As Yu Chengyuan pushed open the door, this was the scene that greeted his eyes.

In the dimly lit, cramped room, Cousin Qiufeng sat quietly in the corner.

His eyes were empty and lost, as if he had lost all hope for life.

His body was curled up on the old wooden bed, his lame leg resting limply on the headboard, looking particularly out of place.

The clothes he wore were faded and patched, as if telling a story of the hardships of life.

The room was filled with an old, worn atmosphere, and the last rays of the setting sun struggled to filter through the paper-covered wooden windows, casting only a few weak beams of light.

His face was thin, and his skin was rough and dark from long hours of labor and exposure to the sun and wind.

His hair was disheveled, as if it hadn't been styled in a long time.

A few strands of hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his dull, lifeless eyes.

His lips were tightly closed, and the corners of his mouth were slightly downturned, revealing a deep sense of helplessness and frustration.

His hands hung limply at his sides, his fingers occasionally twitching involuntarily, as if trying to grasp at the vanished hope.

He was like a forgotten being, immersed in his own pain and isolation, unable to break free.

“Cousin Qiufeng…”

Yu Chengyuan walked over and called out softly.

When his fourth cousin heard the voice, he looked at him, and Yu Chengyuan gave him a warm smile.

Then she continued, "Cousin Qiufeng, do you still remember me?"

I'm your cousin, Chengyuan!

Fourth cousin lowered his head in deep thought, as if recalling something.

Yu Chengyuan took a chair from the side and sat down in front of his fourth cousin.

He didn't dare to ask too hastily, fearing that his fourth cousin would lose control of his emotions and kick him out.

If that happens, I'm afraid I'll return empty-handed!

After a while, the fourth cousin finally looked up. "Are you Cheng Yuan?" the fourth cousin asked in a low voice.

Yu Chengyuan nodded and smiled happily, "Cousin Qiufeng, you finally remembered me."

What are you doing here?

Are you here to laugh at me too?

My fourth cousin's tone suddenly turned cold.

There was a barb in both sentences.

"No, Cousin Qiufeng, don't misunderstand!"

How could I possibly laugh at you!

I'm sorry, I didn't know about you before.

My second uncle didn't tell us, so I'm only arriving now.

Yu Chengyuan could tell that his fourth cousin was very sensitive, like a hedgehog that might prick him at any moment.

"Now that you've seen it, go back after dinner!"

You don't need to come see me anymore.

There's nothing to see in my current state.

He knew his parents would definitely leave him some food.

"Cousin Qiufeng, we're relatives, how could I not come to see you!"

You've forgotten how you used to take me to raid bird nests, catch fish, and pick wild berries when we were little. You always gave me the reddest and biggest wild berries to eat.

You even took me to stir up a hornet's nest, and when we got back you got a beating from your second uncle.

I've always remembered that!

Yu Chengyuan tries to awaken his sleeping fourth cousin through childhood friendship.

"These are all things from when I was a child, and I don't remember them at all."

I won't be able to do these things with you anymore.

Right now, I'm just a piece of trash, a cripple that everyone looks down on.

You can get out now!

I don't want to talk to you about these things.

If you have any problems, go find my brother and my dad!

Don't come looking for me, I can't help you with anything.

Fourth cousin glanced coldly at Yu Chengyuan, a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes.

Perhaps they noticed the change in Yu Chengyuan.

In his memory, his cousin had always been weak, cowardly, and timid.

She's even afraid of leeches in the ditch, and often cries at the slightest disagreement.

Especially when she was little, she was such a crybaby.

Now he seems like a completely different person.

"Cousin Qiufeng, you're only a little over a month older than my brother, are you really going to live like this for the rest of your life?"

"Will you lock yourself in a turtle shell, away from the light?"

He could clearly see that his fourth cousin had given up and bowed his head to fate.

"How I live my life is my business, it's none of your concern, get out!"

I don't want to say anything to you. You're not me; you can't possibly understand how I feel.

My fourth cousin's eyes were filled with grief and helplessness.

He practically yelled at Cheng Yuan.

Yu Chengyuan knew his fourth cousin was angry, but even though he was angry, there were still some things he had to say.

"Cousin Qiufeng, although I am not lame, I know how you feel right now, and I understand your helplessness."

But even if the world is unfair to you for the time being, can you not care about the world, not make friends, not get married, and not have children?

You've forgotten you still have parents to support; you haven't fulfilled your filial duties yet.

"Cheng Yuan, didn't you see?"

I'm like this, a useless person. How can I fulfill my filial duties and find them a daughter-in-law?

Isn't that just wishful thinking?

Don't you know that I was jilted by my former fiancée?

My younger brother Guyu will take care of the filial duties, so I'll pass!

It only brings shame to their parents!

Fourth cousin's eyes were filled with pain as he recalled that unbearable and humiliating scene.

"Cousin Qiufeng, you only have a limp, you're not bedridden and unable to move."

You don't go out and make money, you don't prove your abilities, you don't let everyone see that you only have a problem with your foot, not that you have a problem with your brain.

All he does is hide in his room and give up on himself!

Yu Chengyuan couldn't help but speak loudly.

Fourth cousin seemed to have his secret exposed; his face turned pale and then red.

"Didn't you see that your second uncle has already developed white hair before he's even fifty because he's worried about you?"

Didn't you see the extra wrinkles on my second aunt's forehead?

You and your third cousin Guyu are both your second uncle's sons, so why should he be the only one to fulfill your filial duties?

"You're being too selfish. He's shouldering so much all by himself. Can he handle it?"

Yu Chengyuan didn't care about anything else and started cursing.

Serious illnesses require strong medicine!

"Shut up, stop talking. You are not me, and I am not you."

You can make all sorts of eloquent claims just by talking.

You don't have to face other people's pointing fingers every day, you don't have to watch others go on blind dates openly while I can't even have that thought.

What I owe my older brother can only be repaid in the next life. You don't need to tell me; I know how heavy his burden is.

But there's nothing he can do about it; he's just unlucky to have a brother like me.

Call me selfish or cold-hearted, I accept it all, so you don't need to provoke me anymore. This is who I am.

Fourth cousin practically shouted these words.