Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Shopping

After Qin Hui Yin left the Dam Worksite entrance, she met up with the others and continued through town to buy supplies.

Tang Lu Wu walked close to her side. “Yin Yin, did you see anyone from our village?”

“No.” Qin Hui Yin shook her head. “I went through the people in charge and found Song Rui Ze. I didn’t meet anyone else.” She glanced toward the distant road as if she could still smell the dust on it. “There are thousands of men in there. It’s hard enough to manage as it is. If just anyone could come and go, it would be chaos.”

“It really has to be you,” Tang Lu Wu said, eyes full of admiration. “If it were me, I’d be too scared to go.”

“Sister Lu Wu, don’t belittle yourself.” Qin Hui Yin nudged her gently with an elbow. “If your younger brother were in there, and you were worried he wasn’t eating well, dressing well, or sleeping well, wouldn’t you want to go?”

Tang Lu Wu nodded quickly. “Of course.”

“Exactly.” Qin Hui Yin smiled. “You only feel like you’d be too scared because there’s no one you care about in there.”

Tang Lu Wu hesitated, then said quietly, “You’re really good to Song Rui Ze. People said your relationship was bad before, but… I think that must’ve been fake.”

Qin Hui Yin only smiled and didn’t take the bait. “Come on. Let’s go to the clothing shop.”

Tang Lu Wu and Tang Yi Xiao had never been inside a ready-made clothing shop. The moment they stepped through the door and saw the neat rows of fabric and the dizzying variety of styles, their eyes went wide with longing.

The shop owner glanced at the three children, then looked outside. All he saw was an ox cart and an elderly man waiting patiently beside it.

“You’re here to buy clothes?” he asked, not hiding his doubt.

“Yes, boss.” Qin Hui Yin’s tone was calm, as if she did this every day. She pointed to several outfits. “This one, and that one. Can we try them?”

The owner’s gaze swept the styles she’d chosen. “Young miss, that material isn’t suited for fieldwork, and it’s a bit expensive. Also, if you really want to buy, call your guardian in to choose.”

“Boss, we can decide for ourselves.” Qin Hui Yin reached into her sleeve and produced a small piece of broken silver.

The owner stared at it, then looked her up and down as if seeing her for the first time.

She wasn’t old, but her eyes were bright and steady, confident in a way that set her apart from ordinary farm girls.

“All right.” The owner’s tone shifted immediately. “Try what you like.”

He called his assistant, and soon the clothes Qin Hui Yin had picked were in their hands.

“Sister Lu Wu, little brother—go try them on.”

“These must be expensive,” Tang Lu Wu murmured, clutching the fabric as if it might bite. “I’ll just get the cheap kind…”

Qin Hui Yin lifted her chin, all the authority of a head of household packed into one look. “Who exactly is in charge of this family?”

Tang Lu Wu laughed, embarrassed, and after a moment’s hesitation, went behind the screen with the clothes.

Tang Yi Xiao was far more straightforward. He changed quickly and stepped out, shoulders squared as if he’d put on armor.

Qin Hui Yin stepped closer and smoothed his collar. “Do you like it?”

“I like it,” Tang Yi Xiao said, voice tight with emotion. “Before, I only wore clothes my brother couldn’t wear anymore. This is the first time someone bought clothes that are truly mine.” He glanced down, then forced himself to add, “But one set is enough. My brother’s clothes are fine. They don’t even have many patches. With a little altering, they can still be worn.”

“We’re not wearing other people’s old clothes anymore.” Qin Hui Yin’s fingers lingered briefly at his collar, gentle and firm. “Stick with your Second Sister and you’ll eat what you want and wear what you want.”

Tang Yi Xiao looked at her as if she’d hung stars in the sky. “Second Sister, I’ll listen to everything you say.”

Tang Lu Wu stepped out too, dressed in new clothes that made her look like a different person—brighter, more confident, like someone who belonged in a town shop and not just in a field.

Qin Hui Yin’s eyes warmed. “Boss. Four sets in this size.”

The owner’s doubt vanished entirely. This little girl was a walking God of Wealth.

“Four sets for my little brother too,” Qin Hui Yin continued, decisive. “We’re buying for the rest of the family as well, but they didn’t come into town. I’ll give you their sizes. If something doesn’t fit, can we exchange it as long as the clothes aren’t damaged?”

“Of course, of course.” The owner beamed. “As long as the clothes aren’t damaged or washed out of shape. Honored guest, what else would you like?”

Qin Hui Yin’s mind flashed to Song Rui Ze.

The first time she’d seen him, he’d been wearing animal skins, and the shock had stayed with her. Thinking of him bare-chested earlier only made her more certain: that boy didn’t have enough clothes to wear.

She chose two outfits for him without hesitating. When the owner mentioned quilts, she bought one as well.

After paying, she carried everything out to Third Master Tang and explained in a low voice. Third Master Tang had always pitied that child who’d lost his mother early—and now his father—so he nodded immediately.

“I’ll deliver it,” he promised.

Third Master Tang drove off with the bundle meant for Song Rui Ze, and Qin Hui Yin took Tang Lu Wu and Tang Yi Xiao back into the flow of town.

She picked four bright, vivid outfits for Li Tao Hua. In the countryside, such colors were eye-catching, but in Qin Hui Yin’s eyes, her mother had been born dazzling. Why should she hide her light? Beauty didn’t need permission to shine. It shouldn’t be dimmed just because she married a man.

Then she chose for everyone—Tang Da Fu, Li Tao Hua, Tang Yi Chen, Tang Lu Wu, Tang Yi Xiao, and finally herself.

Four sets each.

With autumn coming, two of the sets were slightly thicker, ready for the shift in weather.

She added several new quilts to the pile of purchases too.

“Yin Yin…” Tang Lu Wu lowered her voice as they approached a jewelry shop. “This place is very expensive.”

“Before, to raise money, my mother pawned her jewelry.” Qin Hui Yin’s tone stayed light, but her hand tightened briefly around Tang Lu Wu’s fingers. “Now that we’re earning again, I’m going to redeem what she pawned. And then I’ll give her something new too.”

Tang Lu Wu nodded quickly. “That’s only right.”

Inside, Qin Hui Yin picked up a pair of earrings and held them near Tang Lu Wu’s ear, comparing the shine to her skin. “How about these?”

“Are they for Mom?”

“They’re for you.”

Tang Lu Wu jerked back. “Then I don’t want them.”

Qin Hui Yin clicked her tongue. “One pair for you, one pair for me, and one pair for my mother. When we walk out like that, everyone will know we’re mother and daughters.” She tapped the delicate bead on the earring. “Besides, these aren’t expensive. They only have a small pearl. The expensive ones are huge.”

She pointed across the counter to the glittering pieces that looked almost heavy enough to pull a woman’s ears down.

It was Tang Lu Wu’s first time in a jewelry shop. She stared, eyes full of yearning—and then, strangely, her gaze returned to the simple earrings Qin Hui Yin had chosen. The tiny pearls looked better to her than the oversized ones.

It would be the first piece of jewelry she’d ever received.

Qin Hui Yin paid, bought a few household necessities, and finally met Third Master Tang again when he drove the ox cart back.

He helped load everything, then clicked his tongue at the pile. “Time to go home!”

Qin Hui Yin leaned over the cart’s edge toward him. “Third Grandpa, did you see Song Rui Ze?”

Third Master Tang laughed. “I did. When that brat saw what you sent, his eyes turned red.”

Qin Hui Yin didn’t believe it for a heartbeat. If he could be moved that easily, he wouldn’t be Song Rui Ze. His first thought on seeing a gift would be: What’s the scheme?

But Third Master Tang meant well, and she wasn’t about to ruin his kindness.

“Thank you, Third Grandpa.”