Chapter 71 Brother?

As long as something was still usable, he could always make do. In this regard, he was worlds apart from his sister-in-law, who was refined to her core.

Lu Yan snapped back to his senses and snatched the jar of snow cream and the hand lotion from her hands. “Who says I don’t need them?” he retorted, then began placing each item carefully and meticulously into the bag.

Lu Caiqing watched him with wide eyes, stunned. After a while, she finally said, “If you use these things, the other men will laugh at you.”

Lu Yan ignored her, carrying the items into his room.

An’an blinked at the dazed Lu Caiqing. “Next time, let my mom bring you some too. They’re not expensive. The face cream is only a few yuan, and the hand lotion is even cheaper.”

An’an often accompanied Shen Qingyi to the department stores and had a good memory; he could recall the price of almost everything they bought.

Lu Caiqing pinched An’an’s soft, chubby cheek. “No need, Auntie can buy it herself. Go wash your hands and come eat.”

She simply couldn’t imagine Lu Yan using such things.

Lu Yan stored everything away, carefully packing them into the large bag Shen Qingyi had bought for him. When it wouldn’t all fit, he took out his usual work clothes and put them in another bag.

Only when he heard the call for dinner did he go out.

An’an and Shen Qingyi were already seated at the table. During the meal, Shen Qingyi asked again, “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, nothing,” Lu Yan replied quietly, his head lowered.

Lu Caiqing looked at Lu Yan, feeling more and more like she didn’t know him at all. The usual cold, aloof aura that clung to him was nowhere to be seen. He answered questions like a schoolboy—she could hardly believe her eyes.

An’an raised his hand. “Auntie needs something!”

Lu Yan quickly said, “If Auntie needs anything, I’ll buy it for her tomorrow!”

She was the only one allowed to buy things for him.

Lu Caiqing was speechless.

“No… no need. I have snow cream. It’s just, my second brother never cared about his appearance since he was young. He barely ever looked in a mirror, let alone used this stuff. I was just afraid he’d waste it.”

Shen Qingyi explained, “I heard that after summer, Yan Prefecture gets very cold and dry. When the wind blows, it stings your face, so it’s good to have a little on hand.”

An’an nodded eagerly, pointing to his own fair, delicate cheeks. “Every autumn and winter, Mama makes me smell nice and soft all over.”

Lu Caiqing glanced at the refined little An’an and suddenly felt completely out of place.

“Sister-in-law, you really worry too much. My second brother’s skin is naturally good. When we were little in the countryside, he could work in the fields under the blazing sun for ten days straight, get a bit tanned, and be pale again in under three days. I was so envious. Even in winter, while our faces cracked and our noses ran, he was perfectly fine.”

Shen Qingyi couldn’t help looking over at Lu Yan. He really was fair-skinned, with a cold, clear pallor. Apart from the little dark mole at the tip of his nose, his face was so smooth you couldn’t even see his pores.

Shen Qingyi felt a twinge of envy herself. People always said she had good skin, but she took great care of it. Lu Yan, however… He really didn’t care at all. There were so many times she’d been tempted to throw out his towels.

Every time they came back from swimming with An’an, An’an was slippery as a fish—never properly washed. Lu Yan would just strip off his sweaty clothes, give himself a haphazard wipe, and squat shirtless in the yard to scrub. He’d gotten a little better recently.

Sensing his wife’s gaze, Lu Yan responded to Lu Caiqing’s words, “When the winter wind blows hard, my face hurts too.”

Lu Caiqing: Fine, whatever you say.

After dinner, Lu Yan went to wash the dishes. When he finished, he noticed there was no singing coming from Shen Qingyi’s room. He went up and knocked on her door. When she opened it, he stepped inside. “Qingyi, I’ve made arrangements with the kindergarten. After the summer break, you can send An’an straight there.”

Shen Qingyi set down her pen and looked up at him. “Alright.”

After replying, she saw that Lu Yan had no intention of leaving. Remembering what Cheng Youqing had said, she asked, “Did someone come looking for you a few days ago?”

Lu Yan paused, thinking for a moment. “Do you mean Fan Lei and his sister?”

Shen Qingyi recalled what Cheng Youqing had said—a man and a woman. It must have been those two. She nodded. “Yes. What did they want?”

Lu Yan, aware of his wife’s connection to that social circle, thought it natural she’d want to know. “Let’s go for a walk. I’ll explain everything.”

Recently, he’d noticed that couples who were dating or happily married often went out for strolls together. He’d never paid attention to such things before, but now he found himself wanting to try it.

Shen Qingyi thought, this probably wasn’t something that could be explained in a few sentences. The relationship must be complicated. Still, since he was willing to explain, it couldn’t be anything serious.

She stood up and agreed, “Alright.”

As they left, Shen Qingyi told Lu Caiqing to keep an eye on An’an because she and Lu Yan had something to take care of. Lu Caiqing agreed readily.

It had just turned dark as they stepped outside, and neighbors passing by couldn’t help but glance their way.

The Lu family’s affairs had caused quite a stir; everyone in the compound knew about them. People looked at Lu Yan with a touch of sympathy, and when greeting him, they would sneak a glance at Shen Qingyi.

“Fan Lei went to university with me. He’s now at H University in Country A, same major as me. He came to ask me some questions and brought his sister along to consult about the prospects for our field back home,” Lu Yan took the initiative to explain.

Shen Qingyi didn’t know Fan Lei well. She’d met him a few times at the Qian family’s house. He always had an air of superiority about him, looking down on everyone.

“His sister’s going to university?” she asked.

Lu Yan nodded. “Yes.”

“Is she pretty?”

Lu Yan was momentarily at a loss. What did appearance have to do with choosing a major? But since his wife had asked, he answered honestly, “I suppose you could call her pretty.”

He couldn’t tell if a girl dressed like that was considered attractive, but she definitely wasn’t suited for research—such long hair, always wearing makeup, high heels. All of that must take a lot of time and effort to maintain.

Shen Qingyi glanced back at him, seeing that he was being quite sincere. “In the future, don’t talk to girls like that about anything unrelated to work.”

“Alright!” Lu Yan agreed happily. That was easy for him.

Passing by a small shop, Lu Yan’s eyes flickered. “Would you like an ice cream?”

He remembered An’an liked them, but his wife had never had one.

“No, thank you. We just ate.”

She’d only had a little, Lu Yan thought, but she was always like this—so slim and light, it felt like she had no weight at all when he held her.

The thought made his ears turn red again.

“Shen Qingyi?”

Hearing her name, Shen Qingyi turned to see a young man she didn’t recognize. Lu Yan stopped and turned as well.

“Who are you?” Shen Qingyi asked, not recognizing him.

Seeing her reaction, the man knew it was her. He stepped closer, studying her features—she really did look just like her photos, stunningly beautiful.

“Actually, you should call me brother,” he said.

Shen Qingyi frowned. The man looked to be in his twenties, hair slicked back in the latest Hong Kong movie style, shirt, tie, and polished black shoes—he had quite the presence.

“Brother?” Shen Qingyi thought she must have misheard. Her parents had only ever had one child.