“In the room where, for quite some time, only faint signs of life appeared without any sound, finally the voice of a person was heard.
“Ah──, it’s hot─”
Mixed with a sigh was a grumbling mumble. Then the low voice of an old man laughing softly and speaking quietly was heard. Following that came the clattering sound of things being tidied up, so it seemed it was over.
Yuri, who had been waiting outside the coffin room, quietly turned and spoke through the door.
“Is it all finished?”
“Yes─.”
The long answer came from Ling Xinlu’s voice. Yuri said, “I’ll come in,” and opened the door. A pungent dry grass smell hit her sharply. Ling Xinlu, buttoning his shirt, looked back at Yuri and said, “You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you?”
Helping the old man who was gathering up the powder that had been reduced to white ash and thin paper scraps, Yuri took a water bowl and sprinkled water in the outer courtyard. There was nothing else to help with, as the old man had told them not to touch anything. Actually, it was only recently that Yuri had been allowed to touch the water bowl.
After wiping the bowl with a dry towel and handing it back, the old man muttered something while taking it. His wrinkled mouth curved into a soft smile, but Yuri could not understand what he was saying. Although Yuri spoke decent Chinese, the old man’s words were unintelligible. Previously, Ling Xinlu had laughed and said, “It’s because he mixes in a lot of the southern Manchu dialect.”
Even now, Yuri could not understand, but she listened attentively, looking at the old man earnestly. Regardless of whether Yuri understood or not, the old man continued speaking. Then, with a wrinkled hand lightly tapping her arm like a kind grandfather would to a good grandchild, Yuri nodded and replied, “Yes, sir.”
At that moment, Ling Xinlu, who was putting on his clothes nearby, suddenly burst out laughing.
“What did Old Chang say that made you answer like that?”
“I thought he said something nice.”
Yuri widened her eyes a little, and Ling Xinlu laughed and said, “Well, he said your posture is good. He saw a shadow sitting beyond the coffin paper, and said you kept your back straight the whole time — very good posture.”
Yuri looked at the old man and nodded in thanks. The old man nodded back.
Ling Xinlu, amused, buttoned his sleeves while chuckling quietly.
“Sometimes, Gabe, you’re kind of funny. Before, in an alley, you were chatting earnestly with some little girls, even though you couldn’t understand each other’s language.”
He said that although the flow of conversation was all off, they chattered as if they perfectly understood each other. Ling Xinlu laughed again at the memory.
Soon, the old man finished tidying his tools and drank the tea that someone brought at just the right time. Ling Xinlu, fully dressed and tidy, also took a teacup. Yuri, who had already had several cups while waiting outside, also took one.
Ling Xinlu received acupuncture and moxibustion twice a week. His eyes showed no hopelessness but also few signs of hope. Although he had brought in the old man from Ringa after much searching, this was no quack doctor, yet no significant improvement was visible.
Ling Xinlu seemed neither hopeful nor reluctant but still willingly met with the old man. During all this time, Yuri waited quietly outside the door until it was over.
“It feels like it’s getting hotter day by day. Ugh, the scars will come out. What’s this doing to my porcelain-like skin?”
While sipping tea and grumbling, Ling Xinlu never complained about pain or heat during the moxibustion. Yuri once entered the room briefly during treatment and saw him calmly staring at the ceiling despite his skin being burnt. Only when the treatment was finished and he was putting on his clothes did he playfully grumble about the heat. Unless it was intentional for some reason, he was a man who never showed weakness to others.
Eventually, the old man, as usual, just nodded once and left, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Yuri opened the coffin paper wide and let the sunlight into the courtyard. The detached wing deep in the Ling family main house always had a courtyard blooming with flowers except in winter. It was Ling Xinlu’s mother’s favorite garden.
“Shall we head back then?”
Ling Xinlu set down his teacup and showed signs of standing up immediately. Yuri silently looked at him for a moment, then quietly followed his lead. Just as they stepped outside and put on their shoes, an employee bringing fruit glanced nervously.
“Um, the young mistress will be here soon…”
“Ah, tell her I had an appointment and left early. I’ll visit on the weekend.”
Ling Xinlu walked lightly toward the parking lot, and Yuri gave a slight nod to the employee and followed.
It had been less than a month since Yuri moved into the Ling main house.
When he first came to China, Ling Xinlu lived at the main house, and Yuri stayed there as well. But soon after, Ling Xinlu got a separate place. Although he was still young, he was considered an ‘adult’ by family rank. He said he wanted to quietly recover because of his irrecoverable condition and shock, but as soon as he moved into a mansion about 40 minutes by car from the main house, the first thing he said was, “Ah, I feel refreshed. Over there, people kept bothering me.”
“Do you have a bad relationship with your family?”
Yuri did not mean to pry, but thought it would be better to know if they were to live together for a while. Ling Xinlu shrugged as if to say ‘No way.’
“My father and mother both like me very much. They dote on me.”
Sometimes that doting was really “doting” to the point of being a problem, and Ling Xinlu’s expression showed no intention to hide that. Yuri had also felt the overwhelming affection poured on Ling Xinlu by his parents during the short time she stayed at the main house. It was almost suffocating—literal doting.
“I’d heard rumors and expected it to some extent… but it’s surprising.”
When Yuri first entered the Ling family, she was called immediately in front of Ling Huilong by the youngest son who wanted to keep her by his side. After a long time of chatting with him, she murmured dazedly, though she had already done thorough background checks—the talk was mostly about current affairs.
Ling Huilong’s presence was so overwhelming it felt like your energy was being sucked just by being near him. It made sense, since without that presence he couldn’t lead such a huge family empire.
The amazing thing was, the man who seemed like he had no emotion at all showed unconditional love toward his youngest son to a degree that was surprising. He was so cunning and tiger-like that one might even suspect ulterior motives.
“My father is like that. But when he left last time, he told me to take good care of our son, so I guess I passed. Gabe, my father is a very picky man, and he doesn’t show his feelings easily.”
Ling Xinlu smiled casually and said he thought Gabe would be liked by his father. Then with a big smile, he said, “Now it’s mother’s turn for assessment,” and took him to meet his mother.
His mother, who had not lost her youthful beauty even in middle age, was honestly somewhat overwhelmed. She carefully observed the person next to her son with a slightly gloomy air, almost to the point of discomfort. Every word she spoke to her son was so indulgent that it felt like she was spoiling a sickly baby.
That overly cautious love toward a sick child was obvious even without seeing her for long. The absolute and unconditional love poured on Ling Xinlu was so strong, it made one think he had grown very well in such an environment.
So when Ling Xinlu left the main house and moved to the mansion, Yuri understood why he looked refreshed.
“…Yes, Mother. I had an appointment with Qianping, so that’s why. The treatment took longer today, so time was tight. …Of course, I want to see you too.”
Five minutes after driving away from the main house, Ling Xinlu received a call. Yuri slowed down slightly, reflected in the rearview mirror. He gestured for her to keep going. Yuri slowed briefly, then increased speed again. Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.
“…Yes, then I’ll see you on the weekend. Yes, love you, Mother.”
Ling Xinlu whispered sweetly, then hung up and threw the phone into the back seat.
“Oh, he’ll call Qianping again now. Where they’ll meet, what they’ll do, always telling him to be careful and look after Xinlu.”
Ling Xinlu laughed lightly while babbling, and Yuri raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t have an appointment with that person?”
“No.”
“Then if your mother calls her…”
“She’ll find out I lied.”
“…Are you okay with that?”
“I’m fine. But she probably won’t call me again to scold me.”
Ling Xinlu shrugged, as if it was no big deal that his mother called the person he supposedly was going to meet. Yuri fell silent again, looking ahead. Though such things had happened before, Yuri had never seen his mother scold or reprimand him. Instead, she watched carefully, barely able to ask, “Don’t you hate Mom?”
“Really, I’m proud of myself for not being twisted despite all this. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes.”
When Yuri nodded obediently, Ling Xinlu puffed his cheeks as if about to laugh and glanced at her. Yuri drove calmly on the open road and spoke evenly.
“In front of them, you’re always the lovely son.”
Ling Xinlu, who acted willfully yet always wore a kind and bright smile like a mask, chuckled.
“That’s what they want to see. Isn’t showing the face they want to see filial piety? But actually, they know. People’s eyes aren’t knot holes; even when it seems they aren’t watching, they see everything.”
He did not hide that the good and cute son they saw was not all of him. Despite that, he said, “If you like me, then like me,” as if daring them to accept it.
Being loved for being good isn’t everything. Some might think it unfair, but affection isn’t something earned by effort.
Yuri silently looked ahead.
Sometimes Ling Xinlu would look at her with eyes saying, “No matter what I do, you end up liking me.” And that thought wasn’t wrong. That arrogance and confident attitude sometimes seemed lovable when blinded by affection.
Just as Yuri nodded silently to herself thinking how much more his parents must feel, a phone in the gear slot rattled, signaling a message.
“.......”
Yuri and Ling Xinlu both glanced at the phones almost simultaneously. Ling Xinlu’s was tossed in the back seat, so it was Yuri’s phone that had the message. Yuri did not touch it as if nothing had happened.
“You got a message.”
“I’m driving now.”
“It might be urgent.”
“If it was, they would call. I’ll check later.”
Even without checking, they both roughly guessed who it was. Few people contacted Yuri by message since she had arrived just a few months ago. Most who contacted Ling Xinlu personally preferred calls, and very few people inside this country communicated with him.
“Looks like Fei went home.”
Ling Xinlu murmured casually, and Yuri replied just as casually.
“I guess so.”
The message was probably something like: ‘I heard you were at home — the main house. I should’ve come sooner. Be careful.’ A simple greeting.
If it wasn’t Fei, it might have been Xiaoqun, but the content would be almost the same. Despite the age gap, the two siblings often acted like twins.
Ling Tangyun had only those two children. Fei, the eldest of that generation, and his younger sister Xiaoqun were children they could boast about anywhere. Unlike their father, who doted blindly on the youngest son, Ling Tangyun did not spoil them unconditionally, but whenever talking about the children, his eyes softened.
Yuri knew the siblings well. Though they didn’t meet often, she had occasionally encountered them with Ling Tangyun. They called him uncle and followed him like puppies. Possibly because Yuri was closer in age to Fei than to Ling Tangyun, Fei might think of Yuri as an older brother.
When Yuri, who had contracted with Ling Xinlu, moved to Lingga with her luggage, those siblings welcomed him with brighter faces than anyone else. Fei had just graduated from school in the US, and Xiaoqun, who had returned home for the birthday of their grandmother — Ling Huilong’s main wife — was at the main house attending university in Shanghai. Both followed Yuri around calling him “Uncle Yuri” like playful puppies.
It was no wonder Ling Xinlu, who normally did not care about others, once glanced at Yuri with a sharp look and muttered, “I don’t know since when Gabe became my generation.”
Ling Xinlu, who was a few years younger than his nephew Fei, did not mind his age in the family but disliked being called ‘older brother’ or ‘big brother’ by nephews because he disliked relatives pretending to be close to him.
“Xiaoxian contacts you sometimes, right? Shouldn’t a student studying so far away just focus on studying?”
Ling Xinlu eyed Yuri’s phone, which sometimes flashed to indicate unchecked messages, with a displeased look and snorted. Yuri glanced at Ling Xinlu and said calmly,
“They’re good kids.”
“Good? Stop it. I don’t want to hear that. I thought I told you I don’t like those siblings?”
“They like ‘Uncle Xinlu.’”
“Just because dogs like me, should I like dogs too?! Stop it. I’m seriously about to get mad.”
Ling Xinlu frowned and waved his hand, showing he would listen no more, turning his head toward the window. Yuri shrugged lightly and fell silent.
It seemed their relationship had never been good. Not bad enough to call it hostile, but Ling Xinlu definitely disliked his nephews.
Yuri had casually asked Fei once, but there seemed to be no particular reason. Fei didn’t even know Ling Xinlu disliked him. Innocently, he said, “He’s the youngest uncle? He’s a bit hard to approach. Maybe he’s shy.” He added proudly, “But among the nephews, he’s closer to me than my siblings. We sometimes talk.” Yuri never told Fei what Ling Xinlu thought of him. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
It seemed a matter of personality.
The siblings were like dogs — friendly and openly affectionate to everyone. Ling Xinlu was like a cat — capricious and thoroughly private, though affectionate when needed.
“Thinking back to when I stayed at my grandmother’s house in Birmingham, they had both a dog and a cat.”
Yuri started, and Ling Xinlu looked at her as if wondering, ‘Why dogs and cats all of a sudden?’ but listened quietly.
“We raised them from childhood. They didn’t fight much, but their relationship wasn’t good either. Well, not exactly bad… The dog liked the cat and followed it around, but the cat disliked it and avoided it.”
“If something you don’t like chases you, you’d naturally dislike it.”
Ling Xinlu empathized naturally with the cat’s side, and Yuri smiled silently. Her smile vanished quickly, and Ling Xinlu asked suspiciously, “Did you just smile? No?”
Yuri shook her head calmly. “No. I was just thinking dogs and cats don’t get along well. That’s all.”
Ling Xinlu looked as if wondering why she suddenly said such a strange thing. Yuri changed the subject.
“Will we stop somewhere on the way or go straight home?”
“Hmm? Let’s go home. The DVD I ordered a few days ago should arrive today.”
Ling Xinlu sighed lightly, as if giving up trying to read Yuri’s mind.
Yuri frowned slightly watching Ling Xinlu push a CD into the player and sit curled up on the passenger seat. Although he wore a seatbelt, she was uneasy at how much he swayed when the car turned or moved sharply. She told him not to several times, but he didn’t change.
So again this time, whenever the car took a curve, Yuri habitually reached out and grabbed Ling Xinlu. He would chuckle and say, “I’m not going to fall,” but she ignored him.
『So, I’m calling because it’s troublesome, but I want you to take better care from now on.』
Ling Tangyun’s expression on the phone was clear in Yuri’s mind — rubbing his wrinkled forehead, shaking his head as if annoyed.
He was over fifty. Although he refrained from interfering noticeably under the watchful eye of the strict father, he was the head of the family. Though not as famous as the tiger-like father, Ling Tangyun had his own formidable reputation. For him to make a plea on someone else’s behalf was rare.
After Ling Xinlu visited the main house only to get treatment and leave, his mother was deeply saddened. (As Ling Xinlu expected, she even called his friend.) Seeing his wife tearful and depressed upset Ling Huilong, but he couldn’t directly speak to the youngest son and instead nagged the eldest son who was close with Yuri.
Thanks to this, Ling Tangyun had no reason to complain elsewhere or be disrespected, but instead sighed over the phone to Yuri, asking her to keep Ling Xinlu longer when he visited.
“It’s not something I can decide, so I can’t promise, but I’ll try.”
Always honest and clear about what she can and cannot do, Yuri replied bluntly. Knowing this answer was expected, Ling Tangyun sighed but said nothing more.
『And Xinlu? How is he doing?』
“He’s washing now. Should I tell him to call you after he’s out if you need something?”
“No, no, no. Nothing like that.”
Ling Tangyun quickly answered. Yuri replied calmly, “Okay, then.”
Even before Yuri met Ling Xinlu in Selingge, she had heard sporadic stories of ‘the youngest brother’ from Ling Tangyun. Each time, she felt Ling Tangyun was somewhat wary or uncomfortable about the youngest brother. Not dislike.
Ling Tangyun was not the kind to begrudge the son his father had late in life, even if people affectionately called him “little master.” Yet sometimes he seemed uneasy and distant, as if wary of a mischievous monkey who might suddenly cause trouble.
For example, last month—
In the Ling family, close blood relatives usually gathered for dinner every weekend unless something urgent came up. Ling Xinlu, who had moved out of the main house, would almost always return on weekends for dinner and sometimes stay overnight.
Last month’s last weekend, Ling Xinlu returned to the main house, and Yuri went with him.
Ling Xinlu was annoyed with Ling Tangyun, but the reason wasn’t serious. A few days before, when Ling Xinlu went for acupuncture, Ling Tangyun casually mentioned without malice that people were lamenting that the spy Yuri Gabe was suppressing her abilities doing errands for others.
Ling Xinlu laughed brightly and asked Yuri, “Did big brother say that?”
Yuri nodded stubbornly, saying, “Yes. But I don’t think I’m suppressing my abilities. I feel like I’m getting overpaid for resting comfortably, and that bothers me.”
Ling Xinlu dropped the subject with a laugh but apparently kept that memory in his head.
Yuri thought Ling Xinlu would forget it, since it was no big deal. She herself hadn’t cared and soon forgot. It was trivial enough to laugh at.
Then at the weekend family dinner, which wasn’t large because only close blood relatives up to Ling Xinlu’s generation attended—
Yuri ate separately but returned to find they hadn’t finished eating yet because Ling Huilong had come back later than expected.
Yuri stood quietly by a dining pillar, watching Ling Xinlu who was slow with chopsticks due to his eyesight, eating like anyone else. Ling Tangyun, holding a teacup after finishing his meal, spoke to him.
“So, how have you been outside? Any discomfort?”
Ling Xinlu paused mid-air with his chopsticks, smiled warmly, and said, “Yes, I’m comfortable and doing well.”
“That’s good. You probably don’t need me to say this, but if you need anything, just say.”
“Yes,” Ling Xinlu nodded obediently. Then he smiled affectionately and said innocently,
“Big brother sometimes feels like a father.”
The room fell silent. Everyone looked at Ling Xinlu — Ling Huilong, Ling Tangyun who momentarily frowned but forced a smile, and the other family members. Ling Xinlu calmly continued eating.
Ling Tangyun kept his eyes on Ling Huilong without looking away. Ling Huilong sipped his tea quietly, his mouth corners stubbornly turned downward.