Genshin Impact: Liyue's Strongest Thousand Rock Army

"Xiaoping, promise me that you won't run away again, okay?"

Su Ping still didn't answer. With his experiences in his previous life and this life, he couldn't figure out how to solve this problem. Leaving was not a solution, and getting close would be fatal.

Caught in a dilemma and with no choice, Xiao Cui's only answer was Su Ping's seemingly endless silence.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Xiao Cui opened her mouth and said bitterly: "I know what you are worried about. Don't worry, my mother and I can still move. If you stay with us, no one will be a burden to anyone.

Mom is looking for you too. If she sees you, she will feel more at ease. Just promise me, okay?"

Su Ping kept making choices and then denying the dilemma, and finally agreed just as a delaying tactic. No matter how hard he tried to hide, he couldn't escape from Liyue Harbor, so he couldn't hide.

Escaping now is not just a matter of abandoned industry, but he also has to worry about whether the mother and daughter will be in danger because of looking for him.

The cost of running away again is too high, he doesn't dare to choose it.

When Xiao Cui heard her brother promise that he would not run away again, joy appeared on her face, as if all the loss of appetite in the past few days had disappeared as if it no longer existed.

Ningguang, who had been standing by the door, looked at the silly woman and sighed in her heart. Then she glanced at the equally silly boy and shook her head slightly.

"These two siblings, one is afraid of dragging the other down, the other is not afraid of dragging the other down, neither of them really thinks about themselves, it looks silly... but it's also very good."

She once had family warmth, but it was no longer the same as before and had become a memory of the past. She could not bear to see the affection between the siblings anymore and left the room.

Come quietly, go quietly, leaving no trace.

One of the two people in the room was weak, and the other was confused, so of course they didn't notice that someone was leaving quietly.

At Xiao Cui's urging, Su Ping pulled a stool and sat down, then listened to her talk about everything that happened after Su Ping left that day.

After the village was destroyed, all the residents of South Village moved to an old housing area in the north of Liyue Harbor under the arrangement of the General Affairs Department. Although it was old, at least there was no danger of collapse.

For someone who has just lost a home, having a roof to shelter from the wind and rain and a wall to isolate from others is enough.

The General Affairs Department also arranged jobs for the residents who survived these disasters, so they would not starve to death on the streets or worry about how to survive in such a large commercial port.

Of course, in addition to this, all the houses in Nancun were destroyed, and most of the residents’ property was lost and could not be recovered.

Therefore, in order to appease the victims, the General Affairs Department even issued subsidies, and all villagers whose houses were destroyed could receive some money.

This is also to ease the pressure of rent in the old housing areas. After all, the General Affairs Department cannot pay their rent for a lifetime. Once they have some savings, they should support themselves.

Such an arrangement can be said to be an act of great kindness, taking all aspects into consideration. Unless one is a lazy man or a complaining woman, few people will complain about their fate.

Xiao Cui was eager to find Su Ping in order to return the money that belonged to her brother to him as soon as possible.

"I put the money in my new home. I'll get it later. Don't refuse to take it." Xiao Cui smiled bitterly and said, "I can't refuse you now."

Su Ping waved his hand and said calmly: "You know I won't take it, why are you still saying this? You and Aunt Zhang need this money more than I do, so you should take it!"

"No, this money belongs to you. I can't just keep it for myself because I know you won't take it. And you can't think that we need the money more than you because of other things."

Xiao Cui, who had read a little but never been to school and even relied on her younger brother to learn how to read, said something very true.

Yes, we cannot say nothing or do nothing just because we know the truth, nor can we judge others’ actions based on our own opinions.

Su Ping's head was buzzing, as if countless thunders were exploding in it, making him instantly clear-headed, yet also feeling very heavy.

Shaking his head, Su Ping could only nod reluctantly, because if the other party could give it to him, he could also give it to the other party. At that time, he would just have to talk about it, and there was no need to waste energy on it now.

"Sister Xiao Cui, where is Aunt Zhang now? I have to go find her."

"If mom isn't at the new house right now, she should still be out there looking for her. Help me up, and let's go look for her together."

Su Ping's eyelids twitched, and he quickly shook his head and said, "No, you fainted just now, I can go by myself."

"You don't know the road over there, what if you go the wrong way? I'm not as fragile as you think. I'll be fine after a short rest. Help me up!"

Xiao Cui waited for a moment, and seeing that Su Ping was unmoved and even turned to leave, she had no choice but to prop herself up with her hands. Just as she said, he was not that fragile, and she was able to stand up straight and support herself against the wall.

Su Ping stood by the door and did not step out, because before he left, another person came in with a large tray in his hand. Inside were two bowls of rice, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup.

The person serving the tea was the optimistic and cheerful Bai Shi. She smiled softly and said, "Miss knows that you two haven't eaten yet, so let me bring some over. If it's too hot, eat it quickly!"

Su Ping said "oh" and turned around to help Xiao Cui behind him to sit on the chair. Then he took the tray and put it on the table.

Bai Shi came to deliver food. After completing the task, he had no intention of leaving. He pulled a chair in the room and sat down.

Xiao Cui looked at the boy on the table and said resolutely: "After you finish eating, I will go with you!"

Su Ping lowered his head and ate his meal. He neither agreed nor refused. The people he had dealt with in his two lifetimes were most afraid of such a choice, where they were closely related and he could neither agree nor refuse too much.

Of course, having such a choice is always better than having no choice at all.

After dinner, Xiao Cui's pale face looked a little better. At least she no longer looked terminally ill and looked like a healthy person.

Su Ping told Bai Shi that he and Xiao Cui were going out for a while and would be back late, so the door of the grocery store could be closed directly and he could just go through the door of the small shop.

"Okay, go ahead. I'll tell the young lady." Bai Shi waved his hand and sent the two people off. Then he murmured to himself, "How did he know that the shop would keep the door open for its own people no matter how late it was?"

The owner of the grocery store is Miss Ningguang, and Su Ping is the owner of the shop next door. The two are partners, so it is normal for them to know this.

But in the eyes of the young girl, everything was very unusual. For example, she could taste something different when Su Ping and Ningguang occasionally greeted each other.

Perhaps it was because she was in love for the first time but had no way to express it, so she liked to watch other young couples exchanging glances and showing off their affection in front of her. Although she looked disdainful on the surface, she was actually very envious.

……

Getting back to the point, when Su Ping and Xiao Cui arrived at the old house in the northern part of the city, it was already late. Most of the residents here were workers and went to bed early, so there were no lights on and the roads were rather dim.

But the two of them, who grew up in the countryside, were accustomed to such scenes, so walking was not difficult for them. Moreover, the stone slab road was much easier to walk on than the bumpy mud road.

Xiao Cui grabbed her brother's arm and walked in front to lead the way, going up one staircase after another, and finally stopped in front of the first door in a corridor and said, "This is it."

After saying that, she took out the key and opened the door. Fortunately, Aunt Zhang was sitting there, quiet and peaceful, but she looked tired and it seemed that she had just returned not long ago.

Xiao Cui pulled Su Ping into the house, closed the door, glanced at the boy next to her, and shouted, "Mom, look who's back?"

"Who..." Aunt Zhang turned her head and, with the help of the flickering light of the oil lamp, she could barely see a young man standing next to her daughter. The young man's appearance was one of the people she could not forget.

"Aunt Zhang." Su Ping lowered his head and did not dare to raise it.

Aunt Zhang sighed, then wiped her face to make her vision clearer. She looked around to make sure there was no one else except the two of them, and then confirmed again carefully.

Aunt Zhang was very sure that she was not mistaken. There were only two people standing there. She asked in a trembling voice, "Where is Su boy?"

"My dad, on that day, also..."

Su Ping didn't say it explicitly, but Aunt Zhang understood. She immediately leaned back against the back of the chair, as if all her strength had been drained out.

There was only sadness in Xiao Cui's eyes. She had understood since she found Su Ping earlier but not Su Yue. However, she thought that the truth was that Brother Yue also died in the rock dragon lizard disaster, which was not the real truth.

"Su Ping, come here." Aunt Zhang looked very sad, and even her voice was hoarse, no longer as loud as before.

Su Ping walked over obediently, squatted on the ground, and looked quietly at the middle-aged woman opposite him, waiting for the next words.

Aunt Zhang also looked at the child, no longer as peaceful as before, and gritted her teeth and scolded: "You self-righteous child, you think you are so powerful and impressive by leaving Zhang Qian and walking away, right?

Do you know that your sister Xiao Cui couldn't eat the whole day because she wanted to find you? She went to the General Affairs Department all day to ask if there was any news about you and whether they had found you!

"Don't think that just because you've made money and your business is booming, you can leave your aunt and your sister behind. You're only thirteen, a little kid, don't run around outside, remember that!"

Xiao Cui was listening at the side and couldn't help but gently pull her mother's collar on the back, indicating that she was going a bit too far and that after all, she still had to save some face.

Aunt Zhang turned a deaf ear to it. She had lived longer than Xiao Cui and knew that those who wanted to accomplish great things must first have a good temper. If Su Ping got angry or became devastated by this, he would no longer be the little prodigy that everyone praised.

The fact was just as Aunt Zhang thought. Su Ping was not angry, nor did he show any signs of doubting himself. It was just that he was not a person who could do big things and accomplish big things.

But it was because he felt great to be taught a lesson by Aunt Zhang.

Su Ping laughed, and laughed happily, like a fool with a broken head. He was obviously scolded, but he still laughed so happily. To outsiders, it was simply incomprehensible.