PFC Chapter 325 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (36)
Chapter 325 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (36)
Even now, Jin Shuhe still feels some regret; he shouldn't have gone home with Sister Li Ruan.
For Sister Li Ruan, it was going home; for Sister Li Ruan's parents and relatives, it was reuniting with their child who had been away for a year.
But what about me...
Will following Sister Li Ruan cause trouble for others? Will it make the uncles and aunts uncomfortable? But because of Sister Li Ruan, I can't show it.
Jin Shuhe was a child who was very considerate of others and very good at reading people's expressions from a young age.
But he didn't always have that ability...
When his mother was still alive, it seemed that he had never thought about these things, nor had he paid any special attention to them.
Because wherever Mom is, I am never superfluous, and I will never be disliked. Mom will always care about me the most and be the most concerned about me.
You can do whatever you want, you can act cute however you want...
It wasn't until after her mother passed away that little Jin Shuhe slowly began to feel the difference and the sense of loss.
This is not something that happens in an instant; for the child, it is a long, sad, and heartbreaking process, but no one ever notices or cares about it.
From then on, Jin Shuhe became particularly sensitive to these things, but she no longer felt sad or longed to be cared for.
Instead, they consciously and deliberately avoid causing trouble or confusion for others, and they don't want anyone to be unhappy because of them.
This had become a subconscious habit, but this time... Li Ruan's words made him follow without much thought.
Perhaps... she didn't want to be separated from Sister Li Ruan.
During the several hours on the high-speed train, Jin Shuhe felt uneasy, pondering what was going on, and finally came to this conclusion...
Because he didn't want to be separated from Sister Li Ruan during the Lunar New Year, it seemed that as long as he could be with Sister Li Ruan, he could endure all other things.
But something that hadn't surfaced for many years—the thoughts that had troubled him since childhood—quietly resurfaced.
If Sister Li Ruan doesn't care about him either... Jin Shuhe felt that his thoughts were childish and selfish, but he couldn't help but think about it.
What if Sister Li Ruan goes home and leaves someone there alone? Just thinking about being in an unfamiliar environment makes Jin Shuhe's stomach feel a little uncomfortable.
Lu Liruan finally emerged from the crowded train station, where people were jostled shoulder to shoulder and had their feet stepped on three times for every meter they walked.
"call--"
Jin Shuhe heard Sister Li Ruan beside him breathing heavily and came to his senses to check on her.
Li Ruan's face turned red, and her brows furrowed.
"What's wrong, Sister Li Ruan?"
"Phew—it was so crowded just now and someone was smoking. They have no sense of public decency! The smell was blowing right in my face, I almost suffocated..."
Lu Liruan wanted to say, "I'm suffocating."
But on the way to the train station, she was scolded by a child who, despite his young age, spoke with an air of maturity: "Sister Li Ruan, don't say that word during the New Year!"
He was so meticulous that he wouldn't even say what the word was...
"I almost suffocated!" Lu Liruan slammed on the brakes, changed her words, and then glanced at Jin Shuhe out of the corner of her eye, looking somewhat guilty.
But Jin Shuhe was preoccupied and didn't notice Lu Liruan's sudden change of heart.
"Huh? I didn't smell it just now." He thought for a moment.
"You didn't smell anything... The one smoking isn't even as tall as your nose, otherwise why would the victim be at my height?" Lu Liruan muttered.
After leaving the train station, there's a second hurdle to overcome.
Lu Liruan stared at the endless queue of taxis at the exit of the station, her vision blurring as she looked around.
Originally, upon hearing that his daughter was coming back, Mr. Lu volunteered to go to the station to pick her up, but during a conference call, Lu Liruan vetoed his offer.
"No way, Dad... If we go back ourselves, we might get stuck in traffic for two hours. If you come to pick me up, you'll get stuck in traffic for two hours on the way there, and then you'll get stuck in traffic for two hours on the way back with us. It'll be four hours in total. You might as well stay home and help Mom cook."
"Dad isn't afraid of the trouble!" Mr. Lu hadn't seen his daughter for a long time and was very excited.
“We don’t have much luggage. We don’t want you to block the road. If we get off the train and you’re still not here, we’ll have to wait for you at the station.” Lu Liruan remained very calm and was not overwhelmed by her father’s overwhelming paternal love.
"Don't make things worse! I don't know how to make sweet and sour pork. You should stay home and cook!"
"Okay, tell Dad when you get in the car, and Dad will make hot dishes right on time!" Under the persuasion of his calm wife and calm daughter, the excited Mr. Lu could only regretfully give up.
"Okay, okay, okay..." Lu Liruan mumbled and grumbled as she answered her parents' instructions, saying that it was colder where they were than in Pucheng, so she should remember to wear more clothes, and that the gas and water at home should be turned off before leaving...
Under the soft light of the living room, Lu Liruan, dressed in a soft, blue-pink plush nightgown, sat cross-legged on the sofa, responding to others' comments and directing Jin Shuhe to bring her some fruit.
Holding a game controller, eyes glued to the screen, truly multitasking, but none of it is anything important.
Jin Shuhe placed the sliced watermelon next to her. Seeing that she was busy, he took a fork, stuck a piece in it, and held it to her mouth.
Then he received an approving look from Sister Li Ruan.
Jin Shuhe simply sat down, took the plate, and fed her piece by piece, while his mind was somewhat blank.
Sister Li Ruan's home... I could feel the warmth and happiness even through the phone.
Being by Sister Li Ruan's side made him feel incredibly peaceful and happy, and this feeling grew stronger every day, especially in winter, as the New Year approached.
Lu Liruan had no idea what he was thinking. Her father on the other end of the phone still wouldn't hang up. She raised her chin, gesturing for Jin Shuhe to eat too: "Okay, let's talk about it when I get back! Hmm, I'm going to take a shower now. Yes, yes, yes, going to bed early and waking up early makes you super healthy!"
Unexpectedly, the moment the call ended, the character Lu Liruan was controlling suddenly died.
"Ah—" Lu Liruan let out a scream: "It's all my dad's fault for pestering me to talk!" Lu Liruan complained loudly!
When you died... your uncle had already hung up the phone.
Jin Shuhe had good hearing and heard it clearly.
But he didn't say this to Sister Li Ruan, who was clearly already venting her frustrations and complaining about everything.
Soon, Lu Liruan died again.
Then she shifted her mournful gaze to Jin Shuhe: "Xiaohe... come here."
Jin Shuhe doesn't usually play games, unless Lu Liruan drags him into playing two-player mode.
But sometimes... talent can be so cruel.
As someone with keen senses and exceptional hand-eye coordination, Jin Shuhe... is better at this kind of obstacle course game than Lu Liruan.
Jin Shuhe knew the saying "a bad person with a big addiction," but he couldn't bear to use it to describe his beloved Sister Li Ruan.
After Lu Liruan gave up the controller, she switched places with Jin Shuhe and took the fruit plate. While keeping an eye on the screen, she casually stuffed the fruit into Jin Shuhe's mouth.
After dying twice, Jin Shuhe successfully passed the test.
He prepared to return the controller to Lu Liruan.
Turning my head, I saw Sister Li Ruan holding a fork, her face all scrunched up.
"Why!"
Jin Shuhe: ?
"Why are you able to pass the level on your first try?!"
Jin Shuhe looked at the upper right corner; the game level displayed was: 6.
Most games don't have that many levels within the first ten, right...?
"You'll have to pass the next level!"
Then, about ten minutes later, the next level was over.
Watching others play always makes it seem very simple, and as Lu Liruan watched, she felt like she could do it too.
Lu Liruan is fine playing other types of games, but she struggles with this kind.
She was terrible at Temple Run and Skip the Note on her phone, but she never gave up.
After taking the handle back, Jin Shuhe took the empty fruit plate away.
By the time he returned with two completed test papers, Sister Li Ruan had already reached level thirteen, working very hard.
"Sister Li Ruan, it's almost midnight."
"I've reached level 15!"
As he spoke, he died again.
Jin Shuhe thought to himself, "I'm afraid we'll have to keep fighting until 2 a.m...."
"Sister Li Ruan, didn't you just tell Uncle to go to bed early and get up early?"
"I was just kidding him! How could you believe me?"
Lu Liruan turned her head and looked at Jin Shuhe, who was standing at the door of the room and had already finished washing up.
Suddenly, he frowned: "Be careful what you say when you get home, don't let my dad trick you into revealing anything!"
"what?"
“My dad is really good at chatting with people and getting information out of them without them even realizing it!” Lu Liruan gestured in the air: “When I was in college, I took a friend back home for three days, and I managed to get information out of him that I skipped my 8 am class five or six times that semester!”
"Is it because Sister Li Ruan also stayed up late the night before, and then couldn't get up for her morning class the next day?" Jin Shuhe asked casually.
Lu Liruan: ...
You boy.
"Okay, okay! I'm going to sleep now!" Lu Liruan jumped off the sofa, turned off the screen, and headed to the bathroom.
Muttering to himself, "It's so hard to learn good things, but it's so easy to learn bad things... I'm starting to realize that saying hurts me now, it's not cute anymore..."
Jin Shuhe remained unmoved.
Follow behind her, tidy up the snacks in the living room, and turn off the lights.
Sister Li Ruan has had a headache the next day because she stayed up too late several times, but she never seems to learn her lesson.
Jin Shuhe tried his best to supervise her.
Jin Shuhe remembered that it was on that day that he decided to go back with Sister Li Ruan.
Because that day, there were no worries, only peace and warmth, and Jin Shuhe felt a surge of courage from who-knows-where.
Now, the wind is even colder and harsher than in Pucheng. Even though he was wearing thick clothes, he could still feel it, and Jin Shuhe began to feel worried and uncomfortable again.
"How long will this line take? Is it heavy? If it's heavy, I'll take one!" Lu Liruan stood on tiptoe to take pictures, trying to see how long the line was, while turning to ask Jin Shuhe.
"It won't sink, Sister Li Ruan..."
"Ok?"
Lu Liruan turned around: "Hmm—"
Jin Shuhe put the bag on the ground, secured it with his legs, and reached out to tie Lu Liruan's loose scarf tightly.
"No need to rush." Then Jin Shuhe took her phone, held it above his head, and showed it to Lu Liruan, indicating that the boarding area was still far away. He sighed, "There's no use in rushing."
"you're right."
Moving around is fine, but standing still makes you feel cold very quickly.
Lu Liruan's nose was bright red, and Jin Shuhe turned his back to block the wind from blowing in front of her.
"Oh, no need..."
"I'm not cold." Jin Shuhe was broad-shouldered and tall, and although he was thin, he was still able to completely block Lu Liruan from view.
"Your ears are all red from the cold!" Lu Liruan shakily took her hands out of her coat pockets and, while her palms were still warm, covered Jin Shuhe's ears.
It's been so long since I've been back that Lu Liruan has forgotten how strong the wind is here!
The two of them moved forward like penguins huddled together for warmth, and finally got into a taxi after more than half an hour.
Only after feeling the warmth of the air conditioner did Lu Liruan finally relax.
Jin Shuhe's ears turned even redder and were burning hot, not just because they had been frozen for a long time and were now burning hot when they entered a warm place.
There are other reasons as well.
As Lu Liruan had expected, it took almost two hours to get home from the station.
"Sir, there are still two days until Chinese New Year, why is the traffic so bad?"
Lu Liruan looked out the car window. It was already dark, the streetlights were on, and the car lights on the road looked like a sea of stars.
"You're thinking of avoiding peak hours too, right? Hey! Everyone else thinks the same way. Let's just say, every year during the Spring Festival, there's never a time when the number of people isn't at peak!" The driver, clearly used to the traffic jams these past few days, started chatting with them.
"Right……"
"Hey! It only happens once a year, who wouldn't want to go home and reunite with their family? Even if you're stuck in traffic, your heart will be warm, don't you think, little sister?"
Lu Liruan nodded, "Isn't that right..."
The closer I am to home, the more I miss it; I wish I could fly back right now.
Standing at the entrance of the residential compound, Lu Liruan took a deep breath and felt her heart pounding.
Jin Shuhe was standing next to her, her heart pounding even faster. She was still thinking about going to the supermarket near the entrance to buy something to take with her.
"Pfft—" Lu Liruan saw through his eager look.
"I go……"
"Really, there's no need. My dad was telling me the other day what good things the family has prepared for this year. When I saw it, I realized that even if the two of us stayed at home for a month, we'd have enough to eat, let alone if we went back!"
"Quick, quick, let's go, we're freezing!"
Jin Shuhe was pushed into the yard by her in a daze and walked to the entrance of the building.
Lu Liruan rang the doorbell, and it was answered immediately after only two rings: "Ruanruan! Is the door open? Dad's calling the elevator!"
"It's open, it's open!"
Lu Liruan's parents lived on the fifteenth floor. Watching the numbers on the elevator display change rapidly, she gripped her bag tightly with her fingers.
"Ding--"
The elevator doors opened.
"Ruan Ruan!" came the voice of Lu's father, which I had heard on the phone before.
"Dad! I missed you so much!" Lu Liruan said, her accent changing as she returned.
Just as the father and daughter were about to put on a tearful farewell scene, Lu's mother stood at the door with a spatula in her hand: "What are you doing? Putting on a big show? Come back here right now!"
Urged on by Lu's mother, the three of them quickly went inside, closing the door behind them.
"Is this Xiao He? Wow, this child... wow! She's so tall!"
Lu Ma's gaze moved upwards from eye level, landing on Jin Shuhe's face, and she sighed.
"You came back empty-handed, leaving all the things for the kids. You really are acting like a big sister!"
When Lu's mother saw Jin Shuhe carrying a bag and hugging another bag, his nose and ears red from the cold, looking at her shyly, and thinking of what Lu Liruan had told her about Jin Shuhe, her heart softened even more.
The mother and daughter are exactly alike in their soft-heartedness.