Chapter 26: Pure Love World Arc 9

  When Xu Zilin left, he only took 3,000 taels of silver bills with him. If it was just for living expenses, that would be enough for him and Su Mu to use for half their lives. But wasn't he going to do business? Then this amount of money was far from enough. So he discussed with Su Luo and let her gradually sell the family property, exchange it for silver bills, and send them to him. As for the old men in the escort agency and the merchant group, he didn't plan to retire either. From now on, he would hand over the management to Xu Zipan, and he could make decisions from behind the scenes. If Xu Zipan was unwilling or unable to take on the responsibility, he would consider selecting a trustworthy confidant as his successor.

  So, Sulolo has been busy with this matter recently, but after all, she is not a financial expert, and it's not easy to do it. Especially the handling of accounts on the surface, which makes her anxious and unable to ask others for advice, really embarrassing.

  First and foremost, the immovable properties such as fields, houses, and shops need to be dealt with. The main base of operations will be relocated from now on, so it's meaningless to leave these behind. Except for the old house which holds sentimental value and cannot be touched, everything else can be sold off. Fortunately, Xu Zilin had directly handed these over to her in the past, and Xu Zipeng hadn't taken them back from her either, otherwise, they wouldn't know what reason to give if they wanted to sell.

  That night, Yan'er returned from outside the mansion, preparing to tell Su Luo a good news. The largest and last of those houses to be disposed of had finally found a buyer, and the price negotiated by the matchmaker was even higher than what they had initially set. Adding to the dowry that Su Luo had prepared for Su Mu, there were enough silver coins, which would be sufficient for Xu Zirong to make a big move. Moreover, this money had been smoothly handed over to the person who came to receive it in the late afternoon today, and if nothing unexpected happened, Xu Zirong and Su Mu would be able to receive it within five days.

  Yan'er gave Suoluo a look, and Suoluo immediately understood: "Yan'er stays, everyone else retreats, Grandma I need to rest."

  She knew exactly how to help Xu Zilin and Su Mu get together. Thanks to her, after all, doing these things still requires helpers, and Yan'er was so easy to use that many things she hadn't even thought of, Yan'er could consider first, and the identity of the maid going out was more convenient than Grandma's.

  The two of them closed all the doors and windows, speaking in hushed tones, thinking they were being extremely cautious. However, to Liu Niang's expert eyes, these precautions were nothing. She had been suspicious of Yan'er for days now, watching as she entered the mistress' chambers, then retreated with the other servants, acting mysterious and secretive. Suddenly, she leapt onto the rooftop, never expecting to overhear such an earth-shattering secret.

  At first, she didn't protect her benefactor well, and Mr. Xu was killed, which had been a heartache for Liu Niang for many years, something she couldn't let go of. Later, the eldest young master passed away unexpectedly, which also made her very sad. Now, there is only one descendant left in the Xu family, the second young master, whom she must protect no matter what, even if it means risking her own life. So, after eavesdropping on the eldest lady's conversation and discovering that she had sold off the Xu family's property and transferred it to who-knows-which wild man, Liu Niang was furious and wanted to slap her to death. However, as an outsider, she didn't have the right to do so. She quickly turned around and headed towards the second young master's courtyard, ready to expose the woman's true nature. In her mind, if the second young master gave the order, even if it meant offending the eldest lady's uncle who was a high-ranking official, she would still help the Xu family clean up their household.

  "Second Master, Liu Niang requests an audience."

  Xu Zipei was reading a book under the lamp when he heard Liu Niang's voice outside the door, and he quickly got up to greet her, with a faint sense of foreboding in his heart.

  "Second Master, come closer and listen."

  Xu Zipei leaned in closer and said, "Second Master, Big Madam she..."

  "Ah, haha! Haha haha!" Xu Zipei heard and laughed in extreme anger. "It turns out that I am indeed the fate of a lone star, destined to never have loved ones again this lifetime. Su Shi! Good! Really good! It's really too good!"

  "Second Master, don't be like this, it's not worth getting angry over this cheap woman, be careful and hurt your body. Do I need to take care of her for you?" Liu Niang made a throat-slitting gesture.

  "No need!" Xu Zipei raised his hand to decline her proposal. "I have my own plans for this matter, you go back first and continue to keep an eye on her every move, if there's any situation come report to me."

  Su, you have betrayed my trust in vain. I even defended you in front of the wet nurse, but it turns out that you had already betrayed my brother. Hurting the Xu family and plotting against their property, I will make you pay the price!

  "Yes, Second Master, then I'll be off." Liu Niang replied.

  Su Luo still didn't know that she had become a Pan Jinlian-like figure in Xu Zipei's heart, and continued to live her life without any awareness, busy every day making all sorts of delicious food for herself, Xu Zipei, the great contributor Smoke, and little gluttonous cat Jade Bamboo. Xu Zipei didn't refuse or avoid her either, still pretending to be nonchalant on the surface, even Liu Niang couldn't see that he had any plans, only he himself knew how bitter his heart was, how much he hated Su Luo. She broke the last bit of warmth in his world, took away his last relative, making him truly isolated and helpless. What kind of woman is this, to marry his older brother? What qualifications does she have to be the mistress of the Xu household? Even more detestable is that this woman still dares to pretend to be virtuous in front of him, is she trying to seduce him? Can't she tolerate loneliness, not enough that she has a wild man outside, but also won't let his younger uncle go?

  So he couldn't let her go. Whether it was for his brother, for the Xu family, or for himself.

  Su Luo didn't even know that every heartfelt, radiant smile she gave Xu Zi Rong, every delicious dish she carefully cooked for him, and every joke she told to make him laugh had all become invisible death sentences, deepening Xu Zi Rong's determination to get rid of her.

  Xu Zipei had thought of millions of ways to die in his heart for Su Luo, but when it came down to it, he couldn't bear to admit that he still couldn't let go. That absolutely beautiful face, those lively eyes, the soft voice that comforted him and made him laugh, the gentle hands that cooked delicious meals for him and wiped away his tears - all of these would be destroyed, reduced to nothing but a handful of yellow earth. He really couldn't bear it, no matter how dirty the soul and evil the heart of their owner was.

  But one thing after another finally made him put aside his doubts and make a determined decision.

  The person sent to investigate Zhang Lan's news has returned, and it turns out that she has disappeared without a trace. Moreover, this was all thanks to that woman. On the way to marry a man over fifty years old, she was robbed by bandits and her life or death is unknown.

  This last straw finally crushed Xu Zipei, he chose a bottle from the various poisons he had prepared long ago - Mei Ren Xiao, and handed it to Liu Niang, letting her put it in Su Luo's food.

  This medicine has no antidote.

  But also painless and numb, it will only make people gradually weak, and die in a month. Indeed, he still couldn't bear her pain, so he chose the most comfortable way for her to die.

  After Liu Niang got the trick, Liu Qianqian gave Su Luoluo instructions, telling her that she would "pass away" a month later and asked her to arrange her "posthumous affairs".

  Su Luo glared at the handcuffs, flipping them off with a few swift motions. "You're really something! You won't be satisfied until you've driven me to death, will you? I've seen through your tricks long ago! But this is absolutely the last time! If it happens again, we'll have no friendship left to speak of! When I get back, I'm definitely going to rip you apart!"

  She wanted to break up with Liu Qianqian, but she didn't really mean it, at least not for now. Although Liu Qianqian had inexplicably dressed her up and bullied her twice, there was no substantial harm done, and after each task, she would wipe away her emotions, leaving only a little memory, making it seem like something that happened to someone else, without any sense of involvement. Moreover, she was inherently a softie, with the exception of being ruthless towards pursuers, but otherwise having a very good temper towards those close to her.

  Liu Qianqian usually got along well with her and took care of her, especially since she had a bit of night blindness. In places where the lights were not bright enough at night, she couldn't see clearly. Coincidentally, the lights in their building's hallway were particularly dim, and there was no elevator. One time, she tripped and broke a bone, which took half a month to heal. From then on, Liu Qianqian told her to call her every time she went out or came back at night, even if it was just once in the middle of the night. At first, it was okay, but who would be willing to do this for years on end? She tried to insist on doing things herself, but Liu Qianqian found out and scolded her severely, saying she didn't consider herself a friend, which made her feel helpless, and she had no choice but to accept Liu Qianqian's help.

  So even though Liu Qianqian is sometimes a bit airheaded and does things impulsively without considering others' feelings, Su Luo can't help but think of the times she got out of bed in the middle of winter to accompany him to the bathroom, and all his resentment disappears, affirming their friendship.

  For Su Luo, the biggest problem now is how to eliminate the impact of her "death" on the people around her. Actually, the best way is to let everyone forget her existence, just as if she had never been there, but Liu Qianqian said it couldn't be done, so she could only continue to rack her brains for a solution.

  After thinking for several days, I lost a lot of hair and still didn't have any particularly good ideas. In the end, I reluctantly decided to borrow from "The Return of the Condor Hero" where Little Dragon Maiden says "see you 16 years later". First, I'll get rid of Xu Zipei, let him reunite with Zhang Lan, then through Zhang Lan tell him that Xu Zirong isn't dead, let them have a family reunion. Then I'll leave everyone a note saying I fell in love with a great hero and went wandering the world with him. Finally, when the time is almost up, I'll find a quiet place with green hills and clear water to...ahem...kick the bucket.

  It's roughly like that. Although at the time, everyone will still be reluctant to part with her and feel sad, but so many people gathering together can comfort each other and also dilute the sorrow of losing her a bit.

  After that was settled, Suoluo set about making the necessary arrangements. In the name of a wealthy merchant who refused to reveal his identity, she entrusted a shipment to her family's escort agency, which actually contained nothing but offered a high commission and required the head of the household to personally escort it. The destination, naturally, was the county government office in the small border town where Zhang Lan was located.

  Xu Zipei was originally unwilling to accept, this kind of unknown business made him feel some risk, but on the one hand, in order to establish prestige in front of his subordinates and make everyone not think he is a bookworm who can't even truss a chicken, on the other hand, he also wanted to avoid it, didn't want to witness Su Luo's decline, so he agreed.

  Xu Zipei left the night before August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival, and this world also celebrates this festival. Suoluo thought about accompanying him to make some noise, after all, it would be a permanent farewell afterwards. Moreover, this is a day for family reunions, and he can't let Xu Zipei think of his family alone, which would be even more sad. It's better for everyone to eat and drink together, and also shift their attention.

  She then had someone go ahead and book a painted barge on the Moon River, which was not far from home. She was busy for another day, preparing many dishes, some of which were prepared to be taken to the river to enjoy the moon and wine, while most were dry goods, along with the braised flavors and pickled vegetables she had made earlier, which were left for Xu Zipei to eat on the road, fearing that he would not adapt to his first long trip.

  That night, the moon was particularly beautiful. Whether it was due to the environment or psychological factors, Suoluo felt that it was rounder and bigger than any other year she had seen before. She thought of her loved ones in a distant time and space, and her brother who had left not long ago, and her eyes couldn't help but get a little wet. Tomorrow, she would be leaving, and the mountains, rivers, flowers, grass, and trees here would no longer belong to her. Nor would she see Ruo Ge, Xu Gonggong, Xu Zipei, Yan Er, Yu Zhu, or even Hua Hua, whom she often found annoying. She would never see them again, nor could she call them, write letters, or contact them online. She wouldn't know if they were doing well or not, and even if they missed her, she wouldn't be able to hear it...

  My heart is inexplicably bitter. Although being able to finish the task early and return home has always been her wish, when it comes down to it, she really can't bear to part with this place and the people here, just like every graduation, everyone will be sad about the separation, but at that time, everyone was looking forward to their future life, and QQ, Weibo, friends circle, phone calls, made the distance between each other not so far, as long as you have a heart, it's easy to meet again, but this time, it's really forever goodbye, thoroughly and completely forever...

  She picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. Although she wasn't good at drinking, she had to admit that wine was indeed a good thing, it could make people feel carefree and forget their troubles.

  The person who originally planned to have a happy holiday with Xu Zipei ended up getting drunk after a few cups and became dizzy, while Xu Zipei remained sober.

  He watched Su Luo stumble around with a wine cup, one moment leaning over the ship's side to look at the fish in the water, and the next jumping up to touch the moon in the sky. He was so scared that he stuck close behind her, afraid she would fall into the water.

  Even if she were to die, she would rather die at his hands.

  Suddenly, a wave came and Su Luo almost fell into the river. Xue Zi Xuan hurriedly pulled her back into the cabin, sighing helplessly: "Su, can't you just be honest for once? What am I supposed to do with you?"

  Suoluo just laughed foolishly towards him: "You've got the wrong person, I'm not Su Shi, I'm Suoluo, Su Shi is a great poet! A great literary hero! Haha!"

  Xu Zipei didn't know that this Su Shi was not the other Su Shi, and thought she was just drunk and couldn't be serious with a drunkard, so she comforted him saying: "Okay okay! You're a great poet! A great literary hero! Why don't we head back?" Because Yuzhuo Smoke Child two people got on the boat for not long before they fainted and went back first, now only these two were left.

  "Alright! Then you squat down."

  Xu Zipei didn't know what she was going to do, but still squatted down. Su Luo jumped under her feet and heavily fell onto his back, also wrapping both hands around his neck, just like the games they played with their dad when they were young: "Let's go."

  Xu Zipei was stunned for a moment. The temperature on his back made him feel dizzy, but he hadn't drunk much wine.

  "Can't move your back? Then I'll carry you." Su Luo struggled and was about to get down again.

  "Don't move." Xuzi Pei finally couldn't help but put his hand on her leg. It was she who tempted me, just this once, and indulge in it just this once.

  He lifted her up a bit and carried her on his back onto the deck, waiting for the boatman to come ashore.

  Because he knew that if he hesitated again, there would be no more opportunities later. Her days were numbered.

  The boat was still in the middle of the river, some distance from the shore, and Xu Zipei stood there alone, carrying her on his back, reluctant to put her down.

  Su Luo's eyes were hazy from intoxication, and she unconsciously nuzzled her head into his neck like a spoiled little cat. The soft hair tickled Xu Zifeng's heart, but more than that, it was an indescribable bitterness and sorrow.

  What's the point, he regretted it, regretted wanting this woman dead. No matter how despicable she was.

  But he also knew that there was no turning back now.

  The night wind was howling, when suddenly, the person behind me began to sing:

  "When will the bright moon be visible?"

  Ask the blue sky for wine.

  Unaware of the heavenly palace halls

  "What year is it tonight?"

  I wish to ride the wind and return home.

  Afraid of the jade palace and the crystal halls.

  ……”

  Are you going home with the wind?

  The end of this article.