"Curse you? You're such a worrywart, you never take care of your health, you've gotten sick several times and scared us half to death..."
Yu's mother's eyes reddened, and she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Sometimes I want to tell you to stop working and just live a good life. Your father and I can support you for the rest of your life, but you never listen..."
"Hey, why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Yu's mother turned her head and said, "Alright, you know what you're doing. I only have one request: regardless of gender, find someone who truly loves you and is willing to take care of you."
"besides…"
…
When Zhu Yao woke up, she found herself alone; no one was beside her.
"You're awake?" Yu Nan was sitting at the table playing on her phone, and you could hear a hint of grievance in her voice.
Zhu Yao stood up and ruffled Yu Nan's messy hair. "Yu Bao, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Yu Nan hugged Zhu Yao and clung to her, saying, "Sister~ I like you so much~"
Zhu Yao: "Mm."
Yu Nan: "I like you!"
Zhu Yao: "Okay, we're together now, aren't we?"
Yu Nan was a little discouraged. "I wanted to hear you say you like me."
Zhu Yao laughed out loud, "I like you, I like Yu Nan."
Hearing what she wanted to hear only made Yu Nan more frustrated, feeling like she was being dismissed by Zhu Yao as if she were a child.
Her mother's words from that morning still lingered in her mind, leaving her feeling conflicted.
What… I feel like Zhu Yao is too rational and calm. She can’t handle it. She even praised Lang Xi, saying that she feels Lang Xi is more caring.
What the heck is going on?!
It's all Lang Xi's fault! When he came to her house, he kept talking about pursuing her! Lang Xi was also very good at flattering her parents, to the point that her parents once thought she and Lang Xi were together.
Honestly, looking at Lang Xi's face, I felt no strange desire whatsoever! Only anger! I just wanted to punch her hard when she was laughing and mocking me!
…
Seeing Yu Nan start to get emotional, Zhu Yao pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her back like petting a cat.
"I'm sorry... I've never had a good romantic history. I don't know how to date, how to love, or how to make someone feel secure... So, would you like to date me?"
Zhu Yao added, "I want to be with you."
Yu Nan gave a haughty "humph," and said, "Granted!"
The way she turned her head was just like a little white cat that wanted to resist but couldn't. Zhu Yao suppressed the urge to pin Yu Nan down on the bed.
Take it slow...
The two cuddled and played around upstairs for a while longer. After washing up, they came downstairs and saw Mr. and Mrs. Yu's enthusiastic greetings.
"Oh dear, how's Xiao Zhu sleeping? Is she adjusting well here?"
Yu's mother took Zhu Yao's hand and led her to the dining table: "Come on, make yourself at home, try the fish Auntie made..."
His gaze was even more ardent than yesterday's, as if he wished he could immediately recognize Zhu Yao as his own daughter and cherish her dearly.
Mr. Yu looked at Zhu Yao with a particularly kind expression and kept piling food onto her plate, making Zhu Yao feel flattered.
Zhu Yao turned to look at Yu Nan, but just as they were about to make eye contact, Yu Nan suddenly lowered her head and frantically ate her rice, not daring to look at her.
Zhu Yao seemed lost in thought.
Yu Nan wanted to cry but couldn't... She didn't dare look at Zhu Yao, so she simply pretended to focus on eating...
When her mother said that Zhu Yao was cunning in the morning, she couldn't help but reveal what Zhu Yao had told her in the middle of the night... Judging from this, her mother had also told her father.
Playing the sympathy card is especially deadly.
"Xiao Zhu, if Yu Nan bullies you again, tell your aunt, and Mom will stand up for you!"
Zhu Yao: ...
Yu Nan: ...Hey, people get a fee for changing their address!
Chapter 53 Picnic
There are three main methods for catching river shrimp...
Yu Nan, wearing a floral shirt and shorts, stood in the river, waving to Zhu Yao with half her body showing, before diving back into the water.
Zhu Yao sat on the bank holding a red bucket, her legs dangling in the river, watching Yu Nan's agile movements in the water.
Unexpectedly... Yu Nan, who is usually so weak and frequently in the hospital, is actually quite the free spirit...
As the northernmost town in the country, the summers here are not hot, and the river water is slightly cool. Zhu Yao could feel the smooth texture of the pebbles under her feet, and occasionally a fish would swim by and gently nibble at the soles of her feet—a very subtle sensation.
Yu's father took the two girls to catch river shrimp, then went back home to get shrimp bait and tools. Now, only the two of them remained by the river…
Yu Nan suddenly emerged from the water, covering herself with something in her hands as she walked towards Zhu Yao. The river water had soaked her body, and her lines were faintly visible in the sunlight…
Zhu Yao felt her face burning and awkwardly turned her head away.
"Sister, look!"
Yu Nan opened her tightly clasped hands, and a grayish-blue river shrimp was jumping around in her palm before falling into the bucket that Zhu Yao was holding.
"Wow, that's amazing! You can actually catch it with your bare hands!"
As a child who grew up in the city, Zhu Yao thought that fish and shrimp, which live in water, swim fast, and are very agile, could only be caught by nets, or by setting traps and using fishhooks.
Yu Nan said with a hint of pride, "First, dive into the water, then push your hands forward in a V-shape and you can catch it. Do you want to try it, sister?"
Zhu Yao glanced at the soaking wet Yu Nan, then felt the chill on her calves. "Never mind, I'm not a very good swimmer..."
She didn't want to get her clothes wet, nor did she want to go into the cool water.
Seemingly seeing through Zhu Yao's intentions, Yu Nan put her hands in the water and then raised her clenched hands high in the air.
The next second, a stream of water spurted from Yu Nan's hand, soaking Zhu Yao's clothes.
Zhu Yao: ...
Zhu Yao had clearly seen Yu Nan's actions, so she imitated Yu Nan's actions, drawing water and splashing it onto Yu Nan's face.
Yu Nan slapped the water hard, sending waves crashing towards Zhu Yao. "Cough cough... You ambushed me!"
Zhu Yao's clothes were completely soaked by Yu Nan's splashing, so she decided to play and went into the river to catch Yu Nan.
The river water was up to my chest, and the pebbles under my feet seemed to be covered with moss or algae... In short, they were slippery.
Yu Nan swam very fast in the water, her silvery laughter echoing around her. Zhu Yao couldn't tell which side Yu Nan was on, and since she wasn't a very good swimmer, she slipped and fell, disappearing completely into the water.
When she first entered the water, Zhu Yao did not expect that the river, which looked small, was so deep. She could not see anything while lying on her back in the water, and she was momentarily stunned and started splashing around.
She couldn't open her eyes; darkness seemed to have enveloped her all around. The gurgling sound of water filled her ears… The salty, fishy smell of river water filled Zhu Yao's ears, mouth, and nostrils…
Driven by her survival instinct, Zhu Yao forgot that the water wasn't even as high as her and began to struggle frantically.
Soon, she was embraced from behind in a not-so-broad but reassuring embrace. Zhu Yao was lifted up and her feet found their way to the bottom of the river.
Once Zhu Yao regained her balance, the embrace tightened, and Yu Nan rested her chin on Zhu Yao's shoulder, breathing heavily.
After coughing a few times, Zhu Yao managed to calm the soreness and bursting sensation in her nasal cavity and finally catch her breath.
"Sister... I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't swim, I shouldn't have bothered you..."
There was no trace of panic in Zhu Yao's eyes, as if the incident of falling into the water had not happened. She placed her hand on Yu Nan's hand that was wrapped around her waist and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I won't blame you."
"Besides, didn't you say you would protect me?"
On Mount Kongtong, in the hot spring at night, Yu Nan wrapped his arms around her from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and grinned as if making a vow—"I can protect you. I'm not afraid of anything except ghosts and gods."
This moment is just like that moment back then.
At that time, she didn't know Yu Nan's feelings and just thought it was a joke from a young man in his early twenties, so she didn't take it seriously.
Looking back now... it's likely that Yu Nan wanted to pursue her back then.
"Um…"
Yu Nan hugged her body, which was trembling slightly, like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid, or like someone who was afraid of losing someone they cherished.
Zhu Yao led Yu Nan back to the riverbank, where the two sat down, with Zhu Yao embracing Yu Nan and comforting her.
"Okay, it's alright now. See, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
Yu Nan looked up, her eyes slightly red. "Sister, I made you choke on water just now. I'd rather you scold me severely."
Zhu Yao chuckled, stroking Yu Nan's hair. The white, wet hair shimmered with golden watermarks in the sunlight. "So, will you try to drag me into this again in the future?"
"Never in this lifetime," Yu Nan said in a muffled voice, her head hanging low in dejection.
"That's good," Zhu Yao said gently, soothing Yu Nan's unease. "There's no need to scold her."
Yu Nan tugged at Zhu Yao's sleeve, feeling the other person's tolerance towards her, and felt a little embarrassed by her behavior.
Uh... I shouldn't have gotten Zhu Yao's clothes wet.
"Yu Nan," Zhu Yao said softly, "can you tell me when you fell in love with me?"
"I don't know, I just... like it more and more."
For example, what specific thing touched you?
Yu Nan leaned against Zhu Yao, slumping her weight into her arms, "So many things are making my heart flutter~"
"I love the breakfasts you make, I love the way you look from behind while you cook with your apron on, I love the notes with cute emoticons left next to the breakfasts..."
"I love the way you tuck your hair behind your ears when you patiently explain difficult points in your textbooks..."
"I love setting off fireworks at the beach at night, and the warmth of your hand as we stroll along the sand..."
"When I played horror games, you would repeat the game's sounds because I was scared..."
"I love it when you drive me around, and you look at me intently from the side..."
I love the poems you recite, I love your smile…