They’re all soft-legged shrimps
Author: 橙子澄澄
Source: Instadoses
The teenager got into the bed, but was still radiating a chill.
Perhaps realizing that he was cold, he didn't immediately hug her.
Liu Yusheng, however, moved and automatically nestled into the teenager's arms.
With her warmth, driving away the cold for him was what she wanted to do most at this moment.
His hands then immediately and spontaneously encircled her tightly.
Liu Yusheng yawned and rubbed her head against the teenager's chest. "Sleep, Brother Axiu."
The teenager nodded, but his eyes were wide open, bright and tense in the darkness.
The child's breathing was fast and even, but the boy seemed completely sleepless. His hands quietly kept changing the position of holding her.
Each pose change made the corners of his lips rise a little, as if he had gotten an incredible toy, and he was having fun playing with it.
This was Shengsheng. Shengsheng was comfortable to hug.
Soft, warm and fragrant.
This room was filled with her scent, he loved it.
He would sleep here later on.
In the middle of the night, the three doors in the main house opened almost simultaneously. Startled, the three women looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Mother, why are you up too?" Chen Xiulan asked together with Du Juan.
"I'm worried about the kids kicking their blankets and catching a cold, so I got up to check on them. You guys have a lot of work to do during the day, go back to sleep, I'll just go see."
"We're already awake, and it's not too late. Mother, go and check on Axiu, and I'll go with Sister-in-law to tuck Nannan in." Both sisters-in-law knew that their mother was concerned that Axiu would be uncomfortable and sleepless as he had just come back.
The three lifted the oil lamp and went to the two rooms separately.
Chen Xiulan and Du Juan opened the door of Liu Yusheng's room, and instantly froze. The faint yellow light shone on the lumps on the quilt. Under it, the half-grown boy held the little child close to his bosom and embraced her to sleep.
His face was serene and relaxed, sleeping sweetly.
It was totally inappropriate, but it exuded the beautiful tranquility of time, which made them reluctant to disturb.
In the other room, Grandma Liu rushed out in a panic, ashen- faced, and with a trembling voice. "It's bad, Axiu, Axiuo is missing! Quickly, go get the men in the house up and go find him! Where did this kid go again!…"
"Mother! Hush-" Du Juan quickly silenced her in a hushed tone. She pointed into the room, signaling Grandma Liu to come closer and have a look. "The kid is here mother, sleeping soundly. Don't worry, he's fine!"
"…" After seeing that the child was indeed in the Nannan's room, Grandma Liu's heart fell back to where it was.
Uhm, this was awkward.
S-Should they wake the child up and send him back to his room for the night?
Although she said during supper Nannan was only six years old, and that there was no need to be so strict with men and women propriety, it wasn't to the extent where it wouldn't matter if they slept together.
For the first time, Grandma Liu was torn.
"Mother, go back to sleep. Don't get up in the middle of the night later. Your old man will be unhappy seeing you toss like this. You have to take care of your own bones, or else if Nannan gets to know later, she'll be angry with you." Chen Xiulan closed the door of the room as if nothing had happened.
"Ahem, then I'm going back to sleep. You also hurry to sleep. There's not much time before dawn."
"Eh, got it."
The three mothers each went back to their rooms.
They didn't mention a word about the scene in Nannan's room.
Turning a blind eye to it; just forgetting about it.
Could they really go and pull the kids apart? Not to mention Axiu's deadly stubbornness now, just Nannan alone, if she didn't want to, Axiu wouldn't have gotten into her bed.
Nannan was now just a pair of red hair ties in Axiu's eyes… Before going to bed Grandma Liu could only console herself with this.
Unbeknownst to the three, after they closed the door, the boy on the bed slowly opened his eyes, looked towards the door, and waited for them to leave before closing his eyes again.
All that time, his nose sniffed the pillow, the quilt, and the child in his arms – the scent was all the same.
He slept peacefully.
In his dreams, his lips curled up sweetly.
Of course, the matter couldn't be hidden for long, one night at most.
The morning the next day, the whole family knew about it.
The one who reacted most violently was Liu Dalin. His face was so stinky as he battled the urge to rush into that room several times to carry the brat out, but he was forcefully suppressed by Grandma Liu with a pull of his ears.
"Mother! Nannan will have to marry late. With that brat, Nannan's reputation will be lost later on!"
"Nannan is only six years old. What's wrong with her sleeping with her own brother? And besides, Axiu is now no different from a three or four-year-old child. What are you so nervous about?" Grandma Liu argued, but was also feeling guilty.
"Anyway, this definitely won't work! As a brother, he has to protect his sister's reputation! We can't let it go just because he doesn't understand. Our Nannan will be the one who'll suffer!" Liu Dalin stood his ground and argued while looking for an ally. "Dad, brother, don't you think so too? Axiu doesn't understand, we can teach him well!"
Grandpa Liu nodded quite solemnly. "That's the idea."
Before Liu Dalin could rejoice, his next line wilted him. "The question is, when we talk, would Axiu listen?"
"…"
"You can also talk to Nannan. You are Nannan's real father, so I'll leave this matter to you to handle personally." After that, the old man leisurely went out to avoid disaster with his hands behind his back.
Liu Dalin, "…" Why else would he be here stamping his foot if he was willing to talk seriously with Nannan?
They were completely pointing fingers. Pointing fingers. When things reach a critical point, it was when a person's nature really showed.
They were all soft-legged shrimps!
"I'll just go!" Liu Dalin roared, mustering his courage.
He was doing it for his daughter and Axiu's sake, not because he couldn't let it go!
The rest of the family glanced at him and then went about their business. None of them was interested in paying attention to him.
He had no qualms now, but see how he'd be beaten later!
After dawn, the door of the west wing was opened from the inside. Liu Yusheng yawned and walked outside, and saw Liu Dalin who was standing by the door.
"Good morning, Dad!" The baby's eyebrows quirked, and when she smiled, it was brighter than the sunrise.
"Oh why are you up? It's still early!" Liu Dalin smirked and reached out to ruffle the child's hair. "Wait, I'll fetch water for you to wash your face!"
"Thanks Dad!" The youngest child looked back into the room, and at the sleepy-eyed teenager in the bed, who was up. "Dad, fetch more water. Brother Axiu is up."
"Okay!" The man simply deserved it.
Grandma Liu and the other three in the family snickered. [I'll go, I'll go.] Who knew if the man still remembered what he just said.
Hmph!
Grandma Liu looked at Axiu, who walked out while rubbing his eyes, and feigned surprise. "Huh, Axiu, why did you sleep with Nannan?"
"Grandma, Axiu might not be used to it yet. He doesn't even know how to lie down. He came to my room in the middle of the night and squatted in the corner of the bed. I was worried that he was cold, so I let him sleep with me."
Note this is for Offline reading/purpose only credits to the authors, publishers, editors and translators.