Chapter 92

“What business do you have with the Qiao family?”
Listening to this group of gossipy women jabbering, Qiao Xinyi’s temper flared up and she couldn’t hold back.
“Who I am, whether I’m married or not, what business I have with Qiao Laidi—what does that have to do with you lot of busybodies?”

“You’re too skinny to have children, nationwide you’re the only one who can give birth. How many kids did you have in your first birth? Eight? Ten? If you’re that good at having kids, why are you still living here? You should be living in a pigsty! You’re like a sow at a breeding farm, the farm should give you a national ‘best breeder’ banner to commend you!”

Qiao Xinyi’s sharp words stunned the group into silence. They knew she wasn’t someone to be bullied, so they shut up immediately.

Only the woman who was called a sow couldn’t take it and retorted, “We were just talking, why do you have to get so worked up and start insulting people like that?”

“What a coincidence, I was just talking too. So why are you mad? Not a small temper, huh? Looks like your heart’s not that big either,” Qiao Xinyi rolled her eyes at her.

Qiao Laidi laughed in front of everyone and said, “Look at your son’s character—this is my cousin. She already has a boyfriend, and he’s an officer. Who do you think you are to care about her?”

Once they heard Qiao Xinyi’s boyfriend was an officer, no one dared to speak further.

Qiao Laidi pulled Qiao Xinyi inside, called her eldest daughter in, and closed the front door.

“Xinyi, don’t pay attention to those outside. We all live in the same small courtyard, and every family has small disputes. They’re just making things difficult for you because of me—they’re targeting me.”

Qiao Laidi explained how small the courtyard was and how every family tried to gain a bit more space or advantage. If one family lost a bunch of scallions, another lost a couple of garlic cloves, everyone suspected each other like thieves. They were all competitors in a tiny space.

Especially for someone like Qiao Laidi, who had just married in and become a stepmother, without family backing, these aunties and older women enjoyed using her as a scapegoat.

But Qiao Laidi wasn’t the type to silently endure like the previous woman who had passed away, so the long-time residents disliked her even more.

“I brought this back from Tong’an County for you and the two kids to eat,” Qiao Xinyi handed over the gift and asked bluntly, “Have you heard anything about that thief from the train station?”

Qiao Laidi pushed the jar back, “It’s too valuable, keep it for yourself. Yunbai is still little, and he likes to eat these too.”

Then she continued, “Not many people know about that little thief. We found out he sleeps in a culvert near the train station at night. Sometimes he scavenges food from garbage piles; if he can’t find anything, he robs at the train station.”

“He doesn’t rob anything else, really only food. He robs passersby and also people like me selling things, but strangely, I’ve been there several days and he’s never robbed me.”

Qiao Laidi guessed, “Maybe because I have two kids with me, he feels sorry and doesn’t rob me.”

“As for where that kid came from, no one knows. Everyone says when the kid appeared at the train station, it looked like he had been homeless for a long time.”

“At first, he wore long-sleeve shirts, but because he was caught stealing and someone grabbed his sleeve, when he ran off, the sleeve got torn. That’s why he switched to short sleeves. Oh, and his clothes are all patched up, very worn, and don’t fit well. His family must have been poor.”

Qiao Laidi said, “I’ve been secretly watching him these days. He’s really skinny. Judging by his height, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, but since he’s so thin, he looks smaller. He could also be fifteen or sixteen.”

Qiao Laidi didn’t ask why Qiao Xinyi wanted information about the thief. She wasn’t that curious. If Qiao Xinyi wanted to say something, she would have said it without being asked. If she didn’t bring it up, asking would just be pointless.

Qiao Xinyi nodded, said “uh-huh,” and opened the paper package, handing the red date cakes inside to the two little girls. Then she looked around Qiao Laidi’s home and casually asked, “Where’s the kids’ dad?”

“I don’t know, probably visiting someone’s house,” Qiao Laidi said indifferently. “He never tells me where he goes, and I don’t ask.”

Qiao Xinyi understood—Qiao Laidi was just getting by day by day.

But Qiao Laidi raised her two stepdaughters very well; they were dressed clean and tidy. The older one was very close to her, and she always carried the younger one on her back. Qiao Xinyi was willing to keep in touch with Qiao Laidi because she was kind-hearted and not weak in character.

“I have things to do, so I won’t stay long with you. When you have time, bring the two kids to the textile factory’s residential compound to visit us. If you need anything, you can come find us. You can forget about your broken-down maternal family, but our family’s relatives here can still keep in touch.”

Qiao Xinyi patted Qiao Laidi on the shoulder, left the two cans behind, and without letting Qiao Laidi see her off, she rode off on her bicycle.

After Qiao Xinyi left, Qiao Laidi sat at the door sewing clothes again with her two daughters. Then a few of the nosy neighbor women gathered around once more.

“Qiao Laidi, what did your cousin bring to your family to eat? What kind of cakes are those two girls holding? We’ve never seen them before. We’re neighbors—why not share some with us? You’re too stingy.”

“And aren’t you not supposed to get along with your maternal family? How come your cousin still comes to see you? Could it be she’s here to borrow money?”

Some stood aside waiting to take advantage, some sneered, some just watched the scene quietly.

Qiao Laidi glanced sharply at them and said, “Should I call my cousin back and let her insult you all again?”

“You sisters aren’t very nice people. You really can’t compare to these two girls’ real mother when it comes to being kind.”

At that moment, Qiao Xinyi’s voice came from the doorway:

“Now I understand why these two kids’ mother died so early. It’s because of a bunch of shameless, opportunistic, troublemaking people like you who can’t afford mirrors, living in the same small courtyard. No wonder people don’t live long here.”

After firing those words, Qiao Laidi parked her bike and went inside.

She suddenly remembered she wanted to ask Qiao Laidi something and didn’t expect to hear those people’s remarks as soon as she got back.

When the women saw Qiao Xinyi return suddenly, their expressions turned sheepish, and they quickly went back to their own homes.

They were all cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Knowing Qiao Xinyi had an officer boyfriend and seeing she dressed well and wasn’t poor, no one wanted to really provoke her.

Qiao Laidi smiled to herself, closed the door, and asked, “Why did you come back again?”

“I wanted to ask if you have any connections in the black market?” Qiao Xinyi asked directly.

Qiao Laidi sold eggs and pancakes every day at the train station entrance. Without black market connections, how could a city girl get such a steady supply? Whether eggs or flour, they all require ration coupons and fixed quotas. The only explanation was the black market.

“Yes, I do,” Qiao Laidi nodded.

“My middle school classmate has an older brother who runs in the black market. He was a sent-down youth in the countryside, failed to get into university. Although his family managed to get him back to the city with the excuse of poor health, he couldn’t find a job for a while.”

“He’s brave, has ideas, and is hardworking. He didn’t want to rely on his family at his age, so he dove headfirst into the black market—and he actually made a name for himself.”

Qiao Laidi told Qiao Xinyi all this to let her know that the person she knew was reliable and trustworthy.