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Kapitel 6

Yichun breathed a long sigh of relief, and as if his life had been saved, he quickly got up, bowed, and rushed off to handle the matter.

She went straight back to her room, packed a small bundle, and when she came out, she found Yang Shen waiting at the door, dressed in thin clothes and with a pale face from the cold.

She asked in surprise, "Why aren't you packing your things? You're just wearing...this outfit for the New Year?"

Suddenly I realized that this child seemed to hardly ever change his clothes. He only wore two outfits all year round, either a patched gray coarse cloth coat or a patched brown coarse cloth coat. From spring to winter, he never wore anything even slightly thicker.

Now that he has grown taller, his clothes look short and small on him, and he wears a pair of tattered straw sandals. His ten toes are red and white from the cold, making him look even more restrained and pitiful.

Yang Shen said, "There's nothing to pack, let's go."

Yichun hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and the two went down the mountain together to go home.

Since this was the first time Yichun had brought a boy home, and a boy other than Young Master Mo Yunqing, her parents were immediately overjoyed. Her father asked him with a smile if he could play chess and how well he was learning swordsmanship, while her mother held his hand affectionately and asked him his name and what he liked to eat.

Yichun sat on the chair with a grin, picking vegetables, and said, "This is my junior brother's sheep kidney. You two should be careful not to frighten him. Dad, tonight's braised pork should be in big chunks, with lots of fat! Sheep kidney likes meat."

Her father chuckled and agreed to go out and slaughter a pig. Seeing that Yichun's mother was struggling to roll out the dough, Yang Shen volunteered, washing his hands and rolling up his sleeves to help. His mother beamed and asked him, "How old are you this year? Where are you from?"

Yang Shen was very honest in front of the adults and replied, "I am fifteen years old this year, a month younger than my senior sister. I am from Shaozhou."

"Are your parents still alive? How many siblings do you have?"

Yang Shen paused for a moment, his voice unchanged: "There was a plague in the city, and my family all died. I was the only one who survived and was brought up the mountain by my master."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Erniu tugged at Yichun's clothes and whispered, "Sister, I heard that the master's new male disciple is as thin as a bamboo pole and extremely ugly. How come he doesn't look like the rumors?"

Yichun said, "He is thin, but who said he's ugly? He looks... uh..."

She had never paid any attention to what Yang Shen looked like. Looking back now, she saw that he had simply brushed all the thick hair that was blocking his forehead back, revealing his full forehead.

Surprisingly, it was a delicate and pretty face, with long and thick eyelashes that were just as striking as the two small fans on Mo Yunqing's face.

But I always felt that this kid didn't look like a good person. He seemed like he was full of bad intentions, or the kind of bad guy who might secretly stab you in the back at any time.

Yichun turned around and said, "He has a villainous face, but he's a very nice person."

Some people have a kind face and a radiant appearance, but they are not good people at all.

After New Year's Eve, the third day of the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and the day to return to the mountain resort is drawing near.

During his stay at Yichun's home, Yang Shen played seventeen games of chess with Yichun's father, winning thirteen and losing four. He helped Yichun's mother wash dishes, breaking three pairs of bowls and plates in the process. He helped Erniu draw water from the well, snapping five ropes in the process. He also played eight games with Yichun, winning four and losing four, resulting in a draw.

In any case, he seemed to be having a good time. Even though his smile looked like a sly grin and he looked like he was plotting something when he was asleep, his parents still accepted this very good young man with their generous hearts.

On the night before she was to leave, Yichun's mother whispered to her daughter, "Daniu, this boy is a good person. You have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't run away."

Yichun shook her head repeatedly: "What are you talking about? He's my junior brother! I didn't mean that."

"No fun? You brought him home, and even had his mother make him clothes and shoes, taking such good care of him, isn't that fun?"

Yichun shook her head again, saying seriously, "I really didn't mean anything by it. He's my junior brother, just like my own brother, so of course I have to take care of him more. That's what Master instructed me to do too. Besides, right now I'm focused on learning martial arts well so I can inherit the Zhanchun Sword in the future. I don't have time to think about things like liking or anything like that. Mother, don't overthink it either."

Her mother was discouraged.

The next morning, Yang Shen opened the door and saw Yi Chun smiling at him, carrying a bundle.

He asked in surprise, "Senior Sister, are you going back so early?"

Yichun handed him the bundle: "This is a gift for you. See if you like it."

He opened the box with a puzzled look, and inside fell several pairs of brand-new shoes, some cotton and some cloth, all exquisitely made. There were also several new clothes made of coarse cloth, ranging from single-layer to cotton.

“This is…” Yang Shen looked surprised and stared at her blankly.

Yichun smiled and said, "Your clothes don't fit anymore, so I asked your mother to make you a few new sets. Since you're still growing, the clothes are a bit big. Try them on and see if you like them."

He stood there for a while, then suddenly blurted out, "I thought it was my senior sister who made it."

"...I don't know how to make clothes with a needle and thread, don't count on me." Yichun waved her hand.

Yang Shen silently went into the house, and came out after a while. Sure enough, he had changed into new clothes and shoes, and looked refreshed and much more energetic.

He also had a smile on his face, a rare smile that didn't look like a villain's, but rather the refreshing smile of a genuine fifteen-year-old boy.

"Thank you, senior sister." I sincerely expressed my gratitude.

Yichun laughed again: "Don't thank me, go thank my mother, she did it."

Yang Shenqing said, "Senior Sister's family is so kind. It's so good to have family."

Yichun knew he was thinking of his family who had died tragically in the plague, so she patted him on the shoulder with pity. She inadvertently noticed that the boy had grown to be as tall as her at some point and was no longer the skinny bean sprout he used to be.

“We’ll all be your family from now on,” she comforted him, then decided to forget about the thirty coins he’d extorted from her and treat him even better from now on.

Yang Shen touched the new clothes and said in a low voice, "Thank you for caring about me so much, Senior Sister... but I won't return those thirty coins to you."

"..."

Yichun felt it was better to remember this debt.

He took two steps, then suddenly turned back and smiled at her, his expression gentle: "When I make money in the future, I will pay you back thirty taels of silver."

The new year has begun, with a new future and new hopes unfolding before them, waiting to be discovered.

However, Yichun did not expect it to arrive so quickly.