Lu Ziqing was a bit confused; this little fellow bore a slight resemblance to Song Lili, especially those eyes...
"Oh, Brother Lu, we only came back last night too. I haven’t had the chance to tell you. This is my brother, Tang Xiaocao."
Lu Ziqing furrowed his brow, his mind racing with all sorts of conjectures as he looked at Song Lili with mixed emotions.
With an expression of existential doubt, Lu Ziqing glanced at Tang Xiaocao, who was staring straight back at him...
"Brother Lu, I’m cooking. Do you know how to cook? Come and give me some guidance."
Lu Ziqing followed Song Lili into the kitchen where braised pork was simmering in the pot, looking quite professional.
Glancing outside the kitchen, Song Lili saw Tang Xiaocao and Qi Yong together and then looked back at Lu Ziqing,
"I’m sorry, Brother Lu. I didn’t have the chance to tell you, this person is Xiao Hua’s brother."
"When I got there, Xiao Hua was dead, and there was no one else in her family. So, I brought Xiaocao with me."
"You brought him here, what are you planning to do?"
"I don’t really have any plans. Xiao Hua was murdered. When I arrived, it was unfortunate timing. I could only collect her body but not report the crime. If I’m to use her identity, I have to pay some kind of price."
Song Lili stated indifferently,
"You’ll raise him?" Lu Ziqing’s eyes widened.
"You’re only this young, and you’re planning to raise a child? How can you be so casual about it? Why didn’t you discuss it with me before bringing someone home?"
"Discussing it with you wouldn’t have led to a different outcome."
Song Lili’s gaze remained firmly on Lu Ziqing, "I’ve already decided."
"Xiaocao and I still haven’t unpacked our luggage. I was thinking of asking later if you’d still be willing to let us stay here. If you are, we’ll stay; if not, I’ll take Xiaocao and rent a place outside."
Lu Ziqing looked at Song Lili, feeling a bit baffled for a moment.
"Brother Lu, it’s fine. You’ve already helped me a lot."
"But this is a person, a living person, not a pet. What will you do with the child when you go to the military academy?"
In response to Lu Ziqing’s slightly unsettled question, Song Lili answered with composure,
"He’s also old enough to go to kindergarten. I’ve checked, there’s one not far from the county town. I plan to buy a car and commute daily."
"When necessary, I’ll hire a part-time helper. I may not be his biological sister, but I can give him much more than his own sister could."
Lu Ziqing had almost forgotten that this little girl, even if she was hiding her true identity and had traveled alone from the south to the west, was still the wealthy daughter of the deputy mayor of Anlin... She had plenty of money!
Apparently, there really isn’t anything that money can’t solve!
"You guys just stay here. It’s idle anyway."
Lu Ziqing didn’t really have the right to say "no." Otherwise, if she really moved out... she would be even farther away from him.
"Thank you, Brother Lu."
Song Lili brightened with a smile and quickly added, "If you ever feel inconvenienced, just tell me right away, and we’ll rent another place. If renting is not suitable, I can also buy a property here. I’ve checked, the housing prices aren’t expensive here."
Lu Ziqing muttered to himself.
Yet, he had stayed in Xilin for so long that he had forgotten he was also from a middle-class family, a treasured son of wealth, his family’s financial resources were by no means inferior to Song Lili’s.