A Steady Trickle Flows Far

Once the swelling around Liang Zhirou's eyes had gone down, Chen Lu got out of the car with her.

The two walked side by side through the alley, the lights overhead casting two long shadows.

Only when they reached her door did Liang Zhirou suddenly realize she had come straight home wearing her new dress...

There was nowhere to change, so, burning with embarrassment, she lowered her head and unlocked the door.

Chen Lu followed behind her, carrying bags large and small.

As soon as the door opened, they saw Xiao Xunfang sitting in her wheelchair, silently gazing at the little window. Only a sliver of moonlight fell on her, and she looked rather lonely.

She was about the same age as his own mother, Wang Xiaoxia, yet he had barely seen her look at a phone or watch television. Perhaps, for someone who had come from the mountains and could no longer walk, staring blankly at the night was already a way to pass the time.

He didn't know if she was reluctant to turn on the lights, but the house was pitch-dark.

Chen Lu suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

"Sweetie, why are you home so late?"

Xiao Xunfang's voice was full of worry and longing, with hardly any reproach.

Liang Zhirou had only just begun to stammer out an answer when Chen Lu smiled and explained for her. "Hello, Auntie. We had dinner together tonight. Then we went to the mall for a bit, so we got back a little late. I'll make sure to bring her home earlier next time."

Hearing Chen Lu's voice, she seemed to relax considerably at once and turned her wheelchair around.

"I'm relieved when she's with you," she said with a smile. Then she caught sight of the pile of things Chen Lu was carrying and froze for a moment. "Why did you bring so much?"

While Liang Zhirou fumbled in the dark for the light switch, Chen Lu had already crouched down beside Xiao Xunfang.

He tilted his face up slightly, deliberately keeping himself a little below her eye level.

He chuckled. "The mall happened to be having a sale today, so I bought you some health supplements."

Xiao Xunfang looked a little troubled. "I'm your elder. How can I accept so much from you? You'd be better off saving that money to buy yourself something good to eat..."

Chen Lu put on a hurt expression. "You can't say that, Auntie. I was planning on coming by often from now on. Whenever my mom scolds me, I'll come here and mooch a meal."

"If you don't accept them, how could I have the nerve to come mooch food and drink in the future?"

Xiao Xunfang reached out and stroked Chen Lu's head without thinking. "All right, all right. Come whenever you like, Xiao Lu. But you have to listen to Auntie and stop buying things for us."

Only as she reached out did she suddenly realize that although Chen Lu was so much taller than her, she actually had to reach down a little to stroke his head.

Glancing to the side, she saw that Chen Lu was half-kneeling beside her. To stay at that height, he was keeping his knee off the floor, and he looked very uncomfortable.

She was a little dazed. Chen Lu was still talking as if nothing were amiss; if she hadn't reached out, she might have missed the boy's silent tenderness.

At the thought, her eyes grew a little damp.

"You're welcome here anytime, Auntie. Remember to visit often," Xiao Xunfang said gently.

Hearing that, Chen Lu hurriedly put the things he had bought in the corner, so he wouldn't be asked to take some of them back when he left. "There's no keeping me away, not when Liang Zhirou's cooking is so good."

Xiao Xunfang saw Liang Zhirou, dressed in her new dress, pouring water for Chen Lu, and a smile appeared on her weathered face.

After dropping Liang Zhirou off, Chen Lu prepared to return to the dorm.

He sat in the car without hurrying to set off, his index finger tapping on the steering wheel as he thought quietly.

He was thinking about what he could actually do to help Liang Zhirou right now.

There seemed to be a chance that her mother's legs could improve with surgery, but he didn't know how much it would cost.

What he could be sure of was that it wouldn't be cheap. At the very least, the little dummy wouldn't be able to afford it for years.

But the problem now was that their relationship probably wasn't close enough for him to involve himself in something like this. Overstepping to help would only leave Liang Zhirou completely unable to hold her head up, and their standing would no longer be equal.

That wasn't what Chen Lu wanted. He didn't want to see the little dummy obey his every wish because she owed him.

Besides, although his parents were kindhearted and might be willing to lend him the money, he had to earn it with his own hands. Otherwise, it wouldn't be quite the same.

If he hadn't earned the money himself, he had no right to use it that way.

He chuckled, started the engine, and drove away.

Taking good care of this little dummy really was a troublesome matter that called for a steady trickle over time.

He would take it slowly, one step at a time.

He was still halfway there when his phone rang.

It was Li Sinian.

"Hello, Brother Lu~"

"Get to the point. What is it?" Chen Lu said in a low voice.

There was no way this guy was being sweet for no reason. Normally, he called him Brother Lu when he needed something and "my dear son" when he didn't. This time was even more outrageous; he couldn't have been nicer.

"It's not a big deal, just, uh... I wanted to borrow some money from you." Li Sinian sounded a little embarrassed.

"You're out right now?"

Chen Lu asked curiously. If he wanted to borrow money, he could have waited until Chen Lu got back to the dorm. There was no need to call.

As if he had been seen through, Li Sinian became very embarrassed for some reason. "Yeah, I'm out eating..."

Chen Lu smiled helplessly. "How much? I'll send it to you on WeChat."

Li Sinian paused. "Two thousand."

"How much?! Li Sinian, did you go eat fucking gold? Two thousand yuan for a meal?!" Chen Lu lost focus for a moment and nearly ran a red light.

Li Sinian's monthly living allowance seemed to be only a thousand yuan.

"Hell if I knew this place was so expensive..." Li Sinian's voice grew quieter, though he no longer sounded embarrassed.

Since Chen Lu was cursing him, that meant he hadn't refused. Chen Lu and Jiang Chao were the two most reliable people in their dorm, and the others usually went to them whenever something came up.

This time, though, he hadn't dared call Jiang Chao. They would both lend him the money, but Jiang Chao's scolding would be far nastier than Chen Lu's.

Chen Lu watched the countdown on the traffic light and tapped the steering wheel a few times. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Two thousand, right?"

"Mm," Li Sinian answered.

"I can give it to you. It doesn't matter when you pay me back." Chen Lu's voice was soft.

"Tha-"

"Where are you? I'll bring it to you myself," Chen Lu said.

After knowing him this long, he knew the guy well. Spending that much on a meal didn't seem like something he would do.

If his guess was right, this guy was probably trying to follow in his footsteps. Though what Li Sinian was doing didn't even count as following in his footsteps; at least he had never been fleeced like this.

What decent person spent that much on a meal?

Either way, he had to go take a look. He would check on the situation and then leave, without stealing the guy's thunder. If the person was normal, he would act as his wingman; if not, he would find a way to drag the guy away.

A moment later, when the guy sent him his location, Chen Lu slowly let out another breath and followed the navigation.

Either way, he would first go see what kind of demon this was.