QTIMP -Chapter 33 Character Persona – Greedy (Part 33)

Si Qiu flicked his forehead with her finger. “When have I ever lied? But I’ll have to keep an eye on you guys.”

The boy immediately jumped up high. “Thank you, Sister Xiao Qiu! I’ll go find Zhuzi and the others right now. Let’s gather after dinner tonight!”

His mother reached out to grab him but missed. The little dark-skinned boy shot off and vanished in a flash. “You stop right there! Xiao Qiu, why are you lending them such a precious thing? A single battery costs several mao. I heard you even need industrial coupons for it.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re being too polite. A couple of days ago when I was airing my quilts, if you hadn’t helped me bring them in, they would’ve gotten soaked. And your Xiao Shitou—whenever I need to buy something or send a message, he runs errands for me so diligently. The kids just want to catch a few sparrows. What’s wrong with that?”

As Si Qiu headed upstairs, the woman followed behind her. “Oh, you’re the polite one. We all live in the same building—helping out is nothing. If you ever need anything, just say the word. You’re busy working and can’t always look after things at home. I don’t have a job, and Xiao Shitou’s grown up now—he’s got plenty of free time.”

Si Qiu lived on the second floor; the sister-in-law lived on the third. After exchanging a few more polite words, they parted ways.

Just after dinner, while Si Qiu was tidying up her space, Xiao Shitou arrived with several kids and knocked on the door.

Seeing that it was still somewhat light outside, Si Qiu let them in first.

“What’s the rush? It’s still bright—it’s not easy to catch them now.”

All the children were from this building or the one behind it, and they all knew each other. They squeezed in, grinning and talking over one another.

“Sister Xiao Qiu, we want to go somewhere farther.”

“Yeah! We need places with more single-story houses. The older the house, the easier it is to catch them.”

Si Qiu made them some sugar water. She didn’t add much sugar, but the children treasured it all the same, sipping it carefully in small mouthfuls.

“You’re not planning to knock door-to-door to catch house sparrows, are you? Why don’t we just go to that abandoned mansion on Back Street?” Si Qiu suggested.

The estate was large, but part of it had been bombed by artillery before, and later it had caught fire. Someone had died there, so it had remained vacant ever since.

Sometimes children went there to explore. The window and door frames had all been pried off for firewood, and many families had hauled away quite a few of the blue bricks.

Later, the residents’ committee strictly forbade anyone from taking bricks from there, and the situation improved a little. But the houses had become even more dilapidated.

“Can we really go? You said before you’d take us—does that still count? If you don’t come with us, we can’t go. If my mom finds out, she’ll beat me.”

Xiao Shitou was close with her and spoke without reserve.

Si Qiu took the flashlight out of the desk drawer. “Of course I’m going with you. What if something happens? But this is a one-time thing, okay?”

The children erupted in cheers.

Si Qiu raised a finger to her lips. “Keep it down. People have to work tomorrow. If you’re this noisy, they won’t be able to sleep.”

The kids covered their mouths conspiratorially. At her signal, they finished their sugar water, then trotted off toward Back Street with light, excited steps.

Si Qiu deliberately changed into inconspicuous clothes and even wrapped up all her hair.

The old compound wasn’t far away, though it was in ruins. The children carried lanterns and flashlights, chattering as they entered, making the place seem a little more alive.

They were well prepared. They set a ladder against a wall, shone a flashlight beam over it, and the sparrows would freeze momentarily, blinded by the light.

That was when they would grab them, twist their necks in one motion, and toss them into a cloth sack.

Since no one lived in the houses, there were plenty of sparrows. The children divided the work clearly—some steadied the ladder, some caught sparrows, some gathered firewood, and others dug up soil.

Si Qiu didn’t need to do much. Occasionally she would remind them, “Be careful. Watch your step.”

After circling several houses in the compound for over two hours, the children finally decided there were no more to catch.

They cleared a patch of ground and lit a fire with the wood they had collected. The remaining kids mixed mud, coated the sparrows completely in it, and tossed the mud-covered lumps into the flames.

Si Qiu put away her flashlight. In the end, she was given two roasted sparrows. Under the watchful eyes of the children, she placed them in her mouth and chewed slowly. To be honest, they were quite fragrant.

It was already very late. After eating, they extinguished the fire and returned home laughing and joking.

Because of this activity, the children grew even closer to Si Qiu. When it came time to buy winter vegetables, this group of kids helped carry everything back for her.

Another advantage of the residents’ committee became apparent: winter vegetables were purchased collectively by the unit, and everyone could simply carry their share home—no need to queue up to buy them.

That came later. The next morning at work, just as Si Qiu entered the unit, Xiao Ling ran over, pulled her aside, and whispered:

“Xiao Qiu, did you hear? Yang Hai—the guy who argued with you a couple of days ago—last night he went to the restroom, stepped on a round log, slipped, and broke his leg.”

“Ah. That unlucky?”

Then she burst into laughter without hiding it. “Well, that’s truly satisfying!”

Seeing her react like that, those who had been pretending to work or openly eavesdropping finally relaxed.

With a smile still on her face, Si Qiu headed to the office. Seeing Aunt Wang cleaning, she quickly picked up the thermos to fetch hot water. As she walked toward the back kitchen, a faint glint flickered in her eyes.

If someone offended her and she didn’t settle the score on the spot, she couldn’t even sleep well.

Right—what had Xiao Ling said just now? A fracture? That meant he’d be bedridden for a while. Then the next arrangement could wait until after he was discharged from the hospital.

She wore a schadenfreude-filled smile all day, and everyone expressed understanding.

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s. Feng Rong from the Feng family came to ask her to return home for the holiday, but Si Qiu refused. Still, she had accepted all the parcels Feng Fan had mailed her.

Before the New Year, she thought it over and decided to send Feng Fan some mushroom sauce and fried flour. It didn’t sit right with her to keep receiving packages without sending anything in return.