Chapter 35: Making Up One’s Mind

Chapter 35: Making the Decision

Mother Cheng swatted his hand away. "You already have so many photos, why take more?"

Cheng Miao pouted sulkily, pressing his lips together, letting out a disgruntled huff.

Mother Cheng patted his head soothingly. "Alright, we'll take you to get your picture taken every New Year."

With that, she pulled Lu Yu over and made the two of them stand together. "Scoot closer, let me get a picture of you two."

Lu Yu stood there obediently, while Cheng Miao reluctantly leaned in. Right as the shutter was about to click, he suddenly tackled Lu Yu.

Caught off guard by the sudden weight, Lu Yu couldn't steady himself in time.

His hands instinctively grabbed Cheng Miao's clothes as he went down. Cheng Miao sat on top of Lu Yu, looking smug. "Mom, quick, snap it!"

"Not bad, this one's good too." Mother Cheng grinned, pleased.

Lu Yu felt resigned, so he just relaxed and lay there comfortably.

Once the photo was taken, Cheng Miao scrambled over to check it out. Only after seeing himself sitting triumphantly on top of Lu Yu did he feel satisfied.

After lunch, Lu Yu told Mother Cheng he wanted to head home for a bit, then went to see Lin Jinrui at the usual time.

When Lu Yu got to the Lin family's front gate, Lin Jinrui still hadn't come out. He leaned against the big tree by the door, expression blank, staring at the closed gate, lost in thought.

After a while, a harsh crashing sound suddenly came from the courtyard. Lu Yu, who'd been slouching against the tree, snapped to attention.

He hurried to the door, pressing his ear against it to listen. He could faintly hear a woman yelling mixed with a kid's sobbing.

Lu Yu slowly pushed the door open, peeking through the crack to scope out the courtyard. It was still the same cluttered mess, and no one was in sight. The sounds were coming from the main room.

Lu Yu softened his steps, about to move closer, when the main room door was suddenly flung open. Lin Jinrui ran out crying, one hand covering her face, and ducked into a small side room.

The yelling from inside didn't let up: "Can't do anything right, might as well get lost. Even a dog I keep is better than you."

"Useless girl, we should just dump her."

"Why get so mad at her? Watch out for my son in my belly."

Seizing the chance, Lu Yu bent low and darted into the courtyard, stopping in front of Lin Jinrui's door. He tapped gently on the glass.

Hearing the tap, the person inside looked up abruptly. Through the blurry glass, Lu Yu could see the bright red handprint on Lin Jinrui's face, stark and glaring.

Tears streamed down her cheeks one by one. Lu Yu watched her, his cold expression growing even darker.

Lin Jinrui's voice was hoarse. On top of her shock, she felt deeply embarrassed, keeping her head low. "Why are you here?"

Lu Yu pushed the door open and walked right in.

Lin Jinrui glanced behind him, relieved to see he was alone. She didn't want anyone else to see her like this. "Did Cheng Miao not come?"

Lu Yu shook his head. "He's sick, so he's resting at home."

"Sick? Is it serious?" Lin Jinrui frowned, looking worried.

"Not as bad as you. They hit you?" Lu Yu looked her over.

Lin Jinrui quickly covered her face with her hand. The burning pain on her cheek felt like a shameful mark, making her want to crawl into a hole.

Overwhelmed by shame and frustration, she didn't know what to say. She stammered, "I made my mom mad, so she hit me. I, I—"

She couldn't finish, unable to find an excuse that would make her seem less pathetic.

Lu Yu looked at her flustered state and said coolly, "You're the one who got hit. As long as you can convince yourself, that's all that matters. You don't need to explain yourself to me."

Lin Jinrui kept her head down, silent, her occasional sobs only irritating Lu Yu more. He said coldly, "Tears are useless. If you've got time to cry, you might as well figure out what to do."

"I, I don't know what to do. I'm not scared of getting hit. I want to study, go to college someday, and get out of here. But my parents won't let me go to school anymore."

Lin Jinrui spoke between sobs, her words coming out broken. "I also have to take care of the little brother in her belly. But I want to go to school."

"He's not even born yet. Where does a brother come from? Just a lump of flesh. He might not even make it out!" Lu Yu's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an inexplicable chill.

Lin Jinrui shuddered involuntarily. She looked at Lu Yu's expressionless face in shock, his eyes ice-cold.

She quickly turned her face away, her heart racing with an inexplicable tension.

Those words echoed in her mind: "He might not even make it out."

If he didn't make it out, could she go back to school like before?

Lu Yu saw Lin Jinrui's dazed expression and said nothing more to her.

He looked around the room. The furnishings were much the same as last time—the bedding neatly folded on the bed, Lin Jinrui's homework placed at the edge of the bed, just at the right height for her to do her work while sitting on the small stool below.

Lu Yu's gaze moved upward, catching a glimpse of something bright red wedged between the bedding and the wall. It looked like a piece of clothing, still in its packaging.

When Lin Jinrui snapped back to reality and saw where Lu Yu was looking, she grew flustered and stammered, "That, that's, my new clothes."

Lu Yu nodded and didn't ask further.

Lin Jinrui opened her mouth as if to say something, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately remained silent.

Lu Yu wasn't much of a talker either. He stood quietly for a while, and seeing that she seemed to have nothing more to say, he said, "If anything happens, go to Cheng Miao's house."

After a pause, he added, "Put some cold water on your face."

Lin Jinrui nodded, then added, "I'll go see Cheng Miao tomorrow afternoon."

Lu Yu gave a grunt of acknowledgment and slipped away quietly.

After Lu Yu left, Lin Jinrui took the clothes out from under the bedding. It was a red cotton coat, very pretty.

She had never worn anything so bright. It smelled of that distinctive new-clothes scent—sharp and pungent, yet carrying a sense of freshness.

Her fingers, red and swollen from the cold, slowly traced over the fabric. The hurt she had been holding in all afternoon came flooding out—a sour ache with dull, throbbing pain. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, and as they traced down her cheeks, the swollen areas stung even more.

Lin Jinrui clenched her teeth, trying not to make a sound. Tear after tear fell onto the coat, leaving behind clusters of dazzling wet marks.

She looked at the dampened coat, then reluctantly moved it aside, not wanting it to be stained by her tears.

Lin Jinrui curled up in front of the bed, her head buried deep in her chest, sobbing continuously. Slowly, she finally made up her mind about something.