Chapter 211: Touched

Luo Qiao smiled suddenly, her eyes becoming inexplicably moist. She pulled Shitou over and said, “Shitou, sister is fine. Don’t treat me like a patient, and don’t be so nervous.

Look at your wrinkled brow, you look like a little old man. It’s not cute at all.”

Shitou felt a bit embarrassed. “Alright, then you sit here. I’ll go help Brother Lu with the fire. Dinner will be ready soon.”

He took a few steps out, feeling something was amiss. He hadn’t finished speaking yet, so he turned back and said, “Village secretary isn’t a good person. I overheard him telling Aunt Chunni to let them stay in the Wang Family before returning back to the village.”

Aunt Chunni also said, “Luo Qiao is injured. Shouldn’t I go and check on her first?”

Then that scoundrel village secretary said, “What kind of trouble can an orphan girl stir up? With this incident, people in the village will surely gossip. You and Dongyu should stay here for a day and see how things go before making any decisions. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

After he finished speaking, Shitou kept looking at Luo Qiao’s face, afraid that she might be upset.

Luo Qiao looked at Shitou’s mature expression, reached out, and tapped his forehead. “Alright, your sister isn’t that fragile. This little issue won’t defeat me.”

Seeing that Luo Qiao was indeed fine, Shitou happily ran off to the kitchen to help.

Lu Yichen asked, “What were you dawdling about just now?”

Shitou sat by the stove with a serious look on his face and said, “I was worried that my sister would be sad, but I can see that she’s really strong. That Zhang Qiaoyan from the village secretary’s family is a big bully. She talks bad about my sister every day, which is bad enough.

Today, she even tried to harm my sister. I will never forgive her, and I won’t speak to her anymore. I heard from Shan Zhi and Ergou that she’ll be locked up. She deserves it, and they should keep her locked up forever.”

Lu Yichen glanced at Shitou. “When did you two become so close? You’re calling her ‘sister’ directly now.”

Shitou’s eyes lit up at the mention. “Brother Lu, you noticed too! Calling her sister makes our relationship even better. I feel the same way. It feels really good.”

Shitou was still reveling in his self-importance when he belatedly realized something was amiss. He chuckled and said, “I think calling her sister shows more closeness. Look at how Shan Zhi calls Rufen and Rulan, just directly ‘sister’. It’s convenient and feels closer.”

Lu Yichen asked, “Where did you learn this term?”

Shitou looked up, puzzled. “Which term?”

Lu Yichen squinted at him and emphasized, “^[1]The word “closer”, “亲厚” (qīnhòu). • ‘亲’ (qīn) means “close” or “intimate,” typically used to describe close relationships, such … Continue readingCloseness.”

Shitou immediately stood up. “I heard it from Shan Zhi’s elder sister. That day we were playing by the river, and Shan Zhi’s elder sister gave candy to the cousin from Shan Zhi’s uncle’s family. Shan Zhi was a bit upset, but Shan Zhi’s elder sister Rufen said they are siblings, their relationship is close, unmatched by others. Shan Zhi then felt happy. From now on, my sister and I are also siblings, with the closest relationship.”

Lu Yichen continued with his hands moving. “But you were adopted by me.”

Shitou was taken aback, blinking at Lu Yichen. “But, but… okay then, our relationship is close too. From now on, you’re my brother. That works, right?”

Lu Yichen gave him a look that seemed to say ‘at least you know what’s good for you’. Shitou noticed the fire in the stove was ready, so he quickly sat down and pushed more firewood into it.

After finishing this, he said, “Brother Lu, Village secretary isn’t a good person. He speaks ill of Sister Luo Qiao behind her back. I won’t call him uncle anymore.”

Lu Yichen placed the chopped vegetables on the stove and glanced sideways at Shitou. “Seems like you and your sister are closer than anyone else.”