Moonlight Left Behind chapter 38
That night, Qin Yue didn’t sleep well at all. He woke up before 5 a.m., with Lin Qinzhou clinging to him like an octopus, making him have several nightmares in a row.
After that, he kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Around six o’clock, the sky began to brighten, and voices gradually sounded outside the room—early-rising tourists getting ready to head out.
A few minutes later, he seemed to hear Dou Xiaohua’s voice. Last night, when she brought dinner for the two of them, she mentioned that she would talk to Zhou Zhengze. Qin Yue wasn’t sure if they had finished talking, what the result was, or whether he would be allowed to stay.
Fate had never been on his side, and he feared that just when he had made up his mind to stay, he might be dealt another harsh blow.
But last night, aside from the nightmares, he also dreamed of the little blind kid and the little one. The two stood in deep darkness. As he tried to walk toward them, they pushed him forward, saying, “Qin Ge, walk forward, toward the light…”
The three of them walked through the darkness for a long time. Qin Yue wanted to turn back and tell them that there wouldn’t be any light. People like him were destined to live in unnoticed darkness. How could any light shine through?
But the light did come. A small firefly floated toward him from afar, circling around him a few times before landing in his palm, shining even brighter.
“Ge,” the firefly suddenly spoke in a crisp male voice, “Don’t leave. I’ll protect you in the future….”
The little blind kid and the little one pushed him harder, smiled, and said goodbye, “Walk forward, Ge…”
Then Qin Yue woke up.
At 7:15, he got ready to get up. He still had to help Grandma Dou prepare breakfast for some of the guests, as he did every morning.
However, as soon as he moved, Lin Qinzhou woke up too. The young master rubbed his sleepy eyes and drowsily called, “Ge.”
Qin Yue softly coaxed him, “It’s still early. Go back to sleep. I’m getting up to work.”
Lin Qinzhou didn’t let go and struggled to get up as well, saying, “I’ll go with you.”
His eyes were so swollen they were barely recognizable, even worse than the day before despite using a warm towel before bed. He looked both pitiful and somewhat amusing.
Qin Yue smiled faintly, “Alright, then get up.”
In the kitchen, Dou Xiaohua was already busy. Seeing the two of them enter, she didn’t say much and started directing them. “Xiao Zhou, mix the sauce. Xiao Qin, boil the vegetables!”
While mixing the sauce, Lin Qinzhou kept glancing at his grandmother. Dou Xiaohua noticed but pretended not to, leaving Lin Qinzhou feeling uneasy.
When most of the work was done, Dou Xiaohua served porridge for the two youngsters, and the three of them stood by the stove, eating and chatting.
Lin Qinzhou looked at her again, “Grandma…”
Dou Xiaohua finally spoke, “I’ve already talked to Director Zhou. He agreed to let Xiao Qin stay, but he wants to talk to Xiao Qin again.”
“No way!” This was supposed to be good news, but Lin Qinzhou refused flatly, “Qin Yue has nothing to discuss with him. He should just leave, as far as possible!”
Dou Xiaohua glared at him, then looked at Qin Yue. “Xiao Qin, what do you think?”
Qin Yue, still processing the good news, opened his mouth hesitantly, unable to say anything.
He thought, how could this be? How could Zhou Zhengze let him go so easily? Was there a conspiracy behind this?
Or maybe he was still dreaming, and this Grandma Dou and Lin Qinzhou were just figments of his dream.
He pinched his palm hard, but didn’t feel any pain until Lin Qinzhou gently pushed him, “Qin Yue, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” Qin Yue took a deep breath and hesitantly asked Dou Xiaohua, “Did he really agree?”
Dou Xiaohua smiled, “Do you think I’d lie to you two? Wouldn’t you tear the roof down if I did?”
Qin Yue: “…”
“He really agreed. From now on, you can stay here and keep this old woman company,” Dou Xiaohua said.
What had seemed like a dead end turned into a surprising twist, something Qin Yue had never dared dream of. He was so overwhelmed he couldn’t speak for a long time, finally managing to squeeze out a trembling “Mm.”
His body was trembling uncontrollably, with the excitement of surviving a disaster and the disbelief of unexpected joy.
“Grandma, you’re amazing. What did you say to that old…that old guy?”
Dou Xiaohua poked his forehead hard, “That’s grown-up business, none of your concern. Anyway, I managed to keep him here, so you two better get along and stop fighting. Otherwise, I’ll have to send Xiao Qin back. One of you is trouble enough, I can’t handle two.”
Lin Qinzhou hugged her arm and sweetly said, “We won’t fight, I promise! And when I go to school, Ge can stay with you, so you won’t be lonely.”
Dou Xiaohua laughed, “Oh, so you’re thinking about me, huh…”
Lin Qinzhou shamelessly clung on, “Of course! I love you so much…”
Dou Xiaohua: “Well, thank you so much…”
As the two of them bantered back and forth, Qin Yue watched them, his eyes feeling sore as he remembered the dream from last night.
The dream had come true. The little firefly had landed in his palm, and he had finally grasped that light.
Because of Lin Qinzhou’s interference, Qin Yue never ended up meeting Zhou Zhengze. In fact, Lin Qinzhou locked him in the room until Zhou Zhengze left the guesthouse.
But through the window, Qin Yue still saw Zhou Zhengze. That beast was also looking at him, smiling as he always did when humiliating him, and held up three fingers.
Qin Yue didn’t understand what it meant, and it weighed on him, afraid that the matter wasn’t truly over.
At that time, he was still young. In the eyes of a boy, demons weren’t so easily defeated. They would destroy everything he loved and cared about. So Qin Yue was very afraid.
In private, Qin Yue secretly approached Dou Xiaohua, hoping to find out what kind of deal the old woman had made with the devil. But Grandma Dou refused to say anything about it, only telling him to rest easy. So, Qin Yue could only remind himself to stay vigilant in case that scumbag came back.
The only relief was that Lin Qinzhou was about to start school and would soon leave Coral Island.
On the day of his departure, Lin Qinzhou left his phone with Qin Yue and made a pinky promise, agreeing that when he returned to Coral Island the following summer, he had to see Qin Yue again.
Qin Yue agreed, and together with Dou Xiaohua, they sent Lin Qinzhou and his mother to the dock. As the ferry slowly pulled away, Lin Qinzhou stood on the deck, waving vigorously: “Grandma, Qin Yue—wait for me to come back next year—see you next year—don’t forget to miss me—”
Dou Xiaohua scolded him: “You brat, giving me a headache, who would miss you?” But after turning away, she began to secretly wipe her tears, reluctant to part with the child.
Qin Yue didn’t know how to comfort her and awkwardly said, “Grandma, you still have me.”
This term of address was something new. Previously, Qin Yue hadn’t dared to assume much and called Dou Xiaohua “Grandma Dou,” as he still saw himself as an outsider. But after the incident with Zhou Zhengze, Lin Qinzhou had brought him into his “circle of protection,” saying that as Dou Xiaohua’s biological grandson, Qin Yue should also call her “Grandma.”
Even Dou Xiaohua said, “Yes, Xiao Qin, from now on you’re my eldest grandson too, so you should call me Grandma.”
Qin Yue had found a home, a grandma, and also a younger brother.
Author’s Note:
Xiao Qin: I have a family now!
Xiao Zhou: Maybe soon you’ll have a well-behaved, considerate, and obedient boyfriend too?
Grandma: Well-behaved and considerate? Who are you talking about?