dognovel Chapter 456 A Cold Past
Chapter 456 A Cold Past
The process of exchanging and learning with Jin Zhanhua was very pleasant.
After calming Meng Donghua's slightly agitated emotions, Su Tianqing smiled as she watched the two newcomers practice magic on the poor, large rock, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
From Meng Donghua's (Xia Youyou's) perspective, she pieced together what happened that night.
Each breath felt like exhaling shards of ice, but the burning heat of her younger sister's body on her back couldn't melt away the chill; instead, it made the road ahead seem even longer.
It must be said that it was not a pleasant experience at all; every detail made one truly understand the terrible situation of the rabbit family.
"Why……"
The golden-haired fox girl sighed.
Putting everything else aside, just Xia Youyou's words, "Your sister broke your father's leg," were quite shocking to me.
If Xia Youyou's older sister is really Xia Taotao, then Rabbit's violent tendencies might actually be innate.
However, Xia Taotao, who is caught in the duality of violent social anxiety, actually had such an experience in the past, which made her have a deeper understanding of the fact that "magical girls all have some psychological trauma".
...I'll contact Xiaoyu and the others later. I wonder how Rabbit is doing right now.
Thinking of this, Su Tianqing called out twice to the newlyweds not far away.
"Calendula—Dream of Winter—"
"Hey! Senior Dandelion!"
Marigold immediately agreed and excitedly flew back to its owner, while Winterflower curiously approached as well.
"Let's end today's practice here. Although the astral magic storm has greatly accelerated your magic recovery speed, we still need to conserve our strength to deal with possible attacks from monsters."
"Remember to get some rest when you get home. See you tomorrow!"
"Thank you, senior—"
After exchanging pleasantries with the newlyweds and arranging to meet again the next day, Su Tianqing used her flying magic to leave the meeting place.
As she flew, the golden-haired fox girl took out her phone, switched back to Heart Moon Fox mode, and called the contact person pinned to the top of her chat list.
After the pleasant ringtone music, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Tianqing? Have you got everything sorted out on your end?"
"It's all set! Little Fish, how's Tao Tao doing?"
"Tao Tao, she..."
A brief pause,
"...Tianqing, if you have some free time now, could you come and visit?"
Upon hearing Nan Jiayu's words, Su Tianqing immediately sensed something was wrong and felt a slight headache.
What did I say again? What you fear most is what happens!
After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, Su Tianqing randomly chose an empty rooftop to land on, and immediately activated the teleportation spell.
With a flick of its tail, the fox appeared before them instantly, aided by the teleportation beacons set up by the little fish.
This is a riverside area where the river is covered with a thick layer of ice, blocking the river channel. Even though it is now spring, there is no sign of the ice melting.
On a bench not far away, the pink-furred bunny girl was curled up in a ball, her bunny ears drooping on her head.
Aurora and Fei Yelan were sitting on either side of her. When they saw Su Tianqing arrive, the petite blonde girl immediately waved and greeted her.
"Sister Tianqing—"
Upon hearing Aurora's voice, everyone followed her gaze, and Nan Jiayu, who was standing by the riverbank gazing into the distance, immediately approached the fox girl.
"How is Tao Tao?" Su Tianqing asked hurriedly.
Nan Jiayu looked troubled, glanced back at the bench, then turned back to herself, her expression seemingly saying, "Go and see for yourself."
Su Tianqing walked to Xia Taotao's side.
The rabbit girl stared blankly at the river until a golden figure appeared before her, which snapped her out of her daze.
"Ah... Tianqing... Tianqing classmate..."
"Peach."
Su Tianqing called out, and Fei Yelan quickly got up to give up her seat, pulling Aurora away from her chair as well, and standing aside to watch quietly.
Psychologists are the best people to deal with this situation; everyone has this clear understanding.
"Tao Tao, do you have a cold?... But you don't have a fever. Are you thinking about things from the past?" Su Tianqing touched the rabbit girl's forehead, which was a little cold from the wind, and said.
Xia Taotao hesitated for a long time before nodding, her drooping rabbit ears twitching twice with the movement.
"Yes... I remember now, the things I experienced in this city when I was a child..."
"But... why did I forget all this... and why...?"
"Why did I abandon her... I... I didn't want to abandon her... I should have taken her with me..."
The fragmented language barely managed to piece together two sentences that Su Tianqing could understand.
Others might be confused, but for Su Tianqing, who knew about Xia Youyou's past, Xia Taotao's words undoubtedly confirmed something very important for her:
Xia Taotao is Xia Youyou's older sister.
She was the older sister who sold the Guardian Star on a snowy night, stole money from her family, and took the seriously ill Xia Youyou to the city for medical treatment.
.
"Have a sip of water and calm down."
"Thanks……"
Taking the thermos cup from Su Tianqing, Xia Taotao took a sip of the warm water inside.
The hot water warmed her throat, dispelling the chill and offering a small measure of comfort to the rabbit girl's cold heart.
In front of her companions, the usually socially awkward bunny girl, contrary to her timid demeanor, slowly began to tell her own story.
The story outline was exactly the same as Xia Youyou's, only from a different perspective, allowing Su Tianqing to know more details.
The turning point was the moment Xia Youyou fell ill—
"...My sister is sick."
"She had severe pneumonia and a high fever. Her parents wouldn't let her go to a big hospital in the city for treatment, and the doctors at the clinic couldn't do anything about it either."
"I gave all the money I had to the doctor, but the doctor told me to take my sister to the city as soon as possible, otherwise her life would be in danger."
"I talked to my parents, and I know we still have some money at home. Although it's not enough, at least, at least we can send my younger sister to the city for medical treatment!"
"...But they rejected me."
At this point, Xia Taotao's eyes dimmed slightly.
Even Fei Yelan, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and said in confusion:
"Refuse? That's your own sister, why would your parents...?"
"..."
Su Tianqing stopped Fei Yelan and gestured for her to calm down.
Although anyone would be angry and furious upon hearing such a thing, if Xia Taotao were to continue to endure these emotions...
Fortunately, Fei Yelan noticed the situation in time and stopped talking, but her wolf eyes were already flashing with annoyance and frustration.
"But I was used to it... or rather, I was completely numb back then."
"I have many older brothers and sisters, many younger brothers and sisters, but I can only watch helplessly... watch them..."
"Just yesterday, everyone was laughing and chatting together, eating corn and steamed buns in the yard, but the next day... they'll be sold to those men in black passing by... or disappear into some alley..."
"Sometimes it's 'going to the city for fun,' sometimes it's 'getting lost by accident'..."
Xia Taotao lowered her head.
The snow crunched and swished under her feet; she seemed frozen to the bench by the heavy snowfall.
"...That night, I found a merchant in the city and sold the Guardian Star to him."
"He gave me a lot of money, but it wasn't enough... I still need more to cure my sister's illness."
"Later, I returned home under cover of darkness, opened the cabinet, and took some money."
"My dad found me and tried to hit me with a stool, but I grabbed the stool and broke his leg."
"I took my sister to the city and gave all my money to the doctor, begging him to cure my sister's illness."
"After that... I left."
"I know that if I stay here, my parents will definitely interrupt my sister's treatment and prevent her from continuing her medical care."
"I walked for a very, very long time, and I walked very, very far."
"I slipped into a passenger bus parked on the side of the road and slept in the cargo box... Was it a day or two? I can't remember."
When I woke up... I had already arrived in Chengdu.
"This is everything I've been through."
The steam from the thermos rose slowly, but it couldn't melt away the coldness in the rabbit girl's eyes.
She suddenly gave a bitter laugh, tears rolling down her cheeks and falling large drops onto her snow-covered clothes, leaving dark stains.
"...But why...?"
Why did I abandon them... and run away alone...?