Chapter 86: A Dimensionality Reduction Strike?

Five minutes later, Su Qinghu gritted her teeth as she looked at Erdan. She pointed at him in the air, then pointed again, finally taking a deep breath. As she walked outside, she wiped the water from her face and said without looking back, “Go wash up!”

Dadan and Erdan exchanged glances, like mice seeing a cat. They tiptoed toward the bathroom, barely daring to breathe.

In the courtyard, the towels Su Qinghu had washed and hung out to dry yesterday were already crisp and dry after a night, carrying a faint scent of soap.

As Su Qinghu dried her hair, she felt a sense of relief.

Thank goodness it was just clean water—no need to wash her hair, just dry it off and it would be fine.

But those two kids—

Su Qinghu let out a long sigh toward the sky. These two really had no principles! Erdan often ran around the alleys and parks, so it wasn’t surprising if he started believing in superstitions. But Dadan, who was so interested in science—how did his thinking end up aligning with Erdan’s?

With no hair dryer, Su Qinghu resigned herself to drying her hair with a towel. Looking at the bright sun, she sighed again.

Yesterday, she’d sold her crafts for eight yuan each. After getting her hair permed, buying two lipsticks, and picking up a few other things, she’d spent nearly fifty yuan.

She still had some money left, but as for a hair dryer… that would have to wait.

After drying her hair, Su Qinghu changed her clothes. As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw the two kids—one with a broom, the other with a rag—cleaning up the living room.

That’s more like it. Whoever made the mess should clean it up.

Once they’d finished washing up, Su Qinghu called the two over and had them load the remaining 46 delicate, charming little baskets onto the tricycle. Then she asked, “Yesterday, Dadan had three left, and Erdan had three left. Those are still yours. Today, how many more do you want to add to your totals?”

Yesterday, Dadan had sold one by chance. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m not adding any more.”

Erdan: “Bro?”

Dadan glanced at him but didn’t change his mind.

Erdan, who had sold three yesterday, was a bit overconfident. He’d even thought last night about begging Su Qinghu for a few more. But seeing his brother not increasing his quota, his excitement cooled a bit. After thinking it over, he raised his hand and gestured, “I’ll take six more?”

With three left from before and now two sets of three, he figured he could sell them in batches of three and finish quickly.

“You sure?” Su Qinghu reminded them, “Once you decide, you can’t back out. However many you take, you have to sell that many. If you can’t sell them all in one day, then two days; if not in two, then three—until you sell them all.”

“During this time, I’ll only follow you from a distance. I won’t help you hawk your wares, understand?”

Dadan and Erdan exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

“And if you haven’t sold them all by three in the afternoon, I’ll deduct the cost for however many are left.” Su Qinghu smiled at their startled faces. “Don’t worry, I won’t deduct much—just two cents per basket per day.”

Dadan: “…”

Erdan opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just closed it with a determined look.

Su Qinghu said, “You have two minutes to reconsider. After two minutes, you can change your mind.”

Erdan immediately wanted to speak, but Su Qinghu shot him a look. “No rush. I said two minutes, so two minutes it is.”

She glanced at her watch and was about to go to the bedroom to get her bag when she heard a knock at the door.

She was about to tell the kids to answer, but suddenly thought of something and went herself.

Sure enough, it was just as she’d guessed.

Liu Guifang stood at the door, holding a string of little baskets in each hand, looking a bit disgruntled. “Where did you all go? I came by after work yesterday to return the leftover baskets, but you weren’t home, so I had to make another trip.”

She didn’t want to come in, just handed the baskets to Su Qinghu. “Check if there’s anything wrong with them. If not, I’ll be on my way.”

She still had food cooking at home.

Su Qinghu glanced at the baskets, saw the count was right, and called out to Dadan without turning her head, “Go get the receipt. You know where it is.”

Hearing Dadan’s reply, Su Qinghu took the baskets, checked that they were in good shape, and nodded. “No problem.”

Liu Guifang breathed a sigh of relief. On her way over, she’d been worried Su Qinghu would make a fuss about late delivery or defects and try to dock her pay.

Now that she could relax, she noticed something else. “Hey, did you get your hair done?”

Su Qinghu smiled. They’d just been face to face a moment ago.

“Oh, and you’re wearing lipstick too!” Liu Guifang acted like she’d discovered a new continent, clicking her tongue. “You know, a couple years ago, someone like you would have—”

She trailed off, giving a knowing smile, but didn’t finish.

If it hadn’t been for yesterday’s shopping trip with that foreign woman, Su Qinghu might not have realized what Liu Guifang was insinuating.

“Let’s not talk about a couple years ago—let’s talk about now.” Su Qinghu looked Liu Guifang up and down until the woman’s face turned green, then finally spoke, as if bestowing mercy, “The things you just said—don’t say them to anyone else. At worst, people will laugh at you; at worst, you might get into real trouble.”

Liu Guifang: “…”

“A couple years ago, our country issued a policy—you didn’t see it?” Su Qinghu feigned surprise. “Never mind, I’ll tell you. The policy says you can’t ban women from wearing high heels, lipstick, or getting their hair permed.”

Liu Guifang was stunned for a moment, but then remembered that there had been talk of such a rule at her factory, though it was only mentioned vaguely and no one dared bring it up, so nothing came of it.

“Now, I hear there are beauty and daily makeup booklets for women. If you have time, see if you can find one and give it a read.” Su Qinghu finished, reached out to Dadan for the receipt, and handed it to Liu Guifang, settling the account.

With that done, Liu Guifang turned and left.

She didn’t even know why, but every time she saw Su Qinghu, she just wanted to say something to her—not out of malice, just couldn’t help herself…

Su Qinghu had no idea what Liu Guifang was thinking. Watching her hurry away, she started to reflect.

Was she being a bit too much—a dimensionality reduction strike—when dealing with someone as simple and thrifty as Liu Guifang from this era?

Of course, that thought only flashed by for a moment before she dismissed it. Dimensionality reduction strike or not, if someone tried to mess with her, she’d strike back—no point holding back!

Su Qinghu carried the two strings of baskets into the yard and set them down under the eaves.

Erdan watched her. “Mom, aren’t you going to process these baskets?”

Why did it seem like his new mom wasn’t as careful with the baskets as before?

“These twenty?” Su Qinghu glanced at them. “They’re yours now. Do whatever you want with them.”"