Chapter 9: Family

‘Finally off work.’

You Xue sincerely thought.

She got up from her chair, stretched, and loosened her stiff neck.

Although mental fatigue was less obvious than physical exhaustion, for You Xue, this kind of mental drain was even harder to bear.

‘I need to go back and rest properly.’

Thinking this, she gathered her things and prepared to leave.

“You Xue, ready to go?”

It was Sanjian Ying.

You Xue nodded.

“Sister Ying, I’m going home to rest.”

“Wait, don’t go just yet.”

You Xue looked at Sanjian Ying blocking her way with confusion, then waved her hand.

“I’m tired, I can’t work overtime.”

“Am I some kind of evil capitalist?”

Sanjian Ying pointed at herself and asked with a wry smile.

“Then what’s the matter?”

You Xue tilted her head.

Watching the gray-haired girl’s slightly puzzled cute expression, Sanjian Ying cleared her throat.

“After my serious observation, your attire still doesn’t meet work requirements. So I’ve decided—let’s go buy new clothes together!”

You Xue looked down at her own clothes.

“I think it’s fine, simple and neat.”

“Your opinion doesn’t count,” Sanjian Ying said with righteous indignation.

“This aesthetic is like a wild boy’s.”

“Let’s go.”

She continued urging.

“And I’ll pay.”

Hearing that, You Xue’s eyes lit up.

‘So I don’t have to pay. That’s fine then.’

“Okay.”

She responded.

Sanjian Ying nodded and picked up her bag.

“We’ll just shop for a while. After we buy, I’ll let you go home and sleep.”

Stepping out of the store, they looked up at the sky.

Orange-red fire clouds lingered in the distance, still like the sea, a warm-colored ocean.

The west side of the city was the old district, not as bustling as downtown, very quiet, every place seemed to bear the marks of time.

But if you were selling engraved items, it would be more appropriate to open a shop in a busy area, not to mention that the espers who could afford to buy engravings usually lived in the city center.

So You Xue asked.

“Sister Ying, why did you choose to open the shop in a place like this?”

Sanjian Ying slowed her steps and turned to look at You Xue.

“Actually, many people have asked me that before. I didn’t think you would notice.”

But You Xue had actually realized this question long ago.

She just felt it had nothing to do with her, so there was no need to ask.

However, You Xue said nothing, just looked at her.

Sanjian Ying smiled with the corners of her mouth.

Even though You Xue wasn’t very accurate at discerning emotions, she could sense the complexity in that smile—entanglement, nostalgia, or relief?

Or maybe all of them—You Xue couldn’t tell.

“I was just asking.”

So You Xue said.

“Actually, I never expected this shop to make me much money.”

Sanjian Ying looked at the clouds in the sky and spoke softly.

“I didn’t grow up in this city. My hometown is a city called East Leaf, not too far away.

But as everyone knows, there are dangerous unexplored zones between cities, so it’s hard to go back.

Actually, I came to this city to escape my family.”

Her tone seemed a bit lonely.

“Did you have a falling out with your family?”

You Xue asked.

Sanjian Ying shook her head and sighed.

“If only there were a conflict.”

Sanjian Ying was silent for a moment.

“Ah, I’m really sorry. I wanted to talk about it myself, but I’m being so vague.”

You Xue tilted her head.

“It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. If you do, I’ll listen carefully.”

You Xue also thought it would be nice to have a conflict with family, but she could never see her mother and brother again.

No one would pat her head to comfort her, and no one would tell her boring jokes to make her laugh.

But in this life, she did have family.

Su Li was that.

As childhood sweethearts, they had grown up together, with no one else.

Their time together had passed day by day, continuing to now.

Only family would accompany each other for so long, never forgetting one another.

But that wasn’t hers.

So she apologized in her heart again.

“You know, you’re a bit like my little sister.”

Sanjian Ying suddenly said.

“But actually not exactly. My sister has black hair, like black jade, and emerald green eyes, really like jade. Very beautiful, but like you, she doesn’t like to smile.”

‘Just not smiling is enough to be considered similar?’

You Xue thought.

“But she’s not as cold as you. She’s a very proud person, usually like a peacock showing off.”

Sanjian Ying’s expression relaxed a lot when she said this, but then dimmed again.

“She’s amazing, much better than me, so our parents liked her more. Actually, I could understand them, but they wouldn’t even spare me a glance. I just wanted them to care about me a little. Back then, I felt like I was invisible in the family…”

Sanjian Ying let out a long breath.

“I tried to work hard too, but it was useless. Even if I spent ten times the time, I couldn’t keep up with my sister. So I chose to leave. They didn’t try to stop me, didn’t hold me back. So I came to this city.”

“In the end, it’s just giving up, just running away.”

Sanjian Ying sighed.

“This shop is just something I opened when I had nothing to do. I didn’t expect it to do so well. But honestly, I don’t have that much ambition. I just want to live comfortably.”

She smiled and said to You Xue.

“Am I kind of a bad person?”

Sanjian Ying thought that today she was just being sentimental and said all this.

She didn’t expect You Xue to comfort her.

‘Well, she doesn’t seem like the type to comfort others.’

“But I don’t think so.”

However, she heard You Xue say.

You Xue recalled the past.

What would have happened if her mother had abandoned her back then?

‘I would have died. Without family love, alone. So it wouldn’t matter if I gave up on life. After all, life belongs only to oneself.’

“Family care is very important.”

You Xue said very seriously.

“So Sister Ying has already lost a lot of things, yet you can still do such amazing things. I think that’s already remarkable.”

Sanjian Ying’s mouth fell open.

She couldn’t imagine You Xue saying such a thing.

“Thank you.”

Finally, Sanjian Ying said.

Sanjian Ying looked at You Xue’s profile and couldn’t help but think to herself.

‘What a strange person. She looks so thin and fragile, yet she seems to have a strong power emanating from her. But after all, she’s still a child who needs someone to take care of her. Sure enough, I still need to teach her to become a normal girl first.’

Sanjian Ying thought so.

***

Finally, they walked out of the clothing store.

Because You Xue strongly protested, Sanjian Ying couldn’t persuade her, so they didn’t buy a dress.

Sanjian Ying looked at the outfit You Xue was wearing and nodded.

Dark blue straight-leg ankle pants, the hem just revealing her slender ankles.

On top, a cream-colored loose shirt, light and soft in texture, with a smoke-gray knitted cardigan over it, no buttons, two straight front panels hanging down from the chest.

She looked like an unassuming, quiet, and lovely girl next door.

‘But if only I could make her smile.’

Sanjian Ying thought so, then handed the shopping bag to You Xue.

Inside were the other clothes they bought.

“Now do you understand the importance of nice clothes?”

She said to You Xue.

But You Xue shook her head.

“It feels the same.”

“Oh, you.”

Sanjian Ying just felt helpless, then said.

“Anyway, wear these tomorrow. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

You Xue also said.

Sanjian Ying was a pretty good person, a kind person.

You Xue had received a lot of her kindness.

You Xue lowered her eyelids.

But for her, it was better not to establish too many connections.

Sanjian Ying, and Su Li too.