"Ruyi...that..." Su Tong hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
"What's wrong, Fourth Brother?" Su Ruyi guessed that he wanted to take a bath, but he was too embarrassed to say so, so she didn't point it out.
"I...I had an upset stomach and sweated a lot, and I still feel very uncomfortable. I want to take a shower." Su Tong said somewhat awkwardly.
It was indeed difficult to say the words "kick Sixth Sister out".
He added, "I'll make sure the room is spotless after I shower!"
Su Ruyi was still a little worried: "Fourth Brother, you were feeling unwell earlier, is it really okay for you to take a shower now?"
"Sure, don't worry! I'm just taking a shower!" Su Tong laughed. "To be honest, my heart doesn't feel uncomfortable at all now!"
Su Ruyi grabbed the kettle and ran out: "Then I'll go get you some water!"
She brought back two kettles of boiling water, and Su Tong had already prepared a basin, towels, and soap.
Sure enough, Su, the super-clean freak, took out a brand new white towel.
Su Ruyi left the private room, flipped over the small stool against the wall opposite her, and sat down.
The train is passing through a vast wilderness.
The wilderness in June is lush and green.
Su Ruyi tried to clear her mind and immerse herself in the scenery.
However, a moment later, a jumble of thoughts swept over him again.
Fifth Brother...
In her previous life, after she went to the countryside, she still met her fifth brother a few times.
At that time, apart from becoming less talkative and less cheerful, and becoming a bit thinner and darker, he didn't show much of a difference.
She had just been sent to the countryside when she was young. The new environment, her roommates, the work, the life, the unfamiliar dialect—everything occupied her attention.
Looking back now, I realize that in the few times I met my fifth brother before my fifth sister-in-law sold me, her family was always present.
The look in Fifth Brother's eyes was so deep, as if he wanted to tell a story silently.
In her past life, not long after she was sold, her fifth brother died of illness.
Fifth Brother has no underlying medical conditions!
He is a healthy, athletic, muscular, and strong young man.
How exactly did he die?
As Su Ruyi thought about it, her eyes filled with tears again.
"Sister Ruyi is quite sentimental!"
Shen Heping appeared in front of her, turned over another stool, and sat down opposite her. "Worried about your fifth brother?"
Su Ruyi wiped away her tears and nodded.
"Don't worry, with me here, I'll never let anything happen to your fifth brother." Shen Heping patted his chest. "You might not know, but I have a second uncle in Tieshi..."
Su Ruyi interrupted him: "I think my fifth brother may have already had an accident."
Shen Heping paused for a moment, then said, "Ruyi, you're being too pessimistic. We need to look at things dialectically—your fifth brother didn't reply to your fourth brother, but there are many reasons why he didn't receive a reply. For example, the letter might have been lost in transit, or it might be stuck at some post office transit point..."
"Shen Heping, can you please stop talking?" Su Ruyi looked up. "I want some peace and quiet."
"I'm sorry," Shen Heping apologized. "Actually, I'm not usually a talkative person, but I don't know why I have so much to say when I see you. Although we haven't talked much before, I feel very close to you..."
Before Shen Heping could finish speaking, Su Ruyi turned and left.
"Where are you going?" Shen Heping called out from behind.
"Going to the toilet!" Su Ruyi said without turning her head.
She queued for the restroom, which took about twenty minutes.
When he returned, Su Tong had already taken a shower, opened the doors and windows of the private room, and was fanning himself with his schoolbag.
The floors of the private rooms had been wiped clean.
However, there was still a faint stench in the private room.
Su Tong looked a little embarrassed: "Maybe my clothes smelled bad. I've already wrapped them up. Ruyi, I didn't mean to make you smell bad..."
Fourth Brother has changed into the gray-blue outfit she bought from Aunt Zhou.
I just took a shower, and my hair is still a little wet.
She had a rosy complexion and looked extremely healthy.
Su Ruyi felt tears welling up in her eyes again.
In her dreams, she dreamed countless times that her fourth brother had recovered from his illness and become full of vigor.
But everything in her dream felt so pale and powerless. Now, with her fourth brother standing so vividly before her, she seemed to see at a glance that his life had changed—
He can run, jump, and shout.
He can marry, have children, and enjoy family life.
His ideals and ambitions were now supported by a healthy body, allowing him to realize them.
Seeing Su Ruyi looking at him with tears in her eyes, Su Tong immediately understood. He reached out and patted her head: "Did Fourth Brother scare you by saying he felt tightness in his chest? I'm sorry, Ruyi, I think—this feeling is a bit strange but it should be right—I think my illness might be cured!"
How could that be?
Su Ruyi feigned surprise.
"There should be some scientific basis for this—there should be toxins in my body. I was having an attack when I suddenly had diarrhea, which made me sweat profusely. It's very likely that my pores were open when the attack happened, so it expelled all the toxins from my body!"
Su Ruyi stared at him with wide eyes.
This fourth brother really... knows how to make amends.
"Ruyi, don't disbelieve me. When I was taking a shower just now, I really did find a thin layer of toxins being expelled from my body! It wasn't from sweating, it was... never mind, let's not talk about such disgusting things. Anyway, your fourth brother should be cured!"
As Su Tong spoke, he reached out and ruffled Su Ruyi's hair, saying in a good mood, "Go out for a walk first, and I'll fan you for a while, and the smell will completely dissipate."
"Stop fanning yourself, Fourth Brother. Be careful your hair stays wet, or you'll catch a cold." Su Ruyi closed the door and laughed, "I didn't smell anything."
Upon hearing this, Su Tong put his schoolbag aside, walked up to Su Ruyi, and spun around: "I haven't thanked you for this new outfit yet. I originally planned to wait until we got to Dingjiatun to wear it, but the old clothes got dirty, so I had to wear it earlier. Ruyi, I declare that this is my best outfit ever!"
"It looks great and suits you very well," Su Ruyi said sincerely.
“Ruyi, when we get to Dingjiatun, don’t take the lead in anything. Let your fourth brother lead the way. Do you remember those four words?” Su Tong blinked.
"It's about keeping a low profile!" Su Ruyi said casually.
The mention of Dingjiatun weighed heavily on both of them.
They wanted to find some words to comfort each other, but neither could bring themselves to speak.
Su Tong's feelings were particularly complicated.
For more than a year after Su Tie went to the countryside, except for the period when he was "forced into marriage" by Ding Xiuling, the two brothers wrote each other a letter every week without fail.
Now, letters have stopped, and phone calls are not answered.
He dared not tell Su Ruyi that he believed Su Tie was likely in grave danger.
Because in Su Tie's last letter, he seemed to express some subtle misanthropy...
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