The older woman was around forty, or so she appeared. In truth, she was not yet forty—only thirty-six or thirty-seven. But life had probably been difficult these past few years, making her look considerably older.
Even so, it was still possible to see from her face, marked by the passage of time, who Su Qiao had inherited her striking looks from.
The other person sitting beside her was a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen, with delicate, pleasant features. She wore a student haircut and had a hint of arrogance in her eyes as she looked around at the room's decorations.
Su Qiao lowered her gaze.
The girl wore a light-blue, narrow-waisted, front-fastening jacket with wide sleeves on top, and a black skirt that fell below her knees. It was the new-style school uniform.
Although disaster had suddenly struck the family, Su Yunxia had not dropped out of school. She continued her studies as before, maintaining her dignity at school.
At first, they had sold some valuable jewelry belonging to the three women. Later, they relied on the money from Su Qiao's bond of indenture, and after that, on the monthly allowance from the original body.
When the three women met, no one spoke, and the sitting room grew awkward for a moment.
In the end, the woman cautiously glanced at Nanny Wu and Yingzi beside her. "Qiao'er, could you..."
Su Qiao raised a hand to stop her, then turned to look behind her. "Nanny Wu, Yingzi, go take care of things in the room first. Check the clothes we'll need tonight."
"Sure thing." Yingzi had not wanted to stay here in the first place. She had always disliked Su Yunxia, feeling that Su Yunxia looked down on her.
In fact, Su Yunxia disliked her just as much. The