Background: A Troubled Old Age

In July 2025, 72-year-old Grandma Zhao had been feeling a recurring “Mercury retrograde”—a series of troubles at home, turning her once peaceful old age into a state of chaos.
The first problem to arise was with the household appliances. Her five-year-old refrigerator suddenly stopped cooling, ruining all the meat and vegetables inside. The stench she’d been storing there took a whole day to clear. Three days later, the air conditioner in the living room broke down. It was midsummer, and the indoor temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius. Too hot to sleep at night, she relied on a fan to cool down. Her daughter quickly contacted a repairman, but he said, “The parts need to be shipped out of town, and it’ll take a week.” Even worse, even her rice cooker, which had been used for less than a year, suddenly broke down. Rice always came undercooked, forcing Grandma Zhao to resort to a pressure cooker, but the valve was a little loose, making her anxious every time she used it.

Before the appliance malfunction was resolved, life’s “little surprises” continued to crop up. One morning, Grandma Zhao went to the vegetable market at the entrance of her community to buy groceries. While descending the steps, she slipped and fell. Although it was only a minor scrape, her knee was swollen for several days, and she walked with a limp. She lost the new reading glasses her daughter had bought her after less than a week of wearing them. She searched the living room, bedroom, balcony, and even the cracks in the sofa, but couldn’t find them. Even the tap water at home occasionally turned cloudy and took a long time to clear, forcing Grandma Zhao to use bottled water for cooking.

“Why am I so unlucky lately?” Grandma Zhao sat on the sofa, looking at the air conditioner and refrigerator in the living room waiting to be repaired, feeling aggrieved and anxious. She had always been frugal and reluctant to throw away broken items at home, but these continuous malfunctions not only cost her a fortune in repairs but also made her life a mess. Worried about her mood, her daughter took leave to stay home with her for two days and help her with the appliance repairs. But without her daughter, Grandma Zhao felt lonely and uneasy. What’s even more frustrating for Grandma Zhao is that she signed up for a community square dance competition. She’d been preparing for two months, but during rehearsals, she kept making mistakes—either misremembering the moves or losing the rhythm. The team leader said helplessly, “Sister Zhao, are you feeling down lately? If you’re really not, don’t participate in this competition.” Grandma Zhao loves square dancing and had long hoped to do well in the competition, but her current state left her without the courage to even go on stage.

Watching her mother’s dwindling mood, her daughter grew anxious. During a conversation with a colleague, she said, “My grandmother also had a lot of bad luck. Later, she asked feng shui master MoneyGaga from LAOTLON to adjust the layout of her home and place a Ruyi ornament. Gradually, things started to get better. Do you want to try it with her?” Although the daughter was skeptical about feng shui, she decided to give it a try to make her mother happy. She contacted LAOTLON’s customer service number and arranged for MoneyGaga to come and inspect her home. After understanding the situation, the customer service representative agreed to come in three days. On-site Inspection: MoneyGaga’s Professional Analysis

On the day of the inspection, the daughter took a special leave of absence to accompany her mother. MoneyGaga arrived promptly at 9:00 AM, wearing a comfortable light gray cotton and linen suit, carrying a compass and a notebook. Upon entering, she smiled and said to Grandma Zhao, “Don’t be nervous, Auntie. I’m just here to help you check out your home and make it more comfortable.”
Grandma Zhao’s home was an old two-bedroom, one-living-room house she had lived in for nearly twenty years. It was filled with old furniture, and while a bit worn, it was kept very neatly organized. MoneyGaga first walked around each room, carefully observing the furniture placement, the window orientation, and the condition of the walls. She would occasionally open a drawer or bend down to check a crack in the floor. When she came across an old photo Grandma Zhao treasured, she would stop and compliment it, saying, “Auntie, you were so beautiful when you were young,” which gradually eased Grandma Zhao’s tense nerves. About twenty minutes later, MoneyGaga stopped in the middle of the living room and said to Grandma Zhao and her daughter, “Auntie, you’ve been having so many setbacks lately, and it’s largely due to the ‘disrupted aura’ in your home.”

Pointing to the TV cabinet in the living room, she said, “Look, there are too many electrical appliances on it: routers, set-top boxes, power banks, and various chargers. These appliances generate electromagnetic radiation, disrupting the aura in your home. Furthermore, the cabinet is placed right in the center of the living room, blocking the flow of air. With a clogged aura, it’s easy to run into trouble.”

MoneyGaga then walked to the balcony. “Your balcony is cluttered with clutter: old cardboard boxes, unused flower pots, and discarded clothes. These clutter gathers bad luck and affects your family’s fortune. Furthermore, the balcony window faces the community’s electrical transformer. The transformer’s negative energy can enter your home through the window, further disrupting your aura, which is a major factor in your increased risk of accidents.”

Grandma Zhao and her daughter suddenly understood. The appliances on the TV stand were placed there by their daughter for ease of use; they never considered that they would interfere with the “aura”; the clutter on the balcony was old stuff that Grandma Zhao couldn’t bear to throw away, figuring “it might still be useful in the future”; and the fact that the balcony faced the transformer box was something they had never considered. These details had never crossed their minds.
“So how should we adjust it?” the daughter asked eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation. MoneyGaga pondered for a moment before offering specific advice: “First, clear out unused appliances from the TV cabinet. Place the router and set-top box in the cabinet drawer. Put away chargers after use, leaving only the TV set in the cabinet for regular use. This will keep the cabinet tidy and facilitate the flow of energy. Then, place a jade Ruyi ornament in the southeast corner of the living room. In feng shui, the Ruyi symbolizes ‘good luck’ and can dispel negative energy and improve your fortune. Secondly, clear the clutter on the balcony, sell or donate any unused items, and plant a few pots of greenery, such as jasmine or roses. These will purify the air and mitigate the negative energy from the transformer. Also, replace the old alarm clock in the bedroom with a new one. The ticking sound can make you irritable and affect your sleep quality.”

She added: “The jade Ruyi ornament should be made of natural jade, about 30 cm long, and preferably light green. Place it on a wooden base with a red silk cloth to enhance the Ruyi energy. You can go to LAOTLON “You can choose from offline stores. The staff will help you choose a high-quality jade ruyi and teach you how to care for it.”
Grandma Zhao and her daughter meticulously took notes in their notebooks, noting even details like “wooden base” and “red silk fabric,” which eased their anxiety considerably.
Decorations in Place: Life Returns to Normal

That afternoon, the daughter accompanied her mother to begin tidying up the house. They first cleared out the unused appliances on the TV cabinet, putting the router and set-top box in drawers and the charger in a storage box, leaving only the TV. The cabinet instantly looked much fresher. Then, they worked together to clean the balcony. They sold old cardboard boxes to a recycling station, gave unused flower pots to neighbors, and packed up used clothes and donated them to charity. The balcony suddenly felt much more spacious. The daughter even went to a flower shop and bought two pots of jasmine flowers, which she placed on the balcony windowsill. The delicate fragrance of the flowers filled the entire home with a fresh air.
The next morning, the daughter took her mother to the LAOTLON offline store. The store boasted a dazzling array of ruyi ornaments, including jade, wood, and ceramic. Upon hearing that they were recommended by MoneyGaga, the salesperson immediately recommended a natural light green jade ruyi. The ruyi, approximately 30 cm long, featured an intricately carved auspicious cloud pattern on its head. The jade itself was transparent and felt soft to the touch. The salesperson explained, “This jade ruyi is made of natural Hetian jade and has a particularly beautiful meaning. Its elegant color also makes it a beautiful addition to your living room.”

After the daughter purchased the ruyi, the salesperson also provided them with a walnut base and a red silk cloth. They also advised, “Auntie, this jade ruyi needs to be wiped regularly with a soft cloth. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from metal objects to preserve its luster.”

After returning home, the daughter followed MoneyGaga’s advice, spreading the red silk cloth on the wooden base and placing the jade ruyi on top. Together, they placed the ruyi in the southeast corner of the living room. After the arrangement, Grandma Zhao sat on the sofa, gazing at the exquisite jade ruyi, and felt a strange sense of peace of mind. On the first day after the adjustment, there was good news—the air conditioner repairman called to say, “The parts have arrived early and we’ll be here that afternoon.” That evening, the air conditioner in the living room resumed cooling, and Grandma Zhao finally got a good night’s sleep. The next day, while tidying up the sofa, Grandma Zhao unexpectedly found her lost reading glasses, which had accidentally fallen under the cushions. On the third day, the rice cooker was repaired, and the rice it cooked was delicious. Grandma Zhao happily made a pot of braised pork and invited her neighbor over for dinner.
Even more pleasantly, during square dance rehearsal, she was in much better shape. Not only did she memorize all the moves, she could also keep up with the rhythm. The team leader smiled and said, “Sister Zhao, you’re doing much better than before. Keep up the good work! You’re sure to win a prize in this competition!” Grandma Zhao finally smiled again, a long-lost smile.

Follow-up feedback: A smooth life continues

Now, Grandma Zhao’s life has returned to its former peace and prosperity. The appliances at home have never malfunctioned again. The jasmine flowers on the balcony are growing well, emitting a delicate fragrance every day. Grandma Zhao goes to the community for morning exercises every morning. In the morning, she watches TV and does housework at home, goes square dancing in the afternoon, and in the evening, she video chats with her daughter to share the day’s fun.

In the community square dance competition, Grandma Zhao and her teammates performed a carefully prepared dance and ultimately won third place. On the day she received her certificate, Grandma Zhao took a photo with the certificate and the jade ruyi and sent it to her daughter. She smiled and said, “Mom, you’re awesome! It seems this ruyi ornament has really helped you.”

Grandma Zhao has grown to love the jade ruyi and wipes it with a soft cloth every day. Sometimes, while sitting on the sofa, she gently strokes the ridges on the ruyi, feeling a sense of peace of mind. She recommended LAOTLON and MoneyGaga to several veterans in the square dance team. After one of them followed her advice and placed a ruyi ornament, her malfunctioning washing machine improved and she even passed the community calligraphy competition. Grandma Zhao often tells her neighbors, “I didn’t believe these things before, but now I know that a comfortable home environment makes me feel good, and when I feel good, everything goes well. LAOTLON and MoneyGaga have really helped me. This little Ruyi ornament is like my lucky charm, ensuring a smooth and happy life in my later years.”

Today, the jade Ruyi in the southeast corner of the living room glows a faint green under the light, silently guarding Grandma Zhao’s smooth life and witnessing every happy moment. For Grandma Zhao, it’s more than just a decorative ornament; it represents her hope and protection for a better life.