“Really? You’re not messing with me, are you? He really is with the peacekeeping forces?” Zhou Lin was so excited he could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Lu Ning said, “If you don’t believe me, forget it. Then I won’t add you.”
“Don’t! I believe you. Besides, you can’t get away from me anyway.” As he spoke, Zhou Lin took out his phone and added Lu Ning as a friend.
Lu Ning immediately sent Zhou Lin the contact for the peacekeeping forces member she knew.
“He happens to be free right now, so go ahead and add him. In your note, write ‘Reporter Lu’s younger brother’ and include your name. And don’t bother him every day—he’s on duty. You can contact him now and then.”
Zhou Lin nodded happily. “Okay, I won’t bother him too often. Is he a man or a woman? What’s his name?”
Lu Ning picked up her phone and typed “Jiang Yi,” then sent it to Zhou Lin.
“He’s a man. His name is Jiang Yi, and he’s twenty-six. Call him Brother Yi. His family lives in the neighboring city of Licheng, and he’ll finish his mission and come back in another six months. If you want to meet him then, I can go with you to Licheng.”
“We can take the intercity train. It only takes an hour, so it’s very convenient.”
Zhou Lin already felt lucky just to know someone like Jiang Yi. He hadn’t expected he might even get a chance to meet him.
His eyes reddened with excitement. “Sister-in-law, thank you so much. I swear I’ll be your loyal supporter. If you ever need help, just tell me. If you and my brother ever argue, I’ll take your side.”
Zhou Lie came over with the medicine. Hearing what his younger brother had said, he couldn’t help frowning.
He raised a hand and smacked Zhou Lin on the back of the head.
“You little brat, can’t you hope that your brother and sister-in-law get along?”
Rubbing the back of his head, Zhou Lin grinned. “Brother, I said if. If you don’t make Sister-in-law angry, she won’t argue with you, and then what I said won’t happen.”
Wu Lizhen brought over a glass of water and handed it to Zhou Lin. “Xiaolin, take your medicine before you go. Take one dose now and another after dinner. Remember to drink plenty of warm water over the next couple of days, and lay off the milk tea.”
Xia Weihong reminded him, “If you still have a fever tomorrow, come back and let us check you again. If you’re feeling better, just finish the medicine. You’re young, so it shouldn’t be a serious problem. You should exercise more regularly—take your brother as an example. Look how fit he is.”
“Will do, Uncle. I’ll make sure to exercise more from now on. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie.” Zhou Lin took the glass and promptly swallowed his medicine.
He used to think his dream was out of reach. Now that Lu Ning was helping him, he’d decided to give it his all.
To join the peacekeeping forces, he needed to get in good shape.
After taking his medicine, he nudged Zhou Lie with his elbow. “Brother, teach me how to work out. I want to build a physique like yours.”
Zhou Lie couldn’t shake the feeling that his younger brother was acting strangely today. “Did the fever fry your brain?”
Why had he suddenly become so motivated?
Zhou Lin glanced at Lu Ning, who was smiling beside them, then answered Zhou Lie, “I’m not delirious. The fever scared me. I’m afraid you’ll drag me back for another shot, so I’m going to listen to Uncle and exercise more to get stronger.”
Seeing that Zhou Lin was serious, Zhou Lie said, “We’ll talk about it after you’re better. But first, you have to promise it won’t interfere with your schoolwork.”
Zhou Lin was delighted. “Yes, sir!”
The three of them said goodbye to Xia Weihong and his wife, then drove home.
As soon as they got in the car, Zhou Lin hurriedly sent Jiang Yi a friend request.
Thinking his younger brother was going to play games again, Zhou Lie muttered, “You’re in your third year of high school. Don’t spend all day thinking about playing games.”
In a good mood, Zhou Lin replied, “I know. I’ll work hard and get into college.”
Zhou Lie turned to look at his younger brother, who suddenly seemed like a stranger. “Have you been possessed?”
Zhou Lin had no time to pay his brother any mind. Jiang Yi had accepted his friend request, and he wanted to chat with him.
Lu Ning tapped Zhou Lie on the arm. “Don’t bother him. He isn’t playing games. And there’s something I need to say—you should remind your parents when we get back, too. They shouldn’t keep putting Xiaolin down. That’s not how you raise a child.”
“We can’t raise our children that way, either. We should encourage them, help when they need it, and take the time to understand what they think and what they need.”
Zhou Lie’s lips curled upward as he listened.
Lu Ning had mentioned their children. Did that mean she truly wanted to build a life with him—and have children together?
The night before, when they’d been intimate, Lu Ning hadn’t asked him to use protection. Maybe she was already carrying their child.
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind, and I’ll find a chance to talk to my parents, too,” he agreed.
Lu Ning hadn’t expected Zhou Lie to agree so readily. He really was obedient.
She’d been ready to argue the point with him.
“Brother, I heard that men who listen to their wives get rich. You can’t go wrong listening to Sister-in-law,” Zhou Lin chimed in from the back seat. Lu Ning was a goddess in his eyes now.
So whatever Lu Ning said was right.
He was her loyal supporter, after all. Of course he was going to take her side.
Zhou Lie didn’t disagree. He thought Lu Ning made sense, especially since she was a reporter and had probably read more books than he had.
Still, he was baffled. Why was Zhou Lin, that rebellious kid, listening to Lu Ning so readily?
Was there something he didn’t know?
When they got home, Li Ying hurried over and anxiously asked how Zhou Lin was doing.
Lu Ning explained for her. “Mom, Dad says it’s just a common cold. Don’t worry. He gave Xiaolin a shot to bring down the fever and prescribed medicine for him. He just needs to rest over the next couple of days. It’s nothing serious.”
Li Ying let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Please thank your father for me.”
“Mom, we’re family. No need to thank us.”
Seated in his wheelchair, Zhou Lishu chided his wife. “I told you he was fine. You’re the one who kept worrying over nothing.”
Li Ying shot her husband an unhappy look, but with her daughter-in-law there, she held her tongue.
Taking Lu Ning’s hand, she said with a smile, “I made liangfen. Come sit in the dining room and have a bowl before you go upstairs to rest.”
“I’ll pass. I’m going to my room to rest first.”
Zhou Lin was eager to chat with Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi had told him he had only today off; tomorrow he’d be back on duty and unable to reply to messages. The next time he’d have a break would be a week later.
Thinking of her younger son’s discomfort, Li Ying agreed. “Go upstairs, then. I’ll bring you some in a bit.”
Zhou Lin instinctively started to object, but when he saw Lu Ning glaring at him, he changed his mind.
“Okay. Give Sister-in-law some first, and bring mine up when you get a chance. Thanks.”
At Zhou Lin’s “thanks,” Li Ying looked startled.
After he disappeared around the bend in the staircase, she turned to her husband. “Dear, did you hear Xiaolin thank me just now? Or did I imagine it?”
Zhou Lishu had thought he’d misheard, too. Hearing his wife say the same thing, he was just as surprised.
Lu Ning and Zhou Lie exchanged a smile. Then she told her mother-in-law, “Mom, you heard right. Xiaolin really did say thank you.”
Remembering what Lu Ning had asked him to bring up on the way home, Zhou Lie took the opportunity to say it.
“Dad, Mom, Xiaolin is already seventeen. He’ll be an adult in another year. I’ve given it some serious thought, and I think we should treat him like an adult and show him more respect when we talk to him.”
“We should also be careful about how we speak to him. We shouldn’t put him down; we should encourage him, understand what he needs, and offer more help instead of criticizing him. That’s the right way to raise a child.”