Chapter 12.4: The Mirror

“Our Little Li can eat on her own, go to the bathroom on her own, bathe herself—she’s just like any other normal person.”

“Alright.” Li Zhuiyuan nodded and let go of her hand.

Qin Li walked into the bathroom.

Li Zhuiyuan stayed put, feeling Liu Yumei’s heated gaze sweeping over him again and again.

“Xiaoyuan.”

“Granny Liu.”

“Just keep Little Li company, alright? Take her along when you go play.”

“Okay, Granny Liu.”

From the bathroom came the sound of running water. Then Qin Li came back out, hands held up in front of her.

Granny Liu quickly reminded her, “Wipe your hands, wipe your hands.”

“Oh.”

Li Zhuiyuan stepped up, took her hands, and wiped them on his own shirt.

“All clean now.”

Qin Li drew her hands back.

On their way back up to the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan grabbed a clean towel and slung it over his shoulder.

Back at the northeast corner of the terrace, he sat down to read again. Once Qin Li settled beside him, her beautiful face entered his field of view.

He finished volume six.

Stretching lazily, Li Zhuiyuan got up and moved to an open space, where he started doing the national radio calisthenics routine for middle schoolers.

He had just finished and pulled out volume seven when Aunt Liu called them down for lunch.

Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li went downstairs.

Li Sanjiang, as usual, ate separately from them. This time was no exception. Qin Li was led to the other side by Granny Liu.

Once Li Sanjiang sat down, he took out a bottle of baijiu.

“Great-Grandpa, you’re injured. You shouldn’t drink.”

“Bah! I’ve got one foot in the grave already. Every drink’s a bonus at this point.”

Ignoring his great-grandson’s advice, Li Sanjiang poured himself a full glass. He had just taken a swig and was reaching for some food when he saw a figure approaching—Qin Li.

Behind her were Liu Yumei and Aunt Liu.

“Sorry about this. We were just about to eat when Little Li suddenly got up and ran off.”

“Come, Little Li, let’s go back and eat with Grandma. After you finish your food, you can go play with Xiaoyuan again.”

But Qin Li didn’t budge. She stood there staring at Li Zhuiyuan.

As Liu Yumei tried to pull her back, her lashes started to twitch, and her body began to tremble.

Liu Yumei had no choice but to let go, not daring to push further.

Li Sanjiang, though opinionated about Li Weihan’s side of the family, wasn’t a petty man. He waved his hand. “Let the girl eat here. Get another set of chopsticks.”

“Thank you so much,” Liu Yumei said quickly. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Li Sanjiang waved it off. “No trouble at all. It’s good they can play together. Keeps them from getting lonely.”

Aunt Liu brought over a bowl, chopsticks, and a small stool.

Li Zhuiyuan used the towel from his shoulder to wipe the stool clean. “Sit and eat with us.”

Qin Li didn’t move.

Liu Yumei coaxed, “Little Li, come on, have some food.”

Still no reaction. But then Qin Li shifted slightly to face Li Sanjiang—not directly, but the message was clear.

She didn’t want to eat with Li Sanjiang.

He had just raised his glass for another sip when he noticed her body language. Perplexed, he muttered, “Should I… leave?”

Liu Yumei said nothing, secretly thrilled that her granddaughter was finally expressing emotion—without a meltdown.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t say a word either. He quietly wiped the stool again.

Li Sanjiang smacked his lips. “Heh. Alright then. Tinghou, divvy up my food. I’ll eat over there.”

“Oh, sure, sure. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Aunt Liu quickly portioned the dishes and set him up at a separate table.

Only then did Qin Li sit down.

Full of hope, Liu Yumei said to Li Zhuiyuan, “Xiaoyuan, help Little Li eat, will you?”

Just like in the morning—she had to coax endlessly, but this boy said one sentence and her granddaughter started eating.

“One sec.” Li Zhuiyuan got up and ran to the kitchen.

Qin Li started to rise too, but saw him return with four small plates and a bowl.

He separated the dishes, placing portions into each plate, and ladled soup into the bowl.

There was a visible brightness in Qin Li’s eyes.

Liu Yumei watched curiously.

“All set. Let’s eat,” said Li Zhuiyuan.

Qin Li picked up her chopsticks.

One dish, one bite of rice—she worked through the line of plates. When the last plate was done, she sipped the soup, then repeated the process.

Liu Yumei was astonished. Her granddaughter seemed genuinely relaxed this time—even faintly joyful, like a normal teenage girl.

“This works?”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and started on the rest of the food, which was his share.

Thanks to his own experience with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, he knew exactly how to get along with someone like him.

Qin Li ate quickly. By the final round, every dish was empty, the soup bowl drained, and her rice gone without a grain left.

She put down her chopsticks.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the towel, folded it, and used a clean corner to wipe her mouth and hands. The towel was large, with enough sections to serve different purposes.

After lunch, he took Qin Li back to the terrace to read.

He was flying through The Records of Strange Happenings in the Martial World—by dusk, he had reached volume twelve.

At this rate, he figured he could finish the entire beginner’s compendium in a few more days. Then he could go treasure-hunting in the basement boxes again.

In between, he gave Qin Li water when he drank, took her to the bathroom when he went, and shared snacks with her despite not usually eating any himself.

After every snack, he wiped her hands. The towel, shared between them, was getting grimy.

Li Sanjiang grumbled about Ying’er not showing up for tutoring.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed she was digesting yesterday’s problems he helped her solve.

But Li Sanjiang believed she was avoiding him because he was too hard to tutor.

Dinner time—again, Li Sanjiang ate alone.

This time, Liu Yumei pre-portioned the food into small plates for her granddaughter. But when Qin Li sat down, she didn’t pick up her chopsticks.

Li Zhuiyuan adjusted the portion sizes on each dish slightly.

Then Qin Li began to eat.

“Little Li, I’m sorry, I didn’t portion it just right,” Liu Yumei said.

But deep down, she thought: Hmph! I know exactly how much you eat. You’re doing this on purpose!

She wasn’t upset—she was thrilled. These were all good signs. Better she throw a tantrum than go back to being a wooden puppet. That kind of silence was truly hopeless.

She looked at Li Sanjiang sitting alone with his wine, then back at Li Zhuiyuan. A warm wave rose in her chest.

After all this time living here… was their luck finally turning?

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan didn’t plan to read under the lamp that night. He’d read too much today and felt tired. He wanted to wash up and sleep.

Seeing Qin Li still wanting to follow him, he said seriously:

“Little Li, go wash up and sleep now. I’m going to sleep too. We’ll read together again tomorrow, okay?”

Qin Li didn’t respond.

He turned and headed for the stairs. When he looked back, she was obediently following Liu Yumei to the east room.

Relieved, he went upstairs to shower.

Afterward, intending to scrub his towel, he discovered it was gone—it had been slung over his shoulder the whole day.

“Where did I leave it?”

…

In the east room, after her granddaughter finished washing up and went to bed, Liu Yumei was content.

Smiling, she stepped out of the inner bedroom and went to the ancestral shrine.

She had a lot to say today—to Little Li’s grandfather, her in-laws, and her son and daughter-in-law.

She had guarded this child for so long. Now that she was finally showing signs of recovery, surely the ancestors would be pleased.

After all, Little Li was the sole remaining bloodline of the Qin and Liu families.

She sat before the shrine, ready to speak, when something felt… off.

No one should have touched this place. Only a few people lived here, and Qin Li and Liu Manting would never dare touch the altar.

But something wasn’t right.

She scrutinized the six-tiered shrine shelf again and again, until she found it—that one blind spot under the lamp.

On the third level, in the center spot where her husband’s plaque should have been…

There was no plaque.

In its place—

Was a towel. Folded into a neat little square. A filthy towel.

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Next Chapter >>>