Chapter 10
The crucian carp's actual price was 18 yuan, recovering 42 yuan that had been overcharged.
Yu Xian: "If you don't know the going rates in the future, shop around first. The entire market can't possibly be out to fleece only you."
Eldest Miss Ming hated being lectured, her face clouded with displeasure: "Don't tell this lady what to do."
Yu Xian stopped in her tracks and stared at her.
Sensing her gaze, Ming Ruixi glared right back: "What are you staring at this lady for?"
Then Ming Ruixi realized that Yu Xian had been holding her hand this entire time. She hastily yanked it away: "Taking advantage of me again!"
Yu Xian retracted her gaze and walked over to a vegetable stall, picking up carrots, kelp, and bean sprouts, spending a total of 29 yuan.
Eldest Miss Ming quickly calculated the math: 200 - 60 - 18 - 29 = 93!
"Yu Xian, that 93 yuan is this lady's tip, right?" Ming Ruixi was essentially trying to remind her to hand the money over.
After all, the refunded money from the vendors had been given back in cash, and that cash was currently sitting in Yu Xian's hands.
"Get on." Having finished buying the groceries, Yu Xian placed the basket into the bicycle's front carrier. One foot braced against the ground while the other rested on the pedal.
Her mood was actually rather foul because she realized the inspiration she had brainstormed earlier for the background had evaporated completely.
Inspiration was an elusive, fleeting thing. She had intended to jot it down, only to be interrupted by Eldest Miss Ming's phone call. When she tried to recall it now, her mind was a total blank—or rather, all she could remember were the discarded drafts she had already rejected.
Ming Ruixi sized up the bicycle before her with an unspeakable look: a white frame, with only the seat, rear rack, tires, and basket in black. "You expect this lady to ride on that?"
"Do you have any idea that in the past, this lady only rode in Mercedes, BMWs, and Rolls-Royces—"
Just as the word "Royces" left her mouth, Yu Xian pushed down on the pedal and rode off without looking back, completely disregarding the stunned young lady left behind.
"Yu Xian, wait for me! I haven't gotten on yet!"
Ming Ruixi jogged after her: "What is wrong with you as a person?! You didn't even wait for me!"
Yu Xian remarked with dry sarcasm, "I assumed a Mercedes, BMW, or Rolls-Royce would be picking up the Eldest Miss."
Choking hard on her words, Ming Ruixi held onto Yu Xian's waist and climbed onto the rear rack: "Being able to give this lady a ride is your good fortune."
Carrying her "good fortune" with profound indigestion, Yu Xian slowly navigated the bike across the bluestone pavers. The stone street was uneven, causing distinct bumps and jolts as the wheels rolled over it.
And the rear rack was made of solid iron.
Ming Ruixi had been spanked on her behind just the night before; now subjected to this constant jarring jolting, a look of sheer agony crept across her small face.
"Yu Xian..." Ming Ruixi shifted from clutching her shirt to wrapping her arms around her waist, purely to ease the suffering: "My... my behind hurts."
Being out on a public street, after all, she didn't dare yell out something so utterly shameful.
Yu Xian estimated the distance from the smooth asphalt road back to Xiangling Town, roughly one kilometer: "Endure it a little longer."
"I can't take it anymore! Yu Xian, stop! Stop the bike right now!" Ming Ruixi was in so much pain she wanted to leap off immediately.
Yu Xian had no choice but to squeeze the brakes. The moment the bike came to a halt, Ming Ruixi jumped down instantly. Standing in place, her face was twisted in agony as she bit her lower lip—though she didn't dare rub the sore spot on the open street, as that would be far too unrefined.
Catching Yu Xian looking over at her, the young lady's agony instantly flared into fury: "It's all your fault! What kind of piece-of-junk bike is this?! It hurts so much!"
Refusing to ride the bike any longer, Eldest Miss Ming brushed past Yu Xian, intending to walk out of Xiangling Town on foot.
Yet after taking a couple of steps, she noticed the slow rolling sound of a pushed bicycle trailing behind her. Ming Ruixi looked back to see Yu Xian pushing the bike, her eyes calm and gentle as she looked ahead at the road, her slender, pale wrists holding the handlebars. Her hands were very thin, unlike her own plump, scallion-white fingers that radiated pampered wealth; Yu Xian's fingers were long and lean, with prominent bone structure, looking almost as if fate had neglected her.
Her long hair was tied into a low ponytail, with a few slightly wavy loose strands framing her temples. Behind her stretched the winding, bluestone-paved Xiangling Boulevard. The distant morning sunlight draped over her slender back, casting a soft golden halo while exuding a quiet sense of solitude.
"Let's walk back, then." Yu Xian caught up to her side and, without lingering for a second, continued walking forward.
Ming Ruixi kept pace, walking side by side with her.
"Are you laughing at this lady in your head?" Laughing at how easily she had been fleeced like a fool.
Yu Xian answered her calmly: "No."
Because she had been scammed before too. At fourteen or fifteen years old, she had gone back to demand fairness, only to be shoved violently to the ground, with no one stepping in to help her.
"Ah Xian, out buying groceries?" The auntie selling dried fruits spotted Yu Xian and called out to her.
Yu Xian nodded to her and pushed the bike over: "Good morning, Auntie Xu."
Ming Ruixi looked over curiously. Auntie Xu's dried fruit shop was set right along Xiangling Boulevard. Auntie Xu looked no different from any ordinary woman—simple, plain, and warm.
Auntie Xu noticed Ming Ruixi as well, genuine surprise flashing in her eyes at her appearance. What a remarkably gorgeous young lady—tall, slender, and exquisitely featured. Turning her gaze to Yu Xian, she asked, "Ah Xian, is this your..."
Auntie Xu's dried fruit shop also sold fresh produce. Yu Xian picked through the fruit, replying as she selected: "My younger sister."
Auntie Xu nodded thoughtfully, handing over a plastic bag so she could pack the fruit.
Ming Ruixi gave Auntie Xu a polite smile, then looked over at the cherries Yu Xian was picking out.
Cherries were her absolute favorite; she hadn't expected Yu Xian to enjoy them as well.
Perfect—she could share them with her.
Ming Ruixi glanced to the side and caught sight of large, plump strawberries packed in styrofoam crates, looking as fresh as if they had just been picked from the vine. She unconsciously swallowed: "Yu Xian, buy a box of strawberries."
As she spoke, Ming Ruixi carried over a box of strawberries and told Auntie Xu to ring them up together.
Yu Xian said nothing about her action, simply asking the auntie to tally the total.
Auntie Xu packed everything together: "That's 121.5 in total. Just give me 120."
After paying, Ming Ruixi carried the strawberries and cherries, following Yu Xian as they left.
The styrofoam crate was somewhat bulky, holding a full fifty strawberries, making it rather awkward for Eldest Miss Ming to carry.
Leaving Xiangling Town behind, they reached the smooth asphalt highway. On both sides of the road lay fertile fields; as the autumn breeze swept across, the heavy rice ears gave off a rich, fragrant scent of grain.
With the morning sun rising higher, Eldest Miss Ming began worrying about getting a tan: "Yu Xian, this lady is going to get sunburned! The sun is so strong."
There was still over a ten-minute walk ahead—wouldn't she get sunburnt walking all that way back?
Yu Xian came to a stop, quietly looking at the delicate, willful heiress in front of her, just as pampered as she had always been. Resting one foot on a pedal and planting the other on the ground, she said, "Get on. It won't hurt this time."
Ming Ruixi looked down at the smooth road and chose to trust her for once. Because she had to hold the box of strawberries, she could only wrap one arm around Yu Xian's waist as she climbed on.
The bicycle started moving slowly. Indeed, it wasn't bumpy anymore.
Still, Eldest Miss Ming wasn't quite satisfied—mostly with the bicycle itself: "Yu Xian, if you have money, you really should switch to a better ride. This piece of junk actually requires manual pedaling."
The moment the words left her mouth, Yu Xian hit the brakes hard.
Caught completely off guard, Eldest Miss Ming slammed into her back: "What are you doing?! This lady almost fell off just now!"
"Get off." Yu Xian pried the hand off her waist. "Since you look down on it so much, don't ride it. Walk back yourself."
Unprepared, Ming Ruixi tottered precariously, ultimately having no choice but to step down onto the road. Watching Yu Xian's departing back, her face filled with sheer disbelief—she was burning to throw a temper tantrum, but had no one to direct it at.
Not long after Yu Xian rode off, Ming Ruixi walked along the wide, open highway carrying the strawberries. In fact, one could see Yu Xian's small inn sitting right at the foot of the mountain at a single glance.
"Ruixi?"
Suddenly, a woman's voice called out from behind. Ming Ruixi's entire body shuddered, and she slowly turned around.
A sedan had pulled over behind her, and stepping out was an attractive, mature woman—her mother, Xie Yingwan. From the other side stepped a middle-aged man, her father, Ming Hongkang. Sitting in the driver's seat behind the wheel was her butler, Uncle Liu.
"Ruixi, it really is you! Do you know how long Mother has been looking for you? You silly child!"
Madam Ming stepped forward and pulled Ming Ruixi into a tight embrace. Ming Ruixi's nose stung, and just as she was about to hug her back, her peripheral vision caught a girl stepping out of the rear passenger seat—wearing her old clothes.
She froze instantly.
That custom-tailored outfit was hers. Her jewelry, her designer bag—even the makeup style was the exact one she always had her personal makeup artist do for her.
Everything that belonged to her had been taken away.
Ming Ruixi pushed Madam Ming away: "I'm not your daughter! Stop acting so hypocritical here!"
Wen Ya walked over, saying gently: "Sister, I don't blame you for pushing me down the stairs. Next time I'll be more careful when walking. Mom and Dad have been so worried about you these past few days. Staying out in a remote, backwater place like this, you're going to suffer."
What Ming Ruixi hated most was this manner of speaking—copying her in every way, snatching away what was hers while still pretending to be innocent: "This lady never pushed you down! You fell on your own! You're framing me!"
Back then, it was precisely because of this incident that her parents had kicked her out—because she had supposedly harmed their biological daughter.
The clothes on Wen Ya's body deeply provoked Ming Ruixi, and she moved forward to grab her.
Her father, however, blocked her.
"Ruixi, can you be a bit more sensible?" Ming Hongkang was in the antique business, constantly holding a tobacco pipe. When silent he seemed ordinary, but the moment he spoke, he carried an imposing, natural authority: "Learn a bit from your sister. We indulged you too much in the past, letting you grow willful and spoiled into this kind of temper."
Madam Ming joined in trying to persuade her: "That's right, Ruixi. It's not that we don't want you anymore. Xiao Ya said she forgives you too. We will still treat you just like our own daughter. Hurry and come home with us."
Ming Ruixi's eyes turned bright red: "Enough! You say I'm your daughter—then kick her out! Send her back to wherever she came from! Otherwise, act as if you never had a daughter like me! In any case... I'm not biologically yours anyway."
She was the fake one. But could all those years of familial love be fake as well?
"Ruixi, you've disappointed us too much."
As the sedan drove away into the distance, Ming Ruixi crouched down by the roadside, sobbing uncontrollably.
...
Back at the inn, a long time passed without Eldest Miss Ming returning. Knitting her brows, Yu Xian walked out onto the second-floor balcony to look down the highway.
Far along the roadside crouched a small, petite figure, shaded beneath the long shadow of a utility pole.
After an unknown amount of time, that small figure finally stood up. Picking up the box of strawberries from the ground, she wiped away her tears as she trudged back toward the inn.
Ten minutes later, Eldest Miss Ming finally made it back.
Heading straight upstairs, she ran into Yu Xian on the staircase, who was just about to head down.
Assuming she was crying over being left on the road, Yu Xian asked in a detached, indifferent tone: "Done crying?"
With her delicate face stained with tears like a rain-drenched pear blossom, Eldest Miss Ming snapped back: "Whether this lady cried or not is none of your business!"
The very next second, she took a step up, only to trip on a stair tread. Stumbling, Yu Xian caught her firmly by both hands.
Ming Ruixi's small face flushed crimson. In her panic, the grip she had on Yu Xian's clothes tightened uncontrollably.
Yu Xian glanced at her slender lower back: "It's not New Year's yet—no need to bow so deeply to me."
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