The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Tang Xiaotao is the only daughter of Ye Shugu and her uncle.

As for the origin of the name Xiao Tao, according to historical records, or oral accounts from Ye Shu's grandmother, her uncle contracted a piece of mountain to plant peach trees in his early years. When Xiao Tao was born, the doctor said that she was weak, so he specially found a fortune teller.

The fortune teller calculated with his fingers and said that the child's five elements were lacking wood, so it would be best to choose a name that included some elements of grass and wood.

So, the name is just like that of Mr. Wuliu, "whose house was named after a peach tree that grew beside his house." His family agreed, saying that the name sounded elegant and could also supplement the wood element.

Sure enough, the child grew up to be just like a peach, with a healthy and strong physique, fair and rosy skin, and a fresh and vibrant appearance.

Ye Shu's impression of her was mostly from when she had just learned to speak.

At that time, my aunt's family still lived on the mountain, looking after the peach orchard. They didn't come down often, and Ye Shu and the others also had few opportunities to go up there.

Every time they met, this rosy-cheeked little girl would stick to him like a little tail as soon as she saw him, calling him "dede, dede" in a childish voice with a slight lisp.

Ye Shu played with the little tagalong in the yard, and the little girl followed him around happily.

Later, in order to give her a better education, around the time she was in the third grade of elementary school, her uncle sent her to the city. They stopped planting peach trees on the mountain and the whole family moved to the city to accompany the child to study.

Distance was like a thin veil, shrouding the small figure that always followed behind him, calling "dede," in a somewhat hazy way.

When was the last time we saw each other?

It seems like it was during Chinese New Year one year. She had grown taller and her slurred speech when calling me "brother" was no longer slurred, but she still liked to cling to me and chatter away whenever she saw me.

Pulling his thoughts back, Ye Shu was standing in the square outside the train station. The noise of people talking, the rumbling of suitcases rolling by, and the sound of vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes coming from a loudspeaker in the distance were making his head buzz.

He watched as a group of people walked out of the station exit, and tried to spot Xiao Tao's figure from his memory.

Xiao Nuan stood quietly beside him, her eyes still fixed on Ye Shu's face, lost in thought.

Ye Shu originally thought that picking someone up from the station was a small matter that he could handle himself, but Xiao Nuan acted as if it was only natural for her to come along, and then presented the facts and reasoned with him, insisting on being together.

Another wave of people poured out of the exit. Ye Shu squinted his eyes, and suddenly a figure walked out of the door.

A girl wearing a light-colored coat and slim-fit jeans struggled to move out from behind the turnstile, dragging a suitcase that looked heavier than herself.

As soon as she came out, she stood at the doorway, her hand in front of her brow, looking around.

She quickly spotted her brother, who stood out from the crowd in her eyes, and immediately grinned, revealing a row of small white teeth.

"elder brother!"

She waved to Ye Shu, and Ye Shu waved back.

Tang Xiaotao immediately grabbed her suitcase and ran towards Ye Shu. When she was about five or six steps away, she seemed to have really run out of steam and simply gave up. She let go, then jumped up and clung to Ye Shu.

Ye Shu was like the Water Deity whose magic weapon had been stolen by the Green Ox, with only one thought in his mind: "I was caught off guard!", when he was directly and solidly bumped into by Tang Xiaotao.

He staggered back a few steps before managing to steady himself by leaning on his waist and stance, almost falling to the ground.

"Brother! I missed you so much!" Tang Xiaotao wrapped her arms tightly around Ye Shu's neck and rubbed her head against him.

"Okay, okay... get down, get down quickly!"

Ye Shu patted her on the back and said:

"You're such a big girl now, why are you still acting like a child? You didn't pounce on people when you were little... Let go, people will laugh at you."

Tang Xiaotao then cheerfully released his grip, her feet touching the ground. She looked up at him, her cheeks flushed, whether from running or excitement, she said with a straight neck and a confident air:

"What's wrong with me hugging my own brother? Is that illegal?!"

Ye Shu finally had a chance to get a good look at her.

The girl before me was no longer the slightly lisp I remembered. She had grown considerably taller, almost reaching my shoulder. Her skin was still so radiant, fair with a rosy glow, but without any dark undertones, and her cheeks still held a touch of adorable baby fat. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail.

She was like a freshly picked peach, radiating vitality.

It's true what they say, a girl's life is full of ups and downs as she grows up... no, it's like she's transformed every eighteen years.

Ye Shu thought back to the little baby he used to carry around, and now she's grown into a graceful young woman. He felt a sense of pride, like "my daughter has grown up."

He introduced Xiao Nuan, who hadn't spoken until now, to Xiao Tao:

"Xiaotao, this is my... um, friend, Xiaonuan."

He paused, then looked at Xiaonuan:

"Xiao Nuan, this is my sister, Xiao Tao. She's my aunt's child. You haven't... oh right, you haven't met my aunt. She's like my own sister."

Tang Xiaotao had noticed Xiao Nuan standing to the side earlier, but seeing her indifferent expression, she assumed she was just a passerby. Hearing Ye Shu's introduction, she finally looked at Xiao Nuan, her bright smile fading slightly. She blinked curiously and reached out her hand.

"Hello, Sister Xiaonuan! My name is Tang Xiaotao, you can just call me Xiaotao!"

Xiao Nuan's gaze fell on Tang Xiaotao's hand, slowly moving upwards to meet her smiling eyes. There was a pause of about a second, just when Ye Shu thought Xiao Nuan would ignore the hand, she raised her own hand, quickly shook hands with Xiaotao, and then withdrew it.

"Hello, Xiaotao."

Tang Xiaotao was a little surprised by the cold response. She secretly moved closer to Ye Shu and asked in a low voice:

"Brother, does Sister Xiaonuan not like me very much?"

"No, don't overthink it. Xiao Nuan's personality is... well, calm, and she doesn't talk much."

Ye Shu couldn't find a more fitting word to describe Xiao Nuan's unique "human-machine connection" for a moment.

"oh......."

Tang Xiaotao nodded, her gaze then drifting to Xiao Nuan beside her, her curiosity intensifying. She turned her head, gestured towards the large and small suitcases next to her, and said to Ye Shu in a slightly mischievous tone:

"Brother, this is too heavy."

Ye Shu looked at her expression that seemed to say, "How can you bear to see your cute little sister dragging such a heavy suitcase by herself?" and sighed helplessly.

What else can you do but spoil your own sister?

He went over and tugged at it, but couldn't budge it! With a final pull, the suitcase finally moved reluctantly.

"My God... what did you crammed in here? Did you move your whole house? It's so heavy!"

"They're all necessities, hehe, they're all necessities."

Tang Xiaotao jogged a few steps to catch up with him, saying something as she subconsciously reached out, instinctively wanting to hug Ye Shu's arm like she did when they were little.

However, just as her hand touched Ye Shu's sleeve, she saw Xiao Nuan beside her.

Xiao Nuan's gaze seemed to be... fixed on her hand. Her gaze was calm, but it made Xiao Tao's heart tremble. She stopped moving and quietly withdrew her hand, but they continued walking side by side.

On the way to the taxi stand, Ye Shu struggled to pull the suitcase with one hand, while Tang Xiaotao, looking curious, kept sneaking glances at Ye Shu and then at Xiao Nuan. Meanwhile, Xiao Nuan's gaze remained mostly fixed on Ye Shu's face.

After walking a short distance, Tang Xiaotao couldn't hold back any longer. She tiptoed, leaned close to Ye Shu's ear, and whispered, "..."

"Bro, my mom said you have a girlfriend now, and she even brought her home a while ago, is that right...?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Nuan beside her:

"Is this Sister Xiaonuan?"

"Um...that's a good question..."

Ye Shu pursed her lips and turned to look at Xiao Nuan. Xiao Nuan's gaze remained fixed on her face, her expression unchanged.

Ye Shu replied somewhat vaguely in a low voice:

"I guess... I guess so."

He couldn't explain these complicated relationships to his sister in detail right away, especially with one of the parties involved right next to her.

"Oh~"

Tang Xiaotao received an ambiguous answer and immediately smiled knowingly. Looking at Xiaonuan, she felt a newfound intimacy, like that of a future sister-in-law, even though this sister-in-law seemed rather...unusual.

Xiao Nuan, who had been staring at Ye Shu the whole time, slowly looked away after hearing Ye Shu's reply, and instead lowered her head slightly to look at the road in front of her.

This time, however, a slight blush appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.