Chapter 57: Are Family Real?
Chapter 57: Are Family Real?
Having already eaten dinner at the Guard Bureau, Lu Xin tiptoed straight back into his bedroom.
His family lived in a small yet warm, two-bedroom, one-living-room unit. Lu Xin occupied one of the smaller bedrooms, while Mother slept in the master bedroom. Father usually stayed in the kitchen. Little Sister preferred to sleep in the ceiling space near the door, though most of the time she crouched on the sofa, hugging her teddy bear and watching cartoons throughout the night.
In his small, sparsely furnished bedroom containing only a bed, a chair, and a desk, Lu Xin sat down quietly. He switched on the desk lamp and silently began reviewing the documents and files on Special Contamination, brushing up on the basics.
He was also waiting for Mother to return home. It was time to find an opportunity to talk to her.
Ever since the factory building incident, he had wanted to have a proper conversation with Mother, but the chance hadn’t arisen.
Lately, Mother’s whereabouts had been a bit strange; she often went out, saying she had made new friends.
“Treatment methods for Secondary Pollution Sources…”
Under the desk lamp illuminating only a small patch of light, Lu Xin silently reviewed what he had learned that day: “The influence exerted by Secondary Pollution Sources… manifests when they execute the primary source’s Will, affecting the surrounding environment… most commonly stemming from emotional deficiencies within the primary source, forming compensatory entities… a small number of cases confirm certain primary sources possess the ability to split into two or more Secondary Pollution Sources…”
“The abilities of Secondary Pollution Sources are mostly extensions of the primary source; no observable cases distinguish their capabilities…”
“Treatment method: Eliminate the primary source. Uncover the Logic Chain connecting primary and secondary sources…”
“Cases of independently existing Secondary Pollution Sources: Unconfirmed…”
“…”
Lu Xin paid special attention to this particular part of the theory.
He had been particularly intrigued when he encountered the Secondary Pollution Source of Special Contamination Source 039 in the factory previously. He was deeply interested because he wanted to know if this phenomenon could, in some way, explain the problem he was currently experiencing.
Though, admittedly, that Secondary Pollution Source seemed quite different from his own situation on the surface.
For instance, Secondary Pollution Sources could be sensed, even directly “seen.”
His family, however, could not be detected by any means.
Also, that Secondary Pollution Source appeared rather dim-witted and incapable of communication…
Whereas his own family could not only communicate but also had distinct personalities…
Despite the significant differences, it was still the spiritual mutation Lu Xin had encountered that most closely resembled his own condition. Therefore, when studying this topic, he applied himself with unusual diligence.
… …
Tap… Tap… Tap…
It was unclear how much time had passed when Lu Xin, deeply immersed in his study, heard the sound of heels tapping on the tiled floor in the hallway outside.
He knew it was Mother returning.
He carefully stood up and gently pushed open the bedroom door.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
The tapping footsteps approached the apartment door. Then, the door opened gently.
The room suddenly brightened as Mother turned on the light.
Wearing a white suit dress, carrying a purse, topped with a small red hat, and with a touch of makeup, Mother looked elegant and charming under the soft light. She softly closed the door, slipped off her low-heeled shoes, placed her purse on the side table, and slipped into house slippers while smiling at Lu Xin. “It’s so late already, why aren’t you asleep?”
Lu Xin nodded. “Yes. I was waiting for you.”
“Oh my, apologies dear. I was having such a delightful time…” Mother chuckled, placing a hand on Lu Xin’s shoulder as they walked together back inside. “Miss Chen is quite a lovely person!”
“Miss Chen…”
Lu Xin felt helpless.
Mother frequently made new “friends,” though Lu Xin had never met any of them.
When he first became aware of his family’s existence, there had been a period when he was desperately trying to understand his situation. Back then, he had asked Mother about these friends – who they were and what they looked like. She had only smiled and replied, “I’ll introduce you when the opportunity arises.” Much later, when Lu Xin remembered and asked again, Mother would just sigh softly.
Either they had “gone back to their hometown,” or she hadn’t seen them in ages…
… …
Sitting at the dining table, Mother poured a glass of water and set it beside Lu Xin.
She settled gracefully into a chair opposite him, lightly massaging her legs as if tired from walking, and asked with a smile, “How’s work going lately?”
“It’s fine…”
Lu Xin nodded, paused briefly, and continued, “About the incident at the factory in the Northern District last time…”
“Oh, you still remember that!” Seeing Lu Xin’s serious expression, Mother raised a hand to her mouth to cover her amused laughter. “I thought you had something important to discuss! Silly child, I simply happened to be passing by. I just saw you and Little Sister standing there so helplessly, looking quite adorably clumsy against that little girl. How could I not ask what was going on?”
“Passing by…”
This answer clearly didn’t satisfy Lu Xin.
He was silent for a moment before asking softly, “What have you been doing recently, going out so often?”
“Just going shopping, dear…” Mother replied with a laugh. “Even though I have to take care of my family, I need a life of my own too, don’t you think?”
Lu Xin was momentarily speechless. Sometimes, he really felt his family could be unnervingly normal.
In the past, at this point, he would have had no choice but to drop it.
But now, with his accumulated knowledge and theories about Special Contamination, he carefully chose his words and softly asked, “That little girl I saw at the factory back then… was she a real person?”
Hearing this, Mother smiled. “Silly boy, she wasn’t real. Just a split-off Spiritual Entity…”
Lu Xin nodded slightly. Then, slowly, he asked, “And… what about you?”
As Lu Xin asked this question, the sound of Father’s snoring from the kitchen abruptly stopped.
Behind the ceiling panel crack, Little Sister’s bright, sharp eyes peered through, watching secretly.
“You ask such serious things…” Mother responded to Lu Xin’s earnest question with a gentle laugh. “Silly child, whether we are real or not… shouldn’t that depend on you?”
Lu Xin heard her answer and remained motionless at the table, momentarily unsure how to react.
Mother continued softly, laughing gently, “Our family lives together, keeping each other company, helping one another. Isn’t this feeling real? If the companionship of family isn’t real, then what do you think is real?”
Lu Xin felt a strange emotion well up within him as he listened to her words.
He thought about his life. It felt very real.
“Oh! That’s right…” Mother seemed to suddenly remember something. She retrieved a letter from her purse and held it out to Lu Xin with a smile. “Just now, when I checked the mailbox downstairs, I saw you had a letter. I brought it up for you. It’s from the Orphanage…”
“I certainly didn’t peek!”
“…”
“What did she write for?” Lu Xin’s expression softened slightly as he took the letter.
Mother stood up, moving gracefully towards her bedroom, responding casually over her shoulder, “She wants to invite you over for dumplings…”