She steadied herself. "Well, let's talk another time. I'm going to lunch first."
Su Yang looked up at the sky. It was gray.
"Okay."
After saying this, as if remembering something, he lowered his gaze and called out to the departing Su Baixue. "What's your phone number?"
Su Baixue hesitated for a moment, then gave it to him.
The young man took out his phone, pressed a few keys, raised his phone, and revealed a faint smile. "I've saved it. I'll call you later."
He was really beautiful when he smiled.
Su Baixue looked down and gripped her phone tightly, replying with a very soft "Mm."
That day, when Su Baixue came home, she seemed distracted. Su Cui noticed.
"Did something good happen at school today?" Su Cui asked.
Su Baixue smiled happily. "Grandma, the midterm results came out today. I got second place!"
"You weren't this happy when you got first in middle school."
"City High is full of talents. It's much better than I expected..." Su Baixue took out her test paper to show Su Cui. "But next time, I'll work harder to do even better."
"Grandma believes in you. But don't push yourself too hard. Have you made any good friends in high school?" Su Cui asked with a chuckle.
Su Baixue was stunned. Her smile gradually faded. She lowered her head and said something completely unrelated. "My classmates are all nice."
Seeing that Su Baixue's mood had improved recently, Su Cui ventured, "Baixue, you need to learn to observe. If you find someone you get along with, who is sincere and worth befriending, you can interact more. You don't need many friends, but one or two is fine."
"Mm."
...
In the evening, Su Cui once again went to the square to dance at Old Lady Li Guizhi's invitation.
Su Cui changed into a new dress she had bought. She had bought it on a whim while buying clothes for Su Baixue during her free time last weekend. To save money, Su Baixue's wardrobe had only school uniforms and two T-shirts, plain and not at all like a typical sixteen-year-old girl.
Su Cui always believed that it was better for girls to buy their own clothes. First, it helped develop a sense of aesthetics, and second, it fostered independence. But the money she gave Su Baixue, Su Baixue silently saved and never used. So Su Cui had to buy them herself. Luckily, she had always had good taste, which was completely different from the original Su Cuihua's preference for loud reds and greens. The few dresses she chose clearly made Su Baixue happy when she received them.
Choosing clothes for Su Baixue was simple—young girls looked good in anything.
But picking a dress for herself was a headache. To avoid revealing her muscles, she had to choose long sleeves and a long skirt. With the weather getting colder, the fabric had to be thicker. Most importantly, it had to flatter her figure. It took her a long time to find one.
Today was the first time she wore it out.
Even Su Baixue couldn't help but praise, "Grandma, in this outfit, you look especially kind."
"Not bad." Su Cui was self-aware.
She had also replaced the door at home with a sturdier one early on. After instructing Su Baixue not to go out at night, not to open the door to strangers, and to call her if anyone came, Su Cui finally set off with peace of mind.
She went downstairs to meet Li Guizhi, and the two of them arm in arm, happily went dancing.
Li Guizhi complimented her on today's outfit. "Cuihua, this dress is nice. It makes you look taller."
Su Cui laughed, "Where, I..."
Before she finished, Su Cui's gaze froze. She paused in her steps and looked at several men under a tree in the old community ahead. The exercise equipment in the old community had long been broken, and no young people would be around at this hour.
The men under the tree looked very unfamiliar. They were dressed plainly, but something felt off.
One of them rolled up his sleeve, revealing arms with smooth, toned muscles visible as he moved. He must have some martial arts training.
These men were very alert. Under the curious gazes of Li Guizhi and Su Cui, they actually approached and scanned the two elderly women.
Su Cui kept a straight face. She chatted and laughed with Li Guizhi as they walked by, casually mentioning, "Those men just now don't seem to be from our community."
Li Guizhi said, "I've been wondering about that too. You didn't come yesterday, so you don't know. Those people seem to be looking for something. I heard from the daughter of the eldest son of Neighbor Zhao Ma that they asked if anyone had recently sold a jade pendant, and also asked several old sisters if they knew fortune-telling. Why would anyone in our community know fortune-telling... It's really strange."
"Selling jade pendants?" Su Cui pretended to be curious. "If they want to buy jade pendants, why don't they go to a jade shop?"
Li Guizhi lowered her voice mysteriously. "Cuihua, I heard from Old Li that they don't want to buy; they're probably looking for a specific jade pendant. Old Li once overheard one of them mention a bat jade pendant."
Su Cui recalled the jade pendant she had gotten from Zhao Pengfei on her first day here. Its pattern was unique—five bats surrounding the center, which looked like a dragon and a snake.
Zhao Pengfei's jade pendant must have been seen by more than one person. It seemed that the group who had been secretly searching had found some clues.
What was meant to come would eventually come. Su Cui was not surprised.