Chapter 2: Do You Want Me to Leave Naked?

Huo Lingxiu’s face turned pale with fear. If Su Miaomiao’s words spread, even if she wasn’t sent down to the countryside along with her, she would definitely face punishment.

“Who says… I can’t bear to part with them? I find everything your Huo family gave me filthy!” Huo Lingxiu had no choice but to grit her teeth and pretend to be tough. Extremely unwilling, she removed her earrings, necklace, watch, and all other jewelry from her body and threw them at Su Miaomiao.

“Here, take it all back!”

Su Miaomiao weighed the gold earrings and necklace in her hand. They were quite heavy.

“And your shoes,” Su Miaomiao’s gaze fell on Huo Lingxiu again.

Huo Lingxiu nearly broke her teeth from grinding them, but afraid that Su Miaomiao would accuse her of being involved with the Huo family, she clenched her jaw and took them off.

Su Miaomiao’s eyes then fell on the dress Huo Lingxiu was wearing. Huo Lingxiu finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted at her:

“Do you want me to leave naked?”

“You can keep the clothes,” Su Miaomiao nodded.

Huo Lingxiu’s face finally eased a bit — at least she knew her place.

But in the next moment, Su Miaomiao’s voice rang out again: “Pay for them.”

“What did you say?” Huo Lingxiu hadn’t even calmed down before her anger shot back up.

“I can tell that the style and material of that dress are quite high-end. Must be from the department store, right? I’ve been there before. A dress like that would cost at least 15 yuan. I won’t ask for more — just give me 10 and it’s yours,” Su Miaomiao said with an expression of look how generous I am.

“You…” Huo Lingxiu was shaking with rage.

“What you? Either give me the money or take off the dress. Your choice!” Su Miaomiao lazily gave her a sidelong glance.

Huo Lingxiu’s chest heaved with fury. She turned her head toward Captain Liu, about to speak — but someone beat her to it.

“Captain Liu, thank you and your team for escorting me home. I don’t have much to show my gratitude, so consider these two pieces of jewelry a token of thanks for helping me find my family. Later, take your team to the state-owned restaurant for a meal — mention my name and they’ll serve drinks on the house,” Su Miaomiao said as she stuffed the gold earrings and necklace Huo Lingxiu had just handed over into Captain Liu’s hand.

Captain Liu weighed them in his hand, and his eyes immediately lit up.

If he were to sell them, they might fetch close to a hundred yuan.

He had already been considering confiscating them as “recovered stolen goods” once Huo Lingxiu handed them over, but he didn’t expect this young girl to be so sharp.

Then his eyes landed on the watch still in Su Miaomiao’s hand.

That was a luxury item — ordinary people couldn’t afford one.

Su Miaomiao’s gaze darkened slightly. This Captain Liu was greedy — he wasn’t planning to leave her with a single thing.

Su Miaomiao cursed him silently in her heart, but maintained a gentle smile on her face as she handed the watch over to him.

Captain Liu beamed with delight and quickly stuffed it into his pocket. Then he turned to Huo Lingxiu.

“Which one will it be?” His voice carried a distinct chill.

Huo Lingxiu was so angry she wanted to rip Su Miaomiao’s face apart.

Those were all her things, and she had just handed them over to someone else without blinking.

That bitch!

“If you don’t want to choose, I’ll choose for you.” Captain Liu looked at the dawdling Huo Lingxiu, his brows furrowed tightly.

He still wanted to take his men out for a bit of fun after dealing with this matter.

Huo Lingxiu knew there was no room left to negotiate. There was no way she could take off her clothes — she hadn’t brought a change of clothes with her, after all. So she could only grit her teeth, rummage through her small purse, and reluctantly handed over 10 yuan to Su Miaomiao.

When she passed the money over, her hesitation made it look like she was cutting off a piece of her own flesh.

Su Miaomiao was growing impatient and snatched it out of her hand.

Huo Lingxiu was so angry she wanted to tear her apart.

Captain Liu’s gaze lingered briefly on the 10 yuan in Su Miaomiao’s hand.

Su Miaomiao discreetly tucked the money away, then looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Captain Liu, it’s getting late. If you go any later, the state-run restaurant might already be closed.”

Captain Liu didn’t say anything more at that.

After all, it was just 10 yuan. He’d already made quite a haul today. Just selling those three items would probably fetch nearly 200 yuan.

And to think — his monthly salary was only 20 yuan. That’s nearly a whole year’s wages.

He decided to treat the 10 yuan as a little pocket money left for the girl. After all, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse — the Huo family may be down now, but it’s not impossible they’ll bounce back in the future.

Leave a line of retreat — it makes future meetings easier.

“All right, since everything’s settled, your family should pack up tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the train station,” Captain Liu said, then turned and left with his men.

Of course, Huo Lingxiu had to leave too, but before walking off, she cast a fierce glare at Su Miaomiao.

“Bitch! Enjoy this one last night of comfort. Once you’re sent down, what’s waiting for you is hell!” she spat angrily, then hurried after Captain Liu.

The once-crowded hall suddenly became quiet, with only the Huo family left.

Soon, faint sobs could be heard.

Su Miaomiao finally turned around and began seriously observing these so-called family members who had suddenly reappeared in her life.

One by one, their eyes landed on her — some were curious, some guilty, but mostly, they were full of heartache.

Feeling all those emotions, Su Miaomiao’s expression finally softened a little.

When she was confronting Huo Lingxiu just now, she had worried these people might hold it against her.

But now it seemed she had overthought things.

They were still clear-headed after all. If they hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have bothered dealing with them even if they were all sent down together.

“What’s your name?” Tang Chunlan looked at Su Miaomiao, who had been silently observing them. After hesitating for a while, she tentatively asked.

“Su Miaomiao.” She answered truthfully.

“Miaomiao? That’s a nice name — very lively.” Tang Chunlan nodded repeatedly.

“My adoptive father gave it to me. He said he hoped I’d grow strong and healthy, like a seedling in the fields,” Su Miaomiao said, thinking of the old man.

He had gone through several books just to come up with that name for her.

“Miaomiao, it’s Mama who let you down. We made you suffer outside for so many years. And now that you’ve finally come home, you have to be sent down with us. Mama…” Tang Chunlan’s tears started falling one by one as she spoke.

Tang Chunlan was a typical Jiangnan beauty — delicate features, a slender figure, and a gentle, soft-spoken voice that gave people a sense of warmth.

Maybe it was the bond of blood, but when Su Miaomiao saw her red eyes and tear-streaked face, her heart softened a little.

She awkwardly raised her hand and patted Tang Chunlan on the shoulder.

“It’s okay. Even though we’re getting sent down, at least I found my family. Gains and losses, right?”

But as soon as Tang Chunlan heard that, she cried even harder.

Su Miaomiao suddenly panicked. Killing fish, chickens — even people — she could do without batting an eye. But comforting someone? That, she had absolutely no idea how to do.