Looking out, there was a sea as beautiful as sapphires. The beach was golden, without a single piece of trash in sight. Tall coconut trees swayed gently in the sea breeze.
The class monitor stared at the beautiful scenery on the phone and happily proposed, "Who wants to go to Penglang Island with me? I remember that apart from the hotels and sightseeing cars, all the amusement facilities on Penglang Island are free."
"We can get a few people together to go there. Instead of staying in a hotel, we'll stay directly at Zhou Qianqian's place."
Hearing this, Zhou Qianqian's heart skipped a beat. She was just about to decline.
But when she saw the class monitor, who had always ignored her, clasping their hands together in a pleading gesture on the screen, she just couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.
This was a great opportunity for her to fit in with the class. With this, she could become the "rich kid" in the class from now on...
The title of "rich kid" was extremely appealing to Zhou Qianqian.
"Yeah, this way, we only need to pay for the train tickets! We can stay in a luxurious villa and enjoy the beautiful sea view!"
The classmate who had just questioned Zhou Qianqian excitedly calculated and steered the conversation towards her.
"You think so too, right, Qianqian?"
Since they could benefit from Zhou Qianqian, the classmate's way of addressing her had changed.
Zhou Qianqian felt greatly recognized from the change in address. She pursed her lips and nodded vigorously.
The classmates agreed to take the high - speed train to Penglang Island tomorrow and then hung up the video call.
It was only after Zhou Qianqian, who was floating on cloud nine from the classmates' praises, that she realized this wasn't actually her home.
If the classmates wanted to stay, they needed the consent of Qin Hongying and the others.
"Damn it! I got too excited and forgot about this!"
Zhou Qianqian thought to herself that something was wrong. She turned around and rushed back to the kitchen, her face showing a bit of solemnity and anxiety.
"Mom, I want to discuss something with you!"
After calming herself down, Aunt Zhou heard her daughter's urgent voice. She stopped what she was doing, turned around, and looked at her in confusion. "What's up?"
"It's... my classmates want to come here... here..."
Zhou Qianqian didn't know how to put it for a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter. Before she could finish speaking, she became extremely frustrated and anxious.
"Ugh, it's all your fault!"
Zhou Qianqian stamped her feet angrily, venting all her embarrassment on Aunt Zhou. She resented Aunt Zhou for being just a caregiver.
If Aunt Zhou was as rich as Qin Hongying, she wouldn't have to worry about so many things.
Aunt Zhou was completely lost. Her daughter got angry before finishing her sentence, which left her at a loss.
She reached out and grabbed Zhou Qianqian's arm, thinking that Zhou Qianqian had also been snubbed by Qin Hongying.
"Sweetie, did Qin Hongying give you a hard time?"
Qin Hongying could scold her, but if Qin Hongying took it out on her daughter, she would hold a grudge against Qin Hongying.
"No!"
Zhou Qianqian wriggled awkwardly, shaking off Aunt Zhou's hand. She felt that it seemed like she was being vain if she said this, but if she didn't, the problem wouldn't be solved.
The classmates were coming tomorrow. If she didn't let them stay in the villa, all her lies would be exposed.
No one would want to play with her in the future!
No, she would never allow this to happen!
After stammering for a long time, under Aunt Zhou's intense gaze, Zhou Qianqian finally told the whole story.
"Mom, what should I do? My classmates are all clamoring to stay in the villa."
"I've already lied to them that this is my home!"
Aunt Zhou knew it was a big deal, but she didn't expect it to be this big. She was so angry that her face dropped. She quickly pulled Zhou Qianqian to the innermost part of the kitchen, afraid that their conversation would be overheard.
"You crazy girl! How dare you lie! This is Qin Hongying's home, not ours. We're just here as guests!"
"How am I supposed to bring this up to Qin Hongying?"
Aunt Zhou was so angry that she clapped her hands and loudly scolded Zhou Qianqian.
She had just been scolded by Qin Hongying and really didn't want to humble herself to ask Qin Hongying.
Zhou Qianqian got annoyed by Aunt Zhou's scolding and started to cry loudly. The thought of her classmates coming to stay tomorrow filled her with fear.
"What should I do? I've already promised them. If I don't let them stay, they'll definitely laugh at me!"
Zhou Qianqian cried hysterically while wiping her tears.
Aunt Zhou was afraid that her cries would alert others. She quickly reached out to cover Zhou Qianqian's mouth, but Zhou Qianqian kept pushing Aunt Zhou's arm away while crying.
"You're a bad mom! You don't even want to help me with this! I've already been bullied by my classmates. Now they'll look down on me even more!"
Seeing her daughter crying so pitifully and hearing her complaints, Aunt Zhou softened her heart. She tried to reason with Zhou Qianqian.
"How about this? Mom will pay to book a hotel for your classmates. It'll still be like you're treating them."
"No, a hotel isn't my home. I want them to know that my home is a luxurious villa!"
Zhou Qianqian cried and refused. She cried louder and louder, showing no awareness that they were just guests.
Aunt Zhou had no choice but to sigh and agree. "Okay, I got it. Stop crying. I'll go and discuss it with Qin Hongying."
Hearing this, Zhou Qianqian immediately stopped crying. She broke into a smile, even blowing a snot bubble.
"Mom, you promised. You have to help me!"
"You! If I didn't help you, you'd cry yourself to death here tonight!"
Aunt Zhou couldn't help but scold her daughter gently when she saw how quickly her daughter's mood changed. But in her heart, she was wracking her brains to think of a way to persuade Qin Hongying.
"Mom is the best!"
Zhou Qianqian didn't care how difficult it was for Aunt Zhou. She smiled and gave Aunt Zhou a hug, rubbing all her tears on Aunt Zhou's clothes. Then she ran back to her room on the second floor.
Aunt Zhou sighed and shook her head. Looking out at the calm, dark - blue sea in front of the window, she made a bowl of nourishing ginseng soup for Qin Hongying.
When she was pouring the ginseng soup into a bowl, Aunt Zhou skillfully took out a strip of capsules from her pocket. She took out three pills, broke them open, and poured the powder into the ginseng soup.
This was a sleeping powder. One to two hours after drinking it, the person would feel sleepy, listless, and unable to keep their eyes open.
The purpose was to help Qin Hongying, who had trouble sleeping, fall asleep quickly so that she wouldn't order her to do more work.
After so many years of using the medicine, the dosage had to be increased.
Aunt Zhou carried the ginseng soup upstairs and into Qin Hongying's room.
Qin Hongying was lying on the luxurious big bed, wearing a facial mask and listening to Buddhist scriptures. Her hand kept turning the rosary beads that had become shiny from being rubbed.
"Madam, it's time to drink the ginseng soup."
Aunt Zhou called out softly.
Hearing the sound, Qin Hongying immediately tore off the facial mask and sat up. Seeing the calm expression on Aunt Zhou's face, she felt that she might have been too harsh on her today.
Aunt Zhou's suggestion for Xu Qingqing and the others to have dinner earlier was a good one. She might have overreacted.
"Thank you."