Chapter 6: Are We a Match for Them?

Why was the Xu family able to obtain a courtyard? On what grounds did they deserve it? Could it be that they had secretly reconnected with the fake heiress long ago? Was this courtyard secured through the influence of that imposter?

The mere thought of this possibility left Xu Lin deeply unsettled. With a heart full of suspicion and rage, she made her way to the Finance Bureau, where her biological father, Qin Jiaxing, worked.

Although Old Master Qin came from humble beginnings, he was a veteran revolutionary who had risked his life for the Dragon Nation, charging into battle and earning distinguished merit. Later, he married a progressive-minded young lady from a fallen official family, Feng Ying, who happened to be the aunt of Qin Jiaxing’s wife, Feng Huimei. This connection by both blood and marriage meant that Feng Huimei held great sway in her husband’s family, living even more comfortably there than in her own maiden home.

Thanks to the strong backing of both the Qin and Feng families, Qin Jiaxing had quickly secured the top position at the Finance Bureau and was expected to move up to a ministerial post within the coming years—a truly bright future ahead.

Xu Lin recalled that in her previous life, Qin Jiaxing rose to the rank of minister, a position so many could only dream of, and elevated the Qin family to new heights.

She looked down at the letter in her hand, which detailed how she and the fake heiress had been swapped at birth, and included a family photograph of the Xu family. Yet she was not in the picture. Xu Lin had never appeared in the Xu family’s photos, as if she weren’t one of them at all.

She didn’t have to wait long before Qin Jiaxing came into view. Taking a deep breath to steady her thoughts as she gazed at his familiar peach blossom eyes, she hurried over. Xu Lin had no intention of confronting Qin Jiaxing directly today; instead, as they passed each other, she slipped the letter into his hand and quickly walked away.

Qin Jiaxing frowned as he received the letter, gripping it tightly and watching her retreating figure for a couple of seconds before striding into the Finance Bureau.

Xu Lin then followed the same method and slipped another letter, this one with the family photo, to Feng Huimei before leaving just as swiftly.

She’d decided to join the wave of youths heading to the countryside, so before leaving, she wanted to thoroughly explore the capital of the Dragon Nation—get a feel for the city, learn about local prices, and ideally find a way to earn a tidy sum to take with her. Even if she couldn’t make money, she’d at least try to gather some supplies.

Feeling unburdened, Xu Lin set out to shop, but Qin Jiaxing and Feng Huimei were anything but at ease. Reading the letter left them half in doubt, but the photographs eliminated all uncertainty.

Their daughter Qin Fang looked remarkably like the woman in the photograph—same long face, large eyes, and full lips. They’d always assumed Qin Fang inherited her face shape from Qin Jiaxing, but now it was clear—she was an impostor.

The thought that the girl they’d cherished for sixteen years was not their own left both Qin Jiaxing and Feng Huimei deeply unsettled. More importantly, Qin Fang had a close relationship with the Su family’s child, and both families favored the match. If all went as expected, the two would be engaged when they turned eighteen, forging a stronger alliance between the Qin and Su families and propelling Qin Jiaxing’s career ever higher.

But if word got out that Qin Fang wasn’t truly a Qin, would the engagement with the Su family be jeopardized?

And above all, what did their real daughter look like? Could she bear the responsibilities that awaited her?

All morning, Qin Jiaxing and Feng Huimei were restless and agitated. Unable to wait until the end of the workday, Feng Huimei called Qin Jiaxing, hinting that she too had received a letter. His eyelid twitched uncontrollably at her words, and they arranged to meet at home after work, fearing any leaks over the phone.

Qin Jiaxing left work early to meet her at the Health Bureau. Rather than going home immediately, they stopped at a park, looked around carefully, and sat by the river to exchange information in hushed voices.

As they discussed what to do, Xu Lin was wandering through the black market and realized just how little ten yuan truly was. It couldn’t even buy ten jin of wheat flour on the black market. Only then did she understand how exorbitant black market prices were: a jin of wheat flour cost only fifteen cents and a ration ticket at the grain store, but on the black market, it was ten times that—one and a half yuan per jin, no ticket needed.

In 1975, when the average monthly wage was just a few dozen yuan, ordinary working families simply couldn’t afford rice or white flour.

Ordinary? Xu Lin’s eyes widened suddenly. Was the Xu family included in this “ordinary”? Yet the Xu family had never gone without rice and white flour. Why was that?

Was it also the work of the fake heiress?

Puzzled, Xu Lin hurried home, resolving not to go out again that afternoon but to thoroughly investigate the Xu household—there must be secrets she was yet unaware of.

Timing was perfect; as Xu Lin arrived, the people from the Youth Office had just left, and she crossed paths with them outside the Xu home.

After seeing them off, Mother Xu frowned and quietly asked, “Are we really sending that worthless girl to the countryside?”

“What are you thinking?” Father Xu countered, instead of answering directly. Old Lady Xu sat nearby, her triangular eyes fixed on the pair, listening intently but withholding her opinion for now.

“She’s becoming more unruly. I’m afraid that if she goes to the countryside, she’ll be out of control. As long as her household registration remains with us, we hold her fate in our hands, but if…” Mother Xu trailed off, signaling Father Xu to finish the thought himself.

Old Lady Xu nodded repeatedly in agreement, understanding her daughter-in-law’s concern. If the girl's registration was moved, she’d be far away and beyond their control if anything happened. The biggest fear was that, should this worthless girl encounter the Qin family, her face alone might give her away, which would spell trouble.

Better to keep her trapped at home: she could work, and they held her life in their hands—her fate was theirs to decide.

With this in mind, Old Lady Xu joined the discussion.

Father Xu still didn’t voice his opinion immediately. After hearing his wife and mother’s concerns, he finally said, “If it comes to it, we’ll just break her legs and keep her at home.”

“That’s a good idea,” Old Lady Xu praised, giving a thumbs up. “Best to break both legs, so she won’t run away and spread tales.”

“But can we overpower her?” Mother Xu interjected, pouring cold water over their plan and leaving both Father Xu and Old Lady Xu speechless.

That really was a problem—they might not be able to overpower her. And it was a problem that couldn’t be ignored.

After a moment, Old Lady Xu gritted her teeth and said, “Never mind, after you two leave for work this afternoon, I’ll go fetch some medicine.”

Father Xu quietly breathed a sigh of relief at her words, and Mother Xu didn’t ask what kind of medicine, simply nodded in agreement and swayed her way into the kitchen. As she walked, she grumbled under her breath about not knowing where Xu Lin had wandered off to, complaining loudly that she had to cook after a half day’s work—was Xu Lin trying to work her to death?

In the middle of her tirade, she suddenly looked up and met Xu Lin’s dark, unfathomable eyes. For a split second, Mother Xu felt as if her consciousness was sucked into a black hole.

Before she could recover, Xu Lin’s fist landed on her, stunning both Father Xu and Old Lady Xu into shock.