Volume One, Chapter One: Between Life and Death
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Luo Xuan always felt that her tumultuous life was inseparable from the word “spiral.”
The Luo family had three sisters: the eldest was Luo Jue, the family’s prized jade; the youngest was Luo Qi, also a precious gem. Only she, despite also being a gem, had a name that sounded like “spiral,” turning her into a stubborn, dull screw in the family.
Her future was bright, yet her path was winding. To rise, one must first fall; to gain affirmation, one must pass through negation of negation—
In short: a near-death experience.
Luo Xuan had many grievances about this.
Her father, Luo Wenbin, who named her, had his own philosophy: “There is no absolute good or bad in this world. When the moon is full, it wanes; joy turns to sorrow. In the spiral, fullness and emptiness have their measure—that is great wisdom.”
His words became prophetic.
On September 18, 2007, as the U.S. cut interest rates and the Chinese stock market soared, about to break 6,000 points, Luo Wenbin, director of the Red Star Garment Factory, finally signed a major American contract.
Overjoyed, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching the contract.
Luo Xuan happened to be home on leave and rushed her father to the Luosang County Hospital. Her mother, Lin Zhaodi, also hurried from the factory, and together mother and daughter listened as the doctor delivered a death sentence.
Before Luo Xuan could even recover from the shock, Lin Zhaodi realized the most critical problem:
“Your father didn’t make a will!”
No sooner had she spoken than the air raid sirens wailed through the city. It was exactly 9:18 a.m., the anniversary of the September 18 Incident. The alarms blared sharply, vehicles honked, and amid the piercing, circling shrieks, Luo Xuan suddenly realized:
What about the Red Star Garment Factory?
…
Like all self-made small business owners, Luo Wenbin was extremely guarded.
He was not only wary of his wife but also of his daughters.
The three jade daughters of the Luo family were all adults. The eldest, Luo Jue, 26, was the county’s top scorer in the college entrance exam, once celebrated and prominent, now working for four years; the second, Luo Xuan, 25, had studied with Luo Jue, was a city swimming champion, and also had four years of work experience; the youngest, Luo Qi, 22, was a renowned beauty in Luosang County with a fierce character—Lin Zhaodi often said she “would even pick at her food stubbornly.” She had just graduated from university this year.
As the daughters grew older, Luo Wenbin’s worries deepened. He feared his daughters would fritter away his wealth on outsiders, and also feared they would fly far away and abandon him in old age. So he clutched his assets tightly and delayed making a will.
This selfishness plunged the situation into chaos.
Making a will required notarization, but Luo Wenbin was already unable to go to the notary office himself. They had to seize the moment while he was still conscious and have the notary come to the hospital.
Luo Xuan drove swiftly with the notary, only to be severely rear-ended by her cousin’s car on a narrow, congested road.
Fortunately, her youngest sister Luo Qi arrived just in time on her electric scooter, took the notary, and sped away, leaving their cousin staring blankly.
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Luo Xuan grabbed her cousin’s arm, pointing her finger and scolding, “Luo Zuyin, that’s my father, not yours. How dare you compete with me for the inheritance?”
Luo Zuyin shrugged and shouted, “My family has worked like beasts for your father all these years. I have a stake in the factory too; you can’t just let outsiders benefit for nothing!”
The three daughters had long been weary of the claim that “daughters are outsiders.” Hearing Luo Zuyin’s words, Luo Xuan’s temper flared; she furrowed her brows and shouted, “You dare say I’m an outsider?!”
Luo Zuyin blurted out, “I’m not talking about you! At a time like this, are you playing dumb, or do you really not know?”
Suddenly, a Nokia phone rang loudly, Beethoven’s “Fate” theme echoing.
Bang bang bang—fate was pounding at the door.
Luo Xuan answered her sister’s call. The line was chaotic; Luo Qi hurriedly said their uncle had brought people to block the hospital entrance and wouldn’t let the notary in. Their mother had scratched their uncle’s face, and a fierce scuffle had broken out.
Luo Xuan understood their uncle’s scheme. Their grandmother was still alive; if their father couldn’t complete the will, a large share of the Red Star Factory would have to be torn off and given to her. According to her preference for boys, this would undoubtedly go to Luo Zuyin, the only grandson in their uncle’s family.
Luo Zuyin continued his taunts: “They say your eldest is clever, the youngest cunning, and you’re the foolish one in the middle. Your sisters see it clearly, but you’re the dumbest.”
Luo Xuan ignored him, said “I’m on my way,” hung up, and jumped into the car.
Luo Zuyin grabbed the door: “Don’t go! Do you know—”
Luo Xuan glanced at the time, grabbed the water bottle on the passenger seat, and smashed it in his face: “Get lost!”
Luo Zuyin howled, nose bleeding profusely: “You shameless woman!”
Luo Xuan slammed the door shut, leaned out the window with raised eyebrows, and punched the air: “If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll hit you every time I see you.”
She hurried off.
When Luo Xuan returned to the hospital, her uncle Lin Guodong had just arrived and was confronting their uncle.
Seeing him, Luo Xuan felt much calmer. Her uncle gave her a push: “Your mother took the notary inside. Go check on your father.”
Luo Xuan breathed a sigh of relief but then felt guilt creeping in—she had been so busy she hadn’t had time to feel grief.
She pushed open the ward door.
The ward was quiet. Luo Wenbin was struggling to read the will prepared by Lin Zhaodi word by word, facing the notary’s camera.
The Red Star Garment Factory was divided into four shares: one each for Lin Zhaodi and the three daughters; the real value lay in the factory itself, while the property was worth little, and the cash was only about two hundred thousand yuan—most of the money in the garment business was tied up in inventory.
Through her mother’s robust and full figure, Luo Xuan studied her father carefully.
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At the final moment of life, this shrewd and strong-willed man could only rely on machines to slow the rapidly fading breath. No one had time to comfort him through the fear of death, nor to grieve for him.
Luo Wenbin barely finished reading the document. Lin Zhaodi, whose lips were bruised and swollen, immediately signaled the notary and gestured to Luo Qi to help her father lie down.
Amid her mother’s loud commands, Luo Xuan watched her father, sensing something was amiss.
She grabbed her sister’s arm: “I feel like Dad still has something to say.”
Lin Zhaodi snapped sharply, “Don’t make things worse!”
Startled, Luo Xuan let go.
Luo Qi naturally stepped between her and Lin Zhaodi, ushering her out: “Sis, the doctor said to buy some toilet paper from the store.”
Sweat beaded on Luo Xuan’s temple as she hurried to the hospital shop, pacing back and forth by the shelves. Someone handed her a roll of toilet paper and asked, “Is someone in your family about to give birth?”
Luo Xuan sighed: “Someone in my family is about to die.”
The person took three steps back.
At checkout, the two stood one after the other, their scattered purchases placed on the counter between them. Life and death, side by side, separated by the chaos of the world.
Everything was a mess; Luo Xuan was running herself ragged.
Meanwhile, Luo Wenbin’s passing was unsteady; his throat gurgled continually, and only Lin Zhaodi occasionally broke away from endless phone calls to squeeze his hand.
Three hours later, Luo Wenbin let out a long sigh, his pupils dilated and vacant.
At 2:30 a.m., the doctor gathered the family and recommended removing the oxygen tube.
Lin Zhaodi and Luo Qi hesitated, but Luo Xuan was the first to speak, firmly opposing it: “My eldest sister hasn’t seen Dad one last time.”
Luo Jue worked in Zhihes City, a two-hour drive away.
Yet Luo Jue never showed up.
Three hours later, Luo Wenbin passed away.
After a chaotic night, at 5:45 a.m., a disheveled young woman arrived at the hospital with a small boy in tow, breathless and dusty, and plainly told Luo Xuan that this was Luo Wenbin’s biological son.