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Chapter 24: Parting

As dusk settled in, the moon rose over the western mountains, and the sky gradually darkened.

Xie Zhen waited the whole day but didn’t see Li Yu.

Wasn’t he supposed to take her to fly kites? Why hasn’t he come? Growing impatient, she sat on the stone steps at the door of the hall, playing with the kite. She had been holding the goose-shaped kite all day, examining it from left to right until she could probably make one herself. Becoming impatient, she muttered, “Why hasn’t Little Brother Yu come yet?”

Leng Shi walked out of the hall, worried that her daughter might catch a cold. She instructed the maid to bring a plain floral jacket for her to put on. “Perhaps there is an urgent matter at home. Don’t wait any longer, my dear. Go back to the room with your mother and rest.”

Leng Shi couldn’t help but feel distressed seeing her daughter waiting all day. Unfortunately, the stubborn child insisted on waiting for Li Yu, no matter how she tried to persuade her. In the afternoon, Leng Shi sent someone to inquire at the Li family’s house, hoping to find out if something had happened. However, the Li family’s gate was tightly closed, and after knocking for half an hour, no one responded. When the servant returned and reported that there was no one at the Li house, Leng Shi relayed the information unchanged to Xie Zhen. However, Xie Zhen didn’t believe it and insisted, “He promised me he would come to pick me up. He will definitely come!”

So, she kept waiting until now.

Leng Shi sighed. If there was no one at the Li house, how could Li Yu come to pick her up? Why was this child so stubborn?

After having dinner, Xie Zhen, exhausted from waiting, finally realized that Li Yu wouldn’t show up.

Feeling a bit disheartened, she looked at the dark night sky, threw the kite on the ground in frustration, and stomped on it twice, venting her frustration: “Little Yu, you’re a big liar!”

After letting out her emotions, illuminated by the dim lights of the corridor, she looked down at the crumpled kite at her feet and sniffled. Thinking that her father had bought it for her, she quietly picked up the kite from the ground, smoothed it out with her chubby hands, and hugged it to her chest.

Leng Shi stood in the corridor and softly called, “My dear, come back to the room with your mother.”

She tenderly called her “mother,” and Xie Zhen quickly rushed into Leng Shi’s arms, rubbing her head against her mother’s neck, feeling bitter and wronged, “Little Yu lied to me…”

Leng Shi rubbed her head and comforted her, “He might have been delayed by something.”

She whimpered, still not entirely convinced, “But he told me himself… that he would come to pick me up today…”

Leng Shi had to say, “Next time you meet him, ask him why he didn’t come today. He will apologize to you.”

Little Yu would never apologize; he had never apologized to her before.

Xie Zhen shook her head defiantly, saying, “No, I don’t want to see him next time.”

As if that wasn’t enough, she added, “I don’t want to play with a big liar.”

Leng Shi found it amusing; children always loved to speak in anger. However, which statement could be taken seriously? Maybe in a few days, these two little ones would be playing together again.

During the days when she and Li Yu chatted on the wall every day, Leng Shi had heard from the servants. Children were indeed full of mischief. Even if they claimed to dislike each other one moment, the next instant, they could reconcile and talk head to head. As long as they didn’t harm themselves, Leng Shi usually turned a blind eye and let them be.

However, this time, no one expected that Xie Zhen’s words would become prophetic.

*

After three to five days, there was still no movement from the Li family.

Normally, there would be servants coming in and out of the main gate, or merchants and traders looking for Li Xiqing to discuss business. However, these days, for some unknown reason, the gates of the Li residence remained tightly shut, with no sign of anyone entering or leaving.

Not only that, but there was no sound at all in the Li residence courtyard. Although the Li family was not known for being noisy, there would usually be some conversational murmurs. This time, there was not even a hint of human activity.

Both Leng Shi and Xie Liqing found it strange. They initially thought that the Li family might have gone on a long journey, but as neighbors, why wouldn’t they inform anyone?

A month later, even Xie Zhen noticed something amiss, “Mother, has Auntie Song not visited our house for a long time?”

Leng Shi and Xie Liqing exchanged a glance, and she reassured her, “Tomorrow, your mother will take you to visit Auntie Song.”

Though she agreed, Xie Zhen was still upset about Li Yu breaking his promise. Pouting, she said, “But I won’t talk to Little Yu next time.”

Leng Shi chuckled; her daughter’s demeanor was truly adorable. She couldn’t help but pull her into a warm embrace and give her a good rub.

The next day, after discussing the time with Xie Liqing, the family went to the Li residence for a visit. They stood in front of the gate for a long time, knocking repeatedly, but there was still no response.

Xie Zhen crouched at the door crack, peering through and muttering, “Why isn’t anyone opening the door? Where could everyone have gone?” She tapped the door twice and let out a long sigh, her clear and soft voice sounding melodious, “Is there anyone there?”

Still, there was no response.

Leng Shi said to Xie Liqing, “Perhaps they are still away on a journey. Let’s go back for now and come again another day.”

Xie Liqing nodded in agreement. As they were about to leave, a person appeared behind the stone lions at the entrance. She looked exhausted and despondent, speaking with a hoarse voice, “They won’t come back.”

It was a seven or eight-year-old girl, and Leng Shi almost didn’t recognize her.

Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the cousin who had been staying with the Li family before. How did she end up alone and in such a state?

As Leng Shi approached, the girl stepped back, saying, “Don’t come. Uncle, Aunt, and cousin are gone. They won’t come back.”

Xie Liqing asked her what she meant, but she refused to reveal more, trembling as if she had experienced great fear. The confident girl from the previous month now appeared in such a pitiful state, creating a stark contrast that left everyone bewildered.

Xie Zhen rushed out, frustrated, and said, “You’re making things up, I don’t believe it!”

Apparently, the two girls didn’t get along. As soon as Xie Zhen appeared, Ouyang Yi widened her eyes, saying, “I’m not making it up!” showing some signs of vitality.

Xie Zhen refused to believe Ouyang Yi’s words. Just a while ago, Li Yu had promised to take her kite flying. How could he never come back? “Little Yu will come back; he’s just on a journey. He will be back in a few days!”

Ouyang Yi was equally adamant, “I said he won’t!”

In the end, the two girls found themselves arguing at the door, determined not to give in to each other. Finally, Ouyang Yi, feeling pressured, took three steps forward, opened the crimson gate with a key from her pocket, and said, “If you don’t believe me, go in and see for yourself!”

The gate responded with a creaking sound and opened.

Behind the heavy wooden door lay the courtyard, once adorned with red tiles and green eaves. Xie Zhen had visited countless times, remembering every step, but never had it felt so unfamiliar. The yard had been neglected for a month, with weeds sprouting, the stone pillars in the corridor broken, and the collapsed corridor burying the adjacent rooms in rubble, creating a scene of desolation.

Not a soul was in the yard, empty and quiet to the point where even their voices echoed.

Xie Zhen ran to the hall, inspecting inside and out. There was nothing left except for the yellow pear wood tables, chairs, and benches. She then entered Li Yu’s room, which was even more vacant, devoid of any trace of habitation.

Everything was spotlessly clean.

Xie Zhen walked out of the house in a daze and asked Ouyang Yi, “Why did they leave?”

Ouyang Yi’s eyes turned red, refusing to answer at first.

Xie Zhen approached her, grabbing her sleeve anxiously, “Why? Why did Little Yu leave?”

Irritated by the repeated questioning, Ouyang Yi pushed her away, saying, “What’s the reason? It’s because he hates you!”

Xie Zhen stood still in disbelief.

Perhaps Ouyang Yi’s hatred for her had reached an extreme, as her tone dripped with venom, “Cousin hates you the most. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have moved out!”

For a while, Xie Zhen rubbed her eyes, murmuring, “He said he would take me kite flying…”

“He lied to you!”

But, but he never said he hated her…

Even when she used to pester him before, he never expressed any dislike towards her.

Xie Zhen was deeply hurt. She stood by Li Yu’s room for a while before finally following Leng Shi and Xie Liqing as they left. She walked slowly, turning back every few steps. The sparkle in her big eyes gradually faded, and eventually, with a determined heart, she didn’t look back again.

After the Xie family left, Ouyang Yi remained motionless for a long time. It wasn’t until Li Shi came to find her that she burst into tears. In fact, it was not as she described; she deliberately lied to Xie Zhen. In reality, the person she disliked the most was Xie Zhen herself. That’s why she wanted to hurt her, to undermine her.

Why does she get to live happier than others? Why do her parents have a loving relationship and a happy family? Ouyang Yi wanted to make her feel sad and miserable for once. The day before Li Yu was going to take Xie Zhen to another courtyard, Ouyang Yi found out and insisted on going with him no matter what.

Li Yu refused, and Song Shi 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, then who can she rely on in the future?”

Since Ouyang Yi moved into the Li residence, Song Shi often said this to him. She is his cousin, and he should take care of her well. Although he was reluctant, he didn’t go against his parents’ wishes.

Except for that one time when he just wanted to go with Xie Zhen alone. Li Yu and Song Shi had a quarrel that day. He traveled alone to the other courtyard, but an accident happened on the way. He was almost taken away by some thugs. Fortunately, Li Yu had four or five attendants with him, helping him escape the danger. After Song Shi and Li Xiqing found him, that night a group of masked men invaded the Li residence.

They came silently, just like when they took the lives of dozens of people in the household. Song Shi and Li Xiqing took Li Yu and escaped through the back door. Li Xiqing gave Ouyang Yi and her mother a sum of money and told them to escape separately. Due to the urgency of the situation, there was no time to explain the reasons, and Li Xiqing didn’t clarify anything to them. Overnight, everyone scattered in different directions.

Ouyang Yi and Li Shi had nowhere to go, so they arranged a courtyard nearby and temporarily stayed there. Occasionally, Ouyang Yi would wander near the Li residence, hoping to catch a glimpse of her uncle, aunt, or Li Yu. When she went there today, she happened to encounter the Xie family. She couldn’t help but speak out, leading to the previous scene. She lied to Xie Zhen, but in reality, Li Yu didn’t dislike her at all.

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