C21 She Really Was a Foster Daughter!

Seeing all her belongings in that bag, Lingyan was furious and chased after the thief. "Help! Someone help me catch the thief! You won't get away with this! If you know what's good for you, give me back my purse!"

"Where did the thief go, sis?" Zixuan grabbed a stick and ran after her.

"To the left, the one in black!"

"Unbelievable! Stealing from my customer right under my nose! Just wait until I catch you, you're in for it!" Mrs. Liu exclaimed, dropping her pen and rushing out when she heard a customer had been robbed in her shop.

After instructing someone to watch the store, she ran in the direction Lingyan had gone, calling for help.

It was just after lunch, and with the blazing sun overhead, most people were taking their afternoon rest. The streets were nearly empty, save for a few small vendors.

"Please, everyone, help me catch that man in black! He's a thief, and he stole my purse!" Lingyan shouted as she ran.

Unfortunately, by the time the few passersby realized what was happening, the thief had already disappeared like the wind.

"Give us back our..." Zixuan panted heavily, tears welling up. That was the hard-earned money the three siblings had worked so tirelessly for!

Seeing the thief pull far ahead, Luo Lingyan was drenched in sweat and couldn't run any further. She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for air.

Noticing the thief had also stopped to catch his breath and even turned back to check on his "enemy," Luo Lingyan was furious.

She threatened coldly, "You won't get away. I suggest you return the purse to me, or if I catch you, I'll definitely turn you in."

"Yeah, just give the purse back, and we won't hold it against you," Luo Zixuan added, trying to reason with him.

But as soon as the thief heard this, he took off running again.

Luo Lingyan inhaled deeply and chased after him once more.

Unfortunately, the open street made it easy for the thief to escape. Just as she was about to lose hope, she heard the sound of hooves and saw a white figure leap from a horse.

"Picking on women and children? What kind of man are you?" With those words, Luo Lingyan watched as a hero in white landed beside the thief and grabbed him by the collar.

"Mercy, please! I won't do it again. I'll return the purse. Mercy, please!" the thief pleaded, and a dark figure flew toward Luo Lingyan.

After hearing the thud of something heavy hitting the ground, the thief collapsed at Luo Lingyan's feet. Just as she was about to kick him, the thief coughed up blood at her feet with a soft "thud."

Clutching his chest in pain, he pleaded desperately, "Please, miss, don't turn me in. I didn't want to steal from you... but my grandpa has been sick for months. If I don't get him a doctor soon, he might not make it. Please, just this once, let me go. I'll give your money back..."

When she was chasing him, she thought he was an adult. But now, hearing his voice and seeing his face clearly, Luo Lingyan quickly pulled back her foot. He was just a kid, about 14 years old!

"Trying to steal our money..." Luo Zixuan said, catching up and hitting the thief's leg with a stick.

"Xuan, stop it," Luo Lingyan said, grabbing Luo Zixuan's arm.

"But sis, he..."

Luo Lingyan ignored him and walked over to the man in white who had helped them. Gratefully, she said, "Thank you, sir. I'll never forget your kindness. May I ask your name?"

"It was nothing, miss. No need to mention it," Soong Zetao replied with a casual glance at Luo Lingyan before leaping onto his white horse. With a squeeze of his legs, the horse took off at a gallop, his clothes billowing in the wind. Impressive! Luo Lingyan found herself watching him, captivated.

"Sis..."

"Miss, you might want to check if you're missing any money," came the voice of Mrs. Liu, the owner of the fabric shop, reaching Luo Lingyan's ears.

"Oh, thank you." Luo Lingyan snapped back to reality. That hero was quite aloof, but he was definitely the most charming and handsome man she had ever seen. Of course, Mo Xuxiao wasn't included in that comparison.

"I don't think anything's missing," Luo Lingyan replied gratefully, nodding at Mrs. Liu. Judging by the way her purse was tied, it seemed untouched, but she opened it to be sure. The silver coins were still there, and the weight felt about right.

"Please, ma'am, have mercy on me. This is my first time stealing. My name is Chen Yue. I live nearby, and my grandpa is really sick. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to see for yourself," Chen Yue pleaded, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he crawled to Luo Lingyan's feet.

Seeing that the boy was about the same age as Luo Zixuan, her heart softened, especially noticing how badly he was hurt. She took out a dollar from her purse and handed it to him. "Here, take this to see a doctor. And don't let me catch you lying, or I won't be so forgiving."

"Ma'am, I..."

"Chen Yue wouldn't dare lie. Thank you, ma'am. My grandpa and I live in the third house down that little alley. Where are you from, ma'am? What's your name? I'll repay you when I earn some money," Chen Yue said, tears of gratitude welling up as he accepted the money.

"No need, take care of yourself! Just make sure you don't cause any more trouble." Lingyan tucked the money pouch away and turned to leave.

At that moment, Lingyan had no idea that over the next couple of weeks, Chen Yue would go to great lengths to find her and her brother, helping them out significantly. But that's a story for another time.

Mrs. Liu remarked, "You're too kind-hearted, miss. Anyone else would have taken that kid straight to the authorities."

"That child is pitiful, and he was hurt pretty badly," Lingyan replied.

Mrs. Liu sighed. "Luckily, you got your money pouch back. Otherwise, in my shop..."

Lingyan caught Mrs. Liu's drift and smiled. "It's not your fault. I should have been more careful."

"Thank you for understanding, miss. Are you heading back to the cloth store to wait for me to cut the fabric, or do you want to buy something else first?"

"We need to go back and get the basket!" Lingyan felt warm inside, seeing Mrs. Liu come out to help her.

"Alright."

The three of them chatted as they walked back to the cloth store. After grabbing the basket, Lingyan and her brother headed to the shoe store.

"Sis, you pick, and I'll watch?" Zixuan was still shaken from the money pouch being snatched.

"Do you like this pair?" Lingyan asked, holding up a pair of black cloth shoes for Zixuan.

"Sure," Zixuan nodded.

The shoe store actually had quite a variety of styles, but Lingyan wasn't there to pick based on style or quality. She chose six pairs of affordable and durable cloth shoes, haggled a bit, and ended up paying 80 cents.

After buying the shoes, Lingyan and her brother headed to the general store.

"How much for the rice? I'm buying quite a bit, so can you give me your best price?" Lingyan asked, grabbing a handful of rice and taking in its fresh aroma.

"I won't overcharge you, miss. Rice is 2 cents a bushel. Anything else you need?" The shopkeeper replied with a friendly smile.

"I haven't been out shopping in a while, so we're running low on a few things at home."

"Flour is 1 cent for 2 pounds, and noodles are 2 cents a bundle. Soy sauce and vinegar are 1 cent per jug," the shopkeeper said, pointing to each item.

"How about this? Rice for 1 cent a bushel, and noodles for 1 cent a bundle?"

The shopkeeper chuckled and patiently explained, "Miss, our margins are quite thin. We can't afford to lower the prices that much, and we rely on repeat customers, so I promise we're giving you a fair deal."

"Alright then, I'll take five bundles each of noodles and flour. How about 7 cents for the lot, and 2 cents for three bushels of rice? I still have more to buy!"

"That's not possible, miss... How about this: if you spend at least 50 cents in my shop, I'll sell it to you at a set price," the shopkeeper, who knew how to do business, suggested.

"No problem. Uh, shopkeeper, how much for this red ribbon?"

"Are you getting married, miss? I'll give you a piece as a gift, no charge." He often gave a piece of ribbon to customers who made a purchase.

"Shopkeeper, I want more than ten pounds! Just give me a good deal."

"What do you need so much for? We don't have that much in stock. How about you take this half-pound for now? It’s 3 cents a pound, and I'll reserve more for you next time I restock."

"I need them all from the same dye batch, or the colors will be off," Lingyan said, thinking quickly. "Oh, shopkeeper, can you have the dye house make them in seven different colors for me? Red, pink, orange, purple, gray, black, and blue, three pounds of each. But you have to give me a price of 2 cents a pound, okay?"

"Deal. Leave a 5-cent deposit today, and you can pick them up in ten days. And how about you make my shop your go-to place for future purchases?" the shopkeeper agreed readily.

Even though the profit was just a few cents, it was acceptable. Besides, who knows, this young lady might become a regular customer in the future!

"Sis, why are we buying so much red yarn?" Zixuan asked curiously.

"To make winter clothes." In ancient times, this red yarn was used for tying hair and other things, but nowadays, it's just yarn. It can be used to knit sweaters, scarves, and crochet slippers.

"Oh, there are seven of us in the family, just right for seven colors," Zixuan said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes." Lingyan nodded and then told the shopkeeper, "Alright, it's settled." With that, she started picking out the items. "By the way, Mr. Ke, do you have paintbrushes, paper, and paints?"

"Yes, just a moment, miss!" Mr. Ke took the items off the shelf.

Lingyan chose some good quality paper, and after everything was totaled, she spent 89 coins at Ke's General Store.

"Sis, are you planning to paint with all that paper and paint?" Zixuan asked, eyes full of curiosity.

"Yes, if it rains and we can't go up the mountain, or if I have some free time, I can paint. That's a quick way to earn some money!" Since Xuxiao opened an art gallery, selling her paintings there shouldn't be a problem.

"Sis, will you..." Zixuan grabbed Lingyan's hand. Did she remember the past? Did she know she wasn't their biological sister? If she did, would she leave the family?