Chapter 29: Stay Alert

Everyone could only wait patiently in silence.

Half an hour later, Liu Erwang left. Li Luo had told him before: if she was more than thirty minutes late, today’s deal would be canceled.

And Cheng Jianshe—he never showed up either.

The patrol squad noticed and grabbed him. “Hey, where’s the woman you said would be here? Were you messing with us?”

“How would I dare?” Cheng Jianshe panicked. Damn that woman! They had agreed on this, so why didn’t she come? “Wait, I’ll go ask.”

He ran after Liu Erwang. “Erwang, didn’t she say she was setting up a stall? Why’d you leave so early?”

“Li Luo didn’t come. Why are you late too?”

Cheng Jianshe had already prepared an excuse. “Something came up at home, delayed me a bit.” Then he pressed further, “Do you know where she lives? If she sets up a stall, she must have goods at home.”

Smuggling goods was against the rules, after all.

Liu Erwang thought he seemed strange tonight. “Do you really think I’d know? I don’t even know your exact address. Who in this line of work is willing to expose where they live? That’s asking for trouble.”

Cheng Jianshe was at a loss for words.

At that moment, the patrol squad lost patience and stepped out from hiding, bluntly interrogating Liu Erwang—was he waiting for someone, planning to sell goods with them?

Only then did Liu Erwang realize Cheng Jianshe had deliberately brought people to corner him. Shocked, he quickly denied it. “No.”

“We heard you! The one you were waiting for didn’t show! Tell the truth!”

Liu Erwang had dealt with them plenty of times before, so he wasn’t afraid. “So whatever I say, you’ll take it as truth? I might as well tell you I just killed someone and threw them in the river up ahead. Go check it out, arrest me then.”

The patrol squad choked on their words. With no evidence, they turned instead to scolding Cheng Jianshe for wasting their time with false leads, then left.

Liu Erwang cast Cheng Jianshe a cold glance and also walked off.

Cheng Jianshe was left standing there, face dark as thunder.

From a hidden corner, Li Luo patted her chest lightly.

That was terrifying.

She’d been lucky. Earlier that afternoon, after collecting buttons and buying soap at the factory, she’d run into Cheng Jianshe. He was walking alone toward the north of the city, looking around cautiously from time to time.

Her instincts told her he was up to no good. Fortunately, she jogged daily and knew the city’s streets inside and out.

She knew the north was where the patrol squad was stationed.

Within ten li, there wasn’t a single trading market.

Normal people wouldn’t go there unless they lived nearby.

But Cheng Jianshe had mentioned before that his family lived in the west of the city.

And this place was in the south.

That was when she began to suspect he was informing on them, though she wasn’t certain.

So she decided to see for herself.

In fact, she had arrived earlier than Liu Erwang. By eight o’clock, nothing had happened yet, and she was about to show up when Liu Erwang left right on time.

What she didn’t expect was that Cheng Jianshe and his group would appear right after.

Li Luo looked at the goods in her hands and decided to sell them on her own.

After a moment’s thought, she headed to a trading market five li away.

By the time she arrived, it was nearly nine o’clock. There weren’t many people left, but there was still business.

She sold a whole box, and when only she remained in the courtyard, she began to pack up.

Just as she finished sorting the box, a boy of thirteen or fourteen approached. His eyes shone, though his voice was cautious. “Are the soaps one cent apiece? I only have one cent.”

Li Luo noticed his clothes were full of patches, missing buttons. She reached into the box and pulled out two bars from the top. “These two aren’t in great shape. Take them. And here’s a bag of buttons too.” The flawed ones wouldn’t sell anyway.

“Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Li Luo carried the box home.

There, she hid the soap under her bed, washed up, and went to sleep. The next day, worried that Old Madam Qin might come into her room, she didn’t go jogging. Instead, she closed the door and did aerobics inside.

That day, Liu Qian came by on her day off. After greeting Old Madam Qin, she looked around. “It’s Saturday. Xinyi didn’t come?”

“No, she probably went to her grandma’s house. Come in and sit!” Old Madam Qin invited warmly.

Liu Qian then asked about Li Luo.

“She’s in her room,” Old Madam Qin replied.

“No running today? Giving up on losing weight?”

“She’s not fat, why would she need to lose weight? You should eat more yourself. Look at your waist—it’s barely a palm wide!”

Liu Qian was very proud of her slim waist. She smiled. “Almost. But it’s easier to buy clothes when your waist is thin.”

Old Madam Qin shook her head. “Luoluo can buy clothes too. The two sets of workout clothes she made—she looked stunning in them.”

Liu Qian couldn’t understand it. Old Madam Qin used to dislike Li Luo so much, yet now she praised her at every turn. Besides, how attractive could someone that fat really be? Today she had deliberately worn a yellow dress.

Her hair was neatly styled, her lips painted, her complexion glowing.

Compared to Li Luo, she was sure she’d win.

She called out, “Luoluo, what are you doing cooped up in your room? Aren’t you hot? Come out and play.”

Li Luo stepped into the living room.

Liu Qian’s eyes narrowed sharply. In just half a month, Li Luo had slimmed down.

From fat, she now looked strong and healthy.

The dark sportswear set off her pale skin.

Sweat beaded her face, making her look as though she’d just risen from water—radiant and glowing.

“Ah, Sister Qian, what do you want me to play?”

Regaining her composure, Liu Qian asked casually, “What were you doing in there? Oh, and how much do you weigh now?”

“Exercising. One-sixty.” She’d just weighed herself yesterday.

She hadn’t expected to drop below 160 by the end of the month, but three days ago the weather had turned hot, over thirty-five degrees. She sweated even while sitting still. After jogging, tiny salt crystals clung to her arm hairs.

It was only in the past two days that she had slimmed down this much.

At this pace, in two more months she would return to a normal weight.

Liu Qian forced a compliment. “You’re really determined. Just exercise?”

Old Madam Qin compared the two. Liu Qian was far too thin—her cheekbones jutted out, her cheeks hollow. In the old days, people would’ve said she brought bad luck to her husband.

Then she looked at her daughter-in-law.

Her face was full, round, and healthy.

Being plump was better after all. She’d been wrong before to think thin was beautiful. She answered for Li Luo: “Luoluo hardly eats rice. But she eats plenty of vegetables and tomatoes.” That way, she never worried about her starving.

Li Luo added, “Exercise is important too. Otherwise, you’ll have loose skin. If you keep exercising while the weight drops steadily, your skin will tighten up.”

She suddenly laughed. “Why am I telling you this? You don’t need to lose weight. How much do you weigh?”

“Eighty,” Liu Qian said with a smile.

“That’s too thin,” Li Luo replied. “You’re over 160 cm tall, right? Ninety-five would be more appropriate.”

Liu Qian scoffed inwardly. You’re fat, so you can’t stand to see others thin, huh? Outwardly, she smiled. “I just can’t gain weight no matter how much I eat.”

Li Luo gave her a look of envy before heading back to her room to keep exercising.

Liu Qian followed. “Luoluo, could you write me a piece of calligraphy?”

Li Luo refused directly. “Sorry, I don’t give my writing away.” She could sell one for a yuan each—proof of her skill.

But she didn’t plan to write anymore.

She intended to earn money and become super rich. If she ever became famous, her handwriting would appreciate in value.

Giving one to Liu Qian for free? That would be a loss.