They are indeed living a good life now.
They moved out of the small Western-style house, bought a courtyard house facing the street, and made it warm and comfortable.
The family bought a 14-inch black and white TV and a twin-tub washing machine. Lu Ran also specially cleaned up a room to add a dressing table and all kinds of new clothes for Zi Xi.
The most important change is their current mental outlook.
Lu Ran has changed, and Zi Xi is no longer the stoic, silent adopted daughter who depends on others.
She was composed and confident, and was the true mistress of this little family.
Lu Ran also felt increasingly threatened, and aside from going to work, he would stick to Zi Xi.
He gives all his money to his wife because he's afraid that one day his charming wife will leave him.
“My parents are rich, they don’t need to give me so much, and I don’t need that much pocket money.”
"Give my parents a thousand as a token... As for me, I... this is enough for me."
Lu Ran shook his head, counted out a thousand yuan, and took out eleven more.
"...No, Ran, the five thousand yuan must be sent to Mom and Dad, and you must take this money too."
“I trust you completely. Now that you’re not gambling, I feel comfortable giving you so much pocket money.”
Zi Xi pushed the money over without any room for argument.
"Ah Xi, you're such a good wife... In our time, this kind of pocket money is simply unheard of..."
Lu Ran stepped forward and put his arm around Zi Xi's shoulder, looking at the twinkling lights in the distance with immense gratitude for the wife his grandfather had chosen for him.
“I used to think of myself as a pile of mud, and the best outcome would be to rot to the end.”
"Then I met you, and I wanted to burn myself out, even if I turned to ashes, to light up you, because I felt that was the only way to be worthy of you."
After a moment of silence, Lu Ran spoke softly.
"Now I truly understand that the best days are not about who lights up whom, but about us being each other's light."
"Only by working together can we make this long and arduous road ahead brighter, more stable, and farther."
He paused, then hugged Zixi tighter, looking down at her with tender eyes.
Zi Xi nestled in his arms, feeling the firm heartbeat from his chest, and nodded gently, everything understood without words.
She had considered divorce and leaving, but never thought of continuing to live with Lu Ran.
But in the past few months, Lu Ran's attitude has changed drastically, and he has been incredibly kind to her.
Not only did he give her all the money, but Lu Ran also took care of all the big and small things at home.
If he weren't a kitchen disaster, Lu Ran would have taken over all the cooking too.
Life on Zi Xi's side is undergoing earth-shattering changes.
However, the life of Zhou Qingjian and Shen Yurong in that once meticulously decorated little home was subtly filled with tension.
Outside, their lives remain enviable and glamorous.
With the information about in-demand goods provided by Shen Yurong, Zhou Qingjian continued his business of buying and selling, which was indeed much better than the fixed salary he earned working in the factory.
We got a new bicycle and a Bee brand sewing machine for the family.
Not only that, Shen Yurong put on a brightly colored polyester dress, got a trendy perm, and walked down the alley carrying a leather bag.
Meat can occasionally be found on the dining table; life seems neither extravagant nor impoverished.
But beneath this prosperity, Zhou Qingjian's inner unease grew day by day.
The information provided by Shen Yurong began to seem like a fog, sometimes accurate and sometimes not.
Sometimes you can make a small profit, but other times you almost lose everything.
What bothered him even more was that Shen Yurong's appetite seemed to have been whetted by her previous lucky successes.
No longer content with making small profits from small ventures, she began to whisper sweet nothings in his ear, urging him to pull off some big heists.
They say that no one can get rich without windfall gains, and no horse can get fat without night grass. You must seize the opportunity to become truly rich and live like Lu Ran's family.
No, it's a life even more glamorous than Lu Ran's.
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