Qin Yuxuan nodded emphatically, indicating he wouldn't cry. Qin Yucen put her bag down, took off her coat, rolled up her skirt to work, but Grandma shook her head: "Don't get your clothes dirty."
"Grandma, when I was little, I always used to help you with Yuxuan without you saying a thing. Even though I'm married now, I'm still your granddaughter; you can't treat me like an outsider." Qin Yucen insisted and took an apron to tie around herself.
Unable to argue with Qin Yucen, the grandmother and grandchildren worked together to clean the fish, rub them with salt, and hang them up to dry. They had a unique flavor when eaten.
Then Qin Yucen helped Grandma with cooking, and just before dinner, her father Qin Xiang returned home. He was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter, and without even setting down what he was carrying, he ran forward: "Cencen is back?"
"Dad, it's time for dinner." She embraced her father, whose scent of salty sea and fishy smell was the very aroma she had relied on and longed for as a child.
The family enjoyed a harmonious and happy dinner, smiles rich upon everyone's faces.
Qin Yucen's old room hadn't been used in a long time; Grandma brought clean quilts and sheets to help her make the bed anew.
Qin Yucen took them, wanting to do it herself: "Grandma, I want to take Yuxuan to the city for a thorough checkup."
Yuxuan might have been hurt while in the womb, so since birth, he had been physically weak. Coupled with his delayed development, he was already twenty-two but had the intelligence of a ten-year-old. Although his IQ was affected, he was quite clever and didn't look foolish. If dressed up well, his handsomeness wouldn't lose to those young idols.
"Let's not, Yuxuan's fate is just so... It might be better for him to live a carefree and happy life here." Grandma didn't agree with this suggestion.
"Grandma, perhaps there's a solution for Yuxuan's condition. We can't give up on him, he's so smart..." Qin Yucen paused for a moment, "Are you concerned about the Guan Family?"
Grandma was taken aback, shaking her head: "No... it's not that. What does this have to do with the Guan Family?"
"Grandma, I know you're afraid that others will find out about my poor background, afraid that they'll know I have a brother with a disability... Are you worried that it will make it difficult for me in the Guan Family? Grandma, how could you think like that? What does being from a wealthy family have to do with me, for you to carry these burdens?" Qin Yucen took her grandmother's hand and sat her down, "Grandma, I, as an older sister, can't disregard you and Yuxuan. Besides, I've saved quite a bit of money from working over the years, and I will use my own money to treat Yuxuan."
Grandma was getting on in years, her hair silver-white like silk, with more creases at the corners of her eyes and a cloudy look in them, but her vision was clearer than anyone's: "Cencen, don't blame Grandma for nagging. This time, why didn't you come back with Haoyang? I read in the newspaper that he's come back to the country to take over the Guanshan Group."
When Qin Yucen heard Grandma mention Guan Haoyang, the fiery light in her eyes extinguished, leaving behind an icy gray: "Grandma, as you know, the Guanshan Group is such a large company, and since he's just returned, he's still getting familiar with the operations and the clients, so he's very busy."
"Since the company's so busy, you came back alone. Over the years, you've understood the company better than he has, why aren't you by his side to give him a hand?" Grandma seemed to be chiding her for her thoughtlessness, for not being considerate, "I remember the first time he came to our house was when you were ten years old for the engagement, and he came back with you. The young man was so handsome and polite, he didn't mind staying over at our place for one night before leaving. Haoyang, that pampered city boy, must have had a hard time adjusting here, eating and sleeping in discomfort. But he didn't complain once. After you both left, the people in the village all said that Cencen had found herself a good husband."
"So Cencen, now that Haoyang is back, you as a wife need to take more care of him, look after him. Cencen, there will always be some frictions between husband and wife, but going through these together is part of marriage, part of happiness. You can't act like a petulant child like you do at home, understand?" Grandma instructed earnestly, with profound meaning in her words.
Qin Yucen listened, but she subtly averted her gaze, her heart surging with bittersweet discomfort.
That year, Guan Haoyang stood in the yard, amidst the cherry blossoms that were blooming splendidly. The wind lifted the white and pink petals, showering them down like rain upon his hair and shoulders. The handsome young man dazzled the girl's eyes and also moved her heart...
Could they ever return to those youthful days?
Lying in bed, filled with melancholy thoughts, Qin Yucen couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. She put on her coat, stepped out, and wandered to the seaside, sitting on the same large rock they used to sit on. She looked out at the distant lights, which were sparse.
Qin Yucen felt an itch on her face, and when she touched it, she felt something cold upon her cheek.
"Sis, you are crying."
The voice of Qin Yuxuan rose from behind Qin Yucen, fractured by the cold night breeze of the sea.
Qin Yucen turned around. Her face was hidden in the shadow of Qin Yuxuan; her long hair, tousled by the wind and slapping against her face, brought a stinging pain.
"Why are you up and about in such cold weather at this time of night?" Qin Yucen asked him.
He then walked to her side and sat down next to her. Both brother and sister hugged their knees, their postures identical—an echo of their childhood selves.
"I got up for a pee and saw you going out, so I followed," Qin Yuxuan said as he gazed into the distance, with the sound of the waves in his ears. "Sis, why are you crying? Who has bullied you? Tell me, and I will stand up for you."
Listening to her brother's child-like words, Qin Yucen laughed out loud, glancing sideways at her brother. His features were handsome, his eyes black as ink and bright as stars, and even in his delicacy, he possessed a masculine charm.
Looking at such a spirited brother, she thought that if he did not have a developmental delay, with his intelligence remaining at the level of a ten-year-old, he could, with his attributes, find a very pretty girl and have a beautiful romance.
"Sis, is it him who bullied you? That's why you came back home..." Qin Yuxuan seemed to understand.
Even though the winter night was cold and the wind on her face felt cutting, the care from her brother warmed Qin Yucen's heart.
She reached out, pulled Qin Yuxuan's body to face her, and then cupped his face: "Yuxuan, no one has bullied me. And no one can bully me. I won't let anyone bully you either."
"Sis, I am a man, I will protect you..." Qin Yuxuan patted his chest, promising, and then he whined like a child, "Sis, I really, really miss you. I want to go back to the days when you were at home."