After leaving Lin Yuan's house, Su Huaiyue and Wei Che both felt a little heavy.

They continued to visit one former acquaintance after another according to the addresses on the list.

Among them was a wealthy businessman named Chen Fugui who had a fortune in the capital.

When Chen Fugui was in the capital, he was extremely prosperous. His business spread all over the country, and he had dealings with high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

However, nowadays, they can only sell snacks on the street.

He was wearing a washed-out cloth with a few oil stains on it, and his face was exhausted. Seeing Su Huaiyue and Wei Che, his eyes were full of envy: "Your Wei family is really lucky, and you can still do a thriving business in Youzhou. Now, I get up early and go to bed late every day, hoping to sell more snacks to barely make a living."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice, and the fan in his hand was waving intermittently, as if driving away the troubles of life.

There was also a lady from a famous family named Li Ruolan.

When Li Ruolan was in the capital, she was considered a favored girl by everyone. She was both talented and beautiful, and was proficient in poetry, songs, calligraphy, and painting.

Her talent spread far and wide, and countless nobles and nobles were captivated by her. Her poems, with their delicate emotions and gorgeous rhetoric, shone like pearls and jade; her paintings, with their vividness and profound artistic conception, were each breathtaking.

She was born into a scholarly family and grew up under the influence of poetry and books. She has a unique scholarly air, and her every move exudes elegance and nobility.

Later, she married Chen Fugui.

Chen Fugui came from a wealthy family and doted on her in every way, and the two of them lived a very comfortable life.

Their mansion in the capital was luxurious and magnificent, with a large number of servants. Every day they either recited poetry and painted or attended various banquets. Their life was truly glorious.

However, the good times did not last long. It was unknown whose interests were violated, but Chen Fugui's business suddenly plummeted, his family fell into poverty, and eventually the couple were exiled to Youzhou.

Today, Li Ruolan still lives in a fairly spacious courtyard. This courtyard was bought by Chen Fugui after he sold his property in the capital. Although it is not as good as the mansion in the capital, it is also considered good in Youzhou.

On the surface, she seems to have a carefree life with no worries about food and clothing, but in fact she is just living off her savings.

In order to make a living, Chen Fugui had to set up a street stall to sell snacks, working hard from dawn to dusk every day.

Li Ruolan was sitting in the yard. Although her clothes were still exquisite, they were a little old and the embroidery on them had faded.

Her hair was casually tied into a bun and secured with a wooden hairpin, and the carefully groomed look it once had was long gone.

Her face was still beautiful, but there was a hint of sadness between her brows. Her eyes were looking into the distance with empty eyes, as if she was looking at the distant capital, or as if she was looking at her own prosperous years that had passed.

She simply greeted Su Huaiyue and Wei Che lightly, without any surprise on her face, as if she was numb to everything.

Wei Che asked her about her recent situation in a low voice. She sneered, a hint of bitterness in her laughter: "What else can I do? When I was in the capital, I spent my days either reciting poems and painting, or attending various banquets. I lived a very comfortable life. Now I can only sit here and eat all my savings. I can't even afford to buy brushes, ink, paper and inkstone."

Her voice was filled with resentment and despair. The hands that she once used to write poetry and paint could now only be used for washing clothes and cooking. The rough housework had made her hands rough, and they could no longer find the delicacy and softness they once had.

"I'm not willing to accept this, but what else can I do? I just live my life in a numb state every day."

There was helplessness in her tone, and her whole person exuded an air of decadence, like a once beautiful flower that was now gradually withering in the wind and rain.

There was a trace of pain in her eyes. She once had a wealth of knowledge about poetry and books, but now she had no place to display them. She could only silently waste her talents in this small courtyard.

Su Huaiyue looked at Li Ruolan, her heart full of emotion.

She could feel Li Ruolan's inner pain and struggle. It was really sad to see a once talented woman end up in such a situation.

She sighed softly and said, "Mrs. Chen, don't be discouraged. Perhaps there will be a turning point in the future."

After hearing this, Li Ruolan just smiled bitterly and shook her head without saying anything, her eyes full of despair.

She knew that Youzhou was very different from the capital, and that returning to her old life was almost impossible. She could only live this monotonous and boring life in this courtyard day after day until she grew old.

Su Huaiyue and Wei Che pushed the door open and left. Wei Che was in front, slightly sideways to protect Su Huaiyue behind him.

Su Huaiyue had just stepped out of the door when she suddenly remembered something. She stopped and turned around to take out a bottle of beauty cream from her arms and handed it to Li Ruolan, thinking that it might bring her some comfort.

Just as she turned around, her eyes inadvertently swept across the crack in the door.

Through the narrow gap, she saw Li Ruolan slowly squatting down, her movements a little slow, as if her body was weighed down by an invisible burden.

Li Ruolan reached out and picked up a dry branch on the ground, her fingers gently holding it, trembling slightly.

Su Huaiyue's eyes were fixed on Li Ruolan. She saw Li Ruolan with her head lowered, her eyes fixed intently on the gravel ground, as if she was staring at a rare treasure.

Then she used a branch to write poetry on the ground stroke by stroke.

The white and thin wrist turned slightly, and the branch scraped across the gravel, raising a slight dust.

Although the handwriting appears a bit messy due to the sand and gravel, each stroke is vigorous and powerful, showing the author's once profound calligraphy skills.

She wrote a Tang Dynasty poem: "The swallows that once stood in front of the halls of the wealthy and the poor now fly into the homes of ordinary people."

As she wrote, she recited softly in her voice, with a barely perceptible sob.

Su Huaiyue was shocked. This poem seemed to be a true reflection of Li Ruolan's mood at the moment. She once lived in the prosperity of the capital, like a swallow in the hall, but now she has fallen to this remote Youzhou. Everything has changed.

After writing, Li Ruolan stared quietly at the poem on the ground, her eyes empty and confused, and she did not move for a long time.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but was swallowed back.

After a while, she slowly stretched out her hand, wanting to touch the words, but when her fingertips were about to touch the ground, she suddenly retracted her hand, as if the words were hot and would burn her hand.

Su Huaiyue's heart was filled with complicated emotions. She opened her mouth, but found that her throat seemed to be choked by something and she couldn't say a word.

The ointment could not truly comfort Li Ruolan's heart. She gently pulled Wei Che's sleeve and whispered, "Let's go."