Time passed little by little, and Xi Xuan became more and more anxious. It was getting close to the dusk they agreed on, but still no servant came to report the news.
She could no longer sit quietly in the house, so she asked Xuechun to stay and wait for news, and then came to Yuwen Haoxuan's residence alone.
When I opened the door, a familiar smell came to my face. The house was clean and quiet, as usual.
Sitting in Yu Wen Haoxuan's usual seat, Xi Qian picked up an unfinished spring scene picture on the table. Although it was a spring scene, there was no gorgeous color in the painting. Only a few light colors were used to slightly bring out the colorful colors.
Only one crabapple tree, which has just been outlined, stands out.
An idea occurred to Xi Zhi, so she picked up the paintbrush and began to paint on the unfinished painting. Soon a begonia tree full of flowers suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
Putting down the paintbrush, Xi Qian raised her head and looked out the window. The setting sun had completely disappeared in the sky, leaving only a faint afterglow that reflected the clouds on the horizon.
She got up and walked to the screen wall in the front yard. She frowned slightly and looked at the still closed door. She became more and more anxious. If she failed to come back at the appointed time, Yuwen Haoxuan and the others must be in trouble.
"Girl, you should go back to the backyard and wait. If Mr. Wen and the others come back, I will report to you immediately."
Xi Qian looked at the person who was speaking. It was the young man who took the lead for Xia Zizhao that day. He must be his confidant, and asked, "Did your young master explain anything before he left?"
"Young master said that if he doesn't come back, he will ask the housekeeper to dismiss everyone in the house and leave some strong guards to escort you and the young lady to the capital."
After a moment of silence, Xi Qian took one last look at the dark red door and said, "Tell everyone not to sleep tonight and to be at my disposal at any time."
"Yes!" The boy quickly accepted the order and left, and she also walked around the screen wall and returned to the backyard.
After walking aimlessly in the courtyard for a long time, she unknowingly walked under the crabapple tree where Yuwen Haoxuan and Yuwen Haoxuan were separated from each other. She twirled a piece of white petals.
The scene of hairpins came to mind again.
But when she saw her lonely shadow on the ground, she couldn't help but sigh and silently prayed in her heart, hoping that Yuwen Haoxuan and the others could resolve all dangers and return smoothly.
Dots of stars rose in the dark blue sky, and the evening coriander stood silently under the tree for a long time. Only when I raised my head did I realize that I had been out for too long, and Xuechun might have become an ant on a hot pot.
She walked quickly back to her home, opened the door, and found Xia Yingying sitting in the room, and Xuechun standing aside with an unkind look on her face, without even offering a cup of tea.
"Sister!" Seeing her return, Xia Yingying stood up excitedly to greet her, with the anxious look on her face clearly visible.
"Miss, if you have anything to say, sit down and tell me." She helped Xia Yingying sit down, turned to Xuechun and said, "Why don't you serve tea quickly?"
Xuechun pouted and went to prepare tea as instructed.
"Sister, I'm so scared???, brother, he clearly promised that he would come back before this evening, but now it's already past the time, and he has never broken his promise to me???" Xia Yingying said, already sobbing.
"Don't be afraid, Yingying." Xi Qian hugged the crying Xia Yingying and said, "Maybe they just ran into a little trouble, and they might be back soon. Can I wait with you?"
Xia Yingying sobbed and nodded. Her beautiful eyes were as swollen as peach kernels. It seemed that she had been crying for more than a while.
"I see your eyes are swollen from crying. Come inside and wash your face. If Mr. Xia comes back and sees you like this, he won't eat me alive."
Xia Yingying was amused by her, but then she lowered her head in shame, "I'm sorry, Sister Xixi, it was me the other day???"
"It's all over. I've forgotten about it a long time ago. Don't take it to heart anymore." Xi Xian said cheerfully and no longer cared about it, while Xia Yingying felt even more embarrassed.
Seeing her sad and self-blaming expression, Xia Yingying pretended not to notice, pulled her into her inner room, and helped her wash away the wet tears on her face.
"You will sleep here with me tonight. If you need anything, I will ask Xuechun to get it for you." Xi Qian said and made the bed for her.
But Xia Yingying kept standing there, twisting her clothes, as if she had something to say but was embarrassed to say it. Xi Qian didn't rush her, just waited quietly.
"Sister, can you sleep with me tonight?" Xi Qian was stunned. She didn't expect that Xia Yingying finally spoke, and what she wanted to say was just this.
Pulling Xia Yingying's hands that were intertwined with the skirt of her clothes, Xi Qian smiled gently, "Okay, I'll accompany you."
The two of them were lying side by side on the soft bed, covered with the same quilt. Xi Qian smiled silently, feeling that all this was really wonderful. A few days ago, they were incompatible with each other, but today they could lie down together and chat about homely matters.
"Sister, do you think I'm willful and difficult to get along with?" After a short silence, Xia Yingying asked with some sourness.
Xi Qian bit her lower lip lightly, not knowing how to answer. It would be a lie to say that she was not willful, but she was afraid of hurting her if she answered truthfully.
Without waiting for a response, Xia Yingying spoke again, "Actually, even if I don't tell my sister, I know that no one except my brother wants to be close to me since I was a child. Even if they do occasionally, it's all for ulterior motives."
Hearing the loneliness in her words, Xi Qian turned her head and said, "Actually, people are like a mirror. Whatever you do to it, it will do to you. If you look back and think about it, do you have any
Have you ever shown your sincerity to others? If you are not there, why should others treat you sincerely?"
Xia Yingying was speechless for a moment and secretly lowered her eyes. Seeing that she seemed to be touched, Xi Qian continued, "Actually, you can't be blamed for all this. Most of the responsibility lies with Mr. Xia."
"Brother?" Xia Yingying looked at her in surprise, "How could it be? Brother, he has always loved me. Every time I was bullied, he tried his best to protect me."
"His desire to protect you is not wrong, but he ignores that you are also an individual that exists alone. You are not his appendage, let alone his shadow. You will eventually leave him and live independently."
"I never thought about being separated from my brother." Xia Yingying felt sad and afraid at the thought of leaving her brother.
Seeing her hesitation, Xi Qian continued to encourage, "It's not too late to think about it now!"
"But I don't have any friends. How can I live without my brother?" Xia Yingying flinched away from her firm eyes.
"You will never make friends with him. It's impossible to get along with others without any conflicts. If someone like him hits you away with a stick regardless of the reason, who would dare to get close to you?"
Xia Yingying was silent and did not respond, but there was some emotion on her face. Xi Qian held her hand and said sincerely, "If you don't dislike it, can you let me be your first friend?"
Xia Yingying's eyes lit up and she held Xi Xuan's hand, "Then it's settled. From now on, if you don't call me miss, just call me Yingying."
Seeing her innocent and excited expression, Xi Xian smiled. This is the innocence and happiness that a sixteen-year-old girl should have.
Unable to resist the sleepiness that came over her at night, Xia Yingying slowly fell asleep while talking.
Seeing her sleeping soundly, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Xi Qian's lips. She wondered what Xia Zizhao would look like if he knew that she had poached his most precious sister.
Thinking of Xia Zizhao, she also recalled the three people who had never returned. Xi Qian got up softly and walked out of the inner room, and came to the courtyard where the fragrance was surging. She looked up at the bright moon in the sky and silently prayed for the safety of the three people.