10 Joining forces
As soon as this thought came to her mind, she extinguished it. She would rather believe that Xiao Cixiao was ordered to provide disaster relief than to believe that he was looking for her.
Why would the man who stood by and watched the Su family's crisis, the man who had made her heartbroken, suddenly think of looking for her? It must be for something else.
Qingdai ran in with a bowl of murky water, her face filled with anxiety. "Miss Awan, are you okay? I just saw Master Xiao grabbing your hand. It scared me to death!"
"I'm fine," Su Wanting took the water, took a sip, and suppressed the panic in her heart. "He recognized the wrong person. I have already made it clear to him."
"But what if he comes looking for you again?" Qingdai said worriedly. "It's so small here, it's easy to run into him."
Su Wanting was silent.
She didn't know what to do either.
The northwest was hit by a severe famine, with refugees everywhere. She and Qingdai were penniless and could only make a living by distributing porridge to the refugees and pounding medicine for the pharmacy. They had no ability to leave.
"Let's take it one step at a time," Su Wanting sighed. "As long as I refuse to acknowledge him, he can't force me away."
But she didn't expect Xiao Cixiao to be so persistent.
The next morning, Su Wanting had just arrived at the porridge stall to help distribute the porridge when she saw Xiao Cixiao and a few followers standing not far away.
He was wearing a blue official uniform, which made him stand out among the ragged refugees.
He didn't come over, but just stood there, staring at her intently, his eyes full of complex emotions, guilt, worry, and a hint of urgency that she couldn't understand.
Su Wanting pretended not to see him and continued to distribute porridge to the refugees with her head down.
But Xiao Cixiao's gaze seemed to have weight, pressing down on her heart and making her hands tremble slightly.
"Girl, your porridge is about to spill." A refugee reminded her.
Su Wanting came to her senses, quickly steadied her hands, and handed the bowl of porridge to the refugee.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She was no longer the Su Wanting she used to be. She was now Awan.
Xiao Cixiao is an ordinary woman who just wants to live a stable life in the northwest. The appearance of Xiao Cixiao is just a small episode in her peaceful life and will soon pass.
But Xiao Cixiao had no intention of leaving. In the next few days, he would come to the porridge stall every day, sometimes standing in the distance and watching her.
Sometimes they would help the refugees move things, set up tents, and even distribute porridge to them personally.
He never took the initiative to talk to her, but he always showed up first when she needed help.
Once, the porridge shed was short of firewood. Su Wanting and Qing Dai were worried, so Xiao Cixiao brought a cart of firewood with his followers.
Another time, a refugee suddenly fell ill and the doctor in the pharmacy was not there, so Xiao Cixiao personally took the refugee's pulse and prescribed medicine. Only then did Su Wanting realize that he actually knew medicine.
Looking at Xiao Cixiao's busy figure, Su Wanting gradually felt a strange emotion in her heart.
She remembered that when she was in the Xiao Mansion, he was always cold and never cared about anything other than official business.
But now, he can humble himself, suffer with the refugees, and even take the initiative to help others.
Could it be that he really changed?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, she suppressed it. She couldn't forget his ruthlessness when her father died, and his indifference when the Su family fell.
Even if he has changed now, the damage has already been done and can never be undone.
That evening, Su Wanting packed up the porridge stall and prepared to return to the dilapidated temple, but was stopped by Xiao Cixiao.
He stood in front of her, holding a clean cotton coat in his hand, his eyes full of tenderness: "The weather is getting colder, take this cotton coat, don't catch a cold."
Su Wanting looked at the cotton coat in his hand and felt complicated.
This cotton coat is made of the finest cotton cloth with fine stitching. You can tell at a glance that it is carefully sewn.
She knew that Xiao Cixiao's salary was not much, and he needed money everywhere to provide disaster relief in the northwest. He must have put a lot of thought into it to come up with such a cotton-padded jacket.
"Sir, I cannot accept your things." Su Wanting shook her head and took a step back. "I am just an ordinary refugee. I cannot afford your kindness."
"Wanting," Xiao Cixiao's voice was a little hoarse.
"I know you still hate me, and I know I've done a lot of wrong things in the past. But I really want to make it up to you. Just give me a chance, okay?"
"Sir, I'll say it again, I'm not Su Wanting, my name is Awan." Su Wanting's tone was still cold.
"I appreciate your kindness, but please don't bother me anymore."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and tried to leave, but Xiao Cixiao grabbed her wrist. This time, his strength was very light, as if he was afraid of hurting her.
"Wanting, I know it's you," Xiao Cixiao's voice was pleading, "I remember the scar on your wrist.
You injured your arm while blocking an arrow for me, leaving this scar. Do you think I won't recognize you just because you changed your name and clothes?
Su Wanting's body suddenly stiffened. She had forgotten that there was still a scar on her wrist from when she blocked the arrow.
That scar is a testimony to her five years of painful marriage and an eternal pain in her heart.
She shook off Xiao Cixiao's hand with force, her eyes full of disgust and disappointment: "Since you remember, you should remember how you treated me back then.
My father was critically ill, and I begged you for help, but you refused; my Su family fell, and I begged you to show mercy, but you refused.
Now you come to me again and say you want to make it up to me, do you think I will still believe you?"
Xiao Cixiao looked at her, his eyes full of guilt: "Wanting, it's not that I didn't want to help you back then, I had my own difficulties.
Li Song had already noticed me at that time. If I helped the Su family, he would definitely take the opportunity to bring me down.
I thought that after I had established a firm foothold in the court, I would help the Su family overturn the verdict, but I never thought that things would develop to that point..."
"Hardship?" Su Wanting sneered, "Your hardship is watching my father die of illness, watching my brother go into exile, and watching my Su family fall?
Xiao Cixiao, you are so selfish! You only think about yourself and never consider me! "
After saying that, she didn't want to say another word to Xiao Cixiao, so she turned around and ran, quickly disappearing into the night.
Xiao Cixiao stood there, looking at the direction she disappeared, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.
In the following days, Su Wanting began to deliberately avoid Xiao Cixiao.
She no longer went to the porridge stall to help, but moved to the pharmacy, where she followed the old doctor every day to learn how to identify and pound medicine, so as to minimize the chances of meeting Xiao Cixiao.
But the disaster area in the northwest is so small that no matter how careful she is, she will inevitably meet him.
Once, she went to the back mountain to collect herbs. As soon as she climbed a small hill, she saw Xiao Cixiao standing not far away, holding a handful of herbs in his hand, as if he was identifying them.
When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he walked over quickly: "Wanting, are you here to pick herbs too?"
Su Wanting ignored him and turned around to leave, but he stopped her: "Wanting, I know you don't want to see me, but I have something to tell you."
"I have nothing to say to you." Su Wanting said coldly, her eyes full of alienation.
"Regarding the Su family's case," Xiao Cixiao's voice was filled with anxiety.
"I have found some clues. The evidence that Li Song used to frame your father will be found soon.
As long as there is solid evidence, I can overturn the Su family's case in front of the emperor, redress your father's injustice, and bring your brother back."
Su Wanting's body trembled slightly. What she cared about most was the injustice done to the Su family.
She would do anything to overturn her father's verdict and bring her brother back.
But when she looked at Xiao Cixiao, her heart was filled with doubts. Could he really do it? Or was he just trying to trick her into forgiving him?
"I appreciate your kindness, sir." Su Wanting's tone was still cold. "I will find a way to deal with the Su family's affairs myself, so you don't have to worry about it."
After saying that, she walked around Xiao Cixiao and walked quickly down the mountain. She was afraid that if she continued to listen, she would be unable to help but believe him and forgive him.
She had been hurt too deeply by him and could no longer bear any betrayal or deception.
Xiao Cixiao looked at her resolute back and felt a sense of loss.
Every day he tried hard to find evidence that Li Song framed the Su family, and at the same time he was secretly investigating the truth about the withholding of disaster relief grain funds.
He discovered that Zhang Tao's method of withholding grain money was very covert. He transferred most of the grain money to his own private treasury, leaving only a small portion to deal with the court's inspection.
Moreover, Zhang Tao colluded with some local tyrants to monopolize the food market in the disaster area, raised food prices, and made huge profits.
Xiao Cixiao knew that if he wanted to bring down Zhang Tao, he had to find evidence that he had withheld grain money.
But Zhang Tao was very cautious and hid all the accounts, so he had no idea where to start.
Just when he was at his wit's end, he received an anonymous letter, which detailed where Zhang Tao had hidden his accounts and provided evidence of his collusion with powerful officials.
Xiao Cixiao looked at the letter, feeling puzzled. Who would send him this letter? Could it be Su Wanting?
He remembered that Su Wanting helped out in the pharmacy and often came into contact with all kinds of people. Perhaps she learned Zhang Tao's secret from others.
Moreover, she was very dissatisfied with Zhang Tao. If she could bring Zhang Tao down, it would be a good thing for her.
Xiao Cixiao decided to go to the pharmacy to find Su Wanting and ask her clearly.
When he arrived at the pharmacy, Su Wanting was pounding herbs. She was wearing a coarse cloth dress, her hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, and her face was without any makeup, but it still couldn't hide her beautiful appearance.
"Wanting," Xiao Cixiao walked up to her, holding the anonymous letter in his hand, "Did you send me this letter?"
Su Wanting raised her head, glanced at the letter, and then shook her head: "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Wanting, I know it's you," Xiao Cixiao's eyes were full of determination.
"Except for you, no one else would know Zhang Tao's secret so well, and no one would want to bring him down so badly. Why don't you admit it?"
"Sir, I say again, I'm not Su Wanting, my name is Awan."
Su Wanting's tone was still cold. "Who sent you this letter? You should ask the sender instead of asking me. I have things to do, so I won't chat with you any more."
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