"Sisi is right, the bigger the hope, the bigger the disappointnt!" Leng Mochen warned sternly. After all, Long Wu works in this industry—how could there be so many hidden treasures left just waiting for them to find? This isn’t like many years ago when people weren’t aware, and so could spend very little and uncover items worth several tis more.
"Hehe, whether we find sothing or not, it’s all just for fun. Otherwise, what else is there to do?" Leng Ning skillfully switched tones.
In the end, the three of them, with Leng Mochen driving, headed straight for Pan Garden.
On a day like today, Pan Garden was bustling with activity. Vendors set up their stalls, and treasure hunters were moving from booth to booth in search of gems.
Li Si and Leng Ning walked in the front, looking left and right, while Leng Mochen followed behind, playing the role of their protective escort.
To Leng Ning’s great disappointnt, after bending down to examine the stalls for quite a while, she still couldn’t find anything she fancied. In the end, she bought nothing.
On the way back, Leng Ning was pouting in the backseat, sighing incessantly. Li Si found it amusing and glanced back at her, "Xiao Ning, we can go again next ti when we have ti! Maybe we’ll even stumble upon sothing by chance!"
"Alright! I’m going to hold you to that!" Leng Ning instantly revived, chirping away like her usual lively self.
Leng Mochen held Li Si’s small hand, his lips curling into a smile.
Suddenly, Li Si pointed out the bus stop they were passing by, "Mochen, isn’t that the place where you once saved ?" She rembered it being around this area. A few people were now standing there, seemingly waiting for the bus.
Leng Mochen slowed the car and glanced in the direction she was pointing. "Yes!"
Leng Ning, sitting in the back, couldn’t contain herself. She was more excited than the two of them, exclaiming, "So romantic! Is this the spot where the hero saved the damsel in distress? Aren’t you two going to check it out while revisiting the scene?"
As she said this, her heart was filled with envy. Every girl harbored so sort of hero fantasy, wishing that one day, a bold and brilliant man would rescue her during a mont of sorrow, defeat, or peril.
Li Si shook her head, "Forget it. Hero saves the damsel sounds nice, but I really don’t want to revisit that place!" Especially since one of the people involved was the criminal who once kidnapped ng ng. Thinking about it still made her heart ache.
Back ho, as the three of them stepped out of the elevator, they saw Su ng and Mrs. Su standing wearily at the apartnt door.
Li Si was surprised but kept her expression composed. "ng ng, Auntie, you’re back? Why didn’t you go inside? Don’t you have the keys?" They should have had keys, so what was the issue?
ng ng looked a bit embarrassed. "I forgot to bring the key!" Mrs. Su’s eyes were red and swollen, with clear traces of having cried. Upon closer inspection, their hands, which had been loaded with luggage when they left, were now completely empty. Even soone less observant could tell sothing was wrong.
Standing behind them, Leng Mochen also realized the situation and gave his sister a aningful look.
Leng Ning, quick on the uptake, hurriedly said to Li Si, "Sisi, my brother and I will head back first. We’ll co visit again soti! Goodbye, Auntie!"
"Alright! I’ll call you later tonight!" After bidding farewell to the two of them, Li Si opened the door and ushered Su ng and Mrs. Su inside.
At the door, they changed into indoor slippers. Then, Li Si headed to the kitchen to prepare three cups of hot tea, placing them on the coffee table.
The mother and daughter were already seated on the sofa, looking sorrowful as they exchanged glances, neither speaking a word.
Li Si broke the silence. "What’s wrong?" Before they had left, they clearly said they would stay away for a few days before coming back. Returning so soon—sothing must have happened.
Mrs. Su’s face showed a hint of bitterness. She wiped her face with her hands, casting a guilty look at her daughter before saying, "Sisi, it’s all my fault! If I hadn’t suggested going back there for New Year’s, none of this would have happened!"
It turned out that ever since Mrs. Su fell ill, Long Wu had been sending people to care for her, leading her to lose contact with her family over ti. Gradually, relations grew distant. She thought now that her beloved daughter had returned, she could take her to reunite with her family for New Year’s, bringing so joy to the occasion and cheering everyone up.
But to her dismay, she had been naive. Her family harbored no warmth toward her anymore. Instead of kind greetings, she and her daughter were t with icy sarcasm and disdain.
Upon learning that the two of them were temporarily living in soone else’s ho, their family’s attitude beca even worse. Even her own elderly mother clearly didn’t want them visiting. How could she not feel heartbroken? Although her husband was gone, her daughter had returned; surely she wasn’t so incapable that they couldn’t lean on her at least a little bit?
Back in the day, her brother got his current decent job thanks to ng ng’s wealthy and connected boyfriend who paved the way for him.
"Mom, what’s the point of talking about this now? Sisi, honestly, it’s nothing—just so unbearable relatives. We can simply stop interacting with them in the future! How was your New Year’s?"
Su ng refrained from elaborating on how her aunt badmouthed her, saying things like she had no idea what she’d been doing all these years, and even suggesting introducing her to an old bachelor in the village.
"Not bad. Have you both eaten yet? It’s already past 2 in the afternoon—are you hungry?" Li Si knew these were personal family matters, so she didn’t intervene too much.
"We ate so bread on the way. I’ll cook!" Mrs. Su rose and headed to the kitchen, leaving Li Si and Su ng sitting across from each other, sharing a glance. "ng ng, are you okay?"
Su ng shook her head and smiled bitterly. "Sisi, relatives are the most hypocritical bunch of people there are. It’s the classic case of ’poor in crowded streets left ignored, rich in remote hills drawing far kin!’"
"Sigh, since you clearly understand this, don’t let such awful people ruin your mood—it’s not worth it! Just wait—soday when you’ve achieved success, you can give them a taste of their own dicine!" Terrible relatives—who doesn’t have a few of those? Actually managing to have less than a handful would be considered lucky; having only one would be a miracle.
"Exactly. I’m not going to dwell on them anymore. As long as I keep working hard to live well, if I’m not even afraid of death, why should I fear them?" Su ng took a few sips of hot tea, seeming to regain her composure. Her tone was no longer heavy and defeated.
"That’s the spirit! When we launch the business soon and things start taking off, once you have a car and a house, you’ll have the life you want!" Li Si reassured her warmly. Deep down, she felt sorry for Su ng. Life had dealt her such a cruel hand.
Su ng finally showed a face filled with hope and yearning for the future. Seeing her like this, Li Si felt slightly relieved.
Mrs. Su returned from the kitchen carrying a few dishes, noticing her daughter’s improved expression and casting a grateful look toward Li Si.
After dinner, Su ng and her mother, feeling exhausted, went back to their room to rest.
Tian Yaruo called, inviting her to celebrate New Year’s at their ho. Li Si politely declined without going into detail—she wouldn’t give them another chance to hurt her.
Now that Su ng and her mother had returned, Li Si no longer felt lonely or aimless. With soone around to take care of her daily als, Leng Mochen was much more reassured.
The fifth day of the New Year, traditionally called "Po Wu," marked the official end of the holiday.
Li Si and Su ng had breakfast together before heading to the shop. When they unlocked the rolling door and entered, the sll of the renovation hit them. Li Si quickly opened the two large front doors along with several windows upstairs and downstairs to air out the place.
Back when the renovation began, she had insisted on using environntally friendly materials. But even still, the sll lingered.
At this point, the main renovation work was mostly complete, with only minor finishing touches remaining. The workers were scheduled to return on the seventh day to resu work. Once the entire renovation was finished, the ordered massage beds, product display cabinets, and other beauty equipnt would gradually arrive from the suppliers. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
Reviews
All reviews (0)