Zhao Qiqi took another bite and couldn't help but praise, "No, the dumplings are delicious."
"My mother-in-law went to the market early in the morning to pick local pork. She also skimmed out the oil from the local chicken soup and used it to make dumplings." Sisi said with a smile, his face full of satisfaction.
Zhao Qiqi hesitated. "Isn't that very oily? Isn't it unhealthy?"
Sisi said with a helpless smile, "We poor people don't pay that much attention. To me, it's all nutrition."
After finishing the meal, Sisi took out a box of fruit from the refrigerator.
Zhao Qiqi glanced at it and was a little surprised. "This fruit costs several hundred yuan per catty."
Sisi pushed the washed fruit in front of her, took a small bite, and narrowed his eyes with satisfaction. "It seems so. In fact, I have never seen such high-end fruit before, and I couldn't bear to eat it. I don't know why, but when my husband and I went to the supermarket last time, I smelled this smell and suddenly wanted to eat it. I thought it was expensive at the time, so I stopped my husband from buying it."
Zhao Qiqi was a little curious. "Then why did you buy it again?"
Sisi smiled, eyes shining. "Originally I was reluctant to buy it. After my mother-in-law found out, she picked up nearby paper shells and beverage bottles while pushing the old man out for a walk. After selling them for some money, she bought two kilograms for me. My husband was also introduced by the foreman at the construction site. On his days off, he went to take on a job of helping people carry cement to a new house for decoration. He also bought a few kilograms for me. I bought a lot."
Zhao Qiqi suddenly felt a little emotional and said softly, "It's not easy."
Sisi smiled, "Life is never easy. Fortunately, today's society is good. As long as you have the hands and feet and are willing to endure hardships and work, you can occasionally try fruits even if they cost hundreds of yuan per catty."
Zhao Qiqi was silent again.
She suddenly thought of Li Zifeng mother and son.
It's not like they haven't looked for jobs since their mother took back their property.
But for such a long time, various accidents always happened, and I haven't gotten back a penny of my salary until now.
Sisi's husband comes from a rural area, has an elementary school education, can go to construction sites to tie steel bars, and can buy his wife several hundred yuan a pound of fruit.
But what about Li Zifeng?
He went to study abroad with her, why couldn't he work for only a few days at each job?
Sisi's mother-in-law can pick up paper shells for money, wrap cheap flour into delicious dumplings, and bake them into fragrant scallion pancakes.
But what about Auntie Li?
She has been working as a nanny in her own home since she was a child. What kind of housework is not easy to do?
Why has it been either instant noodles or steamed buns since I came here?
Wouldn't it be cheaper and healthier to buy noodles and cook them yourself?
Zhao Qiqi I always feel like something is wrong.
She was in a daze, as if there was a thorn stuck in her throat, unable to swallow or spit it out.
Back next door, she sat in the messy room for a long time.
It wasn't until evening that Li Zifeng and Auntie Li came back.
Seeing the mess in the house, Li Zifeng was stunned.
Zhao Qiqi recounted what happened during the day, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
Kneeling on the ground, crying and slapping his own mouth, "It's all useless to me... It's all useless to me... I just want to buy you that necklace, to make you happy... I was also worried that such an expensive necklace would be stolen, so I put it in my wallet. I didn't expect that there was a thief on the bus, and even the wallet was stolen..."
Zhao Qiqi looked at his painful look and felt soft again, and quickly stopped him. "Don't be like this, I don't blame you..."
Only then did Li Zifeng stop self-mutilation, and took Zhao Qiqi's hand with a distressed look on his face, his voice choked with sobs. "Qiqi, I'm sorry... Now that I can't find a job, and I owe such a large amount of loan sharks, I really can't give you a good life. Otherwise... you should go back to your mother and give in. She loves you so much, and as long as you cry and make trouble, she will promise you anything."
Auntie Li was also wiping tears next to her. "I think your mother is obsessed with lard right now. Her own daughter can't even eat, and she actually wants to give her property to a woman outside. What a sin, life has been difficult to begin with, and now she still owes such a large loan shark."
If people block the door and make trouble every day, how can we live this life? Your mother has so much money, why can't she give us a place to live and some money to eat? Isn't she really afraid that something will happen to you, her biological daughter? "
Zhao Qiqi suddenly remembered the dumpling meal at Sisi's house next door, as well as several hundred yuan per pound of fruit.
She was silent for a while, then raised her head with red eyes. "You will only let me beg her. You two have hands and feet, don't you know how to make money? When I give birth to the child, I can also go to work. Can't three people support a child? Why do you have to humble me to beg her?"
"Qiqi..." Li Zifeng opened his mouth, wanting to say something else.
When Auntie Li saw something was wrong, he quickly grabbed him and forced out a smile, "Qiqi is right, that's right. You guys rest first, I'll go cook for you right away."
She turned around and went into the kitchen, tinkering for a while, and brought out a messy bowl of instant noodles.
The noodles were white and swollen when soaked, and dried vegetables and oily flowers floated on the surface of the soup.
Zhao Qiqi looked at the bowl of instant noodles and felt his stomach churn.
She put down her chopsticks. "Mom, you used to be a nanny in our house and could cook everything. Why do you eat instant noodles all the time? We can make some dumplings and bake a few pancakes, and it won't cost much."
Auntie Li was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly turned red, and tears fell down. "I thought... I thought there were vegetables in instant noodles, which were nutritious... Why didn't you tell me if you wanted to eat dumplings and pancakes? I can go and learn, I can learn anything..."
Li Zifeng stood up suddenly, with a livid face, pointed at Zhao Qiqi's nose and cursed, "Do you think I'm poor? If you think I'm poor, go back and be your eldest lady, don't be picky here."
Zhao Qiqi was frightened and quickly hugged his arm. "No... Honey, I didn't mean that... I just think that the three of us have hands and feet, so how can we live like this?"
Li Zifeng's face softened slightly, and he reached out to hold her in his arms. "Qiqi, I didn't mean to get angry at you. I just feel sorry for you, and feel sorry for you living a hard life with me. I really can't afford to support you, otherwise... you should go back to your mother."
Zhao Qiqi cried and shook his head, "I don't ask for wealth. With your education, you can get a job for tens of thousands of dollars, right? We won't eat instant noodles and steamed buns every day."
Li Zifeng and Auntie Li looked at each other quickly, a hint of uneasiness flashing in their eyes.
Today's Zhao Qiqi seems to be different from before.
Auntie Li simply cried and ran out, "What's the point of not being able to find a job? I'll go pick up garbage now and make money to buy you dumplings and noodles..."
Li Zifeng also pushed Zhao Qiqi away angrily, his voice getting louder and louder. "Isn't this for you? How can I support a young lady like you with a monthly salary of several thousand yuan? I don't want you to suffer, and I don't want our children to live a hard life. Your mother only has you as her daughter. Who can she give to you if she doesn't give you so much money? If your mother doesn't give you money, why are you angry at me?"
After saying that, he slammed the door and left.
The mother and son met at the gate of the community, and a hint of evil flashed in Auntie Li's eyes. "It seems that she still hasn't learned how to behave. Let's go to a hotel for a few days and let her reflect on herself at home. When she has suffered enough, she will naturally know how important money is, and she will go back and make trouble with Zhao Cuifeng..."