Free Web NovelWhat is it like to be in your own home like a thief?
At the lunch table, Li Mo lowered his head, shoveling rice, always feeling that his parents were not quite right. He had only been home for a few days, and the speed at which their parental love vanished was too fast, wasn't it?
"Is it my imagination?"
Li Mo subtly moved his chair, inching closer to Ice Cube.
Hmm?
Old Li and his beloved wife, Xueqin, twitched their eyelids, and their gazes immediately became scrutinizing.
???
Xiao Li was confused. He knew love could disappear, but even if it did, they shouldn't look at their own son like he was a thief, right?
What happened?
Just then, Ying Bing, out of habit, took a sip of water from his cup, then bit her chopsticks and picked up a piece of food for him.
Her delicate lips barely managed to stop, preventing 'stinky little brother' or 'immature brat' from slipping out.
"Li Mo, eat."
Mom and Dad: "?"
!!!
Xiao Li leaned back defensively.
What was with Mom and Dad's eyes? Were there little flames burning in them? Their stare was even more intense than the pressure from a Jinwu Projection.
Ah, this is called Bloodline suppression.
So Li Mo quickly finished his meal. He couldn't stay in this house.
"Where are you going?"
"Just, out for a stroll. Ice Cube and I haven't been home in a long time, so we're looking around."
"Alright, go. Be back before dinner."
Watching Li Mo and Ying Bing walk out together.
The couple exchanged glances, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Little Bing'er drinking tea from someone else's cup?
And even using her own chopsticks to pick up food for someone else??
Nine out of ten, no, twelve out of ten, something was off!
Li Dalong said with a profound expression, "My intuition was right. These two little ones are different from when they came back last time."
"They grew up together since childhood. These things don't seem like much." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Gu Xueqin couldn't adapt for a moment.
"Did you forget how they could barely say a word to each other when they went to Qingyuan Sect together?"
"Hmph, this brat, even keeping things from his own mother."
"Tonight, let's go check the brat's room. If he's not in his room, we'll have to go to the Ying Family Old Residence and burn some incense."
.....
On the other side.
Li Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out of Li Mansion's street, strolling along the road with Ying Bing.
As winter set in, the sun seemed to lose its warmth, yet the streets were bustling and noisy. There were many common folk pulling New Year's goods with carts and horses, some even beating gongs and drums, setting off firecrackers, welcoming back relatives returning from afar.
The scent of the New Year was already in the air.
"Why do my birthdays always fall during the New Year?"
Li Mo remembered that his birthday always coincided with the New Year every year.
This resulted in his family prioritizing the New Year, making his birthday secondary.
Ying Bing gazed at the bustling and noisy street, unconsciously pursing her lips and lowering her eyes.
She actually didn't like the New Year.
"Then, at that time, I'll celebrate your birthday."
!
Xiao Li was stunned, staring at her blankly. Although the surroundings were incredibly noisy, he felt very quiet.
"Let's go."
Ying Bing turned her face away.
And so, the two of them walked through Qinghe County, where they grew up, from the bustling areas to the desolate, and gradually, fewer people were around.
Li Mo's gaze flickered to the slightly swaying delicate hand, and he suddenly felt it was like the moon in a well, making one want to scoop it up.
But the difference was, the moon in a well couldn't be scooped up, but Ice Cube's little hand could.
No.
As soon as he reached out, that little hand moved to the other side, escaping.
"Hmm?"
Li Mo looked up, glancing at her flawless profile, but only saw an expression as if nothing had happened.
Was it a coincidence?
Xiao Li tried to scoop the moon again, but each time, just by a tiny bit, the little hand would slip away.
?
Li Mo took a deep breath.
He braced himself, moved his palm, and seized the opportunity....
But this time, before his hand even reached out, the 'moon in the well' delivered itself into his palm.
????
"Immature brat."
Ying Bing felt the warmth in her palm, and a beautiful smile gently curved her lips, no longer suppressing her laughter.
Li Mo was stunned, realizing he had been ambushed by the mischievous Ice Cube.
Could he tolerate this?
But the soft, warm, and fragrant touch made his hand have a mind of its own.
Truly disappointing!
So, the two of them held hands and walked along the riverbank for a while. The surrounding buildings became noticeably sparser and much quieter, allowing them to clearly hear the sound of the river flowing.
"Li Mo? Ying... Miss Ying Family?"
"You two....."
Suddenly, a voice of surprise came from across the way.
Li Mo looked up and saw a figure come into view.
"Fengzi? You've gotten quite fat."
Zou Yongfeng was his childhood playmate; they had climbed trees to steal bird eggs together and thrown firecrackers to blow up other people's water tanks. Although they later sold each other out, their friendship remained good.
It was only later that Li Mo was sent to a private school by his family, and they met less often.
Seeing each other again, Zou Yongfeng seemed a bit flustered, standing up awkwardly and at a loss.
It's like one day you suddenly hear that a friend you used to pee and play in the mud with as a child has suddenly become a billionaire, and when they reappear in front of you, anyone would feel it's unreal and unfamiliar.
"Quick, call him Ge (Brother)."
Zou Yongfeng pulled the woman beside him, who first called out "Ge."
She then looked at Ying Bing and tentatively asked:
"Saozi (Sister-in-law)?"
Li Mo felt the small hand in his palm curl slightly. He smiled and said hello:
"Fengzi, you're doing great. Are you getting married soon?"
"Married? I got married at the beginning of the year, and I'm about to become a father soon."
"Ah?"
Li Mo noticed that Old Zou's wife's lower abdomen seemed to be slightly bulging.....
Although Old Zou called him Ge, he was actually a year older than Li Mo.
In his impression, Fengzi was still that snot-nosed little brat, disliked by everyone, who played with him, but in the blink of an eye, he was about to become a father.
It was, quite sudden.
"Why did you move here?" Li Mo remembered that Zou Yongfeng didn't used to live in West Street.
Zou Yongfeng hesitated for a moment and said:
"Brother Mo, are you and Sister-in-law planning to visit the Ying Family Old Residence?"
The small hand in his palm suddenly tightened.
Seeing Ice Cube's profile turn slightly pale beside him, Li Mo realized.
Further west from West Street was the edge of Qinghe County.
It was also the Ying Family Old Residence.
Many years ago, on a New Year's Eve, also a time of bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new, Father had suddenly left, and from the broken walls, the ruins, and the blood-soaked ground there, he had brought back the sole survivor, Ying Bing.
