The bedroom was very quiet. The young man and woman stood facing each other, gently embracing.
It wasn't exactly a full embrace; Song Yunshen only had one hand on Xia Yunuo's shoulder and the other hand gently supporting her lower back, with a small distance between them.
Xia Yunuo's forehead was resting on Song Yunshen's chest, her small hands clutching his collar.
Aside from that, there was no further contact.
After listening to Song Yunshen's comforting words, Xia Yunuo leaned against his chest, pursing her lips in silence for a long time. Only after her emotions gradually calmed down did she softly reply, "Thank you..."
After saying that, she released her grip on Song Yunshen's collar, raised her head slightly, and took half a step back.
Song Yunshen withdrew his hand at the right time. Seeing that the hair on her forehead was a little messy, he raised his hand again to help her tidy her bangs.
Xia Yunuo blinked, letting him brush the bangs from her forehead, her cheeks flushing slightly, her mood gradually rising.
"Let's go, I'll chop the vegetables." Song Yunshen pulled her wrist and led her towards the kitchen.
Xia Yunuo obediently followed him out of the room, and quickly said, "No need, my hand is fine, it's just a little scratch."
"You think it's nothing, but I feel heartbroken," Song Yunshen said without any hesitation. "You have to consider my feelings, right?"
Upon hearing his words, Xia Yunuo blushed instantly, stammering and unable to speak. Her heart pounded rapidly, and she felt completely at a loss, unsure how to respond. So, after returning to the kitchen, she could only stand aside and watch Song Yunshen shred the potatoes.
"So you can chop vegetables too?" Xia Yunuo looked at his knife skills, which, although not very skillful, were very correct, and couldn't help but ask.
"Cough cough, it's alright, I can barely do it, but I definitely can't compare to you." Song Yunshen Shen prepared to cut the tomatoes into chunks.
[Luckily, I recently learned a trick from Xia Jinshu, otherwise cutting it into chunks would be one thing, but cutting it into strips would be a real challenge for me.]
Xia Yunuo heard Song Yunshen's thoughts in her mind, her expression changed slightly, and then she couldn't help but clench her small fists.
My older sister is always like this, always one step ahead, always surpassing her in every way.
As a result, even when it came to teaching Song Yunshen to cook, he would fall behind.
Thinking about this, Xia Yunuo felt a little unwilling.
Then she remembered the brief moment Song Yunshen had held her in the bedroom. For no apparent reason, Xia Yunuo mustered her courage, moved closer to Song Yunshen, and then reached out her hand to him, saying:
"Your posture is correct, but I feel there's something wrong with how you're applying force. Do you think cutting like this would be better?"
As she spoke, Xia Yunuo took the initiative to grasp Song Yunshen's hand, changing the direction of his force.
Because of her petite stature, Xia Yunuo positioned herself slightly behind and to the side of Song Yunshen to facilitate her movement. With her forearm outstretched and gripping Song Yunshen's Song Yunshen, most of her body was pressed against his back. Feeling the girl's close embrace, Song Yunshen's thoughts raced, and he almost drifted off into thought. "Hmm, cutting like this seems a bit easier."
"Right?" Xia Yunuo said, but she didn't let go of his hand. Instead, she held it for a while longer until both tomatoes were cut into pieces. Only then did she let go of his hand naturally and stand back next to Song Yunshen.
Song Yunshen breath, thinking to herself that these three sisters were truly sent by heaven to torment her.
It's just cooking a meal, but both the older and younger sisters are doing it, leaving him feeling stuck and uncomfortable.
Moreover, unlike Xia Jinshu, who has a slender figure and long limbs, when Xia Yunuo leaned in to teach him how to cut vegetables, her entire body was almost pressed against his, which made the temptation even greater.
Fortunately, after cutting the tomatoes, the dishes were ready.
Song Yunshen washed his hands, glanced at the time, and found that it was still early, so he led Xia Yunuo to the study.
"How long will it take to cook three dishes today?" Song Yunshen asked.
"It'll be quick, just over ten minutes." Xia Yunuo estimated the time. "If you want to watch a movie, you can start cooking at 10:30."
"Let's pick a movie first, then play some games, and then start cooking at 10:30," Song Yunshen said.
"Okay, okay." Xia Yunuo nodded obediently.
This time, the two didn't specifically choose a movie. They simply opened a website, scrolled down the historical rating list, and clicked on anything that interested them. In the end, they chose a sci-fi movie that was seven or eight years older than them. After making their choice, the two plunged back into the world of Fireboy and Watergirl in the Forest Temple, having a great time.
For Xia Yunuo, who rarely uses a computer, these kinds of puzzle-action-adventure games are indeed quite suitable for her.
Originally, Song Yunshen wanted to try out some games with her, like the It Takes Two game, but after thinking about it, he realized that the controls might be a bit too difficult for Xia Yunuo. He decided to wait until she was more proficient at playing the Fireboy and Watergirl in the Forest Temple game.
She can still make a mistake three or four times out of ten when controlling the Ice Maiden to jump over lava, let alone playing other games.
Besides, playing games alone and playing games with a girl are completely different experiences.
When Song Yunshen was a child, he used to play Fireboy and Watergirl in the Forest Temple by himself, controlling one character with each hand, developing both sides of his brain, racking his brains, and relying on his own skills and wisdom to pass the levels.
But when he plays with Xia Yunuo, he doesn't like to use his brain. Instead, he lets Xia Yunuo direct him. He finds it extremely cute to see her make mistakes and cover her head in frustration.
Whether you pass the level or not is no longer important.
If it were Xu Zhuoyue, they would have already been calling each other incredibly stupid and yelling, "If you're so good, then you do it!"
The two played games until 10:30, then got up on time and went to the kitchen to make lunch together.
Originally, Xia Yunuo had planned to prepare lunch by herself, while Song Yunshen could simply wait in the living room.
Unexpectedly, Song Yunshen not only knew how to chop vegetables, but also demonstrated remarkable skill in assisting with cooking. Without even eavesdropping on Song Yunshen's thoughts, Xia Yunuo already guessed where this skill came from, and immediately felt somewhat uncomfortable.
But since things had already come to this, she had no choice but to accept it.
Starting today, she'll be cooking for Song Yunshen every weekend; she absolutely can't lose to her sister!
Sigh... It's all the school's fault. They insisted on having extra classes in the morning, which prevented her from making lunch for Song Yunshen.
Thinking about this made Xia Yunuo feel a little depressed, but the thought of being able to take math class with Song Yunshen cheered her up a bit.
The three dishes were quickly and successfully cooked. Xia Yunuo carried the plates to the coffee table in the living room and placed them there. Song Yunshen followed behind, serving rice with bowls and chopsticks.
Then Song Yunshen took a blanket and laid it on the floor between the coffee table and the sofa, then took two bottles of drinks and invited Xia Yunuo to sit down on the blanket.
The two of them leaned back on the sofa, their legs dangling under the coffee table—a perfect, comfortable position.
Song Yunshen pressed the remote control, found " The Matrix," clicked play, and then picked up his Mizone and clinked glasses with Xia Yunuo.
Xia Yunuo happily took a sip of her Mizone, then picked up her chopsticks and first placed a piece of stir-fried pork with chili on Song Yunshen: "Try it and see how it tastes?"
"Mmm~ Delicious!" Song Yunshen praised it even before he had tasted it.
"You haven't even eaten any, how can you say it's delicious?" Xia Yunuo was both amused and exasperated by his words. "How can you praise someone like that?"
"As the saying goes, a dish must have perfect color, aroma, and taste. This dish is so perfect in both color and aroma, how could it taste bad?" Song Yunshen said with a straight face, making up a story. "As a professional food critic, I don't even need to taste it to know whether this dish is good or not."
Xia Yunuo giggled at his joke, her face beaming with joy.
The two then ate their meal while watching a movie.
After eating for about half an hour, all three dishes on the table were gone. Song Yunshen then temporarily paused the movie, went to the kitchen to wash a plate of fruit, and pulled Xia Yunuo to sit on the sofa to continue watching the movie.
This time, Xia Yunuo took the initiative to get close to Song Yunshen. The two of them were arm in arm, and they could feel each other's warmth. They would occasionally feed each other a piece of fruit, and that's how they finished watching the movie.
"If it were you, would you choose the red pill or the blue pill?" Xia Yunuo couldn't help but ask Song Yunshen after watching the movie.
"That depends on what kind of life I lead in the virtual world," Song Yunshen popped a grape into Xia Yunuo's mouth, then said, "If I were rich and powerful in the virtual world, with everything I wanted, I'd definitely choose the blue pill. But if I'm just a corporate slave in the virtual world, struggling to make ends meet from nine to five, I might as well just swallow a red pill and turn the world upside down!"
Xia Yunuo blinked, not expecting to hear such an answer from him, "I thought boys would all choose the red pill, after all, saving the world and being a hero sounds really cool."
"You said boys would choose the red pill, so do you want to choose the blue pill?" Song Yunshen said with a smile.
"Probably," Xia Yunuo replied softly. "Am I being too cowardly by making this choice? But I think even in the virtual world, just being a regular worker, as long as I can An'an peaceful life, is already pretty good."
"What does it matter? It's just a different choice." Song Yunshen patted her head. "Just like in the real world, the kind of life you choose depends entirely on your own thoughts. As long as you don't harm others, you can do whatever you want." "And what about you?" Xia Yunuo asked curiously, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Me?" Song Yunshen thought for a moment, then stroked his chin and said seriously, "I'll definitely try my best to inherit my father's fortune, then find something I enjoy doing, An'an peaceful life."
Hearing this, Xia Yunuo opened her mouth slightly, then lightly patted his shoulder in an annoyed tone, saying coquettishly, "You rich people are so annoying when you talk."
"Oh, I'll just tell you the truth." Song Yunshen put his left arm around Xia Yunuo's shoulder, then waved his right hand and said, "I'll ask you to be my personal chef. Besides cooking, you'll just play games and watch movies with me. I'll make sure you're well-fed and clothed, okay?"
Xia Yunuo covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Then I should thank you in advance!"
The two people were sitting on the sofa chatting and laughing when suddenly the doorbell rang.
Song Yunshen looked puzzled, got up and went to the door. He opened the door and saw no one.
"Brother!" Yingying's voice came from below.
Song Yunshen looked down and realized it was Yingying who had rang the doorbell.
Why did you come here?
"It's already 1 p. m., where's the pretty lady?" Yingying asked Song Yunshen. "Mom said the pretty lady cooked at your house today, hasn't she finished eating yet? Give the pretty lady back to me."
"Okay, okay, I'll be right there," Song Yunshen said with a chuckle. At this moment, Xia Yunuo also got up from the sofa, quickly walked to Yingying, squatted down and hugged her. "Sorry I'm late today, shall we go to class now?"
"Pretty sister, I missed you so much!" Yingying hugged Xia Yunuo's neck. "You didn't come to dinner today, I thought you were angry with Yingying."
"How could that be? Yingying such a good girl, I like you the most."
"So it's because Mom's cooking isn't good?" Yingying looked serious as she pondered. "Is that why the pretty older sister has to cook for herself at her brother's house?"
"No, no, your mother's cooking is especially delicious." Xia Yunuo broke out in a cold sweat and quickly explained, "It's just that I promised your brother I would cook for him, so I didn't go to your house for lunch today."
"Is that pretty lady now your wife, brother?" Yingying asked again.
"Of course not." Xia Yunuo blushed bright red at her words and didn't dare to look at Song Yunshen's face.
"But you cooked for your brother, just like my mom usually cooks for my dad. Dad says that the person who cooks for him is his wife," Yingying said seriously.
"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense." Song Yunshen reached out and patted Yingying on the back of the head. "Friends can also go over and cook for each other."
"Yes, yes, friends can do that too." Xia Yunuo nodded quickly.
"Oh, I see." Yingying suddenly understood, feeling like she had learned something new.
At 3 p. m. sharp, class ended. After Song Yunshen escorted Xia Yunuo downstairs, he didn't let her go home alone. Instead, he took her out of another residential area in the West District, found a convenience store on the roadside, and bought her a pretty notebook.
"... What is this?" Xia Yunuo asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
"A diary," Song Yunshen said with a smile. "Didn't I recommend you keep a diary before? Here's a notebook for you. You can write down anything that happens to you, whether it's happy or unhappy."
Xia Yunuo blinked, then pursed her lips, and solemnly accepted the delicate little notebook with both hands, hugging it tightly to her chest. She nodded vigorously in response, "Yes, I'll try it tonight."
After delivering the diary, Song Yunshen Shen and Xia Yunuo parted ways at the intersection.
After returning to the residential compound, Song Yunshen rode his electric scooter, picked up Xia Jinshu at the entrance, and headed towards the vegetable market.
Because it's Saturday, Xia Jinshu's new outfit had been washed and was still hanging on the balcony, so she couldn't wear it. Therefore, she wore her usual, very ordinary outfit today.
Even so, Song Yunshen still felt somewhat awkward when facing Xia Jinshu, like the guilty feeling one has when facing one's mother after doing something wrong.
Xia Jinshu had no idea about his inner thoughts. After getting into the car, she gently hugged his waist.
Song Yunshen started his electric car and quickly arrived at the entrance of the vegetable market. He ordered a few dishes and followed Xia Jinshu into the market.
But he immediately realized something was wrong and instinctively tried to stop her, but Xia Jinshu had already arrived at Zhao Lisong's stall and started chatting with Zhao Lisong.
Song Yunshen stood awkwardly a short distance away, his gaze meeting his grandfather's. He immediately lowered his head and coughed twice. Zhao Lisong was also speechless, completely baffled as to what his grandson was thinking.
He had Xia Yunuo in the morning, Xia Jinshu in the afternoon, and he didn't even dare to think about what he would do tonight!
They said two young girls would be tutors, but what tutor can cook?
That's utter nonsense!
What if something goes wrong? How will we handle that? We should talk to his uncle to make sure nothing serious happens.
Zhao Lisong has watched the sisters Xia Jinshu and Xia Yunuo grow up over the past few years, and he often sees them at the vegetable market.
A few years ago, they had to come with their mother, but after they went to high school, they could come to buy groceries on their own without any problem.
Speaking of which, they seem to have a younger sister, but she doesn't visit as often as her two older sisters, so Zhao Lisong doesn't remember her well.
That brat, if he's so capable, he should bring his sister to buy groceries again next time. If he actually does that, then he'll be truly impressive.
Zhao Lisong couldn't help but complain in his heart.
Seeing that his grandfather hadn't said anything inappropriate, Song Yunshen breathed a slight sigh of relief. After buying the groceries, he quickly said goodbye and took Xia Jinshu home.
Back home, after preparing the food, Xia Jinshu went to the study, put on the glasses Song Yunshen had given her, and prepared to begin today's spot check.
In the evening, Xia Yunuo and Xia Kening prepared dinner at home, just as Yan Zhenxia arrived home from work. The three of them sat around the table, and after finishing their meal, the two sisters got up to clear the table, washed the dishes in the kitchen, and closed the kitchen door.
Xia Yunuo walked over to Xia Kening and, while washing the dishes, tentatively asked, "What time are you going out for your jog today?"
"It's 7 o'clock every day," Xia Kening said. "Why are you asking that?"
"Should we leave earlier today?"
"What do you mean?" Xia Kening asked suspiciously, sensing something was amiss.
"Didn't you say a few days ago that I could go jogging with you?" Xia Yunuo asked her younger sister tentatively, her expression unchanged.
Upon hearing this, Xia Kening narrowed her eyes and said irritably, "If you want to go to Song Yunshen's house, just say so. Why beat around the bush?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, Mom's still in the living room," Xia Yunuo quickly whispered.
"Tch." Xia Kening curled her lip, glancing at her sideways while washing the dishes. "I'm going to work, what are you planning to do coming with me?"
"Why do you care about me? You were the one who said I could come along anyway."
Xia Kening clicked her tongue, remembering that she had just angered her second sister that morning. Thinking it would be an apology, she reluctantly nodded and said, "Alright, alright, then we'll do it together later."...
So, just before 6 p. m., Song Yunshen had just seen Xia Jinshu off when, not long after, the door opened.
Song Yunshen had just finished using the restroom and came out when he saw Xia Kening and Xia Yunuo walking in together.
"Um... excuse me," Xia Yunuo said a little embarrassedly in a low voice, "I just went out for a walk after dinner at home and ran into your cousin. She insisted on dragging me over."
Upon hearing this, Song Yunshen and Xia Kening instantly tensed up, barely managing to keep their composure and save face for Xia Yunuo.