No more internal strife in the extra chapters
The Su family moved into their new house, which has a whole-house water heating system, making it especially warm in winter. The attic on the third floor has also been renovated and is very warm in winter with central heating. They've set up a small gathering place for the children and converted two rooms into studies.
"Mom," He Xu said during the meal, "I'm planning to quit my job and come back to start a business with you."
He Yi nodded, "You two are too busy, running around like crazy. My dad's supermarket is about to open, and I see you want to do everything. You wish you had three heads and six arms."
Shu Yao and her husband's eyes lit up: "Really?"
The brother and sister nodded in unison. They had originally come back to help move into their new house and visit their parents. But seeing how busy their parents were, they couldn't bear to leave. Besides, no matter how good a stable job is, it's not as good as owning their own property.
“I’ll help Dad with the supermarket, Yiyi, you help Mom.”
"good."
He Xu's major at university is economics, which is a good fit for his career. He Yi studied law, so she's not as knowledgeable about it as her brother. However, the economy is still developing, so they can learn what they don't know.
In their past life, the brother and sister also quickly took unpaid leave because they felt sorry for their mother working so hard alone. In this life, the youngest sister is still working in the public sector, while both twins have taken unpaid leave to return to work.
This time, Su Xiangdong started his business earlier than in his previous life, choosing the largest city as his first stop. He had already secured a shop location and was discussing funding with his wife when he got home that evening.
“I’ve already contacted 80% of the suppliers, and they all agree that I only need to pay 20% for the first batch of goods. The original plan was to form a joint venture, but yesterday my brother said that joint ventures are the most troublesome, especially 50/50 like this. There will be many disagreements later on due to differences in experience and ideas. He said he would invest in me, which is like a loan. There will be no dividends in the future, but rather a repayment method. The interest rate he offered is lower than that of the bank.”
"That's great, just borrow his."
Su Xiangdong smiled helplessly and placed a piece of tofu on his wife's plate. His son had gone to the scene in Kyoto, and he would be leaving in a few days. That was the first stop to test the waters; if it worked out, the second stop would be the provincial capital.
"Your shop was funded by your two older brothers, and I borrowed money from them. Isn't it unfair that we're taking such a big advantage?"
“Yes.” Shu Yao pretended to be hesitant. “But if someone insists on giving you a bargain, wouldn’t it be foolish not to take advantage of it?”
Su Xiangdong was amused by his wife. They didn't have enough funds, and even if his brother-in-law didn't ask, his parents-in-law wouldn't just leave them to fend for themselves.
In his previous life, besides his own savings and connections, he also borrowed a considerable amount of money to build his business. Since he was optimistic about this project and decided to pursue it, he naturally went all out.
"Actually, I can handle it myself, it's just a bit troublesome."
"Don't be polite with my brothers, just accept it if he gives it to you." Her two brothers felt guilty and wanted to make amends. "Then keep it. Didn't we say we'd pay it back later? Just don't pay interest."
The couple were busy with their own things, but no matter how late it was, they would always go home every night. Their youngest daughter's workplace wasn't far, so she started staying there every day. With their two daughters by their side, life was busy but fulfilling.
Summer has arrived, and supermarkets in Kyoto have officially opened for business. The whole family came to support them, and the two daughters stood together whispering to each other, looking quite nervous.
The little girl came over and grabbed her arm: "Mom, why aren't you worried at all?"
"What are you worried about?" Shu Yao asked knowingly, trying to coax the child.
"Of course I'm worried about Dad's supermarket. It's the first one in the country; there's never been a business like this before. I know supermarkets are very common abroad, but we don't have them in China."
"Don't you think this way of shopping is convenient and liberating?"
“Yes. But,” He Xin frowned, “but after all, this has never been done in China before.”
"We are in a period of great change, and we must be at the forefront of the times. We must be the trendsetters."
He Yi nodded. "Mom, I think you have a lot of courage."
"It's because your maternal grandparents and uncles are there to support you."
The three children smiled, looking much more relaxed than before. With the supermarket reopening and the added benefit of previous coupons, customers flocked in.
"It was an instant success," was Su Xiangdong's conclusion after two days of operation. "Although there were some minor flaws, they didn't detract from its overall excellence. This distribution method was widely welcomed, and everyone liked it."
No explanation was needed; Shu Yao knew what he meant by "minor flaw." The level of public awareness in China today needs improvement, and the sudden emergence of self-service sales inevitably leads to petty theft. However, the supermarket has installed an anti-theft system to minimize losses.
A year after the supermarket opened, Su Xiangdong bought a house here. "A three-bedroom apartment, to be my son's wedding home. I asked him if he had a girlfriend, and the brat just shook his head."
After her skincare routine, Shu Yao crawled into bed and said, "What's the rush?"
He put his arm around his wife and said, "At this age, he should be looking for a partner, but I've never seen him get close to any girls."
Shu Yao chuckled softly, "Why haven't I seen you urging your daughter?"
"No need to rush my daughter. She's so outstanding, why would she worry about getting married? My precious daughter, whom I've raised, should stay by my side for a few more years."
"You—" Shu Yao laughed uncontrollably; this man was so hypocritical. He couldn't bear to see his daughter leave, yet he kept urging his son to get married. He Xu and He Yi were the same age; according to societal norms, girls should marry early, so he should urge his daughter first. But he, on the other hand, let his two daughters have their own freedom.
"Actually, I'm just saying that whether they get married or not is up to them. If my two daughters don't want to get married, that's even better. They can stay by my side and I'll support them."
The next day, Su Xiangdong got up to make breakfast. As long as he was home, breakfast was guaranteed to be on the table by seven o'clock. His wife loved homemade porridge, so he had already soaked the beans the night before.
First, add the soaked beans (mung beans, cowpeas, peanuts, sorghum rice, millet, and glutinous rice) to the boiling water. Keep adding cold water to the water as it boils to encourage the beans to split open. Once the beans are almost cooked, add the rice and cook for another 40 minutes.
Many people find this kind of porridge troublesome and usually just make millet porridge in the morning, which only takes half an hour. But Shu Yao likes porridge made with various grains, so she always makes this kind.
My aunt is getting old now, and I keep telling her not to get up so early in the morning. But old people need less sleep, and just as he started putting the beans in the pot, my aunt got up too.
"Steamed buns or flatbreads?" she asked, reaching for the mixing bowl.
"I'll do it, make the egg pancakes."
"I'll do it." Auntie San said cheerfully, her face full of a calm smile. "Don't treat me like an old good-for-nothing. I'm not young, but I'm in good health. Doing some work is nothing."
We're planning to hire another nanny, but we're still in the selection process. Since she'll be living under the same roof as the family, we need to find someone we click with, and someone suitable for all kinds of chores. So it won't be quick.
Shu Yao woke up in the room, completely bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? Hadn't she been picked up from the hospital by her two children? The room in front of her seemed to have the decor she liked, but it was still somewhat different from where she lived.
After divorcing Sun Yaozu, her physical ailments were cured, but the wounds in her heart remained unhealed. From the hospital to returning home, she was plunged into deep self-doubt.
Her decades-long marriage failed; the man's words tore at her heart like knives. Was it really because she didn't know how to manage a marriage, because she was too domineering, because she was wrong?
She has a son and a daughter at the company. After being discharged from the hospital, she often sits alone, as if she has lost all her energy. She goes to sleep in her room at night, and when she wakes up, she finds herself in this unfamiliar place.
"Awake?" Someone pushed open the door and entered; it was Su Xiangdong. Seeing she was awake, he came in. She noticed his legs were perfectly fine, without a single limp point. And the way he looked at her was so warm, so familiar. She had just seen the photo of her and him on the wall, and a flood of guesses rushed through her mind.
"The porridge is ready. Get up and eat when you're awake."
"good."
She answered instinctively and stood up instinctively. Luckily, she was wearing long-sleeved pajamas, otherwise she would have felt awkward. She was puzzled but didn't dare ask, silently observing the situation.
She washed up in the bathroom outside, and by the time she was done, breakfast was already laid out on the table: multigrain and bean porridge, egg pancakes, stir-fried shredded potatoes, cold bean sprout and spinach salad, and sliced braised beef. It was a simple home-cooked meal, but it suited her perfectly, especially the porridge. She knew how much effort it took to cook it. To make it so thick and without burning the bottom required considerable skill.
"What's wrong? Why are you so down today?" He reached out and touched her forehead with practiced ease. By the time she came to her senses, he had already placed his hand on his own forehead for comparison.
"You don't have a fever. Where do you feel unwell?"
No, no.
"Oh, then wake up and eat quickly. Didn't you say you had to go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau today? I'll go with you later."
"good."
What's going on? Did she marry Su Xiangdong? The food she ate was particularly to her liking, and she slowly ate a bowl of porridge.
Good morning, Dad and Mom.
Good morning, Mom and Dad.
Just then, a pair of girls came downstairs. She recognized one of them as Shuqing, but there seemed to be something different about her. She seemed more cheerful and radiant. The other girl held Shuqing's hand and called out the same name as Shuqing. The girl called her "Mom," so she had given birth to another child?
"Dad, you're so biased! You made Mom's favorite porridge again." The little girl pouted, but was eating with a spoon.
"You're complaining even when you're begging for food? You eat at home, so of course you get to eat whatever your mom eats. Otherwise, get up and cook for yourself."
The little girl stuck out her tongue: "I was just saying."
Shuqing smiled quietly, eating her porridge with a spoon. "Dad, your porridge has been the same for so many years, it's really good."
“That’s right,” the little girl continued her sister’s words. “As long as it’s something Mom likes to eat, Dad can cook anything well. His cooking skills improve year by year, especially the dishes that Mom likes; they’re even better than the chefs at the cafeterias.”
Su Xiangdong stood by, beaming, handing his two daughters some pancakes. He then spoke to "Shuqing."
"Yiyi, you go and oversee the shipment this morning. I'll go with your mom to the Industry and Commerce Bureau. Give me the documents later."
"good."
As Shu Yao listened to their conversation, she noticed that her daughter and son had completely different names. Her son was named Su Hexu, and her daughter was named Su Heyi. Both children were bright and cheerful, and remained as sensible and filial as ever. Moreover, with her third aunt helping out, she didn't have to do any housework at home.
He accompanied her to the Industry and Commerce Bureau in the morning. She was very skilled at her job and didn't give anything away. Through his subtle questioning, she learned a lot by the time she went to sleep that night.
This time, she remarried Su Xiangdong less than a month after marrying Sun Yaozu. Their relationship was exceptionally good after marriage; she could feel it without her aunt needing to repeat it. That evening, after she took a shower, he used a hairdryer to dry her hair so she could have free hands to do her skincare routine.
"Honey, what's wrong with you today? You seem so dazed."
"It's nothing." Too many emotions were piling up in her chest, and she couldn't sort them out, so she didn't know what to say.
"Are you feeling unwell? I'll pour you a glass of milk. Drink it and get a good night's sleep. You might be tired lately. I always tell you not to push yourself so hard. Take your time with work. Even if you want to acquire your factory and start a textile business in the future, don't worry too much about the money. We have assets now. We can take out a mortgage loan, and if that's not enough, we can ask your brother-in-law for help."
"Oh." She did indeed acquire the original textile factory. In the original timeline, the two children were busy with that matter. Reorganization was needed, equipment needed to be updated, all products needed to be redesigned—a whole host of things were waiting for them.
He poured her some milk, drank it, and then put the cup back. She didn't have to do anything the whole time; it was the first time a man had taken such good care of her, and she was completely bewildered.
Her emotions were in turmoil. She lay down and closed her eyes, only opening them again when she heard the even breathing beside her. The man was indeed Su Xiangdong; he had visited her when she was sick. He ran a supermarket and they had business dealings. In her memory, he was indeed self-disciplined and gentle; she never imagined living with him would be like this.
From the daughter's few words, one can glean that she has been cared for by him in this way for over twenty years. The couple's relationship is so good that even their children envy them.
Her deepest resentment stemmed from her relationship with Sun Yaozu and Meng Xi, a young couple who had married in their youth but had become bitter enemies. During those ten years, Sun Yaozu had illegally crossed the border, colluded with the CCP, and committed countless atrocities including smuggling and drug trafficking. He even framed Meng Xi, sending her to prison.
"It turns out it wasn't me who was bad."
She hadn't slept all night, her mind a jumble of thoughts, and finally she let out a soft laugh. The psychologist said her inner turmoil was difficult to resolve; countless people had tried to persuade her, but she hadn't found peace. Yet, this visit brought her a sudden enlightenment.
Self-reflection three times a day can lead to progress. However, when attacked by bad people, it's easy to fall into self-doubt and internal conflict. Seeing the opposite outcome firsthand instantly resolved her inner conflict.
She closed her eyes and woke up again, back in her own world, all the previous despondency and resentment gone. She began to focus on her career, completely forgetting about that scumbag couple.
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Author's note: My next novel, "The Homecoming of a Fake Heiress in the 1980s," is now available for pre-order.
When Lin Yunzhi was fourteen, she left the Huo family villa and returned to the countryside with her biological parents. Everyone thought she would be resentful, but in reality, she thrived. Her previously laid-back personality was no longer pressured by anyone to achieve certain scores.
Her parents were experts at raising livestock, and soon became large-scale breeders, competing with her three older brothers to give her money. Her best friend is such a good student, she should work hard to get into Tsinghua or Peking University. And that boy who bumped into her on campus, you'd better hurry up and work harder too, stop staring at me, I'm not smeared on my face.
Male student: No, you have flowers on your face, or rather, pretty roses.
She reappeared in her old circle of friends, looking radiant and relaxed. Her husband is a tech tycoon, and she owns shares in his company. Her best friend is a medical aesthetics giant, and she owns half of her company.
Everyone thought that she would become capable of doing everything from laundry to cooking in the countryside. In reality, before these people became wealthy, she only needed to walk and dress herself. But after they became wealthy, she was already being carried around by someone.
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