Chapter 40: Old Dream (Part 3) “Then you should also know how to treat yourself well…
Lian Qiang blinked her sleepy face; the direct sunlight was too blinding for her.
She raised her hand to block it, but the fan in her hand slipped from her palm and fell straight to the ground.
"If you want to sleep, just go inside. Why do you complain about the scorching sun and the quietness in the room? That doesn't make sense!" Lian Bai took a look from his book and gave his sister a look from far away through the window.
Lian Qiang sat there in a daze, staring at Lian Bai motionlessly. In spring, her eldest brother's courtyard was the place she longed to visit most. Firstly, the sound of Lian Bai reading was so soothing; secondly, his courtyard was closest to the Chi family's, so she could hear Chi Xingji reading from time to time.
"...Are you stupid?" Lian Bai noticed her burning gaze and raised his eyes again, looking at Lian Qiang. He didn't understand why his usually clever sister just took a nap and woke up like a fool.
He stood up to greet her, but Lian Qiang suddenly woke up, jumped up from the recliner, and ran all the way with her skirt lifted up. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from his sight.
Her long skirt fluttered in the corridor. Lian Qiang had never thought that it would take her so long to run in such a short corridor in her home. It seemed like half a lifetime, but also like just a blink of an eye. She finally pushed open the door - behind the door were her parents.
"...Dad, Mom?" Lian Qiang muttered, "Are you still here?"
"What are you talking about, kid? Where can we go? But you are so reckless... Hey, slow down, slow down! Be careful not to fall!" Before her mother could scold her, Lian Qiang ran away again with her skirt picked up.
She didn't even have time to say a word to them as she hurried to her next destination. Seeing Lian Wei copying in the room, Lian Qiang felt as if a huge weight had fallen from her heart.
"Why are you sweating so much?" Lian Wei found it funny to see her sweaty sister. She took out her handkerchief and stood up to wipe the sweat off her face.
When she pressed the scented handkerchief against her forehead and her sister's focused face was so close to her, Lian Qiang finally felt a sense of reality as if she had returned to the human world.
It was as if something missing had been made up for. This was the childhood she cherished the most, a carefree time, with all the hustle and bustle far, far away from her.
Contentedly enjoying her sister's care, Lian Qiang begged Lian Wei to agree to help her create a copy of calligraphy, and then slowly moved back to her eldest brother's courtyard.
As expected, Lian Bo scolded her again, "...When I looked up, I saw you staring at me. Are you trying to scare your brother to death?"
He was determined not to give up until he apologized. Lian Qiang quickly lowered her head and pretended to be submissive: "Brother, I was wrong..."
She and Lian Bai were used to bickering on weekdays, but when he saw her being so obedient, Lian Bai started to wonder if his tone was too harsh. He coughed lightly and said, "Okay, I forgive you... What are you mumbling about?"
Lian Bai wanted to move closer to listen, but Lian Qiang suddenly raised her head and roared with full force: "I said I'll dare to do it again next time!"
The teased Lian Bai rolled up the book and vowed to teach his sister a lesson!
As the brother and sister chased each other, Lian Qiang took advantage of the situation and swiftly climbed up the wall by stepping on a dead tree at the base. When she sat on the wall, clapping her hands and wiping the dust, Lian Bai sensed something was wrong: "Are you going to look for that kid from the Chi family again?"
"Brother, I have a real name, not that kid from the Chi family," Lian Qiang said, swinging her legs leisurely as she sat down. "I'd better leave soon, so you can have some peace and quiet to study and write!"
Lian Bai was so angry that he stamped his feet repeatedly: "Get down here right now! Or I'll tell my parents!"
"Go ahead! Do you think my parents will blame me for climbing over the wall first, or will they blame you for arguing with your sister and wanting to hit her without even looking after me!" Lian Qiang made a face at him, and without saying anything more, jumped off the wall.
"Lian Qiang!" The wall was quite high, and only when he heard a light landing on the other side did Lian Bai's heart settle down, and then he roared, "Come back here right now!"
Lian Qiang would not be threatened by him: "I'm leaving first. As for my parents - please help me cover for them, brother!"
Lian Qiang was already familiar with the route to get into the Chi family's house, but this time, before she climbed in, she heard intermittent conversation coming from the courtyard.
"Mom, I really like the inkstone you gave to my second brother..."
"But your second brother really likes that inkstone. He asked me for it once before."
The voice behind sounded a little embarrassed, and Lian Qiang suddenly realized, oh, this is Chi Xingji's third brother and his mother.
She still had some impression of his mother, a very beautiful and kind woman. Chi Xingji had inherited her good looks.
As for his youngest brother, Lian Qiang only felt that he did not look familiar, and she could not even remember his name clearly - speaking of Chi Xingji, she rarely saw him being particularly fond of anything, he seemed indifferent to everything.
Today's situation is rare, Lian Qiang continued to listen calmly.
"Second brother only asked you for it once, so how can you say he likes it that much? Besides, Second brother has always been generous, so I'm sure he won't compete with me for it."
Listen, what kind of words are these! Lian Qiang was furious after hearing this. What do you mean by only giving it once, and not being particularly fond of it? If you care about it, you should take it seriously even if it's just once. And you are always generous, why should you be generous? Is generosity a good thing for the giver?
If she were there, she would definitely roll up her sleeves and angrily denounce such ridiculous remarks!
"...Third brother is right." A long-lost and familiar voice spoke, and Lian Qiang was startled. She didn't know that Chi Xingji was also there. She accidentally stepped on a dead branch under the wall, and there was a crisp sound of breaking.
"Who?" The noise was so loud that the woman in the yard hesitated. Chi Xingji said, "Maybe it's a stray cat on the side of the road."
He casually picked up the subject of his previous conversation and said, "I don't really like that inkstone that much. Since my third brother likes it, mother should give it to him."
Thanks to his concession, the troubled mother, having easily resolved her dilemma, breathed a sigh of relief and praised her second son for his generosity. The rewarded son and his mother left. Lian Qiang listened to them leave before scaling the wall.
She landed with a rather loud noise, but Chi Xingji still faced her with his back, motionless. Lian Qiang was secretly delighted, and she had intentionally given him a surprise start. She had never seen Chi Xingji so frightened before! Thinking of this, Lian Qiang quietly approached. Unexpectedly, after landing two steps, he spoke: "You're here."
It was boring. He had known she was coming. Lian Qiang found a bench and sat down dejectedly. She looked at Chi Xingji leisurely reading a book. Thinking of what had just happened, she felt sorry for him: "I heard everything just now... I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Why did you let him do that?"
"I know you didn't mean it. My third brother is the most loved by our parents. Even if I don't take the initiative to give in, the inkstone will eventually fall into his hands. No matter what, this is the ending. I'm used to it." Chi Xingji was very calm and was not affected by this incident.
Lian Qiang didn't understand what he meant: "But don't you like that thing too? If you like it, you should compete fairly."
"Precisely because I like it, he will naturally regard it as his own." Chi Xingji finally moved his eyes away from the page and sighed slowly, "It's better not to let others know my hobbies."
"...I don't understand," Lian Qiang shook her head. "In our family, no matter what anyone likes, our parents always tell us to say it openly. We can't let ourselves be wronged because of age or social status."
"It's a good thing you don't understand." Chi Xingji simply closed the book and looked at her directly. "It's enough for you to know this."
"Then you should also know that it is important to be nice to yourself. How can you let accommodating others become a habit?" Lian Qiang responded without thinking.
Chi Xingji didn't say anything, just looked at her with an expression that she couldn't understand. Lian Qiang didn't bother to understand the emotion in his eyes, she just said with regret: "You should have said you understood, and you will definitely do it next time."
"...I understand. I will do it again next time." The young man was helpless.
Lian Qiang nodded in satisfaction and came up with a plan to reward him: "I remember Lian Bai has many beautiful inkstones, but he doesn't use them. It's a pity to let them gather dust. I'll steal one for you tomorrow."
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Lian Qiang even gestured as she spoke: "What kind do you like? Square or round? Do you like auspicious cloud patterns or something else?"
Chi Xingji's expression was a little unnatural, perhaps because she choked him, or for some other reason: "...anything is fine. I'm not picky."
"Hey! You're here again. What did I just say?"
"...A square one with auspicious cloud patterns will do."
"Um?"
"...Then I'd like the bamboo leaf pattern."
After asking a few more questions and getting the answer she wanted, Lian Qiang stood up with satisfaction and patted the non-existent dust off the hem of her skirt: "Okay, it's getting late, I'll be leaving first!"
Chi Xingji pursed his lips but didn't purse them before asking, "Will you come tomorrow?"
"Of course, we both made an appointment. I'm going to bring you the inkstone. How could I not come?" Lian Qiang climbed the tree using both hands and feet. "Just remember to get everyone else out of the way beforehand."
The moment she jumped off the wall, she saw Chi Xingji nodded very solemnly.
It seems that he is also looking forward to her coming.
Lian Qiang returned the same way. This time, she found Lian Bai looking around furtively under the wall. He was obviously keeping watch for her, afraid that someone would find out that she was missing. She couldn't help but laugh.
Her brother looks upright and rigid, but in fact he is tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
Hearing her laughter, Lian Bai looked up, his face showing some embarrassment: "What are you talking about? Come down quickly! I'll catch you!"
"I know, I know--" Lian Qiang jumped lightly and jumped into a warm embrace.
——Lian Bai, with his small body, groaned, but he caught her steadily without any shaking at all.
Ever since she grew up, Lian Qiang had always been close to her sister. It seemed like they hadn't been this intimate for a long time. Lian Qiang's heart moved, and a sour feeling rose in her nose. She didn't let go, but hugged Lian Bai even tighter: "Brother..."
"Hmm?" Lian Bai was at a loss as to what to do in her embrace, but he didn't break free. He patted her head gently and said, "As long as you're good and obedient, I won't tell Mom and Dad about this."
Lian Qiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She felt that most of her warmth had been extinguished by him. "What?! That's not what I wanted to say!"
"So what are you going to say?"
"I just wanted to say...thank you, brother."
Lian Bai gradually faded away, and Lian Qiang hugged him tighter, repeating over and over again: "Thank you..."
...Thank you.
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The author has something to say: I forgot the timer... I'm sorry, my family.
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