Chapter 181: A Full Moon

Lei Dongchuan took a cold shower in the middle of the night; his body was burning hot.

After a long while, he bent down, his forehead pressed against the cold tiled wall. Drops of water continuously dripped down his temples. After his brows slightly relaxed a little, they quickly furrowed again, cursing himself.

He felt he was no good, he had bullied his brother.

Even if it was in a dream, it was still not okay.

…

When Lei Dongchuan came out of the bathroom, he saw his phone flashing. He walked over and took a look; it was a call from Bai Zimu. Normally, Lei Dongchuan would definitely be happy, but right now he had just done a bad thing and felt extremely guilty, even taking a beat longer to answer.

“Hello?”

“Brother, what were you doing? I called several times and you didn’t answer.”

“…Was just sleeping.”

The person on the other end of the phone laughed, sounding in a good mood:

“I didn’t wake you up, did I? I originally didn’t want to call, but since it’s a holiday today, I missed you especially. I called Mom and the others, and also called Father Lei, Eldest Brother, and Second Brother, but no matter what, I couldn’t get through to your phone. Grandpa is happy celebrating the holiday today. Uncle Lu invited a lion dance troupe over to make a racket all night and he didn’t get angry. Just now, he was even drinking with Uncle Cao! Uncle Cao is the person I told you about last time, the one who sent the text message mentioning the meal card thing—”

Bai Zimu chattered on about many things. Lei Dongchuan currently felt like he was stepping on cotton. He was blasted by a single sentence of his, somewhat unable to find his direction; his whole brain only clearly heard the phrase “missed you”.

After a long while, he finally said softly:

“Me too.”

Bai Zimu had sharp ears. Hearing this, he thought he was discussing the meal card with him, and said happily:

“Right? I also think this card is not bad! I wanted to ask Uncle Lu to help contact the school people here. Heard it’s led by a professor developing it, we could collaborate with them.”

Lei Dongchuan was distracted, and only then realized he had moved on to the next topic. But he couldn’t go back now, not wanting to be too deliberate, and verbally agreed yes.

He still hadn’t completely pulled himself out of the dream. Hearing Bai Zimu’s voice ring in his ear, he couldn’t help but merge it with the dream.

The little friend in his dream also seemed to have used this tone to speak to him. The voice was very soft, like acting spoiled. When he laughed, the trailing end of his voice would tilt up slightly, tickling his heart.

“…Brother? Am I speaking too much, can you not hear clearly? How about you wait a few more days? When I go back, the business proposal will be almost finished. This time we can definitely beat the He family to the ground!”

“Mn.”

“Uncle Lu also took me to see Soochow University, it was so interesting. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The university is especially big, you even have to take a sightseeing cart to go to another campus. The library is also very good, I saw quite a few interesting books but didn’t have time to read them, only remembered the titles.”

Bai Zimu patiently guided, “Brother, we must study hard and take the exam for a university in the same place in the future. You must take good notes, and when I go back, I’ll tutor you.”

Lei Dongchuan suddenly asked him:

“When are you coming back?”

“Hmm, need to wait a few more days.”

The voice on the phone became a bit quieter, as if he had found a quiet place.

“Brother, it’s rare for Grandpa to be happy, I want to stay and keep him company for a few more days.”

Lei Dongchuan took a breath, and after a good while, he finally heard himself say “okay”.

He thought he would speak very arduously, but it sounded no different from usual.

It was like a monster he hid in his heart, desperately holding its head down. Even though his heartbeat was already unsteady, as long as one didn’t listen closely, he was still the usual Lei Dongchuan.

Bai Zimu shared a lot with him. Normally, he would definitely urge the child to go to sleep, but today Lei Dongchuan was reluctant. He hadn’t seen the other party for a long time. Even making a phone call and hearing his voice had become a kind of luxury.

Bai Zimu said to him:

“Brother, are you at the old house in the countryside? Then this time, measure your height yourself and carve the line. When I go back, I’ll fill it in.”

Lei Dongchuan said in a low voice:

“No need, I’ll wait until you come back, we’ll record it together.”

The other end of the phone laughed, sounding much happier, and said to him:

“Brother, are you sleepy right now? If you’re not sleepy, come out for a bit now.”

Lei Dongchuan followed his instructions, got up, and walked out into the courtyard.

Late at night, the old Lei family house halfway up the mountain was very quiet. Only the faint chirping of insects and birds could be heard, and a full moon hung in the sky.

“Brother, walk straight along the place where we hid our treasure. Remember to stick to the wall, walk a hundred… hmm, for you, sixty steps should be about right.”

Bai Zimu whispered on the phone, “When you walk over, look up, do you see a tree branch?”

Lei Dongchuan didn’t need to look up to see it.

That was a small apricot tree he and Bai Zimu had gone up the mountain to find and dig up last year. In just a year’s time, its branches and leaves had grown lush. It was just that it was still too small, its seemingly un-sturdy body striving to support itself, extending its branches towards the wall.

Lei Dongchuan held the phone and said in a low voice:

“It hasn’t borne fruit yet.”

Bai Zimu: “I’m not asking you to pick apricots. Brother, raise your hand, find the branch tied with a red string, and then gently press down on it.”

Lei Dongchuan searched for a moment, and at a relatively high place, he indeed found a branch tied with a red string. He raised his hand and gently pressed down. The branch swayed. Amidst the rustling sound, he heard the little friend on the phone ask in a proud tone:

“Brother, look up, do you see the moon~”

Lei Dongchuan looked up. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The branch in his hand extended into the air, like the long handle of a lantern, and at the other end was that bright full moon.

The little friend in their family had plucked a moon for him.

They were in different places, but looking up, they saw the same moon. Now, he had plucked the moon into his hands.

Lei Dongchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and he chuckled softly:

“Very beautiful.”

“Right? I tried many times. This is a secret base I secretly discovered, only showing it to you alone.”

…

Lei Dongchuan talked with him on the phone for a long time. Hearing the voice on the other end gradually blur, he knew the other party was sleepy, and patiently coaxed him to sleep.

When a sound of even breathing came from the other side, Lei Dongchuan hung up the phone.

It was only at this moment that he realized the corners of his mouth had been raised for a long time, and he was still smiling.

He figured this couldn’t be blamed on himself.

The little friend’s voice was too soft, and the words he said were also sweet.

He stood under the apricot tree in the courtyard, looking up to see that moon.

Some unidentifiable emotion was surging in his blood. Clearly there was no wind, but his chest felt as if something was puffing it up. That uncontrollable emotion eagerly awaited release.

He pressed his hand against his violently beating chest, pressing so hard his knuckles turned slightly white, trying hard to suppress it back down.

He seemed to have learned a secret that belonged to him alone.

He Jiale Hypermarket.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the He family’s business became increasingly difficult.

Boss He sat in his office looking at the various lists organized and submitted by the secretary, feeling a great anger in his heart, but with no way to lay blame. The secretary acted according to his instructions, and he acted according to past experience. None of them did wrong; the only mistake was never expecting Baichuan to have an endless stream of tricks.

Boss He watched helplessly as this small chain supermarket slowly learned from him, drew close, and ultimately opened a hypermarket even larger than his own.

Despite not wanting to admit it, Boss He knew in his heart that he had lost.

The money he wasted in Dongchang had far exceeded his expectations. The longer it dragged on, the more severe the losses.

The secretary carefully said:

“President He, a call came from the provincial capital asking. They said a slight problem arose over in Wanzhou. Also, they want to ask you whether to continue transferring goods to Dongchang…”

Boss He rubbed the center of his brows and said:

“Pass down the instruction to suspend activities here in Dongchang, keep the rest as usual. Also, have the driver prepare, you accompany me on a trip to Wanzhou.”

“Yes.”