"Okay, let's go to sleep then!"
After coaxing Xin Xin to sleep, Qiao Qiqi locked the door and left.
When Qiao Qiqi returned to the place she had visited on Saturday, she stood by the roadside for a long time, watching from afar. Although she saw cars going in, she couldn't find an opportunity to follow them in.
As time ticked by, Qiao Qiqi realized this wouldn't do and looked around.
Just as I was wondering if there was anywhere I could jump in, I suddenly saw an old woman carrying a basket walk out of the courtyard.
Seeing that the security guards didn't stop her, and that the old lady was clearly familiar with the area, Qiao Qiqi immediately followed her.
Soon, the old lady went into a grocery store and bought a lot of vegetables.
Realizing that she had come out to buy groceries to cook, Qiao Qiqi narrowed her eyes. As the other person left, she suddenly rushed forward and kicked a potato that had fallen on the ground.
"Ouch!" The old lady was caught off guard and stepped on a potato, falling to the ground in a sorry state.
Qiao Qiqi immediately rushed over and helped the old woman up. "Auntie, are you alright?"
"Ouch, that hurts!" the old woman cried out, wincing in pain.
After sitting on the ground, I rolled up my trouser leg and took a look—
Good heavens, both knees are completely bruised.
Looking down at the potato at her feet, she realized it was the culprit that had caused her to slip and fall. Angrily, she picked it up and threw it aside. "Whose potato is this? How could it be left in the middle of the road? Who's going to fall and die?!"
Hearing the commotion, the sales clerk realized that her potatoes had rolled over and quickly went over to apologize.
"Sister, look how sorry I am. I don't know how this potato fell down. I didn't even see it. Did you hurt yourself? Here, let me help you up."
With the combined efforts of Qiao Qiqi and the sales clerk, the old lady stood up. Then she remembered to look at the person who had helped her up. Seeing that it was a young girl, she immediately smiled and said, "Young lady, thank you so much! You have such a kind heart."
"Of course, ma'am. Are you alright? Can you still walk?" Qiao Qiqi asked with concern, holding the old woman's arm the whole time.
The old woman felt extreme pain in both knees, and she didn't know if she could walk.
But since she needed to go home, she still tried to take two steps forward.
With that movement, she cried out in pain, "It hurts so much, I'm afraid I can't walk."
Qiao Qiqi frowned as she watched her actions and asked directly, "Auntie, where do you live? Or should I go to your house to find someone, or should I carry you back?"
"I live in..." the old woman said, then suddenly realized something was wrong, but she immediately shook her head, thinking that a young girl like Qiao Qiqi was carrying her.
"You're so thin, how could you possibly carry me? It's impossible."
Hearing this, Qiao Qiqi immediately laughed, "Auntie, don't let my thinness fool you, I come from the countryside and I'm full of strength. Not to mention carrying you, even if you were 30 pounds heavier, I could carry you with ease."
As if to prove herself, Qiao Qiqi bent down, grabbed the old woman's arms, and easily carried her on her back for a few steps.
"Wow, this can actually be carried on your back." The salesperson couldn't help but slap her thigh when she saw that Qiao Qiqi had actually carried it on her back.
Qiao Qiqi smiled smugly, "See? I wasn't lying, was I?"
As she spoke, she asked the sales clerk to pick up the vegetables from the ground and put them in the old woman's hands, then carried her outside on her back.
"Auntie, do you live on the left or the right? I'll take you home."
Since the person was already on the other person's back, the old woman didn't stand on ceremony and simply pointed to the way they came, saying, "I live over there."
"Alright, Auntie, just let me know if you're feeling unwell," Qiao Qiqi replied with a smile, then walked briskly towards the other side.
Seeing that she looked quiet and gentle, and was also a cheerful person, the old woman couldn't help but start chatting with her, "Young lady, you just said you're from the countryside, where is your hometown?"
"I am from Qingyang Brigade, Ningyuan Town, Bin County, Heilongjiang Province. My home is in Northeast China, far away from here."
The old woman asked in confusion, "Your home is so far away, why did you come to Beijing? Are you visiting relatives?"
Qiao Qiqi shook her head, "No, I came to Beijing because my sister is sick and I came to see a doctor."
"Oh, I see!" The old woman nodded, then asked, "How long have you been in Beijing? How long have you been staying here?"
“I’ve been here for 11 days, and I’ve been staying here for 11 days, but I don’t live here. I came here on Saturday because I brought my sister here. I bought some pastries here, and my sister thought they were delicious and wanted more, so I bought some for her,” Qiao Qiqi explained.
Seeing that this was the situation, the old lady pointed to the pastry shop across the street and said, "Is that the one you want to buy?"
Qiao Qiqi looked up and her eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I came here once before and forgot the exact location. I just wandered around here for a long time but couldn't find it, so I came into the grocery store to ask someone for directions."
The old lady smiled and said, "This pastry shop is very famous. My old lady also loves their pastries. I was just about to buy some myself. Can you carry me there to buy some?"
"Okay." Qiao Qiqi nodded readily. After carrying the old lady over, she ordered one with red bean paste and one with mung bean paste, while the old lady only ordered one with mung bean paste.
When Qiao Qiqi was about to pay, the old lady beat her to it, saying, "I'll pay."
"How can that be? One thing at a time, and these pastries are quite expensive, I can't let you pay!" Qiao Qiqi stopped the old lady and quickly paid for her share.
Seeing that she wasn't getting any advantage, the old woman's goodwill towards her instantly increased.
So when he arrived at the gate of the compound and was stopped by a soldier, he said directly to the soldier, "This is my relative, and she's with me."
Upon hearing that they were relatives, the soldier let them pass.
Qiao Qiqi successfully sneaked into the courtyard.
When they arrived at the courtyard, they realized that they hadn't noticed it from a distance, but now that they were closer, they found that the house here was even better than the Fang family's. Not only was the courtyard larger, but every detail showed care and attention to detail.
“I live in the fifth building, the biggest one,” the old woman said, pointing the way on Qiao Qiqi’s back.
Qiao Qiqi immediately carried the person over her back. When they entered the courtyard, they encountered a servant cleaning. When the servant saw the two of them return, she quickly came to greet them.
"Aunt Zhou, what's wrong with you?"
"Don't even mention it, I tripped over a potato and fell down."
The woman, called Sister-in-law Zhou, answered the question and then had Qiao Qiqi carry her into the house.
Upon entering, I saw an elderly woman with a full head of white hair sitting on the sofa in the living room, listening to music on the radio.
Hearing the noise, the old lady turned around and was stunned by what she saw.
What happened?
Qiao Qiqi quickly took off her shoes, not even bothering to put on slippers, and placed Aunt Zhou on the single sofa next to her. Then she sat on the floor and took a couple of breaths.
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