Chapter 30: Su Zhiluo Doesn't Like You That Much
Su Zhiluo received a message from the landlord, who said that he planned to sell the house.
The landlady is an elderly local woman whose husband has passed away. She is getting old and is going to Australia to find her daughter, who is planning to sell the house.
Land in Taipei is incredibly valuable, and even though the house is in a remote location, its reasonable price means there's no shortage of buyers.
The landlord told Su Zhiluo to be prepared.
This was so sudden. For her, that house wasn't just a simple rental; it held so many memories.
It feels like a piece of my heart has been ripped out; the pain is excruciating.
Su Zhiluo had trouble sleeping for several days in a row.
Su Zhilu checked the real estate agency website and found that the house had a high number of favorites, so it was only a matter of time before it was sold. The reason it hadn't sold yet was because the house price was too high.
Su Zhiluo texted her landlady: "I want to buy it, can you lower the price?"
The landlord knew her circumstances; anyone willing to rent her place was definitely not a potential buyer. He politely declined, replying, "Buy a bigger house later."
This matter felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat; she had to check the housing information every time, fearing that the landlord might suddenly tell her to move out.
At this time, another thing happened. Su Zhiluo went to Foshan to discuss orders. Chang Ruyin saw Liu Chengxu's parents at a nearby factory. She had a good impression of the couple and recognized them at a glance. The two of them were dressed in drab clothes and did not look as glamorous as before.
Liu Chengxu had assumed that the two of them had died outside, killed by their enemies. He never expected that they had been hiding in the factory in Guangdong all these years.
In the past, Su Zhiluo wanted them to send a letter, send some money to Liu Chengxu so that he wouldn't suffer with her, or come back to see Liu Chengxu, as he always missed them and hoped they would take him home.
Now that Liu Chengxu has finally gotten into a prestigious university and is about to graduate, some large companies conduct background checks when recruiting employees. She's worried that these two people will affect Liu Chengxu's job search. Su Zhiluo just wants to stay far away from them.
She negotiated the order very carefully, afraid of being discovered by them. After signing the contract, Su Zhiluo hurried back to the factory.
It was very sudden.
It's like everything piled up together is about to cause a major incident.
Su Zhiluo was depressed and had nightmares for several days in a row.
That night, she didn't dream of Liu Jinhuan, but of Liu Chengxu's parents blocking her at the factory, forcing her to kneel, throwing stones at her, pushing her to the ground, and whipping her back with thin willow branches.
They accused her of seducing her eldest daughter and ruining her younger daughter. Her back was in severe pain, and when she woke up, she vomited by the bedside.
At that time, she was in so much pain that she lost consciousness, as if all her internal organs had been ripped out, leaving only an empty shell.
After her lover left, Liu's parents stripped her of all her remaining dignity.
That day, she sat alone in the living room, shivering with cold. Knowing that winter was coming, she lit a charcoal brazier in the house and then lay down on the bed where she had once shared a pillow with Liu Jinhuan.
When Mingming got out of school, she noticed a strange smell coming from her house. She called Aunt Zhang, and together with several neighbors, they took her to the hospital.
Aunt Zhang said, "You should live well. Otherwise, Jin Huan will be worried sick in heaven."
She listened, tears streaming down her face, as if a ray of light shone on her, not with warmth, but as if her body was being cut by that light.
Later, Liu Chengxu came. She regarded Liu Chengxu as a kind of responsibility, hoping to lighten her guilt and not want Liu Jinhuan to worry.
After waking up, Su Zhiluo quickly got out of bed. The suffocating feeling of burning charcoal returned, and she rushed out of the rented room to vomit.
When Chang Ruyin heard the noise, she came out and asked her worriedly, "Is your stomach upset? I'll take you to the hospital."
Su Zhilu shook her head, "I just ate something bad, I'm going out for a bit."
Chang Ruyin wanted to see her off, but she refused. Su Zhiluo went to a temple, and facing the Buddha statue, she suddenly didn't know what to say. Should she ask the Buddha to protect her and Liu Chengxu's affair from being discovered?
Or should we ask the landlady to sell the house a little later?
Guilt and a vile, nasty feeling weighed on her head, and she could only pray in her heart: that the factory and the shop would go smoothly.
She was also absent-minded after she returned.
Chang Ruyin asked her several times, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk with her and give her some advice, but Su Zhiluo lost the motivation to ask others for help and couldn't bring herself to say it.
Chang Ruyin asked, "Do you really want to buy it?"
“Yes.” Su Zhiluo looked up at her and nodded.
"But it's very expensive."
Su Zhilu remained silent.
Chang Ruyin said, "...Did you discuss it with Cheng Xu?"
Su Zhilu shook her head.
Su Zhiluo knew in her heart that no one supported her buying this house. The house was too dilapidated, and there was no need to spend money on some memories.
Chang Ruyin wanted to ask, "So how do you plan to tell Liu Cheng about this?"
Seeing her distressed expression, he swallowed his words back.
A month has passed, and Su Zhiluo's condition has not improved.
Chang Ruyin said, "If you want to buy a house, I won't take any of the money I earned this year. I'll lend you all of it."
Su Zhilu shook her head and said, "You don't need to..."
“What do you mean you don’t need it?” Chang Ruyin interrupted her. “I’ve thought about it for a long time. More than the money, I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to get caught up in your emotions like you used to.”
As she spoke, she was afraid she would cry.
Chang Ruyin laughed and said, "I didn't buy you the house for nothing. When I need to buy a house in the future, you have to lend me money like this too." Chang Ruyin knew better than anyone what that rental house meant to Su Zhiluo. It wasn't just a memory; it was her home.
It was her first home.
"Buy it if you want. It's all in Taipei anyway. We can buy more when we have more money in the future. I don't want you to get upset over these things..."
*
Before Liu Chengxu graduated, she had an internship. She participated in the school's campus recruitment and found the job herself. It was with a big company. She sent her resume and went for an interview. They replied to her and said she could start the internship after she finished her classes.
Her first thought was to go to Guangzhou to find Su Zhiluo.
She visited Su Zhiluo a while ago and learned that Su Zhiluo wanted to buy a house.
She compared the salaries in both cities and found that the salary in Taipei was definitely higher than in Guangzhou. After agonizing over it for two weeks, she still chose to stay in Taipei.
She'd planned everything out. She'd work hard after graduation, she'd help pay the mortgage, and her sister-in-law wouldn't have much financial burden. The future looked bright.
Recently, she's been working on her graduation thesis. Her advisor is abroad on an exchange program, and every time Liu Chengxu messages her, the advisor says it's not working. When Liu Chengxu asks what's wrong, the advisor replies, "I don't know."
In that instant, Liu Chengxu could say all sorts of things.
The WeChat icon in the bottom right corner of her computer screen was flashing; she saw a pop-up window flickering below. Liu Chengxu couldn't wait to send a message: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I've made progress on my thesis today!"
Su Zhiluo described her various ways of saving money and her bright fantasies so vividly, but she still sent the message:
The landlady wants to sell the rental property.
Liu Chengxu typed: 【This is good news.】
She was about to send it when she deleted it and replied: "What?"
Su Zhiluo sent out her thought with only two words: 【Want to buy.】
Liu Chengxu suddenly realized something. She heard herself open her mouth and say the most sincere words from her heart, which sounded harsh and hoarse.
I disagree.
She typed: "Sister-in-law, do we have enough money? Maybe not."
She was still cautiously maneuvering, not even daring to show it, when her sister-in-law quickly replied: "The landlord didn't ask for a very high price."
Liu Chengxu replied: 【Okay then.】
Send it and then delete it.
There was no reply from the other end, so she sent another message: 【I'm going for a run now.】
She stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm going for a run."
She was alone inside, and no one responded to her.
When she came out, the cold wind blew against her cheeks.
Su Zhiluo sent a message: [Your sister said that house will be demolished in the future.]
Liu Chengxu was internally refuting this.
Do you believe it?
How many years has it been?
That place was just a rural-urban fringe area on the very edge of Taipei, a corner that even planning maps avoided.
My sister said back then that the land would be demolished and redeveloped, but the compensation would be the same for both of them. It was a lie, a way of making the best of a bad situation and sugarcoating their dire lives.
At this moment, Liu Chengxu was very clear-headed. He couldn't keep lying. What Su Zhiluo couldn't let go of wasn't the house, but her sister.
She tried to convince herself that it was okay, it was okay.
This house also holds her memories.
However, emotions cannot be suppressed.
She had told Su Zhiluo countless times that she wanted a bright house with central heating, that they wanted to live a good life and get out into the world.
A subtle ache rose in Liu Chengxu's heart.
This beautiful dream of love has finally come to an end. The morning mist has dissipated, revealing the harsh reality beneath.
She opened her bank card; most of the money she spent was the living expenses given to her by Su Zhiluo.
Over the years, they took photos, worked hard to get scholarships, and saved up 80,000 yuan from various winter and summer vacation wages.
Despite being heartbroken, she still thought that if her sister-in-law was willing to buy a house, she would definitely support her. However, like a nightmare, she just wanted to know if Su Zhiluo truly cared about her.
She sent the message with trembling fingers.
Did you buy the house because of my sister, or because of me?
It took Su Zhiluo a long time to reply: "If this house disappears, your sister will leave no trace in this world."
Liu Chengxu lost control and spoke vehemently: "But my sister is gone, why are you so stubborn?"
Su Zhiluo: [If one day I disappear, will you forget me quickly?]
Liu Chengxu fell silent.
That feeling washed over her again; between her and Su Zhiluo, once her older sister was present, she became less important.
She kept pressing down, constantly trying to control herself.
Liu Chengxu typed: 【Then, when can I wait for you, wait until we have a home, wait until you're willing to be with me?】
She didn't dare send it out; she squatted down and tied her shoelaces.
Liu Chengxu felt a sharp pain in her chest, and she had to press her hand against it as a strong feeling of nausea rose in her throat. She continued running, but her heart quickly gave way.
She stopped, panting heavily, and kept telling herself: It's okay, we need to talk things out.
But the discomfort was truly churning inside her. She couldn't get rid of it.
Finally, Meng Zhenyue found her.
"Your sister-in-law sent me," Meng Zhenyue said, walking quickly closer. "What's wrong?"
Liu Chengxu was breathing heavily, her fingers clutching the fabric of her clothes tightly at her chest. She opened her mouth as if to make an excuse, but could only manage broken gasps.
She cursed herself in her heart.
He wants his sister-in-law, but he also wants to escape the memories of her and his sister.
Are you greedy?
Liu Chengxu, how dare you so boldly and recklessly say that you like your sister-in-law?
Is she upset because of the house?
It's because the underlying pain is too intense.
Su Zhiluo doesn't like you that much.
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[Crying][Crying][Crying][Crying] This is going to be a bit angsty. After this bittersweet period, we'll be together. I swear.
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