Chapter Twenty-Four: No True Love Is A Kind Of Sorrow

  The room was filled with the hustle and bustle of people, the classical music faintly audible but ultimately drowned out by the noise. Everyone was busy trying to grasp the fleeting emotions, attempting to hold on to them. Su Yisuo, however, sat dejectedly in a corner, completely uninterested in socializing.

  Shen Beiqiu sat beside her, looking at her sulky face and chuckled, saying: "Since you're here, have some fun, don't go against your own mood just because you don't like it."

  Su Yisuo shook her head and asked: "Is everyone so enthusiastic about noise and excitement?"

  Shen Beiqiu looked up at the crowd, their faces were all so excited, the sound of laughter was endless, and he couldn't help but say in a low voice: "Perhaps this is the normal reaction, it's us who are a bit abnormal."

  Su Yi lazily leaned back on the sofa, closing her eyes. "I just don't like such noisy scenes. I like to be alone, doing nothing, just quietly waiting, without anyone disturbing me or being dissatisfied."

  Shen Beiqiu smiled faintly as he looked at her, "But this way, you'll also lose many wonderful things."

  "Never had it, so no loss. At most, just some regret."

  "I just saw you and you seemed quite happy, why did you suddenly become so down? Because of that... uh, Jiang Fengchen?"

  Seeing Su Yisu suddenly open her eyes wide and then slowly close them, Shen Beiqiu's eyes were tinged with bitterness, but he still asked calmly: "You shouldn't be happy that someone has come all the way here?"

  Su Yisu turned her head to look at Shen Beiqiu and said, "Shen Beiqiu, do you know about the Rhododendron? When it's in bloom, it bursts forth with passion, its flowers clustered together like a fiery blaze, even on cold days. They're passionate, resilient, and unyielding. But the Rhododendron also has another meaning: without true love, there is sorrow. Sometimes I feel that he's just like this Rhododendron - passionate and resilient, but I dare not guess whether he truly likes me."

  Does he like you?

  "I don't know. Chasing someone with all one's might, but can that represent love?" Su Yisu slumped on the sofa, without any confidence.

  "It can't be." Shen Beiqiu nodded in agreement.

  "Jiang Zuo said it right, pretending to understand love when you don't will kill people."

  When your mood is affected by a certain person, it proves that you already like him, whether happy or sad. Care about, so worry, frown and smile, all because of feelings.

  But Shen Beiqiu didn't say these words to Su Yisou, instead he just smiled lightly and leaned back on the sofa, gazing at the noisy crowd with a casual tone: "Actually, I also like you."

  Su Yi Su smiled casually and said: "I'm not RMB, how can there be so many people who like me?"

  Shen Beiqiu smiled slightly and didn't answer.

  In the late afternoon, Su Yisu returned home and immediately called Shen Beiqiu to report her safety. No way, it seemed that everyone treated her like a child.

  Su Yi Xin was rarely at home, standing by the water dispenser filling up a bottle. As soon as he saw Su Yi Su return, his face fell and he said: "You're running around everywhere during Chinese New Year, not letting anyone have any peace of mind."

  Su Yisuo's expression turned cold, and she retorted, "You're never home all day, why don't you reflect on yourself? Now you come here to accuse me, Su Yixin, do you have the nerve?"

  "It's all right." Su Yixin glanced at her lightly and took a sip of water.

  Su Yi's face sank, she turned around and walked away, "Not bothering with you."

  "Hey, where have you gone again?"

  Su Yisu stopped in her tracks and turned around, saying provocatively: "I won't tell you."

  Shen Xiulan walked in with a plate of dishes, looked at the two people's faces, and roughly guessed what had happened. She said: "You two siblings are always quarreling? In the past it was still okay, just playing around, but now you're at odds with each other?"

  "Ask him!" Su Yisu gritted her teeth and said.

  Su Yi Xin innocently waved her hand, "I'm just being irritable, don't mind me."

  "Are you feeling irritable? You're not even on your period, what's making you so annoyed?"

  "Alright, alright, let's just drop it," Shen Xiulan hastily intervened, "Dinner is ready."

  "I'm not hungry!" Su Yisou turned and went upstairs, followed by the sound of "thud thud thud" and then a loud "bang" as she slammed her bedroom door shut.

  Shen Xiulan looked at the direction of the stairs with a puzzled expression and asked Su Yixin, "What's wrong with your sister?"

  "I don't know, maybe it's just PMS." Su Yixin replied vaguely.

  While eating, Su Yixin raised her head and glanced at the stairs with a tight frown, as if entangled in something, but ultimately pretended that nothing was wrong and continued to eat silently.

  A morbid emotional knot can make a person's mind collapse. Su Yixin thought so of herself.

  Su Yisu locked herself in her room and hid under the covers, silently nursing her anger.

  She didn't know what was wrong with herself either, clearly knowing that Su Yixin was just joking, but she insisted on making a fuss, as if there was some kind of emotion haunting her, urging her to vent. Regardless of who the other person was.

  Jiang Fengchen, how did you have such audacity, getting angry with my family for your sake.

  "I promised you I wouldn't cry or make a fuss, as long as you'd accompany me to old age..." The phone suddenly rang, Su Yisu lifted the quilt, glanced at the table, and didn't plan on answering. But the ringing persisted, Su Yisu let out a stifled sigh, got up, walked to the desk, picked up the phone, and saw that it was Mo Zilin calling.

  "Hello?"

  "Yisi, have you gone home? How could you just leave without a word?"

  "You're so busy, how can you take care of me?"

  "You don't know Jiang Fengchen..." It seemed like Mo Zilin realized something and stopped mid-sentence.

  Su Yisu didn't seem surprised either, and calmly asked: "How's Jiang Fengchen?"

  Mozhilin made a great determination and then asked: "Actually, he came specifically to see you."

  "I know." Su Yisu still spoke in a light tone.

  "So you still..."

  "Zhilin, you should understand what kind of person I am. Although I don't say anything, although in your eyes I'm just a little girl who never grew up, you should know that I'm not that kind of person. I think our friendship is enough for you to see through me."

  "Alas," Mu Zilin sighed, "it's just that we outsiders are too meddling. I simply think that when fate arrives, if you also happen to be moved, then you shouldn't let it slip away."

  "You speak as if you're an expert on emotions," Su Yisu said with a pretended air of casualness, "You're just a little kid yourself, and people say you can't fall in love too early."

  "Alright, you're such an obedient person?"

  "Not really." Su smiled tacitly.

  Mozilin sighed again, "Forget it, I won't say anything more, just leave it like this."

  "Uh-huh."

  "Su Yisu!" At this time, Su Yixin was shouting her name downstairs, straining his voice.

  Su Yisuo didn't respond and simply pulled open the door and walked out.

  "What's going on?" Su Yi Xuan walked up to Su Yi Xin and asked faintly.

  Su Yi Xian looked at her strangely, thinking of something good to say but suddenly couldn't utter a word, so he simply replied: "I called you down for dinner."

  Su Yi's eyes scanned him up and down with a hint of skepticism, "Really?"

  "Love to eat but won't eat." Su Yixin turned around and walked out of the yard.

  Su Yisu ignored him and walked into the kitchen, asking: "Mom, Dad, when are they coming back?"

  Shen Xiulan was washing dishes and heard Su Yisou's voice. She turned her head and said, "It's the end of the year, he's busy."

  Su Yisu tilted her head slightly, let out a sigh, and walked out of the kitchen to the courtyard, where she sat in a daze, lost in thought.

  Jiang Fengchen also returned home at this time, sitting in the living room watching TV with his family. The sound from the TV was endless, but Jiang Fengchen had no heart to watch it, holding his phone hesitantly, wanting to call Su Yisu, but afraid of annoying her, thinking of sending a message, but not knowing what to say.

  "After a long time, he finally asked, 'Have you returned home?'"

  Su Yisu heard the notification sound, opened it casually and took a look. Seeing that it was Jiang Fengchen, her face immediately fell. She tossed the phone aside, but glanced at it again after a moment, huffing in anger before turning away. After a while, she couldn't help but take another look, repeating this cycle several times before finally picking up the phone and responding with a simple "Hmm".

  Who am I angry with? Su Yisu looked up at the sky, her eyes becoming increasingly bewildered. Clearly wanting to get close, yet forcing herself to retreat. Wanting to be intimate, but having to endure cold indifference instead.

  Su Yisou, you're being shameless.

  "Sui Yusuo, look!" At this time, Sui Yixin walked in from outside and shouted loudly. Sui Yusuo looked towards the small iron gate, and after a long while, she saw Sui Yixin push open the door and come in, still holding a branch of radiant peach blossoms in her hand, with each blossom fully bloomed and charmingly beautiful.

  Su Yi furrowed her brow and said, "What are you doing?"

  "Our home's peach blossoms didn't bloom this year... I picked one from someone else's house and brought it back, let's put it under the window to enjoy the festive atmosphere."

  Su Yisu subconsciously glanced at the peach blossoms in the corner of the courtyard, cold and clear, from a distance, they looked like withered branches. They didn't bloom this year, she didn't know why, and new leaves hadn't grown out either.

  In the blink of an eye, Su Yixin had already inserted the peach blossoms into a bottle that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and placed it in the courtyard, leaning against the wall under the living room window. She was now tying the branches and the protective net on the window together with a rope to prevent them from falling over.

  Shen Xiulan also came out and saw this scene, saying: "Ah, what a joyful atmosphere."

  "Hey mom, you think so too, right? My son's taste is pretty good."

  Shen Xiulan suppressed her smile and nodded in response: "Yes, it's very good."

  Su Yi Xin became more and more pleased with herself.

  Su Yisu couldn't help but splash cold water on him, "Yes, peach blossoms, peach blossoms, go and try your luck with peach blossoms tomorrow, and next year give Auntie a grandson."

  Su Yixin glanced at her and said matter-of-factly: "I'll think about it carefully."

  "You guys..." Shen Xiulan smiled and shook her head.

  Su Yisu stared blankly at the peach blossom branch, thinking of someone. With peach blossoms, is there true love?

  Peach blossoms, captive of love. As the weather warms up in February, peach blossoms are blooming everywhere in the small town, some have withered, some are radiant, but the life of the peach tree in the yard seems to be dying, is this a sign of something?