“With skills like yours, you’d be welcomed anywhere. Why limit yourself to one place? I know plenty of men—whatever type you prefer, I can introduce you to them.” Hong Jie’s mother-in-law proudly patted her chest as she spoke.
Lin Xiangxiu’s mind went blank for a moment. “I’m not thinking about remarrying.”
“Mom, Xiao Lin just got divorced. It’s too soon to be setting her up with someone. Please take a break.” Hong Jie didn’t even bother wiping her greasy hands before stepping forward to pull her mother-in-law away. “Why don’t you go check the front of the shop? There might be customers asking for hot water.”
Before leaving, Hong Jie’s mother-in-law couldn’t resist asking one more time, “Do you prefer handsome men or wealthy ones? I can help with either!”
“If you don’t like those types, what about scholarly ones?”
Her voice gradually faded into the distance. Hong Jie finally managed to persuade her mother-in-law to go to the front of the shop before hurrying back to apologize to Lin Xiangxiu. “I’m sorry, Xiao Lin. My mother-in-law just loves matchmaking. Whenever she sees someone with good qualities, she wants to pair them up.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t take it seriously, and I’m not thinking about remarrying anyway.” Lin Xiangxiu chuckled to herself.
Seeing that it was getting late, she said her goodbyes and took Lin Xiao home.
Before they left, Hong Jie reminded her to bring the child over to play often. “We’re not far from each other, and we’re fellow townspeople too. If you ever need help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask us.”
Lin Xiangxiu agreed once more before turning on her flashlight.
After arriving home, she reheated the leftover Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce on the stove. The mother and daughter finished all the food in one meal—the Back Ribs were tender, the Bone-in Pork Shank had excellent texture, and both were infused with rich soy sauce flavor. Lin Xiao loved every bite, eating until her mouth was shiny with grease and she was completely satisfied.
“Mom, I love our life now. It’s wonderful.” Lin Xiao patted her full belly contentedly.
Lin Xiangxiu replied, “Every day from now on will be like this.”
After dinner, she boiled water for washing up, then lay down with Lin Xiao in their new home.
That night, Lin Xiao fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, closing her eyes and soon emitting soft snores. But Lin Xiangxiu tossed and turned restlessly. Though she managed to fall asleep, she kept waking up shortly after, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, feeling like her current life was unreal—as if everything before her eyes was an illusion.
In her dazed state, Lin Xiangxiu seemed to hear the coughing of her adoptive mother that used to echo through the night in their hometown.
But when she opened her eyes, the sound vanished.
After waking up once more, Lin Xiangxiu decided to get up and drink some water, fully awakening herself. She sat by the bed for a while, holding Lin Xiao’s small hand, repeatedly reassuring herself that she hadn’t taken the path from her dreams—she had truly changed Xiao Xiao’s fate.
After sitting for some time, Lin Xiangxiu remembered the job offer letter with the official seal. She retrieved it and placed it under her pillow.
Yes! This time, she slept soundly.
…
The next day, Lin Xiangxiu slept in without any guilt, not waking until after eight o’clock. She then took Lin Xiao to the small street for a brunch of Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef. The noodles carried the distinct wok aroma, the soybean sprouts were crisp and fragrant, and the beef was cooked perfectly—neither tough nor dry. Lin Xiao wanted another bowl after finishing hers, but Lin Xiangxiu refused.
“I always hear Hong Jie talking about ‘getting heaty,’ and I never believed it before, but these past two days I do. Different lands breed different folks—you can eat anything at home without getting constipated, but just after a few days here, even pooping has become difficult. I wake up with so much eye gunk too—I really shouldn’t eat any more of that,” Lin Xiangxiu murmured softly.
Lin Xiao clutched her little bottom, grimacing in discomfort. Seeing her pitiful expression, Lin Xiangxiu almost laughed. Still, when they passed a dessert shop, she bought two cups of sweet mung bean drink—one for each of them—and they finished them just as they reached home.
By 9:30, Lin Xiangxiu was ready to leave. It was her first day at work, and she wanted to arrive early to give Mr. Lu’s place a thorough cleaning.
Before leaving, she gave Lin Xiao repeated instructions. Not only did she cut off the electricity at home, but she also locked the windows and bolted the main door from the outside. She was afraid that if Lin Xiao woke up disoriented and went looking for her, she might wander outside and get lost.
Lin Xiao, however, was quite well-behaved. Holding her toy, she sat on the bed and even waved to her mother, looking every bit the supportive little girl cheering her mom on at work.
“It’s just past nine now. There’s food and a water cup on the table—eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re thirsty. After your meal, take your nap on your own. By the time you wake up, I’ll be home,” Lin Xiangxiu said, glancing back repeatedly as she left, her worry evident.
Lin Xiao continued waving and declared loudly, “I know! I remember everything.”
Once her daughter was settled, Lin Xiangxiu set off for work. She walked the whole way, unsure whether it was the sweltering weather or her concern for Lin Xiao, but she didn’t feel particularly nervous on her first day.
She smoothly used facial recognition to enter the Family Compound and only remembered when she reached Lu Xingzhi’s door—yesterday, she had forgotten to ask Mr. Lu for a house key!
Lin Xiangxiu assumed no one was home since it was only Friday, and Mr. Lu should be at work.
She knocked, and as expected, there was no response from inside.
Just as Lin Xiangxiu was considering going to find him at his workplace, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Looking down, she saw Lu Xingzhi coming up with another middle-aged man.
“Mr. Lu, I don’t have a key to get in,” Lin Xiangxiu said with an apologetic smile.
Lu Xingzhi nodded and introduced her to the man beside him, Yang Yong. “This is Xiao Lin, the new housekeeper at my place.”
“And this is my neighbor from upstairs.”
Yang Yong looked up and nodded at Lin Xiangxiu, who returned a friendly smile and waited quietly for Lu Xingzhi to come open the door.
The two men continued talking as they went upstairs, discussing professional work matters that Lin Xiangxiu couldn’t understand. She tactfully stayed silent.
But as she observed Lu Xingzhi, she thought he looked utterly exhausted—his eyes weary, frequently removing his glasses to blink and relieve the dryness. The man across from him looked just as tired, with dark circles under his eyes.
Is the work at the Public Security Bureau so demanding that they’re this worn out after just one morning? Lin Xiangxiu wondered silently.
After a short while, the two finished their conversation. Lu Xingzhi came over to unlock the door, letting out a deep yawn as he did.
“Mr. Lu, have you had breakfast?” Lin Xiangxiu asked softly.
Lu Xingzhi shook his head. “No, I just got back from working overtime.”
“You mean you worked all night and are only getting off now?” Lin Xiangxiu was startled. “Did you have dinner last night, then?”
Lu Xingzhi shook his head again, thinking for a moment before replying, “I had a cup of coffee.”
Lin Xiangxiu was helpless. “No wonder you’re so thin. Eating like this will cause problems sooner or later. Doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
Yang Yong, who hadn’t left yet, chimed in upon hearing their conversation, “How could it not hurt? The most common thing on his desk is stomach medicine—one box after another.”
“Last night I tried to persuade Xiao Lu to eat something from the cafeteria, but he insisted the hygiene standards weren’t up to par…” Yang Yong spread his hands, “A small cafeteria with just over ten people—how could it possibly meet his hygiene standards? No choice, he’d rather starve than eat there.”
“You’re just spoiled!” Yang Yong looked at Lu Xingzhi, shaking his head in frustration. As Lu Xingzhi’s direct supervisor, he knew the young man was excellent in every way except for being overly particular about this matter.
The door clicked open. Lu Xingzhi seemed not to hear and walked straight in. Lin Xiangxiu quickened her pace to catch up with him and suggested, “Making lunch requires going grocery shopping first, which will take quite some time. Since you haven’t had breakfast, should I make you some lean meat porridge first?”
At these words, Lu Xingzhi seemed to snap back to attention. He asked doubtfully, “Is there still meat at home?”
“Leftover from making Meat Pies yesterday—there was too much to use up.” Seeing his conflicted expression, Lin Xiangxiu knew exactly what he was thinking and added, “After I finished, Xiao Xia Jie stored it in the freezer. Today I’ll also clean the refrigerator.”
“The weather is hot now. In the future, I’ll put groceries in the refrigerator right after buying them to prevent them from going stale or developing off-flavors,” Lin Xiangxiu said.
Hearing this, Lu Xingzhi felt like thanking heaven again—finally, fate had sent him a housekeeper willing to use the refrigerator!
The mention of lean meat porridge also piqued Lu Xingzhi’s curiosity. Meat and porridge—this was a combination he had never heard of before.
The more he thought about it, the more his stomach began to ache. His empty stomach, having gone hungry all night, started to rebel.
Between sleeping and waiting for food, Lu Xingzhi immediately made his choice. He looked at Lin Xiangxiu, nodded, and said politely, “Alright, lean meat porridge then. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Lin Xiangxiu was somewhat pleasantly surprised. She had thought such simple food wouldn’t appeal to Mr. Lu. It seemed this person wasn’t as difficult to please as she had assumed.
As they were talking, a figure slipped through the door crack. Both turned their heads simultaneously to see Yang Yong’s smiling face.
While spacing out outside, Yang Yong had overheard the words “lean meat porridge.”
Considering that he would only have tea-soaked rice when he returned home, while here there was lean meat porridge, he decisively followed them inside.
“Xiao Lu, you don’t mind if I mooch a meal, do you?” Yang Yong shamelessly settled on the sofa, coughing twice to mask his embarrassment. “Haha, back when you first moved in, I gave you quite a few shaomai my wife made. How about letting me freeload a meal here?”
“Sure.” Lu Xingzhi didn’t mind. “Boss, you don’t eat much, right?”
Yang Yong laughed even more awkwardly. “Haha, don’t worry, not much at all.”
Not much? There were five Meat Pies in total, and he ate three in one meal!
He also downed half a pot of porridge in one go!
After finishing, he wiped his mouth, startling the calmly sipping Lu Xingzhi across from him so much that he dropped his spoon!
To make matters worse, Yang Yong, after wiping his mouth, proceeded to poach him. “Seems like my home is missing a housekeeper too. Xiao Lin, would you be interested?”