Bai Anrong got home a little after six in the evening. Hearing the door open, Qin Yunxi greeted him with a smile.
She thoughtfully took the coat from his hands, hung it up, then poured him a glass of water and handed it over. In a gentle voice, she said, “Brother Anrong, I’ll go heat up your meal. I know you’ve been working hard, so I specially went to the state-run restaurant today and bought a few meat dishes to give you something extra.”
Bai Anrong replied, “Yunxi, no need to fuss. I’ll handle it myself later. By the way, I came home late today—did Sang Sang eat first?”
The unattainable “white moonlight” he had longed for in his youth was now right by his side. Bai Anrong couldn’t have been more pleased, and he quickly pulled her into his arms.
Qin Yunxi put on a shy act and gently pushed him away. “Brother Anrong, don’t… the kids might come out and see.”
“Sigh, Sang Sang still doesn’t have much of an appetite.”
“Oh right, how’s Tingting? You came home late today—did you go to the hospital to see her?”
At the mention of Bai Tingting, Bai Anrong’s expression turned complicated. Reluctantly, he let go of the woman in his arms. After a moment of silence, he finally said slowly, “Tingting… isn’t my older brother’s child.”
“Huh?!”
Qin Yunxi’s mouth fell open in shock—this time, her reaction was completely genuine.
…
When Sang Sang later heard about this melodramatic incident from her mother, she wore the exact same stunned expression.
She repeated it, “Mom, so you’re saying Bai Tingting’s blood type doesn’t match Uncle and Aunt Bai’s? She’s not actually part of the Bai family?”
Qin Yunxi nodded, clearly watching the drama with a sense of amusement.
Now Bai Anhua suspected that Zhang Hui had cheated on him and cuckolded him. After finding out this morning, he had slapped her. But Zhang Hui refused to admit anything and was now making a scene, threatening to kill herself.
Seeing Zhang Hui in such a miserable state made Qin Yunxi feel rather satisfied. She held grudges—after all, just yesterday, Zhang Hui had looked down on her for being remarried and had even insinuated that Sang Sang was just baggage.
Well, look at this—karma had come quickly.
Mother and daughter thought alike.
A smile curled on Sang Sang’s lips, her delicate face full of satisfaction. Yesterday, Bai Tingting had picked a fight with her for no reason, and she had already taken it to heart. Now, hearing this juicy scandal, she felt utterly pleased.
Calling her “baggage”? Now Bai Tingting herself had become an illegitimate child.
Qin Sang took after her mother—selfish, self-serving, cold, and even more so. Though still young, she had no shortage of scheming thoughts. At that moment, she was already planning that the next time she saw Bai Tingting, she would definitely rub salt into her wounds.
She wanted to try kicking someone while they were down—to see if it really felt as satisfying as people said.
Back in Shanghai, when her father had gotten into trouble, quite a few people had done exactly that to her and her mother.
They had pointed at her, calling her an ungrateful wretch, someone who couldn’t be raised properly.
What a joke—had they ever raised her?
Sang Sang remembered every single one of those faces. Sooner or later, she would repay them double.
What was wrong with her and her mother coming to Harbin?
Of course she loved her father—but what could she accomplish by following him to the countryside?
Other than suffering together, she saw no purpose.
Why should she give up a good life just to endure hardship?
For the sake of being a so-called “good daughter”? For a few words of praise from others?
Ridiculous. Life was her own—after all, “only the one who drinks the water knows whether it’s warm or cold.” She only wanted to live a more comfortable life. What was wrong with that?
Besides, under those circumstances, what future could she have had in the countryside? Here in Harbin, no one knew her past. There were countless opportunities for her to climb higher.
And when the time came, finding a chance to clear her father’s name would be even better.
～～～～
The next day.
Because of Bai Tingting’s situation, both Qin Yunxi and her daughter were in high spirits. They hit it off immediately and decided to go shopping to celebrate.
They even made a special trip to Harbin’s department store.
Each district in the city had its own supply and marketing cooperative, but there was only one department store for now.
It was a three-story red-brick building. Though not as luxurious as those in Shanghai, it had its own unique charm.
Sang Sang headed straight to the clothing section. After picking out what she liked, she hugged her mother’s arm and said sweetly, “Mom, I want both this wool dress and that blue Peter Pan–collar blouse. And I want a pair of black leather shoes to match.”
Her daughter was beautiful, and Qin Yunxi loved dressing her up. It was only two outfits—she waved her hand and bought them all.
Thinking about how autumn in Harbin would soon turn cold, and that it might even snow in a few days, she grew concerned. Back in Shanghai, the coldest days only required a light padded jacket or a wool coat.
Both she and her daughter loved looking good, and the warmest clothing they owned was just wool coats—stylish and not bulky in winter.
But that wouldn’t do in Harbin. Wearing only a wool coat outside in winter would freeze a person solid.
After calculating the fabric and yarn coupons they had brought from Shanghai, Qin Yunxi told Sang Sang to pick out a sweater and a cotton-padded jacket as well.
Sang Sang, a girl who loved beauty above all, immediately broke into a delighted smile and pointed out the clothes she wanted.
Her crescent-shaped smiling eyes were charming and captivating, drawing praise even from the nearby sales clerk. “This little girl is really pretty. How old are you? What grade are you in?”
Sang Sang was long used to compliments about her looks, and she knew Northeasterners were warm and talkative.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t bother chatting much with strangers. But since this was a sales clerk, building a good relationship might mean getting access to better goods in the future.
With that calculation in mind, she replied sweetly, “Thank you, big sister. You’re very pretty too. I’m 15 this year, just started high school.”
Even though the sales clerk was clearly older than her mother, Sang Sang still called her “big sister” over and over.
That instantly put the woman in high spirits.
After all, what woman could resist being called young and beautiful?
“You’ve got such a sweet mouth, little girl. Alright, if you want to buy clothes in the future, just come to Aunt Wang—I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Wang Ju said cheerfully.
Sang Sang smiled sweetly, with a hint of coquettishness. “Thank you, Sister Wang. You look just like an older sister—I won’t call you ‘aunt’!”
“Hahaha—”
…
Throughout it all, Qin Yunxi said nothing, simply watching her daughter interact with others.
After buying clothes, Sang Sang went to the pastry section and picked up some glutinous rice sticks and sachima.
Using the same approach, she quickly charmed the pastry clerk as well, earning endless praise.
By the time they left the department store, Qin Yunxi was still feeling proud.
Look at her daughter—so clever. Truly, she had inherited her mother’s strengths perfectly.