Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 280 [Changes in Mindset] (8200)

[I'm posting a long chapter; the extra words are to make up for some of the previous ones.]

I'll post more long chapters later when I'm in better shape, and add some more later.

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Chapter 274 [Changes in Mindset] (8200)

It was already late autumn.

The weather in Jinling Prefecture had been quite hot a few days ago, with the temperature reaching around 30 degrees Celsius. However, after a heavy rain a few days ago, the wind blew all night.

The temperature dropped immediately.

As Lu Sisi stepped out of the car, the wind blew against her, and she felt a chill of autumn. She subconsciously tightened her coat.

It's not cold, of course it's not; it's just a habitual action.

The mother, Lu Xiuting, and her younger brother then stepped out of the car.

The driver was the father, Yang Jiaming. After the others got out of the car, he drove it to the parking lot next to the road.

This is a restaurant famous for its Cantonese cuisine, and it is said that their roast pigeon is quite good.

This was yet another "family gathering" that had been deliberately planned over this period of time.

Lu Sisi wore a calm and gentle smile, but in reality, she felt somewhat helpless.

Yang Jiaming rushed back from the company after get off work. Lu Xiuting was wearing a beautiful dress, and her hair had been done in the afternoon, which took more than two hours.

My younger brother was picked up from the school gate as soon as he got out of school.

Family gathering, a joyful time for everyone...

Lu Sisi was actually starting to find it a little funny.

Over this period of time, we have arranged such family activities many times.

The family went out together, ate out, went shopping. And, well, they even watched a movie together.

This experience was initially new to Lu Sisi, even...

She couldn't deny that at first, she did have some expectations.

Because she had never experienced such a warm and joyful family gathering before.

She had seen families out and about in shopping malls, couples with their children.

The wife helped the child try on beautiful clothes, and the husband happily went to pay the bill.

In the restaurant, a family is eating, a couple with their child. The child sits next to the father or mother, whining or pleading about wanting to eat this or that, while the parents indulge or spoil the child, fulfilling their reasonable or unreasonable requests.

They happily shared the dishes with each other, the family enjoying a warm and joyful time filled with laughter...

Lu Sisi was envious!

She really was envious!

She even harbored some dark thoughts—for which she had secretly been jealous of her younger brother.

She thought that the beautiful scenes of "a happy family" that she saw and imagined were things she had never experienced, but her younger brother had enjoyed many times!
However, after she actually experienced the "Yang family reunion" firsthand, she changed her mind.

The slight jealousy she once felt towards her younger brother quickly dissipated.

·
Lu Sisi remembers the first time her family of four went out to eat together.

It was also in a restaurant.

The younger brother just sat there calmly, picking up food for himself, and hardly ever looked at his parents' faces. On the contrary, this younger brother would occasionally show a bit of affection for Lu Sisi, an affection that was tinged with curiosity and novelty.

There was silence at the dinner table.

There was almost no communication or family atmosphere between Yang Jiaming and Lu Xiuting.

The laughter and noise around the restaurant seemed naturally out of place with the atmosphere at the Yang family's table.

It was as if an invisible aura separated the Yang family's table from the cheerful atmosphere of the restaurant.

Yang Jiaming would also serve food to Lu Xiuting and his younger brother, but he always did so with a sense of completing a task.

He was just fulfilling an obligation.

There was almost no effective communication at the table.

At first, they might ask a couple of questions, such as about the younger brother's performance at school.

When faced with this situation, the younger brother would simply reply, "It's fine."

And then, that was the end of it.

Yang Jiaming almost never speaks a word to Lu Xiuting.

The same applies to Lu Xiuting.

to be frank.

Experiencing this so-called "family reunion" for the first time made Lu Sisi feel extremely uncomfortable.

She found it very difficult to adapt, but found that her younger brother was surprisingly calm, and even seemed to have gotten used to this pattern.

He would habitually take out his phone, open a short video or novel app, hold it in his hands, and eat while watching.

He would even occasionally come over to Lu Sisi when he saw an interesting short video and share it with this older sister.

But he rarely says a word to his parents.

Lu Sisi was quite willing to be close to her younger brother. As a result, the interaction between the siblings at the dinner table actually seemed relatively more normal.

However, it also revealed a lack of familiarity.

Then, the two ate their expensive meal in silence, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

I don't know when, but a quarrel suddenly broke out at the dinner table.

Yang Jiaming and Lu Xiuting, as if they had switched to battle mode at some point, glared at each other with grim expressions.

Lu Xiuting's face was filled with resentment and anger, her eyes glaring, her expression full of dissatisfaction.

Yang Jiaming sighed, but his sigh contained more impatience than helplessness.

The two then began to blame each other, make excuses, and shift the blame.

Throughout the process, Lu Sisi noticed that her younger brother was much more composed than she was.

He barely looked up at his parents, just kept his head down and ate.

The younger brother even gave Lu Sisi a wry smile and said to his sister in a low voice, "It's okay, it'll be over after a few words of argument—I'm used to it."

Lu Sisi was speechless.

From that day on, Lu Sisi stopped being jealous of her younger brother.

I no longer envy my younger brother for having the "family fun" that I never experienced.

She discovered that what she never had, her younger brother... probably didn't have much of either.

That makes sense. How could a couple who are both unhappy and selfish possibly genuinely care about others?

She suddenly understood how her brother had developed such a dull and taciturn personality.

He grew up in an environment where his parents were full of resentment, so he became increasingly sullen.

On the contrary... I might actually be better off.

Having grown up away from my parents, I am less likely to experience the resentment between them, or the negative environment of their arguments, anger, and accusations.

Comparatively speaking, my personality might be healthier and more positive than my younger brother's in some ways.
From that day on, Lu Sisi stopped looking forward to the Yang family's "family gathering" format.

Instead, she developed a closer bond with her younger brother. She began to focus her attention on him.

As for Lu Xiuting and Yang Jiaming, this ill-fated couple—let them be!
Lu Sisi added her younger brother on WeChat and would occasionally chat with him on WeChat.

It's mainly at night, because my younger brother goes to school during the day and the school doesn't allow him to bring his phone.

A brother and sister who had been strangers for many years unexpectedly became close friends very quickly in this cold family environment.

Lu Sisi learned that her younger brother's grades at school were not good.

I learned that there's a boy in my younger brother's class whom he particularly dislikes. This boy is taller and stronger than my brother, has an outgoing personality, and is popular. My brother even occasionally gets into conflicts with that boy.

However, the younger brother did try to fight back, but he failed eight out of ten times.

But if he manages to retaliate successfully once or twice, it will make his younger brother happy all day.

All of this is not bullying, but just a so-called "grudge" between elementary school students who are just over ten years old.

My younger brother attends a good school with a good school spirit, and it does a good job in preventing bullying.

Lu Sisi even knew that her younger brother had a period of time when he really liked eating beef.

He actually disliked the taste of beef, but he learned from some popular science video that beef is nutritious, can increase muscle mass, and make people stronger.

Hoping to turn the tables in his fight with that boy, he secretly ate beef for a month.

As a result, during a conflict between the two after school, the younger brother was still knocked to the ground by the other boy, and he was disappointed and stopped eating beef.

Lu Sisi realized that although her younger brother was mediocre in every subject, he actually had his own hobbies.

For example, he really likes to draw and sing.

My younger brother used to love Douluo Continent, but he doesn't anymore. He now prefers Naruto—Naruto is actually outdated and a bit too old for elementary school students. Naruto has more fans in middle school and older students.

But my younger brother is a bit precocious.

Lu Sisi knew that her younger brother actually wanted to grow up quickly, because when he grew up, he could leave this family full of resentment and indifference.

Lu Sisi knew that her younger brother had a crush on a girl in his class.

It's said that the girl has very fair skin, big eyes, and a smile like a little sun—Lu Sisi hadn't seen any photos of the girl; she'd only heard about it from her younger brother.

Lu Sisi knew that her younger brother had always wanted to have a puppy, but Yang Jiaming didn't like dogs, and Lu Xiuting thought that having a pet at home would cause dog hair everywhere, so they refused.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yan used various means to force the estranged couple Lu Xiuting and Yang Jiaming to bow their heads and compromise, and made a plan to try to let Lu Sisi feel some "family warmth", which led to some subtle changes.

Lu Sisi didn't feel much warmth from her family.

Surprisingly, her relationship with her younger brother grew better and better.

The starting point was off, and the process wasn't quite right either, but the result... seems pretty good.

·
Today's family dinner followed the same pattern as many previous ones.

They ordered food quietly, ate quietly, and the couple, Yang Jiaming and Lu Xiuting, treated each other coldly. Lu Sisi and her younger brother occasionally exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

Lu Sisi didn't really like the dishes—she'd never really liked Cantonese cuisine.

It's clear that the younger brother doesn't really like it either.

However, the head of the household is Yang Jiaming, who is from Hong Kong and loves Cantonese cuisine.

Previously, Yang Jiaming was the undisputed ruler at home, and Lu Xiuting had always compromised for many years.

Therefore, the Yang family's family gatherings are usually held at Cantonese restaurants that Yang Jiaming likes.

Halfway through the meal, after Yang Jiaming explained in a helpless and impatient tone, Lu Xiuting suddenly exploded like a firecracker, no one knew what she said.

She began to unleash a torrent of complaints and accusations on Yang Jiaming. Yang Jiaming's face grew increasingly grim, and his temper became increasingly difficult to control. He began to defend himself, and then launched a counterattack.

The two gradually started arguing.

The sounds echoing around the dining table were Lu Xiuting's sharp, distorted voice and Yang Jiaming's cold, impatient words.

Lu Sisi saw her younger brother coldly finish a bowl of soup, then silently take out his phone to open a short video.

Suddenly, Lu Sisi had a thought, and she slowly stood up.

She deliberately made a lot of noise, and the chair beneath her dragged on the floor as she stood up.

The sound interrupted the couple's argument.

Seeing Lu Sisi's indifferent expression, Lu Xiuting immediately realized something, her face changed slightly, and she quickly composed herself, saying in a low voice, "Sisi, you..."

"I'm done eating." Lu Sisi said calmly, glancing at her younger brother. "He's full too. You two can continue eating here. I'll take my brother outside for a walk."

Yang Jiaming frowned: "Why go out for a stroll while we're eating..."

"When I came in just now, I saw a shopping mall next door. There was an amusement park on the first floor with claw machines, so I asked my younger brother to play with me for a while."

This time, before Yang Jiaming could say anything, Lu Xiuting's eyes already held a hint of ingratiation: "Okay, then you guys go ahead... have fun. Um... do you have any money on you? I..."

“I have money.” Lu Sisi interrupted her mother, looked down at her younger brother, grabbed his arm and pulled him up: “Let’s go.”

The younger brother looked up, his eyes filled with unexpected surprise: "Huh? Really, really?"

"Let's go, come with me for a walk." Lu Sisi squinted at her younger brother and smiled.

After a two-second silence, the younger brother's eyes lit up with a light he had never shown before. He hurriedly stood up, grabbed his schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder. Without even glancing at his parents, he followed Lu Sisi out of the restaurant.

As for Yang Jiaming's complaints to Lu Xiuting behind him, blaming her for indulging the child's reckless running around and granting the child's unreasonable request...

Lu Sisi pretended not to hear!

·
After the siblings ran out of the restaurant, Lu Sisi pulled her brother and stood on the roadside, refusing to move.

Soon a ride-hailing car stopped in front of them. Lu Sisi went over, opened the car door, and called to her younger brother, "Come on, get in."

"Huh? Weren't we going to play the claw machine over there?"

"There are no claw machines, no amusement parks. I just made up a lie." Lu Sisi laughed.

The younger brother hesitated for a moment, but seeing the smile on his older sister's face, he still jumped into the car.

"Where do you want to go?" Sitting in the car, Lu Sisi looked at her younger brother: "Let's make this clear first, I wasn't full at all, and I bet you weren't either—you've been drinking soup the whole time, and you only took one bite of the pigeon before throwing it away. You barely ate any of the dishes on the table."

"I don't like it," the younger brother said, shaking his head.

Lu Sisi smiled: "I'll take you out to eat, to eat what you like—tell me, what do you want to eat?"

My younger brother's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he gave the answer: "Hot pot! Let's go to Haidilao!!"

Lu Sisi took out her phone, quickly changed the destination on the ride-hailing app, and greeted the driver.

"Then let's go to Haidilao!"

·
Twenty minutes later, at the nearest Haidilao hot pot restaurant, the siblings sat in front of a steaming pot, with crispy pork and a fruit platter on the table. The younger brother stared wide-eyed at the bustling hall around him, his eyes filled with curiosity and delight.

"This isn't your first time here, is it?"

“The second time.” The younger brother shook his head: “I came here once before for a classmate’s birthday. My parents never take me to restaurants like this. Dad doesn’t like hot pot. Mom… she likes those fancy restaurants, where the food looks nice and is good for taking pictures, but it doesn’t taste good.”

So the meal took a long time.

My younger brother was having a blast experimenting with different condiment combinations at the condiment station, trying to put more fruit in his plate.

Lu Sisi invited a shop assistant to pull noodles on the spot. Watching the noodles fly up and down, her younger brother laughed and clapped his hands.

Even though it wasn't either of their birthdays, Lu Sisi still asked the shop assistant to sing a song.

Say goodbye to all your troubles...

Watching the simple yet colorful light sign sway, a light like never before shone in the younger brother's eyes.

Lu Sisi patiently cooked duck intestines, duck blood, and mutton slices for her younger brother.

The younger brother scooped luncheon meat and seaweed sprouts for his older sister.

Both of them filled the plates in front of each other to the size of small mountains.

The meal lasted for nearly an hour. During that time, Lu Xiuting made two phone calls, and Lu Sisi told her mother directly that she had brought her younger brother out to eat.

This gesture put his younger brother's mind at ease.

He looked at Lu Sisi apologetically and said in a low voice, "I thought we would have to go back after receiving the call."

"It's okay, I let Mom and Dad go home first."

After finishing the meal, the toy gift brought by the staff made the younger brother even happier, with a big smile on his face.

Actually, his family is quite well-off, and they have no shortage of high-end toys at home—while the toys given by Haidilao are actually quite cheap.

But I'm happy!
After leaving Haidilao, Lu Sisi took her younger brother downstairs to a mall and played on the claw machine for a while.

The coins bought for 100 yuan eventually turned into four dolls that the younger brother held in his arms, and he gave the biggest one to Lu Sisi.

Then, we went downstairs to the roadside. My younger brother stood there for a while and then suddenly spoke in a strange tone.

"sister……"

"Ok?"

"Can I not go home tonight? Can I go back with you?"

Lu Sisi looked at her younger brother in surprise.

The younger brother lowered his eyelids and said quickly, "I brought my schoolbag, and all my homework is in it. I can go back with you tonight and do my homework."

"Yes, tomorrow is Saturday, so I can do my homework tomorrow."

After a pause, the younger brother's voice lowered even further: "They might argue again after they go back."

Or... Dad won't be home tonight, and Mom will be home tonight. She'll just tell me to go back to my room and won't talk to me..."

As he spoke, the boy raised his head and looked at Lu Sisi with expectant yet cautious eyes.

Lu Sisi pursed her lips.

"it is good!"

·
Lu Sisi walked to the side and called Lu Xiuting, telling her that she was taking her younger brother home for the night and would send him back the next day.

Lu Sisi knew that Lu Xiuting wouldn't refuse her. She had roughly figured out that her mother needed Chen Yan's help, so she definitely wouldn't refuse her request.

As for Yang Jiaming...

Lu Sisi doesn't even care about Lu Xiuting anymore, so why would she care about Yang Jiaming?

Let Lu Xiuting and Yang Jiaming talk to each other.

·
That evening, at Chen Yan's villa.

When Lu Sisi brought her younger brother into the room, he was initially a little reserved, but his eyes showed more of the joy of gaining freedom.

Lu Sisi first took her younger brother to a guest room on the second floor, let him go in to wash up, and brought out a new set of home clothes.

Soon, the younger brother came out and returned to the living room wearing loungewear that was obviously much larger than his own, his hair still wet.

This set of loungewear belongs to Chen Yan, but he has never worn it. After buying it, he washed it and has kept it in the closet for future use.

Lu Sisi noticed that her younger brother was actually very thin.

The siblings sat on the sofa in the living room, turned on the TV, and Lu Sisi used her phone to search for a Naruto anime and then cast it to the screen.

They ate potato chips, drank juice, laughed out loud occasionally, and chatted and complained a bit.

Late at night, Lu Sisi turned off the TV, called Gui Geng, and asked him to carry his sleepy younger brother back to the guest room to sleep.

In the morning, Lu Sisi got up, intending to go downstairs to make breakfast for her younger brother.

But when she came downstairs, she saw that her younger brother had already gotten up and was running around in the yard outside, shouting and yelling.

Lu Sisi walked out of the door and into the yard, where she saw her younger brother circling around a fruit tree in the corner of the yard, as if he were chasing something.

But upon closer inspection, Lu Sisi was stunned.

My younger brother was actually playing with a puppy.

It was a small dog with brownish-gray fur.

It was clearly still a puppy; it staggered when it ran and its bark was high-pitched.

It looks like a mixed breed of mongrel.

Gui Geng silently walked to Lu Sisi's side and whispered, "Young Master Yang got up very early. He didn't dare to disturb your sleep, so he came downstairs alone. I took him out to buy breakfast. I also brought you some fried dough sticks and soy milk."

After a pause, Gui Geng smiled and said, "When I came back, I saw this puppy in the neighborhood—it must have been abandoned, wandering outside, and then mated with other stray dogs, giving birth to puppies. I saw it once a few days ago, but last time there were three or four, and today I only saw this one. I suspect it got separated from its mother."

Young Master Yang took a liking to it and couldn't bear to leave.

I was thinking that it wouldn't hurt to bring the dog back for a day, and after the young master Yang left, I would find the mother dog and send her back... or if I couldn't find her, I would find a rescue station and spend some money to send her there.

It only costs a little money or time, but it's worth it for the young master of the Yang family to have a happy day.

Lu Sisi nodded, watching her younger brother smiling as he held the tiny puppy in his hands.

In the morning, Lu Sisi called her younger brother, who had been playing in the yard for a long time, back home and ordered him to wash his hands and then obediently do his homework.

Seeing her younger brother hunched over the dining table in the living room doing math problems, Lu Sisi thought for a moment, then took the puppy to the bathroom and gave it a bath.

However, I encountered some trouble when drying the puppy after its bath.

The puppy seemed very resistant to the sound of the hairdryer, struggling and wriggling back and forth.

However... Gui Geng took over this task.

The puppy became unusually docile in Gui Geng's hands, shrinking back and remaining motionless.

"I have demonic energy on me, and it dares not resist me," Gui Geng explained in a low voice.

·
In the afternoon, I took my younger brother home. On the way, he was chatting and laughing in the car, but as the car got closer and closer to the Yang family's house, he started to fall silent.

"It's okay, you can talk to me on WeChat anytime. Just tell me what you want to eat or what you want to do when you want to go out." Lu Sisi patted her younger brother's hair.

"So... can we go to Haidilao again next time?"

“Of course.” Lu Sisi smiled.

I took my younger brother back to the Yang family home, and sure enough, Yang Jiaming wasn't there. He said he went to the company—it was Saturday, but I didn't know if that was true or not.

However, Lu Sisi was too lazy to care about these things.

After her younger brother went into his room to do his homework, Lu Sisi sat in front of Lu Xiuting in the living room, looking at her mother's face, which had clearly lost its luster.

Suddenly, a sense of relief welled up from the depths of her heart, allowing Lu Sisi to completely relax.

“From now on, there’s no need to deliberately organize those family dinners and parties anymore. I’m not interested in participating or doing such things.” Lu Sisi looked at Lu Xiuting and said, “Mom, I don’t care what agreement you have with Chen Yan. I will tell him that this is my own decision.”

Lu Xiuting paused for a moment, trying to say something, but Lu Sisi shook her head and continued, "However, I want to spend more time with my younger brother."

Later, when I have time, I'll come visit my younger brother or take him out to play.

Lu Xiuting was somewhat surprised: "Huh? Why? How come you suddenly have such a close relationship with your brother..."

Lu Sisi sighed: "I was wrong before."

Originally, I thought I was the only victim in this family.

Only now do I realize that my younger brother was also a victim.

I don't care about your feud with Dad. You're adults, you should handle your own conflicts.

My brother and I will keep each other warm.

The warmth of family love—this is something you can't give me, and neither can my father.

But I suddenly realized that my brother and I could give to each other.

·
After returning from the Yang family, Lu Sisi immediately called Gui Geng and took the puppy to a pet hospital.

I got vaccinated, dewormed, and then bought a whole bunch of pet food.

After doing all this, Lu Sisi even took a picture of the puppy eating and sent it to her younger brother.

"When I have time, I'll give it a name."

·
Chen Yan opened his eyes.

Another new memory was devoured and merged into itself.

He let out a long sigh.

This digestion took longer than the previous "Life of an Ant," not just a day and a night, but a full thirty hours.

He recalled the last image in his mind.

A hardworking bee, flying over the treetops, plunged headfirst into a spider web...

Thinking of this, Chen Yan couldn't help but shudder.

This near-death experience still terrifies him when he thinks about it.

Entangled in spider silk, watching the spider crawl towards you, wrapping you in layers of webs, then your body begins to be paralyzed by some kind of toxin, and finally, before you even die, you are eaten by the spider...

Chen Yan let out a breath, slowly stood up, and quickly took a hot shower.

The hot water rinse finally dispelled the chill from my body, and the goosebumps on my skin disappeared.

After entering a meditative state in the room once more, Chen Yan carefully sorted out his spiritual consciousness and primordial spirit using the methods from the "Spiritual Transmission Manual," and gradually felt that everything returned to peace.

Everything seems unchanged, yet something else seems to have changed dramatically!

It is not cultivation level, not vital energy, not magic, not supernatural power, not the strength of divine sense.

Rather, it's the inner understanding, the perception of the world, of life, of everything, the attitude towards everything, the senses...

Twenty-two-year-old Chen Yan felt as if he were an old monster who had lived several lifetimes.

For most people, forty is the age of no longer being confused, and fifty is the age of knowing one's destiny.

To put it simply, when a person reaches the age of forty, they have basically accomplished everything in their life and witnessed all the joys and sorrows of life, including birth, aging, illness, death, and separation.

Having seen through everything about the world and life, I am no longer confused; there is nothing I don't understand. I have developed a sufficiently mature judgment in all matters.

Reaching fifty and knowing one's destiny is a deeper understanding of the meaning of life, a clearer understanding of both effort and fate.

But this is something a twenty-year-old absolutely cannot do.

A writer once said something that makes a lot of sense: "What worldview are you talking about if you haven't even seen the world?"

Some truths and insights can only be gained through age and experience.

They're too young and inexperienced; it's all just childish "forcing themselves to write new poems to express their sorrows."

He looks like a teenager lamenting, "I'm tired, I feel like I'll never love again," which is childish and ridiculous.

And at this moment...

Although Chen Yan was only twenty-two years old, under the influence of the spirit, he experienced two real life-or-death situations...

Without realizing it, his state of mind had truly changed.

·
The next morning, Chen Yan woke up and made a phone call home.

When Lu Sisi answered the phone, Chen Yan heard what sounded like a small dog barking next to her on the other end of the line.

"What's the noise?"

Lu Sisi laughed as she answered on the other end of the phone, "I have a puppy. It's a stray dog ​​I picked up from the neighborhood."

Chen Yan smiled, and then Lu Sisi recounted the events of the past few days over the phone. Finally, she said to Chen Yan, "I know that Mom deliberately organized those family gatherings because of your request."

Chen Yan, I'm very grateful for what you've done for me, but now I realize that I don't seem to enjoy being with Mom and Dad. However, I'm quite close to my younger brother, so…”

Although Chen Yan was somewhat surprised, he immediately said, "It's okay, do whatever makes you happy. Your brother is also your family. Since you like your brother, spend more time with him. Family affection doesn't necessarily have to come from your parents."

Lu Sisi, all I want is for you to be happy.

Lu Sisi was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then the girl's voice seemed to choke up as she quickly said, "Come back soon this time you're going out."

"Ah."

"Be careful, don't exhaust yourself or get injured again."

"it is good."

"You... I will miss you."

"Me too."

Chen Yan smiled as he spoke: "The thing I'm going to do this time is very important. Hmm... I'm going to find someone who is very, very important to me. If I can meet her, perhaps she can answer many, many questions I've had all along."

If all goes well, and all the problems are resolved, then perhaps we won't need to travel so frequently in the future.

There was a moment of silence on Lu Sisi's end, but her tone remained gentle: "I'll wait for you to come home."

(End of this chapter)