Chapter Ninety-Four

  Ai Xiaobei was overjoyed to be able to move into such a new house, she had never even dreamed of living in such a house with her own room. She used to sleep in a leaky and ventilated tent, the stairwell of someone else's small building, or even on the lawn outside a shelter.

  Especially on cold winter nights, in the stairwell of someone else's home, listening to the joyful laughter, blessing songs, and clinking dishes from inside... She had also fantasized about her mother not dying from illness, her father being normal again, the whole family having a warm dinner together at the table, and then her mother telling her stories from far-off Eastern lands, lulling her to sleep.

  Yes, those days, young Ai Xiaobei would fall asleep every night with her eyes closed, deceiving herself that she didn't have a rumbling stomach, and no cold winter nights...

  The child's thoughts were simple and straightforward, she remembered the hardships of the past, so she cherished this hard-won warmth even more. So, thinking of this, Ai Xiaobei hugged Ai Ziqing's waist tightly, burying her small face in front of her body, and asked in a muffled voice: "Mommy, will you always be with Beibei?"

  Listening to the tender voice say such words, Aizi Qing felt a pang of heartache for no reason. She picked up the small figure on the ground and kissed her little face without hesitation, smiling and saying: "Of course we'll always be together, I'm just afraid that Beibei will not want Mommy in the future."

  "Not at all, Beibei will be with Mommy for the rest of her life." Ai Xiaobei's eyes were red and tears fell down one by one. These sudden tears made Ai Ziqing panic and hurriedly comforted the child, with a mind full of black lines...

  Bei Bei suddenly opened her small mouth and smiled, telling Ai Zi Qing that she was hungry and wanted to go eat.

  Ai Zi Qing knew that Bei Bei didn't want her to worry, seeing how thoughtful she was at such a young age. Although the method was childish, the intention was truly rare, so she didn't say anything and took her to wash her face in their new home before heading out to eat and then buy daily necessities together, officially moving in tonight.

  The two had just finished packing and were about to leave the room when the door in the middle of the corridor opened, and a young couple walked out.

  This apartment is a three-unit building, Ai Zi Qing's home is the one on the left side of the upstairs staircase. As for the neighbors in the middle and right, Ai Zi Qing had simply asked around and said it was a couple and a single girl. And at this time, the person who came out of the door in the middle should be that couple.

  Ai Zi Qing politely nodded slightly, then locked the door. At this time, she was wearing simple casual clothes, making her look pure and beautiful, with a clean temperament. The young man next to the couple was slightly stunned, then smiled and said: "Hello, you're the new neighbor who just moved in, right?"

  Ai Zi Qing locked the door, turned around and saw that the couple were dressed in white-collar attire, looking like trendy young people, probably no more than 25 or 26 years old. At this time, the man was politely looking at Ai Zi Qing, seemingly showing friendliness to the new neighbor, while the woman's eyes were somewhat vigilant, but her face also had a friendly smile.

  "Ai Zi Qing smiled and replied: 'Hello, we haven't checked in yet, probably just these two days.'"

  The man walked to the elevator entrance, pressed the elevator, and after hearing Ai Zi Qing's Mandarin, he was obviously stunned for a moment, but immediately returned to normal: "Is that so? Is there anything I can help with? From now on, we are neighbors, and helping each other is what we should do."

  Ai Zi Qing slightly shook her head and declined the other party's kindness: "Thank you, but I won't trouble you with that. This is a commodity house, so there isn't anything major that needs to be bought."

  The man nodded and smiled, but didn't say anything else. The woman beside him laughed and said: "You're from the mainland, right? Are you here to study or...?"

  "Go to school." At this time, the elevator had arrived. Aizhen pulled Beibei behind her and they both entered the elevator together.

  It wasn't until then that the two of them noticed the little girl behind Aizi Qing and were suddenly surprised, saying: "Is this your younger sister?"

  Ai Zi Qing smiled silently, while Bei Bei called out softly: "Mommy..."

  The two were shocked, looking at Ai Zi Qing's appearance of only 18 or 19 years old. How could this girl be five years old? Mommy?

  Ai Zi Qing couldn't help but smile, rubbing Bei Bei's little head, and saw the latter give a sly smile. She liked letting others know that Ai Zi Qing was her mommy, and also enjoyed seeing their surprised expressions afterwards.

  Her little thoughts naturally couldn't deceive Ai Zi Qing, but she didn't care, as long as the people she cared about liked it, what was there that wasn't allowed? Why bother with other people's opinions.

  The man and woman opposite them were stunned for a moment, but then their gaze at Ai Ziying became complicated, probably thinking that she was being kept by some rich person as a mistress. After all, she looked like she was under twenty years old, and on top of that, she was from the mainland, living in such a high-end apartment, not to mention bringing along a 'daughter', which made people feel unbelievable, but this was indeed the reality.

  So the two people naturally flashed the term "second wife" in their minds, but they also felt that it was not very possible, after all, Ai Ziying's age was there...

  Although anyone in their heart has some contempt for the identity of a mistress, in this society where poverty is ridiculed but prostitution is not, no one will show it too clearly.

  They didn't think much about it, and those thoughts just flashed through their minds. After all, there was also a factor of the child joking around, but if they asked Ai Zi Qing again, it would seem too abrupt, so no one continued the conversation.

  Ding Dong

  The elevator door opened at this time, and after several people walked out of the elevator, the man smiled and said: "Where are you going?"

  Ai Zi Qing told the other party that she was going out for dinner.

  "Oh, we have a car, would you like us to give you a ride?" the man asked again.

  Ai Zi Qing smiled and politely declined the other party's kindness, after all, they weren't very familiar with each other, so it wasn't necessary to ask someone to send her off.

  The neighbor then chatted with Ai Zi Qing for a few more sentences, and from the conversation, Ai Zi Qing also learned that the man's name was Qin Tian, a civil servant of the Hong Kong government. His wife Yang Hua was also the same, and their family background seemed to be quite good. After graduation, they should have been arranged with a decent job through connections, making them worry-free in terms of food and clothing, and among people of the same age, they could be considered as having achieved success at a young age.

  The woman occasionally interjected a few words, and when she saw that the man was talking too much, she pulled him away: "Husband, let's go get the car over there, and don't delay this lady from taking her daughter to eat."

  The man was taken aback, smiled suddenly and said: "You see me, I'm just talkative, okay, let's do it another day, we'll chat again." He bid farewell to Ai Zi Qing, and the two rushed to the parking lot. The man will never change his habit of talking too much when hitting on beautiful women...

  As expected, after the two walked away, the woman frowned at the man. Ai Zi Qing could even hear the woman's discontented questioning voice and felt amused, pulling Bei Bei towards the main gate.

  "What do you want to eat?" Ai Zi Qing looked at Bei Bei.

  "Hmm... Zhou Ji's seafood!" Beibei blinked her big eyes and looked at Aizi Qing with expectation.

  Ai Zi Qing smiled with pursed lips, Zhou Ji Hai Xian was famous for its fresh seafood because it was a boat-turned-store that directly scooped up the freshest catches. The last time David entertained Ai Zi Qing was at Zhou Ji, but unexpectedly Beibei had already eaten and her little belly had been waiting in anticipation.

  The two arrived at Zhou Ji and ordered a moderate amount of food. After the dishes were served, they started eating. Beibei knew that Aizi Qing had a habit: she could be extravagant but couldn't waste food. Even if they ordered abalone and lobster, Aizi Qing would just smile and nod, but she would require Beibei to finish everything in her bowl, without wasting any food. So Beibei made sure to eat every last bit of food from the small bowls.

  After dinner, the two of them went to the mall and started strolling around, planning to buy all the daily necessities before moving into their new home tonight.

  Ai Zi Qing from school has already asked for leave and hasn't returned to the dormitory at night recently, while the school's approval of her leave application was also very quick, saving a lot of trouble.

  In the mall, the two of them strolled around the electronics section. Ai Zi Qing ordered two computers, a desktop for Bei Bei to use at home and a laptop for herself to carry around.

  Later, the two of them strolled over to the fitness equipment. After a moment's thought, Ai Zi Qing decided to buy a treadmill. It would be good for simple exercise at home when there was nothing else to do. Although they had been in many real battles recently, their physical training had long since lost its former regularity.

  Because it's in a mall, everything is placed on the planned site of the mall and not in separate stores, so there's no need to go from store to store. I pulled Beibei to find a brand that was somewhat familiar, Ai Ziqing started looking around, when she saw a very eye-catching treadmill with no price tag on it, she turned her head to call the salesperson but found no one nearby?

  Perplexed, she looked around and found that the salesperson in uniform was leaning against the cash register, squatting there writing something. At this time, besides Ai Zi Qing, there were also a few customers strolling around the store.

  "Miss?" Ai Zi Qing furrowed her brow and spoke out, but the girl didn't react at all.

  Some curiosity, Ai Zi Qing bent down to see what she was writing, and found that the latter was actually reading a law book, taking notes on it.

  This time, she slightly raised her voice, and the girl was startled, hastily using a pen to clip the book shut in the middle, as if afraid of losing the last reading position. She quickly stood up, put her hands holding the book behind her back, and after seeing that the person who came was not the leader, she apparently let out a sigh of relief.

  But she still quietly stuffed the book into the compartment under the cash register, forcing a smile and saying to Ai Zi Qing: "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Her voice was clear and pleasant.

  Ai Zi Qing didn't mention anything about what happened earlier, she just pointed at the equipment they had checked out a moment ago.

  The girl saw the treadmill pointed by Ai Zi Qing, slightly stunned, and then said with a slight awkwardness: "Miss, this treadmill is made of German imported steel material, electric treadmill, shock absorption effect is excellent, low noise, very environmentally friendly, now there is only one in the store, our selling price is 8999 yuan." She should be a newcomer, speaking still a bit stiffly, like reciting a textbook, introducing to Ai Zi Qing.

  A bit expensive, Ai Zi Qing slightly pursed her lips and thought for a moment, before she could speak, a sharp voice came from behind: "Nine thousand? Why don't you just rob them?"

  Ai Zi Qing and the shop assistant were both stunned, looking at a middle-aged woman who had been standing aside for a long time. The woman was obese but looked very luxurious, with her hair piled high on her head, wearing a red silk blouse with gold trim, matching long skirt, and carrying a small red bag on her wrist, strutting into the store with an air of superiority, giving Ai Zi Qing the feeling of being like a Buddha statue.

  Those sharp and piercing words came from a woman's mouth, because of the sudden interruption, Ai Zi Qing slightly furrowed her brow.

  That woman seemed to have not noticed Ai Zi Qing at all, and only used her picky gaze to scan the treadmill up and down, shaking her head and saying: "It looks good indeed, but the price is too high. Can you make a decision? If not, go get your store manager, we'll discuss the price."

  Ai Zi Qing couldn't help but laugh at the woman in front of her who was talking to herself. Although she had asked first, this woman seemed to ignore her and started discussing prices with the salesperson. This woman should have heard the salesperson say that there was only one unit left, yet she didn't even understand the principle of first come, first served?

  Just thinking of this chubby middle-aged woman sprinting on the treadmill made Aizi Qing almost unable to hold back her laughter.

  The salesperson was even more flustered at this time, and his face slightly red said: "Sorry ma'am, we're a brand store, no price negotiation..."

  "What brand or no brand! I'm not not paying, but you won't even let me negotiate the price? Humph, when I shop in America, nobody says anything about what brand store is smashing mine!" The woman's tone was sharp and acidic. After speaking, she waved her hand impatiently: "You can't make decisions, go get your person in charge. If the price is suitable, I'll take it."

  The girl heard that the woman was very particular and didn't dare to be slow, but the store really had a rule not to lower prices. Originally, a little sister who was in charge of the store with her was dismissed because she couldn't handle the customer's request for a discount well, which startled the store owner.

  Thinking like this, the salesperson became more flustered and apologized repeatedly: "Sorry ma'am, our store really does have a policy against bargaining. You see, this treadmill uses high-end baking varnish craftsmanship, it's an imported Siegling running belt, with a double-layered sand-grinding rubber running board, which is much better than ordinary treadmills in terms of safety and environmental protection. Even if children are exercising or playing on it, you can rest assured... The handrail is also adjustable..." As she spoke, the female salesperson even went up to demonstrate, explaining stiffly.

  "Isn't the price cheap?" The woman interrupted in a sharp voice, looking at the shop assistant impatiently: "A 9,000-yuan treadmill isn't expensive, what's considered expensive? I don't have kids at home, no need to mention that. I'm just buying it for decoration, maybe exercise occasionally, whether it can be used or not is another matter. If the price is suitable, I'll make a decision."

  Ai Zi Qing stood by and smiled at this scene.

  Why bother haggling over prices when you're so wealthy? And again with the American shopping and whatnot, clearly showing off a nouveau riche attitude.

  She always thought that women can be petty but cannot be vicious.

  The female shop assistant could only apologize repeatedly, but the woman was like a person who had been wronged and wouldn't let it go, saying: "Are you looking down on me? I told you to find someone in charge, didn't you hear? How is it that when discussing prices, you look down on me? Can't even see the person in charge? Do you think I can't afford to pay?"

  Actually, the woman saw many people around her casting glances, and she had spoken to several people in charge of negotiating prices, but they all brushed her off, so she suddenly felt embarrassed and couldn't hold her head up high. At this point, it wasn't about spending money or not, turning around and leaving would be even more humiliating, so she simply shouted out loud. This is purely a petty bourgeois mentality.

  The woman's shout immediately drew more people's attention, and seeing that there was a dispute here, the crowd surrounded them. After seeing the female shop assistant looking flustered and sweating, some young men even made malicious jokes, making the shop assistant's face even redder.

  She was originally a university student working part-time, and she had a thin face. She had never encountered such a situation before. Unexpectedly, the woman's arguments were one after another, and she hadn't finished speaking two sentences when she started shouting loudly. Are all rich people like this?

  Just as the girl was at a loss, a faint and disdainful childish voice sounded from beside her: "Can't even afford two stinky cents? Having some money only knows how to bully poor people." The last sentence was spoken in fluent English pronunciation, accompanied by a tender childish tone that was particularly pleasant to hear.

  It was Ai Xiaobei who couldn't help but speak out, she had been suffering from poverty since childhood, and had often seen the dirty faces of rich people when following her mother. At this time, seeing this woman bullying others on the street, she couldn't help but speak out. Although she is still young, she is very clever, everything is in her eyes, her little brain turns quickly, although she is still a child who doesn't know the world, she has her own set of moral principles.

  As soon as Ai Xiaobei's words came out, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, and then countless gazes gathered on this girl, with some being shocked, curious, and amused.

  The woman was stunned by this sentence, looked down and saw that it was a 5 or 6 year old girl. Suddenly she became furious: "What did you say?" After finishing speaking, she raised her head to look at Ai Zi Qing, seeing that she wasn't very old, thought she was her sister, so she put on the same haughty attitude as before and said in a deep voice:

  "Your family's child? Is this how they were educated? Don't interrupt when adults are talking."

  Ai Ziqing, who was just listening on the side, smiled and said: "Sorry, our child is still young, but at least she knows what it means to come first and go last. And I don't think there's anything wrong with what she said." After finishing, she furrowed her brow, as if somewhat troubled.

  The woman's face sank upon hearing this, she naturally knew that the girl had asked for the price first, but she didn't think she would pay to buy it, so she didn't take it to heart. She didn't expect to be ridiculed like this at this time, and it wasn't just ridicule, it was downright abuse!

  She sank her face, with a look of disdain, sizing up Ai Zi Qing, snorted in disdain, just about to speak, when another clear and beautiful female voice interrupted: "I also think this kid is right, having some dirty money isn't enough? And haven't you heard that one should know their place?"

  Everyone turned their heads to look, and from the crowd walked out a tall and slender girl with long hair and a pretty face. The girl looked about 18 or 19 years old, wearing sunglasses on her head, dressed in very trendy clothes. At this time, she was looking at that sharp-tongued woman with a scornful gaze, still chewing a piece of gum in her mouth.