Chapter 100 Zhao Zhao is Ten Years Old

"Okay, I'll bring you here every year." Lu Yuan reached out and ruffled Lu Yinzhao's hair, his eyes gradually curving into a smile.

Looking into his younger brother's adoring eyes, the young man's eyes held a hint of tenderness.

After the break, Lu Yuan took them to play on the "snow banana boat".

It was an inflatable boat shaped like a banana being towed by a snowmobile, gliding rapidly across the flat ground.

After Lu Yinzhao settled down, Bian Ji pulled him tightly into his arms from behind.

"Hold on tight, speed it up!" the staff member reminded.

As the snowmobile started, the cold wind whistled past his ears, and snowflakes splashed on his face. Lu Yinzhao shouted excitedly, "Wow, so fast! Ahhh!"

Seeing the baby in her arms so happy, Bian Ji also laughed out loud.

Their laughter mingled together and drifted far away.

Lu Yinzhao wasn't satisfied after playing once, so Lu Cheng and Lu Yuan each took turns holding him and playing with him twice more.

"Don't just stick to one project; there are other fun projects to come."

Lu Yuan's words brought Lu Yinzhao back to her senses, which had been caught up in the moment.

After that, they went to ride on "snow tires," which are toys made from inflatable tires.

The tires were connected in pairs, and according to their weight, Lu Cheng and Lu Yuan sat together, while Lu Yinzhao and Bian Ji sat together.

With a push from the staff, the two teams slid down the gentle slope.

"Zhao Zhao, we're faster than you!" Lu Cheng and his friends overtook Lu Yin Zhao as they slid down the slope, and he deliberately turned his head to greet the two children.

Lu Yinzhao wasn't going to compete with this childish guy in speed. He gripped the handrails on both sides of the snow tube tightly to avoid tipping over.

They then enjoyed several more snow activities, and after having a great time, they took a cable car ride.

The cable car slowly ascended, and the snow scene outside the glass windows gradually unfolded.

Lu Yinzhao deliberately pressed his face against the cold glass, looking at the snow track beneath his feet as a winding silver ribbon.

Bian Ji noticed that some snowflakes from when Lu Yinzhao was playing in the snow were still stuck to his bangs, so he reached out and gently brushed them off for him.

Lu Yinzhao's clothes and cuffs were damp to varying degrees, and Bian Ji couldn't help but ask, "Are you cold?"

"It's alright." Once Lu Yinzhao got into the game, she didn't even notice the cold.

Lu Yuan said, "When we get back to the hotel, everyone should have a cup of ginger soup. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Lu Yinzhao and Lu Cheng exchanged a glance, neither of them having any objection to Lu Yuan's words.

They remembered the time they caught a cold while playing in the snow. Lu Cheng had to be held down and given an injection that time, and he didn't want to go through that again.

Because of his slightly weaker immune system, Lu Yinzhao gets colds of varying degrees every winter. Although they are never too serious, the symptoms of nasal congestion and coughing make him feel uncomfortable, and he doesn't want to catch a cold easily.

As we approached the summit, the cable car swayed slightly before coming to a stop at the platform with a "click".

Lu Yuan went down first and reached out his hand, "Come on, Zhao Zhao, slow down."

Lu Yinzhao jumped off the cable car, turned around and reached out his hand to the person inside, "Brother."

However, there were two hands that came to hold.

Lu Cheng and Bian Ji's hands collided in mid-air, and they both froze.

Then they all said in unison, "He was calling for me."

"..."

Lu Yinzhao was embarrassed. He called out to Bian Ji, but if he were to reveal the truth now, wouldn't that be too cruel to his fourth brother?

So the little hand unconsciously withdrew and quietly put into the pocket.

Lu Yuan called out from the front, "Hurry up and get down, we're leaving."

Lu Cheng and Bian Ji turned their heads away, no longer looking at each other.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Bian Ji, now a teenager, seemed to have a more aggressive look in his eyes, and Lu Cheng could no longer treat him as the little boy he used to be.

Lu Cheng shook off that strange thought, looked at Bian Ji's back again, and returned to normal.

How did I start getting jealous of a minor?

After all, he's Lu Yinzhao's fourth brother, they're blood relatives. Why is he taking this so seriously with a mere kid? Is he really that possessive of his younger brother?

"What are you spacing out for?" Lu Yuan patted Lu Cheng. "Go back to the hotel right away and change your clothes. If you catch a cold here, I'll have to pack you up and send you to the hospital so the doctor can give you an injection. I'll take Zhao Zhao and Xiao Ji and keep having fun."

"..." Lu Cheng was frightened by these curse-like words.

He was already feeling down about his younger brother being taken over by the Bian family boy, and now Lu Yuan added insult to injury. He suddenly said aggrievedly, "Third brother, how can your 37-degree mouth say such cold words?"

Lu Yuan: "?"

Seeing Lu Cheng leave him behind and walk forward after saying those words, Lu Yuan was speechless.

"What's gotten into you again...?" Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

*

Back at the hotel, Lu Yinzhao changed her clothes with the help of her three older brothers.

He had intended to come alone, but the three people in front of him were extremely worried about him. If he sneezed even slightly, they would be very anxious, fearing that he would get a headache, fever, or a cold the next second.

Lu Yuan had told the hotel in advance to send ginger soup over, and it had been delivered by now.

He poured a glass and handed it to Lu Yinzhao.

"Zhaozhao, drink it while it's hot to warm yourself up."

"Okay, Third Brother."

After taking the cup, Lu Yinzhao blew on the steaming ginger soup a few times and sipped it slowly.

"Brothers, you should drink too," Lu Yinzhao said to the three of them.

He also worries about his brothers getting sick.

Lu Cheng said, "I'll just go take a bath and drink it later."

After Lu Cheng finished speaking, he went into the bathroom. Lu Yuan then poured two more cups of ginger soup, one for Bian Ji and one for himself.

After drinking the hot ginger soup, the group felt warm and comfortable all over.

gurgle...gurgle...

Just then, a faint sound broke the silence in the room.

Lu Yinzhao blushed and covered her lower abdomen.

I was having so much fun that I didn't even feel hungry.

Now that I've had the ginger soup, my hunger has instantly returned.

"Sorry, Zhao Zhao, are you starving?" Lu Yuan bent down and took out a small, packaged cake from his bag.

"Have some snacks first, my meal will be here soon."

Lu Yinzhao took the small cake, tore open the packaging, bent down and took a bite. It was sweet and fragrant.

Then he noticed Bian Ji standing to the side, so he quickly asked, "Third brother, are there any more small cakes? Brother Ji wants some too."

Bian Ji: "I..."

Lu Yuan: "Yes, there are many more."

He handed one to Bian Ji, saying, "Have something to eat first."

The words "I'm not hungry" that were about to come out of her mouth were swallowed back, and she instead said, "Thank you."

"Brother Aji, eat quickly, it's delicious."

Bian Ji's eyes softened. He thought that Lu Yinzhao would never leave him alone and would share any good things with him immediately.

Then he...

From now on, I will give all the good things to Lu Yinzhao.

When Lu Cheng came out of the bath, the meal Lu Yuan had ordered had just arrived.

"Hurry up and drink the ginger soup, it'll get cold soon. This stuff is best drunk while it's hot. Why are you taking so long to wash?" Lu Yuan urged.

"Taking a bath is so comfortable. I think it's more effective than drinking this. My whole body feels warm now."

Lu Cheng plopped down on the sofa, her face flushed slightly from soaking in the bath for too long.

He drank the ginger soup, which had cooled to lukewarm, in one gulp.

"Hurry up and eat, I'm starving, I'm starving!" Lu Cheng said, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.

Lu Yinzhao had already started eating; he was really starving today.

He desperately needs food to replenish the energy he expended at the ski resort.

As Lu Yinzhao wolfed down his food, he couldn't help but admire Bian Ji, who was still eating politely beside him.

The big shot is so calm; he remains completely unfazed even while eating a meal.

Lu Yinzhao didn't care about anything else. This room was full of his closest people, so it didn't matter if he ate a little messily.

Mmm! This is delicious!

"This is delicious too!"

"Brothers, you must try some!"

The little guy ate and exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when he ate something delicious.

This enjoyable trip lasted for three days.

On the morning of the fourth day, they were about to leave.

Lu Yinzhao took many photos during this trip, and his photography skills have improved a lot.

Back home, he uploaded the photos to his tablet and organized them all.

This was bought specifically for him by his family. Now that he's in elementary school, he can use it to look up information whenever he needs to.

He kept a record of the photos he took at each stage.

He was most satisfied with three of the photos this time.

One photo captures the moment Lu Yuan leaps into the air from the snow track. He uses a slow shutter speed to pull the swirling snow mist into a semi-transparent veil, with Lu Yuan's figure as the finishing touch on the veil. The tension seems to burst out of the frame at any moment.

One photo is a candid shot of Lu Cheng walking ahead and suddenly turning around; the boy's bright and cheerful smile seems to ignite the whole world.

The last picture belongs to Bian Ji. In the backlight, a teenager wearing a blue snowsuit is reaching out to catch the falling snowflakes. The ice crystals on his eyelashes are dyed golden orange by the sunset.

The cable car lines behind me cast pale blue trails in the twilight, creating a scene that blends warm and cool tones.

Lu Yinzhao captured the breath of all three people in that instant, using his method of capturing beauty.

Lu Yinzhao sent the photos to the three of them respectively.

All three of them liked it very much.

Lu Cheng immediately posted on Weibo, and the comments section was filled with praise, with people exclaiming "So handsome!"

Lu Yuan is not someone who likes to show off his photos in real life, but this time he actually posted them on his WeChat Moments for the first time ever.

This prompted a group of friends to ask, "Where did you go?"

Only Bian Ji quietly saved the photos in her album without sharing them.

This photo was taken by Lu Yinzhao, and he only wanted to keep it to himself.

"Zhao Zhao, with this skill, you won't have to worry about anything in the future." Lu Cheng was still admiring his handsome photo.

What he meant was that even without financial support from her family, even if Zhao Zhao didn't get into a good university or find a good job, she could still make a good living with just this skill.

Lu Yinzhao has now clearly defined her goals.

He truly aspires to be an excellent photographer who can "discover all things beautiful."

His standards for photography gradually increased; he wanted to capture not only beautiful images but also the soul within them.

Everyone has a different understanding of art. Lu Yinzhao believes that art is a kind of vitality that can peel back the layers of a person's heart.

He really wanted to see what the world he captured through his lens was really like...

*

Another Spring Festival has arrived.

This year, because the Bian family all came back for the Spring Festival, they and the Lu family even took the time to have a meal together.

Everyone was there that day, except for Director Lu, who was suffering far away in M ​​continent.

However, at the dinner table, Yin Song also made a video call, and Lu Wenyan sent his greetings from afar, saying that they must get together again next time they have the chance.

"We're all neighbors, so let's look out for each other in the future." Bian Huarong raised her glass, her words of gratitude succinctly expressed in the wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

Yin Song also spoke up, "I'm quite busy with work now... To be honest, I really have to thank your two sons for taking such good care of our Zhao Zhao."

Bian Nan: "Aunt Yin, what are you saying? Before I returned to China, my younger brother was often taken care of by your family, wasn't he?"

Wen Su smiled and said, "Yin Song, don't be so polite. You can go about your business in peace. Zhao Zhao can stay with us. If she needs anything, just say the word."

Lu Yinzhao only realized after coming into this world that the relationships between friends and neighbors could be so good.

However, it is precisely because of the close relationship between the elders that the younger generation can play together.

The adults chatted amongst themselves while the children ate and drank.

"Brother, are you full?"

Seeing that Bian Ji had stopped eating, Lu Yinzhao turned around and asked.

"Yes, I'm full," Bian Ji replied truthfully.

"I want to set off fireworks with you tonight. My older brother brought back a lot of fireworks. He said there's a nice spot in the suburbs where we can set them off."

"Okay, let's go together then."

When Lu Yinzhao talked about fireworks, his eyes sparkled. Bian Ji never refused Lu Yinzhao and always gave him whatever he asked for.

Everyone's so happy today, it's only right to set off fireworks to celebrate.

It was evening.

Lu Xun personally drove the two children to the suburbs.

In addition, several of their younger relatives were also present.

Even the meticulous Bian Nan was pulled over by them.

The younger generations of the Lu and Bian families had a big family outing.

Upon arriving at the destination, Lu Yuan squatted down on the ground, holding the cardboard box, to unpack it.

Lu Cheng held up the lighter, his hand trembling slightly from the wind.

He yelled, "Are you done yet? Hurry up!"

"Okay, you can order now."

Lu Qi stepped over to shield them from the wind, saying, "Be careful not to burn your hands."

Lu Cheng shielded the small flame with his hand and lit the fuse.

"Alright, alright, everyone move aside!"

As soon as he finished speaking, flames shot up along the fuse.

Several people jumped back a few steps at the same time.

Lu Xun picked up her younger brother and pointed to the sky, saying, "Zhao Zhao, look! The fireworks are here!"

Bang!

The first sound rang out.

The bursting golden chrysanthemums spread softly and completely in the dark ink, illuminating the silhouettes of everyone.

Bian Nan, unusually interested, picked up the camera and started recording the sky.

Seeing Bian Ji looking over, he pointed his phone at his younger brother and said, "Smile."

Bian Ji rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

"Hahahaha!" The person in charge of the camera laughed heartily at this moment.

Lu Yuan distributed the "fairy wands" in his hand, and everyone received one.

They started lighting the few sticks that Lu Yinzhao had in his hand.

At first, only small clusters of sparklers appeared, and then everyone gathered around and lit their sparklers.

Bright clusters of flowers burst into bloom instantly, accompanied by a hissing sound, growing ever more abundant.

Lu Yinzhao was put down by his brother. He ran around in the open space, waving his hands, chasing after Bian Ji's figure.

"Brother Aji, I'm here!"

Bian Ji was forced to run along with him, constantly looking back, worried that Lu Yinzhao might fall.

"Slow down."

As dusk settled on the blue sky, the open spaces in the suburbs were filled with laughter and fireworks.

Another year has flown by...

*

After the winter break ended, Lu Yinzhao and Bian Ji resumed their daily school routine.

The laziness that was painstakingly cultivated during the holidays vanished with the return to school.

Lu Yinzhao can't get out of bed every morning and needs someone to wake her up.

Lu Yinzhao and Bian Ji lived together again.

In the second semester of first grade, Lu Yinzhao was also successfully elected as the math class representative, which he reluctantly accepted.

Who could blame him for demonstrating superior mental arithmetic skills compared to others in the previous knowledge competition?

During this time, his family members also shone in their respective circles.

Lu Xun won the Best Actor of the Year award at the latest Golden Lotus Awards.

Lu Qi also won the "Golden Eagle Award" for Most Popular Actress for her role in a hit TV series that premiered last year.

Lu Yuan led his group on an overseas tour, and his fan base grew larger and larger, becoming popular even overseas. Lu Yuan's new solo album also made it into the top three of the pop music charts.

Lu Cheng's victory at the PGW World Championship in France caused a sensation among Chinese esports fans, and the game trended on social media for three consecutive days.

After Yin Song won the championship of "The Voice of China", many music variety shows invited her to be a mentor, and her popularity continued to rise.

Lu Wenyan's film, which was released during the Lunar New Year last year, has now grossed over 10 billion yuan at the box office. However, Lu himself doesn't seem to care and is still working hard to film his new movie in M ​​continent.

Lu Yinzhao recounted his family's honors and saved screenshots of their online news articles to his album.

These days passed uneventfully for several years.

Before he knew it, it was springtime when Lu Yinzhao was 10 years old. By then, he was already in the second semester of fourth grade.

He grew to 1.4 meters tall, barely reaching the average height for his age.

But 16-year-old Bian Ji is already 1.8 meters tall.

Every time Lu Yinzhao looked at Bian Ji, who was 40 centimeters taller than her, she felt that talking to him was making her neck very tired.

"We're both minors, so why do you act like you're on steroids?"

On the way home, Lu Yinzhao complained unhappily.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Before reading Bian Ji—

Zhao Zhao: I've grown taller! [droopy-eared rabbit head emoji]

After seeing Bian Ji—

Zhao Zhao: I don't think I've grown at all [crying emoji]