Chapter Twenty-Three: New Acquaintances May Remain Strangers, Old Friends Can Feel Like Family

Chapter Twenty-Three: New Acquaintances May Remain Strangers, Old Friends Can Feel Like Family

When Lu Xin realized he couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, he panicked and covered his face with both hands.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t stop them.

His hot tears flowed through his fingers and fell onto Lu Mingchao's palm, which was holding the comb.

Lu Mingchao was slightly flustered, causing the comb to slip from her grasp. She then took out a handkerchief.

"Xiao Xin, please lower your hands," Lu Mingchao gently advised.

Lu Xin wiped his tears vigorously, his mouth still carrying a sweet smile, which made him appear even more pitifully sorrowful in others' eyes.

His innocent mind didn’t dwell on complex thoughts. Instinctively, he felt that if he saw his family cry, his heart would ache, and similarly, if his sister saw him cry, she would feel sad too.

He had to smile; he couldn’t cry.

Lu Mingchao sighed softly and carefully wiped Lu Xin's tear-stained face with the handkerchief.

The young boy's eyes were clouded with a mist, yet they sparkled with a faint light, evoking pity in anyone who saw him.

Lu Xin, who could have grown up to be as carefree and happy as Lu Lei or as bright and promising as Lu Yao, had his potential cut short by a tragic accident.

From that year onward, everyone moved forward, leaving Lu Xin, who could no longer distinguish years but only remembered his early childhood, stuck in the past.

Was this Lu Xin's fault?

No.

Ever since she returned home, Lu Mingchao was unwilling to treat Lu Xin as a fool.

Now, all she could do was treat Lu Xin as a normal child, even if he was a child who would never grow up.

Xie Huaiqian quietly pulled at Lu Mingchao’s sleeve and mouthed, "I’ll go talk to Father."

He didn’t dislike the Lu Xin that others called foolish.

His clear and bright eyes brought him peace, not disgust.

Lu Mingchao nodded slightly and continued to focus on Lu Xin.

At the moment the door curtain was lifted, a gust of cold winter air rushed in.

Lu Xin lay his head on Lu Mingchao's lap, and she gently patted his back, as time seemed to quietly stand still.

Once Lu Xin had fully stopped crying, Lu Mingchao spoke softly, "Xiao Xin, can you tell your sister what you're thinking?"

Lu Xin's voice still carried a trace of tears, soft and hoarse, "Sister, I love it when you're at home."

"I like now."

"When you’re here, everything feels brighter."

From beginning to end, Lu Xin didn’t say the words, "Sister, don’t marry."

He knew that getting married was the right thing to do, for his sister and for the whole family.

Lu Mingchao continued to gently pat Lu Xin's back, her voice still tender and patient, "Even after I get married, I’ll always be your sister."

"In this world, you're my only blood-related brother, Xiao Xin."

"You are the only one."

Often, being the only one can ease those feelings of insecurity.

"Xie Yan lives nearby in Changxi Village."

"If you want to live with your sister, I'll discuss it with Xie Yan later."

"But can you really leave Grandma, Dad, Mom, Big Brother, and Second Brother to live with me full-time?"

Lu Xin looked up, hesitating and unsure.

"Can I stay with you for a few days, then come back here for a bit, and then visit you again?"

"Grandma, Dad, Mom, Big Brother, and Second Brother will miss me if they don't see me."

"They will miss you too, Sister."

"Sister can come back with me."

Lu Xin's eyes lit up again, a purely joyful smile spreading across his face, which had just been wiped dry of tears.

This was Lu Xin, his sorrow and joy changing in an instant.

Mingchao sighed softly. Actually, this wasn’t so bad.

"Sister will discuss it with Xie Yan later."

"Be a good boy, Xiao Xin. If anything's bothering you, don’t keep it inside. Tell me about it."

Lu Xin lay back on Mingchao's lap, smiling brightly and clearly.

"I didn't keep it in."

Xie Yan’s voice came through the heavy curtain: "Mingchao, there’s no need to discuss it. I’m fine with it."

"Your family will be my family too."

This was exactly what Lu Mingchao had told Xie Huaiqian.

Mingchao's eyes curved into a smile. "Good."

Standing outside the curtain, Xie Yan could almost imagine the expression on Mingchao's face at that moment.

Her eyes must be gathering all the sunlight, their bright luster shimmering.

Her lips must be curved upward, her delicate brows arched.

Suddenly, that question Lu Yao had asked him popped into his mind again.

Why, after such a brief time with Mingchao, had he fallen so deeply for her, willing to bare his deepest scars before her?

He seemed to have a more precise answer now.

"Mingchao, new beginnings can feel old, and brief encounters can feel like old friendships."

Xie Yan’s low, steady voice, carried by the wind, clearly reached Mingchao’s ears through the thick curtain.

Emotional depth isn't measured by time.

Seeing Mingchao feels like seeing the rest of his life.

Growing old together feels fresh, meeting feels like we've known each other forever.

Lu Mingchao’s eyes sparkled with a deeper smile as she softly murmured those eight words.

The storms ahead, so what if we brave them.

"Sister, sister, what does 'growing old together feels fresh, meeting feels like we've known each other forever' mean?"

Lu Xin gently tugged at Lu Mingchao's sleeve and asked softly.

Lu Mingchao's cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. "Some people, despite knowing each other for years, still feel like strangers. Some people, just met, feel like old friends, as if they've known each other for a long time."

"So, sister, does that mean we're like old friends too?" Lu Xin blurted out.

Lu Mingchao lightly flicked Lu Xin's forehead with her finger, saying nothing.

In fact, even now, traces of Lu Xin's childhood intelligence could still be seen.

Whatever Xie Yan said, Lu Xin could repeat.

Whatever she explained, Lu Xin could clearly pick out the right parts.

How could anyone not feel regret?

"Sister, will I be a burden in the future?"

"Other people say I’m just a burden to my family, keeping them unsettled," Lu Xin’s voice was heavy and muffled, barely audible.

Lu Mingchao strained her ears to make out the words.

"It's good to ask when you have concerns."

"Xiao Xin is very well-behaved, he is a good child." Lu Mingchao first affirmed Lu Xin.

"How could Xiao Xin be a burden?"

"In my heart, people's hearts are fickle, the world is complicated, but Xiao Xin will always remain clear and pure, untouched by the dust of the world."

"Having Xiao Xin around makes me very happy."

"In the future, if anyone says you are a burden again, tell them confidently and loudly that Xiao Xin is not a burden, Xiao Xin is a treasure."

"Just tell them I said so, and if they disagree, they can come find me."

With just a hammer, she had already made a name for herself in Changxi Village.

If anyone has something to say, they’re welcome to try again.

Lu Xin softly murmured, "I'm a treasure."

Sister said, he is a precious gem.

Lu Xin felt like crying again.

Not the kind of stifling, uncomfortable cry, but a joyful one, full of bubbles.

Yeah, his eyes are about to bubble over.

"Sister, you're more precious than treasure itself."

Lu Mingchao couldn't help laughing, hearing the laughter tinged with tears in Lu Xin's voice. "Stop crying, or I'll need to change my clothes again."

Lu Xin: "This isn't crying; it's bubbling over with joy."

Okay, no more bubbling now, I'll do it secretly when I go to bed tonight.

Is he really that important to you?