Not bringing a gift was impossible. Even three or five yuan was a blessing.
And so, Qi Sui was muddleheadedly invited to Zhang Hongxia's wedding. According to Zhang Hongbing, many big shots would be at the wedding—various young masters and the like, all people Zhang Hongxia's man had met through work.
When young masters were mentioned, Qi Sui's first thought was of that Young Master Lin with the handsome face but terrible temper.
She thought for a moment and asked Zhang Hongxia if she could bring her boyfriend along. Zhang Hongxia agreed.
Her real plan was that if she went with Brother Chen Ping, they could share one gift, and maybe even eat their money's worth. As for anything else, she didn't think about it at all.
Qi Sui shook her head, feeling very clever.
She served the hot dishes one by one and poured two cups of cold tea for them, the usual licorice root tea.
Zhang Hongxia pinched the enamel cup disdainfully. The cold tea had a few bits of licorice floating in it, and the big bucket of tea only had a small piece of rock sugar, so besides being cool, it had almost no taste. "What is this? So shabby."
Hearing this, Qi Sui pursed her lips, took the cup away from her, and said unhappily, "This is all that's free. If you want something good, you have to order it."
Seeing a trace of displeasure on Zhang Hongxia's face, she snorted and turned her head away.
She wasn't the type to suck up to others.
Her mother often said she was as stubborn as a mule, that she wouldn't make it in society, that she had no understanding of social niceties.
In the countryside, a family without a son would be pointed at and cursed. Qi Sui didn't understand gender equality, but over the years, she felt that the villagers looked down on her family because her mother couldn't give birth to a son, because Qi Sui was a girl, and because her father was a coward who didn't dare divorce her mother.
But Qi Sui didn't care.
She was headstrong. When the villagers cursed her mother, she was the first to step up and curse them back.
Her mother said she didn't know how to adapt. Qi Sui didn't understand why she had to adapt.
She was just herself.
"With this temper, no wonder the villagers point at you and curse..." Zhang Hongxia said helplessly. "You're this old, why are you still like this? How are you going to get married? How are you going to start a family? You don't expect Xiao Ping to take care of the household for you, do you?"
'Xiao Ping'? Qi Sui scoffed inwardly, not caring about her words.
Zhang Hongxia sighed. "But still, you should just settle down with Xiao Ping and live your life. I've made up my mind now. You two are both country kids, you should just get married and live your lives steadily."
Zhang Hongbing nudged his sister's arm and said awkwardly, "Third Sister, what are you talking about? Aren't we all from the countryside?"
Zhang Hongxia shot him a glare. "Don't say 'we.' Your sister is about to marry a city man and eat city food. If you say another word, forget about that job."
At that, Zhang Hongbing shrank his neck and gave Qi Sui a look that said he couldn't help.
Zhang Hongxia turned, pulled a big red envelope from her gaudy little bag, and handed it to Qi Sui, her tone condescending: "Here, remember to come next month. You don't need to bring a gift. I don't care about three or five yuan. Just come and see what kind of life us city people live, so you can give up on the idea of making big money in the city and go back to the fields with Xiao Ping."
Qi Sui took that bright red envelope, and for some reason, felt a suffocating frustration inside.
This Sister Xiaoxia kept saying 'city people' and 'countryside,' as if she herself weren't from the countryside.
Thinking this, she deliberately said, "Then Sister Xiaoxia, did you invite your parents? Last time when we were transplanting rice seedlings in the village, they were asking if you had sent a letter to Brother Chen Ping."
She wasn't familiar with Zhang Hongxia, but Zhang Hongxia and Chen Ping were close—they had even been in the same class before.
But that was no big deal.
After all, there were only so many people of marriageable age in the village, and sometimes a class was a whole grade, so everyone knew each other.
Still, she knew that Zhang Hongxia's family treated her poorly, often beating and scolding her. There were times her mother would drag her by the ear to school and say she wasn't studying anymore. After several rounds like this, Zhang Hongxia indeed dropped out and ran off to the city alone, never to be heard from again.
Hearing this, Zhang Hongxia's expression quickly turned cold, and she looked at Zhang Hongbing askance with hatred in her eyes. "How dare I not invite them? They even sent down that wretched son of theirs."
Qi Sui earnestly lowered her head and stuffed the envelope into her small apron, saying, "I understand, Sister Xiaoxia."
"But I still think what you said is wrong. I came to the county to seek progress and make big money. If I become rich, I'll move my parents to live with me in a small building. It's not like I'm stealing or cheating in the city, so why can't I stay here? I work with my own hands, save money little by little, and I'll be capable sooner or later!"
After saying that, she didn't wait for Zhang Hongxia's reaction. She grabbed the menu and walked away. Qi Sui had spouted nonsense impulsively in front of others without thinking about logic; she just felt annoyed and wanted to anger them.
And indeed, Zhang Hongxia was about to be angered to death.
She watched Qi Sui's proud little retreating figure and took a deep breath before suppressing her anger and said, "Look at her, is she even more foolish than before? Is this how a young girl should act?"
Zhang Hongbing was inwardly lamenting.
His sister was making her own decisions about her marriage, and her fiancé hadn't even been to their house. How could she not think about that herself? She had no right to lecture others!
But his own 'big matter' was also in his sister's hands, so he could only rub his hands and say awkwardly, "Right, right. Sui Sui has been like this since she was little. She's straightforward. Sis, don't stoop to her level."
Zhang Hongxia angrily picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the braised pork elbow on the table, the meat fragrant, but she still said discontentedly, "So greasy. Brother Qin never lets me eat these."
The 'Brother Qin' she mentioned was her fiancé.
Zhang Hongbing had never met him, but he had heard that this Li Jianqin was a small boss at Wanzi Qianhong, able to command wind and rain in Hongcheng, and even had connections with many young masters.
His sister had really made it big.
He perked up immediately and flattered, "Sis, what about the job..."
"Alright, alright," Zhang Hongxia said without looking up, scooping a big piece of elbow skin, and instructed, "On my wedding day, come early to help me set up. I'll put in a good word for you in front of Brother Qin."
"Okay, great!" Zhang Hongbing was delighted.
Zhang Hongxia suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, and when you come that day, dress neatly. The wedding won't just have all sorts of relatives, but also many young masters. Don't embarrass me."
"Mm-hmm, got it," Zhang Hongbing replied.
In the kitchen, Qi Sui propped up her face in distress, thinking about how to bring this up with Brother Chen Ping.
Brother Chen Ping was definitely angry, no doubt about it.
Last time, she had planned to go directly to Brother Chen Ping to ask for the money, but after calming down, she realized she might have done something wrong, so she ended up begging Young Master Lin to help her.
Actually, even if that hundred yuan wasn't given to Brother Chen Ping, it would still be spent on the two of them.
Brother Chen Ping said he would keep it safe for her, surely for her own good.
But that put Qi Sui in another bind.
If Brother Chen Ping really cared about her, why didn't he consider her feelings? When she first arrived in the city, she had neither a job nor a place to stay, but Brother Chen Ping had dumped her by the roadside as soon as they got off the car and disappeared without a trace.
If she hadn't found a job, she would have been homeless by now.
Oh, the more she thought, the more confused she got.
Qi Sui felt she might as well just go and ask Brother Chen Ping directly—ask if he had regrets, if he didn't want to get married anymore, if he thought she was useless.
With these thoughts in mind, she got off work, boarded the rickety little bus, and chugged her way toward Wanzi Qianhong.
This time, she timidly approached the entrance of Wanzi Qianhong. The two security guards, who were usually very ill-tempered, not only didn't stop her but also smiled and told her to go right in, saying someone had been waiting for her for a long time and not to keep them waiting.
Qi Sui's eyes lit up. She beamed and ran inside, her two braids swinging beautifully.
It must be Brother Chen Ping!
Brother Chen Ping must be thinking of her!
Behind her, the security guards watched her retreating figure, their narrow eyes full of envy. One sighed, "Hey, this little country girl actually pulled it off. She's really climbed up the social ladder this time."
The dark-faced security guard poured cold water on him, "Come on, what social ladder? Guys like that, from rich families, maybe they're just playing around."
The man sighed, "True. But even if it's just playing around, this little country girl won't lose out..."
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Author's note: Xiao Lin: I'm watching you with dark eyes. If you don't come soon, I'll tear this country girl apart.