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Chapter Seventy-Four: The Sisters of Misfortune
The Black Stocking Woman seemed to realize that her words could easily lead to misunderstandings and quickly explained, "It's just for a cup of tea. It's getting late, so I won't keep you long."
"Just sit for a while. After you saved us, my sister often mentioned you, so now we finally have a chance to meet," Liu Xinru said. However, Zhang Qiu politely declined, "No, no, maybe another time. I live nearby." It really wasn't appropriate to linger in such a place at night; how could someone with a partner indulge in such entertainment? He should head home quickly and be a good man.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xue said, "Then let's sit for a while." Zhang Qiu looked at Jiang Xue in surprise, and she smiled lightly at him.
"Xinru, take them inside first," the Black Stocking Woman warmly invited, pushing the electric tricycle toward the backyard.
A few men standing not far away glanced over, one of them pointing and saying, "That place looks pretty good; all three are beauties. Two of them must be new to the business, so young—tch, tch, tch."
Another man punched him lightly and laughed, "Don't even think about it; it must be ridiculously expensive. Let's just go to the usual place; it's cheap and satisfying."
"Hahaha."
...
Jiang Xue had already gone ahead. Zhang Qiu looked at her back and hurried after her. It was only a few steps from the roadside to the door; after climbing a few steps, they reached the entrance. Liu Xinru lifted the curtain and extended her hand, saying, "Please come in."
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue entered one after the other. Zhang Qiu surveyed the small room of less than twenty square meters. In the middle of the room hung a long light-colored curtain that divided the space into two sections. Due to the curtains blocking the view, he couldn't see what was inside. In the outer section, there was a weathered wooden table by the window with several jars neatly arranged on it. Zhang Qiu noticed that one of the jars held a bouquet of wildflowers that could be found along the roadside. On the floor sat an induction cooker surrounded by plastic sheeting on the walls that had already turned yellow. In one corner were a broom and mop; aside from that, there was nothing else. Just these items occupied most of the space.
"Have a seat." Liu Xinru brought out four stools from inside. At that moment, the Black Stocking Woman returned and said as she entered, "The conditions are a bit poor; please don't mind." She then smiled and pulled out a folding table from behind the main table and set it on the floor.
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue sat down as the Black Stocking Woman brought out a teapot from inside. Zhang Qiu's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected this Black Stocking Woman to have such taste—what she carried on her tray was actually a beautiful set of ceramic tea utensils.
The Black Stocking Woman poured tea for Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue, smiling politely, "Have a little, this is tea from our hometown."
"Thank you." Zhang Qiu took the teacup with both hands, reminding Jiang Xue, "It's hot."
Jiang Xue smiled sweetly, gently blowing on the surface of the tea, creating a ripple. The Black Stocking Woman looked at Liu Xinru and saw her sister gazing back at her. They exchanged smiles and a moment of silent understanding.
The Black Stocking Woman poured herself a cup of tea and asked, "Brother, how's your injury? What did the doctor say?"
"It's nothing serious; just need to rest for a few days."
"That's good to hear, but..." The Black Stocking Woman hesitated, cycling through a few words in her mind, "It looks quite serious."
Zhang Qiu was speechless; his image as a glorious wounded revolutionary hero was about to be tarnished.
The Black Stocking Woman asked again, "What happened tonight? Did you come back from school?"
"No, tonight my family and my girlfriend's family had dinner together." Zhang Qiu affectionately wrapped an arm around Jiang Xue. He had long noticed Jiang Xue's jealousy and sensed that Liu Xinru seemed to have some feelings for him as well. He didn't want Jiang Xue to feel unhappy.
"After dinner, Jiang Xue and I were just strolling around the street and came back late. Unexpectedly, as we approached the area, five people suddenly rushed out from a dark alley and headed straight for Jiang Xue, their eyes leering. I told them we were just passing by, but they still had ulterior motives. So I had to take action; no one can harm the people I care about."
Liu Xinru suddenly exclaimed, "Being your girlfriend is really lucky." The perceptive Jiang Xue immediately shot a hostile glance at Liu Xinru. Liu Xinru seemed oblivious and continued to rest her chin on her hand while looking at Zhang Qiu.
The Black Stocking Woman assessed Jiang Xue and said, "You need to be careful in the future. You two come back late from school; there are all sorts of people on this street, it's quite chaotic."
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "I will be her protector."
"That's good." The Black Stocking Woman looked at her sister, "Look at your friend's boyfriend. You should find someone like him to take care of you in the future, got it?"
Liu Xinru tugged at the Black Stocking Woman's arm and said playfully, "Sister, I don't want to find anyone. I'll just stay with you."
"Nonsense, you're twenty years old now; it's time for you to date." The Black Stocking Woman intentionally glanced at Zhang Qiu and continued, "My Xinru has had a tough time until she got into college. Only then did I, as her sister, feel relieved. Xinru is hardworking; she got into Jingbei University."
Upon hearing this, both Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue were taken aback. Jingbei University is one of the top universities in the country and ranks highly worldwide. Zhang Qiu had always admired its academic freedom but lamented her own poor grades. If only she could be admitted based on her strengths like in the Republic of China era. Jiang Xue was also greatly shocked; she never expected this girl was a student at Jingbei University. Reflecting on her own grades, Jiang Xue immediately resolved to study harder during this review period.
The Black Stocking Woman noticed Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue's surprise and smiled knowingly, saying, "Xinru, listen to your sister; when looking for a partner, make sure it's someone like your brother."
Zhang Qiu wasn't foolish; she understood what the Black Stocking Woman meant—she was clearly suggesting that her sister pursue her. Zhang Qiu sighed; pursuing a guy who already has a girlfriend? What kind of sister does that? Looking at Xinru's expression, it seemed she might be interested in her too. Remembering Brother Leopard's words about men—what does it matter if there are several women as long as they love them? Zhang Qiu shook her head vigorously; she couldn't think like that. This is the twenty-first century; that's not right.
Liu Xinru, usually so bold, suddenly blushed and pouted, "Sister, stop joking around! What's gotten into you? Are you trying to marry me off?"
The Black Stocking Woman chuckled, "Of course not."
"Then please don't say such things. But really, I do want a boyfriend; it's just that I haven't found anyone I like. Even though Jingbei University is top-notch, none of the guys around me attract me at all."
"Have you met anyone elsewhere who makes your heart flutter?" Jiang Xue, who had been silently observing them, finally spoke up. This Liu Xinru really seemed to want to compete with her for Zhang Qiu's attention. That Black Stocking Woman inviting Zhang Qiu in was clearly to help her sister—hmpf, not a good person at all.
"Yes," Liu Xinru said softly for once, her eyes blinking charmingly.
Qiu Sheng Zhang worried that Jiang Xue and Liu Xinru might start arguing and quickly changed the subject: "This tea is quite good; is it from your hometown? Does your family produce tea?"
As soon as tea was mentioned, the Black Stocking Woman perked up and began explaining: "This tea has a unique flavor. In my hometown, we generally grow tea, but there's one type specifically for home consumption. This tea is grown on high mountains and picked only at nine o'clock in the morning during the awakening of insects each year. After picking it, it needs to be sun-dried for forty-nine days. When brewing tea, you also have to consider the teaware and water to achieve the best results. Of course, in the county town we don't have ideal conditions; we use regular water here, but this teapot is a family heirloom made of purple clay." The Black Stocking Woman spoke enthusiastically about tea preparation while Zhang Qiu held onto the teapot tightly with both hands, afraid of dropping this treasured item.
The Black Stocking Woman looked at Zhang Qiu's cautious demeanor and said, "You don't need to be so nervous. What do you think of this tea compared to what you've had before?"
Zhang Qiu thought carefully but couldn't find the right words to describe it. However, this tea was indeed better than what she usually drank. She replied, "This tea is really good. Can I take some home? My dad loves tea."
"Of course," the Black Stocking Woman readily agreed.
"Since this tea is so good, you shouldn't have trouble selling it. Why not sell the tea leaves? With the internet being so developed now, selling tea would be better than doing this," Qiu Wan suddenly realized her words were inappropriate and wished she could take them back, but it was too late.
Zhang Qiu was thinking about how to explain when the Black Stocking Woman smiled lightly and said, "It's fine, don't feel embarrassed. I've been in this line of work for a long time and I'm not afraid of others anymore. This tea has strict growing conditions, and it's produced in very small quantities. It's simply unrealistic to sell it commercially. Every household keeps it for themselves or uses it to entertain important guests."
"I see," Zhang Qiu felt it was a pity that such good tea couldn't be shared more widely. Perhaps that's what made it precious.
"I got into this line of work out of necessity. My family lives in the mountains of the south, and they believe girls should marry early. I attended school for a few years, but then my family wouldn't let me continue. At that time, I made up my mind that I would support my sister through college no matter what. Fortunately, my sister loves to study and does well in school. Since my family was unwilling to support me, I took on many jobs and ended up doing this by chance."
As the Black Stocking Woman recalled her painful past, she became choked up with emotion. Liu Xinru's tears flowed as she shouted, "Sister!" and cried as she rushed into the Black Stocking Woman's embrace. The two sisters sat on the bench holding each other and began to cry.
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of pity in each other's eyes. These sisters were truly unfortunate people.
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