Tang Mo’er sobbed, her eyes, the tip of her nose all red. She was calling for… Mr Gu… She missed Mr Gu, she wanted to lean on Mr Gu’s shoulder.
She was pregnant with Mr Gu’s baby.
Lu Yeming looked at the beautiful face in front of him, lifting his hand to caress her face. Wiping away her tears with his fingertips, he spoke as if he was coaxing a young girl. “I’ll pass you my phone so you can call him, alright?”
Tang Mo’er sniffled, biting down on her lip. She smiled and cried at the same time, shaking her head. “I can’t, I can’t bear to… let Mr Gu… suffer in pain with me. Just let me suffer alone…”
“Fine.” Lu Yeming held her tear-filled face. “I’ll be with you no matter what.”
He pulled her into his embrace once again.
Tang Mo’er tugged on his clothes, till they were all wrinkled as she cried out loud, letting out all of her emotions and helplessness…
…
Tang Mo’er cried so much that her eyes were both swollen and puffy. Her energy was drained and she wanted to go to sleep. After all, she was a pregnant lady and would always feel sleepy.
Lu Yeming handed her a bowl of warm Chinese medicine again. “Sister, you still have to drink this medicine. Have it while it’s warm.”
“Oh.” Tang Mo’er didn’t dare be willful. She took the bowl, downing it while holding her breath.
It was so bitter.
Right after downing it, she wanted to throw up so badly but she held it down.
A large palm appeared. “Here you go.”
Tang Mo’er lowered her eyes and lying in Lu Yeming’s palm was… a lime. The lime appeared supple and juicy, the thought of the sour yet sweet taste really made her salivate.
“Lime?” Tang Mo’er’s eyes lit up.
Lu Yeming smiled. “I remember that this is your favorite. Now that you’re pregnant, I’m sure you will love sour stuff even more.”
“Thank you, Yeming.”
Tang Mo’er took the lime from him, biting on it and the juice helped to curb the feeling of nausea.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Mm.”
Tang Mo’er rested on the hammock. Ever since the night it suddenly snowed, Lu Yeming hired an interior designer to renovate her room and added a hammock inside.
The hammock was huge, with lace hanging above it and it had a dreamy vibe to it.
“Yeming, do you still remember those days at Grandma’s house? Every morning I’d push open the window and there was a lime tree growing right in front?”
As she spoke, Lu Yeming sat on a rattan chair beside the hammock, his legs stretched out casually as he crossed his ankles.
“Of course. That lime tree grew really well, we will always have a fruitful harvest every year and the children in the village would always climb up the tree and secretly pluck the fruits. They loved bullying me, calling me a mute.”
Tang Mo’er rested her head on the pillow, her hair silky and her skin fair as snow. She smiled. “I remember coming back one day and witnessing those kids bullying you. I immediately picked up a wooden rod and chased after them, wanting to teach them a good lesson.”
“I remember they ran home bawling. Their parents were so pissed off, they wanted to ask Grandma for an explanation. Grandma made it appear like she punished us and had us reflect but behind closed doors, she rewarded us with sweet and sour pork ribs. From then on, those kids never dared to bully me. They all said that I have an elder sister who’s like a devil.”
Tang Mo’er’s eyes crinkled into a smile. She had been bullied since young at the Qin family and she knew exactly how to protect herself. Whenever anyone hit her, she would make sure to return the favor in spades.
He was her biological younger brother, she would never allow those children to bully her brother. She would roll her sleeves up and teach them a lesson without any deliberation.
Recalling those days, tears welled up in Tang Mo’er’s lustrous eyes.
Those good old days.
Back then, she had nothing to worry about at all.
Lu Yeming covered her with a silky blanket, only leaving her head exposed. “I remember there was once you climbed up the tree to pick limes and threw them down. I was supposed to pick them up and put them in a bag. The limes would roll all around and I had to run around to find them.
“Also, you would take afternoon naps during summer when the weather was hot and you would always make me fan you and help chase the mosquitoes away. You treated me just like a lackey back then.”
What was he saying? Tang Mo’er refused to admit to it. “Yeming, you’re so heartless. You only remember me bossing you around but not other occasions. Remember when you had a high fever once and I cried beside you, guarding you all night and I refused to go anywhere else. I would always eat less, giving you the meat in my bowl. Look, you’re so tall and suave now, it’s all because I gave you all the nutrients.”
Hearing her indignant bantering, Lu Yeming’s entire countenance was gentle. He smiled while looking at Tang Mo’er. The corners of Tang Mo’er’s lips were also raised. She closed her eyes and said, “Yeming, I’m going to sleep.”
“Mm, goodnight.”
Tang Mo’er fell asleep in no time.
Lu Yeming looked at her, his memories returning to that summer in 199X. It was a hot summer, the lime tree bloomed outside their window and the radio in the room was playing while the fragrance of Grandma’s cooking was everywhere in the house.
He had no idea whose kid was crying again, the birds chirped nonstop on the tree. Seven year old Tang Mo’er was sent to Grandma’s house, barging into his life, growing up with him.
Lu Yeming slowly bent over, moving closer to Tang Mo’er’s forehead before he gave her a light peck.
He planted a kiss on her forehead.
It was a light kiss, he was afraid that he would wake her up.
His memories were no longer vivid. Back then, she would hold his jaw, looking at him straight in the eye. “Brother, brother, you have to learn how to speak. My name is Tang Mo’er. Come, follow me, Tang, Mo. Er. Mo’er!”
She taught him how to speak, making him remember her name. Mo’er.
Jun Xiqing stood outside, watching Lu Yeming kiss Sister Mo’er’s forehead. She turned around, leaning against the wall.
Everyone must at least have one moment like this in life, expressing all the gentleness and love they had in their life.
Jun Xiqing was reminded of when she rode on a horse with Uncle Jun when she was young. Uncle Jun pointed at the mountainous scenery in Country Z and told her, “Qingqing, who said that women can’t compare to men?”
A smile hinted at the edges of Jun Xiqing’s lips. That was the most memorable moment in her life. Over time, he had formed the foundation for her most innermost beliefs.
She used to think that Lu Yeming was a man who was hard to reach, she somehow couldn’t read him at all. But now, as she unraveled him, she realized he was actually really gentle inside.
