Caught by the scruff of his neck, Shen Yu struggled hopelessly, his cowlick sticking up. "Little Jin, you hurt me. Don't think you can just laugh it off."
Shen Xubai carried his youngest brother over to the sofa, adjusted his shirt cuffs, then gave Shen Yu a tap on the head. "What act are you putting on now?"
Shen Yu clutched his head pitifully, his voice full of resentment. "I'm going to catch Little Jin and make Dad put a chain on him!"
Put a chain on him?
Shen Changgeng came out of the study with his lips twitching. He wanted no part of Shen Yu's mishearing antics. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a sadist!
Only then did Shen Xubai notice the peace pendant swinging around Shen Yu's neck. Catching his father's speechless expression out of the corner of his eye, he said with heartfelt conviction, "Little Yu, you've earned every beating you've ever gotten."
Shen Yu pouted defiantly, but just as he was about to argue, Shen Jun pinched his mouth shut, leaving him mumbling and unable to get a complete sentence out.
Shen Jin obediently waited for his father to put his peace pendant on him. Catching sight of Shen Yu flailing his arms, he hummed cheerfully.
"You're all bullying me." Exhausted after all that fuss, Shen Yu collapsed on the sofa. Even using both his hands and feet, he hadn't managed to escape their combined assault, so he could only pretend to cry pitifully. "I'm telling my second brother."
"Telling Xingshuo about that thick debt ledger of yours?" Remembering Shen Xingshuo's complaints over the phone, Shen Xubai couldn't help laughing. "Who knew our Little Yu could hold such a grudge?"
"It's because my second brother torments me too much!" Shen Yu rolled over and explained with righteous conviction, "My brain alone can't remember it all anymore. I have to write it in a notebook. It makes bringing up old grievances super convenient."
"You two are as bad as each other." After putting Shen Jin's peace pendant on him, Shen Changgeng still couldn't resist taking a jab at his clueless youngest son.
Everyone enjoyed teasing Shen Yu until he stomped his feet. Watching Shen Yu huff in anger, Shen Jun held back his laughter until his stomach hurt.
Han Rong was merely a small interlude in their lives, not worth devoting too much attention to.
As for why Han Rong wasn't married and why he treated his younger sister especially well, those were matters their father needed to resolve.
Having thought it through, Shen Jun gradually felt at ease. With elders at home to lean on, he didn't have to take everything onto his own shoulders.
Seeing Shen Jun's mood improve, Shen Changgeng silently sighed in relief as well. Among the children, silly Shen Yu had always been well protected, while Shen Jin, though awkward, wouldn't let himself get the short end of the stick.
Only Shen Jun, that stubborn child, always buried things in his heart, bearing worries that didn't belong to someone his age and constantly making others ache for him.
As for what Han Rong was really like, that was something he should be considering. He certainly couldn't let a child suffer unfair treatment in his own family's hospital.
The lively days flew by in the blink of an eye. Before Shen Yu had a chance to properly enjoy summer vacation, he was told school was starting.
"What? Little Jun isn't going to school?" The news struck Shen Yu like a bolt from the blue. Even his newly bought backpack had lost its appeal.
"Little Jun needs another week to recover. Everyone's rushing around at the start of school, and it wouldn't be good if he got squeezed or bumped into." Lin Yujing personally checked the two children's backpacks, afraid something would go wrong on their first day.
Shen Xubai had been self-disciplined since childhood, and their eldest son had even been the one to remind Shen Xingshuo to pack his backpack.
"All right." Shen Yu looked reluctantly at Shen Xu on the sofa, then clenched his fist solemnly, his face full of seriousness. "When you come to school, I'll introduce you to our classmates."
Shen Jin was surprised by his newfound older brother's optimism. He and Shen Jun had seen too much of the darker side of things, but he didn't want to dampen Shen Yu's positive attitude either.
Besides the inconvenience of his lower leg, Shen Jun wasn't going to school yet because he worried that everyone's first impression would be that he was injured and easy to bully, setting off a chain of trouble in his future school life.
Unable to go to school with his younger brother, Shen Yu drooped his head listlessly. Fortunately, having Shen Jin beside him helped him perk up a little, and he patted his chest in assurance. "I'll take good care of my little brother!"
Hearing Shen Yu's lofty declaration, Shen Jin curled his lips and pretended to pack his backpack. Just as expected, everyone else was also looking this way and that, refusing to meet the supremely confident Shen Yu's eyes for fear they would lose control.
With everyone working together to ignore him, Shen Yu gave the matter serious thought. It was time to prepare a few more debt ledgers. After all, everyone had the potential to owe him.
After getting into the car headed for school, Shen Yu waved a sorrowful goodbye. To his surprise, Shen Jun opened the car door the next second and gracefully settled into the seat beside him.
Before Shen Yu could lower his waving hand, Shen Jun's actions left him stunned. "Weren't you not going to school?"
"Can't I see you two off?" Shen Jun was perfectly at ease. He had even grown used to Shen Yu sitting between him and his younger brother, and deftly patted down Shen Yu's sticking-up cowlick.
"Of course you can." Shen Yu scrunched up his face and finally squeezed out a sentence. "But I keep feeling like you're gloating."
Shen Jun: I don't understand why anyone is so opposed to going to school.
Unhappy or not, the car still reached the school gates. Looking at the crush of luggage and parents, Shen Yu instinctively shuddered. "Do we have to board at school?"
"We live close by. We'll pick you up when school lets out this afternoon." Seeing her youngest son dawdling and refusing to go inside, Lin Yujing soothed the clingy boy with amusement.
"Oh." Shen Yu narrowed his eyes and sneaked glances at everyone. Quite a few families had brought luggage for their children to board at school.
"Come on. You're not going to get lost." Finding Shen Yu's pleading look far too pitiful, Shen Jin took the rare initiative of pulling him along, offering comfort despite his tough words and soft heart.
"It's almost ten. You'll have lunch at noon and go home at five this afternoon. Stop scrunching up your face every day, or you'll turn into an old man."
"Oh..." Led forward by the hand, Shen Yu stumbled along, but more than half his sadness had faded.
Having someone accompany him felt completely different. Before long, Shen Yu relaxed, his little mouth chattering nonstop.
Shen Jin, who usually found his newfound older brother noisy, refrained from stopping him for once. That tearful expression tinged with envy hadn't suited Shen Yu. Grinning foolishly suited the little airhead much better.
Middle school was different from elementary school. The homeroom teacher had other work to do, and students had to handle their own basic affairs. By the time the two finished getting everything in order and entered the classroom, quite a few classmates were already chattering away.
Before the dawdling Shen Yu could decide where to sit to make it easier to scout out the enemy, his younger brother pulled him over and sat down right in the middle.
"Then where will Little Jun sit?" His seat had barely warmed up before Shen Yu thought of Shen Jun, who was still at home, his round face full of worry.
"There's also a placement exam at the start of the term. Classes will be assigned by grades." Shen Jin pointed at the classroom notice and sighed, looking at Shen Yu with more left unsaid.
"I know, but Little Jun still won't have anywhere to sit when he comes!" Shen Yu didn't understand what Shen Jin meant and was still striving to fight for Shen Jun.
Listening to their conversation at cross-purposes, a classmate beside them couldn't resist interjecting. "He means you might not be in the same class."
"Our Little Jun is so smart. He'll definitely get into the best class!" Shen Yu widened his eyes and defended him emphatically.
"You don't even understand that? What he means is that you're the one who won't score well enough."