I Have a Little Sister Now

The small dining table felt especially warm—and especially crowded—with one more person at it.

Four sets of bowls and chopsticks were laid out, and the steaming homemade dishes gave off an enticing aroma.

Lang Yue kept placing food into Na'er's bowl until it was piled high, asking gently,

"Na'er, tell Auntie, do you remember where your home is?"

"What are your father and mother's names?"

"Or which city you lived in?"

With every question, Na'er's hand around her spoon curled tighter with nervousness.

She raised her little face. Her pale violet eyes held nothing but a pure, vacant haze. She tried hard to remember, her tiny brows knitting slightly, but in the end, she could only shake her head blankly. Her voice was light and helpless.

"...I don't remember."

She paused, as though she had suddenly grasped the only clear fragment left in her mind, then added,

"I..."

"I think I'm five and a half."

"Five and a half?" Bai Lin immediately cut in, his eyes lighting up with childish excitement.

"Then I'm older than you!"

"Because I'm already six!"

He put down his chopsticks, turned toward the little girl beside him, and looked at her earnestly, his voice full of anticipation.

"Na'er, would you let me be your big brother?"

"I'll protect you!"

Na'er's long lashes trembled, and her gaze rested for a moment on Bai Lin's face, so full of sincerity and eagerness.

A faint trace of warmth seemed to disperse a corner of the mist in her eyes.

She nodded softly. Her voice was quiet, but her answer was clear.

"...Okay."

With a light tap, Tang Ziran's smiling fingers gently knocked against his son's smooth forehead.

"You little brat, already trying to be her big brother?"

"Dream on!"

Seeing Bai Lin cover his forehead, tension and disappointment instantly appearing on his little face, Tang Ziran immediately softened his tone and explained,

"Don't rush, son."

"After dinner, Dad has to take Na'er to see the administrative officer uncle and register her. We'll see if we can find any clues about her family."

"Understand?"

Seeing his son's eyes darken at once, his heart softened, and he quickly promised,

"Even if Na'er finds her own family, Dad promises I'll bring you to see her often, all right?"

Only then did Bai Lin purse his lips and give a reluctant "Mm," though the disappointment in his eyes had not completely faded.

Seeing him act like such a little grown-up, Lang Yue could not help laughing softly as she teased,

"Look at our Linlin. You've really grown up, haven't you? You already know you need to protect your 'little sister'?"

The meal ended amid a subtle atmosphere of warmth mixed with faint worry.

Tang Ziran carefully straightened Na'er's slightly messy silver hair and ill-fitting collar, then took her icy little hand and prepared to leave.

Bai Lin followed them all the way to the door, watching longingly as his father and Na'er's figures disappeared into the dim alleyway. His little face was full of reluctance and concern.

Time dragged on terribly while he waited.

Bai Lin could not sit still. One moment, he was leaning over the windowsill to look outside; the next, he was running to the door and pricking up his ears to listen for movement beyond it.

Lang Yue cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, her gaze drifting toward the door from time to time, a barely noticeable heaviness between her brows.

When the sound of a key turning in the lock finally came, Bai Lin practically sprang up and shot toward the door like a little cannonball.

"Dad! Na'er!"

He cried out in delight, his eyes anxiously searching behind Tang Ziran.

When he saw that small silver-haired figure standing there safe and sound, the weight in his heart finally came crashing down. A brilliant smile instantly bloomed across his face, sweeping away all his earlier gloom.

However, there was little relief on Tang Ziran's face.

He shut the door, sealing out the cold air outside, then shook his head helplessly at Lang Yue as she came over.

"There aren't any matching records in the administrative system, and none of the nearby blocks have received reports of a missing child."

"Na'er..."

"It's like she appeared out of thin air."

He sighed, his gaze falling on Na'er, who stood tightly beside Bai Lin. His eyes held deep pity, along with a trace of difficulty.

Lang Yue's brows furrowed as well. She gently set down the dishcloth in her hand, her gaze moving between Na'er and Bai Lin with hesitant indecision.

"Then..."

"What do we do now?"

"Could it be..."

"That we have to send Na'er to an orphanage?"

Her voice was very low, filled with reluctance.

"An orphanage?"

Those words pierced Bai Lin like needles!

He abruptly raised his head. The smile on his face froze, replaced by fierce resistance and anxiety.

He stepped in front of Lang Yue, his little hand instinctively grabbing the hem of his mother's clothes. Tilting up his face, he shouted urgently, almost pleadingly,

"No!"

"Mom! I don't want Na'er to go to an orphanage!"

"I want a little sister!" His gaze turned to his father, utterly serious.

"Can't Na'er live with us? Please, Dad?"

Tang Ziran was slightly taken aback by the unquestionable persistence and eagerness in his son's eyes.

He crouched down until he was level with his son. His broad palm ruffled Bai Lin's soft hair, and his voice carried a smile and a hint of probing.

"Oh?"

"Our Linlin likes Na'er that much?"

"You want a little sister that badly?"

"Mm!" Bai Lin nodded hard, as though he were gathering all the strength in his body into that one sound.

He turned around, grabbed Na'er's little hand as she stood quietly beside him, and held it tightly, as though presenting his most treasured possession to his parents. His eyes were clear and resolute as he said each word distinctly,

"I want Na'er to be my little sister!"

"I'll be good to her!"

Tang Ziran's gaze met his wife Lang Yue's in midair.

Lang Yue looked at her son's unprecedented seriousness, almost like he was making a vow. She looked at his hand tightly holding Na'er's, as though it were the source of all his courage at that moment. The hesitation born from financial pressure in her heart was instantly swept away by a stronger warmth, mingled with comfort and heartache.

She gave her husband an almost imperceptible, gentle nod.

Tang Ziran understood the permission in his wife's eyes, as well as the feelings they shared as parents.

He looked again at his son, whose face was full of nervous anticipation, and deliberately put on a stern expression, his tone carrying a hint of difficulty.

"Son, raising one more child isn't as simple as adding another set of bowls and chopsticks."

"Dad's salary..."

"May not be enough."

"From now on, the milk candies you like, and the discs for soul-guidance cartoons, might have to be bought sparingly. Maybe even..."

"We might have to eat a little less so Na'er can eat her fill."

"If that happens..."

"Would you still not regret it?"

"I'm not afraid!" Bai Lin puffed out his little chest without the slightest hesitation. His voice was crisp and loud, filled with a child's wholehearted sincerity.

"I can eat less!"

"I'll give Na'er some of my food!"

"As long as Na'er can stay!"

He made his promise anxiously, his little face flushing slightly with excitement.