What's wrong with being a little arrogant in the apocalypse just to support my wife?

Chapter 108 It Turns Red After a Rub

That night, Lu Yize had a dream he hadn't had in a long time, a dream about the time before he was an orphan.

Back then, the apocalypse hadn't arrived yet, and life wasn't exactly affluent. The fact that the village didn't use kerosene lamps was already a testament to the poverty alleviation office's efforts.

As soon as it was light, the chickens in the village seemed to have received some kind of command, clucking in unison.

Lu Yize, or rather, back then he was called Lu Hanzi, had a severe case of morning grumpiness.

Waking up to the noise, Lu Yize, who was already in a bad mood, became instantly unhappy when he saw the little girl sleeping next to him.

With the thought that "I can't sleep well, so why should she sleep soundly?" she pinched her cheeks and woke her up.

This clingy little girl has been coming to his house to freeload for three days, and his parents have been arguing about it for three days straight.

Jiang Yue, whose face was being pinched and bullied, hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but she called out softly and dependently, "Brother."

Over the past three days, Lu Yize, who had gradually become immune to this title, snorted coldly, "Who's your brother? Get up, you're not allowed to lie on my bed."

Jiang Yue opened her eyes groggily and smiled when she met Lu Yize's gaze.

Lu Yize thought that the child might be mentally challenged, otherwise he wouldn't have been abandoned on the roadside.

Jiang Yue, however, thought that this fierce-looking older brother was a good person. At least he wouldn't hit her or scold her, and he even gave her food.

Do you know where you live?

Lu Yize jumped off the bed, tidied himself up hastily, and turned to ask Jiang Yue, who was still sitting on the bed.

Seeing that she didn't understand, he added, "It's where your parents live."

Jiang Yue looked down, picking at her nails. "Mom and Dad are busy, we can't call...%@...*"

"WTF?"

Lu Yize used his tattered towel to roughly wipe Jiang Yue's face, unable to understand what she was saying in a sticky, dialect-mixed way.

He was rough with his hands, and the tattered towel in his hands was even rougher, leaving several red marks on Jiang Yue's fair face after washing.

Lu Yize touched it guiltily, coughed, frowned and said fiercely, "Is it made of paper? It turns red as soon as you wipe it."

Although his tone was harsh, Jiang Yue could feel his concern. Like a well-behaved cat, she pressed her soft cheek against his hand and smiled with her eyes crinkling.

Seeing how well-behaved she was, Lu Yize gave her a rare kind look and let her rub her hands against his.

This scene was witnessed by Lu Yize's mother as she walked in, and her expression changed.

While Jiang Yue was changing clothes, she grabbed Lu Yize and said with a stern face, "She's different from us, she's not from here. Find a chance to send her to the town police station."

"What's the difference? Aren't they all the same—two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?" Lu Yize retorted irritably.

But the next moment, her ear was grabbed. "I said it's different, and it's different. Look at her clothes, do you think they're the same as ours?"

"Besides, she's been raised to be fair and delicate. If you were to raise her, she'd turn into a black charcoal in less than three days."

"I've taken good care of it, where did it get black?"

"Do you think you're raising a kitten or puppy, just feeding them and that's it? Alright, alright, your dad's going to the village for drinks in a couple of days, then you take him to the town police station."

Lu Yize's mother was too lazy to chat with him about trivial matters, so she finished her instructions and went to attend to her own business.

Lu Yize, who was not old but had a bad temper, walked into the room with a gloomy face. Jiang Yue had already struggled to get out of bed.

"elder brother?"

Lu Yize stared at the little boy in front of him and asked one question, "Do you miss your parents?"

Jiang Yue hesitated for a moment, but under Lu Yize's scrutiny, she finally nodded and whispered a single word, "I want to."

Ah.

Row.

Lu Yize turned around without looking back.

Jiang Yue chased after him with her short legs, but the rural ground was uneven, and she stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

Despite the pain in her knee, Jiang Yue got up and continued chasing.

When she looked up, she found that the person who should have been long gone was now standing in front of her, arms crossed, looking at her coldly.

Jiang Yue reached out and grabbed Lu Yize's trouser leg, struggling to get up, her knees still scraped and bleeding.

"Brother, don't be angry."

Lu Yize has been ruthless since he was a child, and he didn't even lay a finger on her. "Why would I be angry?"

Jiang Yue was stumped by his question and honestly shook her head. Seeing that Lu Yize did not push her away, she quietly took a step closer and said, "Brother."

Lu Yize looked down at the pale, round face tugging at his clothes and asked again, "Do you still miss your parents?"

Jiang Yue didn't know why he asked twice. She secretly looked at Lu Yize's expression, then nodded slightly, her voice as soft as an ant's, "I did."

Lu Yize gritted his teeth, then laughed angrily, "Fine, I'll send you back in a few days."

Jiang Yue didn't understand what sarcastic remarks meant, and happily grabbed Lu Yize's hand with a beaming smile, "Brother, okay."

Lu Yize shook off her hand, his face darkening, and strode straight out the door. Jiang Yue couldn't keep up and could only watch his retreating figure from the doorway.

Lu Yize returned at dusk after a day of tantrums and playing.

When I entered the house, I saw Jiang Yue squatting on the threshold, her arms wrapped around her short legs, her head resting on her knees, fast asleep.

Lu Yize nudged the drowsy person with his toe, "Don't block the road."

Jiang Yue was woken up, but she didn't cry or make a fuss; there were just red marks on her face.

She looked at the wide road beside her, then at the corner where she was sitting, and for a moment she couldn't figure out which road she was blocking.

But the moment she saw Lu Yize's face, she immediately snapped out of it and followed him inside.

Lu Yize glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and, seeing that she couldn't catch up, mercifully slowed his pace.

Only after her hand was taken did she let out a cold laugh, "Who gave you permission to hold my hand?"

Jiang Yue seemed not to hear him, giving him a shy smile, but she showed no intention of letting go.

Lu Yize tugged at his hand but couldn't pull it away. He looked down at Jiang Yue, who was holding him with both hands, and said, "Where are you from? You're so clingy."

Jiang Yue didn't know either. When Lu Yize saw that she couldn't answer, he called her stupid.

The next day, Lu Yize stopped throwing a tantrum and even took Jiang Yue with him when he went out to play.

He took her running around in the fields and tricked her into rolling in the mud.

Seeing her and the other dirty, mud-covered children around her, I couldn't feel happy at all.

She's no good at catching fish or shrimp; she might even be swept away by the stream and lose her balance.

In the countryside during summer, the night sky is filled with twinkling stars, illuminating the way, but the children playing wildly don't notice any of that.

Only Jiang Yue looked up, pointed to the sky, and said, "Brother, look, the stars are twinkling and the moon is round."

Lu Yize looked down and saw that her face was red from several mosquito bites.

He watched as she pointed to the sky with her bright eyes and white teeth, reciting classical poems he had never heard before.

He suddenly understood what his mother had said.

She was indeed different from them from the very beginning.