Li Jia stared at Emily for a moment, then nodded slightly with a faint smile. "Alright, since you don't want to go back with your older brother, then I'll respect your decision. Before I leave, could you accompany me for a walk around here? It would be a shame not to explore more since this is my first time in Florence!"
After Li Jia finished speaking, she looked at Ai Sihai and said, "King Ai, this is Florence, not China, but you are Chinese. The Dragon Dance Party should also be attended by Chinese people, right? You should not forget Chinese etiquette and manners. Tomorrow I want to walk around Florence with Xiaoyue, and then I will leave here. I hope you can protect Xiaoyue and not let her suffer any more harm. Otherwise, no matter who it is, I will make them pay the price!"
Ai Sihai could clearly feel the icy chill emanating from Li Jia, and Li Jia's words made him realize something: Li Jia really only came for Emily, and he had absolutely no interest in the Dragon Dance Party.
“Alright, in that case, we’ll take our leave now. I’ll send someone to bring Xiaomili here tomorrow. You two siblings can enjoy yourselves here.” Ai Sihai pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Thank you, Dragon King!" Li Jia nodded and replied softly.
“Dad…you…” Hearing Ai Sihai’s words, Emily was surprised. Although she could feel that Li Jia was her family, it was a different feeling to hear it from her own father. She looked at Ai Sihai, then at Li Jia, and finally followed Ai Sihai out of the hotel with Li Jia’s smile.
Lying in bed, Li Jia thought a lot. She understood the reasons behind Emily's reaction. If she were in Emily's shoes, she would instinctively choose her father over a father who had raised her for over a decade, and someone who suddenly appeared claiming to be her brother. Over a decade of companionship had become a habit, so Emily's reaction and decision were understandable.
The next morning, Emily arrived at the hotel in a brand-new tracksuit and, together with Li Jia, began sightseeing in the beautiful city.
"Big brother, do you know what the most beautiful places in Florence are?" After a peaceful night, Emily had accepted Li Jia as her older brother. As long as her life remained unchanged, having another older brother didn't matter. So, Emily was in a relaxed mood today, walking along the streets of Florence and asking Li Jia's question while holding his arm.
"Hehe. Although I've never been here before, I do know a little bit. The Florence Cathedral should count as one, right? There's also a bell tower next to it, I think it's called Giotto's Campanile. And there's Piazzale Michelangelo, the Ponte Vecchio, and so on. How about that? I know all of these can be considered beautiful places, right?" Li Jia answered with a smile, listing a string of places. Actually, Li Jia had been here several times before, but of course, she wasn't here for tourism.
"Big brother, you're amazing! But why do I feel like you're very familiar with this place?" Emily looked at Li Jia and answered her question without hesitation, then stared into Li Jia's eyes and questioned him with a smile.
"I saw it at the hotel. There was a guidebook for Florence there. It had information in it," Li Jia replied seriously, looking at Emily's happy and cute expression.
"You passed! Let's go to Piazzale Michelangelo first. We can get a great view of Florence from there, and we can take some pictures at the David statue!" Emily said, pulling Li Jia towards Piazzale Michelangelo. They skipped and hopped along the way, extremely happy.
Piazzale Michelangelo is located on a high point at the southern end of Florence. Standing on the square, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. When Li Jia and Emily arrived at the square, the first thing they saw was the more than five-meter-tall bronze statue of David standing in the square. There were already many tourists taking pictures around the statue.
"Big brother, hurry up! Let's take pictures too! I want to take a picture with you!" Emily became excited as soon as she saw the crowd taking pictures in front of the David statue. She grabbed Li Jia's hand and ran to the photographer. "We want to take a picture together!"
After saying that, she pulled Li Jia to stand in front of the bronze statue. She tried a few poses but was not satisfied. Finally, she jumped up and hugged Li Jia's neck with both hands, hanging on Li Jia's body. At this moment, the photographer quickly took a few pictures and handed them to Emily. Emily happily took the pictures and looked through them one by one.
After taking the photos, the two stood at the edge of the square, looking down at the city. "Xiaoyue, do you know who your relatives are besides your older brother?" Li Jia, now calm, looked quietly at the distant cathedral and asked Emily softly.
Emily shook her head. "I don't know. From the time I can remember, I've lived in this city. The only people I've ever seen are my father and a few uncles... my older brother... is my mother still alive?" Emily's voice became barely audible as she finished speaking.
“Mom is gone. She passed away not long after you were born. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. Your older brother left home before you were born to find your father, who had run away and whose fate was unknown. He only returned to China recently and reunited with your other older sisters and brothers. Now that you and I have been found, we are hoping that our family can truly be reunited. However, your older brother respects your decision. He only hopes that if time permits, you can go back to China to visit your sisters and brothers, and then burn some paper money at Mom’s grave so that she can see you from heaven.” Li Jia looked at her younger sister, her voice filled with emotion. Emily’s reluctance to return to China left Li Feng with a slight sense of regret.
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