inspire-indiana Chapter 361 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (72)
Chapter 361 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (72)
Shuhe, however, didn't feel anything; instead, she was proud of her good taste in choosing gifts.
Indeed, when Lu's father called Lu Liruan, he also said not to spend so much money.
But I really do like it...
Lu Liruan remembered that about last month, when her father called, he did mention that his back was not feeling well recently, and that half of his body was uncomfortable.
Lu Liruan became alert and told her father that he should not only have his bones and spine checked, but also his heart. Discomfort in his back could be a sign that a heart problem was causing symptoms by reflecting onto his back.
Ms. Qin took it very seriously, and the next day she took Mr. Lu to get checked out using the thirteen techniques. The final result was:
It is indeed a muscle injury.
When Mr. Lu was young, he and Ms. Qin started out as small business owners. At that time, in order to save on labor costs, they did everything themselves.
My back isn't very good either, and my shoulders and back aren't very good either. As I get older, these problems gradually start to appear.
After hearing this, Lu Liruan felt both relieved and heartbroken, realizing that her parents were really getting old.
After discussing it, we decided to have Mr. Lu undergo the prescribed physical therapy, which would at least provide some relief...
But Lu Liruan really didn't expect Jin Shuhe to be so attentive. The first thing he did after receiving the bonus was to buy Lu's father a massage chair.
To be honest, I was really touched.
"Waaaah—" Lu Liruan used an exaggerated voice to cover up her complex emotions for a moment.
"What's wrong, Sister Li Ruan?"
"I'm so touched, come here for a hug!"
"I haven't changed my clothes yet..."
"Hurry up! Come give me a hug!" Lu Liruan reached out her hand, catching Jin Shuhe off guard by her sudden enthusiasm.
He walked over and bent down, only to be tightly hugged by Sister Li Ruan: "Whose child is so thoughtful? Let me take a closer look... Oh, it's mine!" Lu Li Ruan rubbed her face against his and kneaded it like dough.
“Sister Li Ruan…” Jin Shuhe didn’t want to break free, but he also felt that Sister Li Ruan treated him like a child.
Lu Liruan finished pinching him and sighed, "Sigh... I'm not as thoughtful as you. Now I feel like I'm being quite unfilial."
“I feel relieved that my dad went to the hospital for a checkup.”
As the only child in her family, Lu Liruan sometimes needs to reflect on herself.
It seems like she deserves all of her parents' care, love, tolerance, and indulgence, even though she wants to reciprocate in the same way.
But what you give and what you receive is always disproportionate; no matter how hard you try, you can never be as attentive as your parents were to you…
"Why do you think that, Sister Li Ruan?" Jin Shuhe finally managed to break free from Lu Li Ruan's hand, sat down next to her, and secretly put his hand behind her back, as if to wrap her up in his arms.
“I’m being filial to my uncle and aunt, which means Sister Li Ruan is being filial to them… Why do we have to separate them?” Jin Shuhe asked softly, “Aren’t we…aren’t we together?”
Lu Liruan was taken aback.
She subconsciously felt that how she treated her parents was her own business, and how Jin Shuhe treated them was Jin Shuhe's business. In her subconscious, she felt that there was a comparison between the two of them.
But Jin Shuhe's words were completely the opposite; he treated the two of them as a whole.
Seeing that Lu Liruan did not reply, Jin Shuhe was a little uneasy. He pursed his lips, but still continued, "Does Sister Liruan have to be so clear about things with me?"
Lu Liruan blinked; this was the first time she had thought about something like this.
Jin Shuhe: Actually, my uncle and aunt are a small family, and we are also a small family. Together, we are a big family.
My uncle and aunt usually don't share their care for us or buy us things separately...
But he was too embarrassed to say it...
That would make it seem as if he and Sister Li Ruan were already married.
“You’re right.” Lu Liruan nodded seriously: “Then we’re quite filial.”
She looked at Jin Shuhe with a smile.
The child still had some red marks on his face from the earlier rough handling. He was very young and handsome, and his youthful age was obvious at a glance.
But his personality seems to have skipped the unstable stage and gone straight to being responsible, calm, and even a bit... husbandly.
This word inexplicably popped into Lu Liruan's mind.
He's a very virtuous and devoted husband who takes good care of his family, working hard without complaint and doing so willingly.
cute.
Jin Shuhe didn't know what he said, but Sister Li Ruan seemed very happy, so he felt at ease and stayed next to Sister Li Ruan for a while before getting up to change his clothes.
Lu Liruan told Ms. Qin about it, with a hint of pride: "Xiaohe is such a good child~"
"You, she's so much younger than you, yet she's more thoughtful and knows how to live better than you. In other families, the older siblings take care of the younger ones, but in our family..."
While saying this to Lu Liruan, Ms. Qin was very satisfied when she told Lu's father: "See? I told you Xiaohe is such a good child, so caring."
"He really knows how to care for people, just like I did when I was young!" Mr. Lu said, sitting in the massage chair and squinting his eyes.
They didn't have any other requirements for Lu Liruan's partner, just that he be a good person, kind, good at living and taking care of others. Their daughter had been spoiled by them for almost thirty years, how could they let her suffer?
They were extremely satisfied with Jin Shuhe's offer. They had watched the child grow up and genuinely treated him like their own child. There was nothing better than that!
"you?"
Ms. Qin peeked out from the kitchen.
It's that time of year again to prepare New Year's dishes, and Ms. Qin is in the kitchen preparing the braising liquid for braised beef.
"What's wrong? Why are you starting to erase my youthful excellence now that I'm getting old?" Hearing the voice, Lu's father turned off the massage chair, came over, and helped clean the beef and pig's trotters.
"You're not as pretty as Xiao He! At first, I thought Ruan Ruan liked Xiao He because our girl likes pretty girls."
Lu Liruan sneezed at home. Little did she know that her parents had seen right through her when she was a teenager.
"Alright, alright, I'm not pretty, you're the prettiest. Ruan Ruan is just like me, she only likes pretty people!" Dad Lu said with a smile, without arguing.
On Jin Shuhe's last day of work, near the end of the shift, Qin Wen stared at him with a displeased expression and sighed.
"What's wrong, Brother Wen?" Jin Shuhe asked, feigning ignorance.
"That's great, young man, go home for the New Year."
Jin Shuhe looked at the duty roster and realized that he would be on duty on New Year's Eve this year.
"Yes, it's quite nice." Jin Shuhe took away all the clothes from the lounge, preparing to tidy up properly for the New Year.
"Alright! Let us old fogies stay here and keep watch!" Qin Wen said, watching Qi Silang come out carrying two large bags.
"Brother Wen, I'm leaving now! My train is tonight, and I can have my mom's big dumplings tomorrow morning!"
Qi Silang grinned, completely disregarding Qin Wen's feelings.
Lu Chun came in from outside carrying a thermos: "Have a good time! This kind of good thing won't happen again after this year! I just hope that the company's New Year's Eve dinner will be a bit more plentiful this year!"
"Sister Lü, you're on duty on the 30th too?" Jin Shuhe asked casually.
Then, he keenly noticed that Qin Wen glanced in that direction and then quickly turned away.
Jin Shuhe: ...?
During high school, he was completely unaware of what was happening in his class.
How come he still knows nothing about what's happening in the office?
Unable to decipher the unspoken meaning behind other people's words, Jin Shuhe picked up her bag and rode a shared bicycle home.
Sister Li Ruan was worried that his hands would get cold on the way, so she bought him new gloves. The two of them wore matching black and white gloves, a couple's set.
Lu Liruan didn't really care about matching couple items, but it seemed like the child cared a lot about them...
They even replaced all the mouthwash cups in the house with the same ones.
That morning, Lu Liruan was brushing her teeth, feeling somewhat speechless.
See? The little tricks that other kids played when they were dating are now something he's really enjoying.
Jin Shuhe took his annual leave quite early this year, and Lu Liruan bought the tickets quickly.
There were no more seats available in second class, so Lu Liruan quickly grabbed a first-class seat.
The journey was comfortable; Lu Liruan watched a movie with her headphones on, and they were almost at their destination.
Getting out of the station today went smoothly; I quickly hailed a taxi.
"We've had a really smooth year!" Lu Liruan was exceptionally happy this year, whether it was because of her own mood or something else.
Jin Shuhe took the bag off her lap and placed it on her own lap: "Hmm, things went more smoothly than in previous years."
He and Sister Li Ruan will definitely have a smooth and successful relationship!
Jin Shuhe secretly felt this was a good omen!
As they approached their home, Jin Shuhe suddenly became nervous, a tactic that even Lu Liruan, who was holding his hand, noticed.
"What's wrong?" Lu Liruan stomped her foot to wake up the motion-activated lights in the hallway and went to press the elevator button.
"What...what should I say?"
"Huh?" Lu Liruan was confused: "What? What are you trying to say?"
"You can still call me uncle and aunt, what, do you want to call me dad and mom too?" Lu Liruan teased him cheekily.
Unexpectedly, just that one sentence caused the child's brain to overheat. After entering the room, he couldn't utter a single word for a long time. He had taken off his hat and scarf, and his cheeks and ears were all red.
"Oh my! How did this child get so cold!"
Ms. Qin was quite startled. This winter was indeed a bit cold, but how come the child was so cold that he couldn't speak?
“M…Auntie, Happy New Year! Uncle, Happy New Year!” Jin Shuhe uttered a single syllable before realizing what was happening.
"Alright, alright, come in quickly!"
As Lu's father helped move things, Jin Shuhe realized he had lost his composure. He lowered his head and helped Lu Liruan take off her coat, his eyes looking pitiful as if he was blaming Lu Liruan for talking nonsense earlier.
Blame me?
Lu Liruan blinked. Why don't you say that you yourself are so easily amused?
"Tsk!" Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow at him.
Ms. Qin and Mr. Lu exchanged a glance; their daughter was teasing someone else's child like a puppy...
The house is still the same as when I came back last year, with the newly bought massage chair placed opposite the TV.
"I'll try it! I'll try it!" Lu Liruan couldn't wait.
Jin Shuhe washed his hands and changed his clothes, then followed Ms. Qin into the kitchen, where he squatted down next to the trash can and started picking celery.
Lu's father packed all sorts of snacks into a small basket so that Lu Liruan could eat them more easily.
"The whole family has to take care of you!" Ms. Qin complained, but she was smiling. What parents want to see most is for their children to live well and be happy.
"Xiao He, you should go and rest too. You've only just come in and you're already working. You must be exhausted!"
"It's okay, Auntie, I'm not tired." Jin Shuhe's eagerness to show off amused Ms. Qin.
This child's thoughts are written all over his face; he can't hide them at all.
He's treating himself like a new son-in-law.
Ms. Qin initially thought their relationship was fine, but after two days, she found that they were getting more and more affectionate.
Lu Liruan thought that dating should be done openly, since the two of them weren't dating too early. So, while she was watching TV with her head on Jin Shuhe's lap in the living room, her father, who had just returned from visiting the neighbors for the New Year, caught her in the act!
Jin Shuhe tried to struggle, but seeing that Sister Li Ruan didn't react, he could only sit there, looking helpless.
Mr. Lu pretended nothing had happened: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Sweet and sour pork! Braised eggplant! Cabbage with sesame sauce!" Lu Liruan announced the dishes.
"Row."
The only time Ms. Qin couldn't help but speak up was when Lu Liruan was curled up on the sofa playing video games.
I got a medium-length manicure on a whim before the Lunar New Year, which made my gaming skills very unresponsive.
"Ah..." Lu Liruan sighed, "I have to cut it off, otherwise it will interfere with my game!"
Jin Shuhe brought nail clippers from the house and naturally took Lu Liruan's hand to help her trim the nail on her thumb that was in the way.
Then I carefully filed down the edges of my nails to prevent them from scratching my hair and skin.
Ms. Qin, who was eating fruit and watching TV: ...
"Lu Liruan! Are you paralyzed?"
Even as her own mother, she couldn't bear to watch anymore.
Then they noticed the two children looking over, seemingly oblivious to what was happening, as if it were perfectly normal.
It seems like this is how they usually live.
Fine, one is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit.
My aunt's family came on the second day of the Lunar New Year. After hearing about Lu Liruan and Jin Shuhe's situation, they were delighted: "Great! We're still family now! This is really good news!"
After having a few drinks, Uncle-in-law suddenly looked at Lu Liruan and Jin Shuhe and said, "Hey? Ruanruan isn't young anymore, is she? Why don't you take advantage of the New Year, this auspicious day, and doubly happy? Just get your marriage certificate!"
Lu Liruan: ?
"What nonsense are you talking about? The Civil Affairs Bureau isn't even open, and Xiao He probably didn't bring all his documents." His aunt slapped him.
After finishing her meal, Lu Liruan, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly felt a very focused gaze beside her. Turning her head, she saw that Jin Shuhe's face clearly showed some anticipation.
"Did you bring your household registration booklet?" Lu Liruan whispered in his ear, teasing him with a smile.
"No." Jin Shuhe was a little disappointed.
"You really want to marry me?" Lu Liruan felt a little dazed; she had never thought about marriage before.
“Yes!” Jin Shuhe didn’t hesitate for a second.
"Sister Li Ruan...you're dating me, but you don't want to marry me?" Jin Shuhe whispered in Lu Li Ruan's ear, his voice both stubborn and nervous.
“I…” Lu Liruan’s heart softened under his gaze: “I didn’t.”
"How long have we been dating? Hmm?" Lu Liruan patted his knee.
"Oh," Jin Shuhe replied listlessly.
With his aunt's family around, the house was even more lively. Originally, Lu Liruan and Jin Shuhe planned to stay until the day before his annual leave ended, and then go back on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
But on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, after everyone had finished dinner, several elders started playing mahjong at the table, creating a warm and lively scene.
Jin Shuhe's phone suddenly rang, and the moment he answered it, Lu Liruan sensed that the atmosphere around him had changed instantly...