Chapter 438: A Well-Behaved and Sensible Girl
"No, thanks. I’m just here to find someone. You two go ahead and shop," Su Qing replied, tired of dealing with Zhang Xiaozhen. She could clearly see the calculation in Zhang Xiaozhen’s eyes, and the way that man, Zhang Dahai, was looking at her made Su Qing frown inwardly.
"Oh, you’re here to find someone," Zhang Xiaozhen said. She hadn’t expected Su Qing to say that. Just as she was about to say something else, she saw Su Qing head straight upstairs, and the words caught in her throat.
Zhang Xiaozhen watched Su Qing’s retreating back with some annoyance. ’What’s she so arrogant for? So what if she has some money and bought a few courtyard houses? Is being rich that big of a deal?’
At this thought, Zhang Xiaozhen sighed to herself. Being rich really was a big deal these days. Her eldest brother had gotten married, and now there was a sister-in-law in the house. The place had been manageable before, but with her sister-in-law moving in, her second brother, who used to share a room with the eldest, now had to sleep in the living room. If her eldest brother and sister-in-law had a nephew or niece in the future, the house would be even more crowded.
As for waiting for the work unit to assign them housing, who knew when that would ever happen? If their family had money, with her job at the Housing Management Office, she could have definitely bought a house one way or another. But alas...
To Zhang Xiaozhen, the courtyard houses in Su Qing’s name were like a big, juicy piece of fatty meat, dripping with grease.
"Let’s go, Second Brother." With this thought, Zhang Xiaozhen grabbed Zhang Dahai and started heading to the second floor.
"Little Sis, this isn’t a good idea." Zhang Dahai was a bit embarrassed. He felt that Su Qing didn’t want anything to do with them at all. ’If Little Sis and I follow her, won’t it just make her impression of us even worse?’
From the bottom of his heart, Zhang Dahai liked Su Qing, so he didn’t want to leave a bad impression on her.
"Are you stupid, Second Brother?" Zhang Xiaozhen hurriedly whispered to Zhang Dahai. "Su Qing doesn’t want to talk to us now because she doesn’t know us. We have to create an opportunity! For example, we can see who she’s here to find. If it’s someone close to her, we can come up with a strategy, right?"
"But... but..." Zhang Dahai still felt it was too forward.
"Second Brother, let me ask you just one thing: do you like her or not?" Zhang Xiaozhen asked, whispering in Zhang Dahai’s ear.
Zhang Dahai’s face turned red as he gave a slight nod.
"Then that settles it," Zhang Xiaozhen said, pulling Zhang Dahai up the stairs.
Su Qing paid no mind to the Zhang siblings and went directly to the third floor of the department store. The watch counter Li Wan was in charge of was on the third floor.
"Mom," Su Qing called out, her eyes smiling as she saw Li Wan.
Li Wan had just written out a payment slip for a customer buying a watch. Seeing Su Qing approach, she was overjoyed. She clipped the slip onto an overhead wire and sent it sliding toward the cashier’s desk, told the customer to go pay, and then said to Su Qing with a wide smile, "Qingqing, what brings you here today?"
"I came to have lunch with you," Su Qing replied with a smile.
"Li Wan, is this your daughter?" a salesperson from a nearby counter asked Li Wan in surprise. This salesperson was new, having started two months ago, and had never seen Su Qing before. Seeing her, her face was full of admiration. "Oh my, I have to say, your daughter is gorgeous! Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, this is my daughter." Li Wan beamed; any mother would be happy to hear her daughter praised. "Not yet, she’s still in school. Her studies are her priority right now."
"Which school is she at?"
"Beijing University."
"Wow, Beijing University! Your daughter is truly amazing, getting into Beijing University." The salesperson was even more surprised. "Wow, you just sit back and wait to enjoy life. Your daughter is bound for a great future."
The salesperson’s face was full of envy. ’A graduate from Beijing University will definitely be assigned an excellent job.’ She instantly thought of her own son. Although he had graduated from a Worker-Peasant-Soldier University, he also had a good job, an "iron rice bowl." A match with Li Wan’s daughter would be quite suitable.
The salesperson was secretly making her own little calculations. Li Wan was a low-key person. Despite working at the department store, she had never talked about her family background, so all her colleagues assumed her family circumstances were similar to their own.
Su Qing also smiled. Wanting to make her mother look good, she obediently greeted the salesperson, "Auntie."
"Oh, it’s Qingqing, right? You can tell she’s a sweet girl just by looking at her," the salesperson said, beaming at Su Qing and showering her with praise.
In that short time, the watch customer paid and came back to pick up the watch. The salesperson then said to Li Wan, "Li Wan, it’s lunchtime. I brought my lunch, so I can watch your counter for a bit. You go ahead and eat with your daughter. I’ve got things covered here."
"Thank you, Sister Sun." Li Wan glanced at the time, thanked the salesperson, and then said to Su Qing, "Let’s go, Qingqing. Mom will take you to eat."
"Okay," Su Qing replied obediently, then said goodbye to the salesperson, "Goodbye, Auntie Sun."
"Yes, goodbye." Sister Sun smiled and nodded at Su Qing. Watching Li Wan and Su Qing leave, she murmured with a smile in her eyes, "What a sweet and sensible girl."
Not far away, standing by another counter, Zhang Xiaozhen whispered to Zhang Dahai, "Second Brother, did you see that? The salesperson at the watch counter is Su Qing’s mom. You need to find a chance to make a good impression."
"Huh? Can I?" Zhang Dahai sounded unsure of himself.
"Why not?" Zhang Xiaozhen looked at Zhang Dahai. "You’re not ugly, and everyone in our family, except for our sister-in-law, has a job. How are you not good enough for her?"
"Ah, well, I’ll try then," Zhang Dahai said, pressing his lips together.
Su Qing hadn’t given Zhang Xiaozhen and Zhang Dahai a second thought; they were just strangers she’d never spoken to. So naturally, she hadn’t paid any special attention to their actions. Little did she know that Zhang Xiaozhen was now targeting her mother, Li Wan.
Su Qing and Li Wan left the department store and went to the state-owned restaurant next door. Although the restaurant was crowded at this hour, there were still a few empty tables. The two of them found a spot and ordered braised short ribs, braised hairtail fish, a soup with fried tofu and cellophane noodles, and two bowls of rice.
The food hadn’t all arrived when a man suddenly walked over. He looked at Li Wan with a smile in his eyes, his voice full of delight. "Ms. Li, hello. What a coincidence, we meet again."
"Oh, it’s Mr. Zhao," Li Wan replied faintly upon seeing him. "Hello."
"This must be your daughter, right?" Mr. Zhao looked at Su Qing and said to Li Wan with a smile, "She looks just like you."
"Yes, she’s my daughter." Li Wan then asked, "Are you here to eat as well, Mr. Zhao?"
Before Li Wan could finish, someone from a distance called out, "Zhao Weiming, let’s go! We’re running out of time!"
Hearing his colleague call him, Zhao Weiming couldn’t stay long. He quickly said, "I’ve already eaten. I have to go, so I can’t chat any longer. Next time, I’ll treat Ms. Li to a meal."
"No need, you..."
"It’s settled then." Before Li Wan could refuse, Zhao Weiming hurried away.