Volume 1, Chapter 20: An Ill-Matched Union & The Bonds of Mother and Daughter

Luo Xuan notified her eldest sister immediately: Luo Qi was pregnant.

Given the magnitude of the family crisis, compounded by the fact that she had personally struck her pregnant younger sister, Luo Xuan felt a twinge of guilt. She tactfully avoided mentioning her own return to Shanghai.

Another wasted ticket was added to her wallet.

Lin Zhaodi was pained, anxious, and furious all at once, but no matter how she pressed for answers, Luo Qi would only say simply, "I have made up my mind about him; I am going to marry him." Not a word more.

Within a few days, Luo Qi began vomiting everything she ate, visibly wasting away, her face growing paler by the day.

Finally, yielding to her eldest sister's advice, Luo Xuan tried to persuade Lin Zhaodi: "Since she is dead set on this marriage, we should just meet the man's family. Whether it works out or not can be decided later; there is no point in clashing with her and ruining her health."

When it came to her youngest daughter, Lin Zhaodi was always at a loss. She wept, "Zhang Dongyao was such a fine young man, but the youngest... she is truly muddled... bewitched... oh!"

And so, on the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, Luo Xuan met the entire family of her younger sister's new boyfriend.

Unexpectedly, the family was quite impressive—or rather, perhaps too impressive. It felt as if Luo Xuan were living in a television drama or a novel.

The new brother-in-law, Wang Youran, was tall and handsome, a graduate of a prestigious university. He currently resided in Shanghai, worked in the financial sector with a substantial annual salary, and came from a family of significant means. His father was a former executive of a listed company, and his mother was a head nurse at a hospital. Their poise, demeanor, and breeding were impeccable. The three of them were gentle in temperament, proper in appearance, and showed genuine, heartfelt affection for her younger sister.

Luo Xuan had cautiously asked her uncle to look into the man's family, and all the information checked out.

In short, everything went so smoothly it felt like a dream.

The two families wined and dined at a restaurant in Zhihe City. During the meal, Wang Youran’s parents discussed the wedding details with great generosity, even presenting the youngest sister with a red envelope containing 10,001 yuan.

After the meal, Luo Xuan reported back to her eldest sister, and the two were finally at ease. Yet, on the way back, their mother remained troubled.

Once home, the youngest sister, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.

When Luo Xuan went to the kitchen for a glass of water, she found her mother sitting alone in the dark, shedding tears.

Luo Xuan’s holiday was finally coming to an end; she was to return to Shanghai the next day. Perhaps knowing that the time they had together was fleeting, the mother and daughter had a rare, calm conversation.

Immersed in the night, Lin Zhaodi sighed, "The man's family is good, but they are *too* good. I can't help but feel uneasy."

Luo Xuan comforted her, "The youngest is a beauty; she deserves a one-in-a-hundred match."

Lin Zhaodi stared into the night outside the window, tears falling, "A mismatch in status is a curse. I’m worried that marrying into such a high station will be like swallowing needles. Wang Youran is so perfect—flawless in every way—yet our family only runs a small business. How did your sister manage to catch him? Could he have some hidden ailment?"

Luo Xuan was torn between laughter and tears, "Mom, why dwell on the negative? The youngest is already pregnant. The man's family just said they would be happy regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl; I believe they are sincere. Finding Wang Youran might have been unexpected, but the outcome is good. A wedding and a new addition to the family—a double blessing. The best is yet to come for her."

Lin Zhaodi nodded, yet she remained heavy-hearted.

...

The next day, after waking up, Luo Xuan opened her laptop to find a new email waiting for her from Lihua.

After eating at home, Luo Xuan set off for Shanghai.

The rift between the sisters had not healed, and Luo Xuan dared not let her pregnant younger sister see her off. The younger girl simply said, "Sister, take care," and turned back to her room.

Lin Zhaodi drove Luo Xuan to the station.

On the way, Luo Xuan was preoccupied with the contents of the email. Lihua Group had publicly announced losses due to its subsidiaries' involvement in the U.S. subprime mortgage market and would be initiating a 30% workforce reduction.

She thought of her extended holiday—it was a bad omen.

This news would not only affect her job but potentially her stocks as well.

The U.S. subprime crisis was escalating. Would the A-share market be affected by Lihua’s layoff announcement? Her entire savings were in the stock market; she had no idea what to expect when the market opened on Monday.

Just as she was fretting, Lin Zhaodi said, "Pull over."

Luo Xuan hit the brakes, "What is it?"

Lin Zhaodi said, "Your uncle likes the soy milk from this station. I’m going to buy some for him."

Luo Xuan often felt that Lin Zhaodi was less like a sister to Lin Guodong and more like his mother. "I'll pull over to the side."

A few minutes later, Lin Zhaodi returned with five bags of salty soy milk, sitting in the passenger seat and packing them neatly. "After you leave, I’ll drive these over to your uncle."

Luo Xuan wanted to say that she rarely came home, and on the one occasion her mother was seeing her off, her mother was still thinking only of her uncle.

Just then, her phone lit up.

Her director, Zhu Jun, sent a message: "Please come to my office at 9:15 tomorrow morning."

The notification from her top boss made Luo Xuan even more agitated.

Lin Zhaodi was saying from the passenger seat, "...your sister’s pregnancy won't wait. I discussed it with the man's family, and they said they’ll try to have the two of them married by October."

Luo Xuan nodded.

Lin Zhaodi was silent for a long time. Out of the corner of her eye, Luo Xuan saw her mother looking troubled.

Lin Zhaodi said, "The man is from Shanghai, and their family background is too good. I’m worried your sister will be slighted after marrying in, so I want to provide her with a larger dowry so she can hold her head high."

Luo Xuan was still contemplating her own crumbling career and replied distractedly, "Luo Qi is my own sister; of course I want her to do well. Give her more if you want; I have no objections."

Lin Zhaodi said, "I want to give her an additional 300,000 in cash."

Luo Xuan knew Lin Zhaodi had been saving dowry money for them, but she had assumed it was at most twenty or thirty thousand each. This astronomical sum of 300,000 caught her off guard.

Luo Xuan blurted out, "Doesn't the family only have 200,000 in total?"

When the news of the youngest sister's pregnancy broke, the discussion about the inheritance had been shelved. Luo Xuan hadn't seen a dime of the 200,000 left behind by Luo Wenbin.

Lin Zhaodi replied vaguely, "That 200,000 is just the cash on hand; I have other savings."

Luo Xuan suddenly realized that she was the only one foolish enough to worry that her mother had no money.

It wasn't just her father who guarded his assets against them; her mother had her own considerations, too.

It was only natural to keep one's own money.

Luo Xuan suddenly felt that her elder sister was right, and Luo Zuyin was right—she was just a fool, slow-witted. Her mother was also right: she was soft-hearted and easily misled, which was why she gave her heart and soul, her time and her money...

Luo Xuan looked ahead, "It's your money; do as you see fit."

Lin Zhaodi said sternly, "I prepared your dowries long ago. Each of you has 100,000 in cash."

Luo Xuan let out an "Ah."

After being stingy for twenty years, her mother’s sudden generosity left her feeling disoriented.

Lin Zhaodi continued, "But your sister is pregnant out of wedlock, and we are marrying into a family of higher status. I fear she will be looked down upon and bullied, so I am giving her more. Your situations are different; I hope you understand. I have always treated you all equally."

Luo Xuan couldn't stomach the hypocrisy of being told she was being "treated equally." "Mom, I have no objection to her dowry, but are you unaware of your own bias? Why force me to understand? If you don't care anyway, why put on this act for me?"

Lin Zhaodi snapped, "You don't remember the good I've done for you, only the bad?! Luo Qi is your blood sister; you cannot let money..."

Luo Xuan interrupted her, turning to look her straight in the eye, her tone heavy, "Mom, you know full well—it was never about the money."

Lin Zhaodi avoided her gaze.

After a long silence, she said in a hollow tone, "Second sister, there is fate even between mothers and daughters."

Luo Xuan opened her mouth, her heart turning cold, "How can you say that? You have three daughters, but I only have one mother. You can find peace with that, but how am I supposed to?"

Suddenly, Lin Zhaodi looked terrified and screamed, "A car! There's a car!" She grabbed the door handle with lightning speed.

Luo Xuan jerked the steering wheel, the car narrowly grazing the vehicle in front, and a string of loud profanities drifted in through the window.

She shrank her neck, waiting to be scolded, but this time, Lin Zhaodi said nothing. Until the car pulled into the station, neither of them spoke again.

Luo Xuan braked hard, and after bringing the car to a stop, she suddenly muttered, "Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore."

Lin Zhaodi said, "Second sister..." Luo Xuan turned back.

Lin Zhaodi's phone rang. She answered, "Guodong, what is it? Is it urgent?"

Luo Xuan jumped out of the car, grabbed her luggage, and said with resentment, "I'm leaving."

She walked away with long strides, never looking back.