Chapter 9: Can’t Sleep
They returned home in time for dinner. Lin Xue was invited to stay for dinner with relatives, and Luo Feng, unable to stand it, found an excuse to come home early.
After learning what had happened during the day Luo Jing stayed home, Luo Feng was filled with admiration.
Then Luo Jing heard the first conversation between Huai Dan and his sister since he arrived at their house.
“You’re really spoiling him.”
“I have nothing better to do.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing you say that.”
Luo Jing ate his dinner with a wooden expression, feeling like he wasn’t listening to a conversation between lovers, but rather a negotiation between business partners.
He felt like he was back at one of those social gatherings his father sometimes took him to.
What a terrible example, he would never be like this when he was in a relationship.
After washing up in the evening, Luo Jing quietly went downstairs and saw Luo Feng, as expected, sitting cross-legged in front of the TV watching a variety show.
However, she didn’t seem very engaged.
He sat down next to his sister. Luo Feng, seeing him, put away her phone alertly: “What?”
“What are you doing? What unspeakable secrets are you hiding?” Seeing Luo Feng’s instinctive reaction, Luo Jing, who initially hadn’t intended to pry, suddenly became curious.
“Mind your own business. What do you want? Spit it out.” Luo Feng said.
Luo Jing hadn’t come down to explore his sister’s little secrets. He wasn’t very interested, so he dropped it and brought up the real question of his visit: “Why does it feel like Brother Huai is always in a bad mood?”
Sometimes, when he saw him alone, he seemed to frown unconsciously.
Luo Feng was stunned by his question, then surprised: “Isn’t he very nice to you?”
“He is, but it’s different. I always feel like he has something on his mind…” Luo Jing grabbed a pillow and hugged it, a rare frown appearing on his face.
Luo Feng found it amusing: “You’re just a little kid, and you’re starting to worry about these things. Isn’t it good enough that he’s willing to play with you?”
“I’m a junior high student about to enter high school, not a kindergartener,” Luo Jing said, exasperated.
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Anyway, if you care about him, just spend more time with him. I think he likes you quite a bit.” Luo Feng, seeing nothing important, opened her phone again to reply to messages, saying casually, “He’s not very talkative to begin with. It’s not because of anything specific. Don’t worry.”
Seeing that he couldn’t get a straight answer, and that his sister was being perfunctory and not taking him seriously, Luo Jing angrily decided to leave her in the living room to fend for herself and went upstairs to hang out with his brother.
Hearing the familiar sound at the door, Huai Dan put down his book and walked over to open the door, as if expecting it.
The door opened, and Luo Jing slipped in familiarly.
Huai Dan pinched the bridge of his nose, having a strong premonition that the child would fall asleep here again tonight.
Surprisingly, Luo Jing didn’t pester him to play games today, just occupied half the bed playing on his tablet.
“It’s too boring to be alone in my room,” he said.
Huai Dan chuckled: “You’re bored every day. What do you usually do?”
“Because you’re here, brother, so it’s boring if I don’t hang out with you.” Luo Jing played Sudoku on his tablet—occasionally, he had to play some puzzle games to give himself the illusion of studying.
Huai Dan thought for a moment: “Finished your winter homework?”
Luo Jing: “…”
He gave Huai Dan a resentful look, then turned to play in another direction, implementing the “out of sight, out of mind” policy.
After a while, he turned back and asked Huai Dan, “Brother, when are you leaving?”
Huai Dan was replying to his friend’s message and asked indifferently, “Do you want me to leave?”
“No, I don’t want you to leave.” Luo Jing buried half his face in the quilt, only his eyes shining as he looked at him. “Stay a bit longer, brother, play with me for a few more days.”
Huai Dan chuckled softly: “Staying too long will disturb you.”
“No, it won’t.” Luo Jing was very clear about his position: “Right now, everyone thinks you’re the one being disturbed.”
Huai Dan felt helpless and amused.
Seeing that Huai Dan seemed to be in a good mood, Luo Jing was also happy.
His skills at cheering people up were truly gifted.
Luo Jing looked back at his tablet. When he saw Xiao Hua at Wu Li’s house today, it was wearing a light yellow dress, looking delicate and cute.
Looking at Plastic Bag, he suddenly felt it looked a bit bare.
So Luo Jing started thinking about buying it some clothes.
He typed “dog clothes” in the search bar of the shopping app. The page loaded for a moment, and then a plethora of pet clothes in various styles popped up, dazzling Luo Jing.
He changed his position, sitting up and leaning against the headboard, with an air of facing a formidable enemy.
Huai Dan glanced at his screen and watched as Luo Jing selected a pink fluffy dress and added it to his cart without hesitation.
“…” He couldn’t help but remind him, “Plastic Bag is male.”
“It doesn’t matter, it’s all the same after neutering.” Luo Jing continued adding some small hair clips from the same store to his cart, oblivious to how outrageous his words were. “This dress is perfect for Plastic Bag, don’t you think, brother?”
He looked at Huai Dan with sincerity.
“…” Huai Dan nodded helplessly, gesturing for him to continue choosing.
After browsing through the pet clothes, the shopping app automatically started recommending pet supplies, food, and other items. Luo Jing, who had been planning to exit, was completely hooked.
Is this cod liver oil really that good?
Is this really so good for eyesight?
All dogs love this.
Mm, this can make their fur smoother.
This can be used after neutering…
So he browsed and browsed, losing track of time.
When he came to his senses, the lights in the room were off, and Huai Dan had already fallen asleep beside him.
Searching his memory, he vaguely remembered Huai Dan telling him to go to bed early and not stay up too late, and he had even replied.
But it seemed he hadn’t listened.
Seeing that it was already 3 a.m., Luo Jing was shocked.
He had thought it was only a little past 1 a.m.
Remembering all the news he had read about people dying from staying up late, Luo Jing quickly turned off his tablet, put it aside, snuggled into the quilt, and closed his eyes.
With the only light source gone, the bedroom was plunged into darkness. Huai Dan slept very quietly, almost without a sound, making the bedroom incredibly silent.
But Luo Jing couldn’t quite fall asleep.
Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in the darkness.
He felt he had passed the point of peak sleepiness and was now wide awake. If possible, he could even take Plastic Bag out for a walk.
The time spent lying in bed unable to sleep was truly agonizing. After lying quietly for a while, Luo Jing couldn’t help but toss and turn gently.
After turning over, he carefully looked at Huai Dan and, seeing no signs of him waking up, felt relieved.
After a while, he turned over again.
Huai Dan still didn’t wake up.
So he turned over again.
“Can’t sleep?” A deep male voice sounded beside him, slightly hoarse from sleep.
Luo Jing felt a little guilty for waking him up, but also relieved.
“Played too much,” he explained softly, cautiously observing Huai Dan’s expression. Seeing no signs of impatience, he relaxed.
Huai Dan exhaled, woke up a bit more, reached for his phone on the bedside table, and glanced at the time: “At this hour… why don’t you get up and do some homework?”
“…” Luo Jing said expressionlessly, “No.”
“Then what do you want to do?”
After washing up, Huai Dan accompanied Luo Jing downstairs in the dark. It wasn’t until they stood in front of Plastic Bag’s bed that he suddenly realized, thanks to this child, he was becoming increasingly irrational.
Irrational enough to be taken out at this hour.
But because it was Luo Jing, he only felt a strange sense of calm.
He wouldn’t find anything this child did strange.
Plastic Bag was sleeping soundly in its bed. Luo Jing poked it a few times, and seeing it didn’t wake up, simply picked it up.
“Woof?” Plastic Bag opened its eyes drowsily, saw it was Luo Jing, and went back to sleep, its whole body limp like a freshly made rice cake draped over its owner’s arm.
Luo Jing, not caring whether Plastic Bag was awake or not, put it into the carrier bag. Plastic Bag vaguely realized it had been moved.
Huai Dan rubbed his forehead.
Not even sparing the puppy.
When Huai Dan had asked what he wanted to do, Luo Jing had only thought for a moment.
Then, Huai Dan watched as a light bulb seemed to go off above his head. Luo Jing slapped his forehead, his eyes shining in the dark: “Brother, why don’t we go watch the sunrise? I know a perfect spot!”
Huai Dan inexplicably agreed.
So the two of them, and a dog, snuck out under the cover of night.
Once in the car, Luo Jing habitually put his hand near the air vent to warm up. Plastic Bag had been jolted awake by the drastic temperature change when they left the house and was now forcibly alert, looking out the car window at the invisible scenery, trying to figure out where they were going in such darkness.
It was indeed very dark outside, and with the well-maintained greenery around the old house, after the initial period of adjustment, the outlines of things in the night could be vaguely discerned.
The shadows of the trees swayed eerily in the cold, early morning wind.
Luo Jing remembered a post he had read online saying that this time was the darkest part of the day. He also remembered someone saying that between 3 and 4 a.m. was the time when certain things appeared, the time of heaviest yin energy.
He looked at Plastic Bag beside him—Plastic Bag was looking back at him with its dark eyes, quiet and obedient.
“Brother,” the little ancestor in the back seat spoke just as Huai Dan was about to start the car.
“Mm, what is it?” he responded patiently.
“Wait a moment, I’m going to sit in the front.”
