Chapter 81
New Year’s Day morning was quiet. They had stayed up late the previous night, so sleeping in wouldn’t annoy the “parent” today.
But there were limits. Especially for the Master, who was used to the mountain life. She had already made breakfast, and the morning sun was streaming through the windows, yet there was no movement from the guest bedroom. This was unacceptable.
The Master stood at the bedroom door, her hand raised to knock, then lowered it.
She paced back and forth, then returned to the kitchen and took out her phone.
In the small guest bedroom, Li Qinyue was snuggled in Zhuo Zhi’s arms. She was taller than Zhuo Zhi, so the position was awkward, but she refused to move, curled up like a ball.
Zhuo Zhi had woken up earlier, but she couldn’t bring herself to wake Li Qinyue, so she just held her close, listening to her soft breaths.
A phone started ringing, vibrating on the table.
Li Qinyue’s brows furrowed, and she stirred, but only snuggled closer to Zhuo Zhi.
Zhuo Zhi raised her hand to cover Li Qinyue’s ear, but after the first round of ringing, the phone started ringing again.
Zhuo Zhi had to reach for the phone, earning a couple of disgruntled groans from Li Qinyue.
Seeing the caller ID, Zhuo Zhi froze, a shiver running down her spine.
It was the Master. But Zhuo Zhi knew she wasn’t calling for her, she was just sending a message.
A message to wake them up? A message telling them not to laze around in bed? Or a warning… against daytime naughtiness…?
After last night’s activities, Zhuo Zhi, whose face she thought had become as thick as a wall, suddenly blushed again. She hung up the phone and quickly sent a message to the Master: We’re up.
After sending the message, she practically jumped out of bed, landing lightly on her feet.
Li Qinyue pulled the covers higher, trying to hide herself.
Zhuo Zhi tucked her in, leaving her head exposed so she could breathe, then couldn’t resist kissing her forehead before leaving the room.
The Master was setting the table for breakfast. Zhuo Zhi greeted her, feeling a little awkward.
The Master didn’t even glance at her, just served herself a bowl of porridge.
Zhuo Zhi pointed at the bathroom, “I’ll go wash up first.”
The Master finally looked up, “And the other one?”
Zhuo Zhi stammered, “She’s still asleep, I mean, last night, we were watching TV, staying up for the New Year, she fell asleep, I’ll wake her up later…”
Her palms were sweating.
The Master stared at her for two seconds, then hummed in response and continued eating her porridge.
Zhuo Zhi quickly escaped to the bathroom, taking an unusually long time to wash up.
When she came out, the Master had already finished her porridge and gone back to the bedroom.
Zhuo Zhi was stunned, “Is that all you’re eating, Master?”
The Master’s back was to her as she replied, “Have you ever seen me eat more or less?”
Zhuo Zhi pursed her lips, unable to answer.
She really didn’t know how much the Master usually ate, but she herself ate a lot this morning.
Although she felt a little anxious, she was truly hungry. After two bowls of porridge, she had also almost finished all the dishes.
After breakfast, she went back to the guest bedroom to check on Li Qinyue, trying to wake her up gently, but Li Qinyue swatted her hand away, her soft palm landing on Zhuo Zhi’s neck.
Zhuo Zhi didn’t try again, letting her sleep, and went to clear the table.
After cleaning up the kitchen, she turned around and saw that the Master had already packed her suitcase.
Zhuo Zhi froze, rushing over to block her, “What are you doing, Master?”
“Going back to the mountain,” the Master said.
“Didn’t we agree that you’re not leaving? It’s New Year’s Day, stay a little longer,” Zhuo Zhi said anxiously.
“Who said I wasn’t leaving? I said I’m leaving today, so I’m leaving today,” the Master’s tone was firm.
“But…” Zhuo Zhi looked around, then suddenly pointed at the window, “Look, it’s snowing so heavily, and it’s New Year’s Day, there are no taxis on the street…”
The Master took out her phone, unlocked it, and showed it to her, “See? Pre-booked ride, arriving in five minutes. Who says you can’t go anywhere with money?”
“Why are they even working on New Year’s Day?!” Zhuo Zhi was annoyed at the taxi driver.
The Master pushed her aside. Zhuo Zhi, her mind racing, grabbed the Master’s arm, “You’re not leaving!”
“Do you think you can stop me?” The Master squinted at her.
“You’re not leaving,” Zhuo Zhi held on tight.
The Master tried to shake her off, but Zhuo Zhi clung to her arm, refusing to let go. She sighed in exasperation, “How long do you want me to stay? Am I just here to be your nanny? Is there any other reason?”
“You’re not a nanny!” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes were reddening, “We’ll do the chores from now on, me and Sister Qinyue.”
The Master patted her head with her other hand, “I never expected you to find such a dramatic love so quickly after coming down the mountain. When Li Qinyue’s father called me, I thought you had been tricked, scammed, or maybe you had lost your mind, I came here to bring you back to your senses.”
“But after staying here for a while, I realized that with your Sister Qinyue’s personality, there’s nothing we can do to stop you. You’re both adults, we can’t break your legs and force you to do what we want, so…” The Master paused, sighing, “You’re on your own now, let’s see what kind of life you two create.”
“No…” Tears rolled down Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks, “Are you abandoning me, Master…?”
The Master slapped her forehead lightly, “Stop crying, that might work on your Sister Qinyue, but not on me. Did I say I’m abandoning you? You’ll come crawling back to me when you break up and get hurt, and I’ll be waiting to laugh at you…”
“We’re not breaking up…”
“Get lost,” the Master shook her hand off, “Do you think I enjoy watching you two being all lovey-dovey? The cabbage I carefully raised has been eaten by a pig, and now I have to feed the pig, have you considered my feelings? Can you just let me go back to the mountain and have some peace and quiet?”
Her analogy made Zhuo Zhi look up, her feelings complex.
The guest bedroom door creaked open. Li Qinyue, still in her pajamas, looking sleepy, had clearly heard their conversation.
Her voice was hoarse, “Master, that hurts my feelings…”
Zhuo Zhi quickly explained, “She didn’t mean it that way, Sister…”
“I did.”
“It’s okay even if you did.”
They spoke simultaneously.
Then Li Qinyue smiled, not wanting to get involved in their argument, and just leaned against the door frame, “Master, if you don’t want to stay here today, it’s fine. You can come back anytime, this is our home.”
“Zhuo Zhi definitely doesn’t want you to leave, but we can’t stop you if you really want to go. We just don’t want you to leave unhappy,” Li Qinyue paused, “Although you might not be happy about some things, at least be honest with us, don’t make Zhuo Zhi feel guilty, she loves you.”
Zhuo Zhi immediately nodded, “Yes, I love you!”
The Master sighed, “I’ve made myself clear, it’s time for me to leave. I can’t say I’m leaving happily, but I’m not leaving angrily either… damn, that doesn’t sound right!”
Li Qinyue chuckled, and Zhuo Zhi also laughed.
The Master pulled Zhuo Zhi’s hand away from her arm, “Let’s just leave it at that. All good things must come to an end. I can’t listen to you two every night…”
She stopped mid-sentence, her lips pursing.
Zhuo Zhi’s smile vanished, and so did Li Qinyue’s. They both blushed.
The Master seized the opportunity and pulled her suitcase towards the door. Her phone rang, the taxi driver calling.
“Yes, come in, you’ll see a yellow flowerbed, park there, I’ll be there in two minutes…”
Zhuo Zhi quickly followed her. The Master raised her hand, “Don’t see me off, it’s awkward, you know I can carry my own luggage.”
Zhuo Zhi: “I…”
“I didn’t see you off when you left,” the Master picked up her suitcase and walked out the door without looking back, “It’s truly awkward. Bye.”
Zhuo Zhi could only say, “Bye.”
Li Qinyue raised her voice, “Goodbye, Master! I’ll video call you!”
The Master’s voice echoed from the stairwell, loud and clear, “You idiot, what’s there to see?!”
The echo faded.
The door was still open. Zhuo Zhi stood there, looking lost.
The apartment was quiet. Li Qinyue, not wanting to disturb her, turned and went into the bathroom, “I’m going to take a shower, I’m starving.”
“Okay,” Zhuo Zhi turned around, her voice still a little dazed, “There will be food when you come out.”
The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Zhuo Zhi closed the door and went to the kitchen.
She had almost finished the food the Master had made for breakfast, but there were plenty of ingredients left, just needing to be chopped, seasoned, and heated up.
They were all familiar flavors, the taste of home.
The taste of home could be carried on, from the mountains to the city, from familial love to romantic love.
Zhuo Zhi opened the steamer, the rising steam making her eyes water.
It wasn’t pure happiness, nor was it pure sadness, not grievance, not relief, but a mix of emotions, hard to describe.
If she had to summarize it, she would say it was the taste of growing up.
After setting the table for one, Li Qinyue still hadn’t come out of the bathroom.
Zhuo Zhi knocked on the door, “Sister, dinner is ready.”
“Hmm,” Li Qinyue’s muffled voice came from inside, then she said, “I forgot my underwear.”
“Oh, wait a minute,” Zhuo Zhi quickly went to the bedroom, took out the underwear from the closet, opened the bathroom door a crack, and handed it to Li Qinyue.
“I can’t reach it,” Li Qinyue’s voice was accompanied by the sound of running water.
Zhuo Zhi had to open the door wider, squeezing halfway inside.
“You’re letting all the heat out,” Li Qinyue complained, but still didn’t take the underwear.
Zhuo Zhi took a deep breath, entered the bathroom, and closed the door behind her, “What are you doing, Sister?”
The bathroom was filled with steam, a hazy white, but the small space couldn’t hide anything.
Li Qinyue’s almost perfect body was right there in the mist, water droplets clinging to her smooth skin, like a beautiful painting.
Zhuo Zhi’s gaze darted around, the thin fabric in her hand suddenly feeling incredibly sensual.
Li Qinyue looked at her, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders, her voice seductive, “What do you think I’m doing?”
Zhuo Zhi pursed her lips, wanting to remind her that doing it too often might not be good for her health.
But how was it not good? Zhuo Zhi thought, it would make you hungry, wouldn’t it?
Hadn’t Li Qinyue just said she was starving? Was that the kind of hunger she meant?
Zhuo Zhi swallowed.
Li Qinyue chuckled, bending down slightly to look at her. Her next words, however, were completely unexpected.
Pointing at her own breasts, she yelled, her voice regaining its familiar fierceness, “Look what you’ve done!!! This is flesh! Living flesh! Not a milk bottle! Not a stress ball! You were squeezing so hard! Look! Take a good look! Doesn’t it look enticing?!”
Zhuo Zhi, despite her shock, couldn’t help but laugh, “It does… look enticing…”
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