Chapter 7: Shopping

~Zhao Chenyang, what are you looking at?~

What is the relationship between Zhao Xiangwan and Zhao Chenyang?

Twin sister?

No, Zhao Xiangwan has no blood relation to her.

A childhood friend?

Not quite, more like a partner.

Although they lived in the same house, their lives were worlds apart. While Zhao Xiangwan worked hard from a young age, doing all the farm chores—feeding pigs, cutting grass, and picking rice—Zhao Chenyang stayed indoors, delicately embroidering.

Enemy?

Maybe.

To be exact, Zhao Chenyang is a thief who stole the life that should have belonged to Zhao Xiangwan.

Zhao Xiangwan recalled the time she was struck by lightning at age ten and, after waking, discovered she could read minds.

Zhao Chenyang, pretending to cry, inwardly cursed, “Even lightning can’t kill you? What a miserable life!”

At six, Zhao Chenyang started learning embroidery, complaining that she couldn’t let her fingers become rough or they’d ruin the fabric. Zhao Xiangwan, trying to care for her, did all the hard work—cleaning, feeding animals, picking grass, and more. But in her heart, Zhao Chenyang wished for her to die.

Zhao Xiangwan’s mother would sit by the bed, lamenting the family’s financial struggles, but her heart was cold. “I won’t give you any money, even if I have it!” Zhao Qingyun, her father, only gave her ten dollars a month for four years, not nearly enough for her to eat or wear.

Zhao Xiangwan realized the harsh truth—she was never loved, especially by her parents, who clearly favored Zhao Chenyang.

The reason she had been struck by lightning was that her mother insisted Zhao Xiangwan drop out of school to help at home. This was the first time Zhao Xiangwan argued back, determined not to give up studying.

Her parents always belittled her no matter how hard she worked. Only in school could she receive praise and validation. So when her mother demanded she leave school to help, Zhao Xiangwan refused, which led to her being slapped and thrown out of the house. Then, lightning struck her, and with it, the ability to read minds.

She lay in bed in a daze for three days, and when she finally woke, Zhao Chenyang had disappeared.

Listening to the thoughts of her adoptive parents, Zhao Xiangwan learned she was the illegitimate daughter of Zhao Qingyun and Wei Meihua, educated youths sent to the countryside. They had abandoned her to return to the city.

After Zhao Qingyun became successful, he and Wei Meihua finally remembered their daughter and sought her out, intending to raise her properly.

Zhao Qingyun appeared generous, paying off all the child support he owed and promising to take his daughter home, to raise her well.

Zhao Chenyang was jealous and couldn’t stand Zhao Xiangwan having such a good life. He persuaded his parents to switch their identities. Zhao Xiangwan was lying unconscious in bed, and her adoptive parents, Qian Shufen and Zhao Erfu, never revealed her true background. After discussing the plan, Zhao Chenyang approached Zhao Qingyun, calling out, “Dad.”

Zhao Chenyang moved to the city to live with Zhao Qingyun and Wei Meihua, leaving Zhao Xiangwan behind in the countryside. She worked on the farm while studying hard and eventually got admitted to Hunan Provincial Public Security University.

Looking back, Zhao Xiangwan had mixed feelings.

She hated her adoptive parents for taking someone else’s identity to give their daughter a life of luxury and for treating her badly. She also despised Zhao Chenyang, the sister she had loved for ten years, for taking advantage of her coma to move to the city without guilt.

Yet, there were moments of warmth.

On her birthday, her eldest aunt gave her a thoughtful gift. Her eldest brother, Zhao Bowen, secretly gave her a little money during his break from No. 1 Middle School in the county. In the winter, her second brother, Zhao Shuwu, rode his bicycle through the cold wind to pick her up.

Because of these small acts of kindness, Zhao Xiangwan was able to persevere. These moments of light softened the harm caused by her adoptive parents and kept her from letting hatred overwhelm her heart.

Thinking about this, Zhao Xiangwan looked up at Zhou Qiaoxiu and said, “Zhao Chenyang and I grew up together, but after she turned ten, she moved with her parents to the provincial capital, and I haven’t seen her since.”

Because of her mind-reading ability, which made her see too much deception, Zhao Xiangwan found it hard to trust others completely and didn’t share everything.

Zhou Qiaoxiu smiled and said, “So, you’re childhood friends. You both have the surname Zhao. You must be relatives, right?”

Zhao Xiangwan avoided the question. “I grew up in Zhaojiagou^[1]refers to name of the village. and most people there have the surname Zhao.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu glanced at Xu Songling and ordered, “Old Xu, Xiangwan is an honest child. It’s rare for her to speak up. She treats us like family. Remember that.”

Xu Songling saluted, “Yes! I’ll make sure to fulfill the task.”

The baby beside him also saluted and said in a sweet voice, “I promise to complete the task.”

Everyone laughed at how cute the child sounded, repeating the adults’ words.

Amid the laughter, Zhao Xiangwan had her first piece of cake. The soft, sweet taste made her feel that the world was a beautiful place.

After dinner, the baby held onto Zhao Xiangwan, unwilling to let her go.

Children are sensitive to good or bad energy, and the baby quickly became attached to Zhao Xiangwan.

When she was with Meimei, Bao Bao was mischievous, taking toys and throwing things, often being scolded by Zhou Qiaoxiu. But now, with Zhao Xiangwan, Bao Bao was calm and eager to share her toys.

Zhou Qiaoxiu noticed this change and reflected on her past actions with Meimei. She used to feel sorry for Meimei, who always gave in and never fought back when her sister hit or scolded her. But now she wondered if Meimei had been scheming all along.

Thinking about Meimei’s manipulations, Zhou Qiaoxiu shuddered and looked at Zhao Xiangwan with even more affection. Luckily, no harm had been done. Everything was still fixable. If Meimei had succeeded, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Zhou Qiaoxiu suggested, “Xiangwan, would you like to come with me and the baby to the Friendship Shopping Mall? It’s rare for us to have a weekend off, and after the meal and cake, it would be nice to walk around.”

Zhao Xiangwan shook her head. “I don’t want to go shopping. I have to go back to the dorm to study.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu frowned. “Is it because the baby doesn’t want you to leave? Just stay with her.”

The baby tugged at Zhao Xiangwan’s clothes and whined, “Sister, don’t go.”

At the same time, Zhao Xiangwan heard the baby’s voice in her mind: [Sister, don’t go.]

The baby’s pure eyes and innocent words melted Zhao Xiangwan’s heart. Though she usually avoided physical contact, children like Bao Bao were an exception. She bent down, picked the baby up, and softly agreed, “Okay, I won’t leave.”

The night was cool, with the scent of osmanthus in the air.

Zhao Xiangwan followed Zhou Qiaoxiu out of the school gate. The Public Security University was located in the south of Xing City, about a fifteen-minute walk from the Friendship Shopping Mall.

The Friendship Shopping Mall, opened in the 1980s, was the busiest commercial center in the southern part of the city. Around 7 p.m., it was packed with people. Along the way, street vendors sold grilled wings, socks, clothes, toys, and more.

The baby’s attention was caught by a small stall ahead. She pointed and shouted, “Doll! Doll!”

The stall displayed a dozen painted plaster dolls on a plastic sheet. There were piglets, rabbits, kittens, and blonde dolls in bright pink colors. Even Zhao Xiangwan was enchanted and stopped to take a closer look.

A small rechargeable table lamp illuminated the plaster dolls, making them especially attractive. The vendor called out, “Don’t miss out! These plaster dolls, designed by students from the Academy of Fine Arts, are only two yuan each. Cheap and beautiful!”

Two yuan each? Zhao Xiangwan was shocked. Her school gave her only thirty-two yuan in meal coupons each month, enough for two or three days of meals.

Zhou Qiaoxiu smiled, picked two dolls, and said, “Xiangwan is an ox, and Bao Bao is a rabbit. I’ll buy a calf and a rabbit.”

She quickly paid and stood up holding two plaster dolls in a plastic bag.

Zhao Xiangwan couldn’t stop her, but while holding the baby, she said seriously, “If you buy me anything again, I’ll go back to school right now.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu laughed and nodded, “Okay, okay, I’ll only buy one. It’s your birthday gift.”

The stall owner, watching their interaction, said enviously, “Sister, your daughter is so sensible, helping you take care of the kids.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu laughed when she heard this and playfully stretched out her left hand to hold Zhao Xiangwan’s shoulders. “That’s right, I’m a sensible, grown-up girl who can read.”

Caught off guard, Zhao Xiangwan’s back stiffened as she was unexpectedly hugged, the warmth brushing past her ear.

Sensing Zhao Xiangwan’s discomfort, Zhou Qiaoxiu quickly let go and said softly, “I really wish you were my daughter, Zhao Xiangwan.”

[If I had a child right after getting married, she’d be about the same age as Zhao Xiangwan. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky.]

Hearing the faint sadness in Zhou Qiaoxiu’s words, Zhao Xiangwan whispered, “You’re my teacher; it’s the same.”

These words helped smooth over past regrets. Zhou Qiaoxiu smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.

Zhao Xiangwan kept a respectful distance from Zhou Qiaoxiu and walked slowly ahead with the group, unaware that a pair of intense eyes were fixed on her back from afar.

The owner of this intense gaze was a girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

She had a high ponytail, an oval face, and large eyes. Though not very tall, she dressed fashionably. She wore a goose-yellow sweater, a light brown plaid suspender skirt, white lace socks, brown wide-mouthed leather shoes, and carried a small cross-body wicker bag, making her look lively, cute, and fashionable.

The girl was walking around the night market with three other girls her age when she suddenly spotted Zhao Xiangwan in the crowd. She froze, staring at Zhao Xiangwan’s tall, slender back for a long time, unable to speak.

One of her friends shook her arm. “Zhao Chenyang, what are you staring at?”

Zhao Chenyang snapped out of it, but her heart was racing. Zhao Xiangwan! Why was she in Xing City? Didn’t Zhao Xiangwan tell her parents that she would stay in the countryside and avoid having a future?