Chapter 16: A Phoenix in the Alley

Tao Yu nodded and said the house was excellent, showing that she was pleased too.

This house, being a standalone property, would save them a lot of trouble.

Plus, the spacious front hall would be perfect for Li Juan to expand her tailoring business in the future.

Seeing her daughter nod, Li Juan felt reassured.

She truly wanted to rent the house, but she couldn’t bear to take such a big advantage of someone—it would weigh on her conscience.

So, she discussed it with Uncle Yu.

“Fifteen yuan a month is too much of a favor—I can’t accept it. How about fifty yuan a month instead? Even then, we’re still getting a good deal…”

…

In the end, with Li Juan’s insistence, they settled on fifty yuan per month for the house.

After finalizing the agreement, Uncle Yu happily returned home.

He had successfully completed his task, and honestly, this mother and daughter were really straightforward and fair—they didn’t want to take advantage of others.

Li Juan, holding the key, felt a surge of excitement.

“Fifty yuan it is. I can afford that,” she thought.

However, she resolved to work even harder to earn more money. Although her daughter had said she would contribute her own earnings in the future and was already turning over her twenty-yuan monthly salary to the household, Li Juan didn’t want to spend her daughter’s money.

Now that she could work and earn, her daughter’s money should be saved for her own use.

No matter what, she couldn’t let her daughter suffer anymore.

---

On the way back to the shared courtyard, Li Juan sighed about how generous the factory’s benefits were, even the director was so kind.

“I heard they offer such great discounts on rent to employees,” she said.

Hearing this, Tao Yu raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.

Li Juan then cautiously brought up something else.

“That Xiao Zhang, where is he from? He seems like a nice young man—enthusiastic, well-spoken, even greeted me politely.

“Since he helped us so much, we should treat him to a meal sometime…”

As for the factory director they met earlier, Li Juan didn’t dare to invite him for a meal. She thought of finding another way to express their gratitude, to avoid causing trouble for her daughter.

---

After securing the house, Tao Yu went to work at the factory, while Li Juan brought cleaning supplies to the new house to tidy it up.

When Tao Yu returned from work, she bumped into her mother, who was heading back to the courtyard after finishing the cleaning.

Li Juan was beaming with joy, and her smile grew even wider when she saw her daughter.

“Yu’er, I timed it just right to meet you here. Was I spot on?”

Tao Yu took some of the items her mother was carrying.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to get off work so we could go together?”

Li Juan dismissed it lightly, switching the items in her hands to one side and moving closer to her daughter with a smile.

“It wasn’t much work. I managed just fine on my own. Tomorrow, we can move in across the street!”

“Then I’ll take leave from the cafeteria tomorrow,” Tao Yu suggested.

Before she could finish, Li Juan firmly rejected the idea.

“No way! You absolutely can’t take leave from the factory. You’ve just landed this job—how can you keep asking for leave?”

“I don’t need your help with this. Just focus on your work and leave everything else to me.”

The mother and daughter continued chatting as they walked, though most of the time it was Li Juan talking while Tao Yu listened quietly, occasionally responding.

---

On their way home, the shadows of the mother and daughter stretched longer and longer under the setting sun.

The next day, Li Juan sent Tao Yu off to work early in the morning. Meanwhile, several friendly neighbors helped Li Juan move their belongings with a handcart.

The Tao family didn’t have much to move. They dismantled the small cot, carried the square table, and loaded the pots, pans, and dishes onto one trip. Afterward, they brought the remaining odds and ends over in a second trip, and the move was done.

Tao Yu, as usual, went about her day at work. With Lin Zi temporarily unavailable and Chen Mei uninterested in delivering meals, the task had fallen to her.

That day, after finishing her shift, Tao Yu didn’t stay to help clean up but instead headed straight home.

When she returned to the shared courtyard, she noticed that the neighbors who usually greeted her now avoided her, merely glancing at her coldly before going about their own business.

Tao Yu wasn’t bothered. She kept her composure and walked toward the small room. If her mother hadn’t finished moving, she could still help.

Turning the corner, she saw Mrs. Mao sitting on a small stool, washing vegetables.

It was odd.

Mrs. Mao, who lived on the east side, had deliberately come to the west side to wash vegetables—clearly trying to provoke someone.

As soon as she spotted Tao Yu, Mrs. Mao slammed her vegetables into the basin and started cursing.

“Well, well, aren’t you the one moving to a big house across the street? Why are you back here in the courtyard?”

“Could it be that you couldn’t rent the house and got kicked out before even moving in? Serves you right if so—divine retribution!”

Tao Yu glanced at Mrs. Mao, her calm gaze as indifferent as if she were looking at a speck of dirt on the ground.

Without a word, she continued walking forward.

That look, however, infuriated Mrs. Mao. She pointed at Tao Yu’s back, shouting in rage.

“You little lunatic! What are you so smug about? Think you’re going to turn into a phoenix just because you’re moving out?

“Keep dreaming! You’ll never amount to anything. You’ll always be nothing but a crazy chicken from this courtyard!”

Finally, Tao Yu stopped, but before she could turn around, a figure rushed forward and kicked Mrs. Mao hard, sending her tumbling backward.

Mrs. Mao screamed, landing in her basin and scattering vegetables everywhere, her clothes covered in filth.

“You cursed old hag! Dare to insult my daughter again, and I’ll burn your house down with you in it!” Li Juan roared.

Not stopping there, Li Juan grabbed the water basin and started smashing it against the stool with full force.

With just a few strikes, the enamel basin that Mrs. Mao carried around every day to show off had its bottom completely smashed!

Seeing the ruined basin, Mrs. Mao clutched her chest in distress.

Her heart ached as she looked at the damaged basin and then at Li Juan, who seemed ready to fight to the death.

Unable to win in a tug-of-war or dare to retaliate physically, Mrs. Mao could only shout in panic and frustration.

“Li Juan’s going to kill someone! Help! Murder! Oh heavens, my basin!”

That basin was newly bought by her son from the supply and marketing cooperative—she hadn’t even had a chance to really use it yet! And now it was destroyed!

She was so furious she could hardly breathe.

Meanwhile, Li Juan wasn’t satisfied after smashing the basin.

She stomped on the scattered vegetables on the ground, squashing them into a mush.

“You old hag, let’s see you eat now! Eating my family’s vegetables while daring to insult my Yu’er! If I’d known, I’d rather have fed those vegetables to the pigs than given them to you!”

After that, Li Juan kicked the ruined vegetables toward Mrs. Mao, who scrambled backward in fright.

Mrs. Mao was so intimidated she didn’t dare make another sound.

After swiftly dealing with Mrs. Mao, Li Juan grabbed the hand of Tao Yu, who had been quietly standing nearby.

Without looking back, she walked decisively through the crowd of onlookers and out of the courtyard.

This time, they wouldn’t be coming back.

The long-time residents of the courtyard watched the mother and daughter leave, their gazes lingering on the hem of Tao Yu’s bright yellow dress as it swayed through the filthy, broken alleyway.

The vibrant color was worlds apart from the coal dust piles scattered all around.

The courtyard residents were lost in thought.

They realized that, at some point, Tao Yu had grown into such a beautiful, remarkable young woman.

She seemed like someone from a painting, completely out of place in this shabby courtyard.

No one could call her “crazy” anymore.

If anything, the madwoman lying on the ground was Mrs. Mao.

It wouldn’t be long now.

Once she left the courtyard, the Tao family’s daughter really might become a phoenix.