Chapter 13: Memories of a Home He Finally Had Again
The house Lin bought was just a small three-bedroom apartment. The largest bedroom was for the old lady, while he lived in the smallest room.
Upon learning that Lin had also brought Zhou Ke back, the old lady dragged him into the inner room and asked him in a low voice if he had lost his mind. She said that he was accompanied by Lin Yu, and no girl had ever been interested in him before. Now that another one had come along, she wondered if he was going to drive her crazy.
Lin Ye, however, didn't take it seriously. He had no intention of getting married in the first place, and simply said, "After all, this child was brought home by my sister. In this situation, if we don't take care of him, are we going to let him go out and beg for food?"
Jiang Huifang glanced at him sideways, snorted coldly, and stated firmly, "In short, I disagree."
Lin Ye: "It's too late to disagree. I can't just bring him home and then kick him out. He's just a child. It's just another pair of chopsticks. It's not like I can't afford to raise him. Besides, it was you who suggested that my sister and her husband adopt him. What, now that he's dead, you want to abandon him and not care about him? Be careful, my sister might come looking for you in her dreams tonight."
"You—" Jiang Huifang was speechless after being choked by these words. It is said that no one knows a daughter better than her father. In other words, the same principle applies. Lin Ye is stubborn. Once he has made up his mind, no one can change his mind. Jiang Huifang had no choice but to glare at him resentfully and said helplessly, "Now that you have the ability to make money, you have become more opinionated. Anyway, you won't listen to anything I say."
And so, Zhou Ke successfully stayed with the Lin family.
With one more person in the house, the question of where to rest at night became a problem. The old lady's room was the largest, but Lin didn't even consider using that bedroom. His own room was so small that it could only fit a bed and a desk, and there was really no way to add another person.
The only place I could sleep was Lin Yu's room.
As night deepened, Lin brought a quilt from outside and spread it on Lin Yu's bed. While tidying up, she said to the two children, "Let's make do with this for the next few days. When I have some free time in a few days, I'll go to the furniture market and buy a double bed. Then you can each have your own bed."
Although Zhou Ke didn't hear what Jiang Huifang said during the day, her every move at the dinner table that evening showed her dislike for Zhou Ke. Lin Ye couldn't change her attitude in a short time. However, fearing that the child might harbor resentment, Lin Ye glanced at Zhou Ke, who was sitting obediently on the bed, remained silent for a while, and then led him out of the room.
The two, one big and one small, stood on the balcony. Lin squatted down, patted Zhou Ke's head, and whispered to comfort him, "Don't take what Grandma said to heart. From now on, treat this place as your own home. As long as I'm here, no one can make you leave. But once you're in my house, you have to follow the rules. Don't cause trouble or act recklessly. Your little sister is still young, so don't bully her. There are only four of us in this family, and your little sister is the oldest, understand?"
Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows in the room. The two stood silently facing each other. Zhou Ke lowered his eyelids, his fingertips nervously clutching the hem of his clothes. Meeting Lin Ye's loving gaze and reassuring tone, Zhou Ke nodded heavily.
This was the first thing he said to Lin Ye when he moved into Lin Ye's house, and it left an indelible mark on his life thereafter.
The moon was bright and the stars were few. The moonlight, like flowing water, quietly streamed into the small bedroom through the transparent glass window. A gentle breeze blew, and the tall old locust tree outside the window swayed its branches and leaves, making a soft rustling sound.
Zhou Ke returned to his room, pushed open the door, and saw Lin Yu sprawled on the headboard, flipping through the pages of her storybook by the light of a small night lamp. Hearing the door open, she turned around abruptly, meeting Zhou Ke's dark eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked her round, clear eyes, and she called out, "Brother!"
Zhou Ke gave a soft hum, walked up to her, and seeing the storybook she was holding, casually asked, "You like reading this?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu pouted and shook her head in disappointment.
Seeing the unhappiness in his sister's eyes, Zhou Ke asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Yu raised her chin and told Zhou Ke with a gloomy mood, "My uncle tells me stories every day, but today, he forgot."
Zhou Ke was slightly taken aback, not expecting Lin Yu to be upset about this. He guessed that perhaps Lin Yu had forgotten because she was busy. He looked down at Lin Yu's silent appearance, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up: "Let me tell you what I think."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yu's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Hmm." Zhou Ke pursed his lips, smiled at Lin Yu, and then held out his hand to her, "Then give the storybook to your brother."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu was about to hand the things in her hand to Zhou Ke when she lowered her head and suddenly noticed the red scar on Zhou Ke's arm. Her round eyes widened instantly, and she looked up in shock, her voice losing its previous softness as she asked worriedly, "Brother, how did you get hurt!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke's gaze fell on the mottled red mark on his arm. He abruptly withdrew his hand, subconsciously not wanting Lin Yu to see it again. It was a scar left by Jiang Guohua when he was drunk, who hit him hard with a clothes hanger. Besides his arm, there were several more on his back.
Although Jiang Guohua is no longer here, these scars are still deeply imprinted on his skin, looking twisted and ugly.
Afraid that these injuries would frighten Lin Yu, Zhou Ke could only put his arms behind his back and respond with evasive eyes, "No."
Lin Yu didn't believe it. She tossed the storybook aside, tilted her head, and asked in confusion, "But I saw it all. It was red and very long."
Zhou Ke froze, suddenly unsure how to explain it to her. He didn't want to lie to her; the scars were simply too ugly. His arm, hidden in the darkness, slowly curled into a fist. He raised his dark eyes to look at his sister and reassuringly told her, "It's all healed now, so it's okay."
Meeting his sister's curious yet pitying eyes, Zhou Ke felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He chuckled softly, a faint halo appearing in his dark pupils: "It doesn't hurt."
But Lin Yu clearly didn't believe it. She lowered her eyes and stared quietly at the wound on her brother's arm. A hideous, bloody red mark stretched almost all over his arm, looking extremely terrifying. Lin Yu pursed her lips, and a sad expression suddenly appeared in her eyes and brows. She looked up at Zhou Ke and said righteously, "Brother is lying."
The air suddenly fell silent, and Zhou Ke suddenly felt flustered, unsure how to explain to her that he... really wasn't in pain anymore.
"I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Yu interrupted her. She tilted her head back, revealing a pair of clear, bright eyes that sparkled in the night. Her voice was soft and sweet, like sticky candy: "Brother, wait for me a moment, okay? I have something for you."
After she finished speaking, Zhou Ke saw her suddenly get up from the bed, then slowly climb down the small ladder at the foot of the bed. Without even putting on her shoes, she ran panting to the desk in front of the window, then climbed up the chair using both hands and feet. Finally, she took out a small, colorful round box from the drawer, and after getting it, she went back to the bed along the same path.
Zhou Ke looked at what she was holding, slowly raised his eyelashes, and asked, "What is this?"
"Candy." Lin Yu held up the tin box in her hand and shook it. A clattering sound came from inside. The box opened, revealing fruit candies of various colors. Lin Yu held the box up to Zhou Ke and told him with a smile, "Last time I was scared by Uncle Tang's dog and fell down, bleeding a lot. My uncle gave me a box of candy and said that eating it would make the pain go away. I'm giving you all these candies, so you'll definitely feel better."
Zhou Ke was clearly surprised by Lin Yu's words; for a moment, his heart felt as if it had been struck by something.
"I don't need it, you keep it for yourself."
"Yes, yes." Lin Yu stubbornly handed the candy to Zhou Ke and said in a serious tone, "Your wound is bigger than mine, so you must be in more pain than me. You need to eat more candy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Ke's breath caught in his throat. He looked down at his sister's eyes and saw the concern that arose because of him. It had been a long time since anyone had cared whether he was in pain or not.
Under Lin Yu's watchful gaze, Zhou Ke slowly raised his arm and, under her expectant gaze, picked up an orange-flavored fruit candy and popped it into his mouth.
Seeing this, Lin Yu finally smiled with satisfaction. She leaned forward and moved closer, her nose almost touching Zhou Ke's cheek. She had just taken a shower and still had a faint milky scent from the shower gel on her body. The moment she got close, Zhou Ke's breath was slowly invaded by this fragrance.
Lin Yu blinked her fine eyelashes, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescent shapes, and tilted her head to ask softly, "Isn't it sweet?"
Zhou Ke lowered his head and absentmindedly replied with an "Mm".
After all that fuss, Lin Yu stopped trying to tell any stories. Sleepiness washed over her, and she yawned, a few tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing how sleepy she was, Zhou Ke gently coaxed her, "It's getting late, go to sleep. I'll tell you a story tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay." Lin Yu threw back the covers and tumbled into bed, her sweet voice echoing in the small bedroom, "Goodnight, brother!"
The orange-flavored fructose gradually melted in his mouth, and the subtle sweetness spread from his mouth all the way to his heart. Zhou Ke smiled and whispered to her profile, "Goodnight."
The child fell asleep quickly and soon did. Zhou Ke lay flat on the bed, looking at the room filled with moonlight, and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of peace, as if a drifting ship had finally found a place to rest and no longer had to wander around.
The sound of even, long breaths gradually came from beside him. Zhou Ke turned his head and, by the moonlight, carefully gazed at his younger sister's peaceful sleeping eyes.
She lay face down on the soft mattress, her long, straight hair cascading over her shoulders. Her lips were slightly pouting, and because of her young age, her round face still had some baby fat. Her arms were soft, as if they had no bones. In the summer, when there were many mosquitoes, there was a small red dot on her fair wrist from a mosquito bite, which looked particularly conspicuous.
When Lin Yu was born, everyone was busy with Lin Xiangyun's funeral, and Jiang Guohua didn't even get to hold his daughter.
Until Lin Ye took her away, the Jiang family had not given her a name, so when Lin Yu was first born, Zhou Ke could only call her "little sister".
It wasn't until yesterday, when he heard Lin also call her Lin Yu, that he realized she originally took her mother's surname, Lin, which is composed of two "wood" radicals, but he didn't know which "yu" it was.
Zhou Ke gazed at her peaceful sleeping posture and murmured, "Little Yu sister."
Three years have passed, and this is the first time he has had the opportunity to look at her. He still seems to be in shock at how much his sister has grown. In his memory, she was still a tiny baby he could hold in his arms. Time flies, and she is now almost as tall as his thigh.
Bathed in the moonlight, he slowly revealed a smile.
He finally has a home again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
