Chapter 31: Writing a Letter

Li Luo’s actions were shocking to Old Madam Qin. “Night market? How dare you! You actually went there. Do you know how embarrassing it would be if you got caught?”

There were no night markets in the countryside, so the girl probably didn’t realize the danger.

She pulled Li Luo aside and described in detail the consequences of being caught at a night market, warning her not to go again.

Li Luo promised obediently.

Old Madam Qin examined the tomatoes—they were all about the same size. Round, smooth, and in good condition. She had to admit, the night market really did have some good stuff.

“How much for this basket?”

“Twenty cents,” Li Luo said.

Old Madam Qin exclaimed in surprise, “Only twenty cents for a whole basket?” She seemed to understand why people loved going to night markets—the goods were good and cheap. In a regular market, vegetables of this quality and quantity would cost at least thirty to forty cents. But she added, “Even if it’s cheap, you can’t go again.” Then she left.

Li Luo obediently replied, “Okay.” Having gotten away with it, she finished tidying up, washed, and went to bed.

The next day, she returned to her usual routine: exercising and dieting during the day, running her stall at night.

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

That afternoon, she settled the final payment from the soap factory.

The manager had to admit, “The stock in the warehouse has been sitting for a year, yet you sold it all in less than a month. If it weren’t for the official staff handling sales, I would’ve recommended you for a job here.”

Li Luo smiled calmly. “You flatter me. We can cooperate again if there’s a chance.”

“Good.” The manager reached out his hand to shake hers.

Li Luo turned and walked away.

A handshake? Trying to take advantage, huh.

She went to the scrap factory to settle Uncle Huang’s delivery fees. “Uncle, I won’t be doing soap business anymore. If there’s a need, we can contact each other.”

Uncle Huang was reluctant to see her go—the little girl’s payments were the easiest money he had ever made. She often brought him snacks, and sometimes even cigarettes and alcohol.

He suddenly remembered something he’d heard that morning while collecting scrap: “There’s a Far East Garment Factory near the soap factory. Apparently, a tailor misread the measurements and made the clothes two sizes too large. Hundreds of pieces were returned. Do you want to take a look?”

Li Luo’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Where exactly is it? Be specific.” You never know—you might find a business opportunity.

She had earned nearly a thousand yuan from the soap batch—but unfortunately, she couldn’t deposit it.

Opening a bank account at the post office now required proof of income, which she couldn’t provide.

The money could only stay at home—in the cabinet, under the bed, in the desk. No matter where she put it, it never felt safe.

Buy a house? She had asked around, but no one was selling. Some places were for rent, but the conditions were poor. There was one good spot, but it wasn’t for rent. So for now, she had to keep living at the Qin household.

Fortunately, Qin Xinyi hadn’t been home during the recent holidays, giving Li Luo some peace.

“Right here.” Uncle Huang explained the location in detail.

Li Luo snapped back to the present and decided to visit tomorrow. Today, she had invited some wholesale clients for a meal, so she didn’t have time.

“By the way, Uncle, are you free later?”

“Free, why?”

“I want to treat you to a meal,” Li Luo gave him the restaurant address and the time: 4:30 p.m.

Uncle Huang grinned from ear to ear. “Good, this girl will definitely make a fortune—generous and capable.” Unlike the women he usually encountered while collecting scrap, who would argue over a few coins.

Li Qiao laughed heartily. “I’ll take your blessing!”

After leaving the scrap factory, Li Luo went straight home. On the way, she met the newspaper delivery boy, who stopped and said, “Mrs. Qin, here’s a letter for you.”

Li Luo was surprised. Her letter? Who could it be from?

She took it—it was from Qin Mian.

After thanking him, she opened the letter.

Seeing the words felt like seeing him in person:

Dear Luo Luo,

Unknowingly, I’ve been back for half a month. How are you at home? Is money enough? Has Xinyi caused you trouble?

You don’t need to pay her any mind. Take action if necessary.

Still on your diet? Actually, you’re not fat and don’t need to lose weight.

I’m fine here.

Don’t worry.

“That’s it?” Li Luo was speechless.

This is a letter? Written after half a month back in the northwest, yet it would take over a week to arrive.

She finally understood the saying: In a slow world of carts and horses, a lifetime is only enough to love one person.

Back home, she picked up a pen and wrote a reply.

The opening read:

Dear Mian, leaving you, I miss you every moment. Please take care of yourself.

Sweet words cost nothing, so she wrote wholeheartedly, filling two pages.

She folded the letter, bought an envelope and a stamp at the post office, sealed it, and dropped it into the mailbox.

Seeing that it was nearly time, she went to the restaurant where she had planned to meet her business partners.

Liu Erwang and Yu Gang were already there.

“You’re here,” Li Luo said.

Yu Gang’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. The woman wore dark sportswear, with a short-sleeved top exposing fair, delicate skin. Large eyes, high nose bridge, red and moist lips—more beautiful than any woman he knew. “Long time no see. You’ve lost so much weight and look even prettier.”

Before, when she was chubbier, her voice was strong and masculine. Slimmer now, it was softer and more feminine.

“I don’t think so,” Li Luo replied.

“You really are beautiful,” Yu Gang repeated.

Li Luo ignored him and asked the waiter for menus. She ordered a large plate of each: chicken, duck, fish, and meat, plus three signature dishes, one sweet soup, one savory soup, and two bottles of Maotai. “That’s it for now.”

After the waiter left, Yu Gang moved to sit next to her.

Li Luo glanced at him, then called Liu Erwang over. “Liu Erwang, come sit here.”

Although Liu Erwang often confessed to her, he wouldn’t normally sit so close.

Yu Gang was unbearable—she shouldn’t have invited him.

Liu Erwang quickly shooed him aside and sat next to Li Luo, grinning proudly. “I told you she secretly likes me.”

Li Luo showed a look of disdain.

Liu Erwang cleared his throat. “I’m telling you, if Qiao doesn’t accept me again, I’ll get married.”

“You go ahead. I’ve found someone too—the handsome guy you saw before.”

Liu Erwang didn’t believe her. “He looks barely twenty-something. Why would he like a thirty-eight-year-old woman like you?”

Li Luo finally couldn’t help herself. “You’re thirty-eight.” Wasn’t she clearly a young beauty in her prime?

“You’re thirty-eight,” Liu Erwang repeated.

They were bickering when Wang Cheng arrived.

“You’re here early,” he said.

Liu Erwang looked silly. “I’m just waiting for you.”

Wang Cheng smiled and, seeing Li Luo, was slightly surprised. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Not much,” Li Luo said. Previously, she had weighed 167 lbs; now 158 lbs—a loss of less than ten pounds.

Her face had changed—her double chin was much smaller. Her features were unchanged, and once she lost all the weight, she’d look exactly like her original self.

She was looking forward to it.