Chapter 22: You Don’t Understand Anything!
Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang returned home after tidying up, it was almost one in the morning. Together with Nie Aifang, they carried all the things from the tricycle back home.
After putting down the things, Nie Qiu went to the kitchen on the balcony. She opened the washbasin on the kitchen table, which was filled with water. The thirty dumplings she had wrapped were placed in a stainless steel basin in the water to cool. There was no refrigerator in this house, so this was the only method Nie Qiu could think of to prevent things from spoiling.
These thirty dumplings were what she had saved for herself and Nie Aifang, who was returning from closing up, for a late-night snack. However, Li Kai had already said he would bring them dumplings tomorrow.
Nie Qiu didn’t know what unpleasantness or conflict had occurred between the previous Nie Qiu and Li Kai. But Li Kai had indeed saved Nie Aifang just now. A single stab, though not fatal, would still cause injury, and the cost of treatment could be even higher. She gave a slight bitter smile; she hadn’t even had a chance to taste the dumplings she made herself.
When selling pan-fried dumplings, Nie Qiu would give one free for every ten purchased, hoping to let more people taste the pan-fried dumplings and attract business. She never expected them to sell so well.
After putting down her things, Nie Aifang sat in the room and started counting money from the iron box. The more she counted, the brighter her eyes became. “Qiu Qiu, Qiu Qiu, how much did you spend on ingredients?”
Nie Qiu came out with the uncooked dumplings and heard Nie Aifang’s question. “It cost over sixty yuan, what’s wrong?”
Nie Aifang covered her mouth and laughed. “I spent over a hundred yuan on barbecue ingredients. After deducting the cost, we made over two hundred yuan! I’ve been making barbecue for three years, and I’ve never made this much in a single day. Lately, even when my barbecue sold out, I only made over a hundred yuan a day. Qiu Qiu, your pan-fried dumplings also made over a hundred yuan!”
Nie Qiu was also very surprised when she heard this. She hadn’t expected making pan-fried dumplings to be so profitable. Yes, there was very little meat, but with carrots and eggs, wrapped in dumpling wrappers, it added up. Each dumpling had only about a thumb-sized amount of meat, and it was minced meat. Making five mao for two could still yield so much profit, something Nie Qiu had never even imagined. She had only thought that she could at least cover the cost, but she never expected to not only cover the cost but also make so much money!
Nie Qiu sat on a stool, placed the dumplings on the table, and said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter how much money we make, as long as we are all safe and sound.” Thinking of the man rushing at Nie Aifang with a knife, Nie Qiu couldn’t help but frown. What if that person came back for revenge? Just the thought made Nie Qiu feel a little unbearable.
“Safe and sound? Yes! As long as we are all safe and sound, that’s all that matters.” Wait? Safe? Nie Aifang seemed to remember something and stood up. “Qiu Qiu, wait a moment, Mom will find something for you.”
Although Nie Qiu was confused, she still smiled and watched Nie Aifang return to her room. She stood up, went to the kitchen on the balcony, took a large pot, turned on the gas stove, and placed the pot on the stove, preparing to heat some water.
It was too late now, but even if she didn’t take a bath, she still needed to wash herself properly. Nie Qiu couldn’t stand the sticky feeling on her body.
Before the hot water was ready, Nie Aifang came to the balcony with something. Seeing Nie Qiu turn on the gas stove, she wasn’t angry. Although she rarely used the gas stove and thought it was a waste, she could understand Nie Qiu needing it at this time. Ever since she came out of the hospital, her daughter had become much more cleanliness-conscious. Her youth was gone, and it didn’t matter if she dressed up or not, but she still hoped her daughter would be capable, clean, and find a good match.
“Qiu Qiu, look at this.” Nie Aifang opened a brocade red box.
“Your dad gave this to me when he married me. Back then, in our countryside, all it took to get married was selling a pig. Your dad made me wait for several years to give me this! But…” Seeing Nie Qiu looking at her with confusion, Nie Aifang said a little shyly, “When your dad married me and gave me this, all the young girls in our village were incredibly envious of me. I heard your dad say that this thing can bring peace. Here, take it.”
Nie Qiu looked at the gold-inlaid jade little rabbit lying in the somewhat dirty yellow velvet lining. Even lying in a dirty box, it couldn’t hide the elegance of this item. At a single glance, Nie Qiu fell in love with it.
But seeing Nie Aifang’s expression, Nie Qiu shook her head. “Mom, since it’s a token of love between you and Dad, I don’t want it. You keep it!”
Nie Aifang chuckled and placed the brocade box in Nie Qiu’s hand. “Silly girl, look at this little rabbit. How could someone my age wear it? This is meant for a young girl like you to wear!”
Nie Qiu shook her head and put the brocade back into Nie Aifang’s hand. “Mom, you wear it! It looks good on you! Really!”
“Hahaha…” Nie Aifang laughed, took the little rabbit out of the box, and carefully put it on Nie Qiu. “Silly child, Mom is old now, I don’t look good anymore! Even if I don’t give this to you now, I will give it to you when you get married! Your dad originally said when he passed away to give it to you when you turned fifteen, but I got busy and forgot about it. You wear it! This brings peace, and it’s very effective.”
Nie Qiu touched the little rabbit lying on her chest and smiled. “Okay, thank you, Mom.”
Nie Aifang hugged Nie Qiu, smiled, and rubbed Nie Qiu’s head. “Silly girl, why are you thanking me? I’m your mom!” But as she touched, her hand came away covered in grease. Nie Aifang paused and was about to push Nie Qiu’s hair aside to get a clear look.
Nie Qiu endured the pain and took a step back, smiling. “Mom, the water is hot. Do you want to take a bath before sleeping?”
“Qiu Qiu, come here, let Mom see.” Nie Aifang’s expression turned cold, and she beckoned Nie Qiu over. When they were at the night market, it was probably too hot from the barbecue, and her hands were also oily. She hadn’t felt anything unusual when she touched Nie Qiu’s head. But now that they were home, the heat and greasiness on her hands had subsided. She felt a greasy patch on Nie Qiu’s head.
Logically speaking, Nie Qiu had washed her hair yesterday. Even after spending a long time at the barbecue stall, it was unlikely to be so greasy to the touch.
Nie Qiu smiled uncomfortably. “Mom, it’s nothing. I forgot to wash my hair today. I…”
“Come here!” Nie Aifang said sternly. Forgetting to wash her hair? Such a flimsy excuse made Nie Aifang even more suspicious.
Nie Qiu was startled by Nie Aifang’s expression and tone. In reality, her age was similar to Nie Aifang’s, but she had never been scolded by anyone since she grew up. Even parents and principals had been lectured by her.
Although startled by Nie Aifang, Nie Qiu didn’t dislike it. She had never had children and didn’t know how to educate them, but she knew that all parents’ hearts were the same, and parental love was also the same. Seeing their child get hurt, all parents would feel heartache.
