Chapter 30: Care and Warmth from Family

Eat, eat, eat. Northern winters are truly delightful. Who cares about the wind, rain, or snow outside? Curled up indoors by the fire, one can eat and drink while keeping warm. A pot sits on the stove, and with half a chicken tossed inside, it becomes a hotpot. Adding tofu, potatoes, radishes, mutton, beef, beef balls, and fish balls, then seasoning it with cilantro, green onions, and chili oil—that was the one thing Lu Jiaoer missed most from her time in the world of cultivation. It is delicious; even an immortal wouldn't trade it for anything.

When she craved a midnight snack, Lu Jiaoer would prepare a barbecue. She would lay out the pork intestines, thin intestines, pork belly, beef, shrimp, squid, and potatoes—all skewered in advance—on the iron mesh over the charcoal stove. With a sequence of cumin powder, chili powder, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and MSG, the flavor was not half bad. Apart from trips to the restroom or washing up, Lu Jiaoer never stepped outside. She wasn't particularly afraid of the cold; she simply enjoyed being on her own, completely at ease.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the children from the alley came to pay her their respects. Lu Jiaoer gave each of them a one-dime red envelope and a handful of candies and cookies. When she stood at her door and saw neighbors, they would exchange New Year greetings, and that was how the day passed. After the second day, no more children came, so she stayed tucked away at home, going nowhere.

It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival, once she had finished all the meat she had bought before the holidays, that she finally ventured out to buy food from the small stalls and eateries around the alley. Just then, she received a parcel and a letter from her hometown. The parcel contained several packs of sand cakes from Guangxi, homemade rice cakes, puffed rice, and various dried goods.

The letter was written collectively by her eldest younger brother Lu Jiuqing, her younger sister Lu Zhu'er, and her youngest brother Lu Jiuzhou. It was a very thick stack. The eldest brother began by greeting his elder sister, then shared the recent happenings at home, specifically mentioning that the ointments and medicine she had sent were incredibly effective. They had sold out completely and still couldn't keep up with the demand. Many people were now hoping the elder sister could send more, though the family had declined. Finally, he told her not to worry, as everything was fine at home. Lu Jiuqing wrote nearly five pages about these matters; fortunately, it was placed in the parcel, or it would have surely been overweight for a regular letter.

The younger sister, Zhu'er, reported the good news about her final exams. She explained that after following her elder sister's advice, their grades had improved significantly. She and her eldest brother were determined to strive for first place in their class and grade in the next exam. Finally, Zhu'er didn't forget to remind her elder sister to come and pick them up for a trip to Beijing during the summer break. Little Zhu'er’s letter was also nearly three pages long; she had a lot to say.

Lastly, there was the youngest brother, Lu Jiuzhou, who had started learning simple numbers and basic characters. His teachers were his older brother and sister—one teaching him literacy, the other numbers. Thus, the letter little Lu Jiuzhou wrote to his dear sister consisted of "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," as well as the words for "father, mother, sister, brother, younger brother, younger sister," and his own name, "Lu Jiuzhou." Even though he used two pages for these, and the characters were shaky and sometimes split in two, the childish handwriting and his earnestness made Lu Jiaoer smile from the heart.

The Spirit-Clearing Pill worked well; the results were truly excellent. Her younger siblings were making huge progress. If they continued to follow her guidance, her eldest brother, Lu Jiuqing, would surely be able to get into the best middle school in the mountain town.

Lu Jiaoer decided to write back immediately, urging Lu Jiuqing to start self-studying the curriculum for the second semester of fifth grade in advance, and to ask his teachers and classmates if he didn't understand anything. If he was capable, it would be best to start learning the first-year middle school curriculum early. Middle school was absolutely critical; it was where the gap between students widened quickly, and falling behind could make it very difficult to catch up.

Lu Zhu'er was only in the fourth grade, so there was no immediate rush, but Lu Jiaoer still offered her suggestions. After all, the elementary school curriculum was quite straightforward—certainly much easier than what children had to learn in the decades to come. She also actively encouraged little Lu Jiuzhou, knowing that even though he couldn't read the letter yet, someone at home would read it to him. It was important for him to be involved in family affairs to develop a sense of responsibility.

At the end of the letter, Lu's father and mother had written a few lines in their own hands, urging Lu Jiaoer to eat well and dress warmly, not to worry about them, not to send them so many things, to save her money for emergencies, and to tell the family if anything happened. Lu Jiaoer felt a wave of emotion; she felt the care and warmth from her family and tucked it deep into her heart.

However, she had money now and was living a comfortable, indulgent life alone in Beijing. How could she not let her dear family far away enjoy some good things too? Regardless, she wouldn't listen—they were so far away, and they couldn't control her. So, Lu Jiaoer bought more candies, cakes, and dried meat that could be stored for a long time and sent another parcel home. This package was just as large as the last, as she had visited the largest Xinhua Bookstore in Beijing to buy books, exercise sets, fountain pens, and two extracurricular books for each of her three siblings.