"Alas, have you heard? Liu Dabao from the Liu family had his legs broken. They say when someone found him, his hands were tied, and his head was covered with a sack. They don't even know who the killer is."
In the evening, after dinner, a few elderly women were chatting under a large tree in the village threshing ground.
"That Liu family brat is never up to any good. Who knows who he offended. Now things might be quiet in the village for a while."
"Their whole family are bad eggs. Last month, Widow Liu threw a dead chick in front of my door, insisting I poisoned it with rat poison. She extorted two yuan from me. Isn't that clearly asking for trouble?"
"..."
The Liu family. Widow Liu looked at her son, who was screaming in pain on the kang, and her heart ached.
"Which scumbag did this terrible thing, giving birth without a backside? They've committed a grave sin. If I find out who it is, I'll make them pay dearly!"
After a tirade, Widow Liu finally remembered to ask about her son's condition, "Fifth Uncle, how is the boy's leg? Can it be healed?"
Zhao Fujiang withdrew his hand after examining it. "It's fractured. I can splint it with wooden planks for now, but try not to move this leg for the next three months. I'll prescribe some medicine later."
Upon hearing he couldn't move his leg for three months, Liu Dabao wailed even louder.
Widow Liu started cursing again.
...
"Liyuan, you can go to school with peace of mind from now on. Liu Dabao won't bother you anymore."
During dinner, Chen Lishu suddenly looked up and said to Chen Liyuan.
"Really?" Hearing her words, Chen Liyuan’s head shot up, her apricot eyes filled with eager anticipation.
Chen Lishu nodded, "Really."
Receiving a definitive answer, the heavy stone that had been pressing on her chest finally lifted. Chen Liyuan let out a long sigh of relief.
"Third Sister-in-law, how do you know Liu Dabao won't pester Liyuan anymore?" Gu Xingping asked curiously, looking up.
"I heard someone broke his leg. He won't be able to get out of bed for at least two to three months."
"His leg was broken by someone?!" Chen Liyuan and Gu Xingping exchanged glances, both seeing schadenfreude in each other's eyes.
Chen Liyuan smiled, "I wonder who he offended. It's finally someone who is upholding justice."
"For someone like him, breaking his leg is a light punishment," Gu Xingping said, looking at Chen Lishu. "Third Sister-in-law, you didn't do this, did you?"
Chen Lishu smiled and shook her head, "How could I? I've been busy with Lin Qi all day working on the underwear business."
Regardless of who did it, all three were happy that the trouble of Liu Dabao was resolved. Chen Liyuan even ate half a bowl more than usual.
After dinner, Ding Chen suddenly arrived.
"You're on holiday? When did you get back?" Gu Xingping exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him.
"I arrived at noon today and took a nap in the afternoon. Since there was nothing to do after dinner, I came to see you," Ding Chen replied with a smile.
His gaze had been fixed on Gu Xingping since he entered the courtyard. They hadn't seen each other for half a year, and apart from her hair growing longer, she seemed to have become even more beautiful, looking more and more like a young lady.
"Come in and sit," Chen Lishu said, stepping aside to invite him in.
"I learned this from a classmate. I don't know if you'll like it. If it's not well-made, don't mind,"
After entering the house, Lin Qi somewhat shyly took out a small object woven from glass threads and handed it to Gu Xingping.
Gu Xingping took it in her hand and saw a lifelike little goldfish woven from glass threads.
"You can weave things with this? It's so cute."
Seeing her liking it, Ding Chen couldn't help but smile, "I only knew about it after a classmate wove one. This can be made into a keychain."
As Ding Chen spoke, he took out two more gourd-shaped ones and gave them to Chen Lishu and Chen Liyuan respectively.
These small trinkets easily attracted the attention of girls. Chen Liyuan, finding them very novel, held them in her hands and examined them.
She and Gu Xingping didn't know how to weave them, but Chen Lishu did. Because of their vibrant colors, girls originally used glass threads to tie their hair. Later, somehow, people with nimble fingers started weaving them into various shapes of keychains.
"How do you weave this? Teach me?" Gu Xingping said to Ding Chen, turning her head.
She was utterly captivated by the goldfish in her hands and intended to weave more shapes once she learned.
Ding Chen nodded and said gently, "Okay."
Since there were only girls at home, Ding Chen didn't stay long and left before dark.
The next day, Chen Liyuan was supposed to take her middle school entrance exam. Chen Lishu didn't let her stay up late, and the three of them went to bed early.
Suddenly, thunder and lightning began in the night, and soon after, the sky opened up with a torrential downpour.
The rain poured all night, but by the next morning, the sky began to clear, bringing a rare touch of coolness to the usually muggy weather.
Early in the morning, Chen Lishu specially cooked egg noodles. After Chen Liyuan finished eating, Chen Lishu gave her a few more instructions.
Soon, Chen Liyuan left. Not long after, Lin Qi arrived. After informing Gu Xingping, Chen Lishu and Lin Qi went to the supply and marketing cooperative to check on the sales of the underwear.
There were five stores in total. Including what Lin Qi had delivered before and what was delivered later, each store had about seventy to eighty pieces.
In the past, so many underwears would take at least half a year to sell. However, due to the discount promotion, more than half were sold in just three days.
"Xiao Chen, do you have more of this underwear? Give me another hundred pieces, and I'm sure they'll sell."
The sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative said happily when she saw her enter.
In three days, she had sold fifty-six pieces, which amounted to five yuan and sixty cents. This was equivalent to the commission she earned from selling underwear every month.
Chen Lishu smiled, "A hundred pieces is too many. After all, my manpower is limited. But don't worry, I guarantee there won't be any stockouts. I'll have Lin Qi deliver another twenty pieces tomorrow."
The sales clerk was relieved upon hearing her words.
As they were talking, a girl of sixteen or seventeen suddenly entered the store. After making her purchase, the sales clerk, as usual, tried to promote the underwear, but the girl smiled and shook her head, "I already bought one."
Hearing the girl's words, something flashed through Chen Lishu's mind.
After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Chen Lishu and Lin Qi visited the remaining four stores. Chen Lishu specifically asked a question at each, and after receiving the same answer, she began to ponder.
...
"Sister Xiaoting, I heard that 'Shu Se' underwear is having some kind of event these days. Buy two pieces for a 10% discount, and three pieces for a 15% discount."
A female worker from the workshop saw Liu Xiaoting approaching and hurried to report.
Hearing her words, Liu Xiaoting's brows furrowed unconsciously. Chen Lishu lowered her prices, and now she's having a discount event? It seems she's intentionally trying to oppose me! Another person chimed in, "Yes, I heard too. My second aunt's child even wants to drag me to buy them, saying the more you buy, the cheaper it gets."
After listening to their words, Liu Xiaoting's face darkened, and she turned directly towards the factory office.