Chapter 12 Lack of
  Money It was a sunny weekend morning. When the two sisters arrived in front of a small building, they were already sweating profusely.

  Wen Ling walked to the iron gate and knocked a few times. With a scraping sound, a pug ran out and sniffed the air outside through the crack in the door.

  "Niuniu, help me open the door." Wen Ling heard the sound through the iron gate and happily whispered to the crack.

  With a click, the door really opened. In front of Fang Qing's surprised expression, Wen Ling picked up the pug and walked quickly into the yard. "Qingqing, come here, I'll take you to see Teacher Qiu."

  Fang Qing followed behind her and looked around. The small yard was square and not large in area, but it was paved with fine bluestone tiles. The attic was beautifully built. In addition to the dark blue sandstone on the wall, many glazed tiles were also used to form a painting, which complemented the entire attic.

  There was a small tree in the west corner of the yard, its species unclear. Beneath the tree was a rocking chair covered with a thick blanket. Next to it was a small table with an unclosed book and a pot of tea on it.

  By this time, the two had reached the door of the house. Wen Ling skillfully put on a pair of elegant slippers and turned to find a pair for Fang Qing. "Put on your shoes. Teacher Qiu doesn't like people wearing shoes in the house."

  Fang Qing nodded. From the outside, it was obvious that the owner of this house was a person who paid attention to cleanliness and comfort, so it was only right for the guests to follow the host's wishes.

  The first floor of the house was the living room. Two long, old sofas were placed opposite each other. A row of lush green plants behind them instantly made the living room lively. The Chinese paintings of clothes and landscapes on the walls gave people a sense of transcendence. Fang Qing followed Wen Ling up the stairs to a spacious, brightly lit room. Wen Ling knocked on the door and entered. "Teacher Qiu, I'm here for class."

  "Xiaoling, come in! I need to talk about your homework." A gentle yet somewhat aged voice froze Fang Qing in her tracks. This voice... how could it be so similar to the ugly old woman who had been the only one to offer her warmth in her past life?
  Seeing Fang Qing standing in the doorway, dazed, Wen Ling turned and pulled her behind an easel. A kind-faced, gray-haired old woman appeared before her. Though she looked a little different from her past life memories, her kind, smiling eyes still made Fang Qing tremble.

  There was no mistake, no mistake. This was the ugly old woman who had taught her to paint and comforted her so often!

  Although she didn't know why the ugly old woman had been disfigured and confined to a mental hospital in her previous life, Fang Qing's eyes welled with emotion as she saw her true face for the first time. Ugly old woman, we meet again. How wonderful!

  Fang Qing remained silent for a long time, drawing the attention of the hospitable Teacher Qiu. She looked up and, through her reading glasses, spotted a strikingly pretty young girl staring at her, her eyes tearing up and her nose reddened.

  "Little girl, are you feeling unwell? Would you like to sit down and rest?"

  Teacher Qiu's concern brought Fang Qing back to her senses. She sheepishly wiped away the tears, "Sorry, some sand got in my eyes when I walked in just now. Hello, teacher. My name is Fang Qing, and I'm delighted to meet you."

  Teacher Qiu looked Fang Qing over, her liking growing. He extended his hand to invite her closer, pointing to the easel in front of them. "Are you interested in learning to paint? If you do, I'll teach you for free."

  Wen Ling, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, Qingqing, you should learn too. That way, we can paint and study together every day!"

  Fang Qing certainly wanted to learn, but considering the high cost of painting, she hesitated. Teacher Qiu smiled and told her to come along and see for herself until she had made up her mind.

  Teacher Qiu was alone at home. Her husband had passed away long ago, and her only daughter was studying abroad. She had a brilliant grandson who sent gifts home every Lunar New Year. The few photos on the wall showed Teacher Qiu in her youth, a smile so blissful she had never seen on the ugly old woman's face.

  Fang Qing looked at the overly clean and tidy room and the old woman, conscientiously teaching at her desk, and felt a strange pang of sadness. In a past life, the ugly old woman had taught her simple sketching, her only joy in her cage. She could never have imagined that the ugly old woman was actually a painting teacher. What had she endured in her past life to end up in a mental hospital?

  "Qingqing, come and see my drawing?"

  Wen Ling's call brought her back from her thoughts. She smiled and walked over, absorbing the warm atmosphere.

  Entering the house that afternoon, she saw her aunt in the yard, helping her mother boil sauerkraut. Seeing her return, she excitedly pointed inside her room, "Come and see, the new schoolbag is done." Finished

  ? Fang Qing ran back into the room and immediately spotted the large pink backpack with double straps lying on the bed. The thick outer cover and soft, thick straps made it both stylish and convenient to carry.

  "Auntie, you're amazing! My original drawing was so crude, I was worried you wouldn't be able to do it right." Fang Qing couldn't let go of the backpack, leaning against the doorframe as he watched his aunt's beaming face.

  The aunt raised her eyebrows proudly while working, "It's just a schoolbag, can it really stump me, your aunt?"

  Fang Qing looked at the schoolbag, and suddenly a bold idea came to her mind, "Aunt, do you think other people will like this schoolbag? How about if we make it in batches and sell it?"

  Fang Cuiying stopped what she was doing, thinking about the process and time of making the schoolbag, then shook her head, "Your schoolbag is good, but from selecting the materials to starching and washing to the final cutting and sewing, it took me, your aunt, five days. The materials are not worth much, but the labor cost is hard to earn back..."

  Fang Qing was a little discouraged after hearing this. She held the schoolbag and thought for a long time. Suddenly, the assembly line in the TV series in her previous life appeared in her mind, and she suddenly got attention.

  "Aunt, if we assign each step to a different person, and we just focus on this one thing, wouldn't that speed up the production?"

  Fang Cuiying was surprised by her niece's question. "Have you ever worked in a factory? That's how garment factories operate, right? But even if you make this backpack, can you guarantee anyone will buy it?"

  Stumped by the question, Fang Qing finally deflated. Indeed, without a market, even the best product wouldn't necessarily fetch a profit. It seemed unrealistic for her to make money from backpacks.

  Fang Qing reluctantly put down her schoolbag, rolled up her sleeves, and began helping her aunt with the work, but her mind was constantly thinking about how to solve this problem...

  Outside the gates of Jingtan County No. 2 Middle School, Liu Xiuxiu said goodbye to a few friends and dressed up to the nines, heading quickly to the Sun family's house. But just as she walked through an alley, a large hand suddenly reached out and dragged her inside.

  Liu Xiuxiu's screams were completely muffled, and she only felt relieved when she heard the hoarse chuckle of the person behind her and caught a glimpse of curly hair out of the corner of her eye.

  "Xiu'er, long time no see."

  (End of this chapter)