Look at Me Carefully

For dinner, Liu Chang'an ate stir-fried scallions with cured pork. The scallions were cut into squares, resembling white jade. The local chili peppers, which were crooked and not as pretty, were cut into short round segments, their green color like jade. After stir-frying with ginger and garlic until fragrant, the blanched cured pork was added, along with cooking wine. The pot was covered, and once the aroma was irresistible, it was served. The white, green, and red colors made it look very appealing and made it a perfect accompaniment to rice.

Liu Chang'an had eaten his fill. When he arrived at the mahjong parlor, he leaned against the door like a lazy bum, then took out his phone to check his messages.

"Have you been on Weibo much these past few days? You haven't liked any of the photos I took in Sanya."

"I went to Taiwan these past few days. I'll check your Weibo later. Why haven't you posted any photos of you and your mother together?"

"My mom is so beautiful, she has a great figure, and she's a university professor. Standing next to me, she looks like my older sister."

"That's why I said why you don't post photos of yourself with your mom; you'd get tons of likes, comments, and shares."

"Because my mother is a traditional, mature woman, she prefers to use WeChat, and her WeChat Moments are mostly filled with real-life friends."

"That's true."

"I got a wishing plaque in Sanya, and I got one for you too. Wishing you success in your career, good health, and a happy love life."

"Then you have to give it to me."

"Don't you live near Baolong Center? When I go shopping there someday, I'll put it in a locker at Baolong Center. I'll send you the locker's combination code then, and you can get it!"

I greatly admire your wit.

"Hehe, I'm too embarrassed to meet you."

Liu Chang'an went to Weibo to look at the photos and liked them one by one. When someone in the mahjong parlor called out that they were missing one player, he naturally had to join in.

The central figure in the mahjong parlor today is Wan Qiongfang. The younger people call her Sister Wan, and the older people call her Miss Wan. She is considered to be the wealthiest person in the neighborhood. She lives in Cloud Kun Province year-round and comes back to stay from time to time.

"You guys play mahjong too casually, you can't even lose a single bet. Let's play for higher stakes today, a few more exciting games," Wan Qiongfang said listlessly. "Mahjong games under ten yuan aren't very interesting."

"Xiao Liu, you go first." Old Man Qian gave Liu Chang'an a push. Although he was usually very resentful, when it came to saving face for the mahjong players in the neighborhood, Old Man Qian was quite self-aware. It was naturally Liu Chang'an should be the one to charge into battle and be cannon fodder.

Liu Chang'an took the stage, along with Liu Chang'an relative, Old Lady Liu, and Auntie Xie from the convenience store. These were all people who usually played cards quite readily, rarely complaining about winning or losing. Although Old Lady Liu occasionally liked to use eggs or small hens as payment, she generally didn't object, as these were considered valuable currency.

"Are you guys playing together?" After playing for a while, Wan Qiongfang felt something was wrong. The players to her left and right kept winning by drawing their own tiles and rarely discarded tiles that allowed others to win. As for Liu Chang'an across from her, he hadn't won by drawing his own tile once and only discarded tiles that allowed others to win. Although Liu Chang'an didn't win much, he had enough to pay for the other two players' winning hands by drawing their own tiles.

"You... you get down here!" Wan Qiongfang was unhappy. She was the only one who lost, and in a short while, she had lost more than 300. This Liu Chang'an was playing cards too strangely.

"That won't do! Why should I?"

"Miss Wan is not happy!"

"This is nothing!"

"I didn't even win, and I've already lost ten yuan. Why should I bet?" Liu Chang'an said indignantly.

After a few more rounds, Wan Qiongfang got annoyed, shoved the table, stood up, and stormed out of the mahjong parlor.

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere inside and outside the mahjong parlor was filled with joy.

Liu Chang'an was enjoying his moment of glory when Qin Yanan arrived at the mahjong parlor.

The eyes of the elderly men and women were all focused on Qin Yanan. After a brief silence in the mahjong parlor, the soft clattering of mahjong tiles could be heard again.

"Little Liu, a young lady is here to see you. Don't delay her." Old Man Qian impatiently pushed Liu Chang'an and took his seat.

Liu Chang'an pointed at Old Man Qian, saying, "He's really ungrateful for crossing the river," and then followed Qin Yanan out.

"Why do you always like to hang out with old people? Shouldn't someone your age prefer more lively places? It's just a few steps away from Jiefang West Road. I heard that's the bar street in Junsha, with all kinds of bars, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There's also a pedestrian street, a snack street, an ancient town street, and plenty of entertainment venues of all sizes nearby." Qin Yanan had actually been watching Liu Chang'an from outside for quite a while.

Judging from his carefree demeanor, he doesn't seem like a young person trying to appear mature and mingle among others.

"Loneliness is a normal part of life. Only those who can endure solitude will not lose themselves. People with strong inner strength are naturally not interested in so-called excitement. Most forms of entertainment are not as good as reading a book, having a few drinks, and eating some snacks." Liu Chang'an pointed to the mahjong parlor. "Mahjong, chess, and other board games, even if played for thousands of years, will always have a different outcome. Even with the same hand, you can create countless different games with almost endless combinations, like the evolution of the universe. It's fun."

Qin Yanan recalled that her great-grandfather also enjoyed playing chess and cards, but naturally he couldn't play as casually and happily as Liu Chang'an.

"Old Master Qin asked you to pass on a message to me. May I say it now?"

Liu Chang'an looked at Qin Yanan. Today, Qin Yanan wore light makeup, without the obvious embellishments on her lips and eyebrows that she wore during the day. Under the dim yellow lights of the community and the interlacing shadows of the trees, her makeup appeared natural, making her lips more alluring and her eyebrows more charming.

Thinking of An Nuan's feelings for Bai Hui, it's fortunate that her target was Bai Hui. If it were Qin Yanan, she would probably have given up hope, or she might have been practicing the Zhenwei Technique... but that would be useless. Innate deficiencies can be made up for later, but if the gap is too big, then so-called efforts will ultimately not be able to catch up with talent.

He said to let you take a closer look at me.

Qin Yanan walked to the streetlight and leaned against the wall, motionless. Her face showed some unease, as if she were waiting for his gaze, a little hesitant. She wasn't some commodity to be handed to him for a transaction; did she need him to scrutinize her so closely?

Liu Chang'an looked at Qin Yanan under the lamplight. The shadows of the night appeared here and there, blurring her outline. What the eyes saw needed more mental images to complete it. So at this moment, Qin Yanan looked more and more like Ye Sijin, as if she had traveled through time and was the exact same person.

"I've finished reading it." Liu Chang'an raised his hand, then lowered it again, and turned away. "It seems he's been playing charades with me all along. I'm too lazy to guess what he's thinking. I'll visit him again when I have the chance."

"Okay." Qin Yanan relaxed as well. "I still want to thank you. After receiving the letter, he promised not to force me anymore, and only asked that I not leave Junsha for a year."

"Then remember to come and cook for me often."

"..."

"It was a promise."

"All right."

Qin Yanan is a woman of her word. Since she'll be staying in Junsha for the rest of the year anyway, and she doesn't have much to do, she's like Liu Chang'an when it comes to entertainment. She's not interested in anything too noisy or exciting. Cooking and having a rather interesting but not boring or shallow younger cousin to keep her company is just fine.

Take a closer look at Qin Yanan? Liu Chang'an was pondering this question. Besides looking more and more like Ye Sijin, what else was there to see...? Liu Chang'an wanted to curse Qin Peng. Did he really think he was so great just because he was over a hundred years old? Couldn't he just say what he meant? When people get old, they like to play riddles, making others guess and think it's fun.

After all, she was the child he had raised and nurtured, so Liu Chang'an quickly put that aside and said to Qin Yanan, "Why don't you wear a cheongsam like your great-grandmother's someday? You might look especially beautiful in it."

Qin Yanan opened her mouth slightly, hesitated for a couple of steps, and unconsciously placed her hands on her lower abdomen, as if Liu Chang'an had discovered her little scheme. She smiled awkwardly, "Okay."

She was a little annoyed. She had intended to do this to give him a surprise, and she was tired of seeing his nonchalant, indifferent attitude. She was very curious about his shocked reaction... Now that he had brought it up himself, it meant he had expected this, which inevitably reduced the effect. How could she not be annoyed?