In late June, during the rainy season, Haishi, located in Jiangnan, would see drizzling showers every few days.
The Wealthy District of Haishi was shrouded in a fine mist; the sky, which should have been bright in the morning, was now rather gloomy.
Yet, warm white light glowed from within one of the villas.
In the kitchen, the iron pot on the counter was making a “doo doo doo” sound. The noodles tumbled in the boiling water, with several wedges of tomato cooked until soft and tender.
Outside the kitchen, the Smart Speaker was broadcasting the weather forecast, interspersed with the lively shouts of a young girl—“Hey ya!” “Hey ya!”
A girl was spinning in place, wearing white ankle socks.
“Mama, be careful not to fall.”
Lin Xingyao lay over the small table in the living room, drawing, and looked up to see her mother twirling around.
So Mama liked playing children’s games too.
Lin Yiren stopped to rest, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“The noodles should be done.” She walked into the kitchen, washed her hands, wiped them on her big shorts, turned off the stove, and got ready to serve the noodles.
The aroma of Tomato Noodles mingled with the rising steam. As Lin Yiren ladled out the noodles, she thought back to her earlier movements.
She and Chen Zhaoyue had been learning from Sun Jiao for three days now, and their efforts were starting to show.
But her turning movement was still not quite right.
Even Sun Jiao had helplessly commented, “Your body is so flexible, why do you turn so stiffly?”
Was it because her body had changed, making it hard to keep her balance while spinning?
Lin Yiren frowned in thought, but her hands didn’t stop moving, and she soon brought out three bowls of noodles, adding an Egg to Xingyao’s bowl.
Chen Zhaoyue, on the other hand, performed beautifully, her movements graceful and fluid. Did she really have no choice but to be led by her?
***
Just then, a sound came from the door—the very Miss Chen she’d been thinking of had returned, carrying a small leather bag.
Xingyao was still sprawled over her drawing, but when she heard the commotion, she turned and called out, “Mama,” then went back to her art.
“Don’t lean too close to the paper.” Chen Zhaoyue took off her sneakers, which were damp on the soles, and changed into a pair of slippers.
“Oh…” Xingyao pushed herself up.
Whenever her Chen Zhaoyue Mama put on that stern face, both she and her Lin Yiren Mama would always behave themselves.
“Now that you’re back, let’s eat.”
Lin Yiren placed the chopsticks on the porcelain bowl, making a clear “ding” sound.
Chen Zhaoyue had left early this morning to make some preparations before joining the family Company after graduation.
Ah, capital. Lin Yiren looked at her in a little suit jacket, remembering how the last time she picked her up, she too had just come back from the Company after a busy day.
Xingyao was brought to the sink, her tiny hands being gently scrubbed by a pair of slender fingers, washing off the stray ink stains.
“Let’s go.” Chen Zhaoyue led her to the dining table.
Three bowls of steaming Tomato Noodles were set on the table.
“Smells so good. Yiren, your cooking is amazing.”
Chen Zhaoyue took a whiff and gave a satisfied smile.
“It’s just cutting up some tomatoes and cooking noodles.”
Lin Yiren’s cheeks grew warm. She avoided meeting Miss Chen’s gaze and pulled out her chair to sit down.
“Whew~”
Chen Zhaoyue blew on her noodles, then slurped up a large mouthful. Some broth splashed onto the rim of the bowl with the rising noodles.
She lifted the bowl and drank some soup, letting out a long sigh. “So comforting.”
If Chen An were here, he’d probably be dumbfounded—his daughter had been a little wild as a child, but after growing up, it was rare for her to eat so unreservedly with him.
“I was so sleepy going over there so early, and just when that proposal had to go wrong at this exact time, those people just kept nagging and refused to change anything…” After a couple bites of noodles, Chen Zhaoyue couldn’t help complaining.
Lin Yiren listened to her chatter and chimed in with a few words.
A few months ago, she’d never have imagined herself complaining about work at the dining table with the elegant and dazzling Miss Chen.
As they got to know each other better, Chen Zhaoyue was also less restrained around her, sometimes even… a bit willful.
Maybe this was her truest self.
“Why are those people so mean?”
Lin Yiren swallowed her noodles, speaking up on behalf of Miss Chen.
“Mean!”
Lin Xingyao echoed, while busily pushing noodles around her own bowl.
She still wasn’t very skilled with chopsticks, treating them like two little sticks to scoop up her noodles.
Chen Zhaoyue watched the little one indignantly echoing her mother’s words. She exchanged a glance with Lin Yiren, and both of them smiled.
***
After eating, Xingyao couldn’t wait to return to her little table to continue her drawing.
Lin Yiren sat beside her, propping up her face, watching the little dumpling carefully tracing with her watercolor pen.
The drawing already had a short little person, and now Xingyao was adding a taller one beside it.
A face, clothes, a dress, and long hair.
It seemed that after learning so much at Qinzi Hall, Xingyao’s drawing skills were far ahead of other three-year-olds.
“Is that me?” Lin Yiren asked curiously.
“No, that’s Mummy.”
Somehow, Lin Xingyao had picked up a new way to address Chen Zhaoyue: “Mummy.”
So it’s Chen Zhaoyue.
Lin Yiren looked at the person on the left in the drawing, comparing her with Miss Chen, and couldn’t help but smile at the corners of her mouth.
“What are you up to?”
The person in the drawing came down the stairs, drying her hair.
“Mummy, I finished drawing you!” Xingyao held up the picture to show off to Chen Zhaoyue.
“Wonderful.”
Chen Zhaoyue sat down next to her daughter to take a closer look at her own portrait—a round, chubby, long-haired figure.
A little… adorably ugly.
She heard a quiet giggle from the side: “Xingyao’s drawing looks just like you, right?”
Lin Yiren had a look of gloating delight.
Chen Zhaoyue gritted her teeth, pointed to the right side of the little short person, and said, “Then let’s draw Mama next.”
“Okay!”
Inspired, Lin Xingyao began to create with great vigor.
The two young women beside her watched her every move.
***
Under the close scrutiny of the three heads huddled together, another round, long-haired figure took shape.
“This… looks exactly the same,” Lin Yiren said, looking at the figure so similar to the one on the left.
“Nope, Mamas need to look closely.”
“Uh, the upper body is a bit bigger?” Chen Zhaoyue guessed uncertainly.
“Mummy is right!”
Lin Xingyao’s delight was like meeting a kindred spirit.
“Why is the upper body…”
Lin Yiren’s face suddenly turned rosy halfway through her sentence, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“When Mama hugs me, I can feel she’s fatter than Mummy!” Xingyao announced triumphantly.
“Pfft—hahaha.” This time it was Chen Zhaoyue’s turn to laugh out loud.
Now, not just her cheeks, but even Lin Yiren’s ears and the back of her neck flushed pink.
If she could, she really didn’t want such obvious feminine features. They were completely useless…
“Maybe that’s why you lose balance when you spin during dance practice,” Chen Zhaoyue added another bomb.
“No! Stop it!”
Lin Yiren wished she could cover her mouth—Miss Chen really was better off being dignified!
“Xingyao, let’s frame this picture later, and remember to give Mama a close-up.”
Chen Zhaoyue picked up the drawing as if it were a priceless treasure.
“No way!”
“Mama~”
“Then… it can only stay in the room.”
“Giggling~”
The joyful laughter within the house drifted out, gradually fading into the gentle rain.