Chapter 25: The Brother and Sister's Quarrel

  Before long, it was New Year's Eve, and Gu Rong Town was decorated with lanterns and streamers everywhere. Su Yixin and Su Yisu were woken up early by Mr. and Mrs. Su to sweep the door, remove dust, clean the courtyard, paste spring couplets, and change the door gods, busy but happy.

  Su Yisu took advantage of the gap to wipe the sweat from her face and complained: "Everything has to be done today, it's too busy!"

  Shen Xiulan was sweeping the yard when she heard this and smiled in response: "You come every year, it's always the same."

  Su Yisu muttered under her breath: "I'm just venting."

  Su Yi Xin was stepping on the ladder and pasting spring couplets, seeing Su Yi Su distracted, couldn't help but shout: "You hold the ladder steady!"

  "Got it!" Su Yisu said gruffly. He raised his head to take a look at the Spring Festival couplet and suddenly shouted again, "Su Yixin, you've stuck it on wrong!"

  Su Yixin wiped away the last bit of empty space and then lowered her head to ask: "What's wrong?"

  "Ups and downs, you don't know, right? Science students can just mess around!"

  "What's with the ups and downs? It doesn't make any sense." Su Yixin came down from the ladder, entered the living room to paste another one.

  Su Yisu followed him in, furious and stamping her feet, "The last word of the upper couplet is a falling tone, the last word of the lower couplet is a flat tone, and ancient people's couplets are read from right to left. How dare you say you didn't paste it wrong?"

  "What's with all these troubles!" Su Yixin grumbled and reluctantly went out to take down the newly posted Spring Festival couplets.

  After sticking the Spring Festival couplets and door gods, Su Yu had just finished the last bit of business and returned home. Seeing the festive Spring Festival couplets by the door, his mood became even more joyful, and he laughed loudly: "Good, good, good, it's New Year's again, and we've safely passed another year."

  Shen Xiulan took the document bag from his hand and said with a scolding tone, "You speak as if you're living in constant anxiety."

  "Indeed!" Su Yu felt even more emotional, "Fortunately, everything has been resolved smoothly."

  "Alright alright alright, from now on we will all be safe and sound, happy and joyful."

  "New year, new atmosphere, yeah!" Su Yisuo was also excited at this time, holding the incense stick high in her hand and letting out an excited shout.

  Su Yixin glared at her, pulled down her hand, leaned over to apply some perfume, and said coldly, "When doing things, you must focus, do you understand?"

  "Yes! Brother!" Su Yisu retorted with a changed tone.

  After dinner, the whole family stayed in the living room and didn't go anywhere, just sitting and chatting. The TV was on, but nobody cared whether they were watching or not, every channel that was randomly opened was filled with the atmosphere of the New Year.

  "Susu, after the New Year you'll be 18 years old, an adult. Daddy can't control you too much anymore. Daddy promises you that from now on you can do what you like, live the life you want, and walk the path you desire, as long as it's not too excessive, Daddy will never stop you."

  "Hurray!" Su Yisou heard this and was so excited that he immediately jumped up, ran over and gave Su Yu a warm hug, "Long live Father!"

  Su Yi Xin was dissatisfied and said: "Dad, why don't I get this treatment? I'm also eighteen!"

  "Because you still have to take on the responsibility of protecting your sister."

  Su Yixin let out a soft, cold snort, pretending to be heartbroken, and said: "I only saw half an hour more of the world than her, but because of this half hour, I have to take on such a huge responsibility, it's so unfair!"

  Shen Xiulan smiled and said, "Who made you a brother."

  Upon hearing this, Su Yixin suddenly became evasive and said: "Then I'll just be your younger brother."

  Su Yixin raised an eyebrow and winked at him, deliberately provoking him, saying: "You're the first to come out, obediently admit defeat, haha..."

  Su Yixin was extremely worried and turned to ask Su Yu: "Crazy, Father, are you sure she won't cause trouble?"

  Su Yu smiled and jokingly said: "If something happens, you can just help her clean up the mess."

  "What's going on!" Su Yixin also cried out.

  "Hehe," Su Yisuo smiled mischievously at Su Yixin, making a face at him. "Then I'll have to rely on my dear brother to take good care of me from now on. Love me and protect me, if I encounter any disaster, remember to stand in for me, without complaint or regret, till death do us part~"

  "Hmph!" Su Yixin snorted coldly.

  But they won't know that these words will become a prophecy many years later.

  Seeing this scene, Shen Xiulan couldn't help but shake her head and laugh: "You guys are all just big kids who never grew up."

  "Mother," Su Yisu said, shaking Shen Xiulan's hand in the past, "then you can spoil us a bit more."

  "Little devil!" Shen Xiulan doted on Su Yisou and poked her forehead.

  It was still far from dawn, and Su Yisou was already sleepy, sitting on the sofa and yawning continuously. Shen Xiulan urged her to go to sleep, Su Yisou hesitated for a moment, and finally dragged herself upstairs.

  In the midst of the haze, the bell rang out in the early morning, and the ancient town was filled with firecrackers and fireworks that shook the sky. Su Yisuo woke up in a daze amidst the joyful noise, put on his coat and went downstairs to see his parents and Su Yixin setting off fireworks in the courtyard. Suddenly energized, he ran over and shouted: "Su Yixin, give me the lighter, I want to set some off too!"

  Su Yi Xin refused, "Stop messing around, hide behind me!"

  "I won't!"

  Su Yi had already lit the fuse of the firework and was about to retreat when he saw Su Yu still behind him, so he hastily pulled her back and shouted: "Didn't you hear me tell you to move back? What if you get hurt by the sparks?"

  Su Yisu was pulled along, stumbling and staggering, looking very wronged, saying: "Can't I even have a little fun...?"

  "Nonsense!"

  "I'm not a kid!" Su Yisou also shouted back.

  Shen Xiulan and Su Yu rushed over to separate the two, saying: "Okay, okay, it's New Year's Day, don't quarrel, let's watch the fireworks."

  Su Yisu was still unwilling to accept it, and didn't know what she was venting about. She was still full of anger, "He's eighteen years old, I'm also eighteen years old, why can't I let go? It's not like I'm a three-year-old kid!"

  Su Yixin's face turned increasingly ugly as he furiously shouted: "You're being completely unreasonable! You're so old yet you still won't let people have a peaceful life!"

  "Who is being unreasonable? You still have the nerve to say I am?"

  "That's enough!" Su Yu also shouted loudly, "Everyone go back to sleep!"

  Su Yisu felt more and more wronged, choked back a sob, gave Su Yu a resentful glance, then fiercely glared at Su Yixin before suddenly turning around and going upstairs.

  That edge of the sky, fireworks are still blooming brightly, one after another beautiful flowers, illuminating the entire seven-color sky. The deafening sound continues to impact everyone's ears, and the faint laughter of neighbors is still transmitted. At this moment, Su Yixin also dispersed without joy. No matter how festive the outside world was, the house was quiet, Su Yu and Shen Xiulan looked at each other, sighed, cleaned up the fireworks that had not been ignited in the yard, and closed the door.

  Su Yisu lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She thought about what had just happened and felt increasingly wronged. Finally, she sat up, crawled to the head of the bed, picked up her phone, logged onto QQ, and chatted with a net friend who was used to staying up late.

  Who would have thought that at this time, everyone was not around, gray avatars lined up one by one, even the bright ones had no response. At this time, probably, everyone was setting off fireworks... Su Yisu only then felt what loneliness was.

  There is no one to confide in.

  At this time, there was a verification message in QQ, Su Yisu hurriedly opened it to take a look - from an unfamiliar girl. Su Yisu didn't think twice and agreed, just like the wet clothes of the lonely sunflower princess who crawled to the other side of the river, only wanting to find someone to warm up with, no matter who that person was.

  "Hey, aren't you sleeping?" The girl quickly sent a message back.

  "I think many people haven't slept at this hour, right?" Su Yisu replied bitterly.

  "But shouldn't we be watching fireworks instead?"

  "All I can say is that it's very unusual."

  "Hehe......" The girl sent a string of silly smiles, "Interesting."

  After a while, she sent another message: "My name is Tan Zi Yao, what about you?"

  Ugh…… Su Yisu silently covered her forehead, so fast? Su Yisu rarely reveals her true information to netizens, especially those she has just met. Yet many netizens like to investigate the other person's situation in the first instance, what's their name, where are they from, where do they study, and so on. For people like that, Su Yisu would definitely block them without hesitation.

  But this girl was a bit different, she introduced herself first before asking, with a bit more sincerity. So Su Yisuo couldn't hide it anymore and honestly replied: "Su Yisuo."

  "What a elegant name! People say that one's name reflects their personality. I guess you must be a very gentle girl?"

  Su Yisu let out a "heh" and smiled, "But what if I'm the opposite?"

  "Wow, it turns out you really can't judge a person by their name."

  Su Yi smiled slightly and changed the subject: "Why don't you go watch the fireworks too?"

  "Lively? I haven't felt this way in a long time."

  "What? What?" Su Yisu was very puzzled.

  I'm an orphan.

  Su Yisu felt very guilty, "Sorry..."

  The other party sent a smiling expression, "Nothing, I've been used to it for a long time."

  At that moment, Su Yi Xin was also lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He had been thinking about why he had been losing control and snapping at Su Yi Su during this period of time. Many times, things could have been resolved with just a joke, but instead, they ended up becoming awkward.

  His mind suddenly recalled the term "sister complex", Su Yixin's headache worsened, holding his head and trying to control himself not to think about it, but this idea came more and more fiercely, controlling his thoughts, his heart.

  In order to prevent this feeling from getting out of control, he would intentionally or unintentionally lose his temper with Su Yisuo, just to prove that he wasn't so fond of her after all. Was this a psychological problem? Su Yisuo gazed at the top of the mosquito net in confusion, silently asking himself.

  Is it like this? It's as if there is a knot in my heart, and the more I try to untie it, the tighter it becomes.

  It will be fine. He could only comfort himself like this.

  The laughter and firecracker sounds outside the window still lingered on, but to Su Yixin, they were so sarcastic.

  What a festive and yet desolate night!