Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 176 - 14 Xu Shu’s Sweet Home (First Release 6K Words, Subscription Requested)

Chapter 176: Chapter 14 Xu Shu’s Sweet Home (First Release 6K Words, Subscription Requested)

Thinking of today, November 22, as a good day, Xu Shu had made his way back to Xinyang Apartments at 2,8 through the north gate. It was nearly seven in the evening, and the moon hung high in the sky.

The residents here came and went, and once in a while, you could see young couples walking with their children, occasionally catching a whiff of the pungent chili oil scent on them.

Calculating the time, it had been almost two years since his foster father had fallen ill, and they had moved into this decrepit, quadrangle-shaped cheap apartment.

Xu Shu walked all the way back to his home on the 4th floor, residing on the left side.

He had initially wanted to check at apartment 404 across the hall to see if anyone with the last name "Gu" had been looking for him today, but seeing seven or eight pairs of shoes smeared with fresh chicken and duck manure on their shoe cabinet, he assumed they had guests over and decided not to disturb them.

"Click~"

As Xu Shu opened the door of his "Yu"-shaped small house, cracking it open just slightly, he immediately heard hurried footsteps inside, likely someone hanging laundry by the window.

"It seems Yu didn’t go to the hospital to visit... Well, she has her exams in less than half a year, the decisive moment," Xu Shu said with a slight smile.

His memories from two lifetimes merged, giving him a feeling of looking at a biological sister when regarding Shiyu, his foster sister with whom he had grown up—although his sister from his previous life was only known to him through video chats.

As he was thinking this, the door was actively opened from the inside, and Xu Shu saw his foster sister, Zhou Shiyu, wearing a faded apron and holding a clothes hanger, with freshly hung, thick clothes that hadn’t dried thoroughly and were still dripping water on the balcony behind her.

Seeing Xu Shu, a flash of joy briefly appeared and then vanished in her eyes, and she stood emotionlessly inside with her hands clasped and said quite politely, "Brother, you’re back."

"Mm..."

"My mom went to the hospital to accompany my dad," Shiyu said in an even tone.

"Oh."

"About you, coming home so late, did you work overtime? Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, I’ll take you out for dinner," Xu Shu offered.

"No need."

Shiyu initially refused, and then after scrutinizing Xu Shu for a moment, she earnestly said, "My mom mentioned before she left that you got a good job and helped them with the medical fees; first, congratulations, but did you get an advance on your salary from your boss?"

"Not really."

"Anyway, try to save a bit. The family still needs your help. I’ve made two dishes, let’s just make do and eat together."

"...All right."

His younger sister, a year junior to him, seemed to have taken complete control of the situation, questioning him as if she were the parent. Xu Shu couldn’t help but touch his nose and sighed silently in his heart.

The beautiful young girl with Black Long Straight hair before him, though still in her prime, was proficient as if she had been a housewife for many years.

She was the biological daughter of his foster parents; she had a gentle and bright personality as a child and was very close to him.

But since their foster father had fallen ill and their family fortunes plummeted, Shiyu’s temperament had drastically changed, especially after starting high school. She had shifted from a lively, cheerful, cute sister to being reticent and less prone to laughter. Her behavior toward Xu Shu became more and more... polite?

Xu Shu knew this wasn’t about estrangement, nor could it be said that she disliked him.

It was just that overnight, his foster sister was no longer as close to him as when they were children. Before, she would often sneak into his bed if she was scared at night.

Now, when discussing their parents, she would emphatically refer to them as "her mom, her dad."

Although they still lived under the same roof just as they did in childhood, not avoiding certain topics,

Xu Shu could feel that she was intentionally trying to draw a clearer line regarding the closeness and distance in their relationship.

Regarding this, Xu Shu felt helpless.

His judgment was that though his foster sister appeared fragile, her character was very much like her father’s—too strong-willed, believing that her biological father’s illness shouldn’t be a burden to her foster brother, hence the behavior.

Regarding this thought, Xu Shu could only smile without comment—oh, my foolish sister, do you think the grace of upbringing is just empty talk that doesn’t need to be repaid?

Actually, he had always been fond of his foster sister whom he had played with since childhood. After all, she was pretty, a delight to the eyes, and close to him.

But there was nothing he could do about her change in temperament now.

Any family facing ruin, with living conditions plummeting, would naturally see friends who used to please them drift away, and under such a stark transition, such changes in behavior were inevitable.

Xu Shu was previously clumsy in speech and didn’t know how to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.

Now, still, it was better to speak through actions. When he earned more money and improved the family’s living conditions, the situation should improve.

Given that she still maintained a ’harmonious sibling relationship’ with Xu Shu, didn’t treat him as a stranger, and often interacted with him like they did in childhood, Xu Shu felt it was already not bad.

At least she was still just a ’girl with no negative traits’, not yet falling to a disastrous low. (Note 1)

"Let’s have dinner, brother." A cool voice from his foster sister brought Xu Shu back to reality. He sniffed, and two peculiar yet indescribable delicious aromas had already wafted into his nose.

Zhou Shiyu fussily set up the folding dining table and placed her carefully prepared dinner on it.

Seeing this, Xu Shu’s expression subtly changed, and he looked at the table, apprehensively asking,

"...What’s this black stuff?"

"Green pepper and eggs."

"Oh."

Got it. Black pepper and bombs, huh?

Xu Shu calmly looked at another fiery red lump, "And this?"