Chapter 24: Chapter 24 - Separate

The dusk came, and the moon was rising over the west mountain. It gradually darkened.

She was waiting all day, but Li Yu didn’t show up.

Didn’t he say that he was going to take her to fly a kite? She sat on the stone steps in front of the house and played with her kite. She held the goose kite in her hand for the entire day. She looked at it from left to right. “Why isn’t brother Xiao Yu here yet?”

Madam Leng came out of the living room, afraid that she would catch cold, so she had the maidservant dress her a cape. “Perhaps there’s something urgent at home. Little lamb, don’t wait. Come with me to my room.”

After seeing her daughter wait for the whole day, how could Madam Leng not feel sorrry for her?

But this child had a stubborn temper. No matter how she tried to persuade her, it was useless. She held to wait for Li Yu to come. In the afternoon, Madam Leng sent someone to ask the Li family to see if anything had happened. However, the gate was tightly shut, and no one showed up even after knocking for an hour. The servant came back to report that there was no body in the house. Leng explained this to Xie Zhen, who did not believe it, “He already told me he would come to pick me up. He will definitely come!”

She insisted to wait.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Madam Leng let out a long sigh. There was no one in the house, perhaps the entire Li family had gone out. How could Li Yu come to pick her up? How could this child be so stubborn?

After dinner, Xie Zhen was really tired and finally realized that Li Yu won’t show up.

She was a little dejected. Looking at the dark night sky, she threw the kite to the ground and stomped on it angrily, “Brother Xiao Yu is a big liar!”

After she vented her anger , she looked down at the crumpled kite and sniffed at her nose in the dim light of the porch light.

When she thought that daddy had bought it for her, she silently picked up the kite from the ground, stroked it with her meaty hands, smoothed it out, and hugged it to her chest.

Madam Leng stood at the end of the corridor and softly cried out, “Little lamb, follow me back to the house.”

She called out to her mother in a soft voice and quickly threw herself into Madam Leng’s embrace, rubbing her head against her stomach. “Brother Xiao Yu lied to me …”

Madam Leng rubbed her head, comforting her, “He might have something to do …”

She moaned, still unwilling, “But he told me …he’ll be here to pick me up today ….”

Madam Leng could only reply, “Then next time you meet, ask him why he didn’t come today.” He’ll apologize to you. ”

Brother Xiao Yu wouldn’t apologize. He had never apologized to her before.

“No, I don’t want to see him next time.”

Finally, she added, “I won’t play with a big liar.”

Leng felt that it was funny. A child always likes to say angry things, but what could be taken seriously? Perhaps after a few days, the two of them would get to play together again.

During the few days when Xie Zhen and Li Yu had been lying on the wall talking, Leng had heard from the servants. Just a moment ago, she had said that she hated him, but it was not long before they reconciled. As long as they did not hurt themselves, Madam Leng would just turn a blind eye to them and let them go.

But this time, no one thought that what she said came to truth.

After three to five days, the Li’s house still did not have any movements.

Normally, there would be servants entering and exiting the Li Mansion, or merchants looking for Li Xiqing to discuss business. However, these few days, the gate was tightly shut, so no one came or left.

Not only that, there wasn’t even a single sound from the house.

Although the Li family was not noisy, there would always be some conversations going on. This time, not only was there no sound, it was as if there was not even the slightest trace of a human being.

Both Madam Leng and Xie Liqing felt that it was strange. They thought that the Li family had left, but as neighbors, why didn’t they say anything about their departure?

A month later, even Xie Zhen noticed that something was wrong. “Mother, has it been a long time since Madam Song last came to our house?”

Madam Leng and Xie Liqing looked at each other and comforted her, “Tomorrow, I will bring you to Aunt Song.”

She said yes, but she was still very concerned about Li Yu’s failure to make an appointment. She pouted and said, “But I won’t talk to brother Xiao Yu.”

Madam Leng couldn’t help but laugh. Her daughter’s appearance was truly adorable. She couldn’t help but pull her into her embrace and give her a good massage.

The next day, after discussing the time with Xie Liqing, the family paid a visit to the Li Mansion.

They stood in front of the gate for a long time, the brass knocker knocking and knocking, but no one came to open the door for them.

Xie Zhen leaned against the door and muttered, “Why is no one opening the door?Where are they?” She slapped the door board twice and let out a long sigh. Her melodious voice was sweet and melodious. “Is there anyone here?”

Still no response.

“I’m afraid he hasn’t come back from a long journey. Let’s go home first and come back another day.” Madam Leng said to Xie Liqing.

Xie Liqing nodded in agreement. Before he left, he said, “Since they want to travel far, why didn’t they tell us …”

Before he could take two steps, a person appeared behind the stone lion at the entrance. She looked haggard and dejected, and said with a hoarse voice, “They won’t be coming back.”

It was a seven or eight year old little girl. Madam Leng almost couldn’t recognize her.

Only when she took a closer look did she realize that wasn’t this the miss who had borrowed a place in the Li’s Mansion earlier? How could she be left alone?

Just as Madam Leng was about to approach, she retreated. “Don’t come again. Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin are gone. They will never come back.”

Xie Liqing asked her what she meant, but she didn’t want to say anything more. Her body was trembling, as if she had gone through a great deal of fear.

The little girl who was clearly full of confidence last month had now turned out to be like this. This huge contrast was even more bewildering.

Xie Zhen rushed out, and said angrily, “You’re talking nonsense, I don’t believe you!”

The two of them didn’t like each other. As soon as Xie Zhen appeared, Ouyang Yi stared with her eyes wide open. “I’m not spouting nonsense!” Only then did she seem a little more lively.

Xie Zhen didn’t believe her. Li Yu had said taking her to fly a kite a few days ago, so how could he never come back? “Brother Xiao Yu is just on a long journey. He’ll be back! He’ll be back in a few days!”

Ouyang Yi was also very persistent. “If I say he won’t, he will not!”

In the end, the two little girls stood at the entrance and started arguing, giving off the impression that they would never stop until the other party was convinced. In the end, Ouyang Yi was forced into a corner. She rushed up the stairs and took out a key from her pocket to open the red lacquered door. “If you don’t believe me, you can go in and take a look yourself!”

The door creaked open.

Behind the heavy wooden door was the courtyard.

Xie Zhen had visited this courtyard many times. She remembered every step of the way, but she had never been so unfamiliar with it. The yard had been deserted for a month, and weeds were growing out of it. The stone pillars under the veranda were broken, and the veranda collapsed.

There was no one in the yard. It was empty, so quiet that even their voices responded.

She ran into the living room and looked inside and out. There was nothing but pear wood tables and stools. She went to Li Yu’s room, which was even more spacious and empty. Not a single trace of that he used to live here was left behind.

He had left.

Xie Zhen walked out of the house and asked Ouyang Yi, “Why are they leaving?”

Ouyang Yi’s eyes reddened and she turned her head, rufusing to talk.

Xie Zhen grabbed her sleeve and whirled it around. “Why? Why did brother Xiao Yu leave?”

Ouyang Yi was annoyed by her questions and pushed her away. “Why? Isn’t it because he hates you?!”

Xie Zhen was shocked, and stood there, helpless.

Perhaps it was due to her extreme disgust, Ouyang Yi’s tone turned poisonous as she viciously said, “Cousin hates you the most. If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t have moved away!”

After a long moment, Xie Zhen rubbed her eyes. “He said he was going to take me to fly a kite.”

“That’s a lie!”

But, but he never said he hated her.

Even when she had pestered him before, he had never said he hated her.

Xie Zhen was hurt and stood at the door of Li Yu’s room for a while before leaving with Leng and Xie Liqing. She walked very slowly. She turned to look back repeatedly at every step. The radiance in her large eyes gradually dimmed. Finally, she steeled her heart and did not turn her head back.

After the people left, Ouyang Yi did not move for a long time.

It wasn’t until Madam Li came to find her that she burst into tears.

What she said was not true. She was deliberately deceiving them. It was she who hated her the most, and that was why she wanted to hurt her, hurt her.

Why should Xie Zhen be happier than others? Why did her parents love her and make her a happy family? She would make her sad.

The day before Li Yu wanted to take Xie Zhen to the courtyard in the suburb, Ouyang Yi found him. She wanted to go with him no matter what he said.

Li Yu did not agree, so Madam Song told him: “Ah Yi has no father, no home, and now can only rely on us. You are her cousin. If even you treat her badly, who else can she rely on in the future?”

Ever since Ouyang Yi had moved into the Li Mansion, Madam Song had often said these words to him. She was his cousin and he should take good care of her, though he was reluctant, he didn’t want to go against his parents.

Only that time did he want to take only Xie Zhen with him.

Li Yu had an argument with Madam Song. That day, he went alone to the villa. However, there was an accident on the way, and he was almost picked up by a few gangsters. Fortunately, Li Yu had four or five servants with him, helping him escape. After Madam Song and Li Yiqing brought him back, a group of masked men in black stormed into the Li Mansion on the same night.

They came silently and took the lives of dozens of people in the mansion.

Madam Song and Li Xiqing had brought Li Yu along to escape through the back door. Li Xiqing gave Ouyang Yi and her mother some money to run for themselves. There was no time to make proper arrangements due to the urgency of the situation, and Li Xiqing didn’t even explain it to them.

Ouyang Yi and Madam Li didn’t have anywhere to go, so they set up a temporary residence nearby.

Ouyang Yi would occasionally wander around the Li Mansion in hopes of catching sight of her uncle, aunt, or Li Yu. When she went back today, she happened to meet the Xie Family.

She said those words on impulse.

She lied. Li Yu didn’t hate Xie Zhen at all.