Chapter 53: Sprinting Towards the Monthly Exam ⑤
The man placed the vegetables on the vegetable stand and turned to ask Nie Qiu, “How much is it in total?”
Nie Qiu looked at the numbers on the computer and said with a smile, “It’s four hundred and thirty-three yuan in total, but you can just give me four hundred yuan.”
The man had no objection, and with a smile, he took money from his apron pocket, counted out four pink bills, and handed them to Nie Qiu. “My surname is Zhang, my given name is Zhang Qitian. You can call me Brother Zhang. If your family has more vegetables, you can have your parents bring them to the vegetable market doorway at five in the morning every day, and I’ll buy them.”
Nie Qiu took the money but didn’t say whether she would come to sell vegetables or not. She just said, “Then, Brother Zhang, I’ll be going now. Thank you for today.” With that, Nie Qiu pushed the cart and left the vegetable market.
Zhang Qitian watched Nie Qiu’s back view and shook his head with some disappointment. It seemed this girl wouldn’t be coming to the vegetable market for wholesale anymore! He looked at the very good-looking vegetables on the stand and sighed, “What a shame…” What a shame about such good vegetables.
Nie Qiu returned the cart outside the vegetable market, clutched the money in her hand, and walked back home. She couldn’t find a reason to give this money to Nie Aifang.
When she returned home, Nie Qiu was surprised to find that Nie Aifang wasn’t preparing vegetables or making dumplings. Instead, she was sitting at the table sewing plastic flowers. Nie Qiu walked over, a little surprised, and asked with a smile, “Mom, why aren’t you making dumplings today?”
Nie Aifang looked up at Nie Qiu, took off her reading glasses, and smiled, “Oh, Qiu Qiu is back! I saw the weather forecast, and it said it will rain tonight. I’m not setting up a stall today, and I can still earn money by sewing more plastic flowers at home.”
Nie Qiu looked at the reading glasses on the table, squatted down, and knelt in front of Nie Aifang. “Mom, please stop sewing plastic flowers. Sewing too many is bad for your eyes. You’re not even forty yet, and you’re already wearing reading glasses. Please stop sewing plastic flowers.”
Nie Aifang placed her head on Nie Qiu’s head and gently rubbed her hair. She smiled and said, “It’s okay, Qiu Qiu. Mom knows you’re worried about me, but if I don’t do this today, we’ll just be spending what we have. I’m not tired, don’t worry.”
The gentle light in Nie Aifang’s eyes made Nie Qiu’s eyes turn red, and she almost cried. She suddenly threw herself forward and buried her head between Nie Aifang’s legs. “Mom, please, I’m begging you, okay? Don’t be so tired. If you keep being so tired, I… I won’t study anymore. I’ll come home and help you with the work, I…” She wanted to say she wouldn’t study anymore, but she was also reluctant. She knew that Nie Aifang worked so hard precisely so she could study. She paused and said softly, “At least… at least, don’t make these plastic flowers anymore.”
“Silly girl,” Nie Aifang put down what she was holding and gently hugged Nie Qiu’s head. “Okay, Mom promises you. After I finish these plastic flowers I was given, I won’t pick up any more materials.”
Nie Qiu stood up and sat on a stool. “Then I’ll do it with you.” With that, Nie Qiu picked up the threaded needle from the table, then picked up a few plastic flower petals, and looked at Nie Aifang. “Mom, how do I do this?”
Nie Aifang picked up the flower she hadn’t finished sewing on the table, then sewed the petals together one by one. She then gently tugged, and a flower was formed.
Nie Qiu smiled and also picked up the needle, thread, and petals to start sewing. It was very simple handicraft, but it was repetitive and very tedious. After sewing a dozen flowers, Nie Qiu realized that Nie Aifang had already finished a large pile, and each one was more beautiful and uniform than hers.
Nie Qiu knew the saying “practice makes perfect,” but seeing Nie Aifang doing the same action for so many days was difficult.
She smiled slightly, lowered her head, and began to sew plastic flowers with Nie Aifang. One by one, the flowers began to take shape in their hands. Although the process was tedious, the sense of accomplishment was self-evident.
They sewed plastic flowers until around ten o’clock at night, when they finally finished sewing all the materials Nie Aifang had picked up. The two of them packed the plastic flowers into plastic bags one by one. When Nie Qiu stood up, she felt dizzy and her vision blurred.
The stools at home were too low and too small, all made of wood, not by a carpenter, but just small stools nailed together by themselves. Sitting on them for a long time felt like squatting on the ground. Coupled with the excessive use of her eyes, her vision momentarily blurred.
She shook her sore hands and watched Nie Aifang put the plastic bag containing the flower petals into her room. Then, Nie Aifang brought water, and together they washed their hands and faces, and then sat there to soak their feet.
Nie Qiu looked out the window. It had indeed started to rain heavily, pouring down like a deluge. In the quiet night, the sound of the rain was particularly clear.
The water in the foot basin was very hot, but Nie Aifang stepped on her feet and pushed her feet into the hot water. Both of their feet were immersed in the hot water. Nie Aifang smiled at Nie Qiu, “I heard from others that soaking your feet can detoxify and is good for your body, relieving fatigue.”
Nie Qiu nodded with a smile. “By the way, Mom, we need to go to bed early tonight. I have to get up at five o’clock tomorrow because we have morning self-study in class.”
“Oh, really?” Nie Aifang was a little happy. She smiled and said, “Alright, after we finish washing our feet, I’ll rub your hands, and then we’ll go to sleep.”
“Rub your hands?” Nie Qiu was confused.
“It’s your first time sewing plastic flowers, and you sewed for such a long time at once. Your fingers have been in the same position for most of the time. You’ll likely feel stiff and have a dull ache when you wake up tomorrow morning. Soaking your hands in hot water and massaging them will make it much better tomorrow.” With that, Nie Aifang took her feet out of the foot basin, grabbed Nie Qiu’s hands, and put them directly into the foot basin.
Because her feet were still in the foot basin, Nie Qiu bent over, staring blankly at Nie Aifang washing her hands in the foot washing water. Foot washing water… for washing hands!
Nie Qiu felt completely overwhelmed. She had gone to the garbage dump behind the vegetable market today. She didn’t know how dirty her feet were, but she felt… there was an unremovable smell. She found the current situation unbearable, but upon seeing Nie Aifang’s serious and worried expression, Nie Qiu calmed down.
So what if it was foot washing water? Nie Aifang was massaging her hands! This is a mother’s love… a mother’s love that no other emotion can match.
Nie Qiu lay on the grass, smiling at the blue sky. “Dà, do you know? I’m so glad I’m alive again…” Before, she had read countless books describing mother’s love, and besides envy, she had never experienced it herself. But this time, she had experienced it and was thoroughly enjoying mother’s love.
Dà, sleeping by Nie Qiu’s neck, yawned. “Nie Qiu, do you know? I’m also very glad I met you…”
