Sitting in his wheelchair, Chu Lianxing waved his hand: “Uncle Zhao, look down, I’m down here.”
As soon as he lay back down, Uncle Zhao sprang up from the lounge chair with a bounce, and the 1.9-meter-tall old man hugged Chu Lianxing and wept bitterly.
Only after crying his fill did he remember to ask Chu Lianxing, “Why has Xingxing come back?”
“I wanted to come back and take a look, didn’t Uncle Zhao miss me?” Chu Lianxing didn’t mention that the house had collapsed, to prevent the old man from worrying, though this statement wasn’t false either.
He truly wanted to come back and take a look, but had been plagued by a lack of time.
Uncle Zhao took the wheelchair from Huo Ci’s hands, and seeing Zhou Nannan, who was likewise sitting in a wheelchair beside them, said, “Nannan is here too.”
“Uncle Zhao, I came along with Brother to take a look, you wouldn’t dislike me, would you?” Zhou Nannan said playfully.
“Aiyo, how could I dare.”
The few of them bickered and bantered as they walked inside, making Huo Ci look like an outsider.
However, Huo Ci didn’t stay heartbroken for long; Chu Lianxing was only staying here for a period of time, and the person who would accompany him through the remaining years was still going to be himself.
Arriving at the living room, Chu Lianxing said to Uncle Zhao, “Uncle Zhao, call a family doctor to come take a look at her injuries.”
Only then did Uncle Zhao notice the injuries covering Li Yuanbai’s body behind them.
Wherever Chu Lianxing was, Uncle Zhao refused to spare even a sliver of attention for anyone besides him.
Zhou Nannan took Li Yuanbai to her own room in the Chu household.
Chu Lianxing also led Huo Ci back to his own small courtyard.
The Chu family residence was a four-quadrant courtyard (siheyuan), and his courtyard was also his parents’ former bridal chamber.
Though it had been redecorated.
A welcoming pine was planted in the courtyard; besides the winter flora, there was also a swing handcrafted personally by his grandfather.
Inside the room, the wooden sofa was layered with soft cushions, and the vase nearby held jasmine blossoms bearing dewdrops.
Even though it hadn’t been lived in for a long time, the interior remained spotless, meaning someone must have come to clean it frequently.
Chu Lianxing didn’t know how he had fallen asleep, remembering only that when he woke up the next day, it was already noon and he was lying on his bedroom bed, gazing at the natural bamboo painting scrolls outside.
He felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
This feeling didn’t last very long before he heard faint sounds of quarreling outside.
The wheelchair was right beside the bed, very convenient to board.
In the small living room, Zhou Nannan was giving the new bride a severe attitude check: “Kneel down and serve me tea.”
Huo Ci lazily lifted his eyelids: “Not kneeling.”
Zhou Nannan gave a sharp “clack” as she set the teacup down on the table, lifted her chin, and said arrogantly: “This is the rule of the Chu family; a new bride entering the family must serve tea to her elders. Since my brother’s elders aren’t here, let me teach you the rules.”
The Chu family was an old-fashioned aristocratic family, yet not some ancient antiques from a bygone dynasty; they had no such anti-human rules. Saying this was purely an opportunity to seize the chance to humiliate Huo Ci.
Who would have guessed he lacked any sense of shame whatsoever; out of a long speech, he only caught the three words “new bride.”
With a “thump,” he dropped straight to his knees on the floor, his face beaming with a blissful smile: “Really? You admit I’m Xingxing’s wife? You admit I’m a member of the Chu family?”
Zhou Nannan was furious beyond measure: “Who said you’re my brother’s wife?”
Huo Ci looked completely innocent: “Wasn’t that what you just said?”
Just as Zhou Nannan was about to retort.
Chu Lianxing arrived there a step ahead of her: “What are you two doing?”
Huo Ci thoroughly adhered to the principle of “if you can look pitiful, don’t act like a fool,” kneeling straight in his original spot as he softened his voice: “Young Sister told me to kneel down and said she wanted to teach me the rules of the Chu family.”
Zhou Nannan wanted to refute him, but it was indeed herself who wanted to make things difficult for him. No matter how she explained, it was her own fault, so she simply shut her mouth and said nothing.
Chu Lianxing walked up to Huo Ci, poking a finger against his shoulder: “Get up.”
After comforting Zhou Nannan with a few words, and after everyone else had left, he said to Huo Ci: “Nannan is still young; she blames you for crippling her and harbors resentment. Yield to her a bit more.”
Huo Ci’s voice sounded muffled: “It wasn’t me.”
Chu Lianxing knew what he meant: “I know what you mean, but the surveillance footage inexplicably vanished, all the evidence pointed to you, and furthermore, you confessed to it yourself back then.”
Huo Ci knelt by Chu Lianxing’s feet, burying his entire body in his embrace: “I inexplicably acquired an extra set of memories back then, and under the guidance of the plot, I confessed.
Xingxing, can you return my innocence?”
Chu Lianxing stroked his hair. His hair texture was somewhat coarse, yet still looked handsome even without meticulous styling, benefiting from good maintenance; touching it felt uniquely flavorful: “I will. Don’t sit here doing nothing—push me in to eat.”
Clearly without saying any comforting words, Huo Ci was inexplicably coaxed back into a good mood.
This must be Chu Lianxing’s charm; just standing by his side made one feel doted on by him.
Huo Ci couldn’t even stay happy for a single second before he started getting angry again, for no other reason.
He didn’t get to sit next to his wife for lunch. He watched with his own eyes as Uncle Zhao the housekeeper, sitting on Xingxing’s left, ladled soup for him, while Zhou Nannan on his right helped him pick out food. Meanwhile, he was assigned to the furthest distance from Chu Lianxing at a five-meter-long large round table.
It seemed the Chu family truly hated him no, rather, detested him.
Who wouldn’t detest him? Targeted for no rhyme or reason, crawling into a straight man’s bed, and single-handedly getting two people crippled.
The only reason Uncle Zhao hadn’t hired someone to assassinate him was out of respect for the country being a society ruled by law.
It seemed changing the Chu family’s perspective would take some effort; he formulated a clear schedule in his heart.
As soon as Chu Lianxing finished eating, he grew somewhat drowsy. Winter was about to pass, and this spell of weather was like a willful little girl.
Sunny one day, overcast the next; yesterday the sun was shining brightly, and today it was raining incessantly.
There was no indoor heating, and Chu Lianxing felt somewhat cold in his thin pajamas.
He rubbed his arms slightly.
Huo Ci instantly detected Chu Lianxing’s abnormality, and prepared to drape his outer jacket over Chu Lianxing’s shoulders.
He was elbowed aside midway by Uncle Zhao, who tenderly helped Chu Lianxing put on a down jacket as if treating a porcelain doll: “It’s all my fault for being old and forgetful, forgetting to add clothes for Xingxing.”
“It’s because we came too hurriedly and didn’t give you time to prepare.”
Whenever Chu Lianxing faced his family, he was always as gentle and well-behaved as a kitten exposing its belly.
Enduring his sleepiness, Chu Lianxing accompanied Uncle Zhao in a game of Go. Watching Chu Lianxing yawn one after another, Uncle Zhao said with a heart-pining ache, “Xingxing, go take a nap, you don’t need to stay here accompanying me.”
Chu Lianxing couldn’t hold on a moment longer; nodding casually, he returned to his bedroom.
Seeing his wife was no longer here, Huo Ci instantly tossed his “Steps 1, 2, and 3 to Pleasing Your Wife’s Family” plan to the back of his mind.
Pattering eagerly to find Chu Lianxing, his butt had just lifted off the stool when Uncle Zhao called out to lecture him.
With much difficulty managing to open the door, he saw a young girl lying across his wife’s bed, wrapping her limbs all over his wife.
Huo Ci pried open half the blanket, intending to drag the person out, only to be dragged out himself first.
Uncle Zhao had appeared from goodness knows where, striking Huo Ci’s arm which was reaching to touch Chu Lianxing with his walking stick.
Huo Ci’s facial features twisted in pain, yet he still refused to let go; Uncle Zhao didn’t hold back either, landing another strike with the walking stick.
When Huo Ci was kicked out, he threw a glance back toward the bed, only to see the young girl lying on the bed open her eyes and say to Huo Ci: “I’m sleeping with my brother.”
Huo Ci was impotently furious.
Time seemed to stand still in the old mansion. Every day was spent soaking up the sun, listening to birds chirping, and viewing the scenery, letting the whole day drift by like that until everyone turned lazy.
His complexion grew rosy, his legs stopped aching, and his health improved.
Huo Ci didn’t have it nearly as good. Every day at five o’clock, he had to leave the warm bedding and soft wife, driving two hours to go to work in the city.
Not only that, with Uncle Zhao watching over them, he didn’t even have time to get lovey-dovey with Chu Lianxing, let alone get any meat.