Is this something that can be said aloud?
Unconsciously, the scene between her and Chai Qianning from more than half an hour ago flashed through her mind... She licked her lips, as if some lingering taste still remained.
Her impure thoughts made her fair cheeks glow more brightly than the fiery clouds on the horizon. But fortunately, the fiery clouds were in the light, while her thoughts were in the shadows. Everyone's attention was focused on the light, and Shi Manwen didn't notice the change in her expression.
Sheng Muxi bluntly stated, "Although the example you gave seems to have deviated somewhat from the original topic, I have to admit that you might be trying to show off in front of single people."
Shi Manwen burst out laughing.
Sheng Muxi slapped her on the back: "Let's go, call Qiu Jie for dinner."
Tuya Homestay offers catering services, with a dedicated dining area. Of course, you can cook your own meals in the self-service open kitchen, or go to a restaurant a few hundred meters away.
Restaurants near scenic spots are definitely more expensive, since it's a farmhouse restaurant. Therefore, more people are willing to join the ranks of those cooking with traditional firewood.
Chai Qianning carried the last pot of flowers onto the terrace and clapped her hands.
After finishing my work, I walked down the small stairs and heard the laughter of children.
Lifting her eyelids to look to the side, she saw a group of children surrounding Qiu Jie.
"Grandma, your hair is so long." A little one tilted his head and looked at Qiu Jie.
Qiu Jie gently pinched the child's cheek: "Call me sister!"
"But my mom said that people with white hair are called grandma." The child asked, puzzled, "Why does my sister have white hair too?"
Qiu Jie rested her chin on her hand and asked, "What color should my sister's hair be?"
A child said, "Black hair. All the older sisters I've ever seen have black hair."
Another child said, "There are also yellow ones."
The older child waved his little hand: "You're all wrong. My mom told me that married women are called 'auntie,' and unmarried women are called 'sister.'"
Qiu Jie raised her hand, gesturing for the children to come over.
The children all crowded around, their eyes wide open, their faces innocent and naive.
"I'll tell you a secret," Qiu Jie said in a pretentious, low voice.
The children became even more curious when they heard it was a secret, and they all perked up their little ears.
Qiu Jieqian curved her eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Because, my sister isn't human."
"Then what is an older sister?" the children asked in unison.
“My sister is a fox spirit in disguise, the kind that eats children.” Qiu Jie stretched out her claws, her face darkened, and she opened her mouth exaggeratedly: “It’s dinner time now, I’m going to eat you all up one by one.”
A group of children were so frightened by her that they scattered and ran home in a panic.
Qiu Jie smoothed her hair, looking very relaxed.
"What did you do? You scared that child like that." Shi Manwen's voice came from afar.
Finally, he stopped in front of Qiu Jie and said, "A grown man like you is bullying a child."
"What do you mean by bullying children? I'm just playing with them." Qiu Jie's gaze swept over a patch of plants bathed in the soft hues of the setting sun.
Sheng Muxi shifted her gaze, her eyes meeting those of Chai Qianning, who was standing on the open-air staircase.
In the warm orange world, their gazes met and merged without any surprise.
Chai Qianning's eyes gradually curved into a smile as she looked at her, and Sheng Muxi returned the smile.
At this moment, Qiu Jie also noticed Chai Qianning and waved to her: "Hi, Xiaoning, are you still busy? Shall we go eat together?"
A dozen minutes later, the four people sat down under the open-air shed.
Chai Qianning and Sheng Muxi sat on one side, while Shi Manwen and Qiu Jie sat on the other side.
"Why is that mountain called Fish Cauldron Mountain?" Qiu Jie asked like a curious child.
Chai Qianning, who was more familiar with the area, answered her, "Look at the general outline of that mountain peak, doesn't it look like a fish?"
"It really is." Shi Manwen craned her neck to look.
"I heard that if you make a wish there, it will come true?"
"That's a saying, but it's like a shooting star; whether it will actually happen is another matter," Chai Qianning said, putting a piece of chicken into her mouth.
Over the next few hours, Chai Qianning, as the host, gave them a general overview of the tourist attractions in the area.
The sky gradually darkened.
The chandeliers hanging above the eaves of the guesthouse, the fairy lights draped over the green plants in the courtyard, and the colorful lights placed in the flower pots all lit up.
In this vibrant night, the sounds of cicadas and frogs all became part of the lively chorus.
Sheng Muxi tilted her head, propping it up slightly, her face showing a slight satisfaction after enjoying the delicious food.
Looking towards the dark blue sky in the distance, his gaze gradually slid down and settled on Chai Qianning's smiling profile.
The other person always had a smile in their eyes when they spoke, but it was much fainter and less playful than when Chai Qianning joked with her.
She stared at him quietly for a few seconds before noticing the soft crescent moons in his eyes.
Looking up, she saw a chandelier under the eaves of the guesthouse, its interior shaped like a crescent moon, shining into Chai Qianning's eyes.
Sheng Muxi's fingers twitched slightly, and unintentionally, she touched the other person's slightly warm fingertips. It was just a light touch, but it had a magical power that gripped her heart.
Thinking the other person was engrossed in conversation and hadn't noticed such a small detail, Chai Qianning naturally reached out and gently squeezed her fingers.
The pinch wasn't very strong and didn't cause any damage to the nerves, but it made Sheng Muxi's back straighten up for a moment.
Her gaze peeked down from the corner of her eye, but the other person was still focused on chatting with the people at the table and didn't look over.
But she remembered Shi Manwen's words, Shi Manwen's "test".
Qiu Jie said, "Hey, let's set off together tomorrow morning to watch the sunrise at Yuding Mountain."
Sheng Muxi and Shi Manwen had no objections.
Qiu Jie then asked Chai Qianning, "Are you busy tomorrow? Why don't you come with us?"
Shi Manwen was finally ready to play her role as a wingman. Though it was late, it wasn't too late. She chimed in, "Yeah, let's go together. It'll be more fun with more people."
The two of them were intentionally trying to bring the two of them together.
There's no such thing as being constantly busy, but Chai Qianning can be busy whenever she wants.
She wasn't interested in getting up early to climb stairs, and besides, it wasn't her first time visiting Yuding Mountain.
She had gone to the mountain several times during summer vacation when she was a child. The last time, when her classmates dragged her up the mountain, she made a one-time vow to the clouds, saying that she would never climb any mountain again.
Why go through all that trouble climbing so many steps? It's simply to stand atop the mountain and experience the feeling of "viewing all the mountains as small" described by ancient poets.
But once you've experienced it, it loses all its appeal; it's much more pleasant to lie indoors and enjoy the air conditioning.
So she smiled and exaggerated, "I'm afraid I might accidentally disappear from the face of the earth."
Sheng Muxi glanced at her and spoke up for her, "You shouldn't try to take her; her health might not be up to the task."
Chai Qianning's eyelashes fluttered, and she was very pleased.
"Oh," Qiu Jie said, and the conversation then shifted to other topics.
night.
The two wingmen rushed into Sheng Muxi's room.
Judging from their posture, Sheng Muxi felt that the two women had come to collect a debt.
Qiu Jie brushed a stray hair from her forehead: "God is indeed fair. When He gives a person outstanding looks and figure, He will correspondingly lower that person's emotional intelligence in love."
"It's a pity that someone with such high emotional intelligence in relationships is still single." Qiu Jie narcissistically raised her wrist, looking like she was praying, as if to say, "Oh, my God."
Watching the people in front of him put on such a theatrical performance, Sheng Muxi stood with her arms crossed: "What exactly do you want from here!"
Shi Manwen: "Teacher Sheng, can't you tell that Qiu Jie and I were helping you during dinner tonight?"
Qiu Jie: "Exactly, we've been creating opportunities for you and Xiao Ning to spend time together, and what's wrong with you? You're even helping them reject her."
Sheng Muxi glanced at the two of them and smiled helplessly: "I'm just worried about whether her body can handle it. Climbing so many steps is tiring, you know. She has a weak constitution."
"Sister, let's look at it from a different perspective. Isn't it better that they have a weak constitution?"
Sheng Muxi: "?"
"If they can't take it anymore, you can carry them on your back."
Sheng Muxi: "..."
"Are you trying to work me to death?"
"It's not that we want to exhaust you, and it's not us who will exhaust you." Qiu Jie placed her hand on her shoulder and patted it gently: "Young man, love always involves some hardship."
Immediately afterwards, the two pulled Sheng Muxi out the door.
"While they're still awake, go and invite them to watch the sunrise tomorrow."
Shi Manwen agreed, saying, "If she refuses, just say you can carry her on your back, so she can feel your sincerity."
Sheng Muxi: "..."
Seriously, those two are so good at talking without understanding the situation!
Chapter 27 Late-Night Misunderstanding
When Sheng Muxi arrived, Chai Qianning was lying on a rocking chair by the door, half-closing her eyes to relax and rest.
As the figure in her eyes gradually became clearer, Chai Qianning opened her eyes and sat up from her half-lying position when she sensed the person beside her. Her ever-smiling eyes stared at Sheng Muxi for a few seconds.
"Teacher Sheng."
"Hmm." Sheng Muxi sat down on the wooden chair next to her, casually picked up a bamboo leaf fan, and played with the small object hanging on the handle.
"Do you want to go to Yuding Mountain tomorrow?" Sheng Muxi asked casually, as if he had just wandered over there casually that evening and asked her a question off the top of his head.
Chai Qianning let out a soft "ah" and blinked.
Wasn't it you who said my body couldn't handle it? Why are you asking me again if I'm going or not?
"I think you should try exercising."