Chapter 99: Eloquent Speech

I stayed too long with Su Jin, so naturally, my time for grocery shopping and heading home got pushed back.

My mind was completely overloaded during that.

It was already dark, and the market must have closed, yet Shen Xiyan was still foolishly running toward it.

Seeing the empty stalls, he froze for a moment, then quickly turned around and went home.

He bought a few simple things at the convenience store by the gate.

Finally, he took a photo of the neighborhood entrance and sent it to Wenwen.

Shen Xiyan: [Hungry? Want me to bring something back to fill your stomach?]

Wenwen: [No need… Be thrifty and self-reliant.]

Shen Xiyan: [You mean I should be the one cooking?]

Wenwen: [Hurry back!]

Ever since Shen Xiyan’s cooking stopped being just a haphazard stew, Wenwen seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

Before, it was always “just getting by,” but now with all the fancy tricks—even his knife skills improving—it was unbelievable, like a sudden enlightenment.

Every time the aroma of food drifted into the living room, she’d drool, then sneak in wearing slippers to steal bites.

Her brother would either turn a blind eye or catch her hand and push her out.

Five minutes later, Shen Xiyan finally came home.

Wenwen lay crookedly on the sofa watching Peppa Pig.

Shen Xiyan quietly curled his lips.

“Bro, you’re back~”

On the coffee table were three plates of leftover food, and the air conditioner blew a cool breeze, making the room feel peaceful and cozy.

“Where did the food come from?”

“Miss Lin sent it over.”

“Did you thank her?”

The nature of Chinese people is always to smooth things over, to find balance.

For example, if Miss Lin said, “I brought you some food,” Wenwen would probably refuse.

But if Miss Lin invited Wenwen over to eat next door, Wenwen would accept the offer happily.

“No need to thank her…”

Miss Lin’s voice came from the bathroom, followed by the sound of the toilet flushing.

“You’re here?”

“Don’t know what took you so long… I was worried Wenwen would get hungry, so I packed her some food.”

“Thanks.”

“Bro~~” Wenwen gave a sharp look, her piercing gaze making Shen Xiyan uneasy.

“What do you want to say?” Shen Xiyan asked expressionlessly.

“You didn’t sneak off to visit Auntie at the hospital, did you?”

“No, the market closed, I got held up on the way.”

“Really?”

Wenwen narrowed her eyes, trying to find a crack in Shen Xiyan’s expression, but failed.

“Phew! Then I can rest easy. We’ll go see Auntie together on Friday… no sneaking off!”

“You talk too much!”

Since there was food, Shen Xiyan didn’t bother cooking.

He went to the kitchen, scooped a bowl of rice, and started eating heavily.

Miss Lin silently adjusted the air conditioner’s blades to direct some breeze toward Shen Xiyan and asked, “Enough? I think I still have some more…”

“No need, aren’t you going home soon?”

“Wenwen said she didn’t understand her homework and wants me to teach her.”

“Then why are you watching TV? Just because I’m not home, you think Miss Lin is easy to deal with?!”

Shen Xiyan leaned back and pinned Wenwen under him.

She struggled and rolled but couldn’t escape the grip of his five-finger mountain.

“Hurry up and go do your homework, or you won’t be able to get up tomorrow.”

Seems like a lot of people have this habit.

When they wake up in the morning, they hate that they stayed up late the night before and swear they’ll go to bed early tonight.

But by nighttime…

“Ah! It’s almost midnight, I’ll sleep at twelve.”

“Oh, it’s already twelve-oh-three, maybe twelve-thirty then.”

Until finally they can’t stay up any longer and fall asleep holding their phone.

“I’m just digesting…”

“You’re digesting my foot!”

Shen Xiyan reached out and rubbed her stomach, making Wenwen feel like someone was taking liberties with her, so her feet kept kicking her brother.

Shen Xiyan suddenly flipped her over and started slapping her “pa pa pa.”

“Bro, spare me!”

“Pa pa pa…”

“I’m sorry… sob sob…”

“Pa pa pa…”

“You only know how to bully me.”

“Pa pa pa…”

***

In the end, Wenwen, defeated and with tears in her eyes, pitifully went back to her room to do homework, and Miss Lin left too.

After a while, Miss Lin quietly opened the door and stepped out.

Looking at Shen Xiyan washing dishes, she felt this was really nice.

Back in the day, before they were married, meeting privately was unthinkable—she would have been dunked in a pig cage in seconds.

After marriage, the husband’s family usually checked the bride’s first blood; if none, it was a huge loss of face.

“Need help?”

Miss Lin said this, but already took the plates and bowls from Shen Xiyan’s hands and carefully rinsed them under the faucet.

“I’ll wash. My hands are rough, don’t want to ruin yours.”

Under the faucet, Shen Xiyan helped clean her small hands—white, tender, soft.

Miss Lin laughed: “Ah! I’m not that delicate.”

Shen Xiyan sighed silently to himself, thinking: I know whether you’re delicate or not.

So soft and tender.

“Xiyan! Look here!”

“Hm?”

“Haha!”

Miss Lin flicked her fingers, splashing water droplets onto his face.

Shen Xiyan retaliated with a splash, and they laughed together for a while.

Soon Miss Lin couldn’t hold out.

“You got water in my eyes!”

“Sorry, sorry… let me check.”

Shen Xiyan gently held her eyelids open and blew on her eyes.

Miss Lin blushed so hard she nearly fainted, nervously listening for Wenwen in the bedroom while cooperating.

That thrilling tension made her face flush as if about to drip water.

“All good… keep washing the dishes… Why stop me from helping?”

Miss Lin didn’t want to play such embarrassing games anymore.

They stood side by side at the sink, backs to the living room.

Occasionally, when passing dishes to each other, their hands accidentally touched.

The dish soap made their skin slippery and slick, like it was coated with lubricant.

Huh! Lubricant?

Miss Lin’s ears hidden in her hair turned red.

A strange thrill made her heart race uncontrollably.

An irresistible impulse welled up inside her, wanting to stay like this forever.

Thinking this, she acted on it.

***

Without expression, she grabbed Shen Xiyan’s large hand, pressed their fingers together, comparing sizes, and sighed: “You’re so big…”

Modesty?

What’s that?

Miss Lin was super bold!

She also discovered a little trick—whenever she closed her eyes, her imagination ran wild, picturing Shen Xiyan intertwining fingers with her, then pinning her on the bed.

She’d be coy and unwilling, but Shen Xiyan would open her arms, pin them to the sides, then gently nibble on her lips, cheeks, earlobes, down to her chin, and finally her swan-like long, fair neck.

She’d instinctively tilt her head back to show more of her beautiful neck.

Wuwu~~

“Lin Lin?” Shen Xiyan called her softly.

Lost in her fantasy, she didn’t hear.

Shen Xiyan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Am I the one being taken advantage of?

No… I must be the one thinking dirty.

Maybe she just likes the slippery feeling and it’s an unconscious reflex?

Otherwise, how to explain her current daze?

After cleaning up the kitchen, Shen Xiyan hung his apron on the hook by the fridge.

Miss Lin didn’t keep her distance; she wiped her hands on him.

“Xiyan, you go shower, I’m going to get something.”

“Okay.”

Just as Shen Xiyan finished undressing, he heard Miss Lin come back and start rummaging around the kitchen.

When he came out, she had washed a box of cherries and divided them into two plates—one for Wenwen and one set on the coffee table in front of Shen Xiyan.

“Xiyan! Eat up! They’re very sweet.”

She picked one up herself and started eating.

When eating cherries, she bit from the front—the best texture—and finally plucked off the stem, popping the whole cherry in her mouth before spitting out the pit with a “teh” sound.

Shen Xiyan was different.

He stuffed the entire cherry into his mouth, then used his teeth to bite off the stem.

“Why did you bring so many?”

“I want to eat with you… cough! I mean, with you guys~~”

“What about your parents?”

“They’ll buy their own if they want some.”

Shen Xiyan: “…”

This really caused a big laugh.

Seeing him eat, Miss Lin asked, “How is it? Good?”

“Okay…”

Shen Xiyan gave an ambiguous answer.

Because if he said it was good, Miss Lin would stop eating and deliberately leave more for him.

Though both families lived here, her family was much better off.

Several boxes of cherries were nothing.

For many years, the only times the siblings had cherries, strawberries, or durian were when Auntie occasionally treated them after payday.

Most of the time, it was Miss Lin footing the bill.

Miss Lin pouted: “Okay means what? Good or not good?”

Good.

“I think so too…”

Miss Lin popped a cherry in her mouth, then clapped her hands and stood.

You see?

Their relationship really grew closer starting from that teddy bear.

But it was normal for him to give Miss Lin a teddy bear—after all, the uncle and auntie took care of Auntie, so he should logically look after her too…

Though, he hadn’t really done much.

“Xiyan, look~~”

Miss Lin poked Shen Xiyan with her finger, tongue out, with a hint of pride in her voice.

“Look at what?”

“This!” She pointed to her mouth and stirred her pink tongue vigorously, making wet, sultry sounds.

Shen Xiyan still didn’t get it.

Miss Lin spit out what was in her mouth and proudly said, “I can tie my tongue in a knot.”

“Hm?”

“Look.”

She grabbed a cherry stem and flicked it into her mouth, then moved her tongue rhythmically.

Soon, she stuck out her glossy pink tongue with a knot tied on the tip.

Shen Xiyan was shocked: “That’s amazing!”

“Yeah… just found out recently…”

“What?”

“I can even untie it.” Miss Lin demonstrated untying the knot.

Before trying, she thought it’d be hard, but it was actually easy.

Maybe she had a natural talent for this?

Shen Xiyan tried too, but couldn’t do it at all.

“Amazing, Lin Lin… Didn’t expect you to be such a tongue-tied wonder woman.

Your future boyfriend’s gonna be so lucky.”

“Hmph! Told you I’m awesome!”

After Shen Xiyan’s “praise,” Miss Lin felt like a cup full of water about to overflow with happiness.

She felt light and buoyant.

Her tongue stirred even more vigorously, saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth, soon wetting her lips.

Miss Lin had no idea how deadly this look was to guys.

At least Shen Xiyan couldn’t handle it—bent over: “Wait! You play all you want, I’m going to the bathroom…”