Qi Mianmian had given Qi Fang and the other members of her immediate family the right to eat any of the baked goods, but none of them could bear to. Qi Fang and Qi Tian even said that they would help to sell the bread and cakes tomorrow morning.
Qi Mianmian did not refuse.
She really did hope that they would come along and learn some new skills.
Once they were taught, she would have more freedom.
…
In the middle of the night, Qi Mianmian quietly performed acupuncture on Qi Zhen for half an hour, just like last night. The next morning, Qi Zhen's vision improved a little more. Just like before, she was extremely excited after waking up at four in the morning. However, instead of screaming at the top of her lungs, as she had done the previous morning, she quietly basked in the joy for a while before falling asleep again.
She was not worried that she would oversleep.
Rain or shine, Qi Tian would wake up at 5:15 every morning like clockwork, and would call for them when it was time to get up.
Moreover, Qi Mianmian had gifted Elderly Lady Qi two additional cakes and two additional loaves of bread last night, and had requested for Elderly Lady Qi to ensure that they would wake up early the next day.
Indeed, the three sisters nearly overslept the next morning.
Aside from Qi Zhen, Qi Tian was still in a deep slumber when 5.15 came, due to the sleeping incense Qi Mianmian had lit.
Qi Mianmian's biological clock would only wake her up at six.
Fortunately, Wan Meiling and Elderly Lady Qi woke up early. Seeing that it was already 5.20 a.m., and that the bedroom shared by the three girls was utterly silent, they went to knock on the door together.
When the three sisters heard the wake-up call, they sat up immediately, got dressed, and rushed out—Qi Mianmian's foot had "fully recovered" last night.
Although the bread and cakes did not need to be kept warm, Qi Mianmian still asked Qi Zhen and Qi Fang to prepare two large foam boxes with thermal insulation properties.
Because these boxes looked much cleaner than any shallow basket.
With so many helpers, the preparation work was soon completed.
They even got ready to bring the increasingly obedient Qi Yang along.
Regarding this, Wan Meiling was not exactly worried, but she felt somewhat embarrassed. Qi Mianmian saw that she wanted to refuse. Holding on to Qi Yang's little hand, she said, "Aunty Mei, perhaps it would be best for Qi Yang to avoid places like the meat factory, if he could."
Qi Mianmian wasn't trying to imply that the meat factory was gloomy and radiated negative energy, because of all the slaughter taking place. She just felt that going to the meat factory was not good for Qi Yang's mental health.
Her words struck a chord in Wan Meiling's heart.
Wan Meiling had been privately worrying about this for a long time, but unfortunately, she had no other choice.
Seeing that Qi Yang was gripping onto Qi Mianmian and refusing to let go, she nodded. "Then I'll help you transport the boxes with my bicycle."
"There's no need. We have many people, so we'll be okay on our own. If you go to work earlier now, you'll be able to come home earlier today."
As she spoke, Qi Mianmian handed Wan Meiling and Qi Jingtang each a homemade paper bag, each containing some cakes and loaves of bread that had been slightly damaged. "This is for you to eat. Take it with you. Remember to let your colleagues try it, if you're close with them, and help us spread the word."
Wan Meiling opened the paper bag and smiled. "Sure."
Qi Jingtang did not reply, but he placed the paper bag into the bicycle's basket with utmost care.
Elderly Lady Qi was about to continue making matchboxes when she remembered that Qi Mianmian had told everyone yesterday that the cost price of the bread and cakes had exceeded 30 yuan. She still couldn't set her heart at rest, so she went into the house to get a coat and some change, then quickly chased after them.
They were planning to go to the vegetable market, which was the most crowded in the morning.
Along the way, they met some familiar faces. When these passers-by heard that they were going to the market to sell homemade cakes and bread, their expressions were indescribable.
There were also some people who wanted to help them with their business. However, when they heard the price, they immediately stammered out their excuses and left.
Elderly Lady Qi had also nagged non-stop, trying her best to persuade Qi Mianmian to lower the prices for the bread and cakes. This way, their neighbors and acquaintances would be more willing to buy some, and they would not be unable to sell any of them.
Unfortunately, though Qi Mianmian's personality seemed to have changed over the past two days, she was still that cold, heartless, and stubborn girl deep down. Her words made Elderly Lady Qi go mute with rage. "Grandma, you promised me you wouldn't get involved."
Elderly Lady Qi was so angry that she wanted to go home immediately. However, thinking of how Qi Mianmian had given her a total of three loaves of bread and three cakes yesterday, she took a deep breath and followed her to the market with a twisted expression.