I slept until dawn and saw that it was only six o'clock.
After Su Yi finished washing up and went downstairs, Old Mrs. Qu was already busy in the kitchen. Su Wanting and others were tired from the journey yesterday and had not gotten up yet.
"Grandma, what do you want to eat for breakfast?" Su Yi poked her head out from behind Old Lady Qu.
The aroma of porridge was already wafting from the rice cooker, there was mixed meat filling on the chopping board, and Old Lady Qu was skillfully rolling out the wrappers for dumplings.
"Are you awake? You don't have school to go to, why don't you get some more sleep?"
Sue washed her hands and helped, "I went to bed early last night."
Old Mrs. Qu tilted her head to look at her carefully, only to find that her face looked normal and there was nothing unusual about it.
Her daughter and granddaughter both looked fragile, but each one was more resilient than the other.
When the accident happened to Wanting, she was only in her early twenties and had not yet graduated from college. She called on the first day and said that she had found a part-time job on weekends and would be able to save money for her family in the future. On the third day, the school teacher informed her in a heavy tone that Wanting was missing and was most likely abducted.
When Old Lady Qu recalls the memory now, she feels a wave of palpitations and her hands and feet go cold, as if the sky had fallen down.
How did she get through those days? Now she couldn't remember it. It was probably too painful, so her mind subconsciously chose to forget it. She didn't dare to think about what Wan Ting had suffered during the more than one year she was missing.
Fortunately, God has eyes and returned my daughter to me.
When Wanting returned home, she was almost unrecognizable. The young girl was tortured like a piece of dry firewood. Her spirit was even worse. She hid in her room all day long like a frightened bird. No one dared to see her except Old Lady Qu.
Old Mrs. Qu was both sad and happy, but also frightened, fearing that she would be unable to get over it.
But she gradually got through it, and was regaining some of her vitality.
Her experience was known to everyone in the entire small fishing village and even the entire town. At first, many people felt sorry for her, but after a while, some gossipy people started to say some irresponsible things about her.
One day, someone even came to her house and said he wanted to introduce her to a guy. The guy was already in his forties, a well-known bachelor who spent his days doing nothing and had been supported by his mother for half his life.
Even after being rejected under these conditions, the introducer hinted that given Wanting's situation, it would be difficult to be too picky.
Poor old lady Qu had always had a good temper, but for the first time ever she got angry, drove the people out, and stood outside the door cursing loudly, so loud that the whole village could hear her.
The next day, Wanting came downstairs. She hadn't left her room for a long time, but that day she was dressed neatly, washed and combed, wearing the new clothes that Old Lady Qu bought for her.
Mrs. Qu still remembers her daughter's pale face and her words, "Mom, I can't accept this. My life shouldn't be like this."
Old Mrs. Qu knew that it was not only the knife that could kill people. A soft knife could make life worse than death. If she left her daughter here, the gossip would sooner or later ruin her. So even though she was reluctant and worried, she had no choice but to let her leave.
After Wanting left home, Su Yi was still with her.
As for this child, not only did Wanting hate to see her at that time, even Old Lady Qu herself did not like her. After all, this was proof of her daughter's suffering, and she had half of the hateful blood flowing in her body.
But the older people get, the softer their hearts become. Look at her as a little baby, with her tiny hands and feet curled up there, crying like a kitten. Who could be so cruel as to just ignore her
Old Lady Qu sometimes thought that this child had a bad fate. Born into such a family, his father didn't love him, his mother didn't care for him, he grew up with so many problems, and he never even called them mom and dad.
Like her and Wanting, they are all miserable people.
But with so many people in the world, how many of them are not suffering? As long as you are still alive, you will persevere and eventually you will get through it.
She let out a long, slow breath.
"Yiyi, don't blame your mother. She is the one who suffers the most."
Sue nodded gently, "I know."
Of course she would not have any resentment towards Su Wanting. She was a child born under pressure. Even if she hated her in her heart, she had to accept that Old Lady Qu raised her and sent money home. She never let her go hungry or feel cold. Su Yi felt that even if it wasn't this devil herself who was here, anyone else couldn't ask for more.
Old Lady Qu rolled out a few more pieces of dough and said in a relaxed tone, "Last night your mother told me that she and your Uncle Xiao have already obtained a marriage certificate. They came to pick us up this time and will hold a wedding after they go back. Can you be transferred to study there?"
"Wherever grandma goes, I go." said Su Yi.
Old Lady Qu smiled and said, "We will leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You can decide whether you want to say goodbye to your friends and classmates."
She didn't plan to let her daughter stay here for too long, nor did she want her to face the eyes of other people in the fishing village again, so she had to hurry.
She has lived in the fishing village for most of her life. There are many good and bad things about this place, but it is her hometown after all, and she can't help feeling reluctant to move away.
But she was even more worried about Wanting. She didn't know what her in-laws were like. Just looking at the way the Xiao family talked and behaved, and the gifts they brought yesterday, she felt that their family was very unusual. Would such a family dislike Wanting's background? Would they mind Yi Yi's existence? Are the family members easy to get along with
As a mother, I always have too many worries. How can I feel at ease if I don’t see it with my own eyes
After wrapping the buns, Mrs. Qu steamed half of them and fried the other half to ensure that everyone’s taste was catered for.
When the three people upstairs came down, the buns stuffed with pork and shrimp were just out of the pot, and the porridge with candied dates was sweet and soft.
Old Mrs. Qu fried a few more eggs, put two plates of pickled radishes and drunken snails she made herself, and washed two bunches of grapes, and the dining table was full.
"How did Xiao Xiao and Xiao Yan sleep last night? We are too close to the sea and there are a lot of noises all day long." She greeted Xiao Xing and Xiao Yan, father and son.
Xiao Yan nodded, and Xiao Xing smiled ashamedly: "Auntie dried the quilt too soft, and we slept until dawn. If we hadn't smelled the fragrance of breakfast, we would still be reluctant to get up now."
Although he and Su Wanting had already obtained their marriage certificate and should call Old Lady Qu "Mom", according to local customs, the elders should give a big red envelope to the newlyweds when they call each other "Mom and Dad" for the first time. Before entering the house yesterday, Su Wanting expected that Old Lady Qu was not prepared, so she asked him to call her "Auntie" first. Besides, it was a bit abrupt for him to call her "Mom" when he came to her house for the first time.
Old lady Qu said cheerfully, "We don't have anything good at home, so I just made something. See if it suits your taste. Just tell me what you want to eat, Xiaoyan, don't be polite to me, just treat it like you're at home."
There is no fixed vegetable market in the small fishing village. If you want to buy some meat or something, you have to buy it from a mobile meat stall carried on a tricycle. For example, the meat filling used to make dumplings just now was delivered to your doorstep early in the morning.
Although it was a meat stall, they also sold some vegetables and onions, but the variety was too limited. It was fine for normal meals, but now that there were guests at home, Mrs. Qu planned to go to the town after breakfast and buy some more things.
Su Wanting wanted to go with her, and Xiao Xing volunteered to be the driver. The adults had all left, and it would be bad to leave the two children at home, so in the end all five of them went.
Su Yi, Su Wanting and Old Lady Qu sat side by side in the back seat. Old Lady Qu sat in the middle, holding her daughter with one hand and her granddaughter with the other. The morning sun shone in through the car window, so warm that people couldn't help but feel lazy.
She vaguely recalled that there seemed to be a morning like this many years ago when she and her mother were walking on their way in the morning light. The dark-skinned young man was hiding under a tree and peeking at her. After being teased, his face became even redder and darker, with only his teeth dazzlingly white.
That was almost a lifetime ago. He had been gone for nearly thirty years, and she could hardly remember what he looked like. All she could remember was the warmth that flowed from his body. Thinking back on it today, it still seemed familiar.
She slowly narrowed her eyes, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes became deeper.
Several people arrived at the town together. Although it was just a small town, it was close to the seaside and it was November 11th, so there were many people coming and going.
The market was even more noisy, crowded with people, and the ground was wet and muddy. Old Lady Qu said to Su Yi, "It's dirty and smelly inside. Yi Yi, you and Xiao Yan wait outside and take him around. What do you think, Xiao Yan?"
Xiao Yan didn't care. Although he wasn't very interested, he didn't go against the old man's arrangement and nodded slightly.
Su Yi pursed her lips, glanced at him, then looked at Old Lady Qu, and said softly, "Okay."
Maotuan nestled in her hood, and thought to himself: The big devil's acting is really good. Look at her introverted and pitiful appearance. How realistic is her acting? It would be even better if she could keep it that way and not reveal her true nature.
Before leaving, Xiao Xing also motioned Xiao Yan to the side and said a few words to him alone: "Yi Yi is introverted, you should talk to her properly and don't ignore her. By the way, see what she likes. As a brother, you should give your sister a gift when you meet her."
Xiao Yan looked indifferent and didn't say whether it was good or bad.
"If you make her unhappy, I will call your grandmother and tell her that you made a girl cry." Xiao Xing used his trump card.
Xiao Yan sighed and turned away, but Xiao Xing knew he had heard it.
Actually, he was not a very good father. He had been separated from his ex-wife for many years and was always busy with business matters. Xiao Yan grew up almost entirely around his grandparents, and somehow he developed a cold and distant personality towards everyone.
During this visit to his mother-in-law, Xiao Xing asked his mother to act as a lobbyist and persuade Xiao Yan to come along, so that he could develop feelings with his new family, so as to avoid living under the same roof like strangers in the future.
On the other side, Old Lady Qu also quietly told Su Yi and stuffed some money into her pocket, "If you feel too hot, go to the store with Xiao Yan and have some drinks. Grandma and Mom will be out soon, and we'll meet at the parking lot."
Su Wanting stood by and didn't look at them. Her eyes fell on the fish stall not far away, and she seemed to suddenly become interested in the fish.
Xiao Yan walked a few steps on his own, stopped at the corner, heard Su Yi catching up with him, and continued walking forward.
Although the parents told them to get along well with each other, the two of them had different personalities. One was cold and had a bit of youthful coolness, and the other, not to mention his nature, was shy and introverted, and would not take the initiative to speak. So they walked one after the other, as if they didn't know each other, and didn't say a word to each other.
Su Yi just wanted to complete Mrs. Qu's instructions and had no intention of disrupting the current situation. She just followed the crowd and walked slowly under the shadow of the building.
Maotuan suddenly jumped up and down, "Yiyi, do you think that skirt is pretty?"
Su Yi turned her head when she heard that. In the street window, the model was wearing a gauze skirt in a very light grass green color. It looked fresh and flowing, like a fairy dress.
She looked at Maotuan with a complicated expression: "You like skirts? I remember you were a male, am I wrong?"
"It's for you to wear!" Maotuan jumped up and down.
Su Yi said, "Oh," and then asked, "I don't have any money, do you have any money?"
She took two steps back and looked up to see the name of the store clearly, and continued, "I remember Su Xiaoyan said that the women's clothing in this store is the most expensive, and any piece costs hundreds of dollars."
Maotuan was choked and had nothing to say.
Actually, the prices in this kind of town store were not real brand clothing, so how high could they be? But Su Yi hit the nail on the head. The two of them didn't even have 200 yuan in their pockets, and 100 of them was given by Old Lady Qu just now.
This big devil is really poor and has no shame at all.
The two were talking silently. Su Yi saw from the corner of his eye that Xiao Yan, who was not far away, came back.
Xiao Yan walked straight into the store and asked the shop owner who came up to him, "Can she wear this?"
"Sure, sure." The female shop owner looked the two of them up and down, and said, "My dear little beauty, you have fair skin and are thin. You will definitely look good in it. Do you want to take it off and try it on?"
Xiao Yan said: "Wrap it up."
The female shop owner immediately smiled and said, "Handsome man, you have a good eye. Our clothes are the best looking. We only stock one piece of each style. We don't have too many. You will definitely not wear the same clothes as others. You decide how to pay. Cash, bank card, or mobile transfer are all acceptable—"
"Wait a minute," Su Yi interrupted her and asked Xiao Yan, "Is it for me?"
Xiao Yan lowered his head and met her eyes.
It was the first time the two had spoken since yesterday.
The female shop owner's words were not exaggerated. Su Yi was indeed very fair and had a slender figure. In the slightly loose clothes, she looked somewhat transparent and unreal. The closer I stood, the more I felt so.
Xiao Yan never paid special attention to female classmates, but in his impression, other girls did not seem to give him this feeling.
The thought only flashed through his mind. Now, when he heard her speak as if she was going to refuse, he frowned.
"For you," he said.
Mao Tuan also thought that Su Yi was going to refuse, but after she got a positive answer, she turned to look at the owner and asked, "How much?"
The shop owner smiled and said, "The original price was five hundred and eighty, so I'll give you five hundred and sixty."
The price was unexpectedly low. Xiao Yan hesitated a little when taking out his phone. He had never given such a cheap gift.
Su Yi showed no mercy and chopped it off with a knife: "It's too expensive, will you sell it for 400 yuan?"