Chapter Thirty-Four: Tea Leaf Egg

  Qiu's mother sold out of tofu before 12 o'clock, so she took the kids and pushed a basket of eggs and several radishes back home.

  On the way home, Qiu Ye was selling Meng, trying to coax her mother before going home.

  When she got home, Qiu Ye first hid all the money and deposit slips she had bought, preparing for her mother's anger. She would use a soft approach to deal with her mother's temper, saying whatever it took to prevent her mother from seeing the deposit slip, or else she would suffer physically. Nor could she let her mother take back control of the family finances, otherwise all her efforts would be in vain.

  "Mom, mom, you're the best. Quick, sit down and take a rest." Qiu Ye came out of the house and saw her mom cleaning up the room, so she hurried over to try to butter her up, hoping that her mom wouldn't pursue the egg issue any further.

  "Hmm, what's going on today? My girl is being diligent again." Mr. Qiu saw that his daughter was being diligent again and knew that she must have something on her mind. He had figured it out over the past few days - his daughter was a child who wouldn't get up early unless there was something in it for her, and only when she needed to ask him for something or when she had made a mistake would she be like this, hovering around people and being overly flattering.

  Qiu's dad stayed home and rested this morning. He has been working hard all week, getting up early and going to bed late. So today Qiu's mom didn't let him go to the market. It is not clear why the child did this today.

  "Your daughter has probably gotten spoiled, she dared to go buy a basket of eggs by herself today. She hasn't even earned much money yet, and it's all been spent already." There was some resentment in Mrs. Qiu's tone, usually Mr. Qiu was the one who spoiled the child, whatever the girl said went, and he never opposed her. Moreover, the money the child earned from selling meatballs, she had originally wanted to help save it, but the child's father said it wasn't much money, so it was fine for the child to keep it herself, definitely not to be wasted. But now looking at it, it seems like it has been wasted, earning only 7 or 8 yuan, and spending almost half of it all at once. This basket of eggs must have cost 6 or 7 yuan!

  "Is that so, old girl?" Mr. Qiu asked without getting angry, looking at the honest girl standing there waiting to be scolded. He thought his daughter was very thoughtful, since she had bought a basket of eggs back, there must be a reason for it, and as a parent, he should listen to her explanation first before deciding how to deal with it.

  Qiu Ye thought for a moment and decided to be honest, her father's mind was more open than her mother's, he wouldn't just care about the money from selling eggs, if she talked to him about her own ideas, he should agree.

  She was just about to explain the meaning of buying eggs, when Qiu Feng rushed in and stood in front of his sister, saying loudly: "Dad, it's me who asked my sister to buy eggs, because I'm craving for them."

  He had just returned home and was feeling restless in his room, watching as his sister tried her best to coax their mother, whose expression still hadn't improved. He began to worry that this situation was unprecedented, and that his sister's skills at coaxing their mother were usually top-notch. Now that their mother was acting like this, he wondered if she was too angry, and whether she would take it out on his sister as soon as they got home, maybe even beating her up.

  Then he heard a noise in his parents' room and thought that the trial had already begun, so he rushed out without thinking and blocked his sister.

  Qiu's father heard this and laughed, "There are still people who actively look for trouble."

  Qiu Ye, though touched by her brother's defense, still popped out from behind him and said, "Dad, don't listen to my brother. Those eggs were bought by me."

  Qiu Feng immediately became anxious and turned his head to give his sister a stern look, meaning "don't make a sound, I've got this".

  "Dad, it was me who told my sister to buy it, a good man does things and takes responsibility."

  Qiu's father watched the interaction between his two children in front of him, feeling extremely happy. His own family had 5 brothers who were not close since childhood, and seeing that his two children could get along like this made him very pleased.

  "So tell me, how many eggs did you buy? How much money did you spend?" Qiu dad teased his son.

  "That, that......" Qiu Feng couldn't say it anymore, and his sister didn't say anything either.

  Qiu's father looked at his son, who was scratching his ears and cheeks, stretched out one hand to pull his head, and pulled him aside. "Get out of here, you stinky little brat, you've even learned how to lie! Go reflect on your actions for a while, I'll deal with you later."

  Qiu Ye saw the big mountain in front of her being moved away, and she quickly went forward to hold her father's arm, shaking it back and forth, saying: "Dad, don't blame brother, he was afraid you would scold me."

  "Then you'd better tell your dad, what are you buying these eggs for? Do you want to sell them?" Mr. Qiu thought to himself, he didn't know why this girl used to be so carefree and playful, but now she's become so focused on making money, if it wasn't for her being so serious all the time, he would have suspected that something was wrong with her, but it's also possible that she suddenly had an epiphany, just like when he was young.

  "Dad, you're so smart! You guessed that I want to sell eggs. Mom didn't even guess it." Qiu Ye quickly flattered him, but seeing the glance from her mom, she quickly hid into her dad's arms. "But I'm not selling boiled eggs, the cafeteria already sells those. I want to sell tea eggs, Dad, do you think it's okay?"

  "What's wrong? Are you going to stop selling meatballs and start selling tea eggs instead?" Mr. Qiu asked with raised eyebrows.

  "No, I think selling the glutinous rice balls and tea eggs together would be better, that way we can have more varieties and maybe earn more money." Qiu Ye thought to herself that her glutinous rice balls had earned a lot today, how could she not sell them?

  "Then you can elaborate on your ideas." Old Qiu wants to hear the young lady's thoughts.

  "Dad, I was selling meatballs at the cafeteria entrance these days and heard some older brothers and sisters say that the boiled eggs in the cafeteria are not delicious, they don't have any flavor and cost 2 yuan each. They don't like to eat them but have to eat one every now and then, saying that if they don't eat them, they'll be afraid of lacking nutrition and brain power for studying. Sometimes they have to force themselves to eat. After hearing this, I thought of the tea eggs you used to make, Dad. If I made some tea eggs to sell at the cafeteria entrance, wouldn't they also sell well? Your tea eggs are really delicious, with the fragrance of tea and five-spice powder, how could they not be more popular than the boiled eggs in the cafeteria?" Qiu Ye shared her thoughts and, of course, added a bit of nonsense to make it sound like she wasn't just talking randomly.

  "Can you make tea eggs?" Qiu Dad thought about the girl's words, theoretically it should be possible. Tea eggs and boiled eggs together, tea eggs are definitely more popular. However, the girl said she wanted to make tea eggs, but he didn't know if the girl could do it.

  "Haha, I won't do it, isn't there still dad? Besides, you think I'm so smart, I'll definitely learn it in no time." Qiu Ye quickly giggled foolishly, she would say that even at this moment. That tea egg family doesn't often eat at home, and she's only 8 years old, how could she possibly be self-taught?

  "Don't be silly, your dad doesn't have the time to cook tea eggs for you. If you're capable, then go ahead and do it yourself." Qiu's mom said with a tone of discontent from the side.

  "Dad, look at Mom, she doesn't support my work at all. What kind of Communist Party member is this?" Qiu Ye pouted unhappily.

  "Hmph, let me tell you, I've never been a Communist Party member." Qiu's mother replied coolly to the girl.

  "It's precisely because you're not a Communist Party member that you should strive to make progress. You must always remember the party's guidelines and policies, and at all times hold yourself to the strict standards of a party member." Qiu Ye said with a serious face. "I'm telling you, Comrade Qiao Fengqin, you've made a mistake, a big one."

  She finished speaking and made Qiu's dad laugh loudly, Qiu's mom also couldn't help but smile and scolded: "You little rascal, you're always teasing me."

  Qiu Ye saw her mom smile, so she knew the storm had passed. Then she said to her dad: "Dad, do you have time now? Can you make me a tea egg right away? I'll study now, and when you don't have time tomorrow, I'll do it myself."

  Qiu's mother was anxious when she heard her daughter say she wanted to make tea eggs herself, "You'd better not, with your two clumsy hands, don't mess up the eggs, or you won't be able to sell a single one, and then you'll cry."

  Qiu Ye didn't deal with her mom either, and instead focused on nagging her dad, insisting that he had to make tea eggs today.

  Qiu's father had no choice but to agree, and in the afternoon he showed off his skills.