After leaving the residential compound, Qin Zhiyi found a quiet corner and stopped.
Xu Sangluo looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Qin Zhiyi got off the bicycle and looked at her. “You’re not going back?”
A trace of bewilderment flashed in Xu Sangluo’s eyes.
But after meeting his gaze for a few seconds, a spark of realization suddenly flashed through her mind. She seemed to understand what he had misunderstood.
She opened her mouth, both amused and helpless.
“How could that be? I only came to take a few things. This isn’t my home. If I were going back anywhere, it definitely wouldn’t be here.”
A hint of surprise and confusion appeared in Qin Zhiyi’s eyes.
Xu Sangluo gave a bitter smile. “I’m the adopted daughter of this family. Even though that woman was my ‘mother’ for eighteen years, she never treated me like a daughter.”
Thinking of Liu Xiuhe’s sharp and hysterical behavior the last time, Qin Zhiyi’s brows unconsciously furrowed.
Xu Sangluo continued, “Do you remember how we met?”
Qin Zhiyi’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded.
Xu Sangluo took a deep breath.
“I just finished the college entrance exam this year, and I was successfully admitted to South China Normal University.”
This time, Qin Zhiyi couldn’t hide his surprise.
First, he was astonished that she had actually been able to get into a university—clearly she was very capable.
Second, judging by the timing, the semester had already started nearly two months ago.
Could it be that she had missed it because she was trafficked?
At this thought, his expression grew serious.
He knew how important university was. If Xu Sangluo missed this opportunity because of such an accident, it would truly be a great pity.
He could now understand the despair she had shown earlier.
But what Xu Sangluo said next shocked him even more.
“That woman gave my admission notice to my stepsister and locked me up.”
Qin Zhiyi’s grip on the bicycle handle unconsciously tightened, and his expression turned cold.
“Your spot was taken by someone else?”
“Yes.” Xu Sangluo gave a bitter smile. “Later, I found a chance to escape. I planned to stop Xie Huaishu—my stepsister—but then I was trafficked. I managed to escape when the traffickers let their guard down, and that’s when you rescued me.”
At this point, the bitterness on Xu Sangluo’s face suddenly turned cold and stern.
“At the time, I only thought I was extremely unlucky. But thinking about it now, everything feels far too coincidental.”
Qin Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed. He understood what she meant, but still found it hard to believe.
After all, Liu Xiuhe was her biological mother.
Seeing what he was thinking, Xu Sangluo smiled faintly.
“I told you—she never treated me as her daughter. I was just a tool she used to please the Xie father and daughter. Maybe it’s also because my real father, who died early, was such a scoundrel that she poured all her resentment onto me. In any case, from now on, she has nothing to do with me.”
A chill seemed to surround Qin Zhiyi.
With a stern face, he said seriously, “How could there be nothing to do with you? What they did is a crime.”
He thought for a moment, hesitated for a few seconds, and then said, “Maybe it’s not too late to go now. I know a few friends who might be able to help.”
Xu Sangluo was startled. When she understood what he meant, she looked at him in surprise, then shook her head with a small laugh.
Why was she surprised? Hadn’t Qin Zhiyi always been like this?
She shook her head. “It’s already too late. But don’t worry, I’m a law-abiding citizen. I definitely won’t tolerate crime. I just have my own plan. Don’t worry—I won’t help the wrongdoers.”
Qin Zhiyi frowned deeply. “University is very important.”
Xu Sangluo smiled faintly and nodded. “I know. There will be other opportunities in the future.”
Qin Zhiyi opened his mouth, wanting to persuade her further.
But seeing her fragile expression, forcing a smile despite everything, he swallowed the words in the end.
After a moment of silence, he nodded. “If you need any help, just say so.”
Xu Sangluo gave him a sincere smile. “Alright.”
Qin Zhiyi pursed his lips and nodded, then glanced at the suitcase. “Then just now…?”
Xu Sangluo understood what he meant and raised her hand to pat the suitcase.
“These are all my belongings. I worked like a servant for the Xie family for eighteen years—I can’t have done it all for nothing.”
Hearing this, Qin Zhiyi didn’t ask any further questions.
“What are your plans from now on?”
Xu Sangluo pressed her lips together, her fingers rubbing the handle of the suitcase. She lifted her head and looked at him with bright eyes.
“I don’t really have anywhere to go right now. Could I ask for a place to stay?”
After saying that, she seemed to think of something and added apologetically, “About what happened before—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you when you were the one who helped me. If it’s inconvenient, that’s okay too.”
Qin Zhiyi’s gaze flickered slightly, and he shook his head.
“It’s not inconvenient. It’s just that my home is rather simple, and there are many people around. I’m worried it might affect your reputation.”
Xu Sangluo, however, curved her eyes and smiled.
She had fully inherited Xu Xiangyu’s good looks, especially those clear, watery eyes.
It was precisely because of this that her maternal grandfather, in the later years, was able to see through Liu Xiuhe’s scheme just from a single photograph.
Qin Zhiyi’s gaze paused for a moment before he unconsciously lowered his eyes.
“It’s fine. I’m not some delicate noble lady anyway. As for reputation…”
She gave a soft laugh.
“What could possibly be worse than my reputation here?”
Thinking of Liu Xiuhe’s earlier scene—openly causing a ruckus without the slightest concern for her daughter’s reputation—Qin Zhiyi’s eyes darkened.
“Alright.”
After speaking things through, the atmosphere between them was no longer as stiff as before.
Qin Zhiyi also didn’t want to reopen her wounds, so he simply asked, “Where do you want to go?”
He swung himself back onto the bicycle and motioned for her to get on.
Xu Sangluo’s eyes curved even more as she lightly hopped onto the back seat.
“Let’s go to the farmers’ market first. Do you know where it is?”
Although the country currently only had unified grain coupons and oil coupons, each province and city had its own additional ticket system.
Because of that, many goods in supply and marketing cooperatives still required ration tickets.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have any of those on hand right now.
As for the Friendship Store, it currently only allowed foreign guests to enter and only accepted foreign currency.
But she wasn’t in a hurry.
As private businesses gradually flourished, more goods would appear on the market, and various ration tickets would eventually be abolished.
The farmers’ market wasn’t far from the residential compound—only about a ten-minute ride by bicycle.
At this time in the afternoon, there weren’t many people.
Xu Sangluo had another purpose for coming to the farmers’ market besides buying things.
She wanted to scout the stalls.
If she wanted to follow the same path as in her previous life and start by selling vegetables at a street stall, then the farmers’ market would undoubtedly be the best place to begin.
The market was quite large, with many vegetable stalls and small shops.
Xu Sangluo didn’t buy much meat or many vegetables, because she knew Qin Zhiyi definitely wouldn’t allow it—
unless everything she bought was meant for her own consumption.
So she only bought a large bag of cheap pork bones, using the excuse that they were for nourishing Qin’s mother’s health—considering it a gesture of respect to an elder.
She also bought pastries and candy as small gifts for the children.
Qin Zhiyi couldn’t possibly refuse things meant for the kids.
Then she purchased some inexpensive vegetables.
And twenty jin of negotiated-price grain.
Negotiated-price grain was sold directly by grain shops and didn’t require ration tickets, but the price was roughly doubled.
For the twenty jin, she bought ten jin of rice and ten jin of wheat flour.
Rice cost 0.52 yuan per jin.
Flour cost 0.28 yuan per jin.
In total, she spent eight yuan.
Qin Zhiyi originally wanted to say that he would treat it as money he owed her.
But Xu Sangluo wouldn’t allow it, saying that these items would count as three months of rent and food expenses.
She was so quick-witted with her words that Qin Zhiyi simply couldn’t argue with her.