The usual quiet inside the house was completely shattered by the arrival of Yezhe and Liuyin.
Normally, when she came home, she would only turn on the Bedroom light and the Corridor light.
After settling Liuyin in the Living Room, Yezhe turned around and went with Yudong to the Kitchen to get busy.
“Big brother, I want to watch Television.”
In the middle of their work, a soft and sticky voice drifted from the Living Room into the Kitchen.
“Hold on, let your sister help you in a bit.”
Hearing Liuyin’s voice, Yezhe looked up and shouted toward the Living Room, then quickly lowered his head and got back to work.
The crisp green cabbage in his hands was peeled apart leaf by leaf, piling up into a mound on the chopping board.
When all that was left in his hands was the cabbage heart, Yezhe turned around and threw the unused parts into the Trash Can, packed up the rest in the Lettuce Basket, and handed it to Yudong, who was standing at the sink beside him.
Tonight, every light was ablaze—the white fluorescent in the Kitchen, the crystal chandelier in the Living Room, the wall lamp in the Dining Room. The three layers of lighting stacked together, filling the house to the brim.
Looking from outside the apartment building, there was no way to tell it apart from the homes of other tenants.
“You go help her out first.”
Yezhe’s voice sounded suddenly, giving a light nudge with his elbow to Yudong, who was standing next to him washing cabbage.
“Oh.”
She replied softly, pulling her hands out of the sink.
Water ran down her slender, white fingers and dripped onto the plain floor, leaving a little patch of moisture.
Seeing this, Yudong grabbed a towel from the hook on the wall and wiped her hands dry.
When she walked toward the Living Room, Liuyin was sitting right in the middle of the Sofa, her tiny body sunk into the soft cushions, her two little legs dangling and swinging back and forth.
Her toes would occasionally tap the leg of the Coffee Table, making a gentle sound.
When she saw Yudong approach, Liuyin beamed at her, two little canine teeth peeking out unconsciously.
“Thank you, sis.”
Yudong bent down, squatting to search under the Coffee Table for the Remote Control.
Thinking about it, it had been a while since she last turned on the Television; even the space under the Coffee Table had gathered a thin layer of dust.
As her fingertips brushed over it, fine motes of dust rose up.
After fumbling for a while, Yudong finally touched a cold Plastic Bowl—no, it was the Remote Control.
She pressed the power button with her finger.
The Television screen went dark for a moment, then brightened.
After the glaring white flash, the boot logo of the Television slowly emerged and finally stayed on the main menu.
“Liuyin, what do you want to watch?”
Yudong turned her head toward the cheerful little one on the Sofa, her voice a touch softer, fingers pinching the Remote Control and giving it a little shake.
“I want to watch Monster battles!”
As soon as the Television came on, Liuyin sat up straight, raising her little arms high, eyes shining with excitement, even her tone rising a bit.
This answer genuinely surprised Yudong. She froze for a moment.
“…Eh? That… should be this one, right?”
As she spoke, Yudong pondered, and eventually, using the Remote Control, found the Anime Section, then entered the Tokusatsu Section.
When she hit confirm, the covers of all sorts of Tokusatsu shows instantly filled the screen—Monsters and Supermen everywhere, dazzling to the eye.
“This one?”
The cursor landed on a red-faced Superman with a crest on his head.
Yudong turned to ask Liuyin.
“Not that red-faced one. It’s ugly.”
Liuyin shook her head, even looking a little disgusted.
“Then sis will pick, and you tell me when you see one you want to watch.”
Finally, the cursor rested on a Hero with an X Mark on his chest.
“That one, that one looks good.”
Liuyin suddenly raised her hand, pointing at the Television, even leaning forward, eyes sparkling at the screen, her voice brimming with excitement.
“Okay, then you watch. Sis will go back to work now.”
After hitting play, Yudong handed the Remote Control to Liuyin, and at the same time, she smiled and ruffled Liuyin’s head.
Her soft hair felt especially pleasant against her palm.
After finishing all this, Yudong turned and walked back to the Kitchen.
“u-me~”
The sound from the Television echoed through the Living Room and reached the Kitchen.
As the familiar melody played, Yezhe started humming along while preparing the dishes.
“u-me~”
“No wonder Liuyin likes watching these. Turns out she’s been watching with you.”
Back at the sink, Yudong rolled up her sleeves and resumed washing the cabbage.
The sound of running water mixed with the cartoon’s theme song from the Living Room.
She shot a sidelong glance at Yezhe, who was ignoring the vegetables and posing instead.
“That’s not it—she liked them to begin with. I even helped her find a few more series,” Yezhe said, still focused on the Meatball in his hands.
“Uh… you two…”
Yudong paused, looked at Yezhe again, unsure what to say for a moment.
“What is it? Is it not any good?”
“It’s good, it’s good…”
“See? Then that’s fine.”
Yezhe shrugged, dumped the Meatballs into a Glass Bowl, then grabbed the Hotpot Base.
“All right, you can take a break. Leave the rest to me.”
Taking the cabbage from Yudong, Yezhe tore open the Hotpot Base’s packaging, turned around, and started fussing with the stove.
“Are you sure?”
Remembering how Yezhe looked half-dead on the way home, Yudong asked with concern.
“Don’t worry, I can handle this much.”
He straightened his back on purpose as he spoke, then dumped the Hotpot Base into the already heated pot.
With a sizzle, the aroma of oil and seasonings burst out in the cramped Kitchen, and even with the vent on, both of them started coughing.
“Cough… All right, I’ll go back to the Living Room to keep Liuyin company.”
Yudong covered her mouth and coughed a few times, her eyes getting a bit misty from the sting.
She waved her hand, turned, and headed for the Living Room, sliding the glass door shut behind her.
“Mm.”
Yezhe coughed twice as well, then focused on stir-frying the base.
Watching it slowly melt in the pot, turning into a bright red broth, the fragrance grew stronger and stronger.
In the Living Room, Yudong stared intently at the Television.
It wasn’t until Yudong sat down next to her that Liuyin reacted.
“Sis, is dinner ready yet?”
Seeing Yudong sit down, Liuyin turned her head to look at her.
“Not yet, wait a little longer.”
Yudong also turned, reaching out to gently tap Liuyin’s soft cheek with her fingertip.
It was so soft…
“Oh.”
Liuyin responded and immediately turned her little head back to focus on the Television again.
Perhaps out of boredom, Yudong soon started watching too.
She nestled her back into the Sofa, her eyes drifting to the screen.
A date… huh.
After a burst of fighting, the plot happened to reach a quiet moment.
The two protagonists sat under a stone pavilion—the girl fiddling with her broken High Heel, the boy reminding her that shoes aren’t so easily fixed.
“After all, a shoe has to withstand dozens of kilograms of weight in an instant…”
The clear male voice came from the Television, full of a science student’s rationality and bluntness.
As soon as he finished, the girl’s face on screen darkened; she gripped the High Heel tighter.
“If you can’t say something nice, just keep your mouth shut.”
Watching this scene, Yudong couldn’t help laughing, looking at the TV boy’s fresh-faced, slightly clueless expression—and then thinking of Yezhe.
“Talking about a woman’s weight is asking for trouble…”
Clueless or just trying to be helpful, the boy’s figure gradually overlapped with the one on screen.
Yudong’s smile faded, replaced by a heavier emotion.
Could it be… even a little bit… has he really not realized my feelings?