"Mother, didn't you say that Lin Ge was just lucky? If it weren't for the prescription Elder Wu gave you the year before last, how could your headaches have gradually eased?"
"While it's true that the prescription from Elder Wu was the primary cause, I do feel a bit of relief every time Lin Ge massages my head. Since he does it so often, it must have some effect, surely..."
As the words faded, both fell silent.
It was true. When Lin Ge first returned to the Lin Family, they had all heard about their mother's chronic headaches. At the time, he had simply asked about the frequency and intensity of the attacks without making much of a fuss. Back then, his sisters had gossiped behind his back, saying that although Lin Ge was their biological brother, he hadn't been raised by their mother from childhood, so how could he possibly be as concerned for her as Lin Qingyang, who had grown up in the Lin Family? After all, Qingyang asked after their mother’s health every single day and constantly fretted over her headaches.
It was only later, after Lin Ge had traveled far and wide to seek out master practitioners and folk doctors, learning a skillful massage technique and performing it for their mother regularly, that he finally silenced his sisters' criticisms. Yet, by a coincidence, the renowned national medical expert Elder Wu had treated their mother once, and her headaches subsequently lessened under Lin Ge's careful care; however, the credit was always attributed to Elder Wu.
In this household, no matter what Lin Ge sacrificed, they would always turn a blind eye! Lin Ge, for his part, had never bothered to argue. To him, as long as his mother’s headaches subsided, that was the most important thing. As for who his family believed to be the healer, it simply didn't matter.
"Should we call Lin Ge back and have him massage Mother? Regardless, his technique is more skilled; surely it would be more effective than mine?" Lin Jiayi asked tentatively.
"Hmph, forget it. We won't be the ones to reach out to him. He’s made such a scene this time, turning his back on the family and demanding to sever ties. Unless he comes back to apologize and admit his wrongdoing, I wouldn’t call him back even if I had a splitting headache!" Huang Huijuan said, her face set in a stern, angry expression.
At his age, Lin Ge was right in the middle of a rebellious phase, plagued by bad habits and stubborn faults. If they didn't keep him under control now, they would never be able to manage him in the future.
***
Meanwhile, there was someone else contemplating Lin Ge’s situation: his third sister, Lin Xinyi. Due to a series of back-to-back performances, she had only stayed at the hospital for two days before rushing off. Perhaps because she had pushed herself too hard, Lin Xinyi felt her throat becoming a bit dry. She drank two cups of throat-soothing tea, but it did no good.
When the performance ended and she was alone in her room, she found herself thinking of Lin Ge. It surprised her; she had never thought of him while on tour before. But this time, she missed the various delicacies Lin Ge used to prepare for her after every show. Not only were they delicious, but they were genuinely good for her throat and skin.
What left an even deeper impression on Lin Xinyi was a sweet soup called the Throat-Protecting Voice-Nourishing Soup. It was exceptionally tasty, and its effects were instantaneous. In her mind, she pictured Lin Ge, upon every return to the Lin Family, eagerly bringing her a steaming cup of that soup, trying to curry favor by having her drink it.
At first, she had found him annoying, always convinced that his attempts to please her were ulterior motives intended to replace Lin Qingyang. So, not only would she refuse to drink it, but she would loudly mock him, asking what kind of trash he had made and telling him to take it away immediately. Lin Ge would carefully explain that he had spent hours specially brewing it to soothe her voice, calling it the Throat-Protecting Voice-Nourishing Soup. When he said that, she only grew more irritated. Losing her temper, she would take the bowl and dump it into the trash, mocking the name as hideous. Lin Ge never got angry; he would simply explain that the name was just something he had come up with, and the next time she returned, he would be right there, eagerly bringing her another cup.
Sometimes, when she was in a good mood, she would take it expressionlessly, drink it all, and hand the bowl back without even a word of thanks. But she had to admit, her throat always felt wonderful afterward. Eventually, she grew accustomed to the soup. If Lin Ge was too busy and failed to brew it, she would even impatiently demand to know why there was no soup that day. It could be said that those who are favored often take it for granted. Because of Lin Ge’s proactive efforts, she had come to expect that whenever she returned home, he should have already prepared the soup for her. In her heart, Lin Ge didn't feel like a biological brother; he felt more like a household servant.
However, what Lin Xinyi couldn't understand was this: after two years of living a life of quiet subservience, how could Lin Ge suddenly undergo such a drastic change? And what about the fact that she could hear his inner thoughts—was this some kind of superpower she had acquired?
Lying listlessly in bed, Lin Xinyi recalled the thoughts she had heard from Lin Ge over those two days:
*"Do you really treat me as your good brother? In your hearts, there is only Lin Qingyang. Anything I say or do is wrong—how can we live together in harmony? Let alone talk about mutual love?"*
*"You only know how to blame me. Does anyone care about me? Can you not even see when I’m sick with a fever?"*
*"Look at that. What kind of mother calls her biological son by his full name, yet calls her adopted son 'son' in every breath? Does she really see me as her own child? It’s a joke!"*
*"Is this family crazy? Even if you want to frame me, you could have come up with a less pathetic excuse. Why would I take Mom’s necklace?"*
*"Did Lin Qingyang secretly take that jade necklace to give to his own mother? Are you questioning me, or did you get the wrong investigation direction?"*
*"I, Lin Ge, am from this day forward, finished with this family!"*
These were the inner thoughts she had heard over those two days. Lin Xinyi had replayed them in her mind countless times until she knew them by heart. She had a strong, gut feeling that Lin Ge wasn't just throwing a tantrum—he truly intended to break with the family.
Because their mother had been hospitalized and everyone, including herself, had been so critical of Lin Ge at the time, she hadn't said anything. But as the days passed, and she calmed down to reflect, she felt more and more that something was wrong. In the two years since Lin Ge had returned to the Lin Family, he hadn't done anything out of line; on the contrary, he had always tried to do more for the family. Why, then, had everyone, including herself, disliked him so much?
Could it be that, as Lin Ge’s thoughts suggested, they hadn't truly accepted him as family in their hearts? And what about Lin Ge saying that Lin Qingyang had taken their mother’s jade necklace—could that be true? If Lin Ge had told her this directly, she never would have believed it. But these were his inner thoughts. A person’s internal monologue shouldn't be fake. After all, Lin Ge didn't know she could hear his thoughts.
If this were true, it would be terrifying. Perhaps she should find time to visit her uncle’s house and investigate the truth of the matter.
*Sigh.*
Lin Xinyi let out a long, heavy sigh. At that moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She believed she was the only one who could hear Lin Ge’s thoughts, and she dared not reveal it easily. It was her secret.