Chapter 13: Good Fortune

After tidying up the living room, Li Luo took the initiative and asked Old Madam Qin:
“Dad, Mom, do you have any clothes you need washed?”

“No. Our clothes don’t need you to wash them.” Old Madam Qin smiled as she stood up. She glanced around the room—the floor was spotless, and the polished wooden table and chairs shone.

This plump daughter-in-law… so diligent. The more she looked at her, the more she liked her.

Even her way of speaking wasn’t as rough as before. Now it was gentle and pleasant—very comfortable.

“Oh,” Li Luo replied. She was about to return to her room to do some aerobics.

But Old Madam Qin said again: “Want to come visiting with me? It’s boring staying home all day.”

Li Luo politely declined, using her morning run and fatigue as an excuse. Most of the nearby residents were retirees. With no other entertainment, their favorite pastime was gossip. She wasn’t about to walk into that trap and become their subject.

After Old Madam Qin left, Old Master Qin came back to the living room to read his newspaper.

Li Luo busied herself in her room, and before she knew it, another day had passed.

…

The next morning, she went to the market with the shopping list Old Madam Qin had given her. The prices written down were far off from the real ones.

She asked around several stalls, but the prices were the same everywhere. She couldn’t help but ask:
“Isn’t wood ear fungus fifty cents a catty?”

“Fifty cents? That was last year. Prices went up long ago. Sure, there are some for fifty cents.”

The shopkeeper pointed to a pile of dried fungus in the corner that nobody touched.

Li Luo grabbed a handful. They were tiny and full of impurities.

Cheap goods aren’t good, good goods aren’t cheap. Exactly right.

She paid three extra cents per catty for the better ones.

Then she picked out shiitake mushrooms and yuba.

Yuba was scarce and needed ration coupons. She checked the purchase order and asked for ten catties. She also bought ten catties of vermicelli, five catties of red dates, and three catties of seaweed.

She added some spices for cooking. Before long, her burlap sack was stuffed full. She hoisted it onto her shoulder and carried it home.

The neighbors chuckled when they saw her.

“Look at Luo Luo, strong as an ox! Carrying such a big sack—if she fought with Qin Laosan, she might even win.”

Qin Mian was the third son of the family, the youngest. He had an elder sister above him, but she was married far away in Beijing and rarely came back.

Li Luo laughed self-deprecatingly: “Oh, I wouldn’t dare fight. He’s my bread and butter. If I fell out with him, I’d have nowhere to go. Before I grow wings, even if I’m a dragon, I’ll have to coil up. But honestly, with his scrawny frame, if we really fought… I’d crush him.”

Everyone laughed. She chatted with the neighbors for a bit before heading home.

…

Old Madam Qin saw the sack on her shoulder and fussed:

“You didn’t have to buy everything in one day! Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine.” Li Luo set the sack down and casually wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Old Madam Qin opened the sack and inspected the goods. Everything was excellent quality. Her daughter-in-law had done well.

Then she asked about the prices.

Li Luo drank a glass of water, handed over the leftover money, and explained what each item had cost.

“A little expensive, but not bad, not bad at all.” Old Madam Qin nodded, then suddenly looked shocked.
“You remembered all that? So many prices?”

Li Luo was puzzled. It’s just keeping track of accounts. Is that hard?

Maybe the original Li Luo had a terrible memory?

Her head often hurt when old memories surfaced, so she chose not to think about them. She pursed her lips and said, “I guess I just remembered without realizing.”

“Smart girl,” Old Madam Qin praised.

Together, they organized the supplies.

“I’ve already pre-ordered the rest of the fresh ingredients,” said Old Madam Qin. “When the time comes, they’ll be delivered. I want the house decorated more festively. What do you think we should buy?”

“How about red lanterns to hang all around the courtyard? That would look cheerful.”

“But it’s not New Year’s or a festival,” Old Madam Qin frowned. “Where would we even buy them?”

“I can make them myself,” Li Luo said. “There’s a bamboo grove outside the city. I can cut a stalk and split it into strips. Then we just need red paper and lamp oil.”

“Alright then. This weekend I’ll have Ajun and Xinyi come back to help you.”

“That’s not necessary,” Li Luo quickly declined. “He has work, and she has school. Let them rest.” She had no wish to see those two. The boy was arrogant, and the girl was rude.

“You really are thoughtful. Thank you for your hard work,” Old Madam Qin said warmly. “Ah, our youngest is so lucky to have married you.”

Li Luo thought bitterly: And yet I still remember all those nasty things you said—that I wasn’t good enough for your son. How quickly your attitude has flipped. What a shallow, face-obsessed world.

But outwardly, she smiled sweetly.
“Mom, you’re too polite. It’s my duty to take care of the household. It’s really no trouble.”

Just a simple reply, but it delighted Old Madam Qin again.

She couldn’t help but marvel. What a change in this child. Just a month ago, she acted like we owed her service. Now she does everything well and even calls me ‘Mom’ so sweetly.

…

After finishing the chores, Li Luo rested in her room for a while, then went jogging with her little water flask.

The roadside trees were sparse, and the sun was blazing. She took a smaller path that led to the fields outside the city. Stopping in the shade of a tree, she cooled off in the breeze.

On her way back, she heard someone crying for help. She rushed over and found a child struggling in the river beneath the railway tracks.

The boy was flailing in the middle of the water.

On the bank stood a frantic woman and two girls around seven or eight years old.

Without hesitation, Li Luo jumped in.

The advantage of being plump was that she floated more easily than thin people. With some basic swimming skills, she was practically like a fish in the water.

In just a few strokes, she reached the child. She held him from behind with one arm and paddled forward with the other.

When she got to shore, the child had fainted. She immediately pressed his chest to expel the water. The boy coughed, spat up, and then burst out crying.

The woman sobbed with relief, hugging her son and calling him her “precious heart.”

Li Luo quietly slipped away.

From a distance, she saw a black car parked at the Qin family gate—the same one from yesterday. The courtyard was noisy with voices. She hesitated, unsure whether to go in.

Just then, Liu Qian walked out of the Qin yard and exclaimed:
“Luo Luo, you’re back! What happened—are you drenched in sweat from running?”

Right behind her came a delicate-looking teenage girl—Qin Mian’s niece, Qin Xinyi.

“Ugh, disgusting,” Qin Xinyi sneered.

How could Grandpa have agreed to let such a woman ruin Uncle’s life?

Li Luo shot her a cold glare but said nothing.

Qin Xinyi pressed on relentlessly:
“Fat pig! Don’t think that just because you’ve slimmed down a little and your skin’s lighter, you’re good enough for my uncle. Ugly freak! If you know what’s good for you, get out of our house!”

Liu Qian tried to calm her down:
“Xinyi, lower your voice. If your grandparents hear, it’ll be bad.”

Qin Xinyi snorted:
“Even better! Then Grandma can scold her along with me.”

Li Luo clenched her fists but turned and walked away.

Qin Xinyi smirked.
“See? She slunk off with her tail between her legs. Doesn’t even dare step inside the house.”