Chapter 27: Applying Ointment — That Bright Red Little Butt

This little guy really knew how to be grateful — all of Chu Yue’s care along the way hadn’t been in vain.

“You’re still a kid, still growing. You need to eat more meat to grow faster and get stronger. Once you have strength, you can help me with more chores. Now hurry up and eat.”

Chu Yue pushed the aluminum lunchbox toward Lu Xiaobao, urging him to dig in.

As she said this, it brought up something that made Lu Xiaobao feel a bit awkward.

All afternoon, Lu Xiaobao had been out in the yard pulling weeds. Don’t be fooled by how thin and long the weeds looked, with their dry, yellowed winter leaves that seemed like they’d snap easily — in reality, the yard had been abandoned for a long time. The weeds were thickly entangled, with roots twisted together and deeply embedded in the soil.

And the winter soil was hard as rock.

Lu Xiaobao knew that when pulling weeds, you had to get the roots too. So he gripped the base of the weeds tightly, huffing and puffing with effort, trying to yank them out, roots and all.

When his hands weren’t strong enough, he used his feet and threw all his strength into it.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiaobao was still small and lacked the strength. He couldn’t pull the roots up and instead, from using too much force, the weeds snapped — and bam! he fell straight onto the ground.

He nearly split his butt into four cheeks from the fall.

But Lu Xiaobao was tough and could handle hardship. He didn’t cry, complain, or even shout. He just patted the dirt off his backside and got up to keep working at the weeds.

Because of that, the new clothes Chu Yue had put on him ended up covered in dust and dirt.

When Chu Yue came out to check on him, Lu Xiaobao was already a little mudball — his hair dusty, his whole body grimy, and his face wind-chapped and red from the cold. He looked absolutely pitiful, and there was still a large patch of weeds left in the yard. But he had his head down, still determined to finish the job.

Chu Yue couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She walked over, yanked out one of the weeds that Xiaobao had been struggling with for ages like it was nothing, then grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled him into the house. She plopped him down behind the stove to warm up.

Chu Yue had only asked Lu Xiaobao to pull weeds to help him digest after eating — she never expected him to take the chore so seriously.

At the time, when he saw her easily pull out the weed that he had struggled with forever, his big dark eyes had gone wide in disbelief.

So now, when Chu Yue said, “Eating meat gives you strength,” Lu Xiaobao naturally thought back to that incident. His small face turned red with embarrassment.

He clenched his teeth, picked up the aluminum lunchbox, and began to eat in big bites.

As long as he grew up strong, he could take care of people — like Chu Yue.

After the meal, Lu Xiaobao took the lunchbox into the kitchen, filled a basin with water, squatted down, and started washing the box and chopsticks.

Chu Yue didn’t stop him. After a few days together, she already understood his personality — this child was tough, hardworking, and tenacious. If you didn’t let him help out, he’d feel even worse.

She replaced the cold water he was using with warm water and took out some baking soda from her personal space to use as detergent.

After washing the dishes, Chu Yue tossed Lu Xiaobao into the bathroom.

“Take off your clothes and shower.”

Lu Xiaobao blinked and looked up at her. “I just showered a few days ago.”

That “few days ago” was actually the first day he met Chu Yue — the one and only bath he’d had at the Jiang household.

“Don’t be stingy with the hot water. From now on, I want you to bathe every two days. You hear me? Every. Two. Days. The cleaner you are, the healthier you’ll be. And the healthier you are, the stronger you’ll get.”

Chu Yue went in a circle with her explanation, and still ended up back at getting stronger.

Lu Xiaobao pursed his lips, looking stubborn and competitive, but obediently began to take off his clothes.

Chu Yue prepared a basin, towel, soap, and warm water. She closed the bathroom door so he could wash himself, then turned and went to the bedroom to make the bed.

It had been a nonstop day.

Since they only had one set of bedding, Lu Xiaobao would have to sleep with her again that night.

After he finished bathing, dried off, and climbed into bed, Chu Yue brought out the same ointment she had used before. She applied it to his cracked hands, bruised limbs, and — yes — that bright red little butt.

The first time she applied medicine, Lu Xiaobao had been asleep and didn’t know anything.

This time, though, he was wide awake, and she needed him to take off his pants and expose his little behind. Even for a six-year-old boy, he knew to feel shy.

He held it in without saying a word, his face flushing red with silent embarrassment.

“All done.” Chu Yue finished applying the ointment and gave his little butt a light pat. So skinny — there wasn’t even much flesh on that backside.

Unlike Lu Zhanlin, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall—with legs that were definitely legs, a waist that was definitely a waist, and even a rather perky butt.

The thought that she had been checking out a man’s butt made her feel a bit like a pervert.

Off to the side, Lu Yuanbao had clearly heard something. He immediately pulled up his pants to cover his butt, then dove into the blanket, curling up like a little crayfish.

His face was bright red, his body was warm, and his breath was full of the scent of ointment.

The ointment promoted blood circulation and reduced bruising. It had a cool, crisp scent—just like the mint leaves Chu Yue had given him that morning when he was carsick. It actually smelled pretty nice.

Chu Yue went around checking the doors and windows, then turned off the dim light in the room and climbed into bed in the dark.

In the 1970s, there really wasn’t much nightlife—especially in a military district halfway up a mountain. Once night fell, the only thing left to do was sleep.

Thankfully, Chu Yue had her portable space. She summoned the system with a thought, and in the blink of an eye, under a swirl of rainbow light, she entered the space. It was cozy and relaxing—not only could she farm and stockpile supplies, but she could also pull out a novel to read and pass the time.

She didn’t know how long time had passed. Chu Yue let out a lazy yawn and finally started to feel sleepy. She planned to fall asleep right there in the spiritual space.

But then, in a blurry daze, she heard a sound.

Normally, the spiritual space and the real world were two completely separate realms. Apart from being able to transfer items between them, everything else—including sound—was completely isolated.

However, Chu Yue had recently discovered that if the source of a sound was close enough to her physical body, she could faintly hear it in the spiritual space.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her consciousness had returned to her body.

The room was pitch-black and seemed utterly silent. But a soft rustling noise was coming from right beside her—Lu Yuanbao.

His small figure was wrapped in a blanket, round and bundled up in the darkness, slowly tossing and turning.

First to the left, paused for a while, then to the right.

Tossing and turning again and again. At such a young age, how could he already have so many thoughts on his mind?

It turned out Lu Yuanbao had been watching Chu Yue for a while. Thinking she was asleep, he couldn’t help but keep rolling over.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

In the darkness, Chu Yue suddenly spoke, startling Lu Yuanbao. His little shoulders trembled under the blanket.

He immediately froze, thinking maybe if he played dead, she wouldn’t notice.

Seeing this, Chu Yue simply reached out and turned him around under the blanket to face her, exposing him.

“Don’t pretend—I know you’re not asleep. If you’re awake, talk to me. Chat a little. Why can’t you sleep? What are you thinking about? Or are you feeling unwell again?”

As she spoke, Chu Yue became a bit worried—especially when she recalled how Lu Yuanbao had vomited in the middle of the night before, his face pale.

He had eaten a lot today, including some meat. For someone whose body had been malnourished for so long, suddenly eating rich foods could be hard to handle.

Chu Yue lifted his shirt and gently felt his belly.

His little tummy was round—he’d clearly eaten a lot—but it was soft, not showing any signs of indigestion or discomfort.

Lu Yuanbao knew Chu Yue was amazing—she could always tell when he wasn’t feeling well and knew how to treat it. So he let her check him without resistance.

After a few pokes, Chu Yue pulled her hand back and muttered,

“Doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong…”

“Are we going to stay here forever?”

Lu Yuanbao’s voice rang out at the same time, overlapping softly with Chu Yue’s whisper.

Chu Yue immediately understood—this was his anxiety.

From one unfamiliar place to another, across a distance of a thousand miles, without a single familiar face around.

For a child so young, just not being afraid was impressive—of course he was anxious.

“Yes, we’ll be living here for a long while. Because this is our home now. Maybe two or three years, maybe more than ten. We’ll only move again when your dad’s next assignment comes—so that won’t be for a long, long time.”

Lu Yuanbao listened quietly to Chu Yue’s words, his little fingers tugging at the cotton inside the blanket, one pull at a time.

After a moment of silence, he looked up, his bright black eyes peering at Chu Yue through the darkness. His little face was serious as he asked:

“Will you abandon me? If we leave this place, can I go with you?”

In his heart, he still held one more unspoken thought:

Will you disappear like Mama did?