Chapter 48

Lin Shuge didn't say anything, thinking about the growth issues of adolescent children all the way. He walked home and saw Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan standing at the door motionless.

"Why don't you go in?"

"Erlang, is this your horse?" Lin Qingyuan looked at the big brown horse in front of him. It had smooth fur, strong limbs, and was extremely powerful and beautiful.

"Yes, was it sent by Captain Zhao?" Xie Chen replied.

On the day when he shot and killed the young Xiongnu leader, Captain Zhao, grateful for the young talent, gave him a good horse. It was said that the horse was bred from a fine breed of horses from the Western Regions. The horse was tall and strong, with great endurance, and could travel a thousand miles a day.

Lin Qingyuan wanted to reach out and touch the mane. Although he had ridden horses when they went hunting last time, it was rented after all and he didn't have enough fun. This time, seeing the horse in his own yard, why couldn't he want to go up and give it a try?

"Can I ride it?"

Xie Chen raised his hand and helped him onto the horse. Lin Qingyuan stepped on the horse and said, "Huh?" It was much easier to ride than last time. When I looked down, I found something extra.

"What is this?" he asked puzzledly.

"It's a stirrup." Xie Chen replied, secretly glancing at Lin Shuge out of the corner of his eye.

"Stirrup?" Lin Qingyuan had some doubts, but he was so excited to sit on the tall horse that he had forgotten about it.

Seeing that Lin Xuan was also interested, Xie Chen turned his gaze towards her. Lin Xuan nodded tacitly, and Xie Chen took her onto the horse. The twins sat on their horses, twiddling their toes, filled with joy.

I held the reins myself. The horse had a bad temper and I had to watch it. Otherwise, it would be bad if it got angry and hurt anyone.

Seeing that they were getting along well and having fun, Lin Shuge went to the kitchen to heat up the buns they had made in the morning so that they could fill their stomachs and have a big meal together in the evening.

He cleared away the wood ashes from the morning fire and put wheat straw in to start a fire. The fire was quite strong. He added water to the pot and put a steamer on it to heat the buns.

Outside was the sound of Lin Qingyuan chattering. He was sitting on a bench, staring at the fire in the kitchen in a daze, lost in thought, until a sizzling sound came from the pot and he came back to his senses.

"Oh no, the pot is going to explode." He quickly took off the lid and added water. Just as he was about to take out the buns, a voice came from behind, "Brother, what's wrong?"

He was a little distracted today, and when he heard the sudden sound, the thing in his hand was about to fall. Xie Chen acted quickly and grabbed the pot lid before it fell to the ground.

Lin Shuge's fingers were scalded by the hot water in the pot and immediately turned red. Xie Chen quickly grabbed his hand and put it into cold water.

"I'm fine, I just got burned accidentally." After soaking for a while, he signaled Xie Chen to let go, but Xie Chen was adamant, "Soak for a while longer, I'll go get some burn medicine."

"Come back, it's my fault, I don't blame you."

Xie Chen hung his head, looking at him dejectedly. Lin Shuge said with a smile: "I haven't seen you smile all the way. Why are you so sad now? Smile for me."

Xie Chen defended himself: "I didn't, I just... I'm sorry brother, I was just mad at myself."

"Angry at yourself?"

"Well, I was determined to go to the Duwei Mansion, but I found that when I was not there, there were many more people around my brother. I know that my brother also has his own life and social life, but I still..."

He lowered his head, resting it on Lin Shuge's shoulder, and spoke in a buzzing voice.

It was indeed a child throwing a tantrum. Lin Shuge guessed that his family members had passed away long ago and he was alone in the northwest. He developed a fledgling complex because he was rescued by him. No wonder he liked to stick to him. He was obviously cold and aloof in front of outsiders.

He raised his hand and touched his head. "You are so grown up, but you still act like a spoiled brat. I know. Hurry up and get up. Ayuan and Axuan are starving."

"Isn't my brother angry?"

"When have I ever been mad at you?" Lin Shuge put his finger on his head. "If you don't get up, A Yuan will come in and laugh at you."

Xie Chen then raised his head and looked at him, "Brother, when this is over, I will never leave again."

"How can you be so clingy? You will live with me after you get married and have children?" Lin Shuge picked up a few buns and put them on the plate. He didn't notice that Xie Chen's expression changed. His face was dark, as if he thought of something bad.

He pushed the plate to Xie Chen and said, "Take it out and eat first."

Seeing Xie Chen's body stiff and motionless, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay, I'll go out first." Xie Chen looked calm and walked away with the buns.

Lin Shuge felt a little strange, but when he heard Lin Qingyuan's cheers coming from outside the door and Xie Chen responded, he didn't think much about it and his men quickly prepared a few dishes to eat with the buns.

In the evening, the whole family worked together to cook a large table of food. Everyone was very satisfied with the meal. However, Lin Qingyuan ate too much and kept burping. He held his stomach and went outside to digest the food.

Lin Shuge came out holding bedding, "Ayuan, Axuan, you guys use these to cover yourself tonight." He knew that it was the twins' day off, so he heated the kang in the room for a few days to dehumidify it. But Xie Chen came back suddenly, so he had to sleep with him.

Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan took the bedding, which was warm and soft, and smelled of sunshine. It was obvious that they had just been washed. They thanked them in a low voice and took them back to their rooms to rest.

Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen. Zhongxuan's room should be ready for sleep tonight. He thought about Xie Chen's reaction last night. It would be better to give a teenage child more space.

"Come and get Zhongxuan's bedding from me."

Xie Chen was shocked. His brother wasn't going to sleep with him anymore? His face looked a little ugly, and he looked at Lin Shuge's back in disbelief.

Until Lin Shuge couldn't wait for him anymore, he came out holding the bedding, "Zhongxuan, come and give me a hand."

Xie Chen took it reluctantly, "Brother," he called Lin Shuge.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at Xie Chen with a wronged look in his eyes and thought, "Are you regretting this? It's your fault for looking so reluctant last night."

Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen, who was pursing his lips tightly, frowning, and looking reluctant. He was now hard-hearted, "Be good, go to bed quickly."

Xie Chen had no choice but to carry the bedding and go back to the room, looking back every few steps.

When Lin Shuge finished washing up and was about to lie down, he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened the door. Outside the door was Xie Chen holding bedding.

"Brother, I still feel a little damp. Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Or tide? Maybe it was because the kang had not been heated for too long. He glanced at Xie Chen who looked innocent and said, "Come in."

Xie Chen followed him in and put down the quilt, "Am I still in the same position as last night?"

Lin Shuge nodded, what other position do you want?

As soon as he lay down in the warm bed, he heard Xie Chen's voice beside him, "Brother, I don't want to sleep yet, let's talk."

chat? Sure enough, he guessed correctly. What was the point of talking about being trendy or not? She probably wanted to talk to him.

Xie Chen got straight to the point, "Will my brother get married in the future?"

Lin Shuge sat up immediately. Why were they talking about this right at the beginning?

He acted like a caring older brother, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

Xie Chen tilted his head and looked away, "Nothing, I just thought that my brother is old enough to get married and have children."

"You don't have a woman you like, do you?" That's why I asked myself this question in a roundabout way.

Lin Shuge poked his smooth forehead. Thinking of the modern teenagers who fall in love prematurely, he said in a gentle tone, "You should be good at your age now..."

No, Zhongxuan didn’t go to school.

"What are you thinking, brother?" He sighed when he saw Lin Shuge seemed to want to say something but couldn't bear to blame him.

"Really?" Lin Shuge approached him and looked into his eyes carefully.

"No." Xie Chen said firmly.

Xie Chen's expression did not seem fake. Lin Shuge lay down and turned over, pressing the quilt under his hands, thinking about his emotional experience of more than 20 years which was like a blank sheet of paper.

In the past, he was always busy with studying and making a living, so he didn't have the time to think about these things. Later, he started a part-time job and although he had more money, he was under pressure from studies and job hunting, so he had no mood to think about these issues.

Xie Chen didn't hear him talking, so he asked, "Where's my brother? He's so nice, there must be someone who likes him, right?"

Xie Chen stared at Lin Shuge's elegant eyebrows and eyes under the lamp, as if he was in the breeze and bright moon, wanting someone to get closer but afraid of offending him.

Lin Shuge was a little shy. When he was in school, many girls confessed their love to him, but he thought that he came from a poor family and had no money and no ability, so he rejected them directly.

"Look at the expression on your face, brother." Xie Chen smiled, but without a trace of warmth.

Lin Shuge didn't notice his expression, and said with some nostalgia: "It was a long time ago, it should be my junior sister, but I rejected her."

It has been such a long time since I traveled to this era. Everything in the past seems like a lifetime ago, and modern life is indeed getting farther and farther away from me.

Xie Chen's eyes moved slightly, and he gently changed direction, lying face to face with him.

He stared at Lin Shuge's expression and saw that he seemed to be lost in his memories. "Brother, what happened next?"

"What's going on?" Lin Shuge asked in surprise.

"Brother and junior sister." Xie Chen's smile deepened.

Lin Shuge finally reacted, "What you're talking about? There's no such thing as a later. After the rejection, we just acted like normal senior and junior brothers and sisters." After all, they are from the same school, and they will see each other every day. He acted as if nothing happened, and the junior sister wouldn't feel embarrassed to see him.

"So where is my brother now?" Xie Chen asked.

"Right now, I just want to be a good county magistrate, and don't think about anything else."

He stood up and extinguished the candle. "Let everything take its course. Zhongxuan, you too, if you find someone you like, seize the opportunity." He then thought of Xie Chen being on the battlefield, so where would the girls come from? "No, you should pay attention to your safety every day and don't make me worry."

"Okay, let's go to bed. It's late." He yawned, felt a little cold, put his hands under the quilt and went to sleep.

Xie Chen, however, was not sleepy at all. He was thinking that his attitude towards Lin Shuge was a little wrong. His brother had been very good to him when he was alive and almost gave him whatever he asked for, but he had never had such a strong possessiveness towards his brother.

Xie Chen looked at Lin Shuge's sleeping face in the moonlight. Could it be that all his relatives were killed and he placed all his emotions on his brother?

Why do you feel depressed when you think you have no involvement in your brother's life? Why do I have some unspeakable thoughts when I hear my brother talking about getting married and having children? Is there something wrong with me?