bayedsolid Chapter 336 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (47)
Chapter 336 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (47)
Lu Liruan never imagined that Jin Shuhe would become like this.
Although the original plot was brief, one could still sense from the few words that the grown-up Jin Shuhe was a reliable young man who was taciturn and a trustworthy colleague at work.
But for him personally, it was somewhat boring and gloomy.
He was completely different from the Jin Shuhe that Lu Liruan met now; he was even more cheerful than he was in high school.
Besides her old friends, she also made good friends in college. It turned out that when Jin Shuhe was video calling her, several tanned and sweaty boys who had just finished training crowded into the frame.
"Who is it? Who is it!"
"Hi~"
The other side was in complete chaos.
After hearing Jin Shuhe call her "sister," they all became very sweet-talking.
The next time Jin Shuhe went home, Lu Liruan packed up all the leftover cakes and bread from the shop that day, plus a fresh batch, so he could take them to his friends when he went back to school that night.
Lu Liruan opened a shop in the university, and she was very particular about the ingredients and reputation. Although the college students were willing to spend money, they also felt that she was not easy to fool. The young and still sharp-minded students cared a lot about their rights.
Lu Liruan runs her business with a clear conscience and is also afraid of food safety issues. Whenever she is in the store, she does many things herself.
Besides her, they also hired a pastry chef and a young female shop assistant.
The young female shop assistant was always smiling and eloquent. She even suggested that Lu Liruan could sell some snacks in the store and add some fruit slices to sell during the summer semester.
Lu Liruan's profits increased, which also led to a raise for her and her master. Everyone was happy; although the business was a bit tiring, it was generally worry-free.
"Sister Ruan Ruan~ Is your handsome little boy coming back this week?" Xiao You came back from outside and just heard Lu Li Ruan send a voice message: "I miss you, then come back soon."
"Yeah, it seems like he had some competition last week and couldn't come back. He just told me he missed me!" Lu Liruan said happily, though she herself didn't know why she was so happy.
"Hahaha, he's quite cute. He looks cool, but he's so shy." Xiao You recalled the first time she saw Lu Liruan's little boy. He looked like a slender, cool guy, and he only talked to Lu Liruan quietly.
"It seems like we sold out a bit faster today. There's only this small batch of cookies left, just the ones you made recently, Sister Ruan Ruan," Xiao You said, sorting and counting the remaining cookies.
"Okay, we'll stop making them once they're sold out, so there won't be any left." Lu Liruan nodded, putting on a light jacket. "Then I'll head back now, you guys should leave on time too!"
"Okay, bye-bye, Sister Ruan Ruan!"
The university now looks completely different from when Lu Liruan and Jin Shuhe came to renovate it.
The facilities are complete, the lights are bright everywhere, and it's full of life.
Lu Liruan felt a little cold. It was mid-October, and it seemed like a year had passed in the blink of an eye.
I feel my life is peaceful and fulfilling, simple and happy.
Lu Liruan has earned a considerable amount of money this year from being a blogger and running a shop, and a few days ago she called her parents to ask if they could renovate their house.
Replace the flooring with a different color and install underfloor heating underneath; this will make winter more comfortable.
"It's too much trouble. If you have money, keep it for yourself. Don't always think about spending every penny you get!" Ms. Qin felt it was unnecessary.
"Isn't this the time when you complain to me that you have to cover yourself with two blankets at night in winter?" Lu Liruan pouted.
Ms. Qin was taken aback by her daughter's words: "That is indeed a problem. If this house needs renovation, where will your father and I live?"
"It's that simple. You two can just stay in the yard. Rent a short-term rental, which will be perfect for you to supervise the construction. Once the house is finished and left to air out for a few months, you two can move back in."
"You don't need to lift a finger! I'll take care of everything. You two can just continue with your lives as usual."
Lu Liruan earnestly instructed the elderly couple: "Now, as long as you're willing to spend money, nothing will be a problem!"
"Oh, judging from your boastful tone..." Ms. Qin was amused by her.
Lu's father chimed in, "Then let's pretend! We're both this age, if we don't enjoy ourselves now, when will we?"
“Your daughter has money, so we’ll just follow her lead!” Lu Liruan was very satisfied with her father’s attitude.
"Mom, you should learn from Dad... Living comfortably is more important than anything else!"
"Then I'll make the arrangements for you. We'll start the renovations now, and by the time the New Year comes, you'll be able to spend the holiday in a house with geothermal heating!" Lu Liruan calculated the dates and felt it was just right.
After hanging up the phone, Lu's mother glared at Lu's father beside her: "You just let her have her way every day! If it really comes to renovations, we'll just pay for it ourselves..."
"She's not around, so wouldn't it be more reassuring for her to care about us and feel like she can do something for us? If you don't let her do anything, she'll still be scheming about us all the time!"
Mr. Lu has a keen understanding of his child's thoughts.
"Let her keep our money; sooner or later it will all be hers."
Lu's mother was persuaded by his words, sighed and nodded: "He always seems like he hasn't grown up and has no sense of self."
"If you want her to be so mature and grown up, then you have to suffer! Do you want her to suffer? Look at Xiaohe... how sensible she is, more like an adult than your daughter. Do you feel happy or heartbroken when you see her like that?"
Lu's mother stopped talking.
Lu Liruan was unaware that her parents were talking about her behind her back. After returning home and finishing editing the video, she hugged a bowl of fruit and watched the latest comedy anime, laughing so hard she almost fell over.
When Xiao He first started boarding school, Lu Liruan felt a little lonely at night, especially after dark.
It turns out that she has been living alone for a long time, but the days she spent living with Xiao He were so warm and cozy that Lu Liruan found it hard to adjust.
On Saturday, Lu Liruan went to the store and checked the goods with Xiaoyou.
Finding that many items were almost used up, I called and asked someone to deliver them in the afternoon.
"Sister Ruan Ruan, please try the new product."
Xiaoyou brought out a plate: "Our homemade jam tastes much better than the store-bought kind!"
Lu Liruan tasted it and nodded: "I'll make a smaller batch and sell it this week."
Around 4 p.m., the delivery truck arrived, and the trunk was found to be completely full.
"Why did you come alone today?" Lu Liruan asked the man driving the car.
"Something came up, sis, do you have anyone in your shop who can help me move some things? There's a lot of stuff and it's a bit heavy!" The man got out of the driver's seat.
"Ah... the two of us..." Lu Liruan was delivering goods to their store, and it was difficult for her to refuse.
"Sister Li Ruan?"
Before Lu Liruan could even make a move, a voice came from behind the car.
Lu Liruan looked up and saw Jin Shuhe walking over with a backpack on his back.
"Why are you here?"
"I'll go back with you." Jin Shuhe casually put her bag into the store.
"Do you need to move anything?" he asked as he walked up to Lu Liruan.
“Let’s move it together, that bag weighs dozens of kilograms…” Lu Liruan patted him and pushed him forward a couple of steps.
Just as she was about to bend down to take it, Jin Shuhe stopped her: "I'll carry it."
"Sinking... Oh!"
Lu Liruan watched in disbelief as Jin Shuhe lifted the bag of flour with one hand and carried it into the store with ease, leaving only a gasp in surprise.
It was already mid-October, and Lu Liruan was already wearing a coat, but he was only wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt. His arms, which were sticking out from the cuffs, showed strong, lean muscle contours due to his exertion, making them look very solid and powerful.
"Wow! You're a strongman, little brother!"
Xiaoyou exclaimed in amazement.
Jin Shuhe and his older brother carried all the things in no time. The older brother was panting heavily, but Jin Shuhe acted as if nothing had happened.
"This young man is sturdy!"
Lu Liruan took two bottles of drinks from the refrigerator for her older brother. He took a couple of sips and gave Jin Shuhe a thumbs up.
"come over."
Lu Liruan waved to Jin Shuhe.
He turned him around and patted the flour sack hard, causing some of the flour dust to rub onto his black clothes.
"Sister Li Ruan, is there anything else I can do for you?"
"How come you're so hardworking!" Lu Liruan exclaimed dramatically, then added rather bluntly, "One of the light bulbs inside wasn't working, so I turned off the power. Could you help me change it?"
"it is good."
After Jin Shuhe finished his work, Lu Liruan noticed a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, as if they lived in completely different seasons: "Aren't you cold at all..."
Jin Shuhe looked up at Li Ruan standing next to him, then suddenly placed his palm on the back of her hand. The temperature difference made Lu Li Ruan shiver.
"I'm really not cold."
"Kids are so cute, they're so energetic..." Lu Liruan said quietly, pinching Jin Shuhe's face, which was taut and full of collagen.
Jin Shuhe's gaze darkened, but he said nothing, silently lowering his head.
After Lu Liruan let go, she noticed a red mark on Jin Shuhe's face, even though she hadn't used much force.
Jin Shuhe was born with fair skin. During his university military training, while others tanned layer by layer, he tanned until his skin turned red.
After it turned red, it started peeling off layer by layer. When he got home, Lu Liruan looked at his horrific neck and shoulders, which were almost completely bare, and her hands went limp.
Jin Shuhe, however, acted as if nothing was wrong and applied the medicine.
"The instructor said it will get better after a while." Jin Shuhe didn't seem to care much about her current appearance.
But when she saw her own messy appearance and the beautiful Sister Li Ruan in the mirror, she still avoided looking at herself.
The grown-up child seemed to understand beauty and ugliness for the first time, and felt ashamed of himself standing next to his older sister.
The new skin that grew back seemed to be even tougher, and he still didn't get the bronze color like his roommate, but remained a light honey color.
Healthy and vibrant, like a bamboo shoot suddenly transforming into a bamboo, growing rapidly, from a child, a teenager, to an adult.
But he was always a step behind his sister, and always younger than her.
His sister, who tugged at his heartstrings, always treated him like a child, making him feel like he could only be a child in front of her.
"Are you tired?" Lu Liruan noticed that he was in a low mood, so she squatted down and asked him.
"Sister Ruan Ruan, you two go back first, I'll take care of things here!" Xiao You said to them as she tidied up.
"Okay, I'm leaving!"
The setting sun painted half the sky, its edges shimmering with a beautiful pink hue. Students strolled along the road in twos and threes, and Jin Shuhe and Lu Liruan walked among them, blending in perfectly.
"That young lady is looking at you!"
Lu Liruan nudged Jin Shuhe with her elbow and winked.
"Sister Li Ruan!" Jin Shuhe quickly took two steps in front of her, then came to her senses: "Don't joke with me."
Lu Liruan was taken aback, not expecting his reaction. His brows furrowed slightly, and his neck turned a little red.
"Okay, okay~" Lu Liruan didn't think much of it, assuming he was just shy.
The subway during the evening rush hour is as crowded as it has been for years.
As Jin Shuhe shielded her in the small space he created with his body, Lu Liruan suddenly recalled the first time she rode the subway with Jin Shuhe.
At that time, I was thinking that the child was so thin and looked a little pitiful...
I don't know when it started, but his shoulders and back became straight and broad. He stood in front of me just like before, but he was different from before.
Lu Liruan was a little dazed.
"Sister Li Ruan, you can just support me."
The slight bump caused Lu Liruan to bump her head into Jin Shuhe.
The voice, now lower, came from above.
His eyes, bright yet youthful, were close to his face.
"Ah good."
Lu Liruan abruptly looked away, feeling somewhat uncomfortable being stared at.
The renovation team that Lu Liruan hired was very efficient. In less than a month, the underfloor heating was installed. After thinking about it, Lu Liruan also had the walls of her house repainted, which made the whole house look cleaner and brighter.
After drying out until just before the Lunar New Year, and with all tests showing no problems, Mr. and Mrs. Lu finally moved back in.
Now, even Ms. Qin had to admit that the whole process was indeed very easy for them, and the house was very comfortable to live in.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll go back a little later this year. Xiao He and the others have training to do."
Lu Liruan was lying on the sofa talking to her parents when the door opened.
Jin Shuhe had a day off today, so he came home.
"Xiao He is back?" Ms. Qin saw Jin Shuhe's figure.
Upon hearing the sound, Jin Shuhe, who had just taken off his coat, came over, squatted down next to the sofa, and naturally took the phone. He then obediently leaned against Lu Liruan and greeted her uncle and aunt.
Lu Liruan propped herself up on one side and rested her chin on his shoulder. Their faces were very close, and Jin Shuhe felt Liruan's soft breath on his ear, causing him to stiffen.
Trying hard to keep my expression from changing, I stared at the phone screen as if I were listening intently to what the other person was saying.
"Wow! Xiao He is getting more and more handsome!" Ms. Qin praised sincerely. As the year went by, the faint melancholy and thoughtful temperament on the child gradually faded away.
The uprightness he cultivated in the police academy and the robust physique he developed through training gave him a calm yet sharp edge, making him someone that would attract the attention of anyone who saw him.
"You'll be a junior in college next year, right? Do you have a girlfriend yet? The boy from upstairs who took the college entrance exam last year and is a freshman this year, the one you two saw last time you came back. He said he's changed two or three girlfriends a year."
"His mother was quite pleased with herself, thinking it was a good thing, that her son was so handsome and a good person..." Ms. Qin casually started gossiping.
Jin Shuhe only heard the word "girlfriend" and subconsciously turned to look at Lu Liruan. After meeting her sister's gaze, they hurriedly looked away.