Chapter 55
Li Qinyue was stunned for a long while.
Zhuo Zhi’s words were simple, but she couldn’t process them.
They were just eating lamb soup, and she had casually confessed her feelings? And Zhuo Zhi had just accepted it like that?
A few days ago, when she had passionately asked Zhuo Zhi to be her girlfriend, hadn’t Zhuo Zhi run away shyly?
The atmosphere had been so perfect that day, so conducive to something meaningful. But she had held back, hadn’t she? Because she had considered the little girl’s age and lack of experience?
She had braced herself for a long and drawn-out battle, but Zhuo Zhi had just agreed like that?
Had the girl suddenly matured overnight? Had she had some epiphany without Li Qinyue having to show her any “educational videos”?
Li Qinyue couldn’t describe her feelings. She was shocked and confused, happy yet also a little… regretful?
As she sat there in a daze, Zhuo Zhi waited patiently for her to speak.
When the light in her eyes started to fade, she mumbled, “Sister, what’s wrong?”
Li Qinyue blurted out, “You’ve changed, Zhuo Zhi.”
“How have I changed?” Zhuo Zhi straightened up.
“I can’t explain it right now, let me think,” Li Qinyue picked up her chopsticks, “Let’s eat first, eat.”
They ate for a long time. The restaurant owner even came out to ask if they wanted more broth.
Li Qinyue finally finished her meal and stood up. Zhuo Zhi paid the bill and quickly followed her.
It got dark early in winter. The sky was already gray, and the wind in the alley was swirling, blowing fallen leaves around.
There were few people on the street. While they were eating, several shops had already closed, making the alley look desolate.
Li Qinyue wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Zhuo Zhi tentatively reached out and took her hand, tucking it into her down jacket pocket.
The pocket was warm, her palm slightly damp. Zhuo Zhi was like a little stove.
Li Qinyue said, “This is what’s changed.”
“Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand what she was talking about.
“You,” Li Qinyue looked at her, “You were never this proactive before, why are you suddenly so eager today?”
“Am I?” Zhuo Zhi disagreed, “I’ve always been concerned about you, Sister.”
“I flirted with you so many times before, and you never agreed.”
“I still wouldn’t agree if you wanted to do it now.”
“You still wouldn’t agree?!” Li Qinyue was exasperated, “But you already agreed!”
“I agreed to your confession, we can be a real couple now,” Zhuo Zhi said with a blush, “But that kind of thing, we have to wait until after I’ve met my master…”
“Ah—!” Zhuo Zhi cried out.
“Don’t worry, Sister!” Zhuo Zhi said, “It’s almost New Year’s, after the New Year celebrations, there will only be half a year left…”
“That’s not how you calculate it,” Li Qinyue said, “Is this about being impatient?”
Zhuo Zhi bit her lip, looking at her, silent for a moment.
“Okay,” Li Qinyue said after they had walked for a while, “I wasn’t in a hurry before, you’re the one who’s making me impatient.”
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi admitted sincerely, “I was wrong, Sister.”
“You were quite bold calling me ‘Li Qinyue’ earlier,” Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow.
“Then what do you want me to call you?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
“Sister Qinyue,” Li Qinyue chuckled, “In a pitiful tone.”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi looked down and kicked a pebble on the ground.
“But back to what I was saying about you changing,” Li Qinyue squeezed Zhuo Zhi’s hand in her pocket, “Did you not agree to be with me because of our different social statuses? You being my bodyguard…”
“Maybe a little…” Zhuo Zhi continued kicking pebbles, “I thought we were from different worlds, and I also thought you were just playing around…”
“You think too much,” Li Qinyue said, “Are we not from different worlds now? No, wait, our social statuses have reversed now, I’m relying on you to support me.”
“Don’t worry!” Zhuo Zhi quickly looked up, “You’re very capable, Sister, you can do anything you want if you want to make money.”
“Stop flattering me,” Li Qinyue cut her off, not wanting to talk about making money, “So do you still think I was just playing around?”
“It seems like you’re playing for keeps now,” Zhuo Zhi chuckled.
“Am I that much of a playboy?”
“I like you this way, carefree and free-spirited!”
“You can make anything sound good.”
“You are good.”
“Remember to tell me that every day, it’s nice to hear,” Li Qinyue took Zhuo Zhi’s hand out of her pocket and pointed ahead, “There’s a supermarket over there, they have everything, we can buy groceries there from now on.”
“Okay!” Zhuo Zhi swung their joined hands as they walked.
After shopping at the supermarket, their hands were too full to hold.
Zhuo Zhi was carrying two bags, and Li Qinyue stared at her hands for a while.
“Don’t worry, Sister, I’m not tired,” Zhuo Zhi raised the two bags and mimicked lifting weights, “I’m very strong.”
“I know, you’re amazing, you’re a beast,” Li Qinyue said, her hand aching from carrying one bag.
Zhuo Zhi skipped ahead for a while, then suddenly turned back to look at her.
“You…” she uttered a syllable, then quickly transferred the bag in her left hand to her right, rushed towards Li Qinyue, and grabbed her free hand, “Hehe.”
“Heh my ass,” Li Qinyue’s heart melted. This silly girl, she was so clueless sometimes, yet she would do things that warmed Li Qinyue’s heart.
“Don’t you want your arm anymore? It’s not like I’m going to run away if you don’t hold my hand,” Li Qinyue said, shaking off Zhuo Zhi’s hand.
“It’s fine,” Zhuo Zhi took a step forward and grabbed her hand again.
She was shorter than Li Qinyue, younger, and looked so innocent, struggling to carry the bag, like a child being mistreated.
Li Qinyue shook off her hand again and put it in her pocket, “Your palms are sweaty, it’s uncomfortable.”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi blushed immediately and stopped trying to hold her hand, “I just sweat easily…”
“It’s like this even in winter, what about summer?”
“It’s fine as long as I’m not exercising. If I sweat, I’ll just take a shower, I’ll keep myself clean.”
“I’m not嫌弃你 (xiánqì nǐ).”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you say…”
“I’ve only spent a little bit of your money, can’t I even say anything now? I was just worried about you carrying that heavy bag with one hand.”
“Hehe, I knew it.”
“Fool.”
“I’m not a fool.”
…
They chatted as they walked, passing through the alley and entering the complex.
The distance wasn’t short, and it had been a long time since Li Qinyue had walked this far carrying groceries. And it had also been a long time since she hadn’t looked at her phone for half a day.
And this state would continue. It felt fresh, a little unsettling at times, but those feelings were quickly replaced by happiness and a sense of freedom.
The streetlights in the complex came on, their light a warm yellow due to their age, casting long shadows of the bare trees, creating a beautiful scene.
Li Qinyue looked at the person beside her, suddenly looking forward to their new life together.
If only it weren’t for all the noise…
As soon as they turned into their building, a woman’s scream and the sound of something shattering echoed through the air, followed by a man’s angry roar. In the quiet environment of the complex, the sounds were so vivid, it was like watching a movie scene unfold before their eyes.
Zhuo Zhi stopped abruptly. Li Qinyue frowned and said, “It’s fine, just a couple fighting.”
The woman started crying and yelling. Zhuo Zhi asked, “Can you understand what she’s saying, Sister?”
“It’s not the Nanhai dialect, but I can understand a few words,” Li Qinyue paused, listening carefully, “I’m sure she said ‘Give me the money’.”
“Maybe it’s a scam!” Zhuo Zhi said anxiously.
“No, it’s not,” Li Qinyue was sure, “This kind of commotion can only be caused by a real couple. The apartments in these old buildings are close together, and the soundproofing is bad. This kind of noise is common.”
“Hmm,” Zhuo Zhi responded. They continued walking, but she was clearly no longer in the mood for casual conversation, her attention on the noise.
They entered the apartment, and Zhuo Zhi started putting away the groceries. Just as Li Qinyue was about to pull her closer for a chat, Zhuo Zhi ran to the balcony.
Li Qinyue followed her and saw her standing by the open window, not seeming to mind the cold, craning her neck to look outside.
Li Qinyue covered her ears, “Haven’t you seen this before? Shouldn’t you have seen more of this than me?”
Zhuo Zhi ignored her hand, “I lived on the mountain. It was just me and Master in our courtyard, and the nuns next door were all very kind, they never fought.”
“Oh,” Li Qinyue said, “Then from today onwards, you’ll finally experience the fireworks of life down here.”
Zhuo Zhi didn’t speak. After a while, the noise downstairs subsided a little, and she finally said, “Fireworks shouldn’t sound like that.”
Li Qinyue closed the window and pulled her back inside, trying to change the subject, “Do you remember what you owe me?”
“What?” Zhuo Zhi asked, “The payment for the fight before?”
“Damn…” Li Qinyue was surprised, “You still remember that after so long?”
“You never charged me, so I kept it in mind,” Zhuo Zhi said.
“Money-grubber,” Li Qinyue waved her hand dismissively, “I don’t want that money anymore.”
“Then what is it?” Zhuo Zhi was intrigued.
“When we were having dinner,” Li Qinyue leaned closer to her, “What did you say?”
There was no need for further reminders. Zhuo Zhi’s blush was enough to show that she understood what Li Qinyue was talking about.
Having reached this point, Zhuo Zhi didn’t bother with false modesty. She cupped Li Qinyue’s face in her hands and leaned in for a kiss.
The small girl was surprisingly assertive. Li Qinyue chuckled inwardly.
But before their lips could meet, another scream echoed from downstairs, piercing and bloodcurdling, as if someone had been murdered.
Zhuo Zhi visibly flinched, let go of Li Qinyue’s face, and ran out.
“Damn it…” Li Qinyue’s anger spiked.
She followed Zhuo Zhi, hesitated at the door, then turned and went into the kitchen.
Zhuo Zhi had placed her sharpening tools on the counter. Li Qinyue picked up the fiercest-looking cleaver and stormed out of the apartment.
Did she need Zhuo Zhi to handle this downstairs?
No, she didn’t need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
This angry cleaver would do just fine.
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