Chapter 9: Scheming

Aunt Liu laughed heartily. “These days you’re only allowed one child, but if the first is a girl, then it’s permitted to have a second.”

Li Luo squinted her eyes and grinned foolishly.

Inside, Qin Mian quietly ate his meal: stir-fried green peppers with eggs, hot-and-sour shredded potatoes, each portion small yet delicate, and a single serving of seaweed soup.

Does he measure his cooking with a scale?

The taste was excellent.

The peppers were slightly soft with a hint of spice, the eggs fragrant and fresh, the potatoes crisp and tangy.

Simple home-style dishes, yet irresistibly appetizing.

He ate more than half a flatbread along with the food.

Just as he set down his chopsticks, Li Luo came in to clear the table. He silently watched her busying about. Her dishwashing wasn’t very skilled, but it wasn’t slow either.

Once everything was tidied, Li Luo said, “You just ate. Let’s walk a bit first.”

The corners of Qin Mian’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. Is she… concerned about me? He gave a light hum of acknowledgment.

Li Luo led him along the same route she usually used for jogging.

After about half an hour, the two finally started running.

Fat people sweat easily. Before long, Li Luo was drenched, panting heavily, and her throat parched. She slowed to a stop, twisted open her small water flask, and gulped down more than half. “So tired! Aren’t you tired?”

Qin Mian said calmly, “Not tired. Do you run every day? Eating so little while overexerting yourself isn’t good for your health. If you’re healthy, there’s no need to force weight loss.”

Li Luo gave him a surprised look. His stamina is amazing… I’m half-dead after running, and he’s not even red in the face. She snapped, “If I don’t lose weight, would you even look at me? No, wait—you’ve never once looked at me anyway. Hmph! We don’t even sleep together! What kind of husband is that? Totally irresponsible!” After scolding him, she took off running.

Qin Mian: “…”

He followed behind her, always keeping two or three meters away. At a fork in the road, Li Luo finally turned around.

“So hot!” she exclaimed.

Her clothes were soaked as if pulled from water. She needed to rush home for a change and head to the bathhouse. Glancing at him, she suddenly thought of something. “Can you smell me right now? The stench of sweat, a bit fishy?”

Qin Mian seriously sniffed the air. “I can’t smell anything.”

“Come closer.”

Qin Mian said, “…Really, I can’t smell it. Just a faint sweat scent.” But after running, she somehow looked even fairer.

Her skin tone had been inherited—when he first met her, she was very dark.

But after not seeing her for half a month, she was noticeably paler, with a jade-like glow that was baffling.

Could it really have been poisoning before?

But what kind of poison darkens the skin without endangering life?

Li Luo sniffed herself too and couldn’t detect anything. She laughed, flashing her small white teeth. “Then I don’t have to worry about people calling me smelly anymore!”

Qin Mian’s eyes softened, amused by her silly grin.

When they returned home, Qin Mian insisted on bathing first, saying he washed faster.

Li Luo stayed at home waiting. But Han Qiuyu, still unwilling to give up, came knocking again. “Li Luo, here’s the agreement I wrote. All you need to do is sign and put your fingerprint on it.”

“Take it away!” Li Luo said coolly.

“You clearly promised,” Han Qiuyu pressed, reminding her to keep her word.

Li Luo grew impatient. “When did I ever promise you anything?”

“You—you said if I gave you 500 yuan, you’d divorce Brother Qin.” Han Qiuyu kept her voice low but clear enough for Li Luo to hear.

Li Luo stiffened. With her back to the door, she was sure Qin Mian had returned and was standing right there. She mustn’t admit to anything! Controlling her volume, she angrily retorted, “Nonsense! My husband’s family conditions are excellent—why would I ever divorce such a tall, handsome man for a mere 500 yuan? The moment I saw him, I already thought of names for our future children! I’m losing weight just so I can be worthy of him. Leave now, or don’t blame me if I get rough!”

Han Qiuyu froze. She had timed Qin Mian’s return perfectly, intending to make Li Luo admit the deal. Why was she suddenly denying it? “You—you, ah, Brother Qin, you’re back? Li Luo told me herself she never wanted to marry you.”

If she couldn’t break them up, at least she could disgust Qin Mian, maybe make him resent Li Luo.

Fat pig. Weight loss or not, you’re still just a pig. Used to be a black pig. Now you’re a white pig. What’s the difference?

After spitting those words, Han Qiuyu turned to leave.

But Qin Mian blocked her path, face expressionless. “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t disturb us again.” With that, he dropped his arm.

Han Qiuyu’s face flushed red with anger. She stomped her foot and ran off.

At first, Li Luo feared Qin Mian would ask about the 500 yuan, but his response made her relax. She quickly declared her innocence: “I never agreed. She’s slandering me.”

Qin Mian didn’t believe her.

He had studied psychology—when people lie, their eyes flicker, and they often touch their nose unconsciously.

Her little gestures matched the textbook description perfectly.

But he chose not to press the matter. As long as she stayed out of trouble in the future, that was enough. “Mm.”

Seeing this, Li Luo smiled, picked up the washbasin and her clothes, and went out to bathe.

Next door to the bathhouse was the grain station, which had a scale. She weighed herself: 178 jin. She had lost another two jin.

By the end of April, she might reach 170!

Hehehe.

When she returned to the courtyard, the gate was shut.

She pushed but couldn’t open it—the bolt had been latched from the inside.

Normally, because some workers had night shifts, the gate was left unlatched until late.

It wasn’t even nine yet. Who had done this?

Han Qiuyu?

Instead of shouting, Li Luo exercised in place, sweating away for half an hour. Finally, the gate opened.

It was Qin Mian. “Why didn’t you call out?”

“The noise would’ve been too loud. I didn’t want to wake anyone.” Li Luo walked straight in, and Qin Mian quietly re-bolted the door behind her.

She frowned. “But if you latch it, the night-shift workers will be locked out.”

Qin Mian replied calmly, “I only put the bolt back the way it was before you came. Whether others can get in has nothing to do with me.”

Li Luo: “…” So scheming!

In the middle of the night, Li Luo, half-asleep, heard someone shouting curses. Soon the courtyard was in an uproar.

Apparently, someone had seen Han Qiuyu lock the gate earlier and even reminded her about it. She claimed she would open it, but she later fell asleep.

Her plan had been to lock Li Luo out—then when Li Luo knocked, she could berate her for disturbing everyone. But things hadn’t gone as planned.

But then, how had Li Luo gotten in?

The brief commotion didn’t disturb Li Luo. She rolled over and fell back asleep.

The next morning, after her run, she overheard Aunt Liu talking about it. “That Han Qiuyu is getting worse—imagine deliberately locking the gate and keeping others out!”

Li Luo didn’t comment. After Qin Mian left for work, she spent her free time reading whenever she wasn’t exercising.

Her days were full and busy.

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

By May, her weight had already dropped to 170 jin.

Her clothes were now baggy and shapeless. She decided it was time to go out and have something properly fitted made.