Living like a widow? My rough neighbor is coaxing me to have a baby every night.

Chapter 211 Forget about romance, making money is the only way.

"Sister Xiao Lan, please don't say that."

Li Xianglian sat beside her, helping her organize the goods. "Although Yanzi is a bit arrogant, she was still deceived by that Zhao Guangming. Aunt Hua was crying like that just now; I don't think this matter will end well."

"Good riddance? There are no secrets in this world."

Xiao Lan pursed her lips, picked up a freshly made lace-trimmed hair tie, and said, "Just wait and see. This won't cause much of a stir. Zhao Guangming will just walk away, and in the end, it's us women who will suffer. Let's not meddle in other people's business. They're hopeless. The important thing is to earn our own money first."

The two worked until three or four in the afternoon, turning all the newly arrived scraps of Dacron fabric into stylish hair ties.

This time, Li Xianglian even sewed some sequins onto a few hair ties. They were taken from old clothes and sparkled in the sunlight, making them look high-end.

As soon as the sun set, the high-wattage streetlight in front of the county cinema lit up with a "zzzz" sound.

Mosquitoes swarmed around the light bulb, and the heat from the concrete floor below hadn't dissipated yet, but a restless energy had already gathered. Vendors selling melon seeds and soft drinks called out their wares incessantly.

Li Xianglian and Xiao Lan were very familiar with the place this time.

The two set up their stall under the brightest streetlight, spread out a black velvet cloth, and displayed colorful scrunchies on it, their sequins sparkling like stars in the sky under the light.

Before they even started hawking their wares, several sharp-eyed girls who hadn't managed to buy anything the night before had already gathered around.

"Hey! Boss, you've finally arrived!"

A girl in a floral blouse was stamping her feet in frustration. "I was too slow last night, and the one with the lace trim was sold out. I have to pick a good one today!"

"Better late than never! You have a good eye, girl. This beaded one is a new style for tonight!"

Xiao Lan was a social butterfly; the better the business, the sweeter her words. "Look at the workmanship! This is the only 'Hong Kong style' one of its kind in our county. Wearing it makes you look like a modern woman straight out of a magazine!"

"I want the red one!"

"Give me a blue one, with sequins!"

With last night's setup, and the commotion caused by Zhao Guangming's "buying everything," this little stall is now completely famous in the movie theater area.

Li Xianglian was no longer intimidated. She had a homemade cloth pouch tied around her waist, and she deftly found money and put it into the pouch.

"Hey ma'am, here's 50 cents, please keep it."

"Hey girl, don't rush, there are two more of this one."

Eighty-odd hair ties seem like a lot, but there were just too many people.

These days, there are few entertainment options, and young people dating mostly just go to the park or watch movies.

To impress their partners, men would readily spend five cents without batting an eye.

Women are obsessed with beauty and would rather skip a meal of meat than not wear this rare thing on their heads.

In about an hour, which was roughly the length of a movie opening, the black velvet cloth became completely empty, with not even a single loose thread left.

"That's it... all gone?" A woman who arrived late looked at the empty tray with a disappointed expression.

"Sorry, sister-in-law, business was so good today. Please come back early tomorrow!" Xiao Lan stuffed the last few ten-yuan bills into her pocket, her face powder almost falling off from her smile. "We'll stock up more tomorrow!"

Closing down!

The two packed their things, tucked their cloth bags under their arms, and walked back with their heads held high like victorious generals.

The movie had just started, and the area outside was much quieter.

Just as I reached the entrance of the dark alleyway that led to the transport team's family compound, I heard a series of light footsteps and suppressed sobs ahead.

Li Xianglian subconsciously tugged at Xiao Lan's sleeve, and the two of them darted into the shadows by the wall.

By the dim light of the streetlamp at the alley entrance, two figures stumbled and staggered over.

The one walking in front, with a large build, is Aunt Hua.

However, today Aunt Hua didn't have that loud voice and imposing manner. She hung her head, looking like a thief, and kept looking around warily as she walked, afraid of running into someone she knew.

She was clutching the one behind her tightly.

The one behind is Wang Chunyan.

Where is the arrogant and haughty Wang Chunyan from the daytime now?

Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and her once-proud Dacron dress was covered in dust and wrinkled.

Her makeup was completely ruined, and her tears made her face look so dark and smudged, like a ghost drawing.

As Aunt Hua dragged her away, she covered her face and cried softly.

"Cry! You still have the nerve to cry!"

Aunt Hua lowered her voice, the sound seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

"I told you long ago that Zhao Guangming was a scoundrel, but you wouldn't listen! You insisted on jumping into that fire pit! And now look what happened? He got all the benefits and then threw you out? You've completely disgraced me!"

"Mom...it hurts..." Wang Chunyan cried out, sobbing.

"You deserve to be in so much pain! Go back and stay put, and don't tell anyone! If your uncle, who's the team leader, finds out, he'll break your legs!"

As Aunt Hua was cursing, she looked up and bumped into Li Xianglian and Xiao Lan standing in the shadows.

Eyes facing each other.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Aunt Hua's already pale, chubby face suddenly turned a deep liver color, and then became deathly pale again.

Panic and shame flashed in her eyes, eventually turning into an awkward pleading expression.

She didn't dare to greet them, much less try to get close to them as she usually did.

Aunt Hua quickly gave Li Xianglian a wink, the meaning in her eyes being: Sister, please don't make a sound, give me some face.

Then, in a fit of anger, she grabbed the still-dazed Wang Chunyan and, as if avoiding a plague, ran away with her head down, close to the wall.

Xiao Lan chuckled as soon as the mother and daughter disappeared into the depths of the alley.

"See? This is what happens when you don't listen to the advice of your elders; you suffer the consequences."

Xiao Lan smoothed the stray hairs at her temples, her tone tinged with coldness, "That Zhao Guangming is like a dog, he eats his fill and then denies everything. Wang Chunyan still dreams of being an official's wife, now look what's happened, she's become a worn-out shoe sole, let's see how she'll still be so arrogant in the factory."

Li Xianglian sighed and shook her head: "Let's go, Sister Lan. We can't interfere in other people's lives; what's important is that we live our own lives well."

The two returned to the courtyard, closed the gate, and bolted it shut.

Xiao Lan couldn't wait to dump the cloth bag containing the money onto the octagonal table in the main room.

"Splash—"

A large pile of loose change, mixed with a few large bills, was stacked on the table like a small mountain.

Although the face value of the money these days is small, it's still quite impressive to see.

"Count them quickly! Count them quickly!" Xiao Lan's eyes were gleaming, and her hands were trembling slightly.

Li Xianglian didn't hesitate either. The two of them put their heads together and, by the dim light of the bulb, began to count their spoils.

"One yuan... two yuan... five yuan..."

"This costs ten yuan..."

In no time at all, they had counted them.

Looking at the last number, Li Xianglian felt her throat go dry and her heart pound like a drum.

"Sister Lan...besides the fifty yuan from last night, tonight's turnover alone...is forty-two yuan and fifty cents!"

Forty-two yuan and fifty cents!

You should know that nowadays, even a regular employee in a machine factory like Wang Chunyan, who sits in an office, only earns thirty-six yuan a month despite working herself to the bone.

Li Xianglian and her friends stood outside the movie theater for just one hour and earned back a month's salary!

And this also includes the "windfall" from last night. In the past two days, it's almost a hundred yuan!

"Goodness..."

Xiao Lan slumped into a chair, clutching a wad of banknotes, laughing uncontrollably. "Xianglian, we're about to strike it rich!"