[1] The Whole Family Is Insanely Eavesdropping on My Thoughts

Lu Yuan Xiao clenched his fists tightly. Even now, people continued to compare his late elder brother to Lu Jing Huai. The world had dubbed them the "Two Talents of the Lu Clan."

Whenever his elder brother was mentioned, people would sigh regretfully, lamenting how such a brilliant and dazzling individual had been reduced to a cripple. Then, they would take the opportunity to praise Lu Jing Huai, effectively elevating him by trampling upon his elder brother's legacy.

"Mother, my studies are becoming increasingly difficult. I wish to borrow some of my elder brother's old books and essays. Do you know where they might be?" Lu Yuan Xiao coughed lightly, feigning a casual tone as he asked.

Madam Xu pursed her lips. "After your elder brother's accident, he wanted nothing to do with his past. Your father arranged to have those things moved away."

[They've long been given to Lu Jing Huai, hmph!]

Lu Chao Chao could barely hold the massive apple in her arms, an apple so big it dwarfed her own cheeks.

"Speaking of him, it's been so long since I last saw your elder brother." A shadow passed over Madam Xu's expression. The mere thought of her eldest son brought an unrelenting ache to her heart.

She had poured every ounce of her love and hope into him. When the accident happened, it was as if she had lost half her own life. Later, when he refused to step beyond the door of his room, she could not enter either. Occasionally, she could only sneak in while he slept, just to catch a glimpse of him. She watched helplessly as he grew thinner by the day, as despair consumed him bit by bit, as he slowly lost the will to live.

"Eight years... when will he finally step outside again?" Madam Xu sighed deeply.

"Perhaps, elder brother will find clarity soon," Lu Yuan Xiao said, his thoughts drifting back to his last encounter with his elder brother. It seemed he had taken a liking to Chao Chao. For her sake, he had even broken his own rigid rules.

Madam Xu smiled faintly but said nothing. She dared not hope for too much. The mere fact that her eldest son was still alive had become her final solace.

During the day, Lu Yuan Xiao indulged in a deep sleep. For the next two days, he continued his nocturnal routine. By the third day, he had visibly slimmed down.

"This is unbearable! To go through this ordeal year after year—who could withstand it? Why are these accursed Evil Spirits never completely eradicated?" Madam Xu muttered angrily under her breath.

Lu Yuan Xiao yawned. "Mother, surviving unscathed is already a blessing. I heard that this year, even the abbot's eyes have gone blind." His tone carried a hint of lingering fear.

"Is that true?" Madam Xu was taken aback.

"When we left, the abbot's eyes were covered with a black cloth," Lu Yuan Xiao said before collapsing into bed, fast asleep.

Madam Xu's thoughts returned to the last time Chao Chao had silently cursed the abbot, chastising her for giving the Buddhist Prayer Beads to Lu Jing Yao. [A pair of eyes like that might as well go blind,] she had thought.

A shiver ran down Madam Xu's spine. Her daughter seemed to possess...

...just a tiny hint of extraordinariness.

As the Ghost Festival passed, Xu's second maternal uncle came to visit. This time, Madam Xu did not decline his visit but instead threw open the gates to warmly welcome him!

Whether Lu Yuan Ze was pleased or not, she did not care. What mattered was that she was happy.

At this time, Lu Chao Chao, now six months old, was at the stage of eating soft foods. She spent her days gnawing on a hard biscuit, her tiny mouth working diligently as drool trickled down. Dressed in a vibrant red short skirt, she sat cross-legged on the bed. Her sparse hair had been styled into two tiny pigtails, a whimsical creation by Madam Xu.