Jiang Lai was tangled up by Chi Yingyu until she had no choice but to shrink deeper into the covers following her pull.
The bedsheet wrapped around both their bodies, still carrying the residual warmth of just waking up. Chi Yingyu was like a little cat that had found a heat source, rubbing her head back and forth against Jiang Lai’s neck hollow, her nose tip occasionally brushing against her skin, making Jiang Lai laugh softly.
“Stop nuzzling. If you keep at it, I’ll get too ticklish to lie still.”
Jiang Lai’s fingertip traced slowly down Chi Yingyu’s back, able to feel the fine waistline beneath the pajama fabric. But Chi Yingyu didn’t stop. Instead, she tangled her legs even tighter, her voice muffled. “I will nuzzle. With Sister around, I’m too embarrassed to get handsy with you, because I know whatever I do, Sister will touch right back.”
Watching Chi Yingyu desperately cling to her while Xiaoxue was away, Jiang Lai turned her head, looked at the soft hair whorl on top of Chi Yingyu’s head, and couldn’t resist gently rubbing it with her finger pad.
“You. Then take this chance to snuggle up to me as much as you want. I’ll allow whatever you want to do, but it’s best not to let Xiaoxue find out, or she’ll get jealous…”
Jiang Lai tried hard to balance between the two of them, thinking of all the lovey-dovey things she’d done with Xiaoxue in the room before, so now whatever Chi Yingyu did to her, she could accept.
“Then I’d want to lock the door.”
Chi Yingyu finally lifted her head, eyes sparkling like they held shattered light. “Just in case we get interrupted somehow. And with the door locked, there’s a sense of security too. At least Sister definitely won’t barge in, right?”
As she spoke, she reached out to hook Jiang Lai’s fingers, her fingertip gently scratching her palm.
“Is that okay? Let me go lock the door, and then I’ll properly keep you company.”
Jiang Lai’s palm tickled from the scratching. She couldn’t help but close her hand around Chi Yingyu’s and laughed.
“But if you go lock the door now, isn’t that too obvious? The lock makes a loud ‘click’ sound. If your sister hears it, she’ll find out even faster.”
No sooner had Jiang Lai’s warning words landed than she felt Chi Yingyu burrow deeper into her embrace, cheek pressed against her chest, where she could clearly hear her soft breathing.
“Fine then… I’ll be a little good for a while and just hold you like this.”
Chi Yingyu buried her face in Jiang Lai’s chest. Jiang Lai felt like she was holding a little furnace that radiated heat, and even her breath turned warm and cozy.
Her fingertip lightly hooked the hem of Jiang Lai’s pajamas, occasionally brushing against the skin at the side of her waist, making Jiang Lai tremble slightly. But she didn’t push her away. Instead, she reached out and pulled her even closer into her arms.
“Jiang Jiang’s heartbeat sounds so nice.”
Chi Yingyu said muffled, her nose tip rubbing against Jiang Lai’s clothing, able to smell the faint scent on her. Even though they used the same laundry detergent and shower gel, it was exactly this same scent that, warmed by Jiang Lai’s body heat, became especially gentle.
Jiang Lai lowered her head, looked at the fluffy top of the person in her arms, and couldn’t help but smile.
“No matter how nice it sounds, you can’t keep pressed against it forever. You’ll get stifled soon.”
“I won’t.”
Chi Yingyu lifted her head, her eyes still clouded with the moisture of just waking up, yet showing a bit of childish stubbornness.
“I want to stick close. Anyway, Sister isn’t here, so I’ll do whatever I want. Didn’t you promise me that?”
Jiang Lai was amused into laughter by Chi Yingyu’s self-righteous little look, her fingertip gently flicking her nose tip.
“Yes, yes, yes, I promised you. Whatever you want is fine.”
No sooner had Jiang Lai’s words landed than Chi Yingyu, like a little cat that had received special permission, immediately buried her face back into her chest, even deliberately rubbing against her neck hollow. Her warm breath swept over her skin, making Jiang Lai’s fingertip curl again.
“Jiang Jiang smells so good.”
Chi Yingyu’s finger carefully touched, her fingertip tracing lightly up along Jiang Lai’s waistline, stopping at her collarbone, carefully touching it. Then she lightly pecked Jiang Lai’s cheek, like a chick pecking rice, leaving a trace of warm touch.
Chi Yingyu’s voice was muffled, carrying a bit of the clinginess of acting cute.
Jiang Lai’s heart was made soft and tingly by that light peck. She couldn’t help but tighten her arm, holding her even closer.
“Silly girl, you like nuzzling me that much!”
Chi Yingyu immediately nodded, her head rubbing back and forth in her embrace.
“I like it. I like it the most. Doing anything with you is what I like the most.”
The two of them didn’t know how long they held each other. The sunlight outside the window shifted a little further toward the middle of the bed, falling on their overlapping bodies, dyeing the tips of Chi Yingyu’s hair a pale gold.
Jiang Lai looked at that strand of glowing hair and couldn’t resist gently twirling it with her finger pad, soft like dandelion fluff.
“Ying Yu’s hair is soft. Feels nice to touch.”
“Then I’ll let you touch my hair. Does Jiang Jiang want to give me another good morning kiss?”
Chi Yingyu leaned toward her lips again, her voice carrying a coquettish request. “Jiang Jiang, kiss me one more time, okay?”
Jiang Lai didn’t hesitate. She lowered her head and gently covered her lips, her movement as tender as if she were afraid of breaking her.
Chi Yingyu immediately closed her eyes, obediently responding, her fingertip tightly clutching Jiang Lai’s pajamas, as if she had grabbed hold of the whole world’s warmth.
It wasn’t until both of them were slightly short of breath that Jiang Lai gently pulled away, forehead against her forehead, her voice a little hoarse.
“At most just this once. We haven’t even washed up yet. No more kissing. Satisfied now?”
Chi Yingyu nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“Satisfied!”
“Good. Let’s hold each other a while longer.”
Jiang Lai went along with her wish, reaching out to pull the corner of the blanket up, covering their bare shoulders.
Meanwhile, in the room’s kitchen, Shen Ruxue was also enjoying her own happy morning. Being alone with her daughter, even just simply cooking, was happiness. One could say that right now she was a complete and total daughter-con.
What she had never experienced before, what she hadn’t seen for so long… a daughter who had grown into an adult. Shen Ruxue really wanted to learn more and more about her daughter Jiang Leyi.
Shen Ruxue really wanted to learn more and more about her daughter Jiang Leyi.
She saw Jiang Leyi standing by the sink, carefully rinsing some small potatoes. As Shen Ruxue took a bag of rice out of the cabinet, she watched her daughter’s wrist from the corner of her eye.
The girl wore loose loungewear, her sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing slender wrists. Her movements were slow but steady. The water gently flowed over the potatoes, washing the dirt clean off.
“Le Yi, just put the washed potatoes in the colander over there. We can make potato pancakes in a bit.”
Shen Ruxue’s voice was very soft, afraid of breaking the rare quiet in the kitchen.
Jiang Leyi didn’t turn around, only gave a soft “Mm,” raising her hand to put the washed potatoes into the bamboo basket beside her.
Shen Ruxue looked at her daughter’s profile, and a soft ache suddenly welled up in her heart. For the past ten-plus years, she had always imagined what her daughter would look like grown up, but she had never thought that the first time cooking with her daughter would be on such an ordinary morning.
No forced pleasantries, no awkward probing. Only the sound of water and the breathing of two people.
She poured the rice into the basin, and saw that Jiang Leyi had already come over carrying warm water, the spout gently aimed at the edge of the basin. Before Shen Ruxue could say anything, she slowly poured about half a pot.
“Is this enough water?”
The girl finally spoke, her voice carrying the slight hoarseness of just waking up, but very clear.
“It’s cold now in winter. Better to use warm water to wash the rice.”
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