CHAPTER 37: 37: SICK SEEDLING, BOTTOMLESS PIT (PART 1)_1

Shu Yu turned his head to look at his elder brother, his mind drifting for a moment, while his icy eyes were filled with a desolate coldness.

"Elder brother."

He called out, then immediately tried to prop himself up on the headboard, seemingly wanting to rise and greet someone, but he felt dizzy as soon as he tried to get up and fell back onto the bed.

Zhi Chen’s heart was startled, and he rushed towards Shu Yu in a few swift strides. He took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from Shu Yu’s lips and hands.

"Do you want some water, are you feeling any better?" he asked with concern. His younger brother’s condition was indeed very bad, and he knew in his heart that Shu Yu might not have much longer to live. The clearer he was about this, the more infuriated and saddened he became.

They had never known a day of fortune, their father had passed away when they were young, their mother was cold by nature, and after reaching adulthood, they were looked down upon for various reasons. Being tall was considered a fault, striving for a living became a sin, and they were accused of being indecent for showing their faces in public and not knowing restraint.

They had lived such a hard life for over twenty years, and he had only one wish, hoping only that his brother’s health would improve. But why had this single wish come to nothing now?

Shu Yu looked extremely frail, he knew his own body well, but seeing his elder brother’s worried face, he did not have the heart to add to his worries.

"I’m fine, just a bit dizzy, probably anemia."

Zhi Chen wanted to say more but stopped himself, and finally, he patted Shu Yu’s shoulder.

The younger brother Shu Yu always seemed so pitiable.

Zhi Chen was the eldest in the family. Since their father had died and their mother became paralyzed, every big and small matter in the household depended on him to make decisions.

He had been both a father and a mother to them, painstakingly bringing up his younger brothers. And Shu Yu, the second brother, had been frail and often ill since childhood, even being declared by some to have a fate that would not allow him to grow old.

In the Dayuan Dynasty, men were deemed useless, incapable, and even in terms of strength, generally inferior to women, which made them more prone to be despised.

For a family like the Liang family, which had no stable property, being poor and destitute, and with Shu Yu being frail, they had to spend a considerable amount of silver each year just on his medical expenses.

The six brothers had suffered much in order to save up this silver. Shu Yu knew that he was a burden on the family. He was not a selfish person, he did not wish to be a burden, but he was even more aware that his elder brother and his other younger brothers valued him as much as they valued their own lives.

Therefore, if he were to die irresponsibly and carelessly, that would indeed be the ultimate selfishness.

So, he could only live.

Even if living was more painful than dying.

But death was for cowards; with death, one’s own troubles ended, but how could his brothers bear such a loss?

From his youth, Zhi Chen had firmly believed in one thing.

The six brothers were one unit; they should live together and die together, and taking care of his younger brothers was both his responsibility and mission as the eldest.

"Think about the years past, the epidemic, the floods, how many people died? Yet the six of us, we all survived. And now, you’re not in good health, your condition has not improved, but at least we’re still alive. And as long as we’re alive, there’s always a way," he consoled Shu Yu, trying to ease his mind.

Whenever the family saved money for his medical expenses, Shu Yu felt pained, but he always endured it alone. In this regard, he was very much like the sixth brother, Yixuan—perhaps because both had a nature that was more serene and quiet?

Shu Yu’s lips parted in a faint smile, "I haven’t thought that much."

That was clearly against his true feelings, but his failing body had already caused his elder brother too many worries.

But this, just this one thing, he did not want even his personal emotions to trouble his elder brother...