Splendid Twins

After Ouyang Jing left, an elderly grandmother came. Her face was pale and haggard. Every step she took seemed extremely heavy. She held a mottled cane tightly in her hand, as if it was her only support at the moment.

She stopped in front of Si Yao, her eyes slightly red, and her voice trembled with anxiety and helplessness that were difficult to conceal:

"My...my sheep is lost. I...I don't know what to do. Could you...could you be so kind as to help me?"

The crowd around initially gathered out of curiosity, but soon, a burst of laughter and discussion broke the heaviness.

"Oh, old man, you've come to the wrong place. This is a fortune-telling stall, not a place to look for animals..." someone joked.

"Yes, these days, if a sheep is lost, there is little hope of finding it again. It might have already become someone else's meal."

Another person echoed, his tone full of helplessness and indifference.

"Oh, old lady, I hope your sheep are just lost and not in trouble." Someone else sighed softly, but such sound was quickly drowned out by the surrounding noise.

Si Yao stared into the old lady's anxious eyes and said in a firm and warm tone:

"Your sheep is now in the east. If you set out now, you should still be able to find it."

"East...east?" The old lady frowned slightly and a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes when she heard this.

She had just walked past that area and was thinking to herself, that was where her eldest son's family lived, and she didn't notice anything unusual, so how could the sheep run there?

Is it because of my negligence?

Si Yao nodded silently. It’s not easy for this old lady...

Some people just wanted to watch the fun and started to make a noise:

"Old lady, let me accompany you. It's not far anyway..."

"Yeah, we're fine anyway, come on, old lady, we'll help you..."

Several curious people surrounded the old lady and headed east, as if they wanted to witness with their own eyes whether the lost sheep could be miraculously found.

Gou Huan stood aside, his eyes turned from the old lady's back to Si Yao, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said softly:

"Your skills are becoming more and more perfect."

Upon hearing this, Si Yao raised the corners of her mouth slightly, with a sly look in her eyes:

"Why, you finally admit that I'm great? But, this isn't a talent that everyone can have. You have to accept your fate."

There was a hint of joking in her words, but they also revealed a slight provocation to Gou Huan. The atmosphere between the two was tense yet with a bit of tacit understanding.

Just at this time, several little girls came together, with curiosity and longing for their fate. They walked lightly to the stall and asked Si Yao to tell their fortunes or read their palms.

Si Yao immediately put on a gentle and focused expression, and listened patiently to every girl's request, as if he could see through every subtle fluctuation in their hearts.

Gou Huan observed quietly from the side, his eyes moving between Si Yao and those little girls.

When he noticed Si Yao's extraordinary patience and attentiveness towards the female guest, a complex and indescribable emotion welled up in the depths of his eyes. It was a deep and dark ocean, hiding unknown thoughts and emotions...

After a while, the people who went to look for the sheep came back. When they saw Si Yao, they all complimented her:

"Sir, you are so good! The old lady's sheep was really found..."

"It's just that her son is a good-for-nothing. When we went there, we happened to see him holding a knife and preparing to slaughter a sheep..."

"The old lady is so pitiful. She raised sheep to nourish her paralyzed husband. Her son had a guest at home today and stole the sheep..."

"What guest? It's his father-in-law, a pig fanner..."

When everyone saw that Si Yao was not going to interrupt, the excitement died down and the noise around them gradually calmed down.

Today's stall business is over, and Si Yao starts to pack up the items on the table.

After finishing the cleaning, she turned her head slightly, and her eyes naturally fell on Gou Huan, with a hint of inquiry:

"It's getting late. I should go home. What about you? When do you plan to leave?"

However, Gou Huan's attention did not seem to be here.

His eyes passed Si Yao and locked onto the man who was walking towards them not far away. The man walked steadily and exuded an aura that could not be ignored...

Gou Huan's eyes became dark and deep at this moment, as if there were thousands of words condensed in them, but he didn't know where to start.

A complicated smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which contained both relief and imperceptible nervousness.

"See you another day, Siyao." He said softly, with a barely perceptible hint of haste in his voice.

Before he finished speaking, he turned around and left the scene even faster than usual, almost in a hurry.

Si Yao looked at the direction where Gou Huan left, and an inexplicable emotion surged in her heart.

This person... is not right...

"Yaoyao, it's time to go home."

Lu Yuan's voice was gentle and full of charm. He walked slowly over in a light blue brocade robe, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, adding a touch of elegance.

Hearing the voice, Si Yao looked up at Lu Yuan, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.

She smiled slightly, and that smile was like a flower blooming in spring, bright and warm.

"You're here." She said softly, with a hint of surprise in her tone. This man has been very busy recently and they haven't seen each other for several days.

Lu Yuan walked to Si Yao, took the things in her hand naturally, and said softly: "You have worked hard today, let's go home."

His words were simple yet powerful, making Si Yao feel extremely reassured.

The two walked side by side, the setting sun stretched their shadows long and intertwined, as if foreshadowing the inseparable bond between them.

"Is today going well?"

Lu Yuan's words were full of concern. While he was questioning Si Yao, he glanced back calmly. The man just now...

Although the glimpse was brief, it was enough for him to catch the outline of the man's face, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart...

That face seemed to have crossed paths in some corner of my memory, but it was hard to recall clearly at the moment...

Especially those eyes...

Si Yao did not notice Lu Yuan's subtle movements. She nodded slightly and replied, "It's going well, but..."

At this point, she paused slightly, as if she remembered something, but then shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present. "Nothing, just some daily trivial matters."

Si Yao's heart was like a surging ocean at this moment, with waves rising and falling.

After all, Gou Huan was the first person in this world who discovered her true identity and gave her the lightning-struck wood. The deep meaning and complexity behind all this made her at a loss as to where to start.

I couldn't help but sigh. Never mind. She was still good at hitting straight balls!

"I met someone and will tell you in detail when I get back."

Lu Yuan chuckled: "That's great, I have something to tell you too."