Qin Yanan helped Liu Chang'an wrap zongzi all morning. They had zongzi for lunch, too, and before she left, Liu Chang'an gave her four to take home.
Qin Yanan sent some photos she had taken to her great-grandfather. Of course, there was no way to know when he would see them. Even if they were close family, they couldn't disturb Qin Peng whenever they pleased. Everything depended on the schedule set by his health-care doctors.
When she returned to Baolong Center, Qin Yanan went to find Zhong Qing. Since she was spending the Dragon Boat Festival with Liu Chang'an, she couldn't be bothered to travel back and forth, so she had stayed at Zhu Juntang's place, which was close to Liu Chang'an's.
Zhong Qing had taken the dog to swim in the river. The dog was the one swimming, of course. Zhong Qing found leering looks disgusting—in fact, she was practically allergic to them. Sometimes her skin would even feel swollen and red, and she would have trouble breathing or even feel like throwing up.
Of course, those people's gazes weren't poisonous. It was just an exaggerated physical reaction triggered by a psychological condition, and it was difficult to treat.
She had no way of appearing in a swimsuit at an open-air swimming pool or on a beach. With her figure, there was almost no chance she could avoid attracting the very looks that made her react that way.
"That dog doesn't look like the one you had before." Qin Yanan wasn't interested in keeping pets, but she could tell this dog was bigger and sturdier.
"The old one ran off."
Qin Yanan nodded. When a fierce dog like that ran off, hardly anyone would dare approach it to adopt it or bring it home as a pet. It had probably ended up in a dog-meat hot pot restaurant by now.
"Want some zongzi?" Qin Yanan held up the four zongzi. "They're cooked already, so you just need to heat them up. I don't know what the filling is, but they have peanuts in them. They're not greasy at all, and the seasoning's just right. Pretty tasty."
"I like sweet zongzi, the fruit-filled kind you can eat in one bite. I can't finish even one of these big ones." Zhong Qing politely declined.
"Want to go shopping this afternoon?" Qin Yanan could have spent the whole day with Liu Chang'an, but it was obvious he didn't find her company especially enjoyable. As soon as they'd finished eating, he had sent her on her way.
Qin Yanan wasn't even angry. She seemed used to it. Maybe that was a big sister's tolerance.
Their blood relation was already somewhat distant, but compared to the status of fiancé, being with her little cousin felt much more natural. Qin Yanan didn't mind it. Today, she had even felt a little like standing up for her little cousin. It was quite nice... Qin Yanan recalled what he had said that time: strictly speaking, he wasn't related by blood to anyone. What kind of nonsense was that?
"I have to make arrangements for Third Mistress's visit. The secretary's office called out of the blue this morning to say she'd decided at the last minute to come to Junsha." Zhong Qing shook her head.
"All right, go take care of it. I'll have a shower and then take a nap." Qin Yanan knew that the person the Zhu Family most fussed over was Third Mistress. Zhong Qing was going to be busy for a while.
Zhong Qing had studied in Junsha all the way through high school. When her mother married into the Zhu Family, Zhong Qing went to Taiwan to study, too. By the time she was in college, she had already been groomed to be Zhu Juntang's assistant... Actually, Zhu Juntang didn't have much for Zhong Qing to do. Third Mistress gave her more errands.
Qin Yanan returned to her room and gazed out the window. Only then did she realize how close Liu Chang'an's residential complex was when viewed from above. She borrowed the binoculars from Zhu Juntang's room and could just make out Liu Chang'an carrying out a reclining chair and lying down for a nap with a large fan in his hand.
She couldn't make out his face, but she could tell it was him. Zhu Juntang's room had a custom Zeiss 1700 mm lens and a matching camera. The lens alone weighed five hundred pounds. Even with an electric mount to make it easier to move, Qin Yanan wasn't about to lug it over just to spy on Liu Chang'an. Besides, the angle from Zhu Juntang's room was wrong.
She closed the curtains, plunging the room into darkness, then gradually turned on the lights. In the dressing room, she tried on a pink brocade qipao. But, like so many clothes Qin Yanan liked that looked entirely different once she put them on, the qipao looked like lingerie on her. She frowned and sighed... People said she looked just like her great-grandmother, but how was it that her great-grandmother looked so good in a qipao? So serene and elegant, as unassuming as bamboo. Surely no one had ever looked at her great-grandmother with the same kind of gaze they used on Qin Yanan?
Qin Yanan usually had to wear bras that offered no lift at all, or simply use pasties with a camisole. She had to avoid anything that might make her bust look even a little bigger.
Maybe she could have a qipao made in the same color and style as the one her great-grandmother wore in the photos. A sudden, intense anticipation welled up in Qin Yanan. She wanted Liu Chang'an to see Ye Sijin in the flesh. Maybe then he would understand why he felt such a inexplicable fondness for and desire to protect her great-grandmother.
After her shower, Qin Yanan didn't take a nap. She changed and headed straight to a tailor's shop. Her mother worked in Junsha with her father, so finding the best qipao tailor in the city was easy.
When Liu Chang'an woke from his nap, he lifted Killing Commendatore, which he had used to cover his face. He was reading the Japanese edition. Many of Haruki Murakami's translated works always carried a sour taste between the lines, which Liu Chang'an didn't particularly like. Chinese was so emotionally powerful that translations from other languages often seemed to have had their artistic mood and atmosphere reworked.
On that lazy afternoon, with a lone plane tree branch, the wind howling weakly, and the creaking of his reclining chair, Liu Chang'an yawned and waved his palm fan. He was just about to compose a poem to express his feelings when his phone rang, so he gave up on the idea. He couldn't help thinking that if the gentlemen in the textbooks had had phones to play with back then, they might have poured all their talent into posting on Weibo, Tieba, Zhihu, and other sites, chatting and talking nonsense.
"May your Dragon Boat Festival be peaceful and well. Mom and I took a morning flight, and we've arrived in Sanya."
"Did you see some Moments post claiming that the Dragon Boat Festival should only be peaceful, not happy?"
"Lots of the articles on Moments can still broaden your knowledge."
"The Book of Rites says, 'Joyfully welcome those who come; mournfully send off those who depart. Therefore, the Di sacrifice has music, but the Chang sacrifice does not.' The Di refers to the summer sacrifice, which is a time for celebration... So why has everyone suddenly started insisting on wishing people peace and well-being? How uneducated."
"Y-You're scolding me?"
"No. Is Sanya fun? Going out for just the Dragon Boat Festival seems a bit rushed." Liu Chang'an hurriedly changed the subject.
"Hehe, it's all right. Mostly, Mom wanted to buy me some skincare and makeup. They're cheaper at the duty-free shops here, and you can earn points, too."
"Doesn't your mother use them?"
"Mom hardly ever uses makeup. Her skin is really, really good. She only uses a few skincare products, and she doesn't wear much makeup, either."
A little while later, Liu Chang'an smiled and stood up. He found the message An Nuan had sent wishing him a happy Dragon Boat Festival and replied.
"I just woke up from my nap."
"Must be nice. Mom and I went straight to the duty-free shop as soon as we got off the plane. We've been shopping here all day. She used up my entire duty-free allowance on skincare and makeup, and all she gave me was one lipstick—the one she liked least, picked out of an YSL gift set. I'm furious."
"Remember to rest and relax. Your mom probably wants you to clear your head before the college entrance exams so you'll be in the best shape."
"I think she's just having a second spring. You're not really going to start an online romance with her, are you?"
"No."
"When we get back, you're showing me your phone!"
Liu Chang'an stopped replying. Ever heard of privacy? Seriously, why did girls always like checking people's phones so much?
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