Chapter 12: Is This Young Lady a Tycoon?

After expressing everything she wanted to say, Lin Xu turned around and left, not sparing them another glance. She had finally seen through these two; their minds were weighing and calculating something. As for why her origins had to remain a secret, Lin Xu neither knew nor cared. Whether it was recognition or severing ties, she wanted only a single outcome—if they acknowledged her, it should be complete; if they cut her off, it should be clean. No more underhanded tricks to disgust her. She was long past the age of needing her parents anyway. Pausing at the doorway, Lin Xu looked back and said, “Oh, and if you want to recognize me, that imposter must return to her original family. I have no desire to see that fake every day.”

With that, Lin Xu strode away quickly. She had realized at last that playing the victim and seeking pity was futile—they hadn’t even noticed. Worse, they’d think she was unpresentable and an embarrassment to them. Ha, all they cared about was their own reputation. No doubt, her current state must be a disgrace to the Qin family. How laughable!

Watching Lin Xu disappear through the door, Old Madam Qin trembled with rage, pointing after her and cursing, “Old man, did you see that? That wretched girl has no manners at all—she hates our family.”

Old Master Qin did not reply. His feelings were complicated. Did she hate them? She probably did. They hadn’t protected their child all those years ago, letting her drift in the world. Now that she was grown, for various reasons they couldn’t publicly acknowledge her as their own, only treat her as an adopted daughter. He knew that if he were in her shoes, he would hate them too.

But what could be done? The Qin family’s foundation was too fragile, held up by him alone. When he was gone, the family would have no support. If he wanted the next generations to have stable, prosperous lives, they needed to forge alliances, to rely on marriages and mutual support. Yet the girl had only had two years of schooling and no training in the etiquette of great families; it was unlikely she could fulfill the responsibilities of a marriage alliance. Most importantly, the Su family’s son favored Qin Fang. If they suddenly switched girls for the engagement, not only would the Su family refuse, but the boy himself would object, perhaps even resent the Qin family. Not only would the marriage fail, it would create an enemy.

Alas, it was difficult indeed. Old Master Qin lowered his head, his lips trembling, but in the end he did not echo his wife’s words or blame Lin Xu.

After leaving the Qin household, Lin Xu marched on, fury fueling her steps, until she found herself at the supply and marketing cooperative. Considering the money and ration coupons she had, there was no reason to treat herself poorly. She thought for a moment, then decided to have a look around. To avoid arousing suspicion from the Xu family, Lin Xu pasted a transformation charm on herself, altering her appearance.

She had learned the art of drawing charms in a world where metaphysics prevailed; back then, she was a top master in the field, sketching charms in the void as easily as playing, making many green-eyed with envy. Unfortunately, such skills were useless in the Dragon Nation, where superstition was strictly suppressed. She had no wish to court disaster.

Inside the cooperative, the first thing she saw was a sea of black heads. It wasn’t a weekend, nor was it lunchtime, yet the place was packed. The crowd was mostly elderly men and women, all jostling about. Lin Xu, curious, listened in for a while before understanding the situation. Today, the cooperative had some flawed fabric for sale that didn’t require ration coupons—a pleasant surprise for families with limited fabric coupons.

But for Lin Xu, who wasn’t short on money, this was of no consequence, and she couldn’t be bothered to jostle with the elderly. She immediately headed for the food counter instead. Considering what she might need in the countryside, Lin Xu took out a thick wad of coupons and cash, calling to the sales clerk, “At your service, comrade.”

The clerk glanced at her, replying in a cold, mechanical tone, “At your service, comrade. What would you like to buy?”

“I’d like five catties of brown sugar, five catties of White Rabbit candies, ten catties of fruit grains, five catties of egg cakes, five catties of mung bean cakes…”

At first, the clerk paid little attention, but as Lin Xu’s list grew, her expression became increasingly astonished, and she couldn’t help but look over several times. Goodness, whose prodigal child was this, buying so much food? If she hadn’t seen the pile of cash and coupons in Lin Xu’s hand, she’d have thought the girl was playing a prank.

Lin Xu didn’t just buy piles of food; she also bought enamel basins, teacups, kettles, thermoses, and a large iron pot—practical items for daily life. She had entered the cooperative empty-handed, but left carrying two bulging burlap sacks, one in each hand. The sight of her made the elderly bystanders turn green with envy, jealousy, and longing. They wanted to shop like that too, to buy with abandon. But they simply didn’t have enough money or coupons, and so they were left fighting over the defective goods.

As Lin Xu left the cooperative, a commotion rose behind her. She glanced back—ah, the flawed fabric had arrived. Seeing the pushing, shoving crowd, she hurried away with her sacks. Goodness, that was terrifying—time to slip away quickly.

Finding a deserted spot, Lin Xu stored the two sacks in her spatial warehouse. Looking up, she saw there was still some time before dark. After some thought, she decided to visit the black market. Last time she went, she only had ten yuan and managed to buy a few eggs and some vegetable seeds. This time was different—now, flush with cash, she could walk into the black market with full confidence.

Because it was working hours, the market wasn’t crowded; traders kept their voices low, making the atmosphere rather subdued, a stark contrast to the bustling cooperative.

The first thing Lin Xu spotted was a stall selling ready-made clothes, with some stylish designs. Clearly, these weren’t items from the department store—those styles were never this trendy. They must have come from Haicheng. With a few quick steps, she reached the stall, picked up a garment to inspect it—the fabric was soft and lined with cotton, perfect for the season’s chill. Thinking of the stiff, uninsulated clothes she wore now, Lin Xu quickly picked out five sets—tops and trousers both. She wanted to change daily. Noticing some lighter coats and pants, she chose a few of those as well.

Her bold shopping style left the vendor wide-eyed in disbelief. Was this girl from a wealthy family? Who buys clothes in bundles like this? Wouldn’t she get beaten for this at home?

Not wanting the girl to get in trouble, the vendor whispered, “Miss, these clothes are expensive. One or two sets are enough.”

“No, I like all these styles—especially this coat. It’s clearly from Haicheng, and I don’t want to miss out.”

The vendor gave her a thumbs up and praised her, “You’ve got a good eye, miss. These are from Haicheng, but actually, they’re brought in from Port City. See, the tags have been cut; they were in English. We don’t dare let those show on the clothes.”