By the dim light seeping through the room, Lu Xiangbei finally saw clearly.
It was Lu Xiangnan!
His own younger sister—the one who usually couldn’t even be bothered to lift a bottle of oil!
“Lu Xiangnan!”
Lu Xiangbei let out a roar, like a wolf king whose territory had been invaded.
“What are you doing?! That broom is mine!”
Lu Xiangnan jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the broom in her hands.
She got defensive too, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed.
“Brother! Why are you being unreasonable? Who said the broom is yours?”
“I got up at 3:30! I’m almost done sweeping!”
3:30?!
Lu Xiangbei felt his vision go black, nearly fainting from anger.
Good heavens!
He thought he was hardworking, but this girl was even more intense than him!
She even skipped sleep for that pair of worn-out Warrior shoes?
“I don’t care! Yesterday it was agreed I’d sweep! Give it to me now!”
Lu Xiangbei lunged to grab the broom.
“I’m not giving it! I got here first!”
Lu Xiangnan clutched the broom tightly.
“This is my points!”
“No, it’s mine!”
In the pitch-black courtyard, the siblings clashed over who would earn “1 point,” like two fighting roosters, neither giving way.
At that moment, the master bedroom door creaked open.
Su Ci appeared, draped in a thin blanket, sleepy-eyed, leaning against the doorframe.
She yawned, her voice thick with the laziness of someone not yet fully awake.
“Early morning… what’s all the noise?”
“Didn’t know… thought we had burglars in the house.”
“Sis!”
“Sis!”
The two kids, as if finding a pillar of support, let go of the broom at the same time and ran over.
“Sis, judge this!” Lu Xiangbei pointed at Lu Xiangnan, his face full of indignation. “She stole my work!”
“Sis, I didn’t!” Lu Xiangnan’s eyes were red from urgency. “I got up earlier! I started sweeping first!”
Listening to their complaints, Su Ci didn’t get angry; instead, she almost laughed.
So this was the power of the points system? She loved it. Absolutely loved it.
Clearing her throat, she slowly announced the ultimate ruling.
“Family Points Rule, Article Two. Pay attention.”
“All tasks go to whoever completes them.”
“If both of you participated, split it evenly: 0.5 points each.”
Seeing Lu Xiangbei’s face collapse instantly, she added:
“If you can’t grab the points, it just means you didn’t get up early enough or act fast enough. Complaining to me won’t work.”
Then she yawned again, turned, and went back inside.
“Bang.”
The door closed, leaving the two siblings staring at each other in the courtyard.
Lu Xiangbei’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
0.5 points?!
He would have to sweep the floor a thousand times to earn that electronic watch!
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
He looked at Lu Xiangnan and ground his teeth.
“Lu Xiangnan, just wait! Tomorrow I’ll get up at 3!”
Lu Xiangnan stuck out her tongue.
“I’ll get up at 2:30!”
Thus began a war without gunfire.
By the time Su Ci got up, stretching, the outside world had already transformed.
The courtyard floor was swept clean, not a leaf in sight.
The large water jar in the corner had been filled bucket by bucket by Lu Xiangbei, the water surface dotted with bamboo charcoal Su Ci had him add to purify it.
The main room’s windows were wiped three times by Lu Xiangnan, shining like mirrors.
Even the table legs were spotless.
The youngest, Lu Xiangdong, sat on a small stool at the door, holding a Chinese textbook, nodding and loudly reciting.
“Goose, goose, goose, necks curved toward the sky singing…”
His voice was strong and full of energy—no hint of the frailty he usually showed.
He glanced at the points chart on the wall.
Reciting a lesson: 2 points.
Better than sweeping!
Su Ci picked up a cup of warm water that had been left on the table, taking a slow sip.
This water was boiled by Lu Xiangnan that morning, saved especially for her.
Boiling extra water while doing chores earned 0.2 points.
Every little bit counts!
Watching the courtyard alive with energy, perfectly organized, Su Ci felt immensely satisfied.
This was life!
If there’s work, the secretary handles it. If not… cough cough…
“Ah,” Su Ci sighed in contentment, leaning against the sofa, “the house is so clean it hurts my eyes.”
Hearing this, Lu Xiangnan immediately ran over, worried.
“Sis, are you okay? Do you feel unwell?”
“I’m fine,” Su Ci waved, pointing to a paper package on the table. “Just a bit hungry. Bring that over.”
Lu Xiangnan opened it. Inside were several delicately made peach cookies, fragrant with a buttery aroma—Su Ci’s “stash” from the space yesterday.
Su Ci picked one, nibbling slowly.
Watching the three kids whirl around the house like spinning tops, she felt like a supervising matriarch.
No—an elegant queen inspecting her domain.
She couldn’t have felt more pleased.
“Creak—”
The courtyard door opened again.
It was their neighbor, Li Xiujuan, basket in hand, off to dig clams on the beach.
She peeked in and froze.
What did she see?
The once unruly Lu Xiangbei was now energetically tending a plot of dirt in the courtyard!
At Su Ci’s instruction, planting vegetables—each plant worth 0.1 points.
The timid Lu Xiangnan was on a stool, humming while wiping the top of the doorframe!
Even sickly Lu Xiangdong was in the courtyard, squatting in a martial stance to exercise—1 point per session!
Li Xiujuan’s jaw dropped wide enough to fit an egg.
Rubbing her eyes hard, she thought she must be seeing things.
Good heavens!
Had the sun risen from the west?
The three Lu troublemakers had changed?
“Xiang… Xiangnan,” Li Xiujuan stammered, “what are you all doing?”
Lu Xiangnan saw her and immediately beamed proudly.
“Aunt Li! We’re earning points!”
“Our sis said that with enough points, we can exchange them for lots of good things!”
“I just need 95 more points, and I can get a pair of Warrior shoes!”
The girl’s eyes shone with infinite hope for the future.
Li Xiujuan was stunned.
Earning points? Exchanging for items?
What a novel idea!
She looked at the bustling courtyard, then at the beautiful, relaxed woman on the sofa, eating snacks while directing operations.
Li Xiujuan realized: this Su Ci was truly ingenious.
She could tame these three little rascals, and they would obey willingly!
Incredible!
Shaking her head, Li Xiujuan carried her basket away.
She decided to stay clear of Sister Wang, who always found fault, and align herself with Su Ci instead.
All day long, the Lu family operated in this intense, “competitive” atmosphere.
At dinner, the three kids, exhausted like little puppies, struggled to lift their bowls, eyelids drooping.
Yet their spirits were unusually high.
Lu Xiangbei earned 5 points today, closer to the electronic watch.
Lu Xiangnan earned 4.5 points, almost within reach of the white sneakers.
Lu Xiangdong, through reciting and exercise, earned 3 valuable points.
After eating, they nearly fought over who would wash the dishes (1 point).
Su Ci resolved it with rock-paper-scissors: winner washes.
Late at night, the children slept deeply, dreaming of a bright future.
Su Ci, however, couldn’t sleep.
Sitting in the dark kitchen, she willed several items to appear on the stove.
A small bag of dried scallops, a few golden hook shrimp, a bottle of aged premium soy sauce, and several bottles of spices labeled in foreign languages.
These were all from the “high-end seasoning section” on the minus-first floor of her space.
Looking at these ingredients, god-level for the 1970s, Su Ci’s lips curved with determination.
The household labor had been mobilized.
Next, it was time to conquer the wider world outside with a flavor this era couldn’t resist.
The dream of a “ten-thousand-yuan household” would start with this pot of sauce.
Night.
Black as ink, like a massive slab of paint dumped into the sea.
“Rumble—!”
A blinding white lightning split the darkness like a giant axe.
Thunder followed, deafening.
Gales and rain whipped across the island, striking every inch of land.
The sea raged, towering waves crashing onto the rocks, sounding like mountains collapsing.
The entire island felt like a tiny boat about to capsize.
Every household nailed boards over windows, stuffed rags in door gaps, not daring a single light to escape.
Except the Lu family.
Behind their seemingly fragile gate, warm orange light glowed from the main room.
Su Ci sat in the kitchen.
On her small stove, a tiny clay pot bubbled with a strange sauce, amber in color.
The umami of dried scallops, the salty fragrance of golden hook shrimp, combined with over a dozen spices from the space, non-existent in this era.
The aroma was rich, bold, and hauntingly warm, alive in the small kitchen, stubbornly seeping through cracks to challenge the cold storm outside.
Su Ci scooped a little onto her tongue to taste.