Liuyin jolted awake.
“Big Brother! Bro….”
Her breath came in rapid gasps, like a wild animal being hunted. In her panic, Liuyin reached out toward where Yezhe was lying.
She caught hold…
It’s fine, he’s still here.
Big Brother was still there, sleeping soundly, not having left her.
Today, he didn’t abandon me…
The sun hadn’t fully risen, and on the bed, only Yezhe’s silhouette could faintly be seen.
“Whew…”
Gently lifting Yezhe’s hand, she placed it on her own shoulder, feeling his breathing.
Liuyin, nestled in Yezhe’s arms, drifted back into a deep sleep.
……
No one knows how much time passed before a blinding ray of sunlight stabbed into Liuyin’s eyes.
“Big Brother? Big Brother!…”
She grasped for him and caught nothing, nothing at all.
Her side was empty.
Lost, still lost, she could only see him again in the evening…
“No!”
“Waaah!”
Just as Yezhe pushed the door open, he heard Liuyin’s shrill scream, so startled that the pot in his hand trembled and spilled some soup.
“Big Brother? Big Brother!”
First she froze for a second, then pounced like a starving tiger.
Who cares about anything else, I’ve finally seen the brother I was longing for.
Ignoring the small pot in Yezhe’s hand, Liuyin darted over barefoot, not even bothering to put on her slippers.
“Hey, hey! That’s dangerous!”
Nothing to be done, Yezhe stretched the pot as far away as he could— after that, it was up to luck.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, at least the soup didn’t spill on her.
If he had really splashed soup on Liuyin, Yezhe would have felt terrible.
“Liuyin! That’s really dangerous.” For once, Yezhe was angry.
“What if the soup splashed on you? It’s really hot.”
“I… I just missed you, Big Brother…”
Crap, I raised my voice a bit too much.
Yezhe watched as Liuyin’s expression went from surprise to a look as if she’d just bitten into a lemon.
“Wuwu… Big Brother yelled at me…!”
She wrapped her arms tightly around Yezhe’s waist and burst into tears in his embrace.
She cried even louder than she ever had before.
“There, there, don’t cry, don’t cry.”
Hurriedly putting down the pot, Yezhe reached out to wipe away Liuyin’s tears.
“Good girl, it was wrong for me to yell at you. Don’t cry anymore, okay?”
With his thumb, he wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, while his other hand gently patted Liuyin’s head.
His big, rough hand softly brushed through Liuyin’s jet-black hair, like gentle waves caressing the top of her head.
With Yezhe’s soothing, Liuyin’s mood gradually calmed down, her wailing turning to sobbing.
“Be good, let’s eat first. Later, Big Brother will take you out to buy new clothes.”
Once he’d wiped away the last of her tears, Yezhe patted Liuyin’s head again.
“If you keep crying, we won’t be able to go out.”
Sniffling, Liuyin spoke in a trembling voice.
“Really?”
“Mm, definitely.”
“Liar, Big Brother clearly said before that he wouldn’t leave me, but you still went to work.”
“Ahaha…”
He scratched his head.
“Work is something I can’t help, it really can’t be avoided….”
“But this time, I mean it.”
He placed both hands on Liuyin’s shoulders.
Their eyes met, and Yezhe lowered his voice as much as he could when speaking to Liuyin.
“Trust me, okay?”
Their gazes locked, and Liuyin saw her own reflection in Yezhe’s eyes. She knew Yezhe wasn’t lying to her.
“…Okay.”
“Then let’s eat. You need to be full if you want the energy to go shopping.”
Breakfast was simply the little pot of noodle soup Yezhe had brought in when he entered.
He’d meant to cook in the big pot, but then he’d have to wash an extra bowl, so he just used the small pot instead.
It wasn’t anything fancy—just plain noodles cooked in seaweed and diced tomato soup.
For seasoning, he’d only added a little salt.
But it was made by Big Brother.
Sometimes, love is elusive and fleeting; other times, it’s so easy to touch.
Just like this bowl of noodles.
“Big Brother’s cooking is the best! Heehee.”
Her earlier sadness vanished without a trace, replaced by Liuyin’s satisfied smile and the sound of her slurping noodles.
Yezhe really didn’t know how Liuyin could eat so happily and with such contentment…
Liuyin didn’t like going outside.
When Yezhe wasn’t home, she’d always stay indoors, only dashing out quickly to use the restroom, and then hurrying back in.
She was scared.
She was afraid she’d get separated from Yezhe, afraid she’d lose him.
Even going out today—if it wasn’t for Yezhe wanting to take her, she never would have suggested it herself.
Also… there were new clothes to be had.
Everyone loves pretty things, especially a little girl like Liuyin.
She’d never had new clothes before. All her so-called “mom” ever gave her were hand-me-downs.
It was only when they went to the city that her “mom” very reluctantly bought her a single set of the cheapest clothes—and that was the first new outfit Liuyin ever owned.
Other than that, she only had the set given to her by the Children’s Welfare Home.
Liuyin wanted more, and since Yezhe was off work today, if not now, then when would be the time to get new clothes?
After helping Liuyin put on her clothes and shoes, the brother and sister, unrelated by blood, walked hand-in-hand toward the Bus Station.
On weekends, the buses were always crowded, but it was different if you boarded at the first stop.
The seats by the window in the back—not necessarily a king’s hometown, but always the best view, with the heater at your feet.
Liuyin sat inside, Yezhe sat by the aisle—partly for safety, and also because Liuyin still didn’t have a proper coat.
And so, one bus, one driver, two pairs of little feet set out on their journey to the city.
The bus moved along at a leisurely pace, sometimes honking at the car ahead, sometimes stopping to let pedestrians cross.
As she looked at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window, Liuyin slowly drifted off to sleep.
“Liuyin? Liuyin?”
If the bus hadn’t been so packed, Yezhe actually wouldn’t have had the heart to wake Liuyin up early.
“Mm?… Bro, are we there yet?”
Her little cat head slowly lifted from his shoulder. Liuyin rubbed her eyes and asked Yezhe in a soft, childish voice.
“No, it’s just crowded. Let’s move closer to the door.”
There weren’t many people standing in the back, but the situation was different at the door.
Elderly men returning from their morning exercise, young boys and girls heading out to hang with friends, rhythm game fans waiting to crowd the arcade at ten…
Yezhe led the way through the crowd, while Liuyin clung tightly to his hand.
As they stepped off the bus, the sounds of bustle and the thick scent of everyday life washed over them.
A hundred meters ahead was a Commercial Street, unusually lively.
Though it was daytime, neon lights still flickered, constantly flashing to entice the passing tourists.
It wasn’t just the neon lights; banners had already been hung everywhere.
The street was filled with the clamor of hawkers and booming sound systems, pounding in people’s ears.
Yezhe had never been here before. It was only because Yudong mentioned that there were tons of promotions and crazy discounts here lately that he decided to come.
At least when it came to atmosphere, Yudong hadn’t lied.
But as for the prices…
“Hey, hey, handsome boy, don’t go yet! Look at this jacket—originally 1999, now just 999!” Escaping from the first auntie, Yezhe was immediately besieged by the next store clerk.
Is this a joke? At 999, Yezhe could wear a different jacket every day for a week without repeating once.
And he wasn’t even shopping for men’s clothes today!
Pulling Liuyin along, Yezhe hurried away in three big strides.
And it wasn’t just that one store.
Yezhe dragged Liuyin through half the street, and it was the same story everywhere.
Why are all the things still unaffordable even after the discounts, ah ah ah ah ah—
“Big Brother, I can’t walk anymore…” Liuyin tugged at the corner of Yezhe’s shirt and pointed to a public bench nearby.
Honestly, it wasn’t just Liuyin who was tired. Yezhe was out of breath too.
He could only blame the fact that half the street had no shops with reasonable prices.
That Yudong, must have set him up to make a wasted trip!
“Let’s rest for a bit. I’ll get you some water, okay? Sit here for a moment?”
The moment she heard Yezhe was about to leave, Liuyin stood up again.
“No, I want to go with you.”
And so, the little feet and the littler feet walked together toward the vending machine.
Honestly, even water in this place was pricier than at the convenience store outside…
“Here you go, Liuyin.”
Sigh, at least it was chilled—no need to complain about the price.
They sat on the public bench for a while. After helping Liuyin wipe her sweat, Yezhe realized they’d been walking for nearly three hours already.
They still had time to check out other places.
But…
He turned to look at the petite figure beside him.
Even if he could keep walking, Liuyin might not be able to.
Tch, since they were already here, so what if it was expensive? He didn’t really spend much money usually anyway.
With that thought, Yezhe pulled Liuyin into the nearest children’s clothing store.
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