Chapter 32

The day Luo Mingxiu first arrived at the Shen family was also a snowy winter day.

That winter, Luo Mingxiu's father died; he collapsed from drunkenness and froze to death in the snow.

Police officers at the local police station told Luo Qiuli that the body was discovered when the child got up to go to school early in the morning. It was lying not far from the front door of the house. The child did not cry or make a fuss, but was very frightened.

Luo Qiuli rushed back to her hometown from out of town and saw her son sitting in the house, motionless. He only slowly raised his eyes when he saw his mother, tears streaming down his face, and ran into his mother's arms, crying loudly.

My son was covered in injuries, and no matter how I asked him, he wouldn't say a word.

He never told his mother that since her divorce, his father had been an alcoholic, and when drunk, he would routinely beat her. He silently endured it, just to prevent his father from going to other places to cause trouble for her. Not only that, the son was also often bullied at school, because he was afraid of being beaten by his father and never dared to fight back.

After learning the truth from her neighbors and teachers, Luo Qiuli quickly handled her ex-husband's funeral arrangements. She also changed her son's surname to hers at the police station and transferred him to another school. Throughout the entire process, neither mother nor son showed any attachment to their hometown.

And so, Luo Mingxiu boarded the train to the big city with his mother. On the train, Luo Mingxiu remained silent, his long bangs covering his eyes, his face looking pale and gloomy. When Luo Qiuli tried to brush his bangs aside, he retreated in alarm.

Helpless, Luo Qiuli could only take his hand and say gently, "The place I'm taking you to is my employer's house. The couple heard about my situation and were willing to let me take you to live with them. I also owe a lot to them for helping me get into the new school. They are good people. When we get there, you must be polite and greet the uncle and aunt."

"Your uncle and aunt have a daughter, their most beloved little girl, who is already in her second year of high school. You should call her 'sister,' get along well with her, and not disturb her when she is studying."

Luo Qiuli listed a long list of precautions, but Luo Mingxiu sat quietly with his head down, neither responding nor making any other movements.

"Mom won't let anyone bully you anymore. Can you talk to Mom?" Luo Qiuli's eyes were filled with tears. She had never truly felt her son's pain. She regretted not trying to take him with her after the divorce. What a wonderful son she had, how did he turn out like this?

She didn't know if her son had listened, so she could only repeat herself over and over again. She was just a nanny, and the Shen family was willing to help her so much, which made them her benefactors. She didn't want her son's arrival to cause trouble for the Shen family, but for a live-in nanny, she brought the child over and had no one she knew to take care of him, so she could only keep him by her side.

"Mom, I've remembered everything you said."

Perhaps sensing his mother's worry, Luo Mingxiu finally spoke. Luo Qiuli was taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "Oh, it's good that you remembered, good boy."

After a two-day drive, when they arrived, it was snowing outside the station. The snow was light, but the wind was biting cold. Luo Qiuli hurriedly flagged down a car, told the driver her destination, and the driver glanced at her and her child, then confirmed it again before starting the car.

Although Luo Mingxiu was young, he could see the disdain in the driver's eyes. He didn't believe they could go there. It seemed that the Shen family his mother mentioned was indeed a well-known and wealthy family in the area.

He unconsciously took his mother's hand, and she gently patted him, reminding him again, "Remember what I said before, be a good boy and listen to me."

Luo Mingxiu nodded, then turned to watch the city street scene rushing past the window, the glass reflecting his fear of the unknown.

When the car arrived at its destination, Luo Mingxiu followed his mother out of the car and held her hand tightly.

He slightly raised his eyes and saw a villa in front of him, decorated with a level of luxury he had never seen before. They stood in front of the gate and waited, and could see the courtyard inside, with a pavilion, garden, pond, and a large lawn.

Despite his fear, young Luo Mingxiu couldn't resist his curiosity about new things. He wanted to go forward and see, but his mother held him back.

Just then, someone walked towards them. She was wearing a pure white coat, was tall, and had a high ponytail. Luo Mingxiu's gaze followed her as she approached and moved upwards. The door opened.

The girl stood still, her face clearly visible. Her face was small, with delicate and pretty features, and her skin was so fair it looked like it had a soft-focus filter, without a single flaw.

Her clear, bright eyes were slightly curved at that moment; she was smiling, and her smile made her even more radiant.

Luo Mingxiu looked down at the ground. This was the older sister his mother had mentioned; she was so beautiful that he dared not look directly at her.

"Aunt Luo, you're finally back! I want to eat your hairy crabs!" Shen Li hugged Aunt Luo first, and then noticed her little brother behind her.

"Call me sister." Luo Qiuli pulled her son to her side.

"Hello, little brother." Shen Li smiled and waved to him, her gaze finally settling on him.

The boy was less than her shoulder tall, thin, and his clothes looked new, probably specially dressed up by Aunt Luo. However, his hair was a bit long, and the wisps of hair on his forehead covered his eyes. He had his head down, so his whole face was not visible.

Because her parents had told her about Aunt Luo's family situation beforehand, she had no resistance to it. In fact, after hearing the news, she was full of anticipation for her upcoming younger brother.

"Luo Mingxiu, right? My name is Shen Li. Hello!" Seeing that he didn't speak, Shen Li softened her tone.

Luo Qiuli patted Luo Mingxiu, who looked up and, through the hair covering his eyes, looked at Chen Li, timidly calling out, "Sister."

"Oh, that's great." Shen Li responded promptly. As an only child, she had never experienced being called "sister" before, and the feeling was wonderful.

She excitedly ran back to the house to share her joy with her mother, who laughed at her for not acting like a proper older sister and told her husband to go to the door to greet her and lead her into the dining room.

A sumptuous dinner was prepared on the round table. After Uncle and Aunt Luo Mingxiu were called over, he went with his mother to wash his hands. After washing, he returned to his seat in the dining room.

This was a family visit banquet. Although the Shen couple had been doing charity work for many years and would sponsor children in some impoverished areas, they had never brought their children to their home to take care of them.

Shen's father is the CEO of a high-end home furnishing brand company, and Shen's mother is a professor at a local key university. They can be considered celebrities in the city.

To avoid gossip, Shen's father proposed to adopt Luo Mingxiu as his godson, so that the child could live in the house until he came of age.

Overwhelmed with gratitude for such powerful support, Luo Qiuli burst into tears on the spot and tried to kneel down to thank her son, but Chen's mother quickly pulled her up.

"When a child is asked to become a godparent, he only needs to bow once; otherwise, it will shorten his lifespan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Mingxiu knelt down and kowtowed to the couple. The ceremony was complete, and from then on, he would call them godfather and godmother.

After dinner, Shen Li ran out to see the snow. Winters in H City are damp and cold. In previous years, even when the temperature was at its coldest, it would only rain mixed with snow, or snowflakes that were very small and melted at the touch.

The snowfall was quite heavy, and it has continued since noon.

Shen Li stood in the snow, jumping and catching snowflakes with her sleeves.

"Oh dear, be careful, the ground is slippery." Luo Qiuli came out with an umbrella and led Chen Li back under the eaves.

"Aunt Luo, look at all this snow!" Shen Li's voice couldn't hide her surprise.

Luo Qiuli dried her hair with a towel and said with a smile, "See? If it snows all night, you'll see the ground covered in snow when you wake up tomorrow morning."

"Wow, I can't wait for tomorrow." Shen Li laughed, her eyes sparkling.

Luo Mingxiu stood to one side, staring blankly at her.

Winters in his hometown are always white; the snow is so cold it can freeze you to death. He didn't understand what was so beautiful about snow.

It wasn't until the next morning, when he was awakened by cheers outside and pulled back a corner of the curtain to see Shen Li playing happily in the yard, that he realized that not every city can see snow in winter.

Moreover, snow looks beautiful even in a different place.

"Hmph, caught peeping!" Shen Li ran to the window and blew a handful of snow from her palm onto the grass outside his room through the glass.

Upon being discovered, Luo Mingxiu immediately drew the curtains and hid in a corner.

"Mingxiu, come out and have fun!" Shen Li's cheerful laughter rang out. Luo Mingxiu's face flushed slightly, but when he pulled back the curtains, she had already run far away.

The snow outside wasn't very deep; it just piled up sparsely where there was grass and flowering trees, like bald patches. Even this little bit of snow made my sister so happy.

Luo Mingxiu stood under the eaves, calmly watching Shen Li run around like a little adult. After running for a while, she must have gotten tired, so she squatted down on the snowy lawn and grabbed snow with her hands.

Curious, he went over and saw her making snowballs. She made a big one, placed it at the bottom, and then started making smaller ones. When she turned back, the big one had fallen apart.

He pursed his thin lips and couldn't help but say, "This little bit of snow isn't enough to build a snowman."

Shen Li didn't believe her and continued to pinch, her hands turning red from the cold and her lips trembling.

Luo Mingxiu squatted down beside her and, together with her, quickly made a snow rabbit.

"So cute!" Shen Li exclaimed incredulously. This child was so skilled with his hands; his snowballs were much cuter than the round or square ones she had made.

While praising him, Shen Li took out her phone to take pictures, no longer dwelling on the matter of building a snowman.

Luo Mingxiu curled his lips slightly, his cheeks turning red amidst the beautiful compliments.

Luo Qiuli, who had just finished cleaning up the kitchen, looked at the two figures, one big and one small, in the yard.

Sigh, how long has my son been clinging to his sister? It's so cold, what if he gets frostbite? The couple told her that Shen Li is sensitive to cold and is the most afraid of the cold in the family. Even though it's rare for it to snow, they can't let her play outside like crazy all the time.

Luo Qiuli quickly went over, took Shen Li's hand in hers, and warmed it: "Lili, when you've had enough fun, come back to the house with Auntie, okay? It's so cold, look how frozen your little hands are."

"It's alright, Aunt Luo, don't worry about me. Look, my little brother made a little rabbit." Chen Li pointed to the lawn and said, "That's amazing."

Luo Qiuli then noticed and said with a smile, "As long as Lili is happy." She took one of them in each hand and went back into the house first. After handing Chen Li a hot water bottle, she turned around and pulled her son aside.

Seeing the fear in her son's eyes, Luo Qiuli's reprimand turned into gentle words. She patted Luo Mingxiu's head and said, "You and your sister have become friends so quickly. That's great."

Luo Mingxiu glanced at Shen Li, who was hugging a hot water bottle on the sofa. He leaned close to his mother's ear and whispered, "Mom, is my sister very cold?"

Luo Qiuli didn't expect her son to be so sensitive, and her eyes welled up with tears: "Yes, that's why Mom told you to come inside quickly. Look, your sister's hands are all red from the cold. We can't let her catch a cold."

Luo Mingxiu held his mother's hand, his eyelashes fluttering: "My hands are warm. I'll warm my sister's hands from now on, and they won't be cold anymore."