While washing the dishes, Qin Hong and her daughter started talking about her marriage again.
“Xiuxiu, what do you think about the man I mentioned last time?”
Lu Xiuxiu’s expression changed. The person her mother was referring to was her first husband in her previous life—honest, but otherwise completely unremarkable.
The first thing Lu Xiuxiu had done after making money in her past life was to divorce him.
In this life, she naturally had no intention of marrying him again. That incident also made her realize she needed to accelerate her plan to make money.
Only by earning her own wealth could she access better opportunities.
Her tone carried a hint of impatience.
“Mom, my top priority right now is making money. Otherwise, do you want me to end up like you and marry some country bumpkin?”
Seeing Qin Hong’s eyes redden, Lu Xiuxiu bit her lip and said, “Mom, trust me—lend me 50 yuan first, and I’ll pay you back double after I make some money.”
She had already explained her plan to her mother that morning, but Qin Hong hesitated to agree.
Seeing her daughter so determined, Qin Hong wavered. She could spare 50 yuan, but all the money they had secretly saved over the years was just over a hundred. Giving away half at once wasn’t easy.
She went back to her room, hesitated for a while, and finally handed the money over.
“Xiuxiu, this is all I have—make sure you spend it wisely.”
Lu Xiuxiu was slightly annoyed that her mother had only handed over ten yuan after dithering so much. But then she reminded herself: her mother wasn’t someone who had ever handled large sums of money, and in this life, giving her ten yuan was already generous.
Smiling, she reassured her mother, “Mom, just wait—I’ll earn 50 back for you.”
She turned and left, planning to buy some pork offal and seasonings to make marinated dishes to sell at the market.
Most families still cooked just enough to fill their stomachs. Pork offal was cheap, and during the busy farming season, she had seen people selling marinated pig intestines in her previous life. She was confident hers would taste better.
Pushing Xu Nian’an’s bicycle, Lu Xiuxiu headed out.
After eating, Xu Nian’an went to her room to count her money. Her wedding bride price of 500 yuan had been returned to her by her parents.
In addition to that, she had brought a dowry house and 72 “legs” of something (though only 36 were publicly claimed, the rest stored in her city house, unknown to outsiders).
She had also been given another 500 yuan as a dowry, plus 500 yuan from Lu Chengyu before he left. Three sums of 500 added up to 1,500 yuan in cash alone.
Looking at the stack on her bed, Xu Nian’an felt delighted.
In her previous life, this would have been a considerable sum, enough to do many things.
Now, it would serve as her startup capital for business.
She planned to go to Yangcheng to buy some clothes to sell. With her spatial ability, she could carry a lot more than usual.
In her previous life, Xu Nian’an was an orphan and later became a streamer, often selling clothes during live broadcasts.
Back then, though she appeared glamorous, she had no capital and no family support—all she had was herself.
In that era, many people were smarter or more attractive than her, and every industry was crowded. Her main advantage was her looks.
Working hard, streaming ten-plus hours a day, she had managed to save her first pot of gold.
At first, no one paid attention; viewers passing by barely cared about the products and just watched her dance.
Eventually, her broadcasts gained tens of thousands of viewers each session. All the hardships and grievances were endured silently, tears swallowed with meals.
She had made up her mind: this life, she would earn as much money as possible—just to buy houses.
Twenty years later, she would be a happy landlady.
Including the scattered savings from before, she had 1,876 yuan—not quite enough to buy many clothes.
Xu Nian’an planned to return home to gather some investment.
As soon as she stepped into the yard, she realized her bicycle was gone.
The original Xu Nian’an had been generous. Since marrying in, her bicycle had always been left in the yard. Anyone who needed it could ride it. At first, they would ask her, but after repeated use, she had stopped locking it.
Her sewing machine was simply placed in her mother-in-law Zhou Guixiang’s room. No problem there—she didn’t know how to use it anyway. If anything needed mending, her mother-in-law could handle it.
The radio was in the living room for the men to listen to broadcasts and storytelling. Few rural households had radios, so neighbors would often gather after dinner to listen, praising the Lu family for having a good daughter-in-law.
At that moment, Lu Xiulian returned home, holding her niece Daya with one hand and a small half-bucket of field snails in the other.
She saw Xu Nian’an staring at the empty spot where her bicycle should have been, looking dark-faced.
Today, except for Lu Xiulian, Second Uncle’s family had gone to the fields. No wonder—the bike had likely been taken again.
In a moment of carelessness, the little Daya wriggled free from her hand and ran to hug Xu Nian’an’s legs, her small hands covered in mud.
Looking up at her, she said, “Auntie, we caught so many snails! Here, take them~”
To make her point more convincing, she spread her tiny hands to show how many there were.
Lu Xiulian saw the small mud handprints on Xu Nian’an’s clothes and arms, quickly stepped forward, and took Daya away, afraid Xu Nian’an might get angry.
After all, today her sister-in-law had been kind to them, and now Daya had caused trouble.
“Sis-in-law, don’t be mad. I’ll wash your dress later,” she said, giving Daya a sharp glance.
Daya wasn’t afraid. This auntie looked fierce but would secretly give her candy when no one was around. She had to save the snails for her auntie too.
Xu Nian’an noticed the mud handprints on her dress but didn’t care. Laundry was simple—she could just change.
After changing clothes, she came out holding a piece of cloth. Lu Xiulian had already soaked the snails in a basin.
Little Daya’s hands and face were clean. Normally a pale-skinned little girl, she had become tanned from playing outside.
Lu Xiulian was a dream little sister-in-law—not only cooking for her but also helping with laundry.
The house was neat inside and out. Xu Nian’an thought to herself: if she ever divorced Lu Chengyu, could she keep this little sister-in-law?
Daya was the first to notice her, running over to take Xu Nian’an’s hand and lead her to the basin.
“Look at the snails.”
Xu Nian’an gazed at the basin full of field snails and licked her lips. She already had a plan: stir-fried snails. Today’s meals hadn’t been satisfying, and her only indulgence was good food. Life was already tough—if meals were bad too, that would be unbearable.
Lu Xiulian saw her sister-in-law’s eager face and laughed.
“They need to soak for a day, or they’ll be sandy. If you want, I can get more for you.”
Xu Nian’an nodded. “Just fry a bowl tonight. I want something spicy.”
She squatted down, seemingly playing with the snails, but in reality, she poured a bowl’s worth of spirit spring water from her space into the basin, silently hoping it would work so she could enjoy her stir-fried snails tonight.
Then she listed a bunch of seasonings and handed Lu Xiulian two yuan from her space along with the cloth.
“Use this cloth to make some clothes—cotton is comfortable in summer. Then buy all the seasonings I mentioned. We’ll use them tonight to cook the snails.”