As winter approaches, Tongzhou becomes as prosperous as the capital. Everywhere you look, you can see servants coming to tidy up the courtyard or wealthy families bringing their families to Tongzhou Hot Spring Villa to soak in the hot springs during the winter.
Among them, the people from the Su family were the last to arrive. They reopened this long-neglected villa, and cleaned and tidied it up with brisk steps. The boxes and cages they brought filled a row of rooms.
The commotion in the east yard was so loud that the west yard seemed even more deserted.
In such a cold and lonely winter, Su Yao sat in a bamboo wheelchair, motionlessly pursing his lips and looking at the sunset in the sky.
Her personal maid Yancao came in hurriedly from outside, and seeing her sitting in the corridor, she ran over quickly: "Miss, why are you sitting here without even a blanket? These damned... "
Su Yao calmly raised his hand. For an abandoned pawn who had lost all his usefulness, having a place to settle down was already a gift from the Su family. How could he ask for more
She asked Yancao in a hoarse voice: "Is he here?"
The Su family would come to another village to spend the winter every year. Madam Su San, Su Yao's biological mother, could not stand the cold, so she would come to soak in the hot springs every winter to drive away the cold.
Of course, Su Yao has no feelings for other people in the Su family.
She was hoping to see someone else.
Yan Cao lowered her eyes, held Su Yao's hands with her cold hands, and said in a low voice: "Miss, shall I take you in first?"
A tiger in dire straits is bullied by a dog. Su Yao actually has no temper anymore. Anyone who ends up being divorced and sent back to his parents' home will not have any temper either.
Su Yao understood very well the fickleness of the world.
Because of our humble position, we have the best opportunity to see the truth about the world and human nature.
Even her own parents and brothers and sisters watched her fall to this point with cold eyes, regarded her as a shame to the family, and tried to avoid her as much as possible. What else could she ask of others
So Su Yao has always been a very submissive person. You tell her no or cannot do it, she never asks why and can accept it easily.
But this time is an exception.
She held Yancao's hand and insisted, "Where's A-li?"
Yan Cao looked embarrassed and could not utter a word. Just when she did not know how to prevaricate, the gate of this seldom-visited courtyard made a dull sound again. The door was opened, and a beautiful lady in her thirties, dressed in gorgeous clothes, came in, surrounded by a group of maids and servants.
Yan Cao hurriedly stood in front of Su Yao, looking alert.
But there is no need to block it, so why should we block it
That person had long been a heavy weight on Su Yao's head, a mountain that was insurmountable in his lifetime. Her life or death depended on the thought of the person in front of her. No matter where she was, Su Yao could always see her at a glance.
How ironic.
Su Yao snorted in his heart, unable to explain what he felt.
This woman, who is the same age as her but looks infinitely younger than her, is her sister and also her obsession.
Before she could speak, Su Xingxuan had already walked up to her, squatted down with an earnest look, raised her beautiful eyes slightly, and revealed a smile: "Sister, are you waiting for Ali?"
Su Yao felt a fishy and sweet taste rising up in his throat.
She couldn't stand Su Xingxuan's condescending attitude of giving alms, but in fact, she had no right to dislike it.
After a pause, seeing that Su Yao was unmoved, Su Xingxuan pouted slightly, still as charming and lovely as when she was a girl, and said in a sweet tone: "Sister, don't wait, A Li will not come today. Today is the wedding of Marquis Changping, and A Li is busy entertaining guests. He has been taken back by Marquis Changping."
Yan Cao's shoulders trembled slightly, and his whole body shook like a leaf in the autumn wind.
She knew that these words were like a dagger stabbing into Su Yao's heart, killing him instantly.
Changping Hou Cheng Ding'an is Su Yao's ex-husband. Not long ago, he divorced Su Yao and insisted on marrying his childhood sweetheart, making Su Yao a laughing stock in the entire capital.
Cheng Li is the child born and raised by Su Yao. He is already thirteen years old. He originally followed Su Yao back to the Su family, but now he ran back to the Cheng family to arrange the wedding and receive guests for Cheng Dingan.
This was like rubbing salt into Su Yao's already bruised and battered wounds, and it was also the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Su Yao couldn't suppress the fishy-sweet taste in his throat, so he bent over and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Yan Cao screamed in fright and rushed over to wipe Su Yao's tears with a handkerchief, her tears already welling up in her eyes.
Su Yao had been depressed in the Cheng family for a long time. Her lung veins were damaged and she couldn't breathe at all. Any time she vomited blood, it would accelerate the demise of her life. Yan Cao was so scared that she cried bitterly.
However, Su Yao held her hand, his eyes moved downwards, stopping on Su Xingxuan's interested face.
She knew that Su Xingxuan came here today just to wait for this moment.
Su Xingxuan felt disappointed. What she hated most was Su Yao's expression, half dead and half alive, as if he knew everything. So she sighed innocently like a little girl: "Sister, don't be angry. If you had known this would happen, would you have come back to the Su family?"
She looked at Su Yao innocently and naively, seeming a little aggrieved: "I grew up in the Su family when I was nine years old, and suddenly I found out that I was not my mother's biological daughter, but my elder sister was. Does my elder sister know how sad I am?"
Su Yao couldn't tell how sad Su Xingxuan was.
She grew up in Jin. Her father was an ordinary Jin merchant. Their life was better than most but better than most. When she was nine years old, someone suddenly came to her house and said that she was not the daughter of the Shen family, but the biological daughter of the Earl of Yongding, and wanted to take her home.
Her life changed dramatically overnight.
At that time, Su Xingxuan was not the only one who was afraid.
She also left her hometown, like a startled magpie without a branch to rely on, not knowing where the long road ahead leads.
Besides, she couldn't return to Yongding Marquis's Mansion immediately.
The Su family first sent her to the He family in Taiyuan, Shandong.
Su Yao later found out that it was her biological mother He's maiden home and also her grandmother's home.
The Su family disliked the fact that she grew up in a merchant family and was afraid that she would be tainted by the money-grubbing atmosphere of the merchant family, so they placed her in the He family first.
She closed her eyes slightly.
Later, she returned to the capital when she was twelve years old.
At that time, she was full of joy and expectations. She had completely severed ties with her adoptive family and was fostered in her grandmother's home. She was extremely sensitive and uneasy, and she was both longing for and dependent on her biological parents.
But she was greeted by only a few strange women.
She stayed in the prosperous yet lonely Su family for four days and did not see her father, mother or any relatives.
Those days felt like a year to her. After several years, she was in a completely new environment. She was overwhelmed by anxiety and panic, as if she was on an isolated island that would be submerged at any time.
Later she found out that the Su family didn't treat her coldly on purpose, it was just that there was someone who was much more important than her.
On the day she returned home, the Su family took Su Xingxuan to the Changping Marquis' Mansion to apologize. The prince of the Changping Marquis' Mansion spoke rudely to Su Xingxuan, and Su Yao's biological brother Su An had a fight with the Changping Marquis's prince Cheng Ding'an for her, and accidentally pushed the man into the lake. The prince could not swim, and after drowning, he was in a coma for four or five days. Even the imperial physician said that they could only do their best and leave the rest to fate.
When something like this happened, all the people in the Su family came out in full force, trying to resolve the matter. How could they care about her
The lawsuit lasted for a long time and even came to the emperor's presence. The Cheng family refused to give in and demanded an explanation from the Su family.
After much deliberation, Su An suggested that Su Yao marry into the Cheng family to bring good luck to Cheng Ding'an.
At that time, they hadn't even met Su Yao, and didn't know whether Su Yao was round or flat, but this matter was so strangely decided without the involvement of the parties involved.
No one knew how the Su family negotiated, but the Cheng family was actually convinced, and the twelve-year-old Su Yao was engaged less than a month after she returned to the Su family.
She was like a rag, used by the Su family to block the dirty areas.
Sometimes Su Yao would wonder if the Su family had really given birth to the wrong child.
Otherwise, why can't she get anything even though she is clearly the biological daughter
Whether it is the love of parents and brothers, a complete family, or even a reasonable marriage.
She had to give in everywhere, living like a shadow of Su Xingxuan.
Su Xingxuan has to pay for all the mistakes she made.
Even so, Su Xingxuan still felt aggrieved.
If this is all injustice, then what is the significance of her ridiculous and absurd life
She asked herself why she had been played around by fate since she had never done anything bad in her life.
"Are you dissatisfied?" Su Xingxuan finally showed some interest in her eyes, her eyes were clear and innocent like a child: "Sister, you are only like this now and still look like a human being. Look at you, you are so boring, like a clay statue of Buddha. No wonder everyone dislikes you."
Someone outside shouted, and Su Xingxuan no longer paid any attention to Su Yao. It was as if she had thrown away a toy she was tired of playing with. She responded happily without hesitation and ran out like a deer.
Yan Cao's eyes were filled with anger. She squatted down, held Su Yao's hand, and tried to comfort her in a hurry: "Young Master may not be so ignorant... Don't worry, I will go out and ask around..."
Su An's voice came from outside: "Why did you come to see her? She is a lunatic, and you are the only one who always treats her well!"
Such a disgusting tone...
Yancao's fingers turned white from pinching so hard.
How can these people be so shameless?!
They sucked the blood of their own girl, got rid of the trouble and got everything they wanted, but in the end they turned around and despised her for being shameful. Is there any justice in this world? !
Su Yao, however, looked relieved.
Whether it was Cheng Li or the Su family, from that moment on, all her feelings towards them disappeared.
It turns out that everything she has done over the years was just to impress herself.
She would no longer be affected by their emotions.
Snow had started to fall outside the corridor, and she looked at the falling snow until it covered all the mud. She lowered her eyes, feeling a little tired.
Her life was too tiring. Since even Cheng Li no longer needed her, she didn't have to consider anyone anymore. She could finally be free.
She remembered a sentence Song Heng often said when she was a child.
He said that if there was an afterlife, he would never be a child of the Song family again.
At this time, life was at its end. Su Yao thought of Song Heng and suddenly felt his hands and feet go numb.
If Song Heng were still alive, if there was still an afterlife... ..