
Any job is fine.
"Mom, sweaters and scarves are not selling. We can change our thinking." Qiao Qingqing persuaded, "Look, your craftsmanship is real. No matter how you change, you can knit something else. It doesn't mean that knitwear is only for keeping warm. Have you seen the flowers on children's heads? You can knit accessories. As long as they are beautiful, people will buy them."
"Is there really anyone willing to buy it? So many people are hungry—"
"Some people have good family conditions and are not worried about material things, so they have spiritual pursuits."
In her previous life, Qiao Qingqing worked as a tutor. Her employer had very high requirements, including gender, education, school, GPA, CET-4 and CET-6 certificates... To be realistic, it had been five or six years since the natural disaster, and people who had fled could not bring everything with them. There would always be omissions or losses. If they wanted a degree certificate, graduation certificate, or some other certificate, maybe some people would take those papers with them, but specific GPA? That was a fantasy! The recruitment letter attracted countless complaints for proposing such bizarre and harsh conditions.
If Qiao Qingqing didn't have a space where all her school stuff was stored, including the final transcripts of each semester printed out from a machine, she wouldn't have gotten the job.
Qiao Songzhi understood. She finally solved the problem. She relaxed and said excitedly, "Then I'll study it and think of some nice styles!"
Qiao Qingqing smiled and nodded: "I will help you. I can make a clip out of wood, and then you can nail the finished product on and it will become a hairpin."
"That's great!" Qiao Songzhi turned around and went back to the house. "I'll go through my suitcase and take out the wool I saved before and sort it out. Oh, and I can also dry it in the sun to disinfect it!"
"Let's go upstairs." Shao Shengan pulled her hand with a smile.
"Um."
The two went upstairs, and Qiao Qingqing said, "Mom will prepare a backpack for you, so I won't pack it."
"Please bring me some ointment for joint swelling and pain. My team leader has had some joint discomfort recently and he can't do it alone so he needs help. He just happened to meet me... I want to give him some ointment."
"Sure, I'll do it."
Shao Shengan had an urgent work requirement, so two hours after returning home, he packed his things and prepared to go out.
"You can set up the stall after I come back."
"It's okay, just work peacefully, I'll take care of it!"
Hearing her say this, Shao Shengan knew that his wife was going to prepare for the stall herself. He silently thought about finishing the work at the villa as soon as possible and going home to help. He waved his hand and said, "Then I'll go over. You guys stay safe at home."
"Pay attention to heatstroke prevention and sun protection and drink more water!" Shao's mother reminded.
"Be careful when riding a bike!" Qiao Songzhi reminded.
Mr. Shao will not officially start work until three days later. He has to go through the onboarding procedures first, and get his uniform and work tools. During his time at home, he will make a cart for Qiao Qingqing.
"Just use the tricycle at home to modify it. It's okay if the wheel of the tricycle is broken. I'll replace it with a new one. Qingqing, do you have any new tires?"
Qiao Qingqing nodded. Before the end of the world, she sold the family car and replaced it with two motorcycle tricycles, a pedal tricycle, and ten bicycles, as well as a large number of replacement tires and repair parts. Up to now, only one motorcycle tricycle has been depreciated. Two days ago, Sheng An rode a bicycle to work. The family still has a sufficient storage of "transportation tools" and spare tire parts.
"The roads in the base are flat and easy to drive on, so the tires won't break down so easily. I'll change them right away." Shao's father said with a smile.
After replacing the wheels, Shao's father helped Qiao Qingqing move the tables and chairs onto the tricycle so that she could use them when setting up the stall. Then the day for him to report arrived, and he went to work happily.
Qiao Qingqing and Shao's mother went to see Shao's father working on a nearby street. He was riding a tricycle with four trash cans piled on it. A broom and dustpan were tied to the tricycle. As he pedaled the tricycle, the broom head swung back and forth, as if showing his cheerful mood as he was immersed in his work.
After completing the preparations, Qiao Qingqing started setting up the stall.
Her mother accompanied her to set up the stall on the first day. She drove the tricycle to the wall on the left side of the community gate and put up the advertisement "Barefoot Dr. Qiao".
When Qiao Songzhi saw the sign, he wanted to laugh: "Are you really going to use this?"
"Of course, this is written by Sheng An, Mom, do you think it's not well written?"
Well, Qiao Songzhi satisfied her daughter's rare childishness and did not raise any more objections.
The solar light hung on the car illuminates the stall like a small sun.
There was a lot of noise around. Qiao Songzhi looked around and saw other stalls on the street. Some stalls were hidden in the dark, and only the outlines of the stall owners could be vaguely seen. Some stalls had candles or flashlights. She said to Qiao Qingqing, "There are quite a lot of people setting up stalls. I wonder if the urban management will come to collect stall fees in the future."
"Let's talk about the future later. Let's focus on the current business first." Qiao Qingqing put the chairs in place, "Mom, sit down."
Qiao Songzhi sat down, opened her backpack, took out her hook and thread and started crocheting. Qiao Qingqing looked at it for a while and said, "Mom, are you crocheting a bow?"
"Can you tell? Yes, it's a bow. I used to see a lot of little girls like to wear bows on their heads. You liked them when you were a kid, too. You liked pink bows with pink diamonds the most, but you stopped liking them after you entered junior high school."
It was such a long time ago that Qiao Qingqing searched through her memory before she could remember it. She smiled helplessly, "Mom, that's not because I was young. I'm already old enough to be in junior high school. How can I still have the nerve to wear jewelry that little girls wear?"
"Why can't I wear it... Can I give you the first one I crocheted?" Qiao Songzhi looked at her expectantly.
Qiao Qingqing met her eyes and was unwilling to refuse: "Okay, then you can make it smaller and not too exaggerated."
"It won't be exaggerated. It will look very nice."
On the first night of setting up the stall, Qiao Qingqing only had one business, from Chi Yuxiu who lived next door. She bought three plasters and said she would give them to her mother-in-law: "She has a sore lower back." The reward was five kilograms of sweet potatoes, which Qiao Qingqing accepted.
There were quite a few people who came to ask questions. Night was a good time for everyone to avoid the scorching sun and go out to do business or hang out. After the base frequently carried out rat eradication operations, the safety of the streets improved. This safe community has been constantly occupied these days, and it is actually very lively at night. Qiao Qingqing's stall is the brightest on the entire street. Nearby residents come out to enjoy the cool air, walk around, and find a place to sit for a while when they are tired. In the end, they all gather in front of her stall.
"You are a doctor? Such a young doctor has it?"
"What kind of lamp is this? Why is it so bright?"
"Solar lights! If I had known, I would have bought a few to put at home. Now I don't know where to buy one!"
"Hey girl, do you want to sell this lamp?"
Qiao Songzhi muttered: "Why do we look like people selling lanterns at a street stall?"
Qiao Qingqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's okay, someone is paying attention to our lights, and someone will pay attention to our signboard in the future."
When I told Shao's mother about it after I got home, she said, "Isn't this good? It's good to have a lot of people in front of the stall. It's safer, and bad guys don't dare to do bad things in front of so many people."
Qiao Songzhi had never thought about this angle. After hearing what Shao's mother said, she was stunned for a moment: "Oh, yeah! I was confused, haha!"
On the side, Shao Shengfei was asking Qiao Qingqing: "Sister, can I go next time? I want to set up a stall too."
"Sure, then you discuss it with mom, and if mom agrees, I'll take you with me, okay?"
Shao Shengfei quickly asked his mother: "Mom, can I go?"
Shao's mother was afraid that he would cause trouble for Qiao Qingqing if he went there. This was not a place for fun, but a place to set up a stall to make money.
"Fei Fei is very well behaved and won't cause any trouble. If you agree to let him go, I will help you watch over him," said Qiao Songzhi.
Shao's mother agreed and told Shao Shengfei again to be obedient.
The next day, Shao Shengfei went with them as expected.
There was finally some business today. A middle-aged man from the community came out quickly, looked around, and ran straight towards their stall.
"You are a doctor, right? My grandson accidentally fell and is now complaining about ankle pain. Can you take a look?"
As soon as they saw the business coming, Qiao Songzhi and Shao Shengfei sat up straight and looked at Qiao Qingqing.
Qiao Qingqing nodded: "Bring the child here for me to see."
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute then!"
Five minutes later, the man came over holding a five-year-old child. After a careful examination, Qiao Qingqing said, "It's just a sprained tendon, not a broken bone. I can rub it with some medicinal wine and it will be fine. If you want it to get better faster, I can also make some ointment to wrap it around his feet. But now it's too hot, so I can only wrap his feet for one day. You have to help him unwrap it, otherwise the ointment will go bad and his skin will be too stuffy, so he may get allergic reactions."
The man said, "Doctor Qiao, please rub it for him first and let me see how it works."
Qiao Qingqing's technique was practiced on many injured people. The pain on the child's face faded, and he looked up: "Grandpa, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Really?"
“It really doesn’t hurt anymore.”
The child struggled to get down, but Qiao Qingqing stopped him: "Don't go yet, take it easy."
The man was very happy. He thanked him and was about to leave with the child. Qiao Songzhi was stunned and shouted at him, "You didn't pay!"
The smile on the man's face was replaced by a harsh tone: "You're charging me for just a few rubs? Are you crazy because you're poor and want to rob me? You're crazy!" After cursing, he ran away quickly and soon disappeared at the gate of the community.
Qiao Songzhi was stunned, and then became very angry!
People who were enjoying the cool air nearby also saw this scene and began to whisper and point fingers.
"Does anyone know that person? He has no manners. This is a new community, not one of those shady and messy places outside. That person shouldn't be doing this. It has a very bad influence!"
"That's right, it's ruining the reputation of our peaceful community. Do you want to tell the security team?"
"Then why don't you let Dr. Qiao report it to the public security team? Why should we care so much..."
"He looks familiar, like he lives in the building next to us..."
Qiao Qingqing held Qiao Songzhi and said, "Mom, don't be angry. I saw it a long time ago."
"You, you figured it out?"
"Yeah, that look in his eyes..." Qiao Qingqing shook her head.
Qiao Songzhi suddenly realized, then sighed: "Forget it, the child is innocent after all, so let's just treat it as a good deed."
That night, other people also came to ask questions, one to ask if she could cure a certain disease, and the other to ask about the medical fees.
Qiao Qingqing always said, "You have to pay the full medical fee first before I see you. Can't cure you? I'll refund you everything. I won't see you unless you pay the medical fee." Her attitude was very firm and there was no room for negotiation.
"Well, well, what if you don't retreat? I'll be at a loss." The young man hesitated, "You're too inhumane."
The lady next to him waved her fan and said, "It's not Dr. Qiao's fault. Just now someone ate and ate for free. Well, you can't call it a free meal. Anyway, he just ran away after seeing the doctor without paying the consultation fee! This is a waste of time. I think he should have collected the consultation fee first."
Another aunt also said: "Doctor Qiao is quite generous. He said that if the treatment is not successful, all the money will be refunded. A relative of mine lives in the community next door. There is also a doctor there. The consultation fee is very expensive. He will not be responsible if the treatment is not successful. It is a dream to want a refund!"
"Oh, I've heard about that. Was the clinic smashed?"
"That's right! The whole family came and turned the whole clinic upside down!"
The topic went off the track, but Qiao Qingqing smiled and didn't urge him: "That's the situation. Please understand my difficulties and consider it."
"Then I, I'll go home and discuss it."
Twenty minutes later, the young man came with his younger brother.
"I have been coughing for more than two months and it hasn't healed. I have tried many folk remedies, but the cost of X-rays at the hospital is very expensive. There is really no other way."
After observing, smelling, asking and feeling the patient, Qiao Qingqing came to a conclusion.
"I can treat it, but the medicine is expensive. You know how hard it is to get medicine nowadays, so the consultation fee will be a bit higher. Do you have any gold jewelry? Two grams. Jade is also fine, such as jade pendants, rings, and bracelets."
The young man estimated that the hospital would need 100 kilograms of food for the X-ray and medicine, and he was looking for someone to exchange a gold ring for, and each ring weighed more than two grams. After asking many people, they were only willing to give 50 kilograms of food at most...
"Will it really go away if it can't be cured?"
"retreat."
"Then let's cure it!"
After closing the stall and returning home, Qiao Songzhi talked about this with Qiao Qingqing: "I heard from that young man that the hospital doesn't accept anything else but food. Do you think the base will open a pawn shop in the future where you can exchange things? In the future, everyone can go to the pawn shop to exchange things, so they don't have to rush to use their money and get haggled over by others."
"I had some in my previous life, but it wasn't so fair. The bosses behind the scenes all had backgrounds. Sometimes, if you exchanged it privately, you might be able to get a higher price if you met a reliable and generous buyer."
"Oh." Qiao Songzhi sighed and said nothing more.
Later, Qiao Qingqing cured the man's cough, and the young man introduced two acquaintances to see the doctor, one for headache and the other for chest tightness. Neither of them had gold, so one paid a jade Buddha that he had carried for more than ten years as a consultation fee, and the other gave fifty kilograms of firewood.
Qiao Qingqing gave the jade Buddha to the space. The space did not communicate with her as usual. She smiled and continued to work.
When Shao Shengan came back after finishing the water and electricity work at the villa, Qiao Qingqing's stall had already been established, with at least one or two patients coming to see him every day for minor ailments.
"Why did it take so long? How big is the villa?" Shao's mother was worried about her son and kept talking to him.
Shao Shengan smiled and said, "It's a three-and-a-half-story villa with an area of more than 500 square meters. The employer had a lot of requirements, changing this and adding items. It took more than half a month to complete it. There were only two of us working on it, so this speed is already fast."
The family was finally reunited, and Qiao Qingqing prepared a sumptuous meal.
"I happened to have cooked pigeon soup with dendrobium and American ginseng today. I was thinking of leaving a bowl for Qingqing to collect and wait for you to come back and drink it." Qiao Songzhi happily walked into the kitchen, "It should be ready. I'll go and serve it now."
The food at home is good, but Shao's father's job does not provide meals, so he eats three meals a day at home. Shao Shengan's employer does not provide three meals a day either, so Shao Shengan takes his ID with him and goes directly to the material distribution point in the villa area to collect relief supplies. He eats those these days, and occasionally eats some chocolates and candies that his wife brings him.
"No wonder you've lost weight!" Shao's mother felt very distressed, "Hurry up and eat more to make up for it."
"The amount of relief supplies is starting to decrease. Is Yeshan running out of things to distribute?"
Father Shao was worried about this. He had been working outside these days and communicating a lot with his colleagues, so he was relatively well-informed.
"A colleague of mine who lives in Pingyang Community said that no supplies have been distributed for five days."
"The relief supplies are distributed differently in different communities? We distribute them once every three days here." Shao's mother was puzzled.
"It should be different. The base is too big, so it may be managed in different areas." Shao Shengan took a sip of the soup and praised it for its sweet and mellow taste.
"If it tastes good, drink more. You will lose weight, really lose weight."
But Shao Shengan didn't stay at home for long. He was ready to go out again in the evening of the next day. He took another job and came back to get his wages. This time, he brought back two sacks of sweet potatoes weighing more than 50 kilograms and a bag of flour weighing 20 kilograms. After getting his wages, he told the team leader that he would go home first to see his family and put his things away before starting work. The team leader agreed. The team leader didn't have a bicycle, so the wages for the two of them were tied to the back seat of the bicycle and pushed back.
Looking at Shao Shengan's back, Qiao Qingqing was reluctant to let him go, but she would definitely support her husband's desire to take on the responsibility of the family. A short separation was nothing, as they were all working hard for the future of this family.
Qiao Songzhi knitted her first bow, which was crocheted with purple fine wool, and looked particularly delicate and fluffy. Qiao Qingqing cut a piece of wood to make a small clip, and Qiao Songzhi wrapped the clip with wool of the same color and fixed the bow on it, and a purple bow hairpin was completed.
She clipped it on Qiao Qingqing's head and smiled, "How beautiful it is."
Qiao Qingqing reached out and touched it, and smiled: "Then I'll wear it and advertise for my mother."
Practice makes perfect. Qiao Songzhi crocheted the second and third clips very smoothly. They were all small sizes because she was afraid that if they were too big, they would appear bulky and would make her look too hot when worn on her head.
The crocheted clips were placed on the table, and on the first day someone asked about the price.
The one who asked the price was an old lady who was enjoying the cool air. When they were enjoying the cool air, they would always bring their young grandchildren with them. A little girl stared at the hairpin with shining eyes and pestered her grandmother to buy it.
"Why would you buy a hairpin when you can't even get enough to eat these days... How much is it and how much do you sell it for?"
Qiao Qingqing didn't say anything, but looked at Qiao Songzhi and encouraged her.
Qiao Songzhi had already decided on the price. She wanted to earn back the cost of the materials and some hard-earned money, so she held out her finger and said, "You can exchange it for food. One pound of food can be exchanged for three. If you buy them separately, one will cost five ounces."
The old lady exclaimed: "It's so expensive!"
"Grandma, I want it. The ones I had before are broken. I want it..." the girl said coquettishly in a low voice.
"Hey, kid, you don't know how expensive oil and rice are until you run a household. Your parents work so hard...Okay, buy three. Three is cheaper. You can't buy more in the future. You have to keep them well, okay?"
"Okay! Thank you, grandma!"
The old lady walked back home, and came back slowly ten minutes later, taking out a bag containing a pound of old rice.
"It's edible." She stared at Qiao Songzhi.
Qiao Songzhi nodded: "Okay."
"Weigh it yourself, and don't come back to me later to say it's not enough." The old man insisted on his own opinion, so Qiao Songzhi took out an electronic scale, picked up the bag and weighed it. It was just right, not more or less.
"That's enough. Let your granddaughter choose which three she wants."
"Go ahead and pick what you like. Don't say you don't like it later and buy a new one. I won't spoil you."
The girl cheered: "Okay!"
She lay in front of the stall and looked at each one. There were only five colors in total: bright red, pink, light purple, yellow and blue. She first chose her three favorite colors, and then chose the best-looking one among the three colors.
"I've chosen it!"
The old lady smiled and said, "Okay, then keep it."
The two returned to their original place and sat down to enjoy the cool air. The girl pinned a pink hairpin on her head and shook her head happily. Qiao Songzhi vaguely heard her asking "Does it look good?" and her mood also became cheerful.
"Mom, you are amazing. You can make a business happen in no time." Qiao Qingqing praised him generously. Shao Shengfei also had a blue clip on his head. He clapped excitedly: "Mom Qiao is amazing!"
Qiao Songzhi was a little shy, but she was also very happy with the sense of accomplishment, and her face seemed to be glowing. She put her hair behind her ears and said with a smile: "It's good to be able to do it. I can finally put my heart at ease!"
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