Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 104

Lin Qingyue had actually never given up on looking for her mother.

It’s just that she didn’t want Xu Luzhi to search in a high profile manner. Even though the man who had threatened her mother no longer existed, she didn’t want her mother to be disturbed in any possible way.

Let the bad memories of the past be forgotten, don’t let her recall them.

She only wanted to pass by from a distance, take a look at her mother, and see that she was living well that would be enough.

If she saw her mother, so beautiful and elegant, she would surely recognize her immediately.

As if guided by some impulse, after touring the capital for a while, Lin Qingyue saw a woman while passing by a primary school. The woman was wearing a simple, plain colored dress, her appearance was still elegant despite the weathering of time, and she had a familiar accent.

The children called her “Teacher Lin.”

Lin Qingyue hurried past, only daring to glance back after walking a good distance. Without needing to look closely, in the brief moment their gazes met, she saw that familiar expression.

It made her heart and eyes ache, as if soaked in lemon juice. She blinked her peach blossom eyes, unable to stop the urge to cry.

Damn it, Xu Luzhi wasn’t by her side at this moment, so she didn’t even dare to cry out loud freely.

Before the woman could become suspicious, Lin Qingyue left quickly.

Later, after making some discreet inquiries, she learned that the woman had disappeared for a while, then suddenly returned to the capital. She wouldn’t say anything about it, took several years to recover, and then became a primary school music teacher, teaching children to sing and basic guzheng.

Lin Qingyue opened the photo that was sent to her. There was a conspicuous scar on the woman’s forehead, impossible to ignore.

That was from an incident one year when she was dragged by her hair and hit against a pillar, causing heavy bleeding.

She remembered it all.

The person who gathered the information said that the woman was low-key in her actions, very gentle and patient with the children, and highly praised in the parents’ group chats. Except for being unwilling to interact with any male, she seemed to be doing quite well.

Lin Qingyue sent a thank you, saved the photo, and felt a lump in her throat.

Her peach blossom eyes misted over, and before she could even cry, a pair of warm hands enveloped her body.

Xu Luzhi wrapped her arms around her from behind: “Why are you sad, Jiejie (older sister)?”

Lin Qingyue shook her head, forcing a smile: “I’m fine.”

“Sister isn’t being good,” Xu Luzhi pouted, walked around to the front, and said, “You promised not to hide anything from me, hmm?”

Lin Qingyue looked up and saw clear concern and worry in the young girl’s eyes.

Xu Luzhi was genuinely terrified by what had happened before, so she always watched Lin Qingyue nervously, afraid that one day she would act on her own and do something foolish again.

Lin Qingyue’s heart warmed, but she still tried to be stubborn: “I’m not a child; I know my limits.”

Seeing the young girl’s beautiful face gradually darken, Lin Qingyue’s heart tightened, knowing that Xu Luzhi was getting angry.

She moved closer and coaxed her gently: “I didn’t say anything just now.”

Xu Luzhi avoided Lin Qingyue’s snowy white neck, which she had offered, and huffed with her chin raised. Ultimately, she couldn’t resist and gave the woman’s neck a light bite.

Just as a faint red mark appeared, she saw Lin Qingyue blink her peach blossom eyes, and like mist shattering in a dream, large tears began to fall.

Xu Luzhi panicked, cupped her face, and hurriedly apologized: “Sister, I was wrong, please don’t cry, okay?”

Lin Qingyue shook her head, and the tears could no longer be stopped. Her whole body went soft, leaning into Xu Luzhi’s embrace, sobbing, like a pear tree in the wind and rain.

Xu Luzhi calmed down, stroking her back rhythmically, waiting for Lin Qingyue to finish crying. Even though she was anxious, she still dared not disturb her, handling her as carefully as if she were holding a rare treasure.

With Xu Luzhi’s gentle embrace, Lin Qingyue cried unrestrainedly for the first time in a long while. After about half an hour, she showed Xu Luzhi the picture on her phone, her tone carrying a hint of pride: “This is my mother.”

Xu Luzhi said excitedly, “You found her!”

Lin Qingyue nodded and added, “But… we didn’t acknowledge each other.”

Xu Luzhi softly hummed, pulling Lin Qingyue a little closer: “Then… go see her when there’s a chance.”

Lin Qingyue nodded, snuggled against Xu Luzhi for a while, and then suddenly said, “I want to go back and see.”

“Go back where?”

Lin Qingyue said hoarsely, “There.”

Her peach blossom eyes filled with tears, the woman’s gaze was firm, and she tightly held Xu Luzhi’s hand, as if she didn’t need to fear anything anymore.

All the darkness in the world would vanish under the bright sunshine.

But Xu Luzhi naturally could not agree.

That place was too dangerous; once you entered, it wasn’t easy to get out. Lin Qingyue had to exert a great deal of effort just to escape back then. Going there again now would be like a wolf walking into a tiger’s den!

Lin Qingyue had expected to be refused, so she wasn’t discouraged at all. She just held onto Xu Luzhi and quietly told her about everything she had experienced.

In fact, the small mountain village wasn’t entirely bad. Every day, the sun would slowly climb over the mountaintop; amidst the misty haze, cattle bells would chime, and every household would start farming. They worked themselves to the bone, yet earned very little money all year round.

The villagers were neither kind nor evil; they were just ignorant, living according to the laws handed down from their ancestors with a sense of justification. Buying a wife was proper; strangling a baby girl at birth was proper beating one’s wife and children was also proper.

The detestable great mountain, with its overlapping peaks, had blocked the channel of communication with the outside world, leaving it barren and backward, just as it was hundreds of years ago.

Of course, it wasn’t only darkness there was also the pure warmth of the countryside.

For example, the fact that doors weren’t locked and lost items weren’t picked up or occasionally, when they were in a good mood, they would buy her some meat or the lively reunion dinner shared by the whole village during the New Year.

Over seventeen years, 365 days a year, Lin Qingyue did have moments of happiness, but for her mother, perhaps every single day was sunless.

Before she came to the village, her mother was a university student after returning, she became a teacher.

Lin Qingyue’s expression became serious as she revealed her final plan.

She had saved up a sum of money, originally hoping to cover her mother’s living expenses for the rest of her life. But now, she wanted to do something more meaningful.

She wanted to build a Project Hope Primary School in the mountains.

Only education and civilization could break through ignorance and feudalism, truly bringing hope and dawn to the mountain village.

May this body be exchanged for a bright moon, to illuminate the long, dark night where the road can never be seen clearly.

Even if it was just a tiny glimmer of light, if a seed could be sown, it could bring forth the budding of rationality and civilization.

Those children, accustomed to conformity and living in a daze, those who would grow up either buying a wife or being sold for bride price they deserved another choice in life.

Lin Qingyue tightly gripped Xu Luzhi’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears, and solemnly and devoutly kissed her: “Zhizhi, you are the one who gave me courage.”

She had originally only intended to look after herself, but under Xu Luzhi’s meticulous tolerance, her thoughts hatched like a chick from an egg, her wings growing stronger, gradually becoming something she could no longer retract.

Rather than simply denouncing the darkness, she wanted to spread her wings and summon the light.

Xu Luzhi was quiet for a long time, perhaps surprised by Lin Qingyue’s resolve, or perhaps shocked by her boldness.

Lin Qingyue smiled down: “Zhizhi, do you think I’m being silly?”

It sounded like repaying kindness with resentment, but it wasn’t like that at all.

“How could I?” Xu Luzhi’s eyes were full of approval she intertwined her fingers with Lin Qingyue’s, making it a full clasp.

She leaned down and pressed a kiss, light as a feather, onto Lin Qingyue’s forehead: “Jiejie is so, so amazing, I like it very much.”

Having glimpsed daylight in the darkness, she also wanted to spread this brightness around.

Lin Qingyue couldn’t be called purely kind, but she possessed a sense of righteousness that fascinated Xu Luzhi.

Xu Luzhi whispered softly, “Sister, the more you are like this, the more my heart is moved.”

The young girl’s gaze was full of reverence, constantly conquering new territory. Lin Qingyue quickly became soft all over from the kisses, her mind went blank, and she couldn’t think of anything else.

She urgently wanted to hold Xu Luzhi and do it again, even though they did it every day, she still wanted it so much, every single time.

The two tumbled onto the sofa. Lin Qingyue muffled a soft cry: “I… I will guarantee my safety.”

Xu Luzhi flipped her over: “Mm, I will go with you.”

She would no longer allow Lin Qingyue to venture into danger alone; she would make all the necessary arrangements to ensure Lin Qingyue was safe and sound along the way.

The matter of establishing the Project Hope Primary School was thus put on the agenda. Xu Luzhi made connections and arrangements everywhere, and in the shortest time possible, added a significant amount of money, finally establishing a school in the small mountain village.

It became the only formal school within ten li (about 5 kilometers) in the area, boasting a brand-new teaching building, a blackboard, a playground, and university graduates coming to teach.

The first batch of one hundred children enrolled, receiving free books and stationery, and even free lunch, with no tuition or miscellaneous fees.

Lin Qingyue and Xu Luzhi stood on the playground, live streaming the first day of school.

She remained anonymous, not revealing that she was the donor, only saying it was a donation from a friend.

The five-star red flag was solemnly raised to the national anthem. Soon, messages from people wanting to donate appeared in the live stream chat. Lin Qingyue arranged for staff to interface with them one by one.

The children standing on the playground, boys and girls alike, were all wearing clean clothes, their eyes clear and transparent, like tender shoots sprouting from the earth.

Their fundamental nature was pure goodness with proper guidance, at the very least, they wouldn’t commit crimes, and as long as they lived by the work of their own hands, they wouldn’t fare too badly.

Lin Qingyue didn’t know how long this school could last, but Xu Luzhi had already promised to donate funds regularly and come for inspections.

She looked up; the sun beat down upon the green mountains. The mountains that looked soaring into the clouds in her childhood weren’t actually that tall.

It was she who had imprisoned herself.

After completing all the ceremonies, the children stayed behind for class. Xu Luzhi and Lin Qingyue strolled casually around the village.

They were dressed beautifully and elegantly, clearly not locals at a glance. No one dared to flirt with them; everyone was polite, inviting them in for tea and a meal.

Xu Luzhi declined every offer, keeping Lin Qingyue protected behind her, holding her hand tightly, afraid she might get lost.

Lin Qingyue’s mood relaxed. So much had changed no one recognized her anymore, and the death of that man was just a small news item that no one truly cared about.

She led Xu Luzhi up to a slope and pointed at a house on the verge of rotting: “That’s where I used to live.”

It was built with red bricks, and without reinforcement for so many years, it was already leaning precariously.

Xu Luzhi stared at the house so dilapidated, so small. How could such a place accommodate the wonderful Lin Qingyue?

Day and night, had Lin Qingyue ever imagined that one day she would meet her and live a completely different, brand new life?

She only knew that the sister she loved deeply would never settle for being confined to that small patch of land.

And she was at the end of the road, waiting for her Lin Qingyue.