The white tiger stared at her with its large, copper-bell-like eyes and circled around her feet. After getting tired, it stopped and lazily lay on the ground, licking its paws.
Qiangu Siyua stared at Su Xiaoliu silently. After a long while, he said slowly, "Alright."
Su Xiaoliu was stunned. She glanced at them.
"Miss, hurry up and leave. Don't come back!" Su Ling quickly nudged her, pulling her back to reality.
Su Xiaoliu glanced at Su Ling and saw that she was truly worried. She curled her lips into a faint smile and said, "Okay."
With that, she walked out of the Su Mansion without looking back.
It seemed as if a pair of eyes were fixed on her back. Su Xiaoliu didn't turn around, nor did she dare to.
She walked for a very long time before finally stopping.
She sat down on the stone steps by the road and lowered her head.
Tears fell unexpectedly and flowed more and more fiercely. She raised her sleeve to cover her eyes, but couldn't help crying out loudly.
"Dad..."
In the silent night, her sobbing echoed.
Lanterns were hanging high in front of every household, illuminating the ground beneath her feet.
The Su family used to be a wealthy and prominent family, but who would have thought it would come to this.
She was reluctant to part with her father and mother. She knew that from the moment she fled the Su Mansion, she had completely lost this home.
People are like this. After being used, they harden their hearts, but soon, they start to regret.
Suddenly, the door of the house behind her opened, and a middle-aged woman poked her head out. Her gaze fell on Su Xiaoliu sitting in front of the door, and she asked in confusion, "Miss, why are you crying?"
Su Xiaoliu looked up at her, said nothing, and then continued to cry with her head down.
The middle-aged woman sighed softly, squeezed out from the crack of the door, and sat down beside Su Xiaoliu.
She pursed her lips and said, "Hearing you cry makes me want to cry too. My husband died, and I became a widow. That's not the saddest part. The sad thing is that every time I miss him, I can't see him." She glanced at Su Xiaoliu and said, "Miss, everything will pass. Look on the bright side."
Su Xiaoliu sniffed, looked at her, and sobbed, "I have nothing left, and my father is about to die." After a moment, she added, "I've been divorced for the fourth time..."
The middle-aged woman looked at Su Xiaoliu with a sympathetic look. Seeing that she was crying so sadly, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and started crying too.
The two of them sat on the stone steps and cried together. One would stop sniffling for a while, and then the other would start.
The stars in the sky emitted a cold light, making the early summer night seem a bit chilly.
In the distance, the green mountains were surrounded by clouds and mist. The mountains in front of her were greener than the last time she left, and many tender buds had grown on the once barren mountain cliffs.
Su Xiaoliu looked up at the place in front of her. After a moment, she slowly lowered her eyes.
She thought she would never come back here, but unexpectedly, everything had changed, and she was here again.
Wanku Valley.
Su Xiaoliu walked quietly on the path. A figure in apricot-colored clothes in the distance made her stop.
A young woman was standing quietly, holding a paper umbrella and looking into the distance. Her long apricot-colored robe dragged on the ground. Under her delicate nose, her small, diamond-shaped lips were slightly pursed. Her long black hair was neatly coiled into a beautiful bun, with a few white feathers gently inserted into it, and a few strands of hair fell on her neck.
Su Xiaoliu moved her lips and softly called out, "Elder sister..."
Su Lou'er was slightly stunned and slowly turned her head. When she saw Su Xiaoliu, there was a flash of disbelief in her eyes, and then a wave of joy swept over her.
"Xiaoliu, why did you come?" Su Lou'er walked over quickly.
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips, raised her almond-shaped eyes, and stared quietly at Su Lou'er. She whispered, "Something happened to the Su family."
Su Lou'er was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head and whispered, "I know..."
Su Xiaoliu was shocked. She looked at Su Lou'er and asked, "How do you know, elder sister?"
Su Lou'er raised her head and looked at Su Xiaoliu. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly. She said, "Do you remember that I used to sneak out to see Chang He? Back then, Dad already knew that Chang He was a person from the martial arts world. Dad had been protecting us and preventing us from getting involved in the martial arts world, but I insisted on marrying Chang He. Xiaoliu, it's not that I don't want to go home. It's that I can't. Dad drove me out of the Su family, but I know he must be regretting it..."
Su Xiaoliu stared blankly at Su Lou'er and whispered, "Elder sister..."
Su Lou'er looked at Su Xiaoliu, curved her lips into a smile, reached out her slender finger, and tucked the stray hair on Su Xiaoliu's cheek behind her ear. She smiled and said, "Xiaoliu, you must remember that Dad is always Dad. He's our relative, our family."
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips, and her almond-shaped eyes trembled slightly.
"Some vitexes have grown on the mountain. These herbs can be used for making medicine in the future..." Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind.
Su Xiaoliu felt that the voice was extremely familiar. She turned her head and met a pair of cold eyes.
The person was wearing a light cyan robe, and his long black hair was gently tied up with a green string. A look of surprise flashed across his face, which was even more beautiful than a woman's.
Su Xiaoliu opened her mouth and softly said, "Chu Weixin?"
Chu Weixin glanced at Su Xiaoliu, and then his gaze fell on Su Lou'er beside her.
He lowered his eyes, covering the faint disappointment in them.
Unexpectedly, Su Xiaoliu suddenly walked up to him and grabbed his sleeve.
Chu Weixin stared blankly up at her. Su Xiaoliu curled her lips into a smile and said, "Chu Weixin, I've come to Wanku Valley to ask you for something."
The capital city was bustling with business and full of excitement.
In a blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Summer flowers were in full bloom, and the weather was gradually getting hotter.
In the musical instrument shop, Su Xiaoliu was sitting bored at the table, fanning herself with a fan.
After returning from Wanku Valley, Su Xiaoliu had been selling musical instruments in this shop every day, leading a rather mundane life.
"Third Miss, why is there a crack in this qin?" Su Ling, wearing a light pink silk dress, walked up to Su Xiaoliu with a qin in her arms and complained somewhat discontentedly.
Su Xiaoliu looked up and followed the direction Su Ling was pointing at. Sure enough, there was a crack in the purple-wood qin. It was hardly noticeable if one didn't look closely.
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips and said angrily, "Put it here. I'll go find Boss Qin later. How could he give me a qin without even checking it?"
Su Ling nodded and then diligently went to wipe the other qins.
Su Xiaoliu watched Su Ling scurrying around and slowly lowered her eyes.
Half a month had passed since the incident, and her life had basically returned to normal.
Her second elder sister had come back, and the three stepmothers had also returned. Su Ling helped her manage the business of the musical instrument shop every day, and she and Zhong Fengyue were truly no longer related.
She felt a bit stuffy and uncomfortable in her heart. Maybe it was because of the weather. Su Xiaoliu fanned herself more vigorously, but it didn't help. She simply slapped the fan on the table, stood up, and said to Su Ling, "Let's go back to the mansion today."