Chapter 34: The Big Cleanup

Chapter 34: Spring Cleaning

Cheng Miao was feeling a little sulky. "I feel fine, okay?!"

"Don't go out tomorrow, just stay home," Mother Cheng said, then looked at Lu Yu. "Xiao Yu, make sure he doesn't step foot outside tomorrow. He'll take some meds in a bit, and once he sweats it out, he'll be good."

Cheng Miao said reluctantly, "I have something to do at noon."

"What business could a kid possibly have? If you get sick during the New Year, the whole family ends up fussing over you." With that, Mother Cheng mixed up a packet of cold medicine and made Cheng Miao drink it.

That night, Cheng Miao didn't get out of bed. Wrapped in his quilt, he lay on the heated kang and drank a bowl of porridge before lying back down.

He really did feel a bit unwell—no energy in his body, and he was completely out of it.

When it was time to sleep, Mother Cheng made a point of separating Lu Yu and Cheng Miao so both boys wouldn't get sick.

In the middle of the night, Cheng Miao suddenly ran a fever, and Mother Cheng gave him fever-reducing medicine. Luckily, by morning, his fever had broken.

Not wanting to leave the two boys home alone, Mother Cheng skipped going to the market and stayed home to take care of Cheng Miao.

When Cheng Miao woke up, he felt right as rain, but Mother Cheng still wouldn't let him leave the house.

He propped himself against the quilt, doing his homework listlessly, glancing up at the clock every few minutes. "Mom, I'm already better. Aren't you going to work today?"

"Not today. Anyway, tomorrow's New Year's Eve, so it's not busy." Mother Cheng said while cleaning the house.

The house should've been given a thorough cleaning before the New Year, but Father Cheng and Mother Cheng were always busy, so it usually got put off until after. Since she had nothing to do today, she decided to wipe down all the furniture.

Cheng Miao looked at Mother Cheng, figuring he wasn't getting out today. He scooted closer to Lu Yu and whispered, "I definitely can't get out today. Go check on Lin Jinrui around noon."

Lu Yu nodded.

After breakfast, Lu Yu helped Mother Cheng clean the rooms. After moving the cabinets aside and sweeping every nook and cranny, they got ready to wipe down the furniture.

Mother Cheng mixed up some warm water, grabbed two clean cotton cloths, and took down all the items displayed on the cabinet, and had Lu Yu and Cheng Miao wipe them down.

Cheng Miao explained where these little trinkets came from as he worked.

"This ceramic doll—my mom got it from a temple." He held up this adorable little figurine. It had a white porcelain body, with just a tuft of black hair on its head, delicate features and rosy lips—a classic New Year's doll design from that era.

"Cute, right?" Cheng Miao handed over the doll that was soaking in water. "After my mom prayed for this, she had me not long after."

Lu Yu wiped it dry, studying the doll's features. He couldn't explain why, but it looked a lot like Cheng Miao at this age—both had big eyes and chubby cheeks.

"Yeah." He nodded and put the ornament back.

"Oh, this is my picture album!" Cheng Miao excitedly pulled out a photo album.

He scooted closer to Lu Yu, half-leaning against him, flipping through starting from the first photo. "This is me right after I was born."

In the photo, a chubby, ruddy-faced baby was squinting and bawling his eyes out.

"When was this taken?" Cheng Miao flipped to the second page. He didn't recognize the photo, scratched his head, puzzled, and pulled it out of the album. He flipped it over, and the slightly yellowed back read "Baby, 100 days."

"Oh! It's from my hundred-day mark." Cheng Miao continued flipping.

Lu Yu's gaze followed the turning pages—from newborn to one month, to a hundred days, to one year, two years, all the way up to now.

Every photo had the date written on the back. In each annual birthday photo, Cheng Miao was smiling—bright, joyful, his face full of happiness.

The back that read "peace year after year" had indeed protected him through all these years of happiness.

Lu Yu's expression dimmed. His eyes were complicated, tinged with a hint of envy as he looked at the photos.

Suddenly, Cheng Miao yelped and quickly pulled out a photo. "How is there a photo like this!"

He stared at it in disbelief, instinctively flipping it over to check the date.

Lu Yu leaned in, curious. "What photo?"

Cheng Miao looked up at him, then frantically stuffed the photo under his bottom. "Nothing, there's nothing."

Lu Yu studied his guilty expression, feeling a tightness in his chest. He said flatly, "Let me see."

Cheng Miao shook his head like a rattle. "No way." How could he? There was no way he'd show such an embarrassing photo to anyone.

Lu Yu glanced at him up and down. "Really not showing?"

"Not even if I die!" Cheng Miao's tone was firm.

"Auntie, come quick—Cheng Miao is trying to throw away a photo!" Lu Yu suddenly called out to Mother Cheng, who was wiping the cabinet.

Mother Cheng came over promptly and deftly grabbed the album. "Which photo?"

Lu Yu pointed at Cheng Miao's bottom with his little finger. "It's under his butt."

Mother Cheng scooped Cheng Miao up, and Lu Yu took the chance to grab the photo. He froze when he saw it.

In the photo, a little boy stood with both hands holding between his legs, looking utterly smug, as a stream of urine arced down in a parabola, with a puddle on the ground beside him.

Mother Cheng laughed when she saw it. "This is Miao Miao when he was three, at his grandma's house. He insisted on competing with his uncle to see who could pee farther. In the end, he was the only one who pulled down his pants to pee—everyone else ran off—and his uncle snapped a photo of him."

Cheng Miao shyly buried his face in Mother Cheng's arms, mumbling, "Why would you take a photo like that? Don't I have any dignity?"

Lu Yu looked at the kid in the photo and smiled—a rare sight. "Pretty cute."

Hearing that, Cheng Miao pounced over, flustered and annoyed. "Stop looking!" He reached out to snatch the photo.

Lu Yu hurriedly stepped back, holding the photo high in the air. Cheng Miao sat on his stomach, his little hands stretching up desperately to grab it.

Just as he was about to reach it, Lu Yu flipped over and pinned Cheng Miao beneath him. Cheng Miao struggled but couldn't break free, his eyes turning red with frustration. "Give it back!"

Seeing his reddened eyes, Lu Yu panicked slightly and instinctively let go, starting to get up—when suddenly he heard a click.

Mother Cheng stood nearby with a camera, smiling. "Just in time—I took a photo of you two."

Cheng Miao seized the chance to snatch the photo back, grinning triumphantly at Lu Yu. "Hey, got it!"

Lu Yu climbed off him, and Mother Cheng crouched beside Lu Yu with the camera. "Xiao Yu, come look—Auntie took a really handsome photo of you."

Cheng Miao hurried over too, and upon seeing the photo, complained, "You're so biased! Why did you make me look so pathetic? Retake it, I want a retake!" With that, he reached for the camera.