Chapter 73 – They’re Related?
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Lin Xin noticed that Han Yan’s expression still hadn’t improved.
Although Han Yan had said little since arriving, the coldness in his eyes had not completely faded.
His brows remained faintly drawn together, and there was a subtle tension in his jaw. It was clear that he was still suppressing the anger that had been building ever since Dong Hai told him what had happened.
Even now, just thinking about what had happened made Lin Xin’s chest feel slightly tight.
He didn’t want Han Yan to remain angry because of him, especially when he could see how deeply the incident had affected him.
More importantly, Lin Xin didn’t want everyone to continue standing around in such a heavy atmosphere. The tension was already weighing on everyone, and he wanted to find a way to ease it, even if only a little.
So, seeing that Han Yan was still looking displeased, Lin Xin deliberately turned his attention toward Wei Jun.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Brother Wei Jun, you guys came back earlier than expected. Was everything alright?"
Liu De, who was standing nearby, also turned toward Wei Jun.
There was a trace of confusion in his eyes.
They really had returned much earlier than expected.
Wei Jun glanced at Han Yan before looking back at Lin Xin. He seemed to understand what Lin Xin was trying to do, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"Look over there."
He raised his hand and pointed toward the things they had brought back from the mountain.
Lin Xin followed his finger.
The moment he saw what they had caught, his eyes widened slightly.
Liu De also looked over.
Before either of them could say anything, a small, excited voice suddenly rang through the courtyard.
"Wow!"
Wei Fan’s eyes were wide with amazement as he stared at the large animal lying among the things his father and Han Yan had brought back.
"Father! You and Uncle Han caught such a big horse!"
The words were so innocent and unexpected that everyone paused.
Lin Xin blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Liu De stared at Wei Fan for a moment, as though he wasn’t sure whether he had heard correctly, while Wei Jun’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Even the coldness that had been lingering in Han Yan’s eyes seemed to melt away. As the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Then Liu De finally couldn’t hold back. A laugh escaped him as he looked at his silly son.
"Horse?"
Lin Xin quickly raised a hand to cover his mouth, but a soft laugh still slipped through his fingers.
The tension that had been hanging heavily over the courtyard seemed to loosen a little.
Wei Fan looked around at the adults with a puzzled expression.
His little cheeks puffed up slightly as he looked at them, clearly confused by their reaction.
"What?"
Wei Jun lowered his gaze to his son, the amusement in his eyes deepening as he tried to keep a straight face.
"That isn’t a horse, Fan’er."
Wei Fan turned his head toward the animal again.
"It isn’t?"
Dong Hai, who had been listening nearby, immediately stepped forward.
His small face was serious, as though he had just been given an important teaching task.
"Wei Fan, it’s a deer."
He pointed toward the animal.
"A deer."
Wei Fan stared at it.
His little brows furrowed as he carefully examined it from head to toe.
"Oh."
He nodded slowly, accepting the correction with great seriousness.
Then he looked up again.
"Big deer."
Liu De couldn’t help but burst into laughter alongside Lin Xin, while Wei Jun could only shake his head helplessly.
Even Han Yan’s lips curved into a faint smile barely noticeable, but it was the first genuine change in his expression since he had returned.
The courtyard, which had been filled with an uncomfortable heaviness moments ago, finally became a little warmer.
Han Yan glanced toward Wei Jun and gave a slight nod, his expression settling back.
"Let’s go settle what we brought back."
Wei Jun nodded in agreement.
"Mm."
He turned toward the things they had carried back and Han Yan followed beside him.
Before leaving, however, he looked back at Lin Xin.
"Xin’er, continue with what you were doing, alright? I’ll help Wei Jun."
Lin Xin nodded.
"Okay."
He watched the two men walk toward the side of the courtyard where they had previously placed everything they had brought down from the mountain.
Wei Jun was already crouching down to arrange the things, while Han Yan walked over beside him and began helping.
Lin Xin watched his back for a moment.
Even though the man’s expression had softened slightly because of Wei Fan, Lin Xin could still see the lingering tension in his shoulders.
He knew Han Yan hadn’t forgotten what happened.
Lin Xin lowered his gaze for a moment before looking toward the two men.
"You two must be hungry after being in the mountains for so long."
He raised his voice slightly so they could hear him clearly.
"Once you’ve finished settling what you hunted, I’ll make lunch for everyone."
Han Yan stopped what he was doing and looked back at him.
The warm afternoon sunlight fell across Han Yan’s face, softening the sharp lines of his features.
"You don’t need to ask me."
His eyes rested gently on Lin Xin.
"You’re the boss of the house."
Lin Xin’s lips curved upward.
Han Yan looked at him for another moment, the warmth in his eyes lingering as he spoke.
"We’ll discuss it later, okay? Don’t tire yourself."
Lin Xin nodded and watched as Han Yan returned to what he had been doing alongside Wei Jun.
The faint smile on his face lingered for a few moments as he watched them.
But little by little, it faded, leaving a quiet, thoughtful look in its place.
"Lin Xin."
Liu De’s quiet voice came from beside him.
Lin Xin turned his head.
Liu De was looking at him carefully, his expression carrying the concern he had been trying not to show in front of everyone.
"Are you okay?"
Lin Xin hesitated.
"I’m fine."
He gave him a small smile.
"I don’t really know. I guess I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt in any way."
Liu De’s brows immediately drew together.
He shook his head slightly.
"Silly. I’m not talking about whether you were hurt physically."
Liu De’s voice softened, his eyes filled with concern as he studied Lin Xin’s expression.
"I mean... are you truly alright?"
Lin Xin’s fingers curled slightly.
His gaze drifted toward the courtyard.
Wei Fan was still happily talking about the "big deer," while Dong Hai occasionally corrected him. Wei Jun and Han Yan were busy settling the things they had brought back, and the normal sounds of the household had slowly returned.
Everything looked peaceful again.
But Lin Xin knew that the peacefulness was only on the surface.
He lowered his eyes.
After a moment, he looked back at Liu De.
"Liu De..."
"Hmm?"
"Can you help me in the kitchen?"
A small smile appeared on Lin Xin’s lips.
But this time, even he knew it wasn’t the same smile as before.
It was gentle and polite, yet it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Liu De looked at him for a moment.
He understood that Lin Xin was avoiding the question.
Still, he didn’t force him.
He simply nodded.
"Alright."
Lin Xin quietly breathed out and turned toward the kitchen.
"Thank you."
The two of them walked away together, leaving the courtyard behind them.
From the other side, Wei Fan’s laughter rang out again.
The sound was bright and innocent, keeping the atmosphere from falling completely back into the heaviness that had settled over the house earlier.
But beneath that brief lightness, the adults all knew that what had happened that morning had not truly been forgotten.
"Oh, okay."
Liu De nodded and followed Lin Xin toward the kitchen without saying anything more.
Behind them, Dong Hai’s little feet quickly pattered across the ground as he hurried after them. He had barely taken two steps when Liu De noticed him.
Liu De stopped and turned around.
The little boy looked up at him with an expectant expression, clearly intending to follow his Xin’gege into the kitchen.
Liu De smiled and crouched slightly so they were closer to the same height.
"Little Hai, can you continue playing with Fan’er for a while? I’ll help your Xin’gege in the kitchen, so you don’t need to worry, alright?"
As he spoke, he reached out and gently rubbed Dong Hai’s hair, messing up the neatly combed strands.
Dong Hai blinked at him.
"Really?"
"Really."
Liu De smiled.
"You just go and play. I’ll take care of your Xin’gege."
Dong Hai hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
Liu De then looked toward Wei Fan, who was still standing nearby and watching them.
"Fan’er, take care of your Hai Hai, alright? Don’t let him come too close to the kitchen."
Wei Fan immediately straightened his little back.
He nodded with an unusually serious expression.
"Okay! I’ll take care of Hai Hai!"
Then he reached out, grabbed Dong Hai’s sleeve with both hands, and tugged him away.
"Come on! I want to hold one chick!"
"Slow down!" Dong Hai protested as he was dragged along.
Wei Fan didn’t listen.
He was already pulling him toward the other side of the courtyard, his short legs moving quickly.
Liu De watched the two little boys disappear before shaking his head with an amused smile.
Then he turned and entered the kitchen.
The moment he stepped inside, his expression changed.
Lin Xin was standing beside the chopping board, but his attention clearly wasn’t on what he was doing.
His hand moved mechanically as he cut the vegetables, his eyes slightly unfocused.
"Lin Xin," Liu De called softly.
But Lin Xin seemed lost in his thoughts and didn’t hear him.
His knife came down again, a little too close to his fingers.
Liu De immediately reached out and caught his wrist.
"If you keep cutting vegetables like that, you’re going to hurt yourself."
He gently took the knife from Lin Xin’s hand and placed it safely on the chopping board.
"Be careful."
Lin Xin blinked and finally seemed to return to himself.
He looked down at his empty hand.
"Oh..."
Liu De sighed and shook his head.
"You really were somewhere else just now."
He pulled out a small stool and sat down beside the table before looking at Lin Xin.
"You don’t need to keep thinking about what Madam Wei said."
Lin Xin’s expression became slightly still.
Liu De noticed but continued.
"We all live in the same village. We know what kind of person she is. At least, most people already know how the Wei household behaves."
He picked up one of the vegetables and began helping Lin Xin sort them.
"Honestly, sometimes I wonder how Wei Jun turned out so differently from them."
Lin Xin looked up.
"Eh?"
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