Chapter 36: Why Is the True Heiress Considered So Foolish?

No matter how much Madam Xu and Mrs. Xu tried to explain, or how they insisted they were victims too, in the end, the courtyard still had to be handed back to the factory. They weren’t factory employees, so there was no reason for them to keep occupying the factory’s house.

When the crowd of curious neighbors finally dispersed, Mrs. Xu collapsed onto the bed and wept bitterly, feeling as though her world had turned to darkness, with no hope left. Compared to her, Madam Xu seemed much more composed, not at all despairing. Xu Lin guessed that her father must have told the old woman about the other hidden room.

She wondered what the old lady’s expression would be when she opened the secret room only to find it empty. Too bad she’d be leaving for the countryside the next day and wouldn’t get to see it.

With that pleasant thought, Xu Lin drifted off to sleep. Early the next morning, someone from the Youth Office arrived to inform her to bring her luggage and gather for departure.

When Xu Lin walked out the door with two large bags, Madam Xu’s eyes seemed to glint with poison. After Xu Lin left, the old woman sat in the main room and cursed for a long time, still unable to vent her anger.

Mrs. Xu, weak and sickly, sat by the side watching, her feelings a tangled mess. With her husband in trouble and their most capable little housekeeper gone, how were they going to get by now? The thought that all the family’s money had gone to compensate Xu Lin made her suddenly stand up and say, “Mother, that compensation money can’t be allowed to leave with that wretched girl. We need to get it back.”

“Oh? Then you go and ask for it,” the old woman retorted, rolling her eyes. “Whatever you manage to get back is yours. Go on, go.”

Watching the old woman’s dismissive wave, Mrs. Xu wanted to pounce on her and bite her to death. Did this wretched old woman really not get her meaning? Of course she wanted the old woman to go and demand it—if she went herself, Xu Lin would kill her.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Mrs. Xu felt the pain all over her body and simply didn’t dare. With nowhere else to vent, she immediately started screaming at Xu Nuan, scolding her for being useless, blind, and lazy.

Xu Nuan, face dark, climbed out of bed and couldn’t help arguing back—a move with serious consequences. Mrs. Xu, burning with anger, pinned Xu Nuan down and gave her a beating, just as she used to do to Xu Lin.

Afterwards, Mrs. Xu felt refreshed, as if she’d come back to life. Indeed, anger needed an outlet—this house could lack for anything, but never a punching bag.

Punching bag Xu Nuan: …I want to go to the countryside too!

When Xu Lin exited the alley, she saw a truck waiting at the street corner, with two men and three women already standing on it, all looking rather glum. By now, everyone knew that being sent to the countryside as an educated youth meant suffering; anyone with connections would avoid it if they could. And once you left, there was no telling when you’d return to the city. Their hearts were filled with anxiety and confusion.

One girl couldn’t help but start crying. With someone leading the way, others joined in, and soon the three girls were sobbing together. They were so wrapped up in their misery that they didn’t even notice when Xu Lin climbed aboard.

Xu Lin didn’t bother comforting them—let them cry. There’d be plenty more reasons to cry in the days ahead. If you had good grades, you’d be able to return to the city in two years when the college entrance exam resumed. If not, you’d have to wait until the policies changed—which could take years. A few years was plenty of time to turn a tender, fresh cabbage into a bitter gourd.

She placed her bundles in a corner, sat atop them, and lowered her head in silence—anyone watching would’ve thought she was grieving too.

The truck waited another half hour before rumbling to life. Those who hadn’t made it in time had to walk to the train station themselves. Trying to dodge the assignment was out of the question—the consequences for running were severe.

An hour and a half later, Xu Lin and the other educated youth gathered outside the train station, where their supervisor called the roll and handed out train tickets. Only once they were all safely aboard did he leave.

Xu Lin was lucky—she got a window seat in a two-person row. Next to her sat a lively girl of about eighteen or nineteen. Her name was Lin Ailan, sweet-faced and sporting a pair of adorable dimples when she smiled, her personality as bright as her smile. From the moment she sat down, she never stopped talking.

Thanks to Lin Ailan’s warmth, Xu Lin soon learned that their seatmates across the aisle, a young man and woman, were named Cheng Lin and Cheng Yan. They were cousins, assigned to the same rural area, their families hoping they’d look out for one another.

Cheng Yan was rather plain, with a mole at the corner of her mouth—a gossip-mole, as her nature matched it well. She and Lin Ailan hit it off quickly, chatting animatedly. Cheng Lin looked on, shaking his head. His cousin was wonderful in every respect, except for her love of gossip—he wondered if she'd ever change.

From their conversation, Xu Lin learned that, just a few days before, there’d been a major operation in the capital—many spies had been apprehended. Rumor had it that a large cache of poison gas had also been seized, and the case had now been handed over to the Special Cases Department for thorough investigation.

Cheng Yan clicked her tongue in excitement as she told the story: “You know, I was right there peeking over the wall when they caught those spies. I’m telling you, those bullets were whizzing right over our heads!”

Xu Lin, eavesdropping from the side, nearly lost her composure in shock—this girl was bold, risking her life for a bit of gossip.

Cheng Lin, looking exasperated, quickly warned her to stop—was this the kind of thing to go around talking about?

Chastened, Cheng Yan stuck out her tongue and promptly changed the subject. Lin Ailan, sensing the dangers of such talk, cooperated with a smile: “Did you hear? There was a fake heiress at our school, swapped at birth. Her story is wild, but the real heiress had it even worse!”

Xu Lin was even more startled—why did every bit of gossip seem to have something to do with her? She was the one who’d reported the spies, and the fake heiress was her nemesis—she herself was the real heiress.

As for how miserable the true heiress was, Xu Lin could only laugh—she certainly didn’t feel miserable at all. In fact, she felt quite free.

Cheng Yan, the consummate gossip, nodded in agreement. “I heard about that too. They say the real heiress cut ties with both her birth and adoptive families, completely alone now. How foolish!”

Xu Lin looked puzzled. “Why do you say she’s foolish?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If I were the real heiress, I’d never cut ties—I’d go to my birth family, eat their food, spend their money, and fight that fake heiress to the bitter end. If I can’t have peace, nobody else will either. If I can’t live well, neither will anyone else.”

Cheng Yan spoke with such conviction that, for a moment, Xu Lin was almost tempted by the idea—what a scene that would be.

Wait, no! What nonsense—why waste her good life on those people? Battling the fake heiress might only leave her angry and empty-handed. Wasn’t it far better to take the money and run? With money, she could live well anywhere—countryside or city, she’d have her fill of good food and drink.