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Capítulo 96

After several fruitless inquiries, Lian Junqiu left the dark room. Outside, the sun shone brightly, but inside, it was cold and quiet, filled only with the lingering smell of medicine. As she stepped out, she glanced down and saw a clump of roses climbing in the corner of the wall. The small, pale pink blossoms trembled gently in the breeze, their verdant leaves swaying with the breeze, like scattered stars on a wave.

When she returned to the house, Lian Junqiu had a small rose in her hand.

She bent down and placed the flowers beside Lian Junchu's pillow, then quietly looked into his eyes. His eyes, which were originally dark and bright, had gradually lost their luster and become empty and lifeless in recent days.

"Smell it, it smells good." She squatted down in front of the bed, holding flowers in one hand and stroking his neck with the other.

Lian Junchu lowered his eyes, his long, thick eyelashes covering his fair skin. He first endured the pain, turned his head, and then took a very light breath.

Lian Junqiu looked at his cheek, tentatively reached out and touched it, then smiled: "How about I take you out to see the flowers in a few days?"

Lian Junchu hesitated, raising his eyes to look at the flowers so close to him. A breeze blew in from outside the window, carrying a sweet fragrance that made him feel as if he were back in the mountains, in front of and behind the thatched cottage, where his mother had planted many flowers and plants by hand... He wanted to reach out and touch the flowers by his pillow, but as soon as he thought about it, the moment he moved his shoulder, the wound on his severed arm began to throb with excruciating pain.

"I can't take it..." he suddenly sobbed, tears streaming down his face like broken beads, wetting the small rose.

Lian Junqiu awkwardly wiped his tears with her sleeve, and he, who had been silent all along, finally cried out, "I can't take it! I can't take it!"

"You can't take it, but you can look at it." Lian Junqiu comforted him while holding up the rose with tears in its eyes and gently placing it in front of him.

Because she had to help her father transcribe account books and other documents, Lian Junqiu hadn't had time to visit her younger brother for several days. When she finally had a chance to go, she found that the little boy could already sit up. He was leaning against the headboard, his arms barely hanging down, the ends wrapped in thick white cloth, making him look all alone.

She couldn't bear to look at him any longer, so she silently pushed open the door. A lot of sunlight shone in, and the rose bush in the corner was in full bloom.

"I'll take you out for a walk in a few days," she said casually.

He gazed at the outside world, his eyes filled with too much hesitation.

His wounds gradually healed, and as promised, Lian Junqiu supported his shoulders and led him out of the house. This stubborn child refused to go out during the day, only venturing into the courtyard at night. He stood before the roses, and Lian Junqiu cupped the most beautiful blossom in her hand, asking, "Do you like it?"

Lian Junchu hesitated, then nodded slightly. Lian Junqiu was about to break the branch when he quickly whispered, "No!"

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning around with a puzzled look. "I'll put it in the vase inside for you."

He glanced at the flower branch, then lowered his head and said, "If it breaks, it's dead."

Lian Junqiu stopped what she was doing. She felt uneasy, but didn't know how to express it.

"Then you should come out and look at them more often." She could only pat his head. "Flowers get lonely too!"

Flowers can be lonely, and so can people.

In the days that followed, Lian Junqiu always worried about this sensitive and delicate boy. However, she had too many things to do, and for a time she even left Seven Star Island with her father. When she returned, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Junchu could walk on his own.

But he remained unusually silent.

Even when Lian Junqiu piled up all sorts of trinkets she had brought back from outside in front of him like a treasure trove, he didn't smile at all.

"This one moves." Lian Junqiu stretched out her finger and poked the clay doll on the table. The bottom of the doll was rounded, and it swayed when she pushed it.

But he only glanced at it, then pursed his lips and lowered his head.

"Don't you like it?" She placed the clay doll on his lap with some disappointment, but he pulled away, and the clay doll fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Lian Junqiu was stunned for a moment, then got angry and left without cleaning up the mess.

At dinner, still feeling uneasy, she called over a servant and asked, "Are you still feeding Jun Chu?"

The servant stammered for a moment, then said, "No... he refused... it seems he ate it himself, but not much."

Lian Junqiu's heart sank. Without disturbing anyone, she quietly went to the place where Lian Junchu lived.

The room was dark and unlit. She peered cautiously through the window. In the twilight, a slender figure leaned over the table, laboriously eating her meal.

The bowl was very deep, so he could only eat the top part; once he reached the middle, he couldn't eat any more.

Lian Junqiu's heart ached at the sight, and she couldn't help but push open the door and go inside. Hearing the door open, Lian Junchu hurriedly leaned over the table and wiped her face repeatedly on a damp cloth laid out flat. Then, she shrank back, sitting on the edge of the bed and retreating into the shadows.

When he saw that it was Lian Junqiu, his tension and fear seemed to lessen slightly. But he still remained silent.

Lian Junqiu frowned, took the rice bowl and walked up to him, wanting to feed him, but he refused to look up and kept backing away.

"What's wrong?" She used to feed him often, and seeing Jun Chu like this, Lian Junqiu was both puzzled and worried. She sat down beside him, looking down at him with her head turned to the side. "Little Chu...why won't you eat?"

Lian Junchu shuffled onto the bed using his legs, his body swaying unsteadily. Lian Junqiu sighed and had no choice but to put down his rice bowl. He reached out to pull on Lian Junchu's sleeve, but Lian Junchu suddenly dodged to the side. However, because he had lost both arms, he couldn't sit up and fell onto the bed.

"What are you afraid of?" Lian Junqiu hurriedly bent down and hugged his waist, trying to pick him up. But he struggled and rolled into the corner, bent his knees, and buried his face in his knees.

"Xiao Chu, Xiao Chu!" She became anxious and, without thinking, climbed onto the bed and snuggled close to him. "What happened? You were fine when I left!"

He kept his eyes tightly shut, his body trembling, and kicked her.

"No, don't touch me..." Lian Junchu cried softly, "I'm so dirty..."

"What's dirty?" She turned his face towards her and looked at his tears streaming down his face.

Lian Junchu didn't speak, she just cried.

Lian Junqiu examined his clothes closely and realized that she had changed him into the same clothes she had given him before leaving. She was both angry and anxious, asking, "Didn't anyone bathe you?"

"It's no one else's fault." He choked up, only managing to say that one sentence before refusing to speak again.

Lian Junqiu was extremely sad. She silently picked up her rice bowl, took a bite of food, and said, "Eat. After you finish, I'll give you a bath." She paused, then added, "We'll bathe you secretly, so no one will see. Okay?"

While taking a shower, she even lied to Jun Chu, saying that she had her eyes closed and couldn't see his face.

Perhaps Jun Chu was also somewhat skeptical, but only in this way could he feel a little more at ease letting her take off his clothes.

Lian Junqiu liked to dress her younger brother in white clothes, believing that only white could best bring out his good looks. After his bath, she would take out a plain white short-sleeved shirt that she had sewn herself and dress him in it.