Chapter 10

Lin Miao discovered that the young master was really clever. They played tic-tac-toe, and she lost terribly. If he hadn’t called her "little dummy," she would have been even happier.
They played for quite a while, until the doctor came to urge them, "Shui Shui, it's time to stop playing in the young master's room. It's time for bed."
Lin Miao checked the time, it was indeed bedtime.
So she quickly said goodbye to her older brother and returned to her own room.
Life wasn't as hard as she'd imagined, but when she returned to her room and saw her backpack, she started missing her mother, her little brother, her father, and the village friends.
Without her, her father and little brother had gone to the city, and her mother was alone at home, without anyone to help her carry corn or apply the medicinal plasters. She should have told her mother to go to the city and look for her father before she left.
She didn’t know if her little brother’s health had improved or if he had grown taller.
Her village friends were surely waiting for her to come back for the New Year, to bring them candy.
Lin Miao hugged her blanket, her nose feeling a little sour, waiting for the New Year to come so she could go back and see them.
Actually, the village head's family had a phone, and every young person working away would usually call home.
But the day she left, she forgot to ask for the number.
Lin Miao sighed inwardly. She really was careless.
Tossing and turning, she couldn't sleep.
She pulled out the jade pendant hanging around her neck, the bright green jade carved with a little fish. It felt smooth and comforting to the touch.
Suddenly, Lin Miao had an idea!
She remembered that when she left, the village head called the master "Big Brother." The master definitely knew the village head's number.
Lin Miao furrowed her brows, but the problem was the master had come earlier today, and at that time, she hadn’t thought about asking for the number, nor did she know when he would return.
Lin Miao waited eagerly, but the master didn’t come back for several days.
The other people in the mansion also started talking to her more often, but they were still busy. The butler remained stern, though Lin Miao noticed he had never been harsh with her.
Talking with the young master, Lin Miao learned that although they were the same age and born on the same day, the young master had already attended school and even skipped a grade. Later, due to his health, he had to quit school and rest for a while.
Lin Miao was even more impressed by him.
So impressive! She had only heard of students repeating a grade but had never met anyone who had skipped one.
The young master still had to take medicine, get IV drips, and rest in bed.
However, Lin Miao discovered many fun games.
The young master also found time to teach her how to recognize and write characters.
Time passed quickly. The young master's parents visited twice but were always in a rush to leave.
Every morning, after getting up and washing up, Lin Miao would quickly slip into the young master’s room and drag him out of bed.
The young master would rub his eyes and say, "Let me sleep a little more!"
Lin Miao wasn’t afraid of him anymore. If she let him sleep a little longer, he would sleep until after 10, skipping breakfast. Lin Miao didn’t listen to him and helped him go to the nearby washroom to clean up.
The young master was grumpy in the mornings, but when faced with this smiling person trying to coax him, he couldn’t get mad.
He could only puff his cheeks and say, "So annoying."
"Don’t be mad, brother," Lin Miao cooed at him, melting at his adorable pout.
Seeing how seriously she was trying to comfort him, the young master’s anger melted away.
This summer, the sun was particularly bright. Lin Miao, who loved sunbathing, secretly brought the young master outside to enjoy the sunshine as well.
She always thought the young master was like a mushroom hidden under the dry leaves in the mountains, needing sunlight. Her mother often took the blankets out to sunbathe, saying it would kill bacteria.
The young master also needed to be "disinfected" by the sun.
Unknowingly, the young master’s complexion grew rosier, and he was able to get up in the mornings and no longer slept all day.
So, Lin Miao spent her days studying and playing games with him, not feeling as awkward as she did at first. At the same time, she still wondered when the master would come back...
Just when Lin Miao thought the master wouldn’t show up again, he finally arrived.
The young master still didn’t like him. When the master came, he quickly grabbed Lin Miao and retreated to his room.
As soon as they were back in the room, Lin Miao felt uneasy, looking at the young master, unsure of how to bring it up.
Seeing her like this, the young master asked, "What’s wrong?"
Lin Miao softly said, "I want to ask him for his phone number."
The young master furrowed his brows, clearly unhappy. Since he and Lin Miao had become closer, he told her everything, so he said, "Shui Shui, why do you want his number? He’s not a good person."
Lin Miao thought of her mother, her little brother, and her friends, and the mushrooms waiting for her in the mountains. Her nose became sour, and she nearly burst into tears. Her voice cracked as she said, "Other children who go out to work usually call home every now and then, but I haven’t called since I left..."
As she spoke, Lin Miao couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, and they began to flow.
The young master was startled. He quickly wiped her tears and said, "I’ll help you ask for it."
Lin Miao quickly stopped him. She knew he didn’t like the master, and she didn’t want to trouble him. She wiped her tears and said, "I’ll ask him myself."
Children’s thoughts were simple, and they didn’t like asking people they didn’t like for help.
So, of course, Lin Miao didn’t let him do it. She went to ask the master herself.
When the master heard that she wanted the number, he was stunned for a moment, then said, "Wait a moment, I’ll write it down for you."
He then wrote down the number and handed it to Lin Miao.
Lin Miao got the number and was overjoyed. She could finally call back, ask her mother how her little brother was doing, and tell her mother that she had learned many new characters and had a wonderful older brother who was really kind to her.
But then, it occurred to her, how would she make the call?
She went into the young master’s room and found him sitting on the bed with a phone in his hand. "Come here, give me the number, and I’ll call for you."
"Brother!" Lin Miao jumped on him and hugged him. "You’re the best!"
The young master, now holding a "good person" card, proudly said, "Of course, you know who I am."