"Could it be that I was wrong to blame him?" Xia Yuqing looked at the message in the pager, her heart filled with mixed emotions and a touch of self-doubt.
She murmured to herself,
"Should I have listened to his explanation just now."
After all, Song Qiao had undergone a tremendous transformation in front of her recently. At least since he redeemed Qianxi, she hadn't found him gambling again.
"Hmph, Sister, you're just too soft-hearted," Xia Xueqing, who had caught up, scoffed dismissively from the side.
"This man is skilled in using sweet talk to twist black into white."
"He hadn't picked up Qianxi once in so many years, and today he suddenly shows up with such eagerness. I think he's like a weasel visiting a chicken – up to no good!"
"Sigh, I have a headache right now. Can you say a little less?" Xia Yuqing shook her head, stopping her sister from continuing to criticize Song Qiao.
Back home, Qianxi excitedly took out the doll Song Qiao had bought her from her schoolbag, presenting it like a treasure.
She tilted her little head and said to her mother,
"Daddy bought this for me at the department store today."
"The uncle who sells tofu at the department store also praised Daddy's shop for doing good business."
Her soft voice was filled with immense pride, as if her father was the most excellent man in the world!
Xia Yuqing was stunned when she saw the two toys her daughter presented.
Her daughter was five years old. Ever since Song Qiao became addicted to gambling, she had never bought him any decent toys.
All the household expenses depended on her alone, and it was already a struggle to meet their basic needs. Where would she have the spare money to buy toys for her daughter?
Fortunately, her daughter was very sensible and never asked for anything.
But Xia Yuqing always felt an indescribable guilt towards Qianxi.
Now, Song Qiao had unexpectedly helped her mend this regret, personally taking their daughter to choose two toys.
It was clear that her daughter liked them very much.
Looking at the dress Song Qiao had sent yesterday, she couldn't help but doubt herself again, feeling even more conflicted.
"Mommy, you and Daddy quarreled a while ago, didn't you?" Song Qian, seeing her mother silent for a long time, asked softly.
Xia Yuqing had always told her not to ask about it, and she had only gleaned bits and pieces from her aunt.
Xia Yuqing hesitated, then nodded gently, unable to meet her daughter's eyes.
"Our teacher taught us in school that after friends quarrel, they should understand each other. Everyone makes mistakes."
Hearing this, Xia Yuqing's body trembled. She looked up at her daughter's earnest face and nodded thoughtfully without speaking.
...
Song Qiao sat alone in the shop.
Xia Xueqing's slap, delivered without regard for the truth, still made his cheek throb slightly. Being slapped on the street as a grown man would be difficult for anyone to bear.
He picked up his pager, intending to explain to Xia Yuqing, but then put it down.
It was better to let actions speak louder than words to clear up the misunderstanding. He wasn't far from that day.
"Beep."
The pager suddenly received a message: a customer had ordered one hundred servings of stinky tofu for seven o'clock the next morning.
The time was a bit tight. If he marinated them fresh tomorrow morning, he would be in a frantic rush.
Fortunately, he had just bought the ingredients. He might as well work overtime tonight to marinate these hundred servings. With Li Lili and Liu Jing absent, it would only mean more hard work for him.
To redeem their house as soon as possible, he wouldn't shy away from any hardship.
Song Qiao thought to himself as he got to work. Under the dark night sky, Song Qiao was full of vigor as he envisioned the future of his family of three.
...
The next day.
Li Lili and Lin Jing arrived early in the morning and found Song Qiao slumped over the table, fast asleep.
He jolted awake from his slumber only when they entered.
His arms and legs were numb from maintaining the same position for too long, and he nearly fell as he lost his balance.
"Boss, why are you sleeping here?" Lin Jing quickly went forward to help him.
"Mm, I suddenly received a big order last night. After finishing up, it was already late, so I decided to make do with sleeping here for the night," Song Qiao said, rubbing his arm.
"That won't do, Boss. Making money is important, but you can't risk your life for it."
"You should go home and rest. Lin Jing and I are here," Li Lili said with concern.
Having worked in the city for many years, she rarely encountered a boss as considerate as Song Qiao. She couldn't let him wear himself out like this.
Song Qiao's heart warmed. He quickly waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I slept quite well last night."
"You two hurry up and get ready. We'll start work soon. I'll go deliver this batch of finished products first." With that, he picked up the packed tofu and left the shop.
The customer who ordered the tofu was not far from the shop. It only took about fifteen minutes by bike for Song Qiao to reach the designated location.
The person picking up the goods was a strong young man with well-defined muscles exposed and dark skin, who introduced himself as a martial arts coach.
As soon as he saw Song Qiao, he rushed over and took the tofu from him.
He casually took out a piece from the bag, ate it, and said, "Boss, your stinky tofu is absolutely amazing. We haven't been able to forget its taste since we tried it that day!"
"All the coaches at our martial arts school have unanimously decided that your stinky tofu will be the daily snack for our students from now on. Besides, tofu is very nutritious, isn't it?"
Song Qiao's heart leaped with joy. One hundred servings daily meant a profit of a thousand yuan.
It was an unexpected windfall.
He immediately signed a contract with the martial arts school and mentioned that they could enjoy a certain discount for long-term delivery.
The martial arts school owner readily agreed and said no more. With a wave of his hand, he gave Song Qiao five hundred yuan as a deposit for tomorrow, and the rest would be paid when the delivery was made tomorrow.
...
Back at the shop, Song Qiao shared this news with Lin Jing and Li Lili, which was met with cheers.
From tomorrow onwards, at least one thousand yuan would be coming in daily. This was unimaginable for an ordinary snack shop.
Just then, Song Qiao's pager suddenly emitted a "beep, beep" sound.
It was Xia Yuqing's number.
Song Qiao dared not delay and rushed to a nearby phone booth to call back.
"Hello, is this Yuqing's husband? Yuqing was injured at the factory. Please come over quickly."
The person answering the phone was Xia Yuqing's colleague, who had a very good relationship with her and whom Song Qiao had met at home before.
Upon hearing the news, Song Qiao's mind went blank, and his heart sank immediately.
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Okay, I'm coming right away. Please look after her for me, I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone and frantically hailed a taxi by the roadside.