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Lu Zhi Xun obediently walked beside Qi Rong, preparing to bow and greet others, when Yu Chunmiao gently stopped him, saying, "No, he's just a child. You will be classmates in the future. Let's keep it equal; Qi Rong is only three years older than you, so you can address each other as brothers."
Lu Ziyou agreed, and thus Lu Zhi Xun called out, "Brother Rong!"
Qi Rong had never been called 'brother' before, and he felt quite pleased by it. "If we both get into the County Academy, we will be classmates."
The two of them sized each other up; Qi Rong was a head and a half taller, robust and dark-skinned, while Lu Zhi Xun was pale and slender, only reaching Qi Rong's chest.
Noticing Qi Rong's bright eyes and his lack of mockery regarding his stutter, Lu Zhi Xun felt a fondness for him. "Let's study hard together and get into the County Academy."
Qi Rong patted him on the shoulder and said, "You can sit next to me."
Lu Ziyou had mentioned to Qi Chong that his nephew stuttered, but seeing that the family did not take it seriously—especially Qi Rong, who at such a young age already understood the importance of respecting others—made him feel relieved.
What he didn’t know was that during the hardest times for the Qi family, they had endured many hurtful remarks. They had been called all sorts of names: sickly, crippled, foolish, and poor.
Qi Rong had long understood not to poke fun at others' weaknesses. It was just a stutter; it wasn't something he hadn't seen before.
While the adults discussed business matters nearby, the two children quickly became familiar with each other. Qi Rong used serving chopsticks to pick food for Lu Zhi Xun from farther away. Since he had called him brother, he felt it was his duty to take care of him.
"Thank you, Brother Rong!"
"What else do you want to eat? I'll get it for you."
"Shrimp!"
Not only did Qi Rong serve him shrimp, but he also helped peel them. Lu Zhi Xun had only eaten shrimp two or three times in his life, and those were bought by Qi Fu.
Qi Rong carefully imitated how his father peeled shrimp for Qi Qin and diligently peeled one before placing it in Lu Zhi Xun's bowl. "Here you go; I'll peel a few more for you."
Lu Zhi Xun was already starting to really like this brother of his. At home, even the servants sometimes teased him about his stutter, but this brother showed him kindness right from their first meeting. He felt so moved that he almost wanted to cry.
Lu Ziyou said to Qi Rong, "Qi Rong, you must make sure to get in! With you in the County Academy, I can rest easy."
Qi Rong rubbed his hands together and said, "I'll do my best. If I pass the exam, I will definitely take care of my younger brother and make sure no one bullies him."
Yu Chunmiao looked at Qi Rong with satisfaction, placing the peeled shrimp she had in her hand into his bowl.
Lu Ziyou sighed and said, "My brother, Lu Zi, passed away last year. My sister-in-law remarried, leaving behind a young child. He has been with my father since he was two years old. Now that my father is getting older and unable to care for him, I brought him to live with me."
After chatting for a while, they learned that Lu Zhi Xun was not originally a stutterer; he had developed this condition after falling ill two years ago.
"Brother, eat!" Lu Zhi Xun picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and handed it to Qi Rong, smiling brightly.
Upon hearing this, Yu Chunmiao noticed that he wasn't stuttering in that sentence and said to Lu Zhi Xun, "Auntie will teach you a poem, okay?"
Lu Zhi Xun nodded eagerly.
So Yu Chunmiao recited a line, and Lu Zhi Xun repeated after her.
"The bright moonlight before my bed,
I suspect it's frost on the ground."
Yu Chunmiao continued, "Now say it two characters at a time."
Lu Zhi Xun looked confused but followed her instructions.
"Before my bed, bright moon. I suspect, frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon. I lower my head to think of my hometown."
He paused after every two characters, and it flowed much better.
Once Lu Ziyou realized what was happening, he was overjoyed. "Xun Er can improve! I've been so busy with business that I didn't even notice."
"Sister-in-law, thank you," he said as he stood up and bowed deeply.
Qi Chong smiled and said, "Chun Miao is attentive; there's no need for such formality."
Yu Chunmiao blushed slightly. "I just wanted to give it a try. He didn't stutter when he thanked his brother. Just take it slow; after two characters come three characters, and who knows what might happen in the future."
Lu Zhi Xun seemed to understand and felt that if he spoke in pairs of words, it would be normal.
He was extremely happy and decided that he would speak like this from now on.
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