Liu Chang'an shuffled downstairs in his flip-flops.
Mist drifted into the stairwell. The light beneath the awning was on, dim and yellow.
Two or three glossy green plane-tree leaves stretched over, their edges beaded with clear droplets that looked especially lovely.
The moment he heard the voices, he knew Shangguan Dandan was teaching someone her little household tricks again—the sort that made her look like she was diligently living life with shrewd efficiency.
"Is the water meter still running?" Shangguan Dandan poked her head in from beside the outdoor faucet and called into the room.
"No!" Qin Yanan, the foremost talent in the world of flattery and a sure contender for champion of the "Li Hongfang Cup Straight Man Competition," shouted as she stared at the meter inside.
After shouting, she came out and said admiringly to Shangguan Dandan, "I'll set up my water collection like this at home too. Over time, it'll save a whole lot of water."
Shangguan Dandan strutted forward with her head held high and nodded in satisfaction, pleased both by her own thrifty, housewifely demeanor and by Qin Yanan's teachability.
"Your place has a smart water meter, and it uses the hotel's plumbing. The water bill is already eighty percent higher than ordinary residential water. If you want to collect water like this, you'd be better off buying a home first and switching to ordinary residential water," Liu Chang'an said, unable to watch any longer.
The two of them had gotten up even earlier than Zhou Shuling and Zhou Dongdong, putting on this whole performance here. Was a spring bed too damp, too cold, and too uncomfortable?
"Ah..." Qin Yanan had merely been playing along with Shangguan Dandan. She had not expected her brother to be up already. She glanced at him, her cheeks flushing