Chapter Fifty-Eight: Still Claiming Not to Like

A pharmacy in the Silverlin business district.

“Boss, do you have any medication for mental illnesses here?”

Tang Xiaoyu stood before the counter, her gaze sweeping over the array of medicines in the store.

The owner, a middle-aged man, looked at her in surprise. “Young lady, we do, but you’re so young—are you buying for a family member? Do you have a medical record?”

“No record, but he sometimes starts strangling himself for no reason, each time nearly suffocating.”

The owner’s expression turned grave. “That’s a serious condition. I’ll give you something to help stabilize his mood, but you must take him to the hospital for a proper checkup as soon as you can.”

“All right, all right. Um, is it expensive?”

“Two hundred Lang coins.”

Though Tang Xiaoyu was a little pained by the price, she gritted her teeth and made the purchase.

Leaving the pharmacy, she carefully put the medicine away and entered the mall.

“Where did you go just now?” Li Changqing was shopping with his sister, Li Qingxue.

At the school competition they’d attended recently, they’d planned for Li Qingxue to help their older sister pick out some clothes. Today, since Li Qingxue didn’t have class, she’d invited Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu along to help with opinions.

Afraid Li Qingxue might learn about her second brother’s illness, Tang Xiaoyu looked up at the ceiling and explained, “The mall is so big, I got lost.”

Li Changqing looked her up and down. This girl was lying—whenever she lied, she’d look at the ceiling.

“You came back just in time. What do you think of this dress?” Li Changqing pointed to a piece they were considering.

It was an exquisite long dress from a well-known brand in the Lamella Empire, an import.

“I don’t really know,” Tang Xiaoyu said awkwardly. She wasn’t confident in her taste and worried her suggestion might backfire if her sister didn’t like it.

Li Qingxue, standing by, looked the dress over. “It’s really nice—our sister will definitely like it. Xiaoyu, you’re about the same height as her, why not try it on for her?”

“Me?” Tang Xiaoyu was startled, but took the dress and went into the fitting room.

If it were just the two of them, Tang Xiaoyu could have simply transformed into her sister’s likeness, and they’d know right away how the dress would look.

Soon, Tang Xiaoyu emerged, and the dress fit her perfectly.

The price, of course, was not cheap—five thousand Lang coins—but still within Li Changqing’s means.

Li Changqing paid, and the clerk issued an invoice.

At that moment, two others entered the boutique.

“The clothes here have always been quite nice. They’ve got chain stores in the capital, too.” Shen Qingdai walked in with a graceful smile. The staff’s eyes lit up at her entrance, and they hurried over to greet her with enthusiasm.

When Li Changqing and the others had come in, the employees had been polite but not particularly warm.

Li Qingxue, who understood such things, whispered in surprise to Li Changqing, “That dress she’s wearing is a super-limited edition from Kaya.”

High school girls have some knowledge of fashion brands from magazines, even if they can’t afford them. This particular piece made a deep impression on her.

“How much is it?” Tang Xiaoyu asked curiously.

“Two hundred seventy thousand Lang coins…” Shen Qingdai replied softly.

Tang Xiaoyu was stunned—two hundred seventy thousand Lang coins for a dress?

What a waste!

Shen Qingdai overheard their reaction and glanced over, lingering a moment on Tang Xiaoyu before offering her a gentle smile.

Watching the three leave, Uncle Yun looked after them and asked, “Fifth Miss, is something wrong?”

“Though she’s merely a ghost keeper, she dares to walk around with her spirit in broad daylight,” Shen Qingdai said, dismissing the staff with a wave. “Tell me, is the Thirty-sixth Bureau so incompetent, or is she just too fearless for her own good?”

Uncle Yun chuckled. He knew the Fifth Miss was proud but still reminded her, “Fifth Miss, don’t underestimate the Thirty-sixth Bureau, and particularly not that Bai fellow.”

Shen Qingdai idly picked up a dress and tried it on in front of the mirror. “Is that so?”

...

“My God, a dress that expensive? Li Changqing, let’s give up detective work and start making clothes instead!”

This poor girl.

“That kind of outfit is custom-made by designers. If we made clothes, at best we could manage plain white T-shirts.”

Tang Xiaoyu was only half-joking, but she suddenly felt how poor she was and resolved to keep saving.

At the very least, she wanted to reach the point where buying a box of medicine didn’t sting.

It was getting late, so the three headed home together.

In the bun shop.

Receiving an expensive dress out of the blue, Li Lin, who was preparing dinner, was taken aback. She frowned, examined the dress, and, seeing the price tag, exclaimed, “Why is this dress so expensive?”

“Second Brother bought it just for you!” Li Qingxue said happily. She could tell from Li Lin’s eyes that she liked it. No woman dislikes beautiful clothes.

If a woman claims not to like pretty clothes, it’s as false as a man saying he doesn’t like beautiful women.

A beautiful, well-fitted dress—if someone says they don’t like it, there’s only one reason: it’s too expensive.

“Come in and eat first,” Li Lin said, carefully putting the dress back in its bag.

“Changqing, a dress this expensive isn’t very practical. It’s not like I can wear it while selling buns.”

“Big sis, you still go shopping or visit friends, right? You can wear it then.”

Li Lin just smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.

After dinner, when Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu had left, Li Lin cleared the table and said to Li Qingxue, who was about to start her homework, “Qingxue, return the dress tomorrow. Five thousand Lang coins is just too much.”

“Ah?” Li Qingxue froze, then quickly protested, “But it’s Second Brother’s heartfelt gift!”

“If it’s a heartfelt gift, receiving it is enough. Take the money back to your brother later. Why waste money like this? He’ll need it—he’ll have to get married, buy a house and a car. There’s no end to expenses.”

“Well, I’m not returning it. If you want to return it, you go yourself,” Li Qingxue laughed, easily reading how much her big sister liked it.

After tidying up the kitchen, Li Lin washed her hands clean, then gingerly took out the dress to look at it.

Since their parents died, Li Lin had held the family together alone. It hadn’t been easy. She’d had to pay for both Li Changqing’s and her younger sister’s tuition, living expenses, and all sorts of bills.

She didn’t want her younger siblings to end up like her, with little education and nothing but the skill of making buns. So, despite their hardship, she made sure they got the best education possible.

On top of that, there were the debts left from her parents’ illness.

With siblings to raise and a mountain of debt, marriage was out of the question.

She got up at three or four every morning to work, tasting all the bitterness of life.

But at this moment, the sweetness was the richest.

Pretending to do her homework, Li Qingxue glanced sideways at her sister holding the dress, a secret happiness blooming in her heart.

Hmph! She says she doesn’t like it, but I know better.