Monday morning.
The break time between English classes.
Xia Yunuo took out her phone and showed Song Yunshen the Pinduoduo order details page, saying impatiently, " Yunshen, look, it already shows that it's been shipped. It will arrive the day after tomorrow."
"That's pretty fast." Song Yunshen nodded, looking somewhat expectant.
This outfit is a two-piece set. The main body is a beige French-style cake dress, named for its fluffy skirt that resembles a small cake.
She also wore a long-sleeved knitted cardigan over her top; if she felt the tank top was too revealing, she could wear that over it.
The dress had a skirt that was neither too short nor too long, just enough to cover half of the thighs, neither too revealing nor so short that Song Yunshen couldn't see anything at all.
Previously, Xia Yunuo only wore a light blue long dress that almost covered most of her calves. Only when Xia Yunuo sat down could almost her entire calves be revealed, but that was all.
Now that he finally had the chance to see Xia Yunuo in a short skirt, Song Yunshen Shen almost wanted to rub his hands together, but thankfully he restrained his instincts and didn't reveal his overly expectant attitude.
At this moment, Xia Yunuo asked, "If it can be delivered by Wednesday, the day after tomorrow, how about I wear it for you to see on Thursday? Then I can wear it directly to school."
Hearing half of it, Song Yunshen nodded repeatedly, indicating his complete agreement and that he thought the idea was excellent. But after hearing the second half, Song Yunshen immediately shook his head violently, indicating his rejection. "No, no, I think... this matter still needs to be discussed."
"Huh?" Xia Yunuo was taken aback, not expecting Song Yunshen to say that. "Didn't you just nod?"
"It was my oversight," Song Yunshen said seriously. "Think about it, if it's delivered on Wednesday, you'll have to wait until after you finish teaching Yingying in the afternoon before you can go home and get the dress."
"After you get the clothes, wash them and hang them on the balcony. We have to get up at seven o'clock the next day to go to school, so the new clothes might not be dry yet. That means you'll have to wait another day, and you won't be able to wear them until Friday."
"Since we're already waiting until Friday, why not wait until Saturday? Saturday is free of school, and you can come to my house earlier to play. Do you see what I'm saying make sense?"
Xia Yunuo listened to his long speech, nodded blankly, and thought to herself that what he said did make a lot of sense.
Besides, it would be better to wear it on Saturday, since she had already made an agreement with Xia Kening that Sunday would be for Ningning and Saturday for her, so she could go to Song Yunshen's house earlier.
But Song Yunshen's thoughts were actually very simple.
He was about to see Xia Yunuo in a dress for the first time; if he let Xia Yunuo wear it to school, wouldn't that just benefit other people?
He still remembered the last time Xu Zhuoyue and the others came to the community basketball court to play basketball, Xia Yunuo wore that naval academy-style uniform and a light blue patterned long skirt to watch them play.
As a result, the group of boys would steal glances at Xia Yunuo every now and then.
There's no way around it; with such a beautiful woman standing next to you, any man would find it hard to control his biological instincts. Just glancing at her a couple of times isn't a big deal.
But if it were Xia Yunuo wearing a dress for the first time, Song Yunshen wouldn't be so generous. Just thinking about the way those boys would look at him made him a little annoyed.
It would be better to wait until Saturday, bring Xia Yunuo to my home, and then appreciate her slowly.
It feels like they're keeping a mistress in a gilded cage.
Song Yunshen suddenly thought of this word, but then immediately denied it in his mind.
Xia Yunuo doesn't live at his house, so how can it be called keeping a mistress in a golden house?
That's a complete misuse of words!
It's because I haven't studied Chinese well enough. I should ask Lao Bao for help more often.
"Then I'll do as you say." Xia Yunuo put away her phone, thinking about how to change the subject, and said, "I'll wear it on Saturday."
After saying that, she lowered her head, played with her fingers, and asked casually, "By the way, did your dad go on vacation?"
Upon hearing this question, Song Yunshen paused for a moment, his eyes showing slight hesitation, unsure how to answer.
"Uncle went on a two-month trip. Where did he go?" Xia Yunuo continued tentatively. [Was I being too obvious? I should have laid the groundwork a little more.]
[But I only heard Ningning mention it yesterday; to know the specifics, I really need to ask Yunshen myself.]
I wonder how Uncle Song's health is now.
Upon hearing Xia Yunuo's thoughts, Song Yunshen fell silent, having roughly grasped the current situation.
Xia Kening really doesn't keep a secret. If you expect her to keep secrets, Xu Zhuoyue would have already found a girlfriend.
Fortunately, Song Yunshen Shen never intended to hide it anyway. After all, Xia Yunuo had already asked to this extent, so it was just a matter of repeating the same thing.
So Song Yunshen looked at Xia Yunuo and said, "My dad didn't go on vacation."
"Huh?" Xia Yunuo feigned surprise.
Seeing her expression, Song Yunshen almost laughed, but thankfully he held it in.
He kept a tight expression on his face, which was trying to suppress a smile, and then recounted the whole story from the beginning.
After confirming Uncle Song's health condition with Song Yunshen, Xia Yunuo finally breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with concern, "Who is taking care of Uncle Song now?"
"He hired a caregiver." "And how do he eat?"
"Have the caregiver deliver it."
"That's one of those boxed lunches bought from outside, right?" Xia Yunuo couldn't help but frown.
"What can we do? This guy insists on keeping it from us and choosing to shoulder the burden alone, so we just have to accept it." Song Yunshen curled his lip, still very critical of Song Mingyuan's behavior.
"Your father just had surgery and needs to replenish his nutrition right now," Xia Yunuo said earnestly. "You need to pay close attention to his diet."
"Don't worry, the caregiver he hired is quite professional, there won't be any problems." Song Yunshen waved his hand.
Song Minggui had mentioned to him on WeChat that the caregiver Song Mingyuan hired had been in the industry for several years and was quite experienced. She had previously worked as a caregiver for other relatives' elders and was said to have taken very good care of them, which was why they specifically hired her.
But Xia Yunuo was clearly prepared. Now that things had come to this point, she finally took the initiative and said, "How about this Saturday, when I go to your house to cook lunch, I make a little extra, and you can take some to Uncle Song at the hospital to try."
Upon Song Yunshen was momentarily stunned, not expecting that Xia Yunuo was quite similar to her sister in this respect.
Xia Jinshu just cooked dinner for her dad yesterday, and now Nuonuo is going to cook lunch for him. She really gets to enjoy all the good things in life.
[Maybe we should just forget about it. It'll be hard to explain later, and Old Song will probably say something to us. It's so annoying.]
Song Yunshen thought to himself, while Xia Yunuo, sitting next to him, had a drastic change in expression and quickly lowered her head so that Song Yunshen wouldn't notice her unusual behavior. Her hands were on her knees, slowly clenching into small fists, and she felt inexplicably resentful.
Why is it my older sister again?!
In the past, her older sister had always done better than her in so many things, both in her studies and in life. Xia Yunuo admitted that she couldn't compare to her sister, so losing to her was understandable.
But why is it that even when it comes to things related to Song Yunshen, I can never catch up?
Whether it was the first time visiting Song Yunshen's house, the first time cooking at Song Yunshen's house, the first time eating barbecue with Song Yunshen, or now the first time helping Song Yunshen cook for his father...
So many things, my older sister always gets them done before she does.
She's like a shadow, always one step behind.
Why?
She was the one who met Song Yunshen first... how did things turn out like this?
"How about we forget about it?" Song Yunshen said. "On Saturday, we can go to Wanda Plaza like we did yesterday, and while we're at it, check out how the cat cafe my sister just bought is doing, and give you a tour of your future workplace."
Xia Yunuo lowered her head, listened to him finish speaking, then shook her head slightly and whispered, "Is it not allowed?"
"Huh? What can't I do?" Song Yunshen was taken aback, a little confused. "Can't I cook for Uncle Song?" Xia Yunuo asked softly, "Do you think my cooking isn't good?"
"How could that be? I just thought it was too much trouble for you," Song Yunshen quickly said. "Nuonuo's cooking is the best! I always finish every last bite."
"So you don't want Uncle Song to know that I cooked for you, and you're afraid that after he eats, he'll ask you who cooked it, and you won't know how to answer?" Xia Yunuo asked again.
"How could that be? What's wrong with saying this?" Song Yunshen denied it outright, but realizing that Xia Yunuo really wanted to cook for her father, he immediately changed his tune and said, "Then let's cook! It'll be a good opportunity for my dad to try your cooking."
"Then why did you say forget it just now?" Xia Yunuo asked deliberately, still a little sullen.
[My older sister can do it, so why can't I?]
At this moment, having finally heard Xia Yunuo's thoughts, Song Yunshen's expression changed slightly, realizing where the problem lay.
Xia! Ke! Lemon!
You've gone beyond just having a mouth without a handle; you've practically torn down the whole door! Nothing can be hidden anymore!
They even mentioned that Xia Jinshu cooked for his father!
You really are Xia Yunuo's good sister...
Looks like you weren't spanked enough yesterday and are itchy again, right? Song Yunshen was speechless. Judging from this, Xia Yunuo probably already knew about Xia Jinshu tutoring him. Only Xia Jinshu herself was still in the dark, thinking that her two younger sisters didn't know about it.
Song Yunshen sighed, but still put his mind to work, and said to Xia Yunuo, "You don't understand, do you? I really don't want you to cook for my dad, that's true."
"Why?" Xia Yunuo felt even more aggrieved when she heard him admit it, and her voice even sounded like she was about to cry.
"Because I only want you to cook for me." Song Yunshen reached out and placed his hand on Xia Yunuo's head, gently rubbing it twice, then said matter-of-factly, "This was originally a perk exclusively for me, but now my dad has to enjoy it too, so of course I'm not happy about it."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yunuo, who had been feeling somewhat aggrieved, was completely stunned, never expecting the reason to be like this.
In that instant, Xia Yunuo's inner world underwent a complete 180-degree reversal. After the rain, the sun shone brightly, and everything seemed to become cheerful again.
Does he only want me to cook for him?
So, does Song Yunshen's agreement to his sister cooking for his father actually mean he doesn't value her cooking?
Or perhaps it should be said that Song Yunshen cherishes his sister's cooking more than his sister's?
Is that correct?
What Song Yunshen just said must have meant this, right?
Right? Right? Right? Right? Xia Yunuo's face flushed slightly, and her heart raced a few beats faster. She felt a little embarrassed by what he said.
"What do you mean you only cook for you?" Xia Yunuo's tone became coy, but the previous hint of crying had completely disappeared, replaced by a playful and proud tone. "I cook at home too, I don't only cook for you."
"Yes, yes, so you're not angry now?" Song Yunshen chuckled, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
Xia Yunuo was still a little embarrassed, so she quickly broke free, lowered her head again, and dared not meet Song Yunshen's gaze. She muttered softly, "I wasn't really angry."
"If not, then so be it," Song Yunshen said. "Are you still going to cook for my dad on Saturday?"
"I've already said it, so let's do it anyway," Xia Yunuo said softly.
"Alright then." Song Yunshen had no objections, as long as Xia Yunuo didn't get really angry. "Then Saturday, same as usual, go grocery shopping at 9:30?"
No, I went to your house at six or seven in the morning.
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Song Yunshen hesitated. "Wait a minute, I need to ask about this first."
"It's okay, your cousin won't be coming," Xia Yunuo said.
"How did you know?" Song Yunshen was stunned, not expecting her to say something like that.
"I added her on WeChat before," Xia Yunuo subconsciously brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I heard she often comes to see you on weekend mornings, I made an appointment with her in advance that she wouldn't contact you on Saturday." "Oh, I see." Song Yunshen looked enlightened.
So you two sisters had already planned this in private?
Song Yunshen's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh, but he tried hard to hold it in, and finally managed to suppress his laughter.
"Shall we watch the movie first?" Song Yunshen asked.
"Sure," Xia Yunuo. "When it's almost ten o'clock, we can go to Wanda Plaza and check out the cat cafe, then go grocery shopping at eleven."
"Indeed." Song Yunshen thought for a moment, "Anyway, you have to teach Yingying this afternoon, and you can't go to the hospital with me. It would be good if you could finish cooking before one o'clock."
"It's not that late, but I can't keep your dad waiting," Xia Yunuo said.
"He should be grateful he has anything to eat," Song Yunshen sneered.
Xia Yunuo couldn't help but laugh, suddenly realizing that Song Yunshen's emotions were quite childish, even a little cute, when it came to matters concerning Uncle Song.
However, upon further reflection, she felt a pang of envy for such a father-son relationship.
If it were that guy back then... Xia Yunuo had just entertained this thought when she laughed self-deprecatingly, shook her head, and dismissed the absurd idea from her mind.
She had really been overthinking things. If that guy were really as outstanding as Song Yunshen's father, why would her mother have divorced him and resolutely chosen to raise their three daughters alone? The school bell rang, pulling Xia Yunuo back to reality. The two ended their chat and got into class mode.
A few days passed quickly.
On Friday evening, Song Yunshen sent a few WeChat messages to the caregiver, explaining the situation and telling him that he didn't need to bring lunch the next day.
The caregiver, Lao Li, didn't think much of it. He just felt that the patient's son was thoughtful, personally bringing him meals every evening recently. It seemed that his girlfriend was cooking for him, and now she was even taking care of lunch. He was really quite filial.
"Your son just messaged me, saying I don't need to bring him lunch tomorrow. I'm letting you know in advance," said caregiver Lao Li to Song Mingyuan, who was lying in the hospital bed, after replying to the WeChat.
"Huh?" Song Mingyuan was clearly taken aback for a moment, then frowned and said, "What's wrong with this kid? Making that young lady cook dinner is one thing, but now he's even making her cook lunch?"
The caregiver, Old Li, remained silent, as it was a family matter. After relaying the message, he said no more.
Song Mingyuan had no intention of chatting with him; he simply made a casual remark before immediately taking out his phone.
But after thinking it over, he still didn't ask Song Yunshen for clarification.
Never mind, let's talk about it tomorrow.
Xia Jinshu's cooking is indeed delicious, much better than the boxed lunches Lao Li usually brings. When Song Yunshen arrives tomorrow, I'll give him a good scolding to avoid tiring the young lady out.