novellhall Chapter 275 Sending Early New Year Greetings
Chapter 275 Sending Early New Year Greetings
In the past, Lu Guoqiang would have been afraid of Lu Congyue.
But now he felt he could catch Lu Congyue red-handed very soon, so he wasn't afraid anymore.
"Lu Congyue, when did you become so concerned about my mother? What business is it of yours where she goes?"
Lu Guoqiang grinned.
Lu Congyue turned and left.
Having outwitted Guan Jing for so many years, he could guess where she went and what she was going to do.
Old Village Chief Qian dared not let anyone know what he had done, and even said he would never speak of it for the rest of his life...
He didn't believe it; he had to go there himself.
Lu Congyue hurriedly returned home, told Zhuang Qingxiang that he was going on a business trip and would be back in a day or two, and then left without even taking his luggage.
Seeing that his expression was off, Zhuang Qingxiang knew that something serious must have happened. Even though she was scared, she didn't ask him to stay.
It's okay, it'll only be a day or two. As long as she keeps her door locked and doesn't see anyone, nothing will happen!
Moreover, the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and it seems that some of the neighbors are on holiday and busy at home every day. If something really happens, she can call for help.
Just in case, she also told Xiao Luyue that if anything dangerous happened, she should run outside immediately and knock on the door of her neighbor's house.
After hearing this, Lu Yue seemed to know that something big was about to happen at home, and her little face became tense.
Fortunately, the family passed away peacefully on the day Lu Congyue left.
The next day, Zhuang Qingxiang was sweeping the yard when she heard someone knocking on the door.
She froze for two seconds before asking warily, "Who is it?"
"Sister Zhuang, it's me." Dai Hongying's cheerful voice rang out.
Zhuang Qingxiang felt relieved and quickly went to open the door, where she saw Dai Hongying standing outside with a military green crossbody bag.
"Sister Zhuang, I've come to wish you and Director Lu a Happy New Year in advance." She laughed heartily.
Zhuang Qingxiang pulled her inside, immediately closed the door tightly, and then said, "Come in and sit down."
Although Dai Hongying was young, she had been a police officer for more than a year and had gone on missions with her senior colleagues. She immediately sensed something was wrong and asked what had happened as soon as she entered the room.
Zhuang Qingxiang didn't want to talk much about Lu Congyue's family affairs with outsiders, so she just said that nothing was wrong and changed the subject.
"Why are you here now instead of helping out at home?"
"My mom kicked me out because she thought I was just getting in the way at home, so I came to visit you," Dai Hongying said with a smile, then took a piece of fabric from her crossbody bag and handed it to Zhuang Qingxiang. "Sister Zhuang, do you think this fabric is pretty?"
It's made of pure cotton, with a white background and orchid patterns, very elegant.
"It looks good." Zhuang Qingxiang touched it and nodded.
Dai Hongying chuckled: "These are flawed fabrics that my mom got from the factory. We'll split them equally, half for each of us."
These days, collecting cloth coupons is no easy feat, so Zhuang Qingxiang quickly refused.
You should know that she only started having enough clothes and fabric after she started working at Lu Congyue's house. Before, the family's fabric coupons saved up for a year weren't enough to buy a single set of clothes.
Dai Hongying wouldn't allow her to refuse: "Sister Zhuang, I have conditions. You make me a dress, and the rest of the fabric is yours! I won't pay you for your work, how about it?"
Before Zhuang Qingxiang could speak, she explained, "This is defective fabric. It wasn't rationed. My mom got it from the factory at a super cheap internal price. Besides, it's defective fabric, defective fabric. After you make me a dress, I don't even know if the leftovers will still be usable. It's definitely not that you're taking advantage of me; on the contrary, I'm taking advantage of you."
Dai Hongying knew Zhuang Qingxiang's craftsmanship was exceptionally good, and she had always been envious of it, but she never had any fabric on hand.
Unexpectedly, her mother got such a large piece of fabric, and she immediately requisitioned it.
After listening to her, Zhuang Qingxiang unfolded the piece to examine it and shook her head: "The flaws are minor; it's a good piece of material. Otherwise, I'll make two for you."
"One for me, one for you, Sister Zhuang, don't give me that advice, I've already made up my mind!" Dai Hongying said angrily. "If you keep refusing, you're not treating me like a sister! How about this, if you feel bad about it, just make me the prettiest one!"
Zhuang Qingxiang was worn down by her persistence and had no choice but to agree.
"Shall I make you a dress for summer?"
If the skirt uses a lot of material, she won't take advantage of her.
Dai Hongying, of course, disagreed. She wanted to wait until summer to wear the dress; she wanted to wear it for the New Year, even if it was just as an inner layer. When the family had their reunion dinner, she could take off her coat and everyone would envy her for having a new dress.
Zhuang Qingxiang had no choice but to say, "Alright then, I'll take your measurements. If you're free, stay at my house a little longer and help me look after the kids. I'll make it for you in a bit."
Dai Hongying was of course willing; she simply didn't want to go home.
The only chores she could do at home were cleaning, but she didn't want to do them.
It's so nice here; I can even get a nice meal for free.
Zhuang Qingxiang took a soft measuring tape to measure Dai Hongying's dimensions, then took paper and pen to write and draw, and then began to cut.
Dai Hongying watched from the side, clicking her tongue in admiration: "Sister Zhuang, your efficiency is even better than the masters in the garment factory."
"It's alright...it's just a light jacket..." Zhuang Qingxiang said while busy with her work. "You just never listen to me. This fabric and pattern are so elegant; it would look so nice as a dress..."
"Forget it." Dai Hongying waved her hand. "I don't wear skirts. How am I supposed to catch bad guys if I wear a skirt?"
Zhuang Qingxiang paused for a moment, then smiled, "I had completely forgotten about that..."
Dai Hongying loves her work the most, so it's really inconvenient for her to wear skirts. It seems we need to make them a little looser for her.
Zhuang Qingxiang pondered as she worked.
After lunch, Dai Hongying lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) to coax the children to take a nap, while Zhuang Qingxiang continued making clothes.
Just then, someone knocked on the door again.
Zhuang Qingxiang suddenly looked up at the window.
Dai Hongying, still half asleep, asked, "Who is it? Is Director Lu back?"
"I'll go take a look," Zhuang Qingxiang said and went out.
When they arrived at the courtyard gate, the knocking became even louder.
"Xiao Zhuang, open the door."
Recognizing the voice as that of the elderly woman next door, Zhuang Qingxiang quickly opened the door.
The moment the door opened, she heard what the old woman said behind her.
"Your relatives have come to visit!"
Zhuang Qingxiang abruptly stopped, but it was too late.
Lu Guoqiang pushed open the door, turned to the elderly woman beside him and smiled, "Auntie, thank you for showing me the way. This is my first time here since my older brother started working here..."
"Oh, don't be so polite. We're all neighbors, let's help each other out."
"Xiao Zhuang, Director Lu's younger brother is here! Your house is going to be lively! That's wonderful!"
The old woman smiled warmly, but Zhuang Qingxiang couldn't manage a smile.
Just as she was wondering whether to kick Lu Guoqiang out in front of the neighbor, Lu Guoqiang had already thanked and said goodbye to the old lady and closed the gate before she could.
Zhuang Qingxiang snapped back to reality, inwardly cursing herself for hesitating, and immediately said, "Get out, you're not welcome here!"
"Sister-in-law, look at what you're saying. We're all family." Lu Guoqiang said with a smile, then lowered his voice to threaten, "Zhuang Qingxiang, you may be shameless, but Lu Congyue still has a sense of shame. You'd better not make a scene with me in front of outsiders, or the whole Commerce Bureau will know that Lu Congyue doesn't get along with his parents and brothers."