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墨書 Inktalez
After the incident with Shaw Min, the little joy left in Bai Cuifen's home vanished.
Although Shaw Min never displayed as intense an emotional reaction as An Shaojie, her lighthearted smile was gone, and she rarely spoke. Sometimes, she would sit in one place all day, staring blankly at a spot, lost in thought or silently shedding tears. If no one called her, she would remain in that state, her face streaked with tears.
This kind of emotion truly worried Bai Cuifen and An Shaojie!
Especially when she suddenly expressed a desire to go out; how could Bai Cuifen and An Shaojie feel at ease allowing her to leave alone?
"Sister."
The evening sun was blood-red, but thick layers of lead-gray clouds piled up in the sky made the sunset glow appear as a faint mist, subtly illuminating the worn wooden threshold at the entrance of Bai Cuifen's home.
An experienced person or anyone who simply looked up at the sky would know that a heavy rainstorm was imminent!
An Shaomin sat in a low-backed bamboo chair, gazing at the blood-red sunset and the heavy clouds, tears shimmering in her eyes as she tried to hold them back.
An Shaojie squatted in front of Shaw Min. "Sister, if you're feeling hurt inside, just cry it out," An Shaojie said through tears.
An Shaomin shook her head while crying and said, "No, I'm fine. Don't worry, An Shaojie. I will be okay." Shaw Min reached out and gently patted An Shaojie's head like she used to when they were younger.
"Beast!" An Shaojie suddenly stood up and slammed his fist against the door panel. "I will not let this beast get away with it." He gritted his teeth and nearly used all his strength to say those words.
Shaw Min couldn't bear to see An Shaojie suffering for her sake and hurriedly got up and went into the room.
At that moment, Qinglan leaned against her own yard wall's doorframe, watching everything unfold.
"Brother Shaojie, what can I do to ease your pain? And Sister Shaomin, Mother, I am truly sorry," Qinglan said softly, biting her lip and holding back tears.
Seeing An Shaojie leave the house and cross the arched bridge towards the dark forest on the right side of the village made her heart ache.
Qinglan hurriedly followed behind without having time to change into wooden slippers.
As night fell, the encroaching darkness enveloped Liu Family Village like an endless ocean, shrouding the village surrounded by mountains in a misty twilight.
The lights in every household of Liu Family Village gradually lit up.
Outside, on the Old Locust Tree, a few cicadas continued to chirp incessantly, calling out about the heat for quite some time. Perhaps sensing the coolness of the night, they gradually became weak, their calls turning intermittent and hoarse.
Grandma, with her small feet, walked towards Qinglan's room while calling out, “Lanlan, Lanlan, it's time to eat! What have you been doing in your room all afternoon on such a hot day?”
Not hearing a response, Grandma continued into the room, which was shrouded in darkness.
Standing at the doorway, she flipped the light switch, and the room was instantly brightened.
“Eh, Lanlan!” After a moment of surprise, Grandma called out again to the obviously empty room.
“Where is Lanlan?” Grandma stepped out of the room and asked Liu Xiuzhen, who was serving dishes.
It was rare for Liu Dezhou to come downstairs for dinner today; he sat at the table, mumbling, “Check if she's in the yard. At this hour, where else could she be? She used to be home by now.”
Indeed, she used to bring food to Liu Dezhou upstairs at this time.
“Lanlan, it's time to eat! Why are you still standing outside?” Liu Xiuzhen called out to a moving figure in the yard from the doorway.
“Isn’t Lanlan home?” the figure replied.
The figure was Qing Shusheng, who had just returned from the rice paddy outside. In the afternoon, he noticed that the water in his paddy was insufficient, so he had gone out in the evening with a hoe to irrigate the field. However, seeing that a storm was approaching, he turned back.
After dropping the hoe, Qing Shusheng continued to ask, "Is Lanlan not home?"
"She's not here." Seeing that it was Qing Shusheng outside, Liu Xiuzhen pouted and replied casually.
"Not here?"
In the darkness, Qing Shusheng stared at Liu Xiuzhen and asked back, feeling a sudden jolt in his heart. His tone became serious as he forcefully threw the hoe to the ground and strode into the house.
"Lanlan is not home this late, and you’re not going to look for her?" Qing Shusheng's tone grew heavier.
Liu Xiuzhen followed him into the house.
As soon as Qing Shusheng entered, he called out in Qinglan's room, "Lanlan."
"She's not in her room," Grandma said from behind.
Qing Shusheng's expression turned grave and anxious as he searched every room and corner upstairs and downstairs for Qinglan, calling her name.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Qing Shusheng so flustered, Liu Xiuzhen couldn't help but ask as she followed him.
"Children just like to play. Lanlan has always been playful; she probably went visiting someone in the village or is having dinner at someone else's house." At this moment, Liu Dezhou, who had been watching them run around, spoke up.
"That's right." Liu Xiuzhen echoed Liu Dezhou's words dismissively. "Wasn't Lanlan always like this? She would come back after we finished dinner and brag about where she had eaten."
"What kind of mother are you?" Qing Shusheng suddenly turned around and shouted angrily at Liu Xiuzhen.
Liu Xiuzhen was taken aback by his sudden outburst.
"Father, look. Qing Shusheng, he... he..." Liu Xiuzhen pointed at Qing Shusheng, looking at Liu Dezhou with a sense of grievance.
Qing Shusheng's behavior tonight was quite unusual. Although he had previously shown disdain towards Liu Xiuzhen, he rarely shouted at her for no reason in front of Liu Dezhou.
Liu Dezhou was also stunned and asked, "What's wrong, Qing Shusheng? Did something happen?"
At that moment, Grandma also came over, stretching her neck to look at Qing Shusheng and asked, "What's wrong with Lanlan?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Qing Shusheng lowered his head and waved his hand dismissively.
"I just think it's inappropriate for a girl to be out so late. She's grown up now; she's not a child anymore. Girls should learn to be graceful and elegant," he tried to explain in a calm tone.
But the expression on his face was even more serious and panicked than before.
"You all eat! I'll go find her," Qing Shusheng said.
"Where are you going to find her? I'll go with you," Liu Xiuzhen hurriedly put down the bowl and chopsticks she had just picked up.
"You don't need to go; I'm fine on my own," Qing Shusheng quickly stopped her. "Father still needs you to take care of him." His tone softened a bit.
As soon as Qing Shusheng stepped out of the house, he hurriedly turned back into the room to look for something. "What are you looking for?" Liu Xiuzhen followed him inside and asked. "A flashlight," Qing Shusheng replied as he picked up the flashlight from beside the pillow and rushed outside.
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