The Gu family resided behind the bustling Sihui Street in Mianzhou City.
Hidden behind layers of courtyard walls, the clamor of Sihui Street did not reach the Gu residence. However, stepping out for a stroll or shopping was extremely convenient. This suited Mr. Gu's free-spirited and unrestrained personality. It also served the purpose of finding tranquility amidst the noise. Consequently, the entrance of the Gu mansion was always a thoroughfare, and it wasn't unusual for someone to stand there observing.
However, before Su Xiaoqi’s eyes landed on anyone, she recognized the carriage. Undoubtedly, the carriage adorned with intricate flowers and birds belonged to the Su family. Furthermore, judging by the familiar Xiangfei color tassels, it was Su Yu Ru's.
"Why is she waiting at the Gu family's doorstep? Hasn't she given up yet?" Du Yiyi, being close to Su Xiaoqi, was not kept in the dark about Su Xiaoqi's identity. Moreover, Du Yiyi had seen Su Yu Ru in the prefecture. She had witnessed the entire confrontation between the two. Seeing through the superficial, she realized that Su Yu Ru's true character was nothing like the gentle and lovable persona she presented. It was merely a mask she forcibly wore. Therefore, Du Yiyi felt a strong aversion towards such a hypocritical and artificial person.
As soon as she emerged, Su Yu Ru's presence was detected by Du Yiyi’s martial artist's keen senses. Without hesitation, she raised her voice to reprimand her. Don't assume that just because she was in Yizhou Prefecture, she was unaware of the happenings in Mianzhou City. She knew the Su family had sent people to cause trouble at her grain shop when Xiaoqi had just returned. She also knew that the Su family's Fuyue Inn had ceased its cooperation with her. In short, the Su family was utterly despicable.
Therefore, when her aunt planned Xiaoqi's birthday banquet this time, she had only intended to invite the scholars and the families of officials in Mianzhou City. She had specifically mentioned the troubles Xiaoqi encountered upon her return. This sparked Yu Shi's protective feelings. Yu Shi had deliberately invited families of merchants, with the aim of creating opportunities for her. Su Xiaoqi, being truly intelligent, had understood even before the intentions were explicitly stated. She interacted with people at the banquet with ease, truly not wasting her aunt’s well-intentioned efforts.
"It's alright, I'm not afraid of her," Su Xiaoqi patted Du Yiyi's hand to comfort her. Du Yiyi winked at her, indicating that she was not easily bullied either. The war with the Su family had long since begun.
After bidding farewell to Du Yiyi, Su Xiaoqi saw Su Yu Ru's carriage move and head directly towards her. The carriage stopped at the alley entrance, blocking more than half of the road ahead. Although the alley was wide enough for two large carriages to pass, it also had pedestrians to consider. If the other party didn't yield, they would have to force their way through, potentially bumping into passing pedestrians, which would be quite troublesome. At the same time, Su Xiaoqi was somewhat curious about what business Su Yu Ru had coming to find her at this time.
The carriage stopped in front of the mule cart, the opulent carriage immediately overshadowing the humble mule cart. Su Xiaoqi paid no mind to such things, merely informing Shen Yun, then asked Guo'er to lift the curtain and quietly await movement from the opposing carriage. Su Yu Ru waited in her carriage for a long while without hearing any sound from outside. She thought Su Xiaoqi's mule cart had already bypassed her carriage and left. She motioned for Yecao to lift the curtain. She immediately saw Su Xiaoqi, looking calm and serene, gazing at her not too far in front of her.
She let out a soft cry, quickly sat up straight, tidied her emotions, first glanced at the gathered crowd who had stopped due to the standoff between the two carriages, then looked at Su Xiaoqi. After mentally preparing herself for a while, she finally spoke, "Sister, I am here to apologize to you today. What happened last time was my fault. After we returned, my father, father has already lectured me. I hope, Sister, you can be magnanimous and forgive me this once."
Su Xiaoqi was taken aback. She looked at Su Yu Ru with disbelief. When she learned Su Yu Ru was in the carriage opposite, she had already envisioned countless scenarios of their confrontation. But in all those imagined scenarios, the two faced each other in anger, with tense situations. She had never expected that Su Yu Ru would come so ostentatiously, merely to apologize. Su Xiaoqi found it hard to believe, and at the same time, she felt that the current Su Yu Ru was more difficult to deal with than before. This was because she didn't know what Su Yu Ru was truly thinking.
Su Yu Ru didn't give Su Xiaoqi much time to ponder. Seeing the growing crowd of onlookers, her attitude became even more gentle and sincere. "Sister, I am sorry to you. I truly did not mean to at the time. For the sake of our sisterhood, can you forgive me?" As Su Yu Ru spoke, her eyes reddened. Su Xiaoqi remained unmoved and said indifferently, "There is nothing to apologize for between us." Their relationship had never been close; from the beginning, it was merely mutual exploitation. Later, with the Su family constantly making moves behind Su Xiaoqi's back, she believed that any affection between them had completely vanished.
Su Xiaoqi spoke the truth, but Su Yu Ru began to cry. She wept publicly. It was unclear how she controlled it; the tears gathered in her eyes, swirling, yet they refused to fall. Su Xiaoqi was curious about her demeanor, realizing what true "lítuàn dài yǔ" (beautiful woman weeping) meant, evoking pity. Soon, the onlookers began to accuse her, the older sister, of being heartless. They said that their younger sister had gone this far, and yet the older sister was still so stubborn. She truly had no awareness of being a sister.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the ever-increasing crowd around them, threatening to block the entire alley. She sighed inwardly, weary of Su Yu Ru constantly exploiting the public's ignorance of the truth between them and causing trouble behind her back. "Stop this act, Miss Su. Do you think everyone here is foolish? Ask them, how many daughters does the Su family have? Do you really want to tell them?"
Guo'er's curtain was lifted just enough to reveal Su Xiaoqi's figure, concealing Shen Yun, who sat on the other side. Therefore, Su Yu Ru was unaware of Shen Yun's presence. Upon hearing Su Xiaoqi bringing up this old issue again, she assumed Su Xiaoqi dared to do so because Shen Yun was not present. If Shen Yun were there, Su Yu Ru believed Su Xiaoqi would not dare. Without their Su family identity, Shen Yun would never marry a woman of beggar origin. Su Yu Ru was convinced of this due to the class-based education she received from childhood.
"Sister, why are you speaking like this? We, we… alas, I cannot explain it clearly. Regardless, all that happened before was my fault. I beg for your forgiveness. Also, today is your birthday. Grandmother and Mother miss you very much and hope you will come back with me." Su Yu Ru suppressed all her anger. Her beautiful, radiant face showed nothing but grievance, with no extraneous expression.
At this point, someone recognized Su Xiaoqi. They identified her as the owner of the Heavenly Granary. More pointing and murmuring ensued. They said the Su family was famous for being kind people in Mianzhou City, so how could they have a daughter like her? Su Xiaoqi felt somewhat speechless. She didn't fear a verbal spar with Su Yu Ru, but she didn't want to discuss these matters in front of so many people. She sighed, feeling that Su Yu Ru was too confident. She genuinely believed that Su Xiaoqi would let them dictate things. She thought Su Xiaoqi wouldn't dare to reveal the truth, but Su Xiaoqi was determined to prove her wrong.