The snow was getting heavier and heavier.
For the third time, Young Master Lu grasped a handful of snow. He held it firmly in his palm, until the ice-cold water seeped through his fingers, leaving behind a small group of transparent ice flakes. Then, the sound of hurried footsteps finally came through.
Lu Deng, wrapped in a blanket, raised his head, only to see a tall and thin boy standing in front of him with his chest heaving.
Lu Deng's eyes couldn't help but light up.
When he found himself back in his early childhood, he hadn't really thought that Gu Song would also turn out to be small like him.
Although the young man in front of him already had a slight hint of his handsome and heroic spirit, his figure just started building up, probably because of lack of nutrition, far from being tall and strong like he was in his later life.
He was wearing the clothes of a servant. The snow-white shirt was neatly buttoned up to the collar and tied with a black bow, but the cuffs were hastily pulled up because of the eagerness to find the Young Master. The cheeks were frozen red, steaming white air exhaled out of his mouth and nose and his high and straight eyebrows were plated with a thick layer of snow.
Lu Deng's lips raised and a chuckle almost escaped.
… Have to throw a tantrum.
Reminding himself of the daunting task once again, Lu Deng took a deep breath, hurriedly curled his lips, raised his head and asked, "Who are you?"
A child's voice pierced through the darkening sky and rang out crisply amidst the heavy drifting snow.
Gu Song's heart jumped slightly, and he hurriedly looked down at the delicate face he had carefully memorized just before he came.
His little Young Master.
A child of this age could hardly conceal his expression. He clearly saw the black eyes curved into crescents, and then he tried hard to think of something, frowning his eyebrows impatiently. However, there was still a hint of softness remaining at the bottom of his eyes.
As if he was aware of it, this little light was also quickly hidden, but still effectively calmed the unease coiled in the mind of the young servant who had just been bought.
Gu Song's heart softened uncontrollably. He half knelt in front of him and lifted his hand to remove the frost hanging off his eyelashes.
"I am your servant, Young Master."
The small body, wrapped in a fleece blanket, was so delicate that it looked like it would break if you just touched it. Gu Song didn't dare to use force, tried to raise his hand to embrace his body gently. Instantly, he noticed that the Young Master shivered slightly in his arms.
Although the child had stayed outside all this while, he was kept warm by the blanket. Compared to him, Gu Song's body was a little colder.
The heart that had calmed just now, was jolted into racing from worry again. Taking a short breath, Gu Song hurriedly withdrew his arms, and said carefully, "Young Master, I'm sorry–"
His retreating arms were suddenly held back. Gu Song was startled, looking at the little white hand that suddenly came out to grasp his sleeve, and hesitatingly leaned back, "Young Master…?"
"Pick me up."
The Young Master seemed to become even more unhappy. His face sank and his pale lips pressed together slightly, tensing up and becoming more and more serious.
… It's probably serious.
Reading the emotions appearing on that small, tender face like an open book, Gu Song pursed his frozen lips and lowered his head hesitantly.[mfn]MamaGoose: I've taken up TL from here, forgive this goose if there are any sudden stylistic changes la~[/mfn]
The moment he saw the Young Master's soft and delicate self, he wanted to hug him tightly… However, his body was too cold and it would cause him discomfort.[mfn]MG: The raws are using baby language, it's adorable AF, but I'm unable to make it UWU in English without making it sound cringy instead of heart-warming (ಥ_ಥ)[/mfn]
He was specifically briefed about Lu Qingshi's physical condition before he was assigned to him. Gu Song started getting embarrassed at his own incompetence, and was wondering whether to run a couple of laps and do a few jumping-jacks before approaching the Young Master again. Suddenly, a shadow blocked his vision.
The shadow spontaneously brought forth flashbacks from his days of enslavement.
In the long interstellar escape, every time he slowed down, the only shadows that rained down on him were that of whips being swept down, or the sharp heavy objects smashed down at him, or abandoned meteorites were flung towards him as a means to vent anger. If it's not because he came from a galaxy where gravity was eccentric, thus making his body stronger than ordinary humans, he would probably have died in the desolate zones of the Asteroid region, just like many of his poor, pitiful companions.
Gu Song instinctively cowered and lifted his hand to shield his head from the incoming impact. Due to being affected by the cold for such a long while, his body's reaction was slower than usual, and he was inevitably hit by the shadow.
The icy snowball, upon smacking his face, lost its form and disintegrated into many pieces.
...
Gu Song was stunned for a while by the mini-snowballs held within the Young Master's grasp, before slowly lowering his arms and standing straight again.
The impact didn't hurt at all.
It almost felt like… harmless shenanigans, inviting him to play.
Gu Song raised his head, his heart pounding rapidly.
There was no snow where he came from. An acquaintance of his, exiled from a land that had all four seasons, once mentioned about children playing snowball fights during periods of ample snow.
"You shouldn't do this, Young Master…"
The Young Master's body was too fragile to play such physically straining games.
Feeling apologetic for rejecting the Young Master's invitation to play, Gu Song pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the snow off the child's palm. "Once we get home, I will accompany you to make a snowman or two, alright?"
Lu Deng, who had followed the system's instruction to the T, acting like a spoiled brat and making trouble: …[mfn]MG: BB stepped in to help la~ 一闹二吼三砸人 – First, make trouble. If that fails, yell. If that too fails, beat. In short, be an insufferable brat and throw a tantrum.[/mfn]
The snow flanking Gu Song's forehead and cheeks quickly melted in contact with his body temperature, and turned into streams of water trickling down the sides of his face.
Gu Song didn't pay any attention to that, and solely concentrated on rubbing his arms together to warm his body up for the Young Master. Just as he was about to speak again, the little hands that held the snow earlier grabbed his collar, and a warm, soft body rammed into his arms unexpectedly.
At that moment, the water that was about to trickle down his neckline and into his clothes, was wiped by the Young Master's sleeve.
Children don't have that much strength to begin with, moreover, he had been squatting in the snow for far too long. The gentle force, along with a warm breath, slammed into Gu Song's chest at once, causing his frozen rigid body to be stiffened by the sudden warmth. He hurriedly hugged the bundle: "Young Master?"
Before he could say that his body was too cold to hug and check how drenched the Young Master's sleeves had gotten, Lu Qingshi skillfully pressed his warm, little face firmly against his neck.
The soft aroma of cupcakes filled his nose, mixed with the milky fragrance of a young child. The warm body snuggled further into his arms to find a comfortable posture, and an unhappy nasal harrumph poured into his ears, sticky like glutinous rice.
"I can't walk anymore."
Gu Song: "…"
The chilled heart of the young servant, who had been brought home that very day, was then successfully transformed into a puddle of melted snow by the Young Master Lu on the very first task assigned by the system.[mfn]Jue: This old single ED is just a step away from dying due to sugar overdose.[/mfn]
The sky turned dark.
The thin crescent moon hung in the dark blue night, spreading out the moonlight that couldn't be lighter, and tenderly gathered the twinkling stars. On the thickly accumulated snow, alongside the row of small footprints that had been covered shallowly by the snow by then, was another slightly larger one, step by step, headed towards the direction of home.
Gu Song sped up his pace as much as possible. Looking at the sleeping Youngest Master in his arms, he carefully pulled the blanket on his body, wrapping his arms around the feeble shoulders and neck tightly.
He was just a new servant, so no one thought he could really find Lu Qingshi. He also did not have a communication device to contact the master, so he could only walk in the snow as fast as possible to get home.
The Youngest Master closed his eyes and laid on Gu Song's chest, fluttering long and thick eyelashes and sporting a face flushed red from sleep.
Through the delicate pajamas, he unreservedly gave his body's warmth to the other. [mfn]Anna: Our cute little tsundere gave warmth to the cold Gu Song uwu[/mfn]
No matter how cold the wind was, the Youngest Master's body wasn't cold and maintained some warmth. However, he must hold onto someone without letting go when he falls asleep. Gu Song had no choice but to slowly move the blanket and use half to cover himself, and now he was warm from the chest and shoulders to the lower abdomen.
The snow began to lighten and the wind stopped.
The light from the house appeared right before his eyes.
❆
When Lu Deng woke up, he was already laying back on the soft and comfortable bed.
The light was a little too bright causing Lu Deng to squint his eyes. Someone immediately closed the curtains, turned on the lamp, and the soft light lit up the quiet room.
The clothes on his body had been changed and were still soft. The bedroom was warm, and a humidifier in the shape of a leathery beast was placed on the table, exhaling out white moist vapor from the nose.
Five or six pairs of arms scrambled over to help him, bumping against each other.
Lu Deng, who had never been in such a situation, instinctively moved back. One hand found his way to his back and helped him sit up.
Lu Deng blinked his eyes and raised his head. With the help of the system, he found the other party's identity, and said softly, "Big Brother…"
The Lu family was not small, and because it was involved in military affairs, it had adopted many orphans from the army, and they were interspersed among their three biological sons according to their age. Lu Qingshi had twelve older brothers, and the youngest was a decade older than him. Any of them can take charge of a department with their individual skill-set and abilities.[mfn]Anna: What kind of human trafficking, mind control, kind of bullshit is this? Red Room vibes anyone??? Jue: 'sigh' the act of an old aristocratic family can never be found acceptable by us, inferior normal beings. MG: *puzzled.jpeg* Ain't this a case of training highly skilled assistants right out of the womb, la?[/mfn]
Although there were many brothers, the Lu family had never had any infighting situations, and the spirit of 'family over everything else' was strictly followed. Brotherly affection was like their second nature, and all twelve brothers held their youngest brother in the palm of their hands.
Under the premise that Lu Feng was away all year round, they all spoiled their youngest brother without a limit.
Hearing the milky voice, the eldest brother Lu Fanghai nodded slightly and put one hand on his brother's forehead, his tone soft and concerned:
"Finally awake, still uncomfortable?"
His voice was low and his aura was majestic and heavy. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, talking softly as if he was afraid to startle the youngest brother on the bed.
He nearly lost his most precious brother. If not for the slave his father had brought back, the incident would have almost turned the Lu family upside down.
Except for the few who followed Lu Feng on business trips, the brothers in the family were gathered all around the bed, hearts filled with fear, guarding this little brother and waiting for him to wake up. When he did wake up, all of them had a relaxed and relieved expression on their faces.
Not quite used to being stared at by so many eyes with concern, Lu Deng's heartbeat sped up. The corners of his lips were pressed and he nodded, instinctively looking for someone behind the crowd.
"Father is still on a business trip to Kanter Star, and he won't be able to come back for a while."
Thinking he was looking for his father, Lu Fanghai supported him against the edge of the bed and leaned over to persuade him warmly: "I know that being with family is boring, but it is now the snowy season, and your body needs to recuperate… Father bought you a servant specifically to accompany you to relieve your boredom. Be obedient and stay at home to take care of your body, okay?"
Lu Deng still couldn't adapt to the situation in front of him. He instinctively nodded his head, and was reminded by the infinite barrage of the system to keep his persona. With slightly red cheeks, it took a while to mumble out a sentence: "No."[mfn]MG: *settles beside the system to fan up the flames* Yes, Lu Deng, be more tsundere! *System wailing OOC-noises in the background*[/mfn]
How great…
I can rest and relax at home. There are soft-baked cakes and hot sweet milk, and I can wake up naturally. At this age, I don't need to do homework for the time being, and I can still have Gu Song with me.
Lu Deng couldn't think of anything he wanted more.
He bowed his head and did not speak. Looking into the eyes of seven or eight elder brothers who fussed over him like his own father, he suddenly felt wronged and became unhappy.[mfn]Jue: Lu Deng actually wants to listen to his brother's words but in order to follow his original persona, he has no choice but to rebel, causing him aggrieved and sad[/mfn]
Coaxing the youngest brother had always been the first priority, and all kinds of small things that were the youngest brother's favorite were immediately taken out of each pocket expertly, and stuffed into Lu Deng's arms.
Soft plushies, an egg-like bouncy ball that made a scary sound when it hit the ground, chocolate frogs with Pop Rocks inside, shiny beast models that could blow up small stars on their own…[mfn]MG: JFC, WHAT ARE YOU GIVING A CHILD-?!![/mfn]
Lu Deng was stunned by the toys, he felt a little unfamiliar and cramped. But in the face of the Nebula cotton candy that his elder brother tried to hand over with a gentle expression, his heart melted a little.
"I will take you out to play when spring arrives., You can pick any star you want."
Believing that it was their fault as older brothers, for not taking care of him and making their youngest brother feel aggrieved, Lu Fanghai handed over the cotton candy apologetically and stroked the little brother's shoulders: "Don't be upset."
Lu Deng almost lit up with joy.
Not sure if it's because once people have become small-minded, the place where people can hold happiness and satisfaction can also become smaller. If it's stuffed to the brim, it will overflow once you are careless.[mfn]MG: TLDR; For someone who's been lonely and stifled all their life, the smallest inkling of kindness, and the smallest of happinesses, can cause their feelings to overflow.[/mfn]
He had never had a brother before and he had never been coaxed like this by one. The vague and gray memories of his childhood were lit up like fireflies, filling up with new images. The warmth that each brother gave one after another could not wait to bloom in his chest.
Sure enough, the love that comes from family will never waver, with bottomless indulgence and care.
With his face burning uncontrollably, Lu Deng sniffed and hugged the antique panda doll from Ancient Earth in his arms, hiding his face behind the cotton candy and blinking away the tears in his eyes.
...
No- everything's done for!
Their youngest brother was on the verge of tears!
Lu Fanghai's pressure quickly doubled. He looked back for someone and found Gu Song who was holding a tray and hesitantly lingered behind everyone. His eyes brightened as he straightened his back and beckoned with a nod: "Come here."
When this juvenile slave brought their youngest brother back, the latter had held him with both his hands and feet, like a koala. In the first half of the night when he still had strength, he tightly held on and wouldn't let go.
Ignoring the little bit of loss in his heart, and believing that the other party can take on the important task of coaxing their youngest brother well, the eldest Lu brother looked solemn and tried to pass on his silent expectations.
From start to finish, the juvenile servant, who didn't follow how difficult the Youngest master was to deal with, looked up blankly: "…?"[mfn]MG: He's been privileged by the Youngest Master's preference, lmao – Not very unlike a prodigal's favorite new maiden at the flower hous- *gets slapped by Jue*[/mfn]
Lu Fanghai: "…."
Lu Fanghai took a deep breath and enunciated, "Coax your Youngest Master, remember to make him drink his medicine."
No one was allowed to be there when Lu Qingshi threw a tantrum. The more they surrounded him, the more agitated their youngest brother got. When heart problems had acted up once before, and he had to lie down in the repair cabin for months at an end. Since then, they had paid extra attention to the emotional state of the youngest brother.
He had been nurturing his body at home for months since that incident, and yet, when he finally could go out, it was snowing. It was reasonable to be unhappy.
In short, it was never their youngest brother's fault.
Lu Fanghai glanced uneasily at his youngest brother, who was still sullen, and sternly forced the brothers by the bed out one by one with his gaze, emphasizing once again toward Gu Song, "Make the Youngest Master happy."
Gu Song understood, and quickly nodded in cooperation.
Lu Fanghai's expression looked slightly relaxed. He covered his brother with the quilt and finally got up to leave, closing the bedroom door gently.
The crowded and lively bedroom just now became deserted in a blink of an eye.
Looking at the Youngest Master who was quietly buried in the toy pile, Gu Song stood there for a while, put the tray on the table, and walked over to tidy up the bed, "Youngest master?"
Lu Deng had just stabilized his fast heartbeat and raised his head from the nebula-shaped cotton candy. The tears at the corner of his eyes permeated with a little bit of sugar from the cotton-candy. The end of the round, bright black eyes were stained with a small piece of light blue mixed with fine starlight.
Gu Song dumbly chuckled and raised his hand to support his shoulders: "Youngest Master, don't move."
The juvenile servant who was hugged for a long time by Youngest Master's hands and feet was now much more courageous, and instinctively got closer to the fragrant Youngest Master. He held him with one hand and gently wiped the candy on his eyes off with the other.
"Ouch–"
The sugar stuck firmly and a slight pain came unexpectedly. Lu Deng instinctively shrinked his body but an arm came wrapping up his back so he raised his eyes and met the soft smile in Gu Song's eyes: "Youngest Master, close your eyes."
I really want a kiss right now…
While the heart was still soaked by the warm current, Lu Deng pursed his lips and closed his eyes in a daze, then a little bit of coolness suddenly touched softly.
The water-soaked handkerchief gently wiped over the end of the eye, carefully wiping away the last bit of sugar stain.
Without too much presumption, the warm breath was gone in an instant and Gu Song's smiling voice sounded softly in his ears: "Okay."
The greatly-held anticipation fell gently, and Lu Deng was actually a little disappointed.
He took a breath and opened his eyes before getting out of his dazed state and retrieved the main line of the mission.
Gu Song refolded the handkerchief and put it in his breast pocket. He added another pillow behind his back and brought over the medicine that had been already cooled : "Youngest Master, drink the medicine."
Although they had reached the interstellar era, the existing medical treatments were not applicable to Lu Qingshi's body. Instead, the ancient prescriptions that the Lu family found from the ancient Earth heritage were somewhat effective. Lu Qingshi had been soaked in those bitter medicinal juices for as long as he could remember.
Lu Deng raised his hand to pick it up and was abruptly reminded by the barrage of the system's wild pop-ups, grimacing and moving away and pushed the bowl away: "I won't drink medicine."
Gu Song didn't have any defense against him, and didn't use much force in his hands. As soon as he pushed his arm, the concoction spilled along the edge of the bowl.
Although he knew that it was not too hot, Gu Song's heart still clenched when he saw the potion being spilled on the Youngest Master's body. He hurriedly raised his hand to protect him into his arms, and threw the bowl far away with his right hand: "Careful— "
The soft body with a sweet milky smell was gently hidden under his arm, but the medicine was all spilled on Gu Song's arm.
It's not hot, but the shirt was wet with brown concoction. It was not a big deal, he can just go back and change shirts later.
Gu Song breathed a sigh of relief and put the medicine bowl aside. He was about to coax the Youngest Master who did not want to drink the medicine but noticed that Lu Qingshi's eyes were still fixed on his cuffs. His body grew slightly tense, and he felt his heartbeat was vaguely accelerated causing him to even hold his breath.
He couldn't figure out what the Youngest Master was concerned about. Gu Song's eyes showed slight confusion, holding him carefully back to the bed and gently calling him with a soft voice: "Youngest Master?"