Chapter 13: Anan, We’re Rich!

The arrival of a hefty sum of two thousand yuan instantly gave Zhou Susu a newfound confidence. She had originally been planning to start a small side business to earn some pocket money, but now, with the startup capital secured in one fell swoop, her plans had taken a decisive leap forward.

Yet, she did not rush to think about making money just yet. What she wanted most at the moment was something else entirely.

— To improve their living environment.

Their home was simply too dilapidated. The walls were mottled and peeling, the floor was bare concrete, and the furniture was all old, army-issued pieces, giving the entire room a cold, bleak feeling of emptiness. This was especially harmful for a child’s growth, particularly for An An, who suffered from a profound lack of security.

She wanted to create for An An a truly warm, cozy home filled with playful charm.

Without hesitation, the next morning Zhou Susu pulled out paper and pen from her space and began to sketch and doodle at the table. Though she had been a nutritionist in her previous life, she had also dabbled in interior design out of personal interest.

Her mind was now brimming with warm and practical home renovation ideas from the future.

An An, curious, came over to watch her mother draw all sorts of strange lines and shapes on the paper.

“Mom… are you drawing?”

“Yes,” Zhou Susu said with a smile, gently scrunching An An’s little nose. “Mom is drawing a new outfit for our home. Look, here, we’re going to make you a little bed with a bear design on the headboard, okay?”

“A bear!” An An’s eyes lit up.

“And here,” Zhou Susu pointed to the corner, “we’re going to create a play area for you, with a soft carpet and lots and lots of dolls and building blocks.”

“Dolls! Building blocks!” An An’s face flushed with excitement as if she could already see her own little world.

Lu Zhan returned from his morning exercise to this warm scene. He walked over and glanced at the sketches on Zhou Susu’s paper. Though some lines were a bit crooked, he understood it.

“You’re going to renovate the house?”

“Uh-huh,” Zhou Susu replied without looking up, continuing to refine her design. “I’ll handle the planning; you take care of the physical work.”

She looked up and tilted her chin at him, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Boss, no objections, right?”

Lu Zhan looked at her radiant and energetic expression and felt as if something gently tapped his heart.

Over the next few days, their small home was transformed into a bustling construction site.

Zhou Susu took charge as chief planner and designer.

“Lu Zhan, this board is two centimeters too short. Cut it again!”

“Lu Zhan, that nail is crooked. Pull it out and redo it!”

“Lu Zhan, the paint color is wrong. I want cream, not stark white! Are you colorblind or what?”

Lu Zhan became the hardworking, tirelessly obedient “chief construction team” under her command.

Though he didn’t say it, he secretly enjoyed it. The clatter of hammering and their occasional bickering brought a sense of life and warmth to their home.

An An was the happiest of all. Every day, she played little supervisor, dragging a small stool to sit beside them, watching as her father, guided by her mother, worked magic to gradually beautify their little home.

The walls were freshly painted a warm cream color.

The cold concrete floor was covered with wooden flooring that Zhou Susu had “secured through distant connections.”

The old, broken windows were replaced with bright, large panes of glass.

The first to be completed was An An’s “playful little corner.”

A delicate solid wood bed with a bear headboard, a matching small desk, and a toy area carpeted with soft rugs (a product from their space).

When Zhou Susu placed brand-new cloth dolls and building blocks from their space into the toy corner, An An’s eyes shone as brightly as stars.

“Mom…” she threw herself into Zhou Susu’s arms, nuzzling her head. “I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Zhou Susu smiled, kissing her forehead.

To make their home even more perfect, Zhou Susu decided to visit the county’s supply and marketing cooperative and department store to purchase some necessary soft furnishings—like beautiful curtains, tablecloths, and some bowls and pans.

Now a petite wealthy woman holding a “fortune,” she felt bold and confident spending money.

She greeted Lu Zhan and then took the army’s procurement vehicle alone to the county town.

The bustling supply and marketing cooperative of the 1980s county town was packed with people.

With her aesthetic sense ahead of its time, Zhou Susu quickly picked a piece of elegant floral fabric for bedroom curtains and a checkered cloth for the table.

While she was asking the clerk to make out the receipt, a familiar yet annoying voice rang out nearby.

“Well, well, I was wondering who it could be with such boldness, coming here and asking for so much cloth. Turns out you’re the wife of Captain Lu.”

Zhou Susu turned, frowning slightly.

Coincidentally, it was Zhang Cuihua, mother of Wang Xiaohu, also here to buy cloth, standing next to an impatient-looking Wang Xiaohu.

Seeing the two bright, expensive-looking fabrics in Zhou Susu’s hands, jealousy nearly spilled from Zhang Cuihua’s eyes.

“I tell you, Susu,” she said with a sarcastic tone, “you really don’t know the cost of living if you’re not the one managing the household. Captain Lu only gets a small allowance each month. Is it enough for you to waste like this? These fancy fabrics won’t fill your stomach.”

She spoke as if she had “been through it all” and was giving advice.

“Living well means being thrifty. Look at me—I buy plain, gray work cloth that’s tough and durable. You buy these pretty but useless things, just wasting money! You don’t look like someone who knows how to manage a household.”

Zhang Cuihua said these words with heavy sincerity, as if she had eaten more salt than Zhou Susu had eaten rice, radiating superiority.

She glanced sideways, waiting to see Zhou Susu flushed with shame and embarrassment.

After all, to their older generation of military wives, “thrift and diligence” were the greatest virtues of a woman.

Someone like Zhou Susu, who spent money freely, was the typical “wasteful woman” who deserved to be scolded.

But the scene she expected never came.

Zhou Susu didn’t show any embarrassment. Instead, she gave Zhang Cuihua a smile as warm as spring sunshine.

“Sister Zhang,” she said softly but clearly, “you’re right.”

“Ah?” Zhang Cuihua was stunned, not expecting her to admit defeat so easily.

“Yes, living well means not wasting money,” Zhou Susu nodded seriously.