C03: Why?

Two years later, life was still busy for the two brothers.

The battle in the market years ago had left both of them injured, but Lu Qing's injury was the lightest and he recovered the fastest; Lu Ziqu's injury was the slowest because the hidden weapon was so powerful that although he quickly sealed his acupuncture points to prevent the poison from spreading, he then used his internal energy to spit it out of his mouth for several days, so It left him weak that Lu Qing was worried for quite some time.

He didn't even think about going outside to distract himself, he felt warm and fuzzy, but also secretly guilty.

Fortunately, Lu Qing was quite mature and the ray of guilt made him worry about this.

A year and a day later, Lu Ziqu saw that his wound was 70% or 80% healed, so he went to see Doctor Xu at "Huichun Hall" to buy medicine for his external and internal injuries. On the way back, he caught a chicken to make soup for Lu Qing, but hesitated a short distance from the door.

Something smelled bad.

He wasn't referring to the smell of the air, of course, but to the fact that the landscape was as beautiful as ever, but with a darker, more sinister quality.

Lu Ziqu looked away cautiously and did not approach slowly until he was on the eaves. As he got closer, the uneasiness and fear of having a knife held to his neck became more evident.

As his nerves tightened, he leaned his head back and pulled out the knife at his waist as the sound of cracking came from the forest behind him, the veins on the back of his hand trembling.

"Who is it?"

Lu Ziqu raised the knife to chin level… any surprise attack could be quickly countered.

In the distance, the sky was speckled with clouds and the view was limited.

"Who the hell is that? Show yourself!"

Your question was not answered.

A quarter of an hour later he slowly dropped the hand holding the knife, his body still trembling slightly, an indescribable fear taking over his thoughts. Lu Qing always laughed and said that this was an animal specialty, it meant that whether it was visible or not, there was something to do.

But what could it be?

Lu Ziqu thought for a long time, but couldn't find an answer.

Just when he thought that maybe it was because he had been nursing and tending to his wounds for the past few days, and that he wanted to cut the chicken and make soup first; He put the knife away and entered the house, only then did he realize that something was wrong.

There was a letter stuck in the door.

Holding the letter, he walked in and closed the door, Lu Ziqu thought he had made a mountain out of a molehill. These days he couldn't sleep well at night. He would get up in the middle of the night. Physically he was tired and mentally exhausted, so he couldn't see anything else.

However, although he was anxious, he knew that he could not let his guard down at this time. He left the letter on the table, went to the fire, cut the chicken and cooked it in the pot, put countless kinds of Chinese herbal medicines to increase the flavor, and kept the fire at medium flame. These actions calmed his spirits. Until that moment, he opened the letter and read carefully. He was disoriented for a moment.

[If you want to know the truth about the murder of your family 18 years ago, you are invited to meet at your old house on the 15th day of the first month, the anniversary of your master's death. Until that time, I will tell you everything I know.]

[It is a matter of great importance. You must not tell others. I hope you attend the appointment.]

The letter was not signed, so Lu Ziqu could not judge its origin, but the content of the letter left him in doubt.

The truth about the murder 18 years ago? Some numbers brought him back to that day.

He took Lu Qing outside to buy a lantern. Lu Qing had never seen that festival, and he played with it for a while before going home. Who would have expected that when they got home... they would both be devastated?

Lu Ziqu looked at the handwriting and tried to engrave it in his heart, but he couldn't figure out who it came from, even if he looked through the paper, he couldn't decipher any clues. The content of the letter was also a puzzle to him.

18 years had passed.

How could this letter have arrived at this time? The letter was too gloomy... He stared at the words "the anniversary of his master's death" and wondered if this person could be a friend who had been close to him, otherwise, how would he know that it was coming? the anniversary? How else would he have known that the anniversary was approaching and even how did he know the residence of his late master?

The more I thought about it, the more questions were created. He kept the letter and wondered if he should keep this appointment. At this moment, there was a loud knock on the door, and seeing that it was almost time, he was sure that Lu Qing was returning. She got up and opened the door for him.

"Brother, why did you close the door?" Lu Qing asked suspiciously. In the past, the door used to be closed just before bedtime, it was still light outside.

“Ah, a dog chased me on my way back. "I was afraid that he would enter the house, that's why I locked it." Lu Ziqu explained somewhat forcefully, he felt extremely guilty, but Lu Qing didn't notice anything, he was busy taking off his wet clothes, the weather was very hot today.

He was so sweaty that he felt wet and sticky even as he watched him take it off.

"That dog has a good eye, he knows you're good, he'd have a good feast on you!"

"Crap..."

"I am telling the truth." Lu Qing laughed, “But why does chicken soup taste so strong? Didn’t you want it to be delicious?”

Lu Qing had been working all day and was hungry. He walked over to the pot of chicken soup and stared at it. Lu Ziqu looked at him, although he was already an adult, he was still like a little child. He had to fill a bowl with a chicken leg and let him eat it first.

“The meat is soft, but somewhat simple, why don't you add a little salt?” The chicken soup had only been made for half an hour, whereas it used to take three or four hours to make. He was afraid that the flavor would not be enough, so he added a handful of salt.

"That's enough! I like something simple, but you put in too much" said Lu Ziqu, who knew that salt was expensive, grabbed a chicken leg and took a bite.

The chicken leg was tender, and when he saw that Lu Qing's mouth was greasy, he tried to approach him, but a faint aroma spread throughout the room, making Lu Ziqu's hand tremble and his heart panic. .

"Where have you been today?" asked.

"Oh, I went to that teahouse in the market," Lu Qing said as he bit into his chicken leg. "Mrs. Deng who sells clothes said that the neighbor's daughter had just arrived, so I was impressed that she is trying to introduce me to a teahouse." girl."

Lu Ziqu finally felt his heart begin to beat slowly. At first he didn't notice, but some time passed and he spoke: "Is that so? How is the girl?"

He wiped the grease from the other man's mouth and, in a panic, sucked his finger into his mouth without thinking. Lu Qing stared at his finger, wishing he was THAT finger. No one could tell, but Lu Qing himself knew that the reason for his restless sleep for the past few nights was the unpleasant feeling of being torn between his desire and his dreams, and the fact that…

The fact that his desires seemed to be winning baffled him even more.

He forced his delusions to come to his senses and said, “I’m not interested, she’s a pain in the ass…” Lu Qing expresses his anger coldly.

His words hurt him a lot, whether he liked it or not, but Lu Ziqu was the elder of the two and had always taken care of them, so he shouldn't criticize even superficially, but when the words of admonishment reached his throat he couldn't. was able to take them out, Lu Qing said he was not interested, he felt relieved. But... He didn't feel inclined to reprimand him, but only because his heart was so happy that he couldn't hide it, and he thought that perhaps it was because he didn't like the fear of another change in his life. Once Lu Qing had a life partner, he would have to find another place to live, and he would no longer be able to take care of him, not even take care of him in name only. All of that would be taken care of by someone else... When Lu Ziqu thought about this, the words no longer came out.

"What's up brother?" Lu Qing looked at him who was silent and worried whether his injury was hurting. He put his bowl aside and wanted to go over to check it, but Lu Ziqu only waved his hand, implying that it was nothing serious.

"Maybe it's the heat. I'll drink some water and I'll be fine."

Lu Qing looked out the window suspiciously. The sun was strong today, but it was not as hot as in summer. But seeing that Lu Ziqu was unwilling to say more, he picked up his bowl and sipped his soup.

When he saw that his brother had eaten, he patted his chest to reassure him and hit the paper hidden in his chest with his palm.

[You should not tell others]

The words hurt like a punch in the chest, after thinking about it for a bit he decided not to say anything to Lu Qing.

"Are you still hungry? Would you like to have some noodles in the soup?" Lu Ziqu asked.

"Brother, cook everything!" Lu Qing said with a smile on his face.

Lu Ziqu smiled and asked him to wait. Then he went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them, and he threw the letter into the fire, and when the fire suddenly consumed the paper, he stared at it, as if he could see where the letter came from.

-.-.-.-

Qingqing

The anniversary of my teacher's death is approaching and there are many things to do. I'll go first and you can go the day after. While I'm not here, don't waste too much of your morning just exercising, don't forget to eat. Be cautious in everything, safety is the most important thing.

The next day, Lu Ziqu went to his teacher's house alone.

After the house was destroyed and people died, the house was no longer habitable and Lu Ziqu took Lu Qing with him until he settled down and made an agreement to visit his master every year.

In the past, the two had always left together, three or five days before, as if they had free time to cut the grass around the grave and take care of it together. Now that he was alone on the road, it was a bit lonely, and Lu Ziqu had been tempted to turn around and call out his name.

The sound of "Qingqing" would ultimately be fruitless.

Lu Ziqu had only taken some baked bun for the road. He drank water from a bamboo trunk as a canteen until he reached the house. He had arrived there in almost a day, and the result of his haste was that, in addition to a starry sky, he was able to see the sun rise in the east.

The old house no longer existed, but a cabin, humble enough to protect itself from the wind and rain.

The collapsed debris had been cleared on the brothers' first visit and the house had been rebuilt. It was just a cabin, but it was nice to have a place to stay.

"Hmm? The door is closed."

I couldn't even open the door. That was a big joke

No matter how hard I tried, the door wouldn't budge and it was probably because it had a lock on it. After several attempts, the door opened on its own and Lu Ziqu was surprised by the movement. Before taking out the knife to defend himself, his face showed surprise.

"Little brother!" Fang Shi said with a wide smile.

Fang Shi was wearing his white robe, but in a slightly different style. The last time he was in the market, his main appeal was being simple and unadorned, but now he was dressed more luxuriously, with golden satin wrapped around his white hair and his long hair tied with ribbons. The plum blossom jade ornaments on her waist were of a high price, as he could see from the crystal green color of them, and although they were not beyond the reach of silver coins, they were not something that could be worn by the common people.

"Yes, I remember, you are Fang Shi...?" Lu Ziqu said remembering.

"Yes, Little Brother Lu remembers me."

"I didn't forget, thanks to your help that day, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to defeat that man" Lu Ziqu replied casually, and then returned to the question of why Fang Shi was in the house.

Fang Shi was about to explain when he heard laughter from someone in the room, the mere sound sent shivers down Lu Ziqu's spine and when he looked around he saw a man sitting on a chair in the room.

The man's eyes were sharp and terrifying, and his clothes were similar to Fang Shi's, but more expensive, with pure gold decorations. A gesture that would have blinded anyone, and a jade on his waist, of the highest quality, for which no one but a noble would be worthy.

Instinct told him that this man was not to be treated lightly.

"Who are you?" he asked, word for word, through clenched teeth.

What was that? There was a certain fragrance in the air, but not one that would make you squint and pass out. On the contrary, it was a fear that made you feel nervous and unable to calm down. The expression on the man's face was a smile that sent a shiver down your spine, again.

Wanting to run as far away from this man as possible, Fang Shi exclaimed, “Little Brother!”

But the man in the chair said, "Go out and watch." Fan Yi did not dare to disobey and with a nod, he ran out without forgetting to close the door.

Lu Ziqu was confused by the actions of both men. When the man got up from his chair and approached him, he thought it was a mouse and the other man was a hawk with bright red feathers that wouldn't let go of its prey once it found it. Fear was a big snake that surrounded him, instead of swallowing it, it was interested in the fear of its prey and mocked it.

"Have you read the letter?"

When he spoke, he felt even more stunned.

"Did you write the letter?" he asked in a dull voice

"I asked someone to write it, but I wanted to give you that letter from the bottom of my heart." He raised his hand and gestured for Lu Ziqu to sit with him at the table, still tensely taking the other side of the wooden table.

The man gave his name as Fang Yinggui and called himself Master Huatuo.

Lu Ziqu had never heard of the leader of any sect in Jianghu claiming to be “Huatuo.” He also said that he and his late master were old acquaintances, and that he had been a slacker some years before, until his master and his partner got married. .

Although they rarely saw each other, they continued to write to each other to keep track of each other's whereabouts, which showed their deep affection.

"I come here every year at this time," said Fang Yinggui, looking sadly at the tomb. "Him and sister-in-law are the people I miss the most in my life."

"How come I've never seen you before?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence"

Fang Yinggui said that he didn't come just before the death anniversary, but sometimes he came a few days later or earlier because he couldn't escape because of trifles.

"It's all in the mind. 'The time and day are secondary,' right?"

"It is natural. My master was not a harsh man in life, and I am sure that he will be just as generous in these matters after his death, not to mention that you are his best friend."

Four words remained in Lu Ziqu's mind:you are his best friend.

Fang Yinggui heard the meaning of his words and his finely sculpted face, distorted by a smile, became more approachable.

"You've come alone," he said, "and that's good, because it would have been difficult if you had brought your little brother with you. We didn't come in here on purpose, but we waited for you to arrive. In recent years we always left after paying our respects. ...'

"Come to the corn."

A smile appeared on his face as he said this, Fang Yinggui was a man who could smile in a thousand different ways and this was particularly harsh in the eyes of a man who was always so serious, and who could not be trusted.

"The murder of the teacher's family was the work of an acquaintance."

"A known?"

"Exactly. Your master's house was a courtyard, a large, deep building, mostly made of bricks and wood, it would have to be destroyed in many places. Someone would have had to draw the attention of the people in the house, destroy the beams "And the supports, or even using something flammable as a trigger, so that the fire would be unstoppable. Have you ever wondered why the house collapsed so quickly?"

"I only knew that my master and my lady had been attacked by someone..." He thought that it was one of the Master's enemies who had come to seek revenge. "When you are in the Jianghu, you have many people, as enemies."

Lu Ziqu knew this, so he never thought about the details. Now it felt strange when he mentioned this detail.

"I don't blame you. It's a miracle you survived at that time. You raised your shidi on your own, didn't you? It wasn't easy, how old were the two of you?"

"I was eight years old and my shidi was only two..."

It was not easy. It was heartbreaking to remember that time, even when the neighbors were willing to lend a hand, Lu Ziqu remembered his teacher's advice that it was not easy to be alone, far from a place you are used to. Perhaps if it weren't for Lu Qing's support, it was possible that he wouldn't have made it.

When Fang Yinggui saw him like this, he took a deep breath and wiped the water on the table. The humidity was unpleasant, he frowned: "It won't take long for Fang Shi to open the door and come in." After speaking, the person entered as if he had been next to the door all the time: "I'm hungry," said Fang Yinggui while wiping his wet hands on his disciple's body and leaving a footprint.

When he heard his master's claim, he said, "It's ready." He even asked Lu Ziqu to eat with them.

"My disciple is pretty good, but he is a bit stupid."

"I see that your disciple is not only good at his craft, but also has a good temperament, so you should burn incense and worship the Buddha if you dislike him so much." After saying that he was not hungry, Lu Ziqu left the house and went to his teacher's tombstone to pay his respects.

The writing on the tablet was a little smudged, so perhaps I should find a day to clean it, preferably in the summer, and let the sun shine for a few days.

“I came to see you, Master, and I forgot to bring your favorite food. I will ask Qingqing to bring it to you when we come to clean your tablet. Qingqing, tell Master that you will remember…”

When he turned his head, there was no one in sight. With his palms on his chest, he felt an indescribable emotion beyond the beating of his heart. He really felt very alone.

-.-.-.-

Although he said he was not hungry, Fang Shi i brought him a bowl of noodles.

"My master is like that, don't blame him, he's actually very nice. He's actually very nice," Fang Shi said, trying his best to soften his master's actions, but his explanation sounded strained to his teacher's ears. Lu Ziqu.

"Actually?"

"Yes. Lu-xiong, eat. It's still hot." Fang Shi, perhaps because he knew how hard it was to convince this person, scratched his head and stopped insisting.

The noodle bowl was so delicious, the white noodles drowning in the orange soup, the green vegetables, the eggs soft and even without the meat, the bowl was no less delicious. Lu Ziqu had been in charge of cooking for many years. How long had it taken him to cook this soup?

"You used chicken bones to make the soup... You really spoil your master."

It wasn't difficult to make the soup with chicken bones, but the difficulty was clarifying it, watching the pot, scooping up the fat with a spoon and throwing it away, and making it orange in the end.

It was a very good product

Fang Shi smiled shyly and said, “It's not that he's spoiled, it's that Master is weak and has to be more careful with his food. I don't know what is added to the food outside. Since then, I have been in charge of the kitchen.”

"Weak?"He looks so healthy and strong, Lu Ziqu thought,Where was the slightest sign of weakness?

"Yes, Master has suffered internal injuries, even with all the expensive herbs and supplements, and that's why he had to think so much about his diet. He is also said to practice martial arts to strengthen his body."

Fang Shi did not elaborate on the location of his internal injuries, nor was he interested in them, except to remember that as a child he had paid close attention to the details of Lu Qing's diet, not because he was physically weak, but because when You have to be calculating what you eat, you naturally save the best for those who value it.

As he chewed the noodles, his mouth was filled with the sweet and fragrant taste of chicken soup, and his thoughts returned to that year.

After the Zhu Rong disaster that year, Lu Ziqu left his old home with his younger brother on his back, with nothing but the trivial things his master and madam had given him... To make ends meet, he had to He had to pawn them all for cash... As he left the pawn shop, he looked at Lu Qing's sleeping face and promised that no matter how difficult life got, the gold around the boy's neck would never fall into the house. of pawns.

They were only eight and two that year.He may not eat, but Lu Qing must be fed. All he had was Lu Qing.

He took his brother's little hand and gently persuaded him to continue walking together, always looking for a place where they could stay alive.

"Qingqing wants to see a more beautiful place? Gege will take you to play, okay?"

"Play? Yes."

This child was very intuitive. In the field, the crops had been harvested and would be planted until early spring of next year; The fragrance that lingered in the nose was superficial, which Lu Ziqu was intuitively familiar with, but he couldn't think about it, until the sky would gradually lighten in the east and the chirping of insects and birds would be in full bloom.

The smell of sorghum came to mind then.

“So these are the sorghum fields.”

He took Lu Qing and sat in the sorghum field to eat.

He tore a bun in half. Lu Qing ate the smallest one! The oldest ate his portion slowly. When he became thirsty, he wanted to drink water, so he told him not to hit him on the back and that he would go get some water himself.

When he was about to return with a broken water bowl, he saw a thief who was about to take Lu Qing away. He was trying to kidnap him by the arms.

“Qingqing…!” Lu Ziqu shouted, turning his bowl into a weapon! He threw it at the thief's chin!

"¡Agggh!"

The thief's forehead was bleeding and he was dazed, he covered the wound with a confused look.

Lu Ziqu wasted no time and rushed towards Lu Qing, the man was a strong adult and did not have the upper hand. But just as his hand was about to touch Lu Qing, the boy disappeared. He raised his eyes.

He saw the thief staring with blood all over his face and forcefully grabbing Lu Qing by the neck, causing the boy to shout “Gege!” with pain.

"Little bastard!"

The thief was not happy that such a small child would challenge him, and since he had a weak point in his hand, he used it to ensure he had the advantage. He started kicking Lu Ziqu, and Lu Ziqu was forced to fight for his life.

"Uh… is…"

"Gege!" Lu Qing cried loudly and cried harder and harder, as if he was trying to attract all living beings within a hundred mile radius to his side! The thief couldn't bear it, so he took out a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Lu Qing's mouth.

"Hey, this little boy is very well made." The thief smiled evilly: "Think what if you were blind, voiceless and I broke your arms and legs. You could make people feel sorry for you and we would make money. Oh? Hey, kid, I'm warning you. If you try anything "I will break his hands and feet."

"No!" How could he accept that? He fought desperately, but he was afraid because of what the man said, he was afraid that his little brother would be hurt. He couldn't move, he felt pain in his chest that burned. He could only watch from the ground as the man left. The thought of Lu Qing being crippled to ask for money made his eyes turn black and his mouth turn bitter!

However, things can often be unexpected. The man fell to the ground without warning shouting: “AAAh!”

Although he was surprised, Lu Ziqu wasted no time in moving, although the pain was still there, he tried not to think about it. He somehow had the strength to get up and run forward, to use himself as a cushion before Lu Qing fell to the ground and hurt himself.

"Umm! Umm!" Lu Qing could only cry like crazy because the cloth in his mouth allowed him to growl like a wild beast, and the liquid gushing out of his eyes was warm. Lu Ziqu was also eager to see if there were any wounds on the child's body. Fortunately, There was nothing unusual except the impact.

To put it mildly, the fact that Lu Ziqu had been injured was even more terrifying to Lu Qing.

"Gege, where does it hurt?" The little boy screamed and tried to hug his brother, but the gesture caused him internal pain, and even the simple act of raising his arm made him want to cry.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine!"

"Are you okay? How can you be okay with broken ribs?"

The voice came out of nowhere, and neither brother saw where it came from, thinking it was another child kidnapper. They couldn't be blamed for thinking that way, the winter sun was in all its glory that they couldn't see the stranger's face.

No one could tell if the next person was a friend or an enemy.

 "Don't worry, I just paralyzed him, even if he's still alive," the man slowly approached and crouched down, "he's too bold to stand up and hurt you."

He didn't know if it was the similarity in age, but when he looked at that face, he thought of his teacher. It was amazing how sometimes people's subjective ideas could be so similar that just a small similarity was enough to override the rest.

"Shidi, if you keep hugging him, his ribs will break even more, and then he will be in trouble."

"But gege, gege is suffering..."

"I'll take a look at your gege, okay?"

Lu Qing was still in shock. He feared he would be the next to harm them. Instead, he screamed and hugged Lu Ziqu tighter.

The pain in Lu Ziqu's body intensified, but he also put his arms around his brother, and both of them looked so sad and sorrowful that it made the visitor laugh and cry.

"Come on, I'm not going to eat you."

He got up, tied up the thief and took him to the authorities. As he said, there was nothing the thief could do, even if he had been lucky, because his attacks had been aimed at a weak spot, a hit to the heart and some points to stop the bleeding.

The man got helpers and told them to take the thief to court and then entered a roadside hut and ignored them. But Lu Qing saw that Lu Ziqu was about to faint and cried until night fell. The stars shone brightly in the sky, but Lu Ziqu could no longer see them, he did not answer any of Lu Qing's words, so he decided between losing his brother or risking his life, he chose the latter.

¡Taz!¡Taz!

Lu Qing ran to the cabin where the man was staying and knocked on the wooden door, making a muffled noise, followed by another shortly.

In a few seconds the door opened and the man looked at him with a questioning look, without opening his mouth but waiting as if he were being asked. It was a very smart move, not to be pressured.

"Please save my gege!" Lu Qing cried, his face so full of tears and mud that he looked like a little beggar.

The man smiled and reached out to wipe the mud off her face with a wet towel, and then went out to find Lu Ziqu to take him to treat with Dr. Xu.

Dr. Xu said, “Frankly he is very lucky since he has a good foundation in martial arts, otherwise the injury would take much longer to heal.”

"On my own, do what you can to save him and use whatever herbs and foods you need."

With that sentence, it was all it took to convince him.

Lu Ziqu's injury was extremely serious. The doctor tried his best to treat the wound, and the decoction made from the best herbs was like water.

Lu Ziqu would always remember that time the west wind blew very strongly that day. It was a good year for the harvest. The wind carried the aroma of rice.

He was extremely weak and was ordered to be confined to bed to recover at home. He was tired from lying down and got out of bed. At that moment, footsteps and a voice sounded and a child ran towards him, panting, his cheeks flushed, like a porcelain doll.

"Gege! Gege, are you okay?" he shouted with a happy face.

"It's more comfortable today, I always feel like I have bugs in my bed." He laughed and scolded his brother, who was always lazy in bed.

"Bugs! Does Gege have bugs? Qingqing, he'll check it out!"

He put down the bowl and was about to undress his brother. Her anxious posture made Lu Ziqu laugh.

“Your brother doesn't have bugs, but he will get them if he stays in bed too much! “What’s in the bowl?”

But if Ching stays in bed longer, he will grow! What's in that bowl? What's in that bowl?

The mention made Lu Qing remember what he had come for.

He took the bowl and handed it to his brother carefully, and when he opened the lid, he saw a large, shiny chicken leg inside.

"Where did this chicken leg come from?" Lu Ziqu asked.

"Uncle Jiu gave it to me!" Lu Qing said in a milky voice, and seeing the frown on his brother's face, he hurriedly said that he had thanked him and given him a hug. “Then eat it.”

But when he saw his Lu Ziqu shake his head, he grabbed the greasy chicken leg and pushed it into his mouth.

"Uncle Jiu said that the chicken leg is for the patient. Gege! Gege!"

The meat of the leg was sweet and tender, and he couldn't help but smile at the bitterness of the soup, which had been used to minimize his illness.

"This chicken leg is too oily and my stomach hurts." After saying this, he put the chicken leg in front of Lu Qing.

The child's hand could not completely grasp the chicken leg. Boss Jiu laughed upon seeing this. He didn't know that the boy rarely hugged anyone other than his brother.

Now he had a leg to flavor the food... and he was chewing it... watching Lu Qing secretly swallow his saliva... in case he discovered his lie.

“Take half” Lu Qing couldn't resist the temptation, he is about to open his mouth, but then he remembered that this was what Boss Jiu had told him to put into his belly to feed, so that he would fall into the gluttony. He had an amused look of doubt on his face.

"Can Qingqing help me? Just take half."

Lu Qing hesitated, but Lu Ziqu was more stubborn than him. After a long time, Lu Qing let him feed him.

Lu Qing laughed as Lu Ziqu did a little trick with the chicken legs, opening his mouth wide, but shrinking as he bit into the meat, in an attempt to get the young Lu Qing to eat more, like he hadn't for so long.

It was always lovely to see him.

He gave all the treats to the young man in his arms without complaint.

"I'm going to make a lot of money when I grow up!" Lu Qing said suddenly.

"What are you going to do with all that money?"

"I want to buy lots and lots of chicken legs for my brother! One for you and one for me!" The boy's childish words made people laugh and Lu Ziqu kissed him on the forehead.

This kind of intimacy had become a habit.

"But when you grow up, you will have to get married and have children, and then you will have to give your legs to your wife and children, you know?" The boy could not understand the meaning of the words, but he understood that it was a polite refusal, and he insisted:

"No! If I'm older, I will..."

-.-.-.-

"If Qingqing were here, she would like your bowl of noodles" Lu Ziqu said returning from his memories, smiled and returned the bowl. But he felt a void, in the past they came together. Now he felt so alone in the world. It was said that it was because the night was cold.

Fan Shi didn't stay long and returned home. He had to massage his master's feet before going to bed, otherwise his hands and feet would be too cold to move the next day, so he couldn't ask, "What else can't your master do for you?" ?”

After sending Fang Shi away, Lu Ziqu stood in the cold night with his brain frozen to the bone.

"How could this happen? I thought Qingqing..."

He held his head in his hands and didn't understand why the dreams about his master or the fire had stopped appearing lately, and instead, he had been having tangled dreams about Lu Qing, which at first were no different from how they had been. been living.

The number of dreams grew and little by little they made him blush. On several occasions, Lu Ziqu woke up with a start and his crotch was wet. It would be inappropriate for Lu Qing to know this, so he silently took off his clothes and washed them many times, but they felt confused and embarrassed:

“Qingqing… Qingqing is my little brother…”

How could he be so in love with his little brother? When did they start living so dependent for so many years? But now that he was out in the cold, he had turned back several times to ask Lu Qing to take him and wrap him in his arms.

He was cold, but he had no one to answer him.

The loneliness was slightly similar to that of a dozen years ago, but the rest of the differences were so strong that he was speechless.

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