"Where else could they be going? I heard that they're also going to town to sell food. They made quite a stir a while ago, preparing this and that, and even said they'd buy eggs too."
When Aunt Zhang saw Chen Cuihua, she remembered the expression on Chen Cuihua's face when she made those harsh words, and she felt a wave of unease.
Xi Chun had long since resumed collecting eggs. If a family had collected ten eggs, they could bring them over directly, and Xi Chun would pay them on the spot. Because of this, the villagers' goodwill towards Xi Chun increased considerably.
"It seems so. I remember now, I heard them say that Wang Fuzi went to many people to borrow money that day." Uncle Zhang also remembered.
"Why should we care what they do? We just need to do our own thing. There are several other places in town that also sell spicy hot pot, so we can't interfere with others."
When Xichun and her family arrived at the stall, they saw that Chen Cuihua's family's car had also been brought to a nearby location. No one had occupied the spot yet, so it seemed that they had also come to town to inquire about the area.
As soon as Xi Chun's food was set up, people started lining up. Everyone was used to Xi Chun's food, and now that they had added noodles, which would fill them up, they were naturally even happier.
Xi Chun also made the noodles later, because Uncle Zhang hadn't received any work during this period. Xi Chun thought about it and simply asked him to knead the dough at home and make noodles to sell in town.
That's why Uncle Zhang has been pushing the cart with them during this period, and then going home to continue working at noon.
Chen Cuihua noticed that as soon as the customers arrived, they went straight to Xichun's stall, and the remaining few customers went to other stalls. Their stall was the only one left unattended, so they were not going to be left out.
They had her youngest son shout loudly in the street, which was one way, and many families did it, so they managed to get a few people to come.
"Pah! What kind of taste is this? There's no salt, no oil. Try it yourself and see if it's good. I'm really unlucky today. I should have gone to Miss Chen's place." A customer who was looking for a bargain heard their calls and saw that the portion was indeed larger than Xi Chun's, so he paid and prepared to try it.
To their surprise, it couldn't compare to Xichun's, or even other spicy hot pot restaurants, and they immediately started cursing.
"What do you mean by Miss Chen? I also have the surname Chen. Am I not Miss Chen?" Chen Cuihua was embarrassed by the man's words and noticed that everyone around her was looking at her. She held back for a while before muttering softly.
"Pah! Your son is already so big, and you still have the nerve to call yourself a girl? I've really opened my eyes." After saying that, the man left angrily.
Hearing this, the people around her began to stifle their laughter, making Chen Cuihua lose face greatly.
Xichun and the others had no idea about the farce happening over there. She was busy with something; with the year-end approaching, perhaps those people were really willing to spend money, and business seemed even better than a couple of days ago.
Uncle Zhang helped tend the fire, while Aunt Zhang and Xichun busied themselves preparing food for the guests; the scene was bustling with activity.
Wang Fuzi's eldest son, seeing that his family's business was really bad, came to Xichun's place to observe secretly. He found that her business was still doing very well. When he went back and told Chen Cuihua, Chen Cuihua didn't show any happy expression on her face. She slapped her son on the spot.
"You're just boosting that brat's ego and undermining your mother's prestige all day long. Get out of here!" Seeing that none of the guests had arrived, Chen Cuihua was truly discouraged.
In the afternoon, Xichun and Aunt Zhang were pushing their cart home when they heard Wang Fuzi's family following behind, arguing as they walked. It seemed that Wang Fuzi thought Chen Cuihua's idea was too simplistic, which was why they had no business.
"You say I have no ideas? Then why didn't you advise me before? Now that I've already spent all my money, you're here offering advice after the fact, aren't you? Look at yourself! If you were as capable as him, you wouldn't need a woman like me supporting you. Useless man, get back to pushing the cart! You can't even push a cart as well as a woman. How dare you talk to me like that!"
Just as Xichun and her companion were about to laugh, they heard a loud clattering sound from behind, and soon the car arrived behind them.
"Make way, make way! Cars don't wait for anyone. If you get hit, it's your own fault!" Chen Cuihua shouted from behind, rolling her eyes at the two people's backs.
"Can't you see how narrow the road is? We're walking ahead, why are you in such a hurry?" Aunt Zhang was displeased when she heard her say this.
"Who told you to be so slow pushing the cart? We're fast, so what if we walk in front? It's none of your business. You're eager to be someone else's maid, ptooey!" Chen Cuihua was really looking for someone to vent her anger on, so these two women just happened to be in the line of fire.
"If you're going to leave, then leave. What kind of talk is that? Xichun is still your niece. How can you say such awful things to an elder?"
"So what if I act like an elder? What's it to you? Does she act like a junior?"
When Wang Fuzi saw the two arguing, he pretended to be a meek person on the sidelines, and his two sons did the same.
"Auntie, stop arguing. If we get bitten by a rabid dog, we don't have a reason to bite it back. Anyway, we're not in a hurry. We'll just slowly push it home." Xi Chun didn't want to get involved with her anymore. This kind of person was like a leech; once you got on her, it was hard to get rid of her.
"You brat, who are you calling a dog? Try saying it again and see what happens!" Chen Cuihua got even angrier when she heard her say that.
“We didn’t name names, why did you run up here? If you’re going to leave, leave now and don’t bother us.” Aunt Zhang stood in front of Xichun.
"Hmph, you just wait and see. I'll see what good days you, Chen Xichun, will have in the future. I'm afraid that in just a couple of days, some people won't even have a place to live." Chen Cuihua was originally going to hit her, but then she remembered something and said with a cold smile.
"What do you mean?" Xi Chun heard this and sensed a different meaning in it.
"Let's go, we won't walk with these unlucky people who bring misfortune to their fathers." Chen Cuihua stopped talking and urged Wang Fuzi to leave quickly.
"Xichun, what do you think she meant by what she just said?" Aunt Zhang also sensed something was off.
"I think something must have happened on my grandma's side again. Let's go back to the village and find someone to quietly inquire about it. I want to see what they dare to do."
"Alright, let's hurry back and see what they're up to now." Aunt Zhang had guessed it too; Chen Cuihua must have heard something to say that.
During this time, they were all busy and didn't pay much attention to the village gossip, so they could only ask acquaintances for information.
After pushing the car home, Aunt Zhang went to inquire with people she knew.
Xi Chun thought for a moment and decided to go to the Ma family to find Wang Shi. Since Wang Shi came that day, she had not looked for her again. Later, when she spread the news of collecting eggs, she did not see her come over.
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