I trade in both worlds

The graves of three generations of Xu Xu's family are concentrated in one place. Each grave is not far from each other. It takes about a quarter of an hour to walk from Xu Jizong's house to the village entrance.

They first came to the grave of Xu Xu's great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Xu Youliang and Xu Youyin put the offerings aside, took the shovel and hoe and began to remove the bushes growing on the grave.

The women used sickles to cut the weeds and picked up the bushes that they had cleared away so that they could take them back as firewood.

After paying homage to the great-grandparents and grandparents, the group came to the graves of Xu Jizu and Zhang Yunxiang. This was a new grave and there were not many weeds. Xu Youyin took a shovel and shoveled it clean in a few strokes.

Xu Xu and the twins stood quietly in front of the grave, their eyes red. Their parents' departure seemed like a dream. Even standing in front of the grave today, they still couldn't believe that they were gone like this.

Second Aunt Xu sighed softly and patted her on the shoulder: "Put out the offerings and go talk to your parents."

Xu Xu placed the offerings in her hand in front of the grave: a bowl of fried bacon with garlic sprouts that Zhang Yunxiang liked, a bowl of fried fish fillets that Xu Jizu liked, a bowl of chicken soup, and a bottle of rice wine brewed by her mother.

She knelt in front of the grave with her head on the ground, as if she could feel the warmth of her parents.

She closed her eyes, and the smiles and words of her parents when they were alive emerged in her mind. Those warm memories came flooding back like a tide, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.

The twins also knelt down and started crying loudly.

Second Aunt Xu and Chen Lihua turned their heads slightly and gently wiped their tears. Xu Jizong sighed deeply, squatted down and lit the paper money.

The Xu Youliang brothers also followed in silently burning paper money.

"Dad, Mom, I've brought Xiao Jin and Xiao Zhun to see you." Xu Xu choked up and said, "I will take good care of my brothers, don't worry, don't worry about us all the time."

After saying that, she poured rice wine on the grave.

Xu Jin and Xu Zhun wiped their tears and followed their sister's example, kowtowing respectfully: "Dad and Mom, I miss you..."

Before she could finish her words, she started crying again. Aunt Xu wanted to go forward to comfort her, but Xu Xu shook her head.

She wanted the twins to vent their sadness so that they wouldn't get sick from holding it in for too long.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry." Xu Xu said silently in his heart while burning paper money: "I will send them to a private school and teach them the principles of life. Your spirits in heaven can rest assured."

The paper money gradually burned out, the flames went out, leaving only wisps of green smoke that drifted away in the cold wind. Xu Xu took one last look at the grave, then turned and left.

At night, lying in bed, Xu Jin suddenly asked: "Sister, will we always remember what our parents look like?"

Xu Xu was silent for a long time before replying: "Yes, we will always remember what they look like."

"It would be nice if we had a mobile phone at home." Xu Zhun suddenly said, "Then we can take pictures of our parents and look at them when we miss them."

Xu Xu also felt regretful.

A few days after the winter solstice, it was the twelfth lunar month. At this time, Xu Ziqing had stopped accepting new orders, and the current order delivery period had been scheduled until the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.

Xu Ziqing decided to buy cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles after the New Year, but the specific operation still needs to be discussed with Xu Xu.

Recently, many private messages in the background are asking when the thousand-layer sole will be on the shelves.

While eating at night, Xu Ziqing said, "Xu Xu, I plan to launch new products after the Chinese New Year."

"What new products?" Xu Xu blinked and asked curiously.

"Thousand-layer sole." Xu Ziqing said excitedly.

"Hmm?" Xu Xu asked in confusion, "Hasn't the thousand-layer sole been made all along?"

Xu Ziqing explained: "It's not custom made, I decided to go with the standard size."

"But if the thousand-layer soles are to be comfortable to wear, they must be tailor-made, otherwise the experience will be worse." Xu Xu was a little resistant.

She feels that whether it is shoes or clothes, they should be tailor-made to fit the feet, not too long or too short, not too fat or too bulky, and extremely comfortable to wear.

"People on the Internet have been calling for thousand-layer soles," Xu Ziqing said excitedly. "This type of shoe is very popular among netizens. I think if we standardize its production, it will definitely sell well."

"If it's not as comfortable as the custom-made ones, will I be scolded again?" Xu Xu was a little scared of the cyberbullying.

Xu Ziqing was silent. She didn’t know either. During the days when she was cyber-bullied, she didn’t even dare to go out.

Thinking of those difficult days, she hesitated: "Let me think about it."

After returning to the room, Xu Ziqing sat in front of the window, holding the mobile phone tightly in his hand, with a bit of hesitation and uneasiness in his eyes.

Should she try to sell shoes with thousand-layer soles?

Having experienced cyberbullying, she is still haunted by the comments and accusations of netizens, and worries that factors such as the price and fabric of the new products will once again cause controversy and attacks.

She sighed softly, opened WeChat, found Lin Feng's profile picture, clicked on it and started chatting.

Xu Ziqing: "Are you there?"

Raymond Lam: "You haven't slept yet? It's almost 12 o'clock. Girls shouldn't stay up late."

Xu Ziqing: "I can't sleep, crying.jpg"

Lin Feng: "What's the matter that keeps you awake?"

Xu Ziqing: "I want to make standard-sized thousand-layer sole to sell after the New Year."

Lin Feng: “This is a good thing.”

Xu Ziqing: "But I am a little hesitant. I don't know whether I should sell the thousand-layer sole shoes online."

Lin Feng: "What's wrong? What are you hesitating about?"

Xu Ziqing slid his fingers across the screen of his mobile phone. "I am worried that netizens will bully me again because of the price and fabric of the shoes. I am a little scared."

Lin Feng's message came again, his tone was full of comfort and encouragement: "Xiao Qing, don't worry too much. Cyberbullying is just a hurdle for your Xu's clothing customization. Once you pass this hurdle, everything will be fine."

Xu Ziqing smiled: "I hope so."

Raymond Lam: "Really, you have to believe in your product and believe that it will be recognized and loved by more people."

Xu Ziqing tapped the screen of his phone gently: "But I'm still a little worried. What if someone really attacks me because of the price or fabric? What should I do?"

Lin Feng: "Xiao Qing, you have to trust your own judgment and choice. If you think your product is good, then go ahead and sell it.

Raymond Lam: “If you encounter some negative comments and attacks, don’t give up easily. You can explain and respond to let more people understand your product and your ideas.”

Raymond Lam: "No matter when or where, I will always be by your side to support you and accompany you."

When Xu Ziqing read these words, he felt as if he had eaten honey, and the sweetness spread from his mouth to his heart.

Not sure if Lin Feng was confessing his feelings, Xu Ziqing didn't dare to ask, as he didn't want to ruin his mood at the moment.

Xu Ziqing: "Thank you, Lin Feng. Your words have made me more resolute in my decision. I will definitely put the thousand-layer bottom on the shelves after the new year. No matter what difficulties and challenges I encounter, I will stick to it."

Lin Feng: "Xiao Qing, I believe you can do it, come on.jpg."