Li Hongxia is Shu Yuan's mother, a widowed woman who works as an accountant at the Hongxing Electronics Factory, earning just over fifty yuan per month. She is the primary caregiver for her three daughters - Shu Yuan, Shu He, and the eldest sister Shu Ping who lives elsewhere with her twins. Li Hongxia is practical, somewhat strict, and constantly worried about her daughters' futures and the financial burden of raising them. She arranges blind dates for Shu Yuan, urging her to marry well and become a family worker at the machinery factory. She is concerned about family reputation and warns Shu Yuan not to pursue becoming a stepmother, fearing gossip from factory colleagues will bring shame on the family. Despite her nagging and occasional harshness, including threatening Shu Yuan with a feather duster, she shows care by providing a good black wool coat for the blind date. She is described as having deep wrinkles from forcing smiles.
