A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 49

“What is she doing here…?”

Shen Sisi muttered to herself, genuinely surprised to run into Xu Hongying in the black market. If the old lady hadn’t been in the middle of a heated argument, Sisi might have suspected she was being followed.

Xu Hongying was wearing a grey knit hat and a gauze face mask, but she was being held firmly by a stall owner.

“You old hag! If you can’t afford it, don’t touch it! You’ve dirtied my clothes—pay up!”

Xu Hongying tried to slip away through the crowd, but she was no match for the strength of the middle-aged stall owner. Panicked, she shouted, “Who touched your clothes? Which of your eyes saw me do it?”

“Both of my eyes saw it! You want to leave? Not a chance!” The woman tugged on Xu Hongying’s sleeve, demanding compensation.

Xu Hongying refused to reach for her wallet, insistently screaming that she hadn’t touched anything and that the owner was trying to swindle her. The two were locked in a stalemate, shoving each other until it looked like they were about to come to blows.

Seeing them about to fight, Shen Sisi let out a sharp command: “Stop it!”

Clutching Niuniu’s hand with one arm, she used the other to push through the crowd. When she saw that Xu Hongying’s hat had been knocked off and her hair was a disheveled mess, Sisi felt a surge of irritation. Xu Hongying is so domineering and capable at home; why is she such a pushover out in the world?

Upon seeing Sisi, Xu Hongying froze, her pupils dilating in shock. “It’s… it’s you?”

With a dark expression, Sisi grabbed the old lady and pulled her behind her back, then turned and shoved the stall owner. Sisi’s strength was considerable; the woman stumbled back several steps and nearly landed on her backside.

“Where did this wild brat come from, daring to lay hands on me!” The woman cursed, rolling up her sleeves for a fight. But just as she moved, Dong Xiaojiang appeared at Sisi’s side. The woman immediately checked her temper.

Who in this area didn’t recognize Dong Xiaojiang? His “Big Brother,” Cao Hua, was the kingpin of the docks; she couldn’t afford to offend him. What is this woman’s background?

“Who… who are you? Why are you meddling in other people’s business?” the woman asked, her face flushed with anger.

Sisi’s slender frame stood like a shield in front of Xu Hongying. “I’m her family. What do you think?”

Xu Hongying’s eyes flickered with a mix of surprise and complicated emotion.

Hearing that they were family, the owner’s arrogance returned. “Fine! Since you’re family, you can pay for her!”

“Pay for what?”

“For the clothes!” The woman held up a long white coat. “She got my cashmere coat dirty. How am I supposed to sell it now?”

Xu Hongying immediately jumped out from behind Sisi. “You’re lying through your teeth! I didn’t touch your clothes, and certainly not this one!”

The owner shouted even louder, “You say you didn’t touch it, so you didn’t touch it? You old lady, you’re just being a rogue! I’m telling you, this is the latest style, pure cashmere, very expensive. If you don’t pay me today, I’m not finished with you!”

“I’m not finished with you either…!”

The two women, who had just been separated, looked ready to brawl again. The alley was in chaos; everyone stopped their trading to gather around and watch the spectacle.

Throughout the noise, Sisi remained silent, her eyes fixed on the cashmere coat. Then, she suddenly chuckled.

“What… what are you laughing at?” the owner asked, looking at Sisi as if she were a madwoman.

Sisi spoke up: “You say my aunt touched your coat. Why don’t you demonstrate for us exactly how she touched it?”

The woman grew defensive. “What… what are you trying to do?”

Sisi already had the answer, but her expression remained calm. “If you want me to pay, you have to convince me first, right?”

The owner thought about it; that seemed fair. Dong Xiaojiang joined in the jeering: “Exactly! You keep demanding money without telling anyone what actually happened. Aren’t you just swindling people?”

The onlookers began to murmur in agreement. Feeling the pressure, the owner spread the coat out on the stall with the collar facing inward and the hem facing outward. “Fine! I’ll show you.” She walked to the outer edge and mimicked Xu Hongying’s supposed movements, flipping through the fabric. “There, just like that!”

Sisi looked again at the black smudge on the fabric, her eyes deep. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! She was just flipping through things haphazardly and got my coat dirty.”

Before Sisi could respond, Xu Hongying couldn’t hold back anymore, tears of frustration streaming down her face. “Don’t listen to her lies! I never touched this coat at all!”

Both sides insisted they were right, and for a moment, the crowd didn’t know who to believe. Then, Sisi’s lips curled into a smile. “Alright, the case is closed.”

She stepped forward and pointed at the black stain. “This smudge was indeed made by a human hand. However, it wasn’t my aunt’s hand—it was yours, Shopkeeper.”

The woman started to protest, but Dong Xiaojiang rolled up his sleeves, warning her not to interrupt.

Sisi pointed to the mark. “Look everyone. The stain is lighter on the side near me, with clear signs of being rubbed. The handprint on the side near the owner is darker and more distinct.”

Sisi hovered her fingers over the mark, testing the angle several times. “If we follow the direction of the smudge, the posture would have to be—smearing it backward toward one’s own chest. Who picks up a coat like that? It’s physically awkward. Therefore, the smudge could only have come from the owner’s direction to make sense.”

The onlookers crowded in to look, and they realized she was right!

The owner stammered, “That… that’s because I remembered wrong. I had the coat the other way around. Yes, the collar was facing out earlier!”

Sisi looked as though she had seen through the lie but chose not to mock it. Instead, she grabbed Xu Hongying’s hand and held it up. “Look everyone, my aunt’s hands are perfectly clean. There isn’t a speck of dirt on them.”

“On the other hand… look at you. Your fingernails are filled with black grime. If I’m not mistaken, you just finished handling coal and haven’t washed your hands.”

The woman tried to hide her hands behind her back, but it was too late.

“If you want to keep arguing,” Sisi said coldly, “I don’t mind calling the police to investigate and see if I’m right.”

“You… you…” The woman was speechless, her guilt written all over her face.

The truth was out! The onlookers gave Sisi a thumbs-up. Xu Hongying’s gaze shifted; she realized Shen Sisi wasn’t quite as hateful as the rumors suggested.

Her lie exposed, the owner had no face to stay. She glared at Sisi. “Fine, you’re clever…” She began packing up her stall to flee.

Sisi’s voice turned stern. “Did I say you could leave?”

“What? What more do you want?”

“You slandered my family and laid hands on her. How are we settling that account?” Sisi didn’t raise her voice, but her aura was so sharp it was impossible to ignore.

“I’m sorry…” the woman muttered.

“Just a ‘sorry’?”

Gritting her teeth in anger, the woman pulled out a silk scarf and shoved it into Xu Hongying’s hands. “Sister, consider it my mistake. This scarf is your compensation, alright?”

Xu Hongying looked at the scarf; it was a loud red and green pattern, far too old-fashioned. She pointed to a different one—a white striped silk scarf.

“I want that one. For my daughter-in-law.”