It all made sense!
In the bedroom, Xu Ran's entire body trembled.
So, this life of his was given by his brother.
And he had willingly stayed behind.
Xu Ran unconsciously rubbed the golden bead engraved with the character 'Ran' on his neck.
So, his brother had been with him all along, since then.
Was all of this real?
Beside him,
Mother Xu couldn't help but touch her belly, her expression dazed.
"Little baby, go to sleep quickly, hurry and find Miss Yue~"
So, the baby knew her.
He had heard her singing songs from that time.
In countless dreams, she had blamed herself.
That child hadn't even had a chance to see the world, and she hadn't had a chance to do anything for it...
"So, you knew."
She choked, embraced by Father Xu.
Father Xu's eyes were red.
He had personally held that child.
Such a tiny bundle, soft, yet lying there motionless.
Without a trace of life.
...
...
Perhaps it still wanted to see the world, to see everyone.
When his younger brother invited him, it chose to stay.
After that,
It could hear what its younger brother heard, and see what its younger brother saw.
One day,
It saw its parents take out two red strings.
"Brother is called Ranran, younger brother is called Nannan..."
Mother Xu looked at the two necklaces and shed tears, keeping the one engraved with 'Ran'.
As for the one engraved with 'Nan'...
Father Xu took it, "I'll keep this one."
He would keep this one with Nannan who had left.
'Brother is called Ranran, younger brother is called Nannan...'
It touched its neck, where a red string materialized, with a golden bead tied to it.
On the bead, a character 'Ran' was engraved.
Xu Ran, its name was Xu Ran.
...
Gradually,
Mother Xu finished her confinement, and the baby was a month old.
But they didn't hold a full moon banquet, just a meal for the family.
It probably knew what its parents were worried about.
- They hadn't let go yet.
In the days that followed, Mother Xu continued to focus on taking care of the baby.
Besides the baby's feeding, changing, and sleeping, she would sometimes tell stories and play literacy songs.
By the time the baby was one year old, it, residing within, had learned quite a few words.
'Say Mama.'
It patiently taught its younger brother over and over, 'Ma, Ma!'
The younger brother usually spent most of his time sleeping.
Even when he woke up, he was dazed and confused.
Hearing Mother's mother say, children started learning to speak around one year old.
It thought, Mother was teaching, so it would teach too.
With both of them trying, the younger brother should learn faster.
'Mama!' the little person in the younger brother's heart clapped its hands, overjoyed.
However, the one-year-old body let out: "Yi ya! Ya ya ya!"
It (Xu Ran): 'Ma, Ma!'
The younger brother followed in its heart, but the body still let out:
"Ya ya ya ya!"
It (Xu Ran): '...'
As if sensing its helplessness, the younger brother reached out and tugged at it, 'Bro, bro, smile, smile...'
'Ma, Ma, Mama.' The younger brother consciously began to practice.
...
One day, a young woman who resembled Mother arrived.
She dangled a golden bead tied with a red string in front of the younger brother.
"Ranran, Ranran~ Do you want it~"
"Say sister, say sister!"
Mother Xu walked in, "What sister, you should say aunt."
Little Aunt pouted, "Aunt it is, little Ranran, say aunt~"
The golden bead dangled before its eyes, again and again.
The little baby tried to grab it several times but couldn't. In frustration, it cried out in a milky voice:
"Mama~!"
Little Aunt's eyes lit up, "Sister, he can say Mama!"
Mother Xu also looked over abruptly, forgetting the clothes she was tidying.
While they were stunned, the little baby grabbed.
It caught the dangling golden bead and was about to put it in its mouth.
"Don't eat, don't eat." Mother Xu quickly stopped it.
Little Aunt said, "It's quite pretty, why don't you put it on Ranran?"
She had come this time to make one for the little devil at home, modeled after this bead.
Mother Xu said, "Let him be a little older, he puts everything he sees in his mouth now."
Mother Xu took away the necklace.
But it, residing in the little baby's body, saw the character on the golden bead.
'Ran'.
Usually, Mother and Father Xu called the younger brother by his nickname – Little Iron Egg.
They said it was easier to raise him that way.
'Ranran...'
It thought of the name Little Aunt had just called.
It touched the necklace that materialized on its neck.
So, Ranran was the younger brother's name.
No, Mother said, Brother is called Ranran, and younger brother is called Nannan.
So, it was the younger brother?
It couldn't help but get lost in thought for a moment.
It flicked the golden bead on its neck, and the character engraved on it changed from 'Ran' to 'Nan'.
Younger brother it is, then.
Xu Nan.
It was Xu Nan.
...
In the days that followed.
It learned through various channels it could see, while teaching the clumsy and unwilling Ranran.
Learn what you can.
'Brother, can we not study anymore?'
The little person in Ranran's heart tugged at it and acted spoiled.
Xu Nan helplessly asked, 'Then what do you want to do?'
Ranran tilted its head and thought, 'I want to eat apples, I want to eat bananas, I want to eat... slurp~'
It sucked its fingers, and the more delicious things it thought of, the more its saliva flowed.
In these two years, Ranran's body gradually grew and opened up.
But Xu Nan's spiritual body remained in its original form.
Hearing Ranran's words, it froze.
And asked a question:
'What does an apple taste like?'
It could hear what Ranran heard and see what Ranran saw.
But it couldn't feel what it felt.
'Apples are... sour, and a little sweet,' Ranran described in a milky voice.
'Brother, don't you know?'
In its understanding, Brother always knew everything.
Knew so many things.
Xu Nan shook its head, 'I live in your body, I don't have a real body.'
'Then let's switch places! I'll be the one living inside, and you'll be me!' Ranran's eyes lit up.
If Brother was busy eating, he wouldn't have time to teach him things, right!?
Xu Nan hesitated, 'This is your body...'
'What does it matter!' Ranran patted its chest.
'What's mine is Brother's, and what's Brother's is mine. We're already one!'
Perhaps it was the twin connection, or perhaps it vaguely remembered some past events.
It instinctively knew that Brother was very important to it.
The kind that absolutely couldn't be separated!
'Okay, I'll be back soon.'
Xu Nan was a little moved.
That was the first time it tasted an apple.
Sour, with a hint of sweetness.
Saliva continued to pour out, and its stomach seemed to be calling out: want to eat, want to eat more.
So delicious.
For the first time, Xu Nan knew what it felt like to cry.
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
They mixed with saliva at its chin.
"Why is Ranran crying?"
Mother Xu took out a tissue, confused, and gently wiped the child's face.
Without any blame.
The next moment, she saw the child's tears flowing even more fiercely.
Xu Nan extended its little hand, still sticky with saliva mixed with apple juice.
It held one of Mother's fingers and gently pressed it to its face.
Feeling the warmth on it carefully, "Mama."
Mother Xu: "Yes!"
"Mama."
"Yes!"
Mother Xu thought the child was practicing pronunciation and responded tirelessly.
Her face was full of smiles.
But, for Xu Nan.
Mother's hand, and Mother's response,
Were both firsts.
...