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

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Marquis was absent from the manor, and the Old Madam was nowhere to be seen.

Yet, everyone seemed relaxed.

Madam Xu even had a table set up in the pavilion, laden with plump crabs, warm wine steaming atop a small stove, and an assortment of exquisite pastries.

She loved crabs.

But the Old Madam despised their smell and had not tasted them in seventeen years.

Every day after school, Lu Yuan Xiao would visit his elder brother's courtyard to study. This time, he carried Lu Chao Chao in his arms as he sought out his brother.

Seated in a wheelchair, Lu Yan Shu had grown visibly healthier in just two short months. His face, fuller now, hinted at the elegance he once possessed. His hands could now slowly lift on their own.

But he had told no one about his progress.

"Chao Chao is here? Come, let Elder Brother hold you," Lu Yan Shu said warmly. He seldom smiled and often appeared indifferent, but whenever he saw Lu Chao Chao, his icy demeanor would melt.

[Chao Chao wants to release lanterns! Sky lanterns and flower lanterns! Chao Chao wants to play...]

Lu Chao Chao leaned against her brother's chest, her face full of grievance.

Lu Yuan Xiao scratched his head. "Ever since the last time I sneaked Sister out, Mother has been watching her even more closely."

Lu Yan Shu shot him a disapproving glance.

What if something happened to their little sister?

"Elder Brother has prepared some flower lanterns. Shall we go to the lake and release them?" he offered, his warm smile making him seem like the perfect gentleman.

His brows were picturesque, and his features refined—a striking figure. If not for the wheelchair, he would surely have the entire city's maidens screaming.

Lu Chao Chao's little head nodded vigorously. [Elder Brother is the best in the whole wide world! If only he could draw a Guan Yin Bodhisattva lantern for Chao Chao...]

[The sky is filled with all kinds of sky lanterns. Chao Chao wants one that's different, a Bodhisattva lantern. That would be so much fun.]

Her thoughts swirled with excitement.

After releasing the flower lanterns, Elder Brother asked for brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Since his injury, he had not held a brush—this would be the first time.

"Elder Brother is best at painting images of the Buddha. Today, I shall draw a Bodhisattva for Chao Chao," he said, taking up the brush to paint directly onto the lantern.

The young attendants, moved to tears, whispered among themselves. The Eldest Young Master had truly come back to life!

Lu Yan Shu's hand could not hold the brush for long, and the painting of the Bodhisattva took until nightfall to complete.

By the time the coloring was finished, the sky was pitch black.

Lu Chao Chao clapped her chubby little hands, the bells on her wrists jingling incessantly.

"Light... light... lantern," she stammered, her words barely decipherable.

Her wide-eyed gaze at her elder brother was filled with wonder.

So amazing!

The Bodhisattva painted by Elder Brother had serene and compassionate features, as though quietly observing the world. It truly resembled a divine being.