The burnt fragrance of the fried dumplings hadn’t even faded when Mom had already briskly collected the plates.
Dad set down his bowl and went out the door, having arranged to play chess with Old Li.
In the blink of an eye only the two of them were left at the dining table.
Mu Yan had just stuffed the last fried dumpling in her mouth, butt just lifted preparing to take leave, when a hand pressed down on her shoulder.
“Jiejie, that rental apartment of yours doesn’t even have AC, going back is just dry steaming. Why not—”
“…Why not what.”
“Why not go out shopping with me.” Mu Siyi smiled and bent down, face coming very close.
“Look at you, from head to toe just those few pieces of clothes, yesterday’s dress is mine, the rabbit T-shirt is mine, pajamas also mine. You don’t have a single piece of your own?”
Mu Yan looked at her expressionlessly.
“…There’s a white T-shirt.”
“That one big as wearing a sack.” Mu Siyi reached out and poked her cheek.
“You grew this cute, dressing like that is pure waste of heaven’s gift. Let’s go, I’ll take you to buy new ones.”
“No need.”
“No.”
“I’m going back.”
“Go back what go back.”
Mu Siyi straightened up, arms crossed looking down at her from above.
“That room of yours in daytime is hot as a steamer, go back to sit and stare blankly? At my house at least there’s AC, WiFi, and someone to talk to you—although you don’t like talking much. Afternoon stroll the mall, evening come back for dinner, it’s decided.”
Decided my ass. Says stroll the mall, clearly wants to treat me as a dress-up doll to play with. Yesterday that rabbit T-shirt was already outrageous enough, heaven knows what demons and monsters she can pick out today.
Mu Yan stood up, trying to go around her and shift toward the door.
Result the other party took a step across, solidly blocking in front.
“Jiejie, you can’t even push me, still want to force your way through?”
Footsteps nailed in place.
Mu Yan lowered her head glancing at her own arms thin as bamboo poles, then looked up at the smiling face opposite.
Last night she put in eighty percent force pushing the other person, the other didn’t budge an inch, even said she was giving a massage.
“…Move.”
“When you say move it’s so cute, try being a bit fiercer?”
Mu Yan took a deep breath and forced out a sentence she considered the harshest.
“Mu Siyi. Don’t push your luck.”
Mu Siyi blinked, reached out and pinched her cheek pulling it lightly outward.
“When Jiejie says this, face all red, voice soft and fluffy, where does it look like talking tough. Even using idioms to scold people now? Pretty impressive, say another one for me to hear?”
Fists hardened.
Mu Yan gave up.
She stood in place, looking at the other with those ripple-less eyes.
“…How long.”
“That’s more like it.” Mu Siyi let go, patted her head. “Won’t be too long, just stroll a mall buy a few clothes, eat outside at noon. Let’s go.”
Mu Yan walked to the door to change shoes, casually picking up the sun umbrella from the shoe cabinet.
Jiangcheng’s July sun was poisonous enough to melt the asphalt road.
Just stepping out of the apartment building, the heat wave directly pasted on her face, cicadas crying as if ripping hearts and lungs.
Mu Siyi opened the umbrella, yanking her under it in one pull.
“Come closer, don’t get sunburned. Your skin is white as porcelain, what a pity if it tans.”
Mu Yan didn’t make a sound, quietly walking in the umbrella’s shadow.
From home to the mall was a fifteen-minute walk, passing through that old street planted full of plane trees, turning a corner was the newly opened shopping center.
In 2018 Jiangcheng was building subway everywhere, roadside enclosed with blue boards, construction noise humming.
“Here.” Mu Siyi folded the umbrella and pushed open the glass door, cold air wrapping and rushing at their faces. “Which stores does Jiejie usually stroll?”
“…Don’t stroll much.”
“Then perfect, today I’ll be your stylist.” Mu Siyi grabbed her wrist and charged toward the third floor. “First buy tops, then pick pants and skirts. Do you like skirts or pants?”
“Pants.”
“Okay, buy both skirts and pants.”
“…I said pants.”
“I heard.” Mu Siyi looked back and blinked at her. “Your opinion is for reference only, final interpretation rights belong to me.”
Entering a Japanese-style women’s clothing store, the shop wasn’t large, clothes arranged neatly by color, playing Japanese songs she couldn’t understand at first listen, the tune quite light.
“This store’s style suits you.”
Mu Siyi scanned the shelves, hands flying fast pulling, three or four tops, two pairs of pants, one gray midi skirt, all piled into Mu Yan’s arms in one go. “Go try.”
“…This many.”
“Many what many, this is only a few pieces. First try the white knit shirt with that dark blue wide-leg pants. Fitting room over there, hurry.”
Mu Yan shuffled to the fitting room hugging a pile of clothes.
Before pulling the curtain she looked back once—Mu Siyi was already sitting on the opposite sofa with legs crossed, waving at her, face clearly writing “I already can’t wait to see the next set.”
First set, white short-sleeve knit shirt paired with dark blue wide-leg pants.
When she pulled the curtain and walked out, Mu Siyi was twisting a mineral water bottle to drink, seeing her she directly set the bottle down, looking her up and down for a full five seconds.
“Not bad Jiejie! This set makes the legs look long! Turn a circle for me to see.”
Mu Yan turned a circle expressionlessly.
“Pants a bit long.”
Mu Siyi squatted down to roll the pant cuffs for her, fingertips brushing her ankle, cold enough Mu Yan shrank a bit.
“Your height wearing wide-leg pants is a bit of a stretch, rolling them up is fine. Stand up let me see… mm, acceptable. Next set, go change the light blue shirt with the midi skirt.”
While changing clothes, she heard Mu Siyi chatting with the clerk outside.
The clerk was a girl with ponytail, early twenties.
“Your little sister is so cute, face so small, skin also white.”
“Right～” Mu Siyi’s voice carried a smile. “She talks little, looks like a doll.”
Mu Yan’s movements in her hands paused.
Little sister?
Just now in front of Mom still calling Jiejie one after another, out the door immediately demoted me huh.
“But you two don’t look much alike, you’re a lot taller than her.”
“She takes after Dad, I take after Mom.” Answered smoothly, face not red heart not jumping.
Pulling open the curtain, light blue shirt tucked into gray midi skirt, revealing a slender section of white calf.
Mu Yan stood there, face starting to faintly heat again.
Mu Siyi tilted her head looking for three seconds, walked over to help tidy her collar.
Fingertips touched her neck, cool and silky.
“Collar not flipped well.”
She muttered a sentence, then stepped back to size up.
“Shirt is okay, skirt length just a bit above the knee, makes legs look long. Turn another circle.”
Finished turning.
“Keep this set. Go change the light green short sleeve with white shorts.”
Curtain pulled shut then open again, tossing back and forth seven or eight sets.
Mu Yan had completely become an emotionless dress-up tool, change whatever told to change, turn circle when told to turn circle, obedient beyond words.
Mu Siyi was like reviewing works, glancing each set twice, tossing out a short comment:
“This set makes you look white, keep.”
“Colors don’t match, change.”
“This piece too old-fashioned, you wear it looking twenty-seven or eight, change.”
“This pair of tight pants no good, you wear it too eye-catching, walking on the street easy to get approached. For my personal safety, change.”
What do you mean your safety? Getting hit on shouldn’t be my business?
Trying the eighth set, Mu Yan was already numb.
This set was a pale pink doll-collar shirt paired with cream cotton-linen shorts.
When she pulled the curtain, Mu Siyi had just finished the last sip of water.
Seeing her, the person fell silent for three seconds.
“Jiejie.”
“…Mm.”
“Keep this set. No, buy two. One you take away, one leave at my house, wear this when you come stay later.”
“…Why.”
“Looks good.” Mu Siyi’s eyes were very bright. “You wearing pink is really amazing. Face no expression, paired with this color instead has a contrast feel. Doll collar also matches this face of yours, perfect match.”
Mu Yan lowered her head glancing at the pink shirt on her body.
Looks good is looks good, just always feels a bit weird somewhere.
“…Bought too many.”
“Many what.” Mu Siyi rummaged calculating. “Two tops, two pants, one skirt, plus this set, total six pieces, enough to wear.”
She hugged the selected clothes to the cashier, the clerk smiled packing.
Mu Yan stood beside, pulled out her phone and directly scanned the code.
The clerk folded clothes while smiling. “You sisters have such a good relationship, older sister doesn’t pick at all, all listens to little sister.”
“Yeah, my jie’s personality is introverted,” Mu Siyi glanced at Mu Yan, corners of mouth curling. “Talks little, listens to me in everything. Super good.”
Mu Yan looked up, expressionless.
“And jiejie looks too cute too, skin white as a porcelain doll.”
The clerk bagged the last piece.
“Just now I even thought you were classmates, completely can’t tell you’re sisters. Little sister is taller, face shape also different. Are you cousins?”
“Blood.” Mu Siyi didn’t change expression. “She takes after Dad, I take after Mom.”
The blush on Mu Yan’s face floated up again.
That expressionless little face floating two patches of pink, the clerk glanced and laughed even happier.
“Aiyo even blushing! Your jiejie is too easy to get shy!”
Mu Siyi reached out and poked her red cheek, cool and silky, fingertip sinking in a bit.
“She’s like this, blushes at the drop of a hat. Used to it. Right, Jie?”
“…Right.”
Voice flat with no rise or fall, the blush instead deepened another layer.
Coming out of the clothing store, Mu Siyi walked in front twirling the sun umbrella, looking back once.
Mu Yan carried three or four shopping bags following behind, face expressionless, blush not completely faded yet.
“Jiejie.”
“…Mm.”
“I never said let you treat to lunch.”
Mu Yan’s footsteps paused.
“…You didn’t say.”
“But you paid for the clothes so fast I didn’t even have time to stop.”
Mu Siyi tilted her head, smiling with a face of getting away with it.
“Not like my ge, buying a T-shirt had to wait for Double Eleven discounts.”
Of course you didn’t say.
You just stuffed clothes into my arms, stood in front of the cashier, if I don’t pay am I supposed to let the clerk wait for you to pull out your wallet?
“…What do you want to eat.”
“Fourth floor newly opened a Japanese restaurant, heard the eel rice is super delicious.”
Mu Siyi folded the umbrella, pulling her onto the escalator.
The mall AC was on full, the broadcast playing If We Don’t Meet Again, the song playing everywhere on the streets in 2018.
Arriving at the shop, the waiter came up asking how many, Mu Siyi said two, picked a window seat to sit, pushing the menu to Mu Yan.
“Jiejie order.”
“…You order.”
“Okay, then I won’t be polite.” Mu Siyi flipped open the menu, fingertip pointing at eel rice, flipped another page adding salmon sashimi and two cups of iced oolong tea. “These first.”
The dishes came quite fast.
The sauce on the eel rice gleamed under the lights, salmon sliced evenly thick and thin, arranged quite exquisite.
Mu Siyi picked a piece of salmon dipped in wasabi soy sauce, stuffed it in her mouth, satisfiedly squinting her eyes.
“Delicious. Jiejie you try.”
Mu Yan picked a piece into her mouth, no taste, still nodded.
Halfway through eating, Mu Siyi put down chopsticks, chin in hand looking at her.
“Jiejie, how much did buying clothes cost today?”
“…Didn’t notice.”
“Didn’t notice?” Mu Siyi raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t even look at prices? Those few pieces added up at least five or six hundred, you paid without even blinking. My ge used to be so stingy, buying a T-shirt had to wait for Double Eleven.”
Mu Yan’s hand picking eel paused.
Not that I’m spendthrift, mainly university saved a bit of living expenses, usually part-time plus scholarship, really do have a couple idle coins in hand.
“…It’s fine, not expensive.”
“Jiejie is really generous.” Mu Siyi tilted her head smiling, gaze a bit subtle.
“Then lunch? This meal you treat or I treat?”
Mu Yan put down chopsticks, calmly looking at her for two seconds, didn’t answer, picked up the bill and directly got up to the cashier.
“Jiejie, I really didn’t say I want you to treat.”
After paying and sitting back, Mu Yan picked up the iced oolong tea and drank a sip.
“…You didn’t say.”
“But you already paid, then count it as you treating. Next time I treat, next time for sure.”
Next time for sure.
The tone you say this is exactly the same as me saying tomorrow I’ll definitely do homework.
When they finished eating and left the mall, the sun was at its most poisonous, heat waves rolling.
Mu Siyi opened the umbrella, pulling Mu Yan under it, casually taking two bags from her hands.
“I’ll help you carry two, that little strength of yours, don’t tire yourself.”
Now you know to feel sorry for people. Just now forcing me to try the eighth set why didn’t you say.
Mu Siyi hummed a song walking under the umbrella, after walking a stretch, suddenly spoke.
“Jiejie.”
“…Mm.”
“Next Wednesday, let’s go to the amusement park?”
Mu Yan’s footsteps paused.
Amusement park?
Going there she’ll definitely drag me into the haunted house screaming in my ear, or force me to ride the merry-go-round and take photos, then turn around and post in the family group captioning “Jiejie so cute.”
“Not going.”
“Go go. Summer break this long, staying at home is such a waste. And there are student tickets, I have student ID, can help you buy one too.”
“I’m not a student.”
“You look like one.” Mu Siyi turned her head glancing at her face.
“This face of yours saying middle school student some people would believe. When the time comes I’ll just say you’re from the same school as me, definitely can sneak through.”
She paused, tone carrying a bit of unrefusable force.
“Next Wednesday, it’s decided. If you don’t come I’ll go block you at the rental apartment. You know I can find it.”