Qin Huairu never imagined that the jade scepter that appeared only at midnight could change her life.
In the courtyard, she was a pitiful widow, berated by her mother-in-law and judged by the neighbors, with not even enough food for her children.
But whenever night fell, the jade scepter would quietly glow. Fresh fruits and vegetables, plump chickens and ducks, and delicious fish kept appearing, filling the rice jar that had once stood empty.
To give her family a better life, she blamed all these "strange strokes of luck" on Silly Zhu.
Silly Zhu was baffled, but happy to help.
Before long, though, Qin Huairu no longer needed anyone's "help."
Through her own hard work, she became a model worker at the steel mill, and with her silver tongue, paved the way for her children's futures.
When everyone in the courtyard was worrying about finding jobs for their children, her son Banggeng put on a military uniform, Xiaodang stood at the lectern, and Huaihua's business flourished.
Years later, while the old neighbors from the courtyard were still squabbling over trivial matters, Qin Huairu was already helping her elderly mother-in-law onto a bus bound for the countryside in Changping.
Her farmhouse courtyard was full of flowers in the evening sun.
"Mom, this is the life we were meant to have."
Super pretty, electronically prepared meals!
Goldfinger is too strong