The stairwell of the old building was crowded from morning. Boxes stacked by the Su family's door, furniture being pushed out into the hallway, and the hum of a truck outside drew curious eyes from every floor.
"Old Su, you're really leaving today?" Auntie Zhao asked, leaning on her cane.
"Yes," Lin Mei replied with a polite smile. "To Riverside."
"That place is first-class," Auntie Zhao said warmly. "Your family is blessed. Congratulations."
Not everyone sounded as kind.
Another neighbor ran a hand along the discarded bed frame. "Still usable. You're throwing this out?"
Lin Mei hesitated, then answered softly, "We've replaced them."
The man raised his brows knowingly. "Riverside and all new furniture? Elder Brother Su must have hidden savings for years."
Whispers grew as the sofa, worn and sagging, was carried into the stairwell. Some neighbors accepted pieces gladly, others only muttered.
"Who knew Old Su had that much put away?"
"To buy in Riverside… and furnish it outright…"
"They look ordinary, but clearly not simple."
Su Weiguo kept his head down, carrying box after box without explanation. Lin Mei flushed at the attention but said nothing. Wanqing stayed in the background, her expression calm, letting the talk wash over her. Let them think it was Father. That is safest.
---
By midday, the truck arrived at Riverside Apartments.
The building rose clean and gleaming, glass reflecting the sunlight. The lobby smelled faintly of polish and fresh paint. An elevator carried them up, and when the doors opened, the family stepped into a hallway lined with wide doors and soft lighting.
Inside their apartment, the movers had already arrived with the furniture. The living room opened into a wide space with marble flooring and French windows leading onto a balcony. Beyond, the river stretched bright and endless.
The sofa was set neatly facing the view, the dining table laid out under the light. In the bedrooms, wardrobes gleamed with smooth sliding doors, and the mattresses were thick and firm. The refrigerator hummed quietly in the corner of the kitchen, where stone counters and modern fittings gleamed. Even the bathrooms shone with glass partitions and silver fixtures.
For a moment, the family stood frozen.
Lin Mei walked slowly to the dining table, trailing her fingers over the smooth oak. "It's too fine," she whispered. "As if it doesn't belong to us."
"It does," said Su Weiguo quietly. He stepped out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing. "We worked, we saved. Now we live properly."
Su Ning darted from room to room, his laughter echoing in the bright space. "My bed doesn't squeak! And I can see the bridge from my window!"
Even Lin Mei, who had resisted, couldn't hide the soft pride on her face as she ran her hand along the polished surface of the wardrobe.
---
That evening, they sat together at the new dining table. Bowls of noodles steamed in the warm lamplight.
"Our first meal here," Lin Mei said softly.
"It feels different," Su Ning grinned. "Like eating in a hotel."
Even Su Weiguo allowed a faint smile. "Solid. It will last."
Their laughter filled the apartment, light and unburdened.
---
Later that night, when the others had gone to bed, Wanqing stood on the balcony. The river shimmered in the dark, its current endless and steady.
Her gaze was calm, but inside her chest, memories stirred — fragments of voices, shadows of faces, moments she could never erase. Pain too sharp, humiliation too bitter, a grief that had carved itself into her very bones.
She gripped the railing tighter, her knuckles pale.
That was one life. This is another.
The wind carried away her whisper, soft but unshakable.
This time, no one will touch my family. And the one who once thrived on our ruin… this time, you will not even rise.
The river lights flickered like distant stars, and in the glass, her reflection stared back at her — quiet, ordinary to anyone else, but burning with secrets too deep to name.
---
✨ End of Chapter 8 ✨