Lin Duole stood somewhat constrained inside the small villa, feeling that the living room here was even larger than the courtyard back at his home. Given that he was allowed to sleep in the same room as Lu Chengyu, how could he possibly feel wronged? If anything, it was Lu Chengyu who should be asked whether he felt wronged sharing a room with him.
“I don’t mind, not at all—if Brother Chengyu doesn’t mind,” Lin Duole waved his hands and walked to the doorway of the room. Looking inside at the internal layout, he was thoroughly astonished.
The space inside the room was huge: not only could it accommodate two beds, but two study desks had also been added. There was even a tall bookcase standing in the northwest corner, nearly two meters high, occupying that entire wall. The vast collection of books was jammed packed into every shelf.
“I spoke with him in advance; he has nothing to feel wronged about.” Lu Tingyu moved all the belongings from the trunk into this bedroom, then pointed to the bed with the light-blue bedding and said, “This area is all yours, and the bedding has been freshly changed. You can unpack a bit first. Uncle will go to the kitchen to cook a bowl of noodles for you. After traveling all day, you should eat and get a good rest.”
After saying this, Lu Tingyu left the room to hurry off and cook noodles for him, leaving Lin Duole standing there dazed and alone. Aside from the backpack on his shoulders, everything else had been carried in by Lu Tingyu. Lin Duole had assumed he was coming to the city merely to attend school, so he expected Uncle Lu would arrange a boarding school for him.
He had never imagined he would move into Lu Chengyu’s home to live with his family. The palms of Lin Duole’s hands gripping his backpack straps began to break out in a cold sweat. For a moment, he felt a surge of deep regret—he shouldn’t have made such an impulsive decision, nor should he have moved into someone else’s home so rashly.
He felt he ought to run out and make things clear to Uncle Lu, then leave this place. He had no desire to live in a big city; he only intended to study in the city. But it was already too late. Lu Tingyu had traveled day and night to bring him here, packed his things for him, and gone through so much trouble. If the beneficiary turned around now and demanded to leave, what kind of behavior would that be?
“Lele, the noodles are ready! Come out and eat once you’re done unpacking.”
During those ten-odd minutes while his mind was blank, Lu Tingyu had already finished cooking the noodles. Having no choice, Lin Duole bit the bullet and walked out of the room.
The dining area in the living room was quite luxurious, featuring a long rectangular dining table covered with a light green patterned cloth. As Lin Duole walked over, two bowls of noodles were sitting on the table.
“Lele, Uncle isn’t very good at cooking, so just make do with this for now.” As the two sat opposite each other eating noodles, Lu Tingyu pressed a button on a remote control. Moments later, a wave of warm air suddenly began to blow through the living room.
“It’s fine, Uncle, it’s already very delicious.” Lin Duole had never eaten noodles this delicate before; the texture was chewy and firm, completely incomparable to the noodles kneaded from flour back home.
Lu Tingyu smiled and looked up at him, suddenly realizing that while Lele was a boy, his hair was far too long. All this time, he had been staring into Lin Duole’s eyes because they looked most like his mother’s.
“Once you’ve rested up, Uncle will take you to get a haircut, and after that, I’ll take you to school.” Having finished his meal, Lu Tingyu set down his chopsticks, walked into the living room, turned on the television, and continued, “Lele, Uncle plans to send you to No. 1 High School. How about arranging for you to be in the same class as your brother?”
At the mention of a haircut, Lin Duole was reminded of his mother again. Clearly, the last time they met, his mother had asked him to bring a pair of scissors, but he never expected that their next meeting would turn into a final parting.
Lin Duole recalled everything with a sense of loss, mechanically stirring the noodles with his chopsticks.
Lu Tingyu sat in the living room listening to the financial news for a while. Seeing that Lin Duole hadn’t spoken, he looked back and saw the child looking dazed, likely missing his mother.
“Lele,” he called out to him a few times.
Only then did Lin Duole snap back to reality. “Ah?”
“Uncle is arranging for you and your brother to be in the same class. How does that sound?”
“Anything is fine, I’ll follow Uncle’s arrangements.”
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a key turning came from the entryway. When the door opened, Lu Chengyu walked in.
He changed his shoes and walked inside, glancing at his father, who was on the phone, and then looking at Lin Duole sitting at the dining table eating noodles.
Naturally, Lin Duole saw him as well. He quickly set down his chopsticks and stood up, feeling that he ought to greet him, so he opened his mouth awkwardly: “You’re… back.”
Before he could finish the sentence, Lu Chengyu merely glanced sideways at him and then walked straight into his room.
The other boy had no intention of responding; instead, he answered him with a loud slam of the door. Lin Duole couldn’t help but feel his heart sink.
Lu Tingyu was focused on his phone call and hadn’t noticed what had happened between the two kids. After hanging up, he hurried to his room to put on a coat. Seeing that Lele had finished eating, he said, “I’m sorry, Lele, Uncle has something urgent to attend to right now and can’t take you to get a haircut.”
“It’s alright, Uncle. You go ahead with your work, I’m in no rush.”
“Did Xiaoyu just come back?” Lu Tingyu stood at the entryway changing his shoes, seemingly in a rush. “I thought I heard a door slam. How about letting Chengyu take you to the barbershop? It’ll also be a good opportunity for him to show you around and help you get familiar with the neighborhood.”
Just as Lin Duole opened his mouth to refuse, Lu Tingyu was already knocking on Lu Chengyu’s bedroom door.
Sure enough, a second later, Lu Chengyu opened the door with an expressionless face.
“Chengyu, take Lele out for a walk in a bit and accompany him to get a haircut while you’re at it.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Chengyu’s gaze shifted from his father to Lin Duole. “Dad, I just agreed to play basketball with Xiaoshan in a bit.”
“Then tell Xiaoshan to make it another day. It’s your younger brother’s first time here and he’s unfamiliar with the place, whereas you and Xiaoshan can hang out anytime.” Lu Tingyu dismissed it casually, continuing, “Be good, take your brother there. Something came up at the company, so I’m leaving now.”
With that, Lu Tingyu checked his wristwatch and walked out the door, leaving the two teenagers staring at each other.
Lin Duole paused, met Lu Chengyu’s unreadable gaze, and said, “Brother Chengyu, go play ball with your friend. I can go by myself in a bit.”
He didn’t know where he found the courage to claim he could go alone, but he knew in his heart that the person before him didn’t want to meddle in his business at all.
“Get out of my face!” Lu Chengyu frowned, disgusted by the way he was addressed. “Don’t call me brother!”
Lin Duole froze for two seconds, utterly stunned. He saw the rejection in Lu Chengyu’s eyes and felt anxious inside, but he could only nod, shut his mouth, and step further away.
Seeing Lu Chengyu enter his room again, Lin Duole stood dazed in place, awkwardly unsure of what to do. Only when he noticed the bowls and chopsticks on the dining table did he step forward to clear them away.
Holding the bowls, he tentatively walked into the kitchen. Had he not seen a few small pots placed on the tiles, he would hardly have believed his eyes.
The kitchen in the city was far too clean—there wasn’t a speck of oil grease anywhere. The tiles on the stove counter were so white they seemed to glow, and the sink and gas stove were entirely spotless.
Lin Duole wondered if this family rarely cooked, because otherwise, why was his kitchen back home greasy everywhere, with even the wall facing the stove smoked into a dark gray?
Lin Duole observed for a while, thinking how meticulous people in the city were. He placed the bowls in the sink, faced the black screen in front of it, and tried studying the buttons. He tapped the “water drop” icon several times, but no water came out.
“Why isn’t anything working?” Lin Duole looked left and right, trying all the buttons around it, but none produced a reaction.
Just as he was hesitating, unsure of what to do, a soft, refined voice sounded from behind him: “What are you doing?”
Lin Duole was startled. He turned around to see a delicately made-up woman.
The woman’s eyelids were slightly lowered, with exquisite eyeliner smoothly extending at the corners of her eyes to outline a gentle curve. A layer of colorful eyeshadow covered her upper eyelids, making her eyes look larger and brighter. Her lips were coated with vivid lipstick, and blush was brushed across both cheeks.
This must be Uncle Lu’s wife. Lin Duole pursed his lips and responded somewhat stiffly, “H-hello, Auntie. I… I’m washing the dishes.”
“Are you Xiaoyu’s classmate?” The woman seemed to realize, her gaze very gentle. She stepped forward and tapped the switch on the water purifier; warm water immediately flowed from the faucet. “Xiaoyu really is something—how could he let a classmate do house chores at home?”
“N-no,” Lin Duole explained nervously, “I wanted to wash them myself.”
“Mom, why are you back so late?” Perhaps hearing the noise outside, Lu Chengyu walked out of his room. “I’m almost starving.”
“I was just talking about you, and out you come.” Zhao Qian had a graceful figure, wearing a gorgeous dance costume with a gentle and composed smile on her lips. “The moment I came back, I heard noise in the kitchen. I was wondering who it could be, and when I caught a glimpse of a long-haired back, I thought you brought a little girlfriend home!”
As soon as this playful remark came out, both teenagers froze. Lin Duole bent his waist slightly, feeling dying of shame.
Lu Chengyu realized it as well—his dad hadn’t told his mom at all that an extra person would be living in their home from now on. Lowering his eyelids, he looked at Lin Duole’s reddened cheeks and, in a rare moment of coming to his rescue, said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to get a haircut? Are we still going or not?”