Chapter 293: The Daughters-in-Law

May 1st, Labor Day, morning.

Li Luo had a dream.

In the dream, he could not move or control his body, yet he sometimes rose high into the sky, drifting among soft clouds, and at other times plunged into deep valleys, rolling on grassy ground.

Finally, he fell into a lake, unable to breathe or swim, as if something pressed down on his body, sinking straight to the bottom.

Until he could no longer hold his breath and involuntarily opened his mouth to inhale, jolting awake from sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Yan Zhusheng straddling his stomach with both legs, one hand pinching his nose.

Only when she saw him awake did she release her grip.

"I almost thought someone was trying to murder me."

"How could that be?" Yan Zhusheng said. "I just came to wake you up."

"Is this how you normally wake someone up?"

"I called, but you didn't get up," Yan Zhusheng blinked. "So I tried another way."

"You really called?" Li Luo looked skeptical, questioning the legitimacy of Yan Zhusheng's procedure.

Yan Zhusheng nodded firmly, then asked in return: "You usually wake up the moment I call. Why didn't you today? Did you stay up late last night?"

"Cough…" Li Luo's gaze turned evasive at the question, avoiding Yan Zhusheng's eyes as he muttered, "I was writing, preparing the plot for the summer about 'I Am a Singer.'"

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Then why won't you look at me?"

"You're imagining things. I just woke up—my vision is still blurry."

"Then what's this?" Yan Zhusheng reached out, touched his pillow, then lifted a long strand of hair, squinting. "Your senior's."

"What?" Li Luo stared at the hair, lost in thought. "My bed is full of all three of your hairs—what's so strange about that? And how do you know it's your senior's?"

"Your senior's hair is the shortest, and not as black," Yan Zhusheng said seriously.

"Alright, alright—who knows when it got there?" Li Luo patted her slender waist. "Get off me. I'm getting up."

Yan Zhusheng, unlike Ying Chanxi, didn't like digging into details. Hearing Li Luo say that, she obediently slid off him.

Li Luo threw back the covers, got out of bed, slipped on slippers, and headed for the bathroom, adding, "Go wake up Chanxi. After you've washed up, we'll go for a morning run."

"Oh."

Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently. After seeing Li Luo get up, she turned and left the master bedroom, walking to Ying Chanxi's door and knocking.

Hearing no response, she pushed open the door, glanced at Ying Chanxi asleep inside, then walked to the bedside.

Ying Chanxi was sleeping on her side, one leg pressed on a panda plush, the Pikachu and Doraemon dolls beside her pillow lying askew.

Seeing the Pikachu she had given Ying Chanxi placed right beside her pillow, Yan Zhusheng felt a quiet satisfaction—Chanxi clearly loved the doll she'd given her.

"Chanxi, wake up," Yan Zhusheng leaned down and gently shook Ying Chanxi.

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi stirred awake, clutching her head, struggling, then opened her eyes half-heartedly before closing them again. "So sleepy… let me sleep a little longer."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded, tucked the blanket around Ying Chanxi, and turned to leave.

But the moment Ying Chanxi heard Yan Zhusheng's "Oh," it triggered a reflex—she shot upright in bed: "I'm up."

It wasn't Ying Chanxi's fault for being so sensitive.

The truth was, Yan Zhusheng had done this many times before.

Whenever Ying Chanxi asked to sleep a little longer, Yan Zhusheng would just let her sleep—no further attempts to wake her—causing Ying Chanxi to miss several morning runs in the past.

As a result, now, the moment Ying Chanxi heard Yan Zhusheng's "Oh," she was instantly and fully awake.

After getting out of bed, Ying Chanxi placed Pikachu and Doraemon back on the nightstand, and while Yan Zhusheng wasn't looking, secretly punched Pikachu.

Then the two girls went together to the bathroom to wash up.

Around six-thirty in the morning, the three of them left together for their morning run.

After eating breakfast at the downstairs shop, they brought back a portion for Xu Youyu.

But after returning, Ying Chanxi went straight to her room to catch up on sleep.

She'd stayed up far too late last night—first watching Li Luo's goal highlights, then reading his novel, then opening the full video of the third and fourth quarters of the basketball game, enjoying it thoroughly.

After finishing, she went back to reading Li Luo's novel.

Then she couldn't resist watching the video again.

While scrolling through videos, she accidentally clicked open that photo—seeing the people and composition inside, Ying Chanxi instantly lost all sleepiness and became wide awake with rage.

When she came to her senses, it was already two or three in the morning.

Making it to the end of the morning run now was proof of her supreme willpower.

Meanwhile, Ying Chanxi returned to her room, while Yan Zhusheng went to the piano room. With nothing else to do in the morning, she liked playing piano and singing.

Li Luo carried the breakfast he'd bought, knocked on Xu Youyu's door, heard no response, then pushed open the door a crack.

Seeing Xu Youyu asleep in bed, he stepped inside, pulled out the chair from under the desk, placed it beside the bed, and patted Xu Youyu's body. "Wake up. Breakfast's ready."

"Mmm…" Xu Youyu swatted his hand away irritably, rolled over, and turned her back to him. "Don't bother… I'm sleeping."

"Senior, wake up. Your dad came to see you," Li Luo whispered. "He said this thesis includes content about the Literary Era."

"What the hell!"

Xu Youyu jolted awake instantly, sitting up straight and staring at Li Luo beside the bed.

But when she saw his smug smile, she immediately realized—he'd tricked her—and she hit him in annoyance: "You're trying to scare me to death!"

"Who made you sleep in? Eat breakfast first."

"Don't you remember who kept you up so late last night?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then leaned close to the bed, sniffing the fried dumplings and buns Li Luo had brought back.

"Was that my idea?" Li Luo's face darkened, recalling how Xu Youyu had teased him in bed last night—he couldn't keep his composure. "Clearly you were enjoying yourself."

"It's research," Xu Youyu picked up chopsticks, grabbed a fried bun, and bit into it with a loud "Mmm," then asked, "Where's the vinegar packet?"

"Here." Li Luo pulled a vinegar packet from the bag, tore it open, and poured it directly over the dumplings. "Eat slowly. I'm going out."

"No, wait," Xu Youyu grabbed his shirt hem, stopping him from leaving.

"What else do you want?"

"This." Xu Youyu handed him the chopsticks, then opened her mouth and said, "Feed me."

"…Are you three years old?"

"For research, research, hurry up." Xu Youyu urged, "Have you ever fed another girl?"

"I have."

"Chanxi? Or Zhusheng?"

"Both… maybe?"

Li Luo didn't bother searching his Memory Palace for this.

"So adding one more won't hurt, then."

"Your train of thought really is different from normal people..."

Li Luo picked up the chopsticks, shoved a fried dumpling into Xu Youyu's mouth, and laughed.

After feeding her everything, Li Luo shoved the chopsticks into the plastic bag, stood up, and said, "Go back to sleep. I'll come call you for lunch."

"You're really treating me like a pig?" Xu Youyu sighed comfortably as she lay back on the bed. "I'll sleep two more hours, then get up to write."

"So hardworking?"

"Just got recommended yesterday—I've got to update two more chapters, right?" Xu Youyu snorted. "Someone with two hundred thousand drafts stored shouldn't be talking to me about this."

Li Luo smiled, didn't disturb her further, and closed the door behind him after leaving the study.

Shortly after, Li Luo received a call from his mother.

"Hello?"

"What are you doing?" Lin Xiuhong asked from the other end.

"Thinking about life."

"Stop being silly," Lin Xiuhong grumbled. "Your dad and I are passing by your place, then heading to Xijie—want to come along?"

"Sure." Li Luo figured he had nothing planned for the morning and nodded. "I'll come down now and wait for you at the gate?"

"Come down, we're almost there."

Li Luo replied, hung up, then walked into the piano room and told Yan Zhusheng.

Yan Zhusheng had wanted to join him when she heard he was leaving, but upon learning he was accompanying his uncle and aunt to look at property, she gave up the idea and nodded obediently. "Go ahead."

Still, Yan Zhusheng stepped out of the piano room and walked with him all the way to the door, specifically retrieving the sneakers she'd given him and placing them before him for him to put on.

Watching him slip on the sneakers she'd given him, Yan Zhusheng nodded in satisfaction, then opened the front door and watched him leave.

…

At the gate of the compound, Li Luo met Li Guohong's secondhand sedan, got into the back seat, and rode with him to nearby Xijie.

Traveling along Ningshan Avenue, passing the south gate of Qianjiang University, they arrived at the intersection before the Ningshan Tunnel entrance and Xijie. Turning right led to Xijie.

Li Guohong pulled over by the roadside. The three got out and walked onto Xijie. Li Luo glanced at the desolate shops and sighed.

In the future, after Qianjiang University and surrounding residential complexes became lively, Xijie's bustling scene would be utterly unrecognizable compared to this.

"This way," Li Guohong said as soon as he stepped out, leading them toward the west gate of Qianjiang University.

South of the west gate, the first shop was a bubble tea shop, followed immediately by a breakfast shop.

At the entrance of this shop stood a middle-aged man, short and stout, with a beer belly. Seeing Li Guohong arrive, he smiled and offered him a cigarette.

The two began chatting. Li Luo listened nearby and soon grasped the situation.

The middle-aged man was the landlord of both the bubble tea shop and the breakfast shop.

When both shops were rented out, though business was poor, the landlord only collected rent—whether the shops succeeded or failed didn't matter to him, as long as he got his rent.

But with summer vacation approaching, both shop owners had announced they wouldn't renew their leases after the end of June, since they were making no money here.

This frustrated the landlord.

At this moment, a real estate agent acted as intermediary and connected him with a buyer who wanted to purchase a storefront.

Hearing this, the landlord immediately became interested.

Although business here was poor and property prices hadn't risen much recently,

when Qianjiang University first relocated here, surrounding property prices had surged.

Most Xijie landlords had bought their storefronts back then, at roughly 7,000 to 8,000 yuan per square meter—now worth over 10,000 yuan, they'd already made a good profit.

Thus, most landlords here weren't reluctant to sell.

But some families didn't need money and preferred to hold onto their properties, waiting to see if prices would rise further.

This landlord, however, was facing financial strain due to his family's struggling business and needed cash flow—so when the agent brought a buyer, it was like a pillow dropped right into his lap.

Both sides were perfectly aligned—this was the smoothest deal Li Guohong had negotiated so far.

After about half an hour of discussion—since they'd talked many times before—the negotiation went smoothly. They set a time for the next meeting to finalize the contract, and the landlord left happily.

Then Li Guohong took Li Luo to meet two other storefront landlords.

One was the landlord of a fruit shop, which had been closed for months with no new tenant found.

The landlord preferred renting out the space and was open to selling, but less eager than the previous landlord.

The other was the landlord of a hot pot restaurant.

Looking at the Sichuan-Chongqing Old Hot Pot before him, Li Luo felt momentarily dazed.

The last time the rock club had a group meal, they'd eaten here.

In his past life, Xu Youyu often brought him here for hot pot—he knew this place intimately.

But unlike its bustling success in his past life, in this life, the Sichuan-Chongqing Old Hot Pot was still barely breaking even.

It would have to endure until next year or the year after, when the subway opened and Tianjie Mall was built, before it finally turned a corner.

Its location was prime—the D exit of the Xijie subway station lay just to its right front.

Whether coming from Ningshan Avenue or exiting through the west gate of Qianjiang University, students passing by inevitably walk past the entrance of his shop.

Especially after Xijie's road was widened, and since it's the first traffic light before the Ningshan Tunnel, the green light for east-west traffic is extremely short.

As a result, later Qianjiang University students, when crossing the road, prefer not to wait for the green light but instead go down through Metro Exit D and emerge from Exit C of Shidai Tianjie on the opposite side.

This means every time students head this way, they pass by this Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot restaurant.

Some lazy college students are thus intercepted and become loyal customers of the Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot.

Especially after being open for a long time, the reputation of the Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot spread within Qianjiang University.

Many department and club dinners love to come here.

Not only is it close, but the prices are more affordable than the hot pot restaurants inside Shidai Tianjie, so they often have to fight for seats.

Every weekend, the restaurant is almost always full, with tables packed from 4 p. m. to 8 p. m.

And yet, this very hot pot restaurant, in its previous life, had a property value of at least thirty thousand per square meter.

Due to its prime location, even after later property prices dropped, the price of this shop remained firm.

So Li Guohong actually got into talking with the landlord of this shop?

And judging by the way things look, it seems promising?

Li Luo stood to the side, quietly listening as his father chatted with the landlord across from him, gradually learning some details.

The restaurant's business is truly terrible—it's been open for a year, and during summer and winter breaks, there's no foot traffic; even on regular days when students are around, they all spend money on Ningshan Avenue and never come this way.

Although the hot pot shop spent some money on campus promotions, the results were minimal.

Only on weekends can they manage to fill three or four tables at once.

At all other times, there's hardly anyone.

After paying rent, utilities, and labor costs each month, the hot pot owner barely makes any profit.

With summer vacation approaching again, although the hot pot owner hasn't said he wants to vacate, he's privately mentioned to the landlord, wondering if the rent could be lowered further.

After all, no one ever expected that, despite both being beside Qianjiang University, foot traffic on Xijie would be so drastically lower than on Ningshan Avenue.

Li Luo doesn't know how, in his previous life, the hot pot owner managed to hold on.

Judging by the current situation, either the landlord eventually compromised and lowered the rent,

or the hot pot shop was later sold to someone else, who then took on this burden.

It's just unclear who ultimately turned this hot pot shop into a success.

But none of that matters now.

If Li Guohong can secure this shop, the Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot will naturally flourish under his hands.

And now, because of Li Guohong's alternative option, the landlord can choose to sell the property and cash out, so he's become more rigid regarding the hot pot owner's request for lower rent.

But just as Li Luo was listening intently, Lin Xiuhong suddenly said: "It's already past nine. You two stay here—I'll go buy some vegetables and cook lunch at Li Luo's place."

"Alright, go ahead," Li Guohong waved his hand, then turned to Li Luo, "Are you going back with your mom?"

Li Luo shook his head—he wanted to learn more about the situation.

So Lin Xiuhong left alone, giving the father and son a few parting words before arriving at Bihai Lanting, where she first went upstairs to put down her bag.

Yan Zhusheng, who was practicing piano in the music room, immediately dashed out in her slippers upon hearing the faint sound of the door opening.

The words "Li Luo" on the tip of her tongue were swallowed the moment she saw Lin Xiuhong, replaced instead with a polite: "Auntie, hello."

"Zhusheng," Lin Xiuhong said, glancing around, then asked curiously, "Where are Chanxi and Youyu?"

"They're still asleep."

"It's already past nine," Lin Xiuhong sighed, shaking her head. "When did Chanxi start sleeping in? Has Li Luo spoiled her?"

"No, not at all," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "Li Luo got up this morning and ran with me."

"That's good," Lin Xiuhong nodded, satisfied as she patted Yan Zhusheng's shoulder. "Keep up this habit."

"I just came to drop off my bag and check what vegetables are in the fridge."

"Li Luo and his dad will be back soon—I'll cook for you all first."

Saying this, Lin Xiuhong walked into the kitchen, glanced at the remaining ingredients, mentally planned, then came out and told Yan Zhusheng: "I'll go buy vegetables now."

Seeing this, Yan Zhusheng immediately scurried to the door and helped Lin Xiuhong change shoes: "Auntie, let me go with you."

"Oh no, you stay home, no need, no need."

"It's fine," Yan Zhusheng had already slipped on her shoes and stepped out the door, turning sweetly to Lin Xiuhong. "I'll press the elevator button first."

Watching Yan Zhusheng run to the elevator, Lin Xiuhong's face showed a mixture of helplessness and warmth; after putting on her shoes, she followed her out—the elevator had already reached the 15th floor.

The two descended together to the nearby vegetable market to shop.

Yan Zhusheng obediently walked beside Lin Xiuhong, watching her haggle with vendors, not bored at all—instead, she found it fascinating.

After Lin Xiuhong paid, Yan Zhusheng immediately reached out to carry the bags.

After wandering the market, most of the bags ended up in Yan Zhusheng's hands, and Lin Xiuhong hardly lifted a finger.

Returning to Bihai Lanting with the groceries, Lin Xiuhong was just marveling at Yan Zhusheng's kindness when she walked in and saw Ying Chanxi hanging washed clothes on the balcony.

Seeing Lin Xiuhong enter, Ying Chanxi was startled, then happily asked: "Auntie Lin, why are you here?"

"I came to buy vegetables and cook," Lin Xiuhong chuckled. "Li Luo and his dad will be here soon—I'll start cooking."

As she spoke, Yan Zhusheng followed her inside.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi's expression froze: "Zhusheng… how did you…"

"I went with Auntie to buy vegetables," Yan Zhusheng blinked. "You were sleeping earlier, so I didn't wake you."

"Oh right," Lin Xiuhong remembered, adding, "Chanxi, we really need to sleep early and rise early—form good habits. If you're sleep-deprived and your circadian rhythm's off, I won't know how to explain it to your dad."

"Yes, yes yes…" Ying Chanxi nodded quickly, embarrassedly scratching her cheek, then hurried to Yan Zhusheng's side to take the bags from her. "Auntie Lin, let's start cooking—I'll help you."

"Alright," Lin Xiuhong laughed, walked into the kitchen, and put on an apron alongside Ying Chanxi, working together.

Watching the skillful and thoughtful Ying Chanxi beside her, Lin Xiuhong couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

While the two of them were busy in the kitchen, Xu Youyu had already woken up and was diligently typing at his computer.

After stepping out once to use the restroom, he realized Lin Xiuhong was also there.

"Auntie, good morning," Xu Youyu peeked into the kitchen at the doorway, smiling as he greeted Lin Xiuhong.

"Youyu, good morning," Lin Xiuhong said with a smile upon seeing him. "Of the three of you, you're the one who loves to sleep in the most—when will you fix this habit?"

"Umm…" Xu Youyu felt a bit embarrassed, instantly transported back to his own home, where Cui Suling scolded him; he nearly mistook Lin Xiuhong for his own mother—her words were carved from the exact same mold. "I know, Auntie, I'll work hard to correct it."

"Then you and Zhusheng rest for now; lunch will be ready soon."

"Mm-hmm."

Xu Youyu returned to the living room, stretched, and greeted Yan Zhusheng, who was watching TV on the sofa.

At that moment, Lin Xiuhong walked out of the kitchen and headed straight for the restroom—likely to use it.

Seeing this, Xu Youyu quickly grabbed a pack of toilet paper from the living room and followed her. As Lin Xiuhong was about to close the door, he said: "Auntie, the toilet paper inside just ran out—take this one in."

"Oh, oh, thank you," Lin Xiuhong took the toilet paper, closed the restroom door, and her expression instantly grew distant.

After using the restroom, she washed her hands at the sink and couldn't help but reflect.

These three young girls all have such good personalities.

And in front of her, each one was more well-behaved and thoughtful than the last—Lin Xiuhong truly liked everyone she saw.

Each of them was also so beautiful and lovely; Lin Xiuhong genuinely felt nervous for her own son.

How exactly had Li Luo been interacting with these three young girls behind her back when she wasn't around?