After Wan's wife left Wan Suijin's family, Wan's second son's family became even poorer. No one washed their clothes, and they would wear the same clothes for ten or fifteen days until the collar and cuffs were worn black.
Especially since Wan Qiusui was at the age where she loved to run around and jump, every day when she came back her clothes would be covered in a new layer of mud, and she would wipe her nose with her clothes until it was almost dripping to her mouth. After half a month, both of her sleeves were shiny.
No one in the family was willing to take on the responsibility of cooking at this time, so we basically only ate two meals a day, either going out to eat or making a quick meal.
After eating, I didn't want to wash the dishes, and the kitchen became a haven for cockroaches and rats overnight. As soon as someone entered, cockroaches everywhere would disappear into the nooks and crannies like the receding tide.
With food supplies dwindling and life becoming increasingly difficult, Wan Suizhou's family kept their word and truly did not allow Zhao Damei to step inside the gate.
She often loitered near Wan Suizhou's house, hoping to find an opportunity to sneak in and steal something, but each time she ran into Zhang Xiu.
The scene of being driven out of the gate by Zhang Xiu was still vivid in Zhao Damei's mind. When she saw her, she was like a mouse seeing a cat. She quickly covered her lower back and slipped away. She failed to steal anything after several attempts.
With no other options left, the habitually lazy Wan Suijin finally agreed to take Zhao Damei out fishing to supplement the family income.
However, Wan Suijin was too lazy and did not learn basic fishing skills. He only realized that the fishing net had not been repaired for many days and was already in a terrible state after he had taken the fishing net out. He only discovered that the boat was leaking after he had rowed a long way.
Wan Suijin panicked and hurriedly ordered Zhao Damei to come and cover up the leak.
At that moment, the two were not looking at the flight path when a dark cloud suddenly surged up from the horizon, instantly shrouding the sea in a gray sky. The sea, which had just been calm, suddenly became violent and turbulent, frequently churning up waves as big as small mountains, which came from afar.
Moments later, a violent storm broke out. The wind fueled the waves, which surged higher and higher, almost swallowing a small building. When they reached you, they created an overwhelming sense of oppression.
The small fishing boat bobbed up and down like duckweed in a storm, always at risk of sinking.
Seawater rushed into the cabin, and soon half of it had filled the space. Both men's ankles were submerged in water. Wan Suijin, who was already short-tempered, was now even more flustered and overwhelmed by the situation.
"You silly woman! I called you over here to block us! Do you want us all to die here?" Wan Suijin, covered in seawater, wiped the water mist from his face and shouted hoarsely. The thunder and waves could not drown out his loud voice.
"You keep yelling 'block, block, block!' I have to keep an eye on things! Do you think I have eyes like lightning? Why don't you lower your sail? If the sail gets wet, we'll all be blown over!"
Even now, Zhao Damei still stood with her hands in her pockets, angrily refuting the argument. The two argued back and forth without doing anything. The waves rose higher and higher. When the two were arguing to the climax, the waves also reached their climax. A huge, overwhelming wave came crashing down, and the two who were arguing could not escape it and were buried under the waves.
The next day, the weather was clear and sunny. The sunshine after a storm is always clearer and brighter than usual. However, the bright and beautiful weather brought bad news. The news that Zhao Damei and Wan Suizhou had gone missing at sea while fishing soon reached Wan Suizhou's ears.
After all, he had risked his life to save his younger brother, but now he had disappeared without a trace. One unexpected event took away two adults from Wan Lao Er's family. No one knows what will become of the already loosely managed family with no one in charge.
Wan Qiusui is still young, and Wan Qiufeng has just had a fight with his wife.
Wan Suizhou paced back and forth anxiously in the room several times. Finally, he shakily took out a box from under the desk, pulled out a few silver notes, put them in his pocket, and walked towards Wan Lao Er's house.
The Wan family was even more desolate with two fewer people. If the departure of Wan's wife was like adding a layer of dust, then the disappearance of Wan Suijin and Zhao Damei was like leaving without even a layer of dust.
Before Wan Suizhou even entered the house, he was spotted by Wan Qiusui, who was sitting in the courtyard. He immediately shouted as if he had seen a ghost, "Brother! Come out and see! Wan Suizhou is here!"
Wan Qiufeng, who was inside the house, didn't show his face and was doing something. He only ordered Wan Qiusui, "Throw him out!"
Wan Qiusui accepted the order and immediately gave Wan Suizhou a hard shove. Fortunately, Wan Suizhou was still in good health, otherwise he would have fallen and needed crutches.
"Get out of here! You're not welcome here!" Wan Qiusui shouted at Wan Suizhou, showing no respect for his elders.
Wan Suizhou clutched his aching lower abdomen from the push, but before he could speak, Wan Qiusui shoved him out the front door without any politeness.
"It's all your fault! If you hadn't separated the family, would my parents have disappeared? It's all your fault! Now that they've vanished, you're pretending to come see us! Get out of here!"
Wan Qiusui cursed at her grandfather as if she had seen an enemy.
That day, Wan Suizhou returned dejectedly.
People like Wan Qiusui and Wan Qiufeng are prone to blaming others for their own mistakes.
Wan Suizhou felt a mix of emotions. His main purpose this time was to help the two of them, not to reason with them. With that in mind, Wan Suizhou decided to go again the next day.
To their surprise, when they arrived the next day, Wan Lao Er's house was already deserted; they had vanished overnight.
Wan Suizhou pushed open the door and sat in the courtyard from morning till dusk, but he didn't see any sign of the two returning. Over the next three days, he went to check on them many times, and indeed, the two brothers were gone.
Whether it was because their years together felt like a dream or because of their sudden departure without saying goodbye, Wan Suizhou felt a strange emptiness in his heart.
The news quickly reached Wanwan's ears.
At this moment, Wanwan was sitting opposite Xiao Qi's desk writing. Upon hearing the news, she stopped writing in a daze, propped her chin up, and silently watched Xiao Qi's hand as he wrote.
Xiao Qi's hands were beautiful, long and slender without any excess flesh, as white as jade. His posture when holding a pen was like that of a proud white goose. His brushwork was mature, vigorous, and flowing smoothly, always reminding Wanwan of water chestnuts, which were also white and tender, and had a sweet and refreshing taste.
Noticing that Wanwan was staring at him in a daze, Xiao Qi stopped writing, looked up, and asked Wanwan, "Wanwan, what's wrong with you today?"
Wanwan rested her chin on her hand and thought for a while, then said somewhat blankly, "Uncle Wan Qiusui's family suddenly disappeared."
She paused for a moment, a hint of melancholy appearing on her small face. "Wanwan is afraid that she might also suddenly disappear."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi's eyelids twitched, his gaze flickered slightly, and a gentle warmth filled his eyes, like sunlight shining into a dark pool that had been devoid of light for years—clear, sincere, and soft.
"If Wanwan disappears, I will do everything in my power to find her until I do."
A loving smile curved Xiao Qi's lips, his eyes softening and brightening.
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