TPW – Chapter 116

In order to wait for the announcement of the first and second prizes, many people didn’t leave even after browsing the clothing store. They just stood by the entrance, waiting specifically to watch others draw the lottery tickets, anticipating the moment the results were revealed.

As hands reached into the raffle box and pulled out a slip, some rejoiced while others despaired.

Out of two hundred raffle tickets, there were only six grand prizes. Just how lucky would someone have to be to win…

“Ahahaha, I got it, I got it!”

No one knew which lucky person drew the second prize, but the excited howl that followed was like someone had a speaker strapped to their ear. It even drowned out the music from the radio.

The event continued until 5:30 in the afternoon. Around three o’clock, a wealthy man arrived and became determined to win the first prize—a Plum Blossom wristwatch.

He had his wife buy five pieces of clothing priced at thirty yuan each in one go. The result? Five bottles of soybean oil! His mood was nearly crushed…

Meanwhile, his wife almost couldn’t hold the shopping bags in her two hands. She was beaming with joy!

Maybe because he desperately wanted that wristwatch, he gritted his teeth and went for two more rounds—ended up with another bottle of soybean oil and a third prize… Well, at least it brought a sliver of comfort.

This was it, the final draw!

The eighth time!

“Miaomiao, help Daddy draw this time!”

Goodness, if the dad can’t do it, bring in the daughter—how amusing!

In that moment, the atmosphere became so tense it felt like even the air had frozen. No one dared to breathe, all eyes fixed on the rich man’s little girl.

Her tiny hand slowly reached into the raffle box and, whoosh, casually pulled out a crumpled slip of paper and handed it to her father: “Here you go, Daddy~”

The man took it with trembling hands. After receiving it, he suddenly wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Miaomiao, you open it for Daddy.”

The little girl looked about three or four years old, innocent and obedient. She did whatever her dad told her to. After opening the slip, everyone held their breath.

The truth would be known in just a second or two. Finally, the little girl glanced at the paper, then broke into a bright smile and excitedly said:

“Daddy, I can’t read!”

Pfft—

The rich man, seeing his daughter smiling so excitedly, had thought they’d won. But he didn’t expect that…

So he had to open it himself.

A drop of sweat slid from his forehead and fell onto the lottery slip with a splat, followed by an eruption of raucous laughter from the crowd.

“Hahahahaha—first prize! First prize! Hahahahaha—Plum Blossom wristwatch, Plum Blossom wristwatch! Who else? Who else, hahaha—!”

Overcome with emotion, he picked up his daughter and gave her two big kisses, then tossed her up in the air, scaring her into screaming.

“Miaomiao, Daddy’s taking you out for a feast! We’re going to eat a big meal!”

Upon hearing that they were going out to eat, the girl immediately perked up.

“Yay! Daddy, I want to go out to eat! I want fried prawns! I want braised pork!” She even knew what “eating out” meant—clearly, her father took her out quite often.

The family of three walked hand-in-hand, smiling as they said goodbye to Purple Dragonfly. The little girl walked in the middle, held by both her parents. In one of her father’s hands was a tightly gripped Plum Blossom wristwatch, while her mother’s other hand carried bags full of clothes. They left fully loaded and joyful…

Winning the first prize sent the event’s atmosphere to its peak. Now, only two third prizes and 61 bottles of soybean oil remained.

No rush, take it slow.

At 5 p.m., it was dinnertime. Everyone went home to eat, and the number of customers in the store dwindled.

Purple Dragonfly’s business hours were from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with lunch included. They had a contract with the small restaurant next door, which delivered meals at a discounted price. It was slightly more expensive than cooking on their own, but still affordable.

Under Qiao Lu’s instructions, the staff began cleaning: mopping, sweeping, tidying the shelves… everything went smoothly and orderly.

Maybe because the environment was so extravagant and classy, even in department stores you might see a bit of trash, but not in Purple Dragonfly—though there were many footprints. Fortunately, it hadn’t rained today; otherwise, the pristine white tiles would’ve been a disaster.

“One hundred, two hundred, three hundred… four hundred, six hundred, one thousand, sixteen hundred… two thousand six hundred… three thousand…” Qiao Lu wasn’t good at using an abacus, so she manually did the math on scrap paper, one number at a time. It took her twenty minutes to finish.

She thought she’d made a mistake the first time and recalculated it. Even then, she found it hard to believe and handed the ledger to Xu Haizhou.

In the end, the result was correct: 4,110 yuan!

After deducting costs, labor, and prize expenses, the profit was at least around 2,200–2,300 yuan!

Huge success!

That’s the value of every inch of land in the city center. The profits couldn’t even compare to those from Baiyun Street.

Even at its peak, Baiyun Street never made more than 1,500 yuan!

Happily counting the money, she finished and stuffed it into her small purse, ready to deposit it in the bank.

“After cleaning, go home and rest. Thanks for the hard work today. Everyone gets an extra 20 yuan at the end of the month.”

“Thank you, boss—!”

Just one sentence and the staff was full of enthusiasm. Even after standing all day, completely exhausted, the thought of earning an extra 20 yuan at month-end made them feel like they could stand for two more days without complaint.

“Bye, Sister Qiao Lu!”

“Sister Qiao Lu, I’m off.”

“Okay, everyone go home. Good work today.”

“Not hard at all—”

After everyone left, Qiao Lu checked the time. It was around 6:30—time to head home. Qiaoqiao was still at Qiao Yan’s place, and An’an had probably been out of school for a while by now.

“Didn’t we say we wanted to buy a car? With today’s revenue, even if it dips tomorrow, making 8,000–9,000 or even 10,000 a month shouldn’t be a problem. And the factory’s orders are already over 30,000, right? Feels like in a few months, buying a car won’t be an issue…”

In the 1980s, cars were expensive. Imported cars were completely out of reach for domestic consumers.

Even domestic brands were few and costly. The Sisterfang brand cost 60,000, the Beijing Jeep over 50,000, and a Shanghai sedan went as high as 80,000!

Money was way more valuable back then. Spending sixty to seventy thousand on a car felt like a huge loss.

Think about it—cars in the 1980s were all manual. How did they even drive? Could it ever compare to the comfort of automatic transmission? Could it match the driving feel of post-2000 models?

These old clunkers would be outdated in a few years anyway. Might as well buy real estate and wait for it to appreciate. One house, even including renovation, would only cost 10,000–20,000 at most…

Yes, real estate was still the better investment!

Even so, Qiao Lu couldn’t help but daydream about the happy life of owning a car.

“A car? If you really need it urgently, it’s not impossible to buy now. It’s just not worth it. I asked around—just fueling it costs 20 or 30 yuan a month.”

In the 1970s, fuel prices skyrocketed. Gasoline cost 0.1 yuan per kilo and even required ration tickets. So expensive and troublesome!

That’s also one of the reasons hardly anyone could afford a car.

“No, no, no. I suddenly feel that if we’ve got money, we should save it and buy a house. Forget the flashy car lifestyle.”

“Sure. A house is cheaper than a car. Let’s buy one—get one for An’an and one for Qiaoqiao,” said the proud father.

Pfft—

They didn’t need the kids to become super successful—just growing up safe, healthy, and doing what they loved was enough.

Qiao Lu couldn’t help laughing. “The kids are still so young, and you’re already planning to buy them houses? Really now…”

Riding against the wind, Xu Haizhou was lost in pleasant fantasies: “If we have the money, it’s not a problem to buy two sets—one in the south of the city and one in the north. Let them choose whichever they prefer to live in.”

There were Second Elementary and Third Elementary in the south, and First Elementary in the north—both were good choices.

“Alright, alright, enough dreaming. Let’s focus on making money. Oh right, don’t forget to tell the driver to deliver goods to my new store tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, ma’am! Boss Qiao!”

Qiao Lu laughed so hard her whole body shook like flower petals in the wind and gave him a playful slap on the back. “Stop teasing me.”

She planned to save up and then head to Qiao Yan’s place to pick up Qiaoqiao. The child had become incredibly familiar and at ease there. After staying a few days, she seemed even more like a true family member than Zhiwei. When she was hungry, she drank from the bottle left by her mom. When she was tired, she curled up in bed and fell asleep by herself—quiet and well-behaved.

Whoever teased her would be rewarded with a smile that could melt your heart.

Even Qiao Yan’s mother-in-law joked that such a beautiful and well-behaved child should’ve been Zhiwei instead.

That day, Qiao Yan got off work early. After playing with her own son for a bit, she picked up little Qiaoqiao and just couldn’t let go. She nuzzled her endlessly, breathed in her milky scent, and kneaded her chubby little hands.

Suddenly, the little one’s eyes lit up, and she began twisting excitedly in her arms. She raised her small hand and pointed behind Qiao Yan, babbling like she was trying to talk, but the words wouldn’t come. Her mouth drooled like a faucet.

Amused and exasperated, Qiao Yan took out a cotton towel to wipe her mouth, but the little one remained excited.

Puzzled, Qiao Yan turned around and saw her younger sister standing behind her with a smile, saying nothing.

Clapping her chest, she said, “You scared me! Why did you walk in so quietly? No wonder the baby suddenly got excited—turns out it was you playing tricks!”

“What tricks?” Qiao Lu chuckled, picked up her daughter, and planted a big kiss on her face, rubbing her head affectionately into Qiao Yan’s neck, making the little one giggle uncontrollably.

“Qiaoqiao, did you miss me? Did you miss Mommy?”

The little one babbled as she pinched Qiao Lu’s ear and immediately looked behind her toward the man, stretching out her arms, asking to be held.

“Mommy just held you, and now you want Daddy? Not giving you to him!”

Qiao Lu joked. The little one, whether she understood or not, clapped her hands happily and looked at her father. Her watery eyes sparkled like a little deer’s, and drool dripped from her red lips—she was a little water sprite.

What does this prove? Women really are made of water!

Xu Haizhou took two steps forward, couldn’t wait to snatch Qiaoqiao from his wife, and showered her with hugs and kisses. Her crystal-clear laughter was louder than when Qiao Lu held her.

“You little ingrate! Mommy feeds you every day and you don’t even like her the most?”

This time she seemed to understand—or maybe just caught the slight grievance in her mother’s tone—she turned around and twisted her little butt, wanting her mom to hold her again.

Qiao Lu took her back and shot Xu Haizhou a triumphant look: See? Our daughter likes me more.

Xu Haizhou rubbed his forehead, thinking that ever since his wife gave birth, it felt like she was aging in reverse—becoming more childish… But that was nice too. It meant her mindset was young and happy!

“Sister, was Qiaoqiao good at home today? She didn’t cause trouble, right?”

Qiao Yan smiled and patted the little one’s bottom. “When is this girl not good? You worry too much. Our Qiaoqiao is the best, isn’t she?”

Not only was she good—she was beautiful and lovable. Compared to her, Qiao Yan suddenly found her chubby son less appealing.

Sons just couldn’t compare to daughters. Daughters were soft and cuddly, and when they snuggled up to you, it was like they melted into a warm puddle on your chest, full of that sweet milky scent.

Boys were different. Before age one, they were okay, but after that, picking them up felt like lifting a solid brick—nothing like the fragrant softness of a daughter.

“Qiaoqiao, look how much your second aunt loves you. Tell her to have a baby girl with your uncle soon—then you’ll have a cousin just one year younger than you. You’ll be relatives and besties when you grow up!”

“Get lost!” Qiao Yan rolled her eyes. “You think having a baby is that easy? You think it’s a walk in the park? Besides, with the one-child policy, I’ve already had a boy—how would I dare go for a second?”

“True. Forget it then. Our Qiaoqiao will just have to find another girl to be besties with.” She sighed in mock regret.

After chatting with Qiao Yan for a while, Yuan Jianghe came back. He started talking with Xu Haizhou about the factory.

Men always seemed to talk about cold, impersonal topics, unlike her and her sister, who always talked about kids or the household.

“I thought you’d come by at noon to see her. You’re really busy today?” Qiao Yan glanced at her younger sister. She was all dolled up today—makeup on, a winter dress with a coat—radiant and stunning.

If she were Qiao Lu’s husband, she wouldn’t be willing to let her go out and run a business either.

Qiao Lu nodded while gently rocking the already sleeping Qiaoqiao in her arms. “Yeah, the new store just opened. Can’t afford not to be busy. First day, we’re doing promotions and big discounts. If it’s not busy now, it won’t ever be.”

“Oh.” Qiao Yan nodded, her smile sweet and full. “I’ve got good news for you too.”

“What is it?” Qiao Lu looked away from her daughter’s face, puzzled.

Qiao Yan: “Do you have a truck over there? Can you help us move?”

“Move? You…” Qiao Lu looked at her in confusion, then suddenly her eyes lit up. “Sister, did you finally get your work unit housing?”

They had waited for that benefit for years! Her brother-in-law was even a department director, and their kid was nearly two!

It had taken forever, but at least the result was worth it.

“Yes! We finally got it! You don’t know how many people were eyeing it. Even your brother-in-law had a hard time as a director. It nearly killed us!” Qiao Yan said with relief, remembering how exhausting the fight for that house was.

“Well, as long as you got it, who cares how hard it was.”

Based on Yuan Jianghe’s seniority, they should’ve gotten the house a year or two ago.

But the factory had so many workers—some families of six or seven squeezed into tiny rooms. Compared to their small family of three, those “big families” needed a new house more urgently.

The factory had to be extremely cautious about the housing allocation. They held countless meetings and discussions. After a long ordeal, Qiao Yan’s family finally got their share. As for the rest—who cared?

Housing—how important is it to the Chinese?

Even if you don’t realize it now, you absolutely will twenty years from now.

Especially for urban residents, a home isn’t just a place to live—it’s also the basis for school enrollment, healthcare, and social security!

“Alright, Sister, are you in a hurry? If not, I’ll check tomorrow. If there’s a free driver, I’ll send him to help you move.”

“We’re in a bit of a rush. Spring Festival is coming, and we want to move in quickly, clean up, and get ready for the new year. Jianghe and I haven’t started our holiday yet, so we only have time to tidy up after work.”

It wasn’t a bare-bones apartment—it was already painted, so there was no need for fancy renovations like Qiao Lu’s place. Just move the furniture in and it would be livable.

“Alright, I’ll arrange it first thing tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

Qiao Lu chuckled. “Why thank me? You’re making me feel awkward. Since when are you this polite?”

She teased, staring at her.

Qiao Yan couldn’t keep up the act for even two seconds before laughing out loud. “Can’t even be polite once with you, huh?”

“Haha.”

The wind was still cold. On the empty evening street, few pedestrians lingered.

Riding on the wide road, with so few people and cars, it felt smooth and carefree.

Especially with her husband breaking the wind ahead and her daughter like a little heater in her arms, Qiao Lu didn’t feel cold at all. Her heart was full, warm, and content.

She let the cold late-winter wind brush against her, mixed with tiny snowflakes tapping her cheeks, as the bicycle slowly rolled toward the warm lights of home.

Lately, life had been a complete whirlwind. Just as things at the factory had settled, her new store opened. After a few hectic days there, it was time to start preparing goods for the Lunar New Year.

Each day passed in a blur—life was too full!

Back home, Qiao An had already finished his homework and was watching TV on the sofa with Li Jiahao from upstairs. Both had odd lounging positions.

Qiao An lay on his stomach, a pillow under his belly, feet kicking in the air. Beside him, Li Jiahao reclined with two pillows stacked high behind his back, legs crossed, swinging lazily.

This little rascal never liked staying in his own home. He always came to Qiao Lu’s.

Even though he had a Toshiba color TV at home, he refused to watch it. He insisted on coming over to watch their black-and-white TV with Qiao An, saying their sofa was softer and the redwood one at home was too stiff.

When Qiao Lu came back, the little guy threw aside the TV drama and ran over enthusiastically, just like always. “Mom! You’re back! I’m so hungry. Are we eating out today?”

“There are some biscuits at home—why didn’t you snack a bit first? We’re not eating out today. Your dad bought some braised beef, and we’re making beef noodles tonight. I’ll put lots of meat in yours, okay?”

“Okay! I love beef!” Then he tiptoed to peek at Qiaoqiao in her arms. “Is little sister asleep? I want to see her.”

After placing the child on the sofa, she should’ve been awake by now. Hearing her brother’s voice, she slowly opened her eyes.

She had slept so soundly that her lips looked even redder than before. She opened her mouth wide in a yawn and looked sleepily at her brother, raising her tiny hand to grab his face.

Qiao An leaned down, moved closer to let her grab him.

Maybe Qiaoqiao recognized that the person in front of her was her brother and that she couldn’t hurt him. Her little hand gently touched his face, then she yawned again. She didn’t scratch or pinch him, just softly stroked his tender skin. The atmosphere between the siblings was peaceful and warm.

“Li Jiahao! Come home for dinner!” Upstairs, Wang Qi opened the door and shouted. The instinct buried deep in Li Jiahao’s genes made him shudder and spring up from the sofa.

“Uncle, Auntie, Qiao An, I’m going home now. My mom’s calling me for dinner!”

Qiao Lu saw him off: “Alright, go slowly, be careful on the stairs.”

“Mm!” He dashed up the stairs without any hesitation or reluctance.

Holding both little ones on the sofa while watching TV, they didn’t pay much attention to the show—she just loved playing with her daughter.

“Qiaoqiao, my little sweetheart, did you miss Mommy? After today it’ll be easier. Mommy will start taking you to work, okay?”

Qiaoqiao loved biting her hands when she had nothing to do. She liked putting her fingers in her mouth, as if savoring some delicious food.

Hearing her mother’s words, and glancing at her brother, she suddenly let out a sneeze with no warning.

Even she didn’t expect it. Coincidentally, her hand was still in her mouth and hadn’t been pulled out in time. The sneeze made her tiny baby teeth knock hard against her fingers. She froze for two seconds and then burst into loud sobs.

Her mom, not exactly kind, burst out laughing. It was her brother instead who quickly comforted her by holding her fingers, kissing her chubby face, and soothing her: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, it doesn’t hurt. It’ll be okay in a few minutes. Don’t cry, little sister, brother will blow on it for you~”

“Whoo~ whoo~”

It had to be said, the warm air her brother blew really worked. She cried for just two minutes and then stopped, staring at her brother as he blew on her finger. She even found it amusing, pushing her finger toward his mouth, urging him to blow more.

More blowing, more comfort!

Qiao Lu pinched her little feet wrapped in cotton socks. “Sweetheart, you’re so adorable. Call Mommy, come on. If you call Mommy, she’ll give you a kiss, and the pain will go away.”

The baby giggled happily, babbling and drooling.

At five months old, how could she know how to say “Mommy”? Although she couldn’t yet say it, she was getting better at expressing her love for her parents.

Besides the most exciting time—meals—she would always ask to be held whenever she saw Qiao Lu. She also loved playing games with Mom and Dad, especially the peekaboo game.

Dad would cover his face with his hands or a cushion. When he suddenly revealed his face, the little one would be startled, freeze for a second, then break into clear laughter and run away. Dad would chase her, trying to scare her, making her giggle uncontrollably.

Sometimes, for no apparent reason, she’d start crying, and Dad would blow raspberries on her tummy, making her giggle with joy.

“Say Mama, Mama~”

“Say Daddy, say Daddy.” While cooking noodles in the kitchen, Xu Haizhou suddenly ran into the living room, encouraging his daughter to call him Dad.

“Mu-ma~ mu-ma~” The little one didn’t call anyone, just made some unclear sounds.

Qiao Lu chuckled and rubbed her soft hair. “Who are you calling, sweetheart? We don’t have a rocking horse here.”

“Call brother! Sister, call me brother!” Qiao An bent down and snatched Qiaoqiao from his mom’s arms, pressing his face to hers. “Qiaoqiao, it’s been so long, hurry and call me, just once—Brother, say Brother.”

“She doesn’t even say Mommy yet. How could she call you Brother?” Qiao Lu said, amused.

“I play with her every day. She should call me first.” Sometimes when Mom worked on clothes in the living room, he was the one responsible for entertaining the baby. She was super close to him.

Qiao Lu laughed. “Well, I breastfeed her every day. Why shouldn’t she call me first?”

Qiao An was stumped. He scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

Then, something unbelievable happened.

While Qiao An kept urging “Brother, Brother,” the baby in his arms suddenly let out a soft sound: “Ga-ga~”

“What?” Ga-ga? What Ga-ga?

“Qiaoqiao, you got it wrong. It’s Brother, not Ga-ga~ You’re not a duck. Why are you saying Ga-ga?” Qiao An corrected.

“Ga-ga~” Little Qiaoqiao still insisted, not changing it. “Ga-ga~ Ga-ga~”

She got more and more excited, flailing her hands and kicking her legs, as if addicted: “Ga-ga, Ga-ga~ Go-ga~!”

This simple, not-so-accurate “Ga-ga” made both Mom and Dad exchange shocked looks.

The first word their child said wasn’t “Mama” or “Daddy”—it was “Ga-ga” (Brother)?!

Qiao An, the victorious one, was overjoyed—almost asking his mom to buy fireworks for a celebration.

He cupped his sister’s little head and showered her with kisses.

Excitedly shouting, “Sister loves me most! Sister likes me the best!”

This year, due to a heavy workload, Xu Haizhou and his wife really didn’t have time to return to the North.

Xu’s parents couldn’t bear the crowded and tiring train trip either, so they decided to stay in the North.

So, on the day before New Year’s Eve, the couple specially took Qiao An and Qiaoqiao to the post office to make a long-distance call to the grandparents far away.

Last month, Xu Haizhou had sent them 2,000 yuan and a letter, making plans to have a long chat the day before New Year’s Eve.

“Hello, hello?”

“Grandma, it’s An’an~” That sweet little voice instantly melted Grandma’s heart.

Laughing with joy, her love could be felt even through the phone: “Ah, An’an, my eldest grandson! How have you been? Are you listening to your mom and dad?”

“I’m doing well~ I’m obedient, An’an is always obedient.” He couldn’t wait to share the big news: “Grandma, guess what? This year, I started elementary school!”

Then he corrected himself: “Wait, no—it was last year. I started elementary school last year. The teacher even made me class monitor!”

“Oh, you’re in elementary school? And you’re class monitor?” Grandma looked at Grandpa with a smile. “You must be doing very well in school then?”

“Yep, Grandma! In my final exams, I got third place in class. The first place was Sun Xiaoxiao. She’s really amazing. Her parents both do research—I don’t know what kind—but Dad says researchers are very smart. I’m not sure about anything else, but Xiaoxiao gets really good grades.”

“Oh? Then who got second place?” Grandma asked, following the child’s lead.

“Second was Liu Zhaodi. I don’t really know her well. I’m not sure why she’s so good either. I just know she’s kind of amazing.”

“Our An’an is amazing too! That’s great. Did your dad reward you?”

Qiao An shouted excitedly: “Dad did! He bought me a toy car!”

“Good, good. What about your little sister? Can she talk yet?”

“She can! But only one word!” He lifted his little head proudly.

“What does she say?” Grandma asked.

“She says ‘Brother’! She only knows how to call me. She can’t even say Mom or Dad.” Even though Grandma couldn’t see him, the kid still puffed out his chest in pride. He was so proud.

“Oh, sounds like you must play with her a lot. Otherwise, why would she only call you and not your parents?” Grandma chuckled.

“Yep! I play with her all the time. Every time, she plays with me. She’s so little, she can’t go out all the time. If she does, it has to be with Mom and Dad. Otherwise, it’s dangerous.” Like that time he got kidnapped before—that’d be a big problem!

Then he remembered something: “Grandma, where’s Grandpa?”

“Grandpa’s right here. Keep chatting with Grandma a bit more, then I’ll pass the phone to him.”

“Okay~”

Who would’ve guessed the little guy had a real knack for long phone conversations? He clung to the phone and chatted with Grandma for ages. Even the usually frugal grandparents didn’t want to hang up that long-distance call, leaving the couple both exasperated and amused.