Chapter 208
Suddenly, Tao Tao felt water droplets dripping onto her face, cool and refreshing. Then she snapped out of her dream, opened her eyes abruptly, and was met with a face right in front of her.
It's Leng Qiao.
Leng Qiao bent down and reached out as if to pick her up, but before she could, she saw a pair of cold and wary amber eyes in front of her.
The smile that used to grace her eyes was gone, replaced by a strange look she had never seen before.
But in an instant, he reverted to his usual self, staring at her in surprise.
She stood up and said, "It's raining."
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao looked up at the sky and found it to be gloomy and misty, with dense fog and rain floating in the air, accompanied by a lightning bolt that flashed by at lightning speed, flickering in and out of the dark sky.
It looks like a heavy rain is coming.
"It's been so long since it rained." She reached out to catch the fine drizzle; it felt cool and refreshing on her palm.
Rong'er hurriedly walked from the table to the tree to take shelter from the rain and asked, "Princess, shall we go back first? It will be too rainy later, and we might catch a cold."
She nodded, and then the three of them walked outside. Just as they got into the carriage, a muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky, startling passersby who hurried away and scattered in all directions.
When the second clap of thunder sounded, a torrential downpour began, instantly soaking the dry ground and forming numerous clear puddles.
As the torrential rain intensified, it washed the yard clean. The banyan tree was mercilessly ravaged by the wind and rain, its branches and leaves swaying wildly and wildly. The soil on the ground was cratered and uneven, and a torn piece of clothing was faintly visible hidden in the mud.
"Your Highness, the rain is too heavy. Why don't we go back to the Tao family first?" The coachman's anxious voice drifted in on the wind.
The carriage swayed and rocked, unable to move an inch due to the sudden downpour.
Tao Tao frowned, gripping the carriage wall with both hands. She swayed so much that she couldn't even sit still in the carriage. Seeing this, Leng Qiao quickly sat down next to her to help her steady herself.
"Let's go back to the Tao family's place first!" she shouted loudly outside.
Rong'er was afraid the coachman hadn't heard her, so she deliberately lifted the curtain and peeked out to tell him.
There was a neighing sound from the horse, and then the carriage turned around and went back.
Madam Tao came out of the new house with an umbrella. The steward saw this and quickly stopped her: "Madam, it's raining heavily outside. Where are you going? Why didn't you take any maids with you?"
The woman smiled gently and said softly, "I'm going to the shop, I'll be right back."
The butler looked at the sky, which seemed to have a hole in it, with rain pouring down relentlessly. His eyes were full of worry. "Madam, perhaps it's better to go out later. It's not safe right now."
"It's okay."
After saying that, she opened her oil-paper umbrella and walked into the rain. She walked very quickly and disappeared around a corner, so that the steward didn't even have time to find a maid to accompany her.
Tao's mother frowned, gripped the wooden handle tightly with both hands, and walked against the wind, only to find that she was not heading towards the shop, but in the opposite direction.
Heavy rain is always her biggest worry. The gloomy weather makes her uncomfortable, and the damp, earthy air makes her even more disgusted.
Thinking this, she quickened her pace.
She turned into an alley and walked on, and soon arrived at her destination, her old home where she used to live.
This home, which holds eighteen years of memories, has finally been freed.
When they were at the shop, their daughter would always thoughtfully bring them a straw hat and a paper umbrella, and then the three of them would happily return home.
There was a time when she was happy and thought she could live like that forever, but reality rarely goes as planned.
He shouldn't have stopped her from going back. He was too selfish. His selfish love suffocated her, and he never considered her feelings.
When he came to Xia Kingdom to look for her, he deliberately kept her hidden, which caused them to miss each other. She thought he would at least consider her feelings, but he didn't, not even a little bit.
As disappointment piled up, she realized that her disappointment in him had reached its peak.
Tao's mother stood in the center of the courtyard, looking around at every brick and tile. Memories from the depths of her mind surged up like a tide.
Drip, drip, and before she knew it, the tears falling from her eyes mingled with the rain.
Tao's mother walked to the unusually lush banyan tree. In autumn, the leaves of all the trees were turning yellow and falling, but the banyan tree in the yard remained evergreen and grew better and better.
Even when it's time for natural metabolism, it only loses a dozen or so leaves at most. Very few people come to visit, but everyone praises how well the tree grows.
When asked what method she used, she always just smiled and remained silent.
She put down her paper umbrella, letting the torrential rain pelt her body. In no time, she was soaked to the bone, and her once glamorous and elegant appearance instantly turned her into a drowned rat.
She walked to the corner of the yard, peeled back the tattered paper figure. Washed by the torrential rain, the paper was rotten and soaked in water, revealing the bamboo and rattan skeleton, which looked pitiful.
After getting the shovel, she turned around and was about to walk towards the big tree when suddenly a familiar voice startled her.
Tao Tao stood under the eaves at the door, frowning and looking suspiciously at her disheveled mother.
Tao's mother was startled, and her hand unconsciously loosened its grip, splashing water quite a bit on the ground. She smiled warmly and said, "Tao'er, what brings you here?"
"Mother, I also want to ask you why you are here all alone?"
She smiled faintly, but her gaze toward Tao's mother was as cold and piercing as the rain. As soon as she moved, Leng Qiao rushed into the rain, grabbed the paper umbrella from beside the tree, and returned to her side.
Just then, Tao Tao walked into the rain, and I stood beside her and held an umbrella for her.
She walked to her mother's side, took the paper umbrella from Leng Qiao's hand, and said loudly with a hint of worry in her eyes, "Mother, let's go upstairs to take shelter from the rain. The rain is too heavy."
Tao's mother squatted down, took the shovel in her hand, and then replied, "Okay!"
Back inside the house, it was fairly clean, but since no one lived there, the tables and chairs were rotting very quickly.
Even with regular cleaning, it's impossible to prevent the corrosive effects of time on items.
Tao Tao pulled her mother to sit on a chair, while she went to find the handkerchiefs she had put away and the clothes she hadn't taken with her, and took them out for her mother to change into.
Leng Qiao took a paper umbrella and went to the door to welcome Rong'er in.
Rong'er said anxiously, "Princess, you're all soaked. You need to change your clothes right away."
Seeing the clothes in her hand, he quickly took them, wanting to help Tao Tao change, but she dodged him.
"Go help my mother change her clothes. I still have her old clothes in my room. I can go by myself."
After saying that, Tao Tao patted her shoulder and walked out, with Leng Qiao quickly following behind.
"Hey! County Princess..." Rong'er saw that she had left, so she had no choice but to help Madam Tao change her clothes first. "Madam, let's go in and change."
Tao's mother turned her gaze away from outside, then nodded.
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