When my father sacrificed his life, the country compensated us with eighteen hundred yuan. Song Wanlin took this money, and over fourteen years, she gave the Xu Family twenty-five yuan per month, which totals about four thousand yuan.
As for the amount spent on her, how much could it be? It could all be calculated clearly; the eighteen hundred yuan my father exchanged with his life couldn't possibly be spent entirely on her food, clothing, and schooling.
From now on, Xu Qinghuan is clear with the Xu Family and Song Wanlin; as long as they don't provoke her, she doesn't wish to have any entanglements with them.
While the Xu Family members were still talking in the living room, Xu Qinghuan scooped some hot water to wash up, ignoring them, and went straight to bed.
On Lin Xiaolan's side, hardly anyone came to her counter all afternoon, and several colleagues who usually got along well with her inexplicably stayed far away. When she got home, she called out "Mom," and Yuan Huilan pinched her nose, "You damn girl, what's going on, haven't bathed in days? You smell terrible! Hurry up and take a bath!"
Lin Xiaolan was stunned; she showered every day, how could she not in such hot weather?
She lifted her sleeve to sniff, and almost threw up, feeling all sorts of unwell.
Only now did she realize that the look in people's eyes clearly showed they were disgusted by her.
"Ah!"
Lin Xiaolan hurried into the bathroom, while Yuan Huilan, overwhelmed by the smell, handed her some water from the hot-water bottle, "Quickly wash up, my goodness, this reeks worse than a cesspit!"
Lin Xiaolan almost wanted to drown herself in a cesspit; quickly scrubbing herself from head to toe, she realized the water coming off was black. At this moment, she was on the verge of breakdown.
"Mom, there isn't enough water!" Lin Xiaolan cried, she knew what was going on—it had to be Xu Qinghuan, that damn girl had messed her up.
Yuan Huilan quickly boiled two more pots of water for her daughter. Lin Xiaolan washed three times until the water was no longer black, but upon seeing her skin she was stunned, how could it be so fair and tender?
She rushed to the mirror to look at her face; her features were still familiar but her face was at least three shades whiter, and the pores, which used to look quite large, were now so fine as to be almost invisible, as smooth as tofu.
"Mom, come and see me, quick!"
She pulled the door open while only wearing underwear, dragged Yuan Huilan inside, pushed her face and skin close, "Mom, look, is it still me? Is it me? Boo hoo, I've become pretty too!"
Although she isn't yet a match for Xu Qinghuan, she has now entered the ranks of beauty!
Yuan Huilan was also astonished, "How... did this happen?"
Lin Xiaolan played coy, "Not telling you, weren't you just disgusted by my smell before? Washed clean, and now pretty!"
She knew it had to do with the pill Xu Qinghuan had given her, but she planned to keep it secret, even from her mom, since Huanhuan hadn't said it could be disclosed; something so miraculous could cause trouble for Huanhuan.
"Did you eat something, you little brat?" Yuan Huilan asked nervously.
"Oh, don't worry, it won't matter." She happily stroked her face, feeling prettier by the moment, deeply grateful to Xu Qinghuan, deciding to send her three yuan every month once she's off to the countryside.
Of course, where Xu Qinghuan is concerned, Qiao Xinyu can't be left out either.
The Lin Family members returned one after another, at first glance noticing no change in Lin Xiaolan, but she seemed to glow with whiteness.
"Lanlan, did you put putty on your face? How did you get so white?" Lin's father finally noticed something was off.
Lin Xiaolan felt both angry and amused, "Dad, you're teasing. No putty was applied! I've just become fairer. Be! Came! Fairer!"
Lin Xiaolan's sister-in-law, in a particularly good mood today, couldn't help but exclaim, "Indeed, Lanlan, you've become much fairer! What brand of creamy snow lotion did you use? When I get paid, I'll buy you another jar!"
Lin Xiaolan cupped her face as if holding a treasure, boasting, "Sister-in-law, look closely, this is natural beauty, no snow lotion used, never using snow lotion again!"
To avoid people thinking she used snow lotion.
"It hasn't been this white before!" the Lin Family's eldest brother was puzzled.
Lin's mother laughed, "Before, the face hadn't been cleaned properly, today it's been washed three or four times with soap nut, scrubbing off clumps of black grime, now it's fair!"
"Oh my, Lanlan, you were so dirty!" exclaimed Lin's eldest brother, keeping away from Lin Xiaolan.
Even though quite annoyed, Lin Xiaolan didn't bother to clarify, for Huanhuan's sake, she'd endure this infamous reputation.
Some families rejoice, others worry; for the Lin Family, today brings double happiness as Lin Xiaolan's sister-in-law found a job, lifting everyone's spirits, and Lin Xiaolan transformed from rough and dark to a delicate beauty.
Things weren't so good for the Jiang Family; Jiang Chengxu returned home to hear his mother talking about canceling an engagement, and he immediately grew dark-faced, "I don't agree!"
Father Jiang glanced at him but didn't react, instead asked, "What does the Xu Family say?"
"They say she's cursed to harm her husband!" Jiang's mother grew angrier, "She doesn't want to marry us, and we don't want to marry her either; a fatherless wretch, perhaps she cursed her own father to death, otherwise why'd her mother run so far away and leave her behind!"
Father Jiang was livid, a person living under someone else's roof dared not marry into their family; he could usually say the word and cut off the engagement, if only it wasn't him who arranged this marriage.
"Did Xu Qinghuan also tell you she wants to call off the engagement?" Father Jiang asked his son.
Jiang Chengxu was a bit confused; he always thought Xu Qinghuan was joking when she talked about breaking the engagement, now he wasn't sure and regretted not chasing after her when she returned the engagement tokens.
"She didn't mention it to me!" Jiang Chengxu concealed the truth, planning to discuss things thoroughly with Xu Qinghuan, ideally without escalating it before their parents, or else it would be hard to salvage.
Father Jiang felt slightly relieved, exchanging a knowing look with Jiang's mother, suspecting it might be Xu Liqun's couple stirring up trouble.
Regardless, this engagement in their minds had lost its shine.
After dinner, Father Jiang said he had work to attend to, not the first time this happened.
Jiang's mother stood up to try and stop him, "What business could there be at the factory, it's so late, you usually pull all-nighters, haven't you worked enough?"
Father Jiang took an overcoat, didn't even glance at Jiang's mother, and walked out, "The factory director is retiring; one of us three deputy directors will be selected to step up, Old Chen's keeping a sharp eye, Old Shen's teamed up with him, at this crucial moment, for any hope of rising further, I must perform well."
It's common knowledge the food factory director will retire in six months. Hearing this, Jiang's mother held back her words, thinking ahead to when she'd be the director's wife, much more impressive than now.
Though insecure about Father Jiang's frequent overnight absences recently, she couldn't help but support him.
Once elected director, things will be better, she comforted herself.