Chapter 18

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This time, Li Shanshan did not have her father bring back the finds she had picked up; instead, she went to the bank to open a safety deposit box, storing about a dozen antique collectibles, calligraphy, paintings, jade, and fine porcelain of great future value. A few pieces from home would wait for her father to bring over next time. Since she and her father would be doing business in the city with no one staying at home, they were uneasy leaving valuables behind.

That evening, after completing the arrangements, Li Shanshan rode her father’s tricycle back to school, while her father went straight home to handle the remaining goods and discussed plans for moving into the city with her eldest uncle and cousins.

Back at school, her first stop was to find Teacher Liu to pay the 900 yuan tuition and miscellaneous fees, nearly a semester overdue. Fortunately, no late fees had been added yet.

Upon seeing Li Shanshan, Teacher Liu was so shocked she was speechless. "You are Li Shanshan? You are Li Shanshan? How have you changed so much?"

Though still dressed in the same red and black plaid corduroy jacket and pants, with the same hairstyle, only swapping out her shoes for a pair of black leather winter shoes, her face had turned remarkably fair and tender, her skin flawless, and her large, clear eyes breathtakingly beautiful.

Was this still the same rustic girl from before? Teacher Liu found that, as she looked closer, Li Shanshan’s bearing was even more refined than those wealthy girls at school.

Li Shanshan beamed with pride and said cheerfully, "Teacher Liu, of course, I’m Li Shanshan! If I weren’t, why would I be here paying tuition and attending school? I changed because I went to the city to set up a stall to earn tuition fees and got a translation job hosting a Hong Kong delegation. I stayed in a hotel, so no more exposure to wind and sun. That’s why my skin turned fair and my frostbite cleared up. Look here."

She held out her hands, slender fingers with smooth, delicate skin, completely free of the redness and sores she once had.

Teacher Liu could hardly hide her amazement and softened her voice, "Once you spoke, I knew it was you. Looking carefully, your features haven’t changed, only your aura and complexion. It really proves the old saying: 'Fair skin covers a hundred flaws.' Have you really improved your English enough to work as a translator?"

Doubting this, she asked Teacher Zhuang from the same office to test her.

Teacher Zhuang gladly agreed and launched into a string of English. She was Li Shanshan’s English teacher and remembered her English had been average, with overall grades only slightly above the middle range in the grade. But her appearance had always been striking, even if rough and dark.

Li Shanshan responded in fluent English, her accent so pure that anyone listening would say it was better than Teacher Zhuang’s. Her voice was sweet and clear, with an indescribable pleasant quality.

Teacher Zhuang was so surprised she almost lost her composure. "How did you practice your spoken English?"

"Listening to tapes. My grandfather’s house has a radio, and my father bought me English tapes. I used to listen and practice secretly," Li Shanshan answered truthfully. Her family really did have a radio and English tapes.

Though poor, her father never skimped on the school supplies required by teachers. These tapes were bought from the school and came with the textbooks.

Li Shanshan added, "Because you rarely asked me questions, you didn’t realize I had practiced my spoken English."

Teachers usually liked to question top students in class, and Li Shanshan was not one of them.

In her younger years, lacking maturity and understanding that education was the only way out for rural children, her attitude toward studying was not serious. Coupled with poverty and low self-esteem, she was never a model student.

But this lifetime was different!

She was no longer the unpolished girl she once was.

Teacher Zhuang was pleased. "Speaking skills are important, but written skills matter too. Keep it up. There’s an English speech contest soon—remember to sign up and bring glory to your class."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Zhuang." Li Shanshan was already planning to participate. She was determined to join all sorts of contests; regardless of the outcome, participation was an honor.

She would never have dared before.

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Teacher Liu waved her off, "Go back to your classroom. Exams are coming; study hard and don’t slack off."

"I’ll go to the dorm first." Li Shanshan brought new bedding, daily necessities, and spare clothes and shoes. She changed out the old bedding, boiled a pot of water, and wiped down the bed frame with warm water.

Her change in appearance and aura caused quite a stir.

"Li Shanshan, you’ve become so beautiful!" said Han Yun, her dorm mate who slept head-to-head with her.

Li Shanshan smiled sweetly, showing her dimples. "Fair skin covers a hundred flaws. I’ve been away for two weeks. Do you know when the final exams will be?"

She asked to plan her moneymaking ventures accordingly.

Han Yun linked arms with her on the way to class. "Exams are next Thursday and Friday. Papers will be graded Saturday and Sunday. Results and winter homework get handed out the following Monday. Then, vacation starts."

Li Shanshan calculated and was instantly overjoyed.

It wouldn’t interfere with her earning money.

Though called a senior high school, their county school was no match for those in Phoenix City. Teachers didn’t focus much on grades. Mainly, the education resources were behind, far inferior to city schools.

Even as finals approached, many students coasted through, much more interested in Li Shanshan’s transformation than the textbooks.

During a break at evening self-study, Li Shanshan found a love letter in her desk cubby.

A love letter! Her unremarkable youth!

She couldn’t help but laugh as she opened it, curious who had written it. There was no signature, the handwriting messy with missing strokes, full of pure foolishness.

She didn’t throw it away but kept it carefully.

She had no time to play childhood romance games.

Opening her textbook, she resumed studying.

Though she had reviewed middle school curricula many times before tutoring children in her past life, decades later the material was distinctly different. She needed to systematically organize it—not to aim for top marks, just to pass.

Having returned for such a short time and having not touched her textbooks, she studied quite casually, not stressing about grades.

This week, there was no weekend break. Teachers bombarded them with review after review, so Li Shanshan neither returned to Xiao Lizhuang nor went to Phoenix City, eating all meals at the school cafeteria.

Before, she only bought a dime’s worth of soup, never a full meal. Now, tasting the food, it was just average.

Especially after savoring the cuisine of the chefs at the prestigious Ronghua Hotel.

So every morning, Li Shanshan bought two boiled eggs with a bowl of porridge and a ten-cent fried pancake. During morning breaks, she ate fruit and drank a carton of milk—both bought in Phoenix City and brought back for nutrition. In the afternoon, she supplemented with some nuts. Lunch and dinner were rice or steamed buns with various dishes.

She was still growing and couldn’t afford to starve herself.

As a result, everyone realized her family’s financial situation had improved.

Sometimes, returning to the dorm, she’d take off her outerwear to reveal not cotton-padded clothes but down jackets and pants, with cashmere sweaters and pants underneath—name brands advertised on television.

Soon, Li Shanshan made many good friends.

Having experienced rebirth, she was calm and composed.

When you are strong, you find the whole world treats you kindly.

Li Shanshan’s ambitions were far beyond the high school campus. Right after the exams, she packed her luggage and put it on her father’s tricycle, heading straight for Phoenix City.

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Ready to receive the goods!

John had said half a month, and indeed it was half a month.

They arrived on Saturday.

Meeting her eldest uncle and five cousins, Li Shanshan treated them to a big meal at a restaurant. Without beating around the bush, she said, "Tomorrow morning we’ll hire twenty people from the talent market to unload the goods—twenty trucks total. One hundred yuan per truck. Whoever finishes unloading first gets paid first."

That was much higher pay than typical dockworkers.

She was aiming for big money and didn’t fuss over petty expenses.

Eldest uncle Li had no time to react to his niece’s transformation and said, "Shanshan, the people hired from the market are all strangers. What if they damage your goods? I think it’s better to call back home and get people from our village. They can unload a truck for a hundred yuan; it’s worth their trip."

It was year-end and work was scarce; everyone was struggling and would be willing.

But Li Shanshan shook her head. "If hired hands don’t do their job well, we can scold them directly. People from home are mostly relatives; if they slack off, what can we say? What if they accuse us of being heartless? It’s just unloading. With you, Dad, and the brothers watching, as long as the goods get into the warehouse smoothly, there won’t be any problems."

Eldest cousin Li Aizhong glanced at his father and spoke bluntly, "Dad, listen to Shanshan. She’s smart, has met big bosses and officials, far more experienced than us."

Just for a day’s wage of a hundred yuan, he was all in with his little cousin.

His four younger brothers all felt the same.

Eldest uncle Li smiled helplessly. "Alright, we’ll follow Shanshan’s plan."

Li Shanshan poured wine for him. "Uncle, the clothes arriving are for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Unload summer clothes deepest in the warehouse, with spring and autumn next, and winter closest to the entrance. Although spring and autumn clothes are similar here, it’s better to separate them for easier handling later, so we’re not like headless flies rummaging around."

Eldest uncle nodded. "Okay, I got it. Your father, brothers, and I came three days ago. We cleaned the warehouse and even went to the secondhand market to get wood to build shelves."

Li Shanshan responded with two affirmations, "Thank you, uncle."

"No trouble at all. You’re paying us wages now," he replied, relieved.

Settling accounts would pay off many debts.

Compared to Li Shanshan’s family, as the eldest, theirs was truly poor.

Li Shanshan’s father had only one daughter and no pressure to build houses or arrange marriages for sons. Early on, they had bicycles, motor tricycles, tractors, black-and-white TVs—all owned. They farmed land and raised chickens, so even if they couldn’t afford meat, they had eggs, rice, and flour. These past two years, life was tight only because earning money was hard and high school tuition was expensive.

But eldest uncle’s family was different.

Li Shanshan’s eldest uncle and his wife raised six sons in total; the youngest was six years older than Li Shanshan. By chance, he joined the army and hadn’t come home for years. His salary was low, and he wasn’t married.

In rural times, having sons was an honor, but too many sons could be a headache, especially since none cared about school. After middle school, none went on to vocational or high school. At marriageable age, five sons married one after another, each needing houses and dowries before brides would come.

The pride they once held had turned into hardship. They spent all their savings and still fell into debt, dreading the New Year for fear creditors would come calling.

Poor couples suffer the worst. The five daughters-in-law often quarrelled, making life very unpleasant.

Now things had improved.

Li Shanshan was making money, and they were benefiting too. The daughters-in-law smiled more often.

They all awaited Li Shanshan’s father to finish handling this batch of goods and fulfill his promise to help them enter the business.

Having sold goods before, they knew exactly how much cash came in, though not the cost price. They were sure Li’s father was making a tidy profit.

They were envious!

The path to making money was right before their eyes. To ignore it would be foolish.