Chapter 1: The Day Does Not Understand the Darkness of the Night 1
This world has taken away too many things from Shen Chuxue, but even so, she still has to rely on this world. She can't live in the daytime, so the night is fine.
01
"Grandma, have some pear soup." Shen Chuxue slowly helped Grandma Shen up. She was still young, and her thin little arms trembled as she tried to support Grandma Shen's frail body.
"Xue'er, grandma is fine." Grandma Shen's usually kind eyes were somehow tired. She stared at the dusty wall for a long time, and then she coughed violently.
Shen Chuxue knew that grandma was thinking about Grandpa Lin.
"Xue'er, you have suffered in this life." Grandma Shen lowered her head and held Shen Chuxue's hand. A tear fell unexpectedly on Shen Chuxue's palm. After a pause, she lowered her head and blew on the pear soup that had been boiled for a long time, avoiding grandma's question. After a while, she whispered: "Grandma, drink some pear soup and you will feel better."
In this dilapidated ancestral house, someone's sigh echoed.
"Xue'er!"
It was a little after four in the afternoon, and Grandma Shen had just fallen asleep when someone outside the ancestral house called Shen Chuxue's name softly. She put down the rag and broom in her hands and walked outside.
"Grandma Yu, why are you here?"
Grandma Yu is Grandma Shen’s old neighbor. These days, she is very grateful for Grandma Yu’s care, otherwise what would she, an eleven-year-old girl, do?
Grandma Yu also watched Shen Chuxue grow up. She knew that she was abandoned by her mother and her father died when she was young. She felt sorry for this little girl. She was quite happy when she and Sister Shen were taken away. Who knew ... Alas...
Now--
"Xue'er, this was just delivered by the person from the post office . He couldn't find your family's brand number, so he asked me to deliver it to you." Grandma Yu said, but she didn't want Shen Chuxue to see the thing in her hand.
Shen Chuxue stood there, glimpsed a corner of the envelope from the corner of her eyes, squinted her eyes slightly, and said after a long while: "Thank you, Grandma Yu, just give it to me, Grandma is asleep... Sorry for bothering you to make the trip."
Shen Chuxue's back lengthened in the sunlight, and she turned her back so that no one could see her expression.
When she first stepped into that so-called home, Shen Chuxue had expected this day to come. No matter her cautious attitude or her grandmother's kind and gentle attitude, it was not enough to dispel those people's doubts. In the old man's heart, the happiness of old age is actually companionship, but she didn't want... Forget it, all this was caused by the Lin family.
In the Lin family, Shen Chuxue did have a good time, but that was only in the eyes of outsiders.
The Lin family thought Shen Chuxue was quiet, and she usually stayed in her room except for dinner. She was either reading or daydreaming. At first, she was the only one there. Later, Lin Jianluo, the grandson of Grandpa Lin, would come in. Shen Chuxue understood that this was his home, and there was no reason for him to leave.
"Sister, why don't you play with us?" The little boy loved to laugh. When he laughed, his eyebrows curved, very beautiful, forming a sharp contrast with Shen Chuxue who didn't like to laugh. One of his hands was placed on the back of Shen Chuxue's hand, warm and cozy.
There are sounds of birds singing outside the window. It is always like this in the early morning at the Lin family's house.
No matter what Shen Chuxue becomes in the future, she will always remember the view from this room in her mind: a square room with trees, birds, and a sky that seems to have no end.
Shen Chuxue retracted her gaze, withdrew her hand, cleared her throat and said, "I need to review. I have an exam next week." She pretended to pick up a book from the desk and read it, but in the end she didn't read a single word.
Lin Jianluo had been standing behind her, neither moving away nor approaching.
Shen Chuxue took a deep breath - if someone saw this, they would think Lin Jianluo was standing in the corner as punishment.
Putting the book down, Shen Chuxue turned around, pointed at the small sofa and said, "If you're not going out, find a place to sit down. Here, there's juice on the table, pour it and drink it yourself." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Shen Chuxue felt a little regretful. These words sounded like the tone of the host, but Shen Chuxue was not.
She was used to being humble here, and always kept .
On the contrary, Lin Jianluo was very happy. He was really tired after standing for a long time. It was good enough that Shen Chuxue was willing to talk to him. He said "hmm", ran to the sofa happily, took a glass of juice and sat there watching Shen Chuxue, never disturbing her.
From that day on, Lin Jianluo had a habit of being in a daze in Shen Chuxue's room. In fact, it was just watching Shen Chuxue reading, which made Lin Jianluo very happy.
With cold hands and feet, Shen Chuxue sat in the shabby rental house, carefully recalling every detail of her time in the Lin family. The strong sunlight shining on her body did not bring any warmth at all.
Shen Chuxue laughed at herself. Warmth? These were probably the two most difficult words Shen Chuxue had ever written.
How did things change later?
That year, Lin Jianluo also went to elementary school, and Shen Chuxue was two years older than him. In order to facilitate picking up and dropping off the children, the two of them went to the same school. Although they were in different grades, they could still take care of each other.
That year, Grandpa Lin suddenly fell seriously ill.
"Xiaoxue, Grandpa is fine. You should go and study." Shen Chuxue held the pear soup and tested the temperature with the palm of her hand. When she felt it was not that hot, she fed it to Grandpa Lin with a straw.
Shen Chuxue was the only one who could smile sincerely towards this grandfather.
"It's okay, I'll go after you finish drinking. Grandma is downstairs staring at the medicine pot on the stove and will be up soon. Grandpa always drives me downstairs, is it because he thinks Xue'er is clumsy?" In fact, Shen Chuxue just felt sorry for her grandmother, who had to take care of grandpa and do housework, so she wanted to help share the burden.
But she was so young and didn't know anything. She learned how to make pear soup from her grandmother - which was also her best skill.
Grandpa Lin started coughing constantly and ended up being unable to get out of bed in just half a year. Grandma Shen was so distressed that she cried every day because the doctor said Grandpa Lin probably wouldn't make it through the winter.
Shen Chuxue watched Grandpa Lin gradually fall asleep, her eyes a little vague.
She heard the conversation between Aunt Lin and Uncle Lin, and the content was not about finding a way to save Grandpa, but how to fight for the family property.
Shen Chuxue lowered her head, and the pear soup in the cup gradually became cold.
Such a family is really disgusting.
