Lian En was bewildered, not understanding why his always tough dad was suddenly so emotional. Didn’t he always say that real men bleed but don’t cry, and that dropping cat babies or whatever was the wimpiest thing ever? Just waking up, with his mind still not quite clear, Lian En absentmindedly muttered aloud. Which made Lianshan choke up, his face turning bright red, as he lightly tapped Lian En on the forehead with his finger: "You little rascal, who do you think I’m doing all this for?" "For your own embarrassment, right? I told Dad not to let you and our big brother squeeze into the same bed, and see, you just wouldn’t listen. Now look, after a whole night of bonding, something almost happened!" Chenchen snorted proudly with a childish voice, looking sympathetic as he gazed at his big brother who hadn’t listened and had suffered the consequences. So everything that had filled him with fear before was merely a fever-induced vivid dream?! Lian En was stunned: he had heard the saying about dreaming about what you think of during the day, but did dreaming feel so vivid and sequential, as if he had really lived through a whole new life? It was almost like... The reincarnation stories in novels. He couldn’t quite understand, but seeing his mom’s guilt-filled and tender eyes reaching out with a spoon, Lian En couldn’t dwell on these thoughts any longer and took the medicine bowl. That was the sensible thing to do! Shuzhen, thinking to put down her pride and be a good mom, wholeheartedly making up for the years of neglect and coldness Lian En endured, was suddenly faced with the realization that her son had no more expectation for maternal love. Her heart ached silently, and tears fell instantly: "Doesn’t Lian En like mom, doesn’t want mom to feed him medicine?" He dreamt of his mom hugging him warmly like his dad and affectionately calling him her eldest treasure! But holding onto his pride, he was a bit too embarrassed to say such a sappy thing. Seeing his mom moved to tears, Lian En quickly shook his head: "No, mom, it’s just that rather than sipping on the bitter medicine slowly, I prefer to gulp it down in one go and then have a piece of candy to sweeten the taste!" Lian En and the twins chuckled: Well done, that’s a very Lian En/big brother answer. "But, the doctor said that eating candy would neutralize the medicine’s effects. How about mom gets you some hot water to wash it down? Then I’ll make your favorite sweet buns for dinner, alright?" Surprised but a little hesitant, Shuzhen suggested, full of negotiation. Just having mom speak to him in such a gentle voice was sweeter than all the candies in the world. Lian En smiled sweetly and downed the whole bowl of tongue-numbing bitter herbal soup offered by Shuzhen. The boldness of it gave Chenchen a shiver: Big brother is no joke, he’s the real deal! The bitter medicine that was so pungent it stung his nose was gulped down by him without a change of expression. Truly, it made him, as the younger brother, admire him immensely. Xinzhi nodded in agreement: Yes, drinking bitter medicine like it’s cool water is indeed commendable bravery from big brother. Shuzhen giggled, pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe Lian En’s mouth. Lian En pursed his lips happily, blushing and waiting obediently. The incident of emotional distress and excessive worry causing a high fever was resolved with the mother and son’s exchange of smiles. The two seemed to have completely forgotten the conversation, never bringing it up again. Shuzhen gradually dropped the cold and strict persona she maintained in front of Lian En, and besides strict guidance, she started caring for his minor sorrows and troubles. She paid more attention to his emotions and preferences. The mother-son relationship grew more harmonious and beautiful, prompting even Chenchen to begrudgingly wrinkle his brows and ask his uncle for a strategy to win favor. In their family, girls were already considered more precious, and now that big brother was suddenly on mom’s radar too, if he didn’t try harder, Chenchen feared he might become the least favored in the family! It amused Liu Shouren, making him laugh heartily: "Hmm, your parents do have a bias. How about considering living with your uncle’s family, Chenchen? Our Liu Wu and Wu Liu are still young, so in terms of competing for attention, you’re bound to be more formidable!" Chenchen scratched his little head, full of helplessness, and said, "Uncle, I’m almost five years old, can you stop treating me like a three-year-old for laughs? There’s no one like mom; kids with moms are treasures while those without are like weeds. I’m not going to trade my cherished status to be a weed in your family, no way!" As everyone roared with laughter, Lian En embraced his clever and adorable little brother, secretly thinking: Yeah, I also want to stay and be treasured at home, never going off to be a weed in those dangerous dragon’s pits or tiger’s lairs! If I want success and wealth, I’ll strive for it myself. Maybe with these little arms and legs, I’ll never reach the high status of a scoundrel father. But a path to success I’ve worked hard to carve myself will be more solid and dependable, right? Didn’t that Lian Mingsi in the dream say: If life could give him another chance, he’d rather proceed steadily one step at a time. No matter how hard or exhausting, at least he’d sleep with a clear conscience. Although he deeply despised that person, Lian En couldn’t deny that those two sentences made a lot of sense. Once it was confirmed that the eldest was truly better, Lianshan, relieved, began arranging to find help for laying the foundation. Any further delay would have everyone preparing for the autumn harvest. After the harvest, the ground would freeze, making it difficult to build. Originally, the house-building responsibilities had been given to the Su family’s eldest, and the foundation-laying was just a matter for him, the second, fourth, sixth, and seventh sons to rally a dozen or so small workers. Busy for two days and providing several meals would have the work done. Lianshan was worried that everyone would be occupied with gathering hazelnuts, pine nuts, and digging herbs in the mountains, leaving not enough manpower when needed. But when the call went out, every able-bodied man aged eighteen to fifty in the village brought their tools over to help. A crowd of three hundred showed up and finished the work meant for two or three days in half a day. Knowing Shuzhen was pregnant and unprepared at home, no one even thought of staying for a meal. Lianshan had to insistently keep people around and called in two sisters-in-law, his own sister-in-law, sister, and a few efficient wives who got along well with Shuzhen. They bought a nearly two-hundred-pound pig from Lian Hai’s family to host a meal of braised pork, sliced pork, pig-slaughtering dish with pot-wrapped meat. With everyone happy, the foundation was thoroughly set. Just waiting for it to settle through autumn and winter, by next spring, their twenty-eight-meter by nine-meter six-room brick house will be ready to build and move in!