Chapter 75: Chapter 75: The Strange Young Woman
The Su Family’s graveyard is located in the northwest corner of the village, a secluded area, and people outside the village generally don’t know the exact location.
Father Su’s grave had its tombstone removed after repeated vandalism, turning it into a nameless grave.
There are many such nameless graves here, and unless you are familiar, it’s impossible to know their exact locations.
Liu Cuilan and Su Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and frowned simultaneously. Could this person have known Father Su?
Just as they were pondering, a young woman wrapped up tightly hurried past them.
You could tell it was a young woman from the pair of very young-looking eyes exposed below her scarf.
Although it was early autumn and the nights were chilly, the days were still quite hot.
Yet this woman was wrapped so tightly, even covering half of her face with a black scarf, looking like she didn’t want to be recognized.
The two exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed.
It was unclear if the woman noticed them; she turned her head and slipped into the nearby woods, disappearing.
Liu Cuilan frowned, "Strange, who is she? Why would she come to burn paper for your dad?"
After what happened with Father Su, not just anyone from the village, but even their relatives avoided them, so how could someone specifically come to burn offerings?
Moreover, besides the paper, Su Xiaoxiao also found burnt oranges and milk candies.
These items are rare now, and unless someone was close, they wouldn’t part with them, let alone offer them to the dead.
Su Xiaoxiao felt there was something mysterious about all this but couldn’t put her finger on it.
Liu Cuilan looked at the grass-covered grave mound and sighed, "Who would’ve thought someone still remembers you, you old ghost."
As she spoke, she waved to Su Xiaoxiao, "Xiaoxiao, come, kowtow to your dad."
Su Xiaoxiao immediately stood before the grave and respectfully kowtowed to the mound.
Watching her, Liu Cuilan nodded, took out the paper offerings and white wine she brought, and set the paper alight in front of the grave.
The fire roared, consuming the yellow paper, and Liu Cuilan pulled at the weeds growing on the grave as she cried.
"Old Su, our daughter is doing well. She placed eighth in her graduation exams. With that, she might get into a prestigious university if she takes the college entrance exam," she said, pulling weeds and mumbling.
Su Xiaoxiao silently squatted beside her, helping pull the weeds.
Glancing up carelessly, she saw Liu Cuilan’s profile bathed in the warm yellow glow of the firelight.
The fine lines usually unnoticed were now fully exposed.
Even the once dark hair had a good number of silver strands mixed in, starkly visible.
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes burned; her mother was truly getting old.
Perhaps she was melding more with this body; she felt she was the original owner.
Seeing Liu Cuilan like this, her heartache flowed uncontrollably.
When the paper was nearly burnt out, Liu Cuilan handed the white wine bottle to Su Xiaoxiao, "Go, pour your dad a drink. It’s a happy day; let him drink more."
As she spoke, tears fell uncontrollably from Liu Cuilan’s eyes.
She didn’t believe a word of what had happened back then; she knew best what kind of person her partner was.
No matter how she explained, no one believed her.
As time passed, she grew tired of explaining. After all, he was gone; no amount of explanation mattered.
Having finished at Father Su’s grave, Su Xiaoxiao remembered she still had to visit Xu Cuilan in the city to inquire about an interview.
After lunch at home, she hurriedly left, only to be stopped at the village entrance.
"Su Xiaoxiao, stop right there!"
The sharp and harshly familiar voice made Su Xiaoxiao immediately realize who it was.
It was Sun Wenbing’s second sister, Sun Miao.
She frowned and turned her head, indeed seeing Sun Miao pushing a bicycle and glaring at her angrily.
"What is it?"
"Of course I have something to say. You turned my brother into this; you have to take responsibility."
Sun Miao had overheard Zhang Guilan and Zhang Guifang’s conversation that afternoon and had come straight to Su Xiaoxiao to settle scores.
This bitch had ruined her brother, so she should marry him for life and be his servant.
More so, her brother used to like her, and if he could marry her, perhaps he’d become normal again.
Because of her brother, her fiancé’s family had heard all sorts of gossip and almost called off the engagement.
Sun Miao blamed it all on Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao was speechless. She didn’t know Sun Wenbing would end up like this because of that incident. It wasn’t her fault, so why should she take responsibility?
Besides, if debts were to be settled, she should be the one settling them.
If not for her quick thinking, she would have been the one schemed against.
"Your brother’s problems have nothing to do with me. Is he going to blame the road for being uneven if he falls?"
Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t be bothered with her, turning to leave, but barely took two steps before someone grabbed her arm.
Sun Miao raised her hand to slap, but a slender yet strong hand gripped her wrist before she could land it on Su Xiaoxiao’s face.
Su Xiaoxiao looked up, surprised, "Song classmate?"
Only then did she remember that Song Weidong had mentioned wanting to talk before, but she had been so happy she forgot all about it.
Seeing Song Weidong again suddenly made her feel a bit guilty.
Song Weidong disgustedly let go of Sun Miao’s hand, "Get lost!"
"Oh, you shameless vixen! Is one man not enough, now you’re seducing another? How shameless can you be?"
Seeing a young man who protected Su Xiaoxiao fiercely, Sun Miao jumped in anger.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Song and I are just classmates, not what you think. And when did I ever seduce your brother? You’re full of yourself. Tell him to go home and take a good look in the mirror."
"You!"
Sun Miao was trembling with rage. How shameless was this wretched girl? If not for her, how would Sun Wenbing have ended up like this?
Just then, a familiar figure appeared.
Seeing that face, Su Xiaoxiao wished she could blind herself. What was wrong with Sun Wenbing? Why was he dressed like this?
The white shirt had two buttons undone, revealing his collarbones, and he wore tight-fitting black pants. As he walked... how should she put this?
Well, it was quite coquettish.
As she looked at him, the word "auntie" popped into her mind involuntarily.
Just as she thought of this, Sun Wenbing seemed to notice her and approached with glee.
Tsk, he walked with his legs squeezed together, giving Su Xiaoxiao goosebumps.
She quickly stepped back two steps, "You... don’t come over."
It was too much like a freak show, and she was frightened.