Chapter 9

  Wang Qiqi wouldn't starve herself, she saw Li Cui patting her butt and walking away, knowing that she had lost face today. She predicted that it wouldn't be easy for her to come back now, especially during this busy season. Wang Qiqi guessed that the other party was waiting for her to be overwhelmed with work before coming to beg for mercy, and then she would put on a show of dignity again before offering help. But would she let Li Cui have her way? It was unthinkable, she wasn't brainless after all, and she wouldn't invite that snake back in.

  Wang Qiqi had originally thought of asking someone to help her buy vegetables, and as for the person in charge of buying food, Wang Qiqi had already made up her mind. She would let Gong Hong help with that, at most letting her bring some rice and dishes over every day. As for keeping guests for dinner, sorry, there's only me, a young girl, at home. Buying vegetables is also asking someone to help out. If we cook, no one will be left to guard the mourning hall. If you want to eat, you'll have to stay yourself, and I won't follow my uncle's words from my past life, ordering food from restaurants. Although people nowadays don't follow the old rules and no longer only eat vegetarian food, Wang Qiqi won't be foolish enough in this life to order big fish and meat dishes every day to entertain these heartless people. We'll stick to eating vegetarian dishes. The reason is simple: as an orphan without parents, how can I afford it if I don't save some money?

  Of course, Wang Qiqi had also thought it through. She would have to wait for her uncle's instructions on how to proceed before seeking help from others. Otherwise, Li Cui's loose tongue would spread rumors about them outside. They wanted to show everyone that they were forced to seek external help due to Li Cui's pressure, and then see what she had to say afterwards. In the future, she wouldn't dare to come after their custody rights again.

  Wang Qiqi ate a simple porridge with radish, "Dad and mom, Qiqi has eaten, although aunt didn't stay to help Qiqi cook, but Qiqi can take care of herself, you can rest assured, I will definitely guard this home, not like before..." Wang Qiqi whispered to her parents while eating.

  Wang Qiqi, who had just finished washing the dishes, returned to the living room and sat quietly doing her homework. A fan was blowing beside her, and the door was wide open. Some people passing by couldn't help but glance inside the Wang's house. What they saw was Wang Qiqi sitting alone in the living room, quietly reading and doing her homework, with no one else around. This surprised some people who didn't know what had happened that morning.

  "Hey, where's the mistress? I saw Li Cui arrive early this morning." Someone exclaimed, "She even said she'd help with the aftermath of General Gu's funeral and had already taken time off, but now Mistress Gu is nowhere to be found."

  "Will she be willing to take time off?" someone wondered.

  "Taking a leave of absence?" Someone snickered and whispered about what happened that morning, "Don't blame Qiqi for being disrespectful to her elders, if it were me, I would be the same. The Wang couple just passed away, and you're letting their young daughter settle things privately with someone else. When she disagreed, you said Qiqi was disobedient and questioned how her parents had raised her, even saying that the Wang couple were wastrels... sigh."

  "What, forget it! When it comes to being a spendthrift, no one can beat Wang Daguai. If Wang Dajun hadn't lent him money to pay off his gambling debts, I reckon their house would have been sold several times over by now. A family like that really has no conscience at all. That's what I said - the reason why Wang Daguai and his wife were so enthusiastic was because they had ulterior motives. You know what? Yesterday, Qiqi's girl wanted to invite Wang Dajun and his wife back home, but Wang Daguai and his wife refused. In the end, it was Qiqi's girl who paid for people to carry them back."

  This is the best opportunity to share gossip, as for why it was said in front of Wang Qiqi, mainly because Wang Qiqi had left an impression on them that she was a quiet little girl who followed behind Wang Dajun's couple, and besides, they thought this matter was also an indirect expression of their kindness.

  "Wang Daguai didn't come to help, that's fine. But why didn't Wang Damei come to help? Isn't she the aunt? Didn't they notify her yesterday?" Someone who knew the relationships in the Wang family wondered, "Alas, as soon as Big Army left, they became cold and distant. In the past, whenever something happened to the Wang siblings, didn't they always come to Big Army for a solution?"

  The outside world was full of rumors, and Wang Qiqi didn't want to intervene, nor did she have the ability to do so. Although what her parents said in front of her might have had a different meaning, she knew that there were still some kind-hearted people who would tell the truth to those who didn't know the real situation outside. However, their words made Wang Qiqi think of someone - her eldest sister-in-law, Wang Damei. This person was not worth worrying about, but her husband, Song Wenbo, was a formidable figure. He had managed to climb to the position of deputy factory director in a large state-owned enterprise with thousands of employees, which was not only due to his technical skills but also his ability to get along with people. Her father had previously commented that Song Wenbo was a "smiling tiger", who looked refined on the surface but was actually quite sinister in his actions.

  However, it seems that not long after her parents passed away, her uncle and his family had a falling out, and they stopped visiting each other. As a result, Wang Qiqi also stopped visiting them. Of course, Wang Qiqi wouldn't think that her aunt and uncle's family didn't visit because of her, but rather because she discovered the good things her uncle did. In order to gain benefits for herself, she quarreled with her uncle and the two families stopped visiting each other. Wang Qiqi decided that it must have been because Wang Dimei and the others discovered that her uncle had embezzled their money or didn't divide the spoils evenly, which is why they had a falling out with him.

  But in this world, Wang Qiqi doesn't know if they will collude with each other. However, if she insists on not agreeing to a private settlement, it may force them to reach a cooperation agreement behind closed doors, with both families splitting the compensation equally and forming a united front. Of course, Wang Qiqi also knows that she can join forces with her elder sister-in-law to deal with Wang Dagui's couple together. In any case, Song Wenbo is someone who values face, unlike Wang Dagui's couple, who have no qualms about losing both dignity and reputation for the sake of money.

  Wang Qiqi thought for a while and vetoed the decision, "Those who don't come are not good people, and we only know Uncle and Auntie well. If we change opponents, we don't know how things will develop. Let's just deal with Uncle instead. As for Wang Dimei, it's not easy to get her to take action. They should be hiding behind the scenes, waiting to see how things develop before making a decision."

  "It's better not to confront the elder sister-in-law, if they really join forces, we're not afraid either." Wang Qiqi clenched her fists and guaranteed, "They can't force us to do anything, besides, if you guys don't come to help for a long time, then it's better to be just a guest."

  Wang Qi stood up and walked to the door, "I informed my aunt yesterday, at that time my uncle and aunt were all there. My aunt said she would come today, but she hasn't arrived yet, I don't know either."

  Everyone nodded in agreement, and at this time, an auntie by the door said to Qiqi, "Qiqi, tomorrow when I go buy groceries, do you want me to bring some back for you or should I have the restaurant deliver?" This person originally didn't want to get involved, but she saw through the gap in the door that Qiqi had eaten plain congee earlier. It was only then that she remembered Li Cui hadn't bought any groceries that morning. Who knows if Li Cui will buy groceries tomorrow?

  "What's the point of ordering takeout?" Wang Qiqi asked in confusion, "Auntie, I want to save every penny, my parents left me this one set of house and 50,000 yuan, this money is for me to keep for university tuition. As for the money on my parents' payroll cards, I also need to prepare for their funeral expenses and buy a grave, so thank you Auntie for understanding and helping me buy groceries. Can we get a bit more of that dish? Just in case some guests come over, we can serve them a simple vegetarian meal."

  It's great that someone is willing to help with grocery shopping. As for household chores, Wang Qiqi can sweep the floor every day. As for the mourning hall, a doll will be placed in the living room at night as a temporary representative. There's no way around it, she has to cook and use the bathroom by herself. Buying groceries was the biggest problem, but now that it's solved, Wang Qiqi feels like she can really hold on.

  "Can she cook?" Everyone was surprised, to know that everyone knew Kiki's grades were good, but never heard Mr. and Mrs. Wang mention it before. It is known that the loving couple often talks about their daughter in front of familiar people, although in a very humble tone, but everyone can hear the happiness in Mr. and Mrs. Wang's words.

  Wang Qiqi nodded, "Simple dishes will do." This was also something she learned after graduating from university in her previous life. At that time, she wanted to cook for him, but unfortunately, he was more critical than praising. The key wasn't whether Wang Qiqi's cooking was delicious or not, but rather that at that time, the man's heart was no longer with her. No matter how well she cooked, it was wrong, and if she didn't cook well, it was even more wrong.

  Although everyone didn't understand why Wang Qiqi's mood had dropped again, they all thought that this little girl was thinking of the late Wang Dajun couple. "That Qiqi, if you have something on your mind, just call us."

  "Uh-huh, just call us if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for help."

  Wang QiQi didn't know how much of what they said was just being polite, but she still thanked them one by one. At least they had said it out loud, so she couldn't not thank them. Of course, she also couldn't take it seriously. If you really went to their doorstep asking for help in a very straightforward way, you would scare them off.

  "Older sister Luo, I'll pay for the dish right away." Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered that she hadn't paid for the dish yet. It's worth noting that older sister Luo is a kind-hearted person, but also a bit stingy. This has something to do with her family situation - her husband passed away early due to illness, and her son is in high school, attending one of the best schools. Her pressure can be said to be not ordinary at all. In her previous life, she didn't take care of herself much, so Wang Qiqi thought that if she could help, she would help older sister Luo a bit.

  Although Luo Hongjuan knew that Wang Qiqi wouldn't ask her for such a small amount of money, considering the family's situation, "Then I won't be polite, tomorrow morning I'll buy the groceries back."

  Every step is happy