Chapter 64
Henry Cooper rubbed his hands together, his dark face etched with unease. "This isn't the same! Taking care of you was our promise to Mom and Dad—a matter of honor. But today, you saved my brother. That’s a debt we can never repay!" His eyes reddened with emotion, and he looked ready to drop to his knees again.
William Cooper hobbled over on his crutches, lips trembling as he shook his head repeatedly. "No... no..." His rough hands clenched the hem of his shirt, knuckles turning white.
Luna White watched the brothers with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Brother-in-law, there’s no need to buy anything. I brought formula and canned food." She pointed to the mesh bag on the table. "William may be walking now, but he’s still weak. He needs to recover slowly—no rushing."
The brothers nodded earnestly, like schoolboys listening to their teacher.
Luna glanced at the thick quilt on the bed and suddenly burst into laughter. Iris White joined in, chuckling.
The Cooper brothers exchanged confused looks.
"If anyone walked in now and saw me wrapped in a winter quilt with a hot water bottle in summer, they’d think I’d lost my mind!" Luna laughed so hard she clutched her stomach.
Iris briskly folded the bedding and waved the brothers off. "Enough dawdling. Go return what you borrowed and bring the kids home." She turned to William. "You—rest. Didn’t you hear Luna say you need to take it slow?"
Once they were alone, Luna grabbed Iris’s hand.
"Sis, you knew I wasn’t their biological child, didn’t you?" Her gaze was unwavering.
Iris sighed and pulled her down to sit.
"Luna, don’t dwell on it. You’re our sister—always have been, always will be." Her voice trembled.
"I’ll always be your little sister," Luna said, squeezing her hand. "But I want the truth. Grandma and Uncle Jack knew, but I was kept in the dark. They treated me like a servant—now I understand why."
"A servant?!" Iris shot to her feet. "What did they do to you? Every time you came home, you said you were fine, but I knew you were too thin..." Her voice cracked, and she punched her thigh in frustration.
Luna recounted everything—the years of hardship, the withheld education, the relentless labor. When she mentioned Grandma Clara refusing to let her attend school for money, Iris shook with rage.
"I’ll make them pay!" Iris wiped her tears and stormed toward the door.
Luna quickly stopped her. "Sis, Grandma’s in the hospital now."
Iris relented but frowned. No matter how awful she was, ignoring an ailing elder wasn’t right.
"Luna, just focus on your studies," Iris said, smoothing her sister’s hair. "About your birth... all I know is your real mother was named Yan Fengying. She was an Educated Youth from the city."
Lowering her voice, Iris recounted the past. During the mass return of Educated Youth, no one knew Yan Fengying was pregnant. On the night she went into labor, their father was called to help...
"Your mother didn’t make it. The women’s director wanted to adopt you, but it fell through. Dad brought you home instead." Iris wiped her tears. "Not many in the village know. Don’t let it weigh on you. To us, you’re family!"
Luna could no longer hold back. She threw herself into Iris’s arms and sobbed. These siblings—who had given everything for her in her past life—loved her unconditionally.
"Sis, we’ll always be family!" She clung to Iris as if she’d found a priceless treasure.