When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0341

Lionel quickly nodded. ‘Alright, alright. We’ll chat later.

Paul gave a slight nod before finally leaving. Once inside the apartment, Miranda busied herself with unpacking their luggage. Meanwhile, Mindy and Lionel began inspecting their daughter’s living space. It was

a two–bedroom apartment, not too big, not too small. Although the layout and the basic fixtures were visibly old, the decor had clearly been put together with care.

The couch, cabinets, and appliances were all new. Some of the more unchangeable flaws were cleverly concealed with decorative items, covered or hidden away as much as possible. On the whole, the place felt like a cozy, well–kept little apartment.

Initially, after seeing the dingy, cluttered stairwell, both parents had lowered their expectations for where their daughter was living. But once inside, they were pleasantly surprised to find an entirely different atmosphere.

Mindy was quite pleased. It wasn’t just that Miranda had arranged the rented space so thoughtfully, it was the care and attention to detail that her daughter had shown toward her living environment.

To Mindy, life could be full of compromises, but one’s attitude toward life shouldn’t be compromised.

Back when she and Lionel first got married, Lionel’s monthly salary was only 3,200 dollars, and 2,000 of that had to be given to his parents. That left the couple with only 1,200 dollars to get by.

After Miranda was born, their financial situation became even tighter.

Yet, even in those difficult times, Mindy made it a point to buy a bouquet of flowers every two weeks. If they had a little extra money, she’d buy a more expensive bouquet.

If it was the end of the month and money was tight, she would pick wildflowers during a weekend hike, bring them home, and place them in a vase. It still made the home feel bright.

Miranda had always thought of her mother as a bit of a refined soul. Sometimes, the casual generosity her mother gave herself and the household didn’t quite match what one would expect from someone raised in an ordinary household.

But when asked about her past, Mindy always said she had forgotten. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t recall. Miranda suspected that her mother must have grown up in a well–off family.

Lionel had the same thought, which was why he was willing to live frugally himself but never placed limits on Mindy’s spending.

He often repeated one phrase. “Your mom has had to make sacrifices by being with me. All the luck I’ve ever had in life was used up on the day I pulled her out of that river.”

So whenever something unlucky happened, Lionel would simply laugh it off.

“Do you know the first law of thermodynamics? It’s called the law of conservation of energy. Meeting your mom was an energy gain, and the hardships in life are energy losses.

“Since I gained so much all at once, don’t I have to slowly lose some over time?” That was what Lionel had said.

Chapter 0241

#25 BONUS

At the time, Miranda was still in middle school and had just started participating in physics competitions. After hearing this, she could only draw two conclusions.

First, it could be that her dad didn’t think he was unlucky enough as he had too few losses.

Second, a lifetime of bad luck was fine to him, as he could lose it bit by bit over time.

Lionel had been speechless at Miranda’s conclusion, and Mindy could only laugh it off.

“Mom, Dad, don’t just stand there. Have a seat, take a rest, and drink some water…” Miranda said as she pushed the luggage into the bedroom and went to the kitchen to make lemonade.

“Mimi, is Dr. Jefferson married?” “Mindy asked suddenly after taking a sip.

“He shouldn’t be,” Miranda replied.

“Does he have a girlfriend then?” Mindy pressed.

Miranda paused, a bit amused. “Mom, are you really this nosy?”

“I’m just curious! With his looks and such a successful career, he probably doesn’t lack attention from women, right?”

Miranda thought about it seriously. “Well, since I moved in, I haven’t seen any women around him.”

Mindy seemed to ponder this for a moment.