Lin Jianxia

Seven o'clock sharp.

Lin Jianxia walked out of the storeroom.

The bookstore owner at the front desk was eating takeout. Seeing her come out, she casually asked, "All done?"

"Mm, everything's been unpacked and sorted," Lin Jianxia nodded and said softly. "I also checked the purchase order. The numbers all match."

"Alright, you're off work then." The owner waved her hand.

Forcing herself to look away from the steaming braised chicken, Lin Jianxia nodded politely.

"Goodbye, Aunt Zhao."

She pushed open the bookstore door. The sky had already darkened, with only the last faint streak of sunset lingering on the horizon.

The air was filled with the mingled aromas of food and charcoal smoke. Lin Jianxia instinctively covered her rumbling stomach.

She took a deep breath, slung on her backpack, and headed home.

Linjiang No. 3 High School was only a ten-minute walk from Splendid New Village. Lin Jianxia soon arrived downstairs.

As an old residential complex built years ago, the street in front of the buildings had long since become lively. All kinds of snack stalls and night market vendors lined the road, filling the air with tempting, smoky scents.

Her steps gradually slowed, her stomach growled even louder, and her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the barbecue stall beside her.

Reason urged her to hurry upstairs, but the hollow feeling in her stomach left her unable to move.

"Little girl, what would you like?" Seeing her stop, the woman at the barbecue stall greeted her warmly. "We've got everything here."

Lin Jianxia hesitated for a moment before softly asking, "Auntie, how much are the chicken wings?"

"Five yuan a skewer. Our chicken wings are grilled with a secret recipe—they're absolutely delicious."

She quickly did the math in her head. "Then... one skewer of chicken wings and one skewer of mushrooms, please. No spice on either one. Sorry to trouble you, Auntie."

"Alright, they'll be ready in a moment!" the woman replied briskly.

She deftly picked out a skewer of chicken wings and a skewer of mushrooms from the food containers, brushed them with a thin layer of oil, and placed them on the blazing charcoal grill.

The chicken skin quickly began to glisten and sizzle, its charred aroma mingling with the scent of cumin. The mushrooms curled slightly at the edges as clear juices seeped out.

Lin Jianxia stood beside the stall waiting, her eyes following the two skewers back and forth.

Under the warm yellow glow, tiny droplets of oil occasionally splashed up and flashed like fleeting stars.

"Here you go, girl. Hold on to them!"

The woman handed her the skewers in a paper bag. They were hot enough to scald her hands. Lin Jianxia carefully accepted them, paid, and softly thanked her.

She did not open the bag right away. Instead, she turned and quickly walked into the residential complex.

Lin Jianxia stopped beneath the dim light at the stairwell entrance and took out the grilled chicken wings first.

The wings were glossy and golden-brown, their cumin and oily fragrance rushing straight into her nose as they gleamed temptingly in the light.

She stared at them for several seconds, her throat bobbing slightly, but she still carefully put them back into the paper bag and neatly folded over the opening.

Then she took out the grilled mushrooms and, by the vague light in the stairwell, finished them in a few bites.

Afterward, Lin Jianxia put the empty skewer back into the bag and headed upstairs.

The key slid into the lock with a soft click.

She pushed open the door and was met by silent darkness.

There was no surprise on her face. Lin Jianxia entered, reached out to turn on the main light, then placed her backpack on the table.

Only after finishing all that did she walk toward the inner room. She stopped before the tightly shut door and gently knocked.

After waiting silently for a few seconds, she pushed the door open and entered.

In the slightly dim light, Lin Tingwan sat on the edge of the bed with her knees drawn up. Her beautiful eyes stared blankly out the window, utterly motionless.

"Wanwan," Lin Jianxia called softly. "I brought you something tasty."

Hearing that, Lin Tingwan seemed to finally come back to herself.

She turned to look at Lin Jianxia. A faint glimmer finally lit up in her previously empty eyes.

Lin Tingwan blinked, slowly rose to her feet, and let her gaze fall on the grilled wings in her sister's hand.

She did not take them immediately. Instead, she picked up the spiral notebook beside the bed and neatly wrote a line:

"Where's yours?"

"I already ate. Look, the skewer's still here." Lin Jianxia's expression remained perfectly natural as she shook the empty skewer in the paper bag. "Wanwan won't blame me for eating first, right?"

Lin Tingwan shook her head. Only then did she take the chicken wings and lower her head to nibble on them in small bites.

"You must be starving. I'll make dinner." Lin Jianxia turned to leave and casually asked, "Wanwan, do you still have any snacks?"

Lin Tingwan obediently followed behind her, taking small bites of the chicken wings without answering.

"Oh, right..." Lin Jianxia did not mind. She took an opened pack of strawberry gummies from the pocket of her school uniform pants. "Here, I tried one for you. They're pretty good."

Seeing her little sister accept them, she nodded in satisfaction and went into the kitchen.

The rice in the cooker was already done and being kept warm. Lin Jianxia lifted the lid for a look, confirmed that the rice was fully cooked, then turned to open the refrigerator.

The refrigerator was nearly empty.

The top shelf held several wilted leafy vegetables, two or three sections of carrot, and a small handful of bean sprouts.

Other than two eggs, the bottom shelf contained only half a bag of dried noodles.

A small box of tofu lay alone in the compartment on the refrigerator door, its edges already slightly yellowed.

There really were not many vegetables left, and they were all vegetarian.

...I need to buy groceries.

Thinking this, Lin Jianxia took out the wilted greens, half a carrot, and the box of tofu with its yellowing edges.

She swiftly washed and chopped the vegetables. Soon, a small pile of shredded carrot and torn leafy greens had gathered on the cutting board. She cut the tofu into small cubes and rinsed them with water.

The kitchen filled with the sizzle of hot oil. Lin Jianxia skillfully stir-fried the dishes while Lin Tingwan stood nearby, silently watching.

Two vegetarian dishes were soon placed on the table.

The tofu was soft and tender in a light broth, while the greens gleamed with oil and still steamed.

Lin Tingwan set out the bowls and chopsticks, and the two sisters sat facing each other.

"Wanwan, let me tell you..."

As Lin Jianxia ate, she told her sister little amusing things from the day—from the sparrows constantly chirping outside the window, to the teacher suddenly dozing off in class, to the interesting book titles she had seen at the bookstore.

Lin Tingwan listened attentively, occasionally lowering her head to write one or two questions in her spiral notebook.

Whenever that happened, Lin Jianxia would answer happily.

After the meal, Lin Jianxia quickly cleared away the dishes. Then the sisters sat side by side at the desk and began their studies for the night.

The older sister carefully explained, word by word, what the teacher had covered that day, and the two of them completed their homework together.

The sound of pen tips gliding across paper was especially clear in the quiet room.

Once they had finished their homework, Lin Jianxia took her sister to wash up. They changed into clean pajamas and lay side by side on the narrow single bed.

"Good night, Sister."

Lin Tingwan wrote the final line in her notebook and gently nudged her sister's elbow.

Lin Jianxia turned her face toward her and smiled faintly in the darkness. "Good night, Wanwan."

She reached out and switched off the little bedside lamp.

That was a day in the life of the girl Lin Jianxia.

Nothing eventful. Just an ordinary day.

But just as she was about to fall asleep, a certain frivolous smiling face suddenly intruded into her mind at the worst possible moment.

...Shameless!

In the darkness, Lin Jianxia silently ground her teeth. After mouthing a fierce curse, she finally closed her eyes in satisfaction.