The entrance to a breakfast shop.
Xia Yunuo, carrying her schoolbag, waited quietly there, still feeling a bit of tightness in her chest.
The thought of Xia Kening sending her a voice message using Song Yunshen's WeChat and deliberately making sarcastic remarks made Xia Yunuo feel an itch to bite her.
If Xia Kening hadn't been away from home, she would have already pinned her younger sister down on the bed and given her a severe punishment.
I haven't asserted my authority as the older sister for too long, and Ningning is getting more and more arrogant. If this continues, won't she turn the world upside down?
As Xia Yunuo was thinking this, she suddenly saw Song Yunshen riding his electric bike towards her in the distance. When their eyes met, Xia Yunuo's mood instantly brightened, and she forgot all her bad mood from before.
Xia Yunuo ran quickly towards the direction of the electric scooter, her ponytail bobbing up and down on her schoolbag.
The two ran towards each other. As they drew nearer, Song Yunshen gradually slowed down his electric scooter, finally stopping beside Xia Yunuo. He handed her the helmet and said with a smile, "Let's go, I'll take you to the market to buy groceries."
Xia Yunuo nodded, put on the helmet, and then straddled Song Yunshen's back seat, gently hugging his waist.
Then she suddenly remembered that Song Yunshen had mentioned on WeChat that he would take his cousin home, and she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Did you take your cousin home on an electric scooter as well?"
"Yes," Song Yunshen nodded in agreement without trying to hide it, "It's convenient this way."
"Oh." Xia Yunuo gently. The next second, she hugged Song Yunshen's waist and moved even closer, her two small hands successfully meeting and overlapping in front of Song Yunshen's stomach.
Song Yunshen felt his back pressed completely against Xia Yunuo's body, and his heart began to beat slightly faster.
He glanced down at his two tiny hands clasped together in front of his stomach, swallowed slightly, then took a deep breath. "Sit tight, let's go."
The electric vehicle started smoothly and headed towards the vegetable market.
Xia Yunuo felt the gentle breeze blowing past her ears, watched the street scene rushing past her, and gently rested her head against Song Yunshen's back without saying a word.
Song Yunshen didn't continue speaking, and the two remained silent, as if as long as they didn't speak and break the tacit understanding, they could continue to hold each other legitimately like this.
Unfortunately, the distance from the neighborhood to the market is ultimately limited.
A few minutes later, Song Yunshen had already driven her to the entrance of the vegetable market.
Xia Yunuo reluctantly let go of Song Yunshen's waist. Watching him get out of the car, take off his helmet, and look at her, Xia Yunuo quickly lowered her head, pretending to take off her helmet, but actually hiding her blushing face.
As she hurriedly got off the bus, she returned the helmet she had taken off to Song Yunshen. With her back to him, Xia Yunuo patted her cheeks, finally feeling a little better.
"Come on, just follow me," Xia Yunuo said to Song Yunshen. "I come here often, I know this place very well."
"Yes, yes, I come here often too..." Song Yunshen thought to himself. But he certainly didn't say it aloud; he simply followed Xia Yunuo's lead and walked into the market with her.
"Tomato and egg stir-fry, chili and pork stir-fry, potato and shredded pork stir-fry." Xia Yunuo muttered the three dishes Song Yunshen ordered. After figuring out which ingredients she needed, she headed straight for the target stall.
[Strange, why do their eyes seem so weird today?]
Could it be because I brought Song Yunshen with me?
While Xia Yunuo was buying groceries, she noticed the strange look in the stall owner's eyes and couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Upon hearing her thoughts, Song Yunshen felt a jolt in his heart, suddenly realizing that something was amiss.
Because I've been coming to the market to buy groceries with Xia Jinshu every day recently, and because it's rare to see young people shopping at the market, most of the stall owners here are quite familiar with them.
In addition, Xia Jinshu and Xia Yunuo often come here to buy vegetables and are very good at bargaining, so over time the stall owners here have remembered them.
Fortunately, no one was a gossip; they just found it strange, and business still had to go on.
But after Xia Yunuo finished buying the pork and headed towards the vegetable section, Song Yunshen suddenly realized a more serious problem.
Just as he was about to call out to Xia Yunuo, it was too late.
"Hey, Xiao Nuo, your sister just came by this morning, what brings you here again?" Grandpa's familiar voice came from the front. Song Yunshen watched as Xia Yunuo walked to Grandpa's stall, politely greeted him, and then turned to leave.
But Grandpa had sharp eyes and spotted Song Yunshen behind him at a glance. He immediately widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Hey! You little rascal, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Grandpa, do you know him?" Xia Yunuo asked when she saw Zhao Lisong greeting Song Yunshen.
"What?" Zhao Lisong looked at Xia Yunuo, raising an eyebrow. "You came with him?"
"Yes." Xia Yunuo nodded.
"This kid is my grandson," Zhao Lisong said bluntly.
"Huh?" Xia Yunuo was stunned for a moment. She looked at Zhao Lisong, then turned to look at Song Yunshen, her expression blank. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Seeing Song Yunshen had no choice but to step forward quickly, then patted Xia Yunuo on the shoulder and introduced her to Zhao Lisong: "This is my classmate, Xia Yunuo. Grandpa, do you know her?"
"It's more than just knowing each other!" Zhao Lisong said with a laugh. He was about to continue when Xia Yunuo interrupted him.
"I... I'm very familiar with your grandfather," Xia Yunuo explained to Song Yunshen somewhat flusteredly, "Because I often come here to buy groceries, so I've seen your grandfather many times."
Seeing Xia Yunuo's reaction, Zhao Lisong narrowed his eyes slightly, instantly thinking of many things, and said no more.
Song Yunshen pretended not to know anything, nodding and showing a look of sudden realization. "So that's how it is." [Thank goodness, Grandpa didn't let it slip. It would be terrible if Nuonuo knew I bring her sister here to buy groceries every day.]
Thank goodness, Yunshen's grandfather didn't let it slip. It would have been terrible if he knew that my sister and I often come here to buy groceries.
Almost simultaneously, the two heard each other's inner thoughts, and then froze in shock.
Song Yunshen was alright, since he already knew about the relationship between the three Xia sisters.
However, when Xia Yunuo heard Song Yunshen's thoughts, she first secretly pouted, thinking that she already knew that her sister would cook dinner for Song Yunshen every day.
But the next second she realized something was wrong.
elder sister?
How would Song Yunshen know that Xia Jinshu is my sister?!
Xia Yunuo was stunned and momentarily panicked.
She quickly buried her head and pretended to pick out vegetables to hide her expression, but her heart was pounding.
Did Song Yunshen already know?
But how could that be?
Who told him that?
Logically speaking, since Ningning is still pretending to be Song Yunshen's cousin, Song Yunshen most likely doesn't know that Ningning is my sister.
In this situation, it would seem very abnormal for Ningning to tell Song Yunshen that Xia Jinshu is Xia Yunuo's older sister.
Unless Ningning has already told him about the three sisters' situation in private.
But if it was the eldest sister who told Song Yunshen... Although that's a possibility, Xia Yunuo always felt that Xia Jinshu was the most discreet person in the family.
Knowing that she didn't like telling outsiders about her family, she really couldn't understand why Xia Jinshu would tell Song Yunshen these things.
Xia Yunuo's mind was a complete mess.
Meanwhile, Song Yunshen was being scrutinized by his grandfather's gaze.
"What's wrong with you, kid?" While Xia Yunuo was picking out vegetables, Zhao Lisong leaned close to Song Yunshen and whispered, "Do you know that your classmate is Xiao Shu's sister?"
"I know, what's wrong?" Song Yunshen glanced at Xia Yunuo, making sure she hadn't heard the conversation, and felt slightly relieved.
"You're asking me what's wrong? Don't you have any shame?" Zhao Lisong tapped the boy's chest impatiently. "What exactly do you mean by this?" "Grandpa, you're overthinking it. I'm just friends with those two sisters," Song Yunshen said seriously. "Right now, Xia Jinshu is my tutor, and Xia Yunuo is Yingying's tutor."
"So you've brought Xiao Shu to play at our fishpond."
"I even took Xu Zhuoyue to play at the fishpond. Does that mean I have feelings for men too?" Song Yunshen retorted speechlessly.
"Hey, you little rascal." Zhao Lisong clicked his tongue, looked at Xia Yunuo, then at his grandson, "You better not mess around, or I'll have to get your uncle to teach you a lesson."
"Okay, okay, Grandpa, don't overthink it." Song Yunshen waved his hand, comforting his grandfather before moving closer to Xia Yunuo to help her pick out vegetables.
After selecting the tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, Song Yunshen put them directly into a bag, and then took Xia Yunuo with him and left.
"Huh? We don't need to pay?" Xia Yunuo was taken aback and quickly reminded her.
"This is my own grandfather, why would I need to pay?" Song Yunshen said with a smile. "Goodbye, Grandpa, we're leaving now."
Seeing this, Xia Yunuo quickly turned to look at Zhao Lisong, opened her mouth, but suddenly didn't know how to address him.
"You're his classmate, so you can call me Grandpa from now on," Zhao Lisong said, noticing the girl's embarrassment.
"Okay, goodbye Grandpa." Xia Yunuo breathed a sigh of relief, her face slightly flushed, and quickly said goodbye to Zhao Lisong.
"Go on, go on." Zhao Lisong waved his hand, watching the two figures leave, then sighed with a slight headache. After leaving the market, both Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo felt a little strange.
However, the two tacitly avoided talking about it. After getting on the electric scooter, Xia Yunuo once again took the initiative to hug Song Yunshen's waist, resting her head against his back, pretending that she knew nothing.
Although Song Yunshen already knew about the relationship between her and his older sister, he probably didn't know that he even knew that his older sister was his tutor and even cooked dinner for him every day.
Xia Yunuo didn't intend to bring it up, content to be like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, only wanting to enjoy the time alone with Song Yunshen.
When the electric scooter returned to the Tangning New Residence West District, it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet.
The two carried the groceries home, and Xia Yunuo went into the kitchen to prepare a dish first.
At this moment, she glanced at the apron hanging on the wall, then stole a glance at Song Yunshen, before pretending not to see it and taking out the ingredients one by one, ready to get started.
Seeing this, Song Yunshen Shen took the apron off the wall, patted Xia Yunuo Yun Nuo on the shoulder, and when she turned around, he helped her put on the apron. Then he pressed her shoulders to make her turn back, and put his hands behind Xia Yunuo to tie the apron for her.
Xia Yunuo tried hard to suppress the slight upturn of her lips, secretly delighted, and obediently let Song Yunshen do as he did, letting him help her put on her apron.
"Alright, you can continue." Song Yunshen patted her shoulder, then asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No need, you should go and rest," Xia Yunuo said. "These three dishes are very simple. Let me check the time; if things go quickly, they should be ready before 11 o'clock."
"There's no need to rush," Song Yunshen said. "After you've prepared the food, you can come to the study and play some games with me, or we can pick out a movie first." "Then, just make sure the food is ready by 11 o'clock."
"We can have dinner at the coffee table in the living room and watch a movie while we eat. We'll have two hours before class at 1 p. m., how about that?"
Xia Yunuo's eyes lit up when she heard his arrangement, and she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."
After saying that, Xia Yunuo began to prepare the dishes seriously.
Meanwhile, Song Yunshen didn't actually leave. He stayed to help her wash the vegetables and observe Xia Yunuo's performance in the kitchen.
It has to be said that Xia Yunuo's cooking skills are probably not much worse than Xia Jinshu's; the only difference might be in the level of proficiency.
As Song Yunshen watched her chop vegetables, he recalled how Xia Jinshu usually prepared vegetables and couldn't help but secretly compare the two.
[I feel that Xia Jinshu is more efficient when chopping vegetables; her knife skills are indeed better.]
[Especially the way these potato shreds are cut, you can definitely see there's still a significant difference.]
Hearing Song Yunshen's thoughts, Xia Yunuo pursed her lips, feeling slightly discouraged.
She's the one cooking, but this guy is still thinking about his sister.
Xia Yunuo felt a little unwilling, but she also knew that her older sister was indeed much more outstanding than her, and she couldn't help but feel a little inferior. Her emotions suddenly became a bit overwhelming.
She knew it, she always knew it... Her sister was better than her in every way.
Whether it's personality, academic performance, interpersonal skills, or even daily life skills, I can't compare to my older sister.
She's just not good enough, but she's tried her best. However, the harder she tries, the less she can catch up, and the clearer she becomes about the gap between herself and Xia Jinshu.
That's why she never mentions her sisterly relationship with Xia Jinshu in front of outsiders.
Especially in front of Song Yunshen.
But how did Song Yunshen know this?
Xia Yunuo became increasingly unhappy and aggrieved as she thought about it, to the point that she couldn't concentrate. When she was cutting the potato shreds, she suddenly hissed, startling Song Yunshen who was next to her.
Seeing her raise her left hand, Song Yunshen quickly leaned over, grabbed her wrist, and examined it carefully, asking anxiously, "Are you alright?"
"N-nothing." Xia Yunuo was startled herself, but luckily it was just a cut on her finger that didn't bleed, so it wasn't a big deal.
But Song Yunshen still took the kitchen knife from her right hand, put it aside, and then immediately grabbed her wrist, led her to his bedroom, took out a home first-aid kit from the drawer, disinfected her finger with alcohol, and then bandaged it with a band-aid.
"It's not that serious, is it?" Xia Yunuo muttered shyly. "Is it a matter of seriousness?" Song Yunshen glanced at her, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't think about anything while you're chopping vegetables. What were you thinking about just now? Were you daydreaming?"
"I wasn't thinking about anything." Xia Yunuo lowered her head shyly.
"So you're thinking about something." Song Yunshen reached out and pinched her chin, deliberately making her look up and into his eyes. Then he smiled. "Don't always keep your bad mood inside. Good friends are for confiding in. If you don't tell me, it just means our relationship isn't good enough."
"That's not true... it's just..." Xia Yunuo panicked and subconsciously took a half step back to avoid Song Yunshen's finger, then lowered her head again.
But it seemed that Song Yunshen gave her some courage. Xia Yunuo organized her thoughts slightly and tentatively asked him, " Yunshen."
"Hmm?" Song Yunshen tilted his head slightly.
"If there were someone who was far superior to you in every aspect—academics, personality, interpersonal skills, and daily life—and no matter how hard you tried, how much you chased after them, you could never catch up or be as excellent as them, what would you do?" Xia Yunuo said, pursing her lips.
Upon hearing her words, Song Yunshen instantly realized who the person Xia Yunuo was referring to was.
Indeed, from a worldly perspective, Xia Jinshu is a very outstanding person, no matter from any angle.
But this kind of comparison is obviously not appropriate between people.
Song Yunshen couldn't explain why, but before Xia Yunuo said those words, he had never felt that Xia Yunuo was inferior to Xia Jinshu.
Although he did often secretly compare the three sisters in certain aspects, it was just a joke. As a whole, he never felt that Xia Yunuo was superior or inferior to the other two.
But some things are not convincing just by talking.
After thinking for a moment, Song Yunshen took a step forward, came to Xia Yunuo, opened his arms, and gently hugged her.
In that instant, Xia Yunuo's body tensed up and stiffened in Song Yunshen's arms. Her mind was buzzing and blank; she couldn't understand why Song Yunshen had suddenly hugged her.
Her fists clenched, but she showed no intention of pushing him away.
The next second, Song Yunshen to her ear and whispered:
There are many outstanding people in this world. If you're always thinking about how to catch up with them, life will be too tiring.
"Is it possible that you yourself haven't even realized it, but you actually have many strengths that others can't match?"
"You might not realize it, but I see it clearly. Otherwise, how could we have become good friends?"
Xia Yunuo gently rested her forehead against Song Yunshen's chest, his tender whispers echoing in her ears.
Although she still felt she couldn't compare to her sister, at least for this moment, she shouldn't consider herself a loser, right?
Xia Yunuo gently grasped Song Yunshen's collar, secretly inhaling his scent. Her previous gloomy mood vanished, leaving only the pounding of her heart.