The sun climbed over the roof and light poured into the house through the window panes.

The mannequin is wearing a fashionable winter coat. A curled measuring tape has fallen halfway from the sewing machine table. The metal-edged measuring tape head is hanging in the air with numbers marked on it. Its shadow is stretched on the ground.

The entire courtyard was very quiet, with only the jujube tree shaking its few remaining withered leaves in the autumn wind. The leaf roots had fallen off the branches, swaying and falling to the ground, floating in the wind into the stone trough, and getting stained with the undried water at the bottom of the trough.

Suddenly the sun hid in the clouds, and the light in the window pane disappeared in an instant.

The gate of the yard was pushed open from the outside and a foot stepped in.

The footsteps were not heavy. He walked through the main gate and walked to the second gate, then passed the hanging flower gate and walked along the corridor to the big red wooden door of the main house. The wooden door was pushed open, and the sun showed its face. A ray of light just hit the threshold, illuminating the floating dust in the air.

After a while, the person who had gone in came out of the main room and closed the door gently. The sunlight shone on the door panel and illuminated the glass behind the carved wooden lattice.

This time he did not walk along the corridor, but went directly down the stairs, crossed the yard and went out the second door.

After the door creaked, Ruan Xi woke up from a deep sleep. Feeling the light, she buried her face in the quilt. After a moment, she pulled down the quilt to reveal a confused face. She stared blankly for a while.

Then she reached out and fumbled around on the pillow for a while, picked up her pocket watch and looked at it. It was almost ten o'clock.

She slammed her hand holding the pocket watch onto the quilt, then lay down and closed her eyes for a while.

Feeling less sleepy, Ruan Xi put the pocket watch back next to the pillow, threw back the quilt, got up, put her slightly messy long hair behind her head, took her toothbrush, toothpaste, washbasin and towel, and then picked up the thermos and went to the yard to wash up.

It was late autumn now. The sun, which had just risen, was hanging in the sky. The bright sunlight poured into the yard, and I felt warm on my body without any feeling of heat.

Ruan Xi turned on the faucet and brushed her teeth. She squeezed toothpaste on the toothbrush and put it in her mouth. The minty scent of the toothpaste and the coolness of the water instantly made her more awake. Only a third of the drowsiness she had just felt when she woke up remained.

The toothbrush rubbed dense, white foam on her teeth. She held the toothbrush and brushed for a while, then raised her eyes from the sink and inadvertently fell on the door of the west wing. Then, as she was brushing her teeth, she suddenly stopped.

My mind seemed to have finally woken up and I started working. Certain scenes from last night suddenly popped into my mind. She looked at the door of the west wing for a while, then unconsciously turned her head to look at the main room, subconsciously a little dazed -

Last night... was Ling Yao sleepwalking... or was she dreaming?

It was fine that I was too sleepy to remember it just now, but now that I suddenly remembered it, the scene at that time kept lingering in my mind and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Of course, in addition to the picture, there is also the unusually clear and soft touch on the lips.

In addition to being strangely soft, it was also cool, as if it was filled with the chill of the night.

Thinking of this, Ruan Xi came back to his senses and quickly brushed his teeth a few times, rinsed his mouth and washed his face.

After washing her face and returning to the house, she randomly found a black rubber band in the room and tied up half of her hair. She had her hair curled, and tied up the top half on top of her head, leaving the bottom half hanging down.

She doesn't look her age, even though she has been in the city for seven or eight years and has followed the fashion and permed her hair like Ruan Jie, but she still looks like a deer running out of the deep forest, small and lively, with eyes that seem to speak.

After tying her hair, she went to sit down at the table to eat. On the round table were the fried dough sticks and rice porridge she had just bought. She had seen them just now. I don’t know who bought it for her, but we are all family members, so there is no need to be polite. Just eat it.

Today is Sunday. Ruan Dabao went to the store with Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan. If Ling Yao was not at home, he must have gone to work overtime at the company. She was the only one left at home, just like every other weekday.

Ruan Xi naturally didn't go out to play alone. As usual, after breakfast, he sat down at the workbench to work. In addition to the new styles of Rose Pavilion every season, she actually also designs other clothes.

Her vision may be a little far-fetched. There are still many restrictions in the 1980s, and people's living standards are still very poor. Everyone is still generally very poor, so she plans to develop only the affordable clothing of Rose Pavilion first.

When the market economy develops rapidly in the 1990s, all industries are booming, and fashion design will have a place at that time. Then we will recruit professional designers to set up a design department and create mid- to high-end clothing brands.

She doesn't have the ability or energy to recruit students and train designers on her own. Designers are different from garment workers. This is a professional and systematic course. It cannot be learned casually. It requires training from professional colleges.

In addition to creating mid- to high-end brands, she also wants to increase her personal visibility and create her own high-end brand. Business needs to be done, money needs to be made, and this dream of two lifetimes naturally needs to be realized.

Regardless of success or failure, you must always dare to dream.

After working at home all day, Ruan Xi skipped lunch because she had eaten late breakfast. In the evening, she got up to stretch her muscles, rode her bike to the market to buy some vegetables, and after coming back, she picked and washed the vegetables and prepared dinner.

While I was concentrating on doing this, Qian Chuan came home on his bike.

As usual, she went into the yard and went to the kitchen to work with Ruan Xi, chatting while cutting and cooking. After all the dishes were cooked and placed on the table, Ruan Changsheng and Ruan Dabao came back.

In addition to the two of them, Ling Yao also entered the yard.

He held Ruan Dabao's hand, as if he was Ruan Dabao's biological father.

After washing up in the morning, Ruan Xi didn't think about what happened last night. Now seeing Ling Yao coming back, seeing his eyebrows and his face, she suddenly remembered it again, and her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

But she didn't show any reaction and just did what she was supposed to do as usual.

Ling Yao acted as if nothing had happened and took Ruan Dabao to wash his hands.

After washing their hands and sitting down at the table to eat, Ruan Changsheng talked to Ling Yao: "I see you've been very busy these days. You didn't take a rest today, which is Sunday. You seemed to have come back very late last night. What time did you come back?"

When asked this question, Ling Yao glanced at Ruan Xi, and their eyes happened to meet.

Ruan Xi didn't look at him for long, and quickly lowered her gaze to eat.

Ling Yao said: "A little after one in the middle of the night."

Ruan Changsheng added: "Xiaoxi also went to bed late last night. She insisted on waiting a little longer when I asked her to go to bed early."

Ling Yao nodded, "I know."

Ruan Changsheng: "She was still awake when you came back last night?"

Ling Yao: "He fell asleep on the workbench."

Hearing this, Ruan Xi hurriedly cleared his throat, picked up a piece of meat and put it in Ling Yao's bowl to block his mouth, "Hurry up and eat."

So it wasn't that he was sleepwalking last night, nor was it that she was dreaming, but that he really kissed her.

She was still confused about what happened last night and didn't know what happened. She only remembered seeing his eyes red in a daze, as if he had been wronged, and he kissed her without asking why.

Ling Yao looked at her, as if searching for something in her eyes.

Ruan Xi didn't look at him much, and quickly changed the subject: "Uncle Wu, Aunt Wu, is the business in the store good recently?"

Qian Chuan nodded and said, "The clothes you make are beautiful, and your business has always been good."

Then he started talking about making and selling clothes.

After dinner, Ling Yao took the initiative to clean up and wash the dishes. Even though they didn't come back to eat together every night, he didn't eat for free. He paid when necessary and did all the work he was supposed to do.

Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan have always had a tacit understanding. As long as Ling Yao eats at home, they will take Ruan Dabao out for a walk after dinner to digest the food, leaving the space at home for Ruan Xi and Ling Yao.

Ruan Xi sat at the table and hesitated for a while. Before she could decide whether to help him clean up the kitchen, she heard Ling Yao's voice coming from outside, "Xixi, help me get all the chopsticks."

Ruan Xi said "oh", stood up, picked up the chopsticks, held them in his hand, and turned to leave.

After walking outside, down the steps and approaching the sink, she glanced at Ling Yao and whispered, "Don't call me Xixi anymore. Call me sister."

Ling Yao took the chopsticks from her hand, turned on the faucet, and said while washing the dishes: "One year older is not considered older, and you look younger than me, so it's more appropriate to call you Xixi."

Ruan Xi insisted: "One day older is still a sister."

Ling Yao turned to look at her and replied after a moment: "Okay, sister."

“…”

After he finished calling her that, Ruan Xi felt that calling her Xixi would be worse than calling her sister. But since it was her own request, she naturally didn't say anything else and turned to go into the main room. But as soon as she stepped onto the stairs, she came back and stood by the sink looking at Ling Yao.

She wanted to ask him what happened last night, but before she could ask, Ling Yao asked her, "Do you always carry the pocket watch with my name on it?"

Hearing this question, Ruan Xi was slightly stunned.

She didn't carry it with her all the time. In the 1970s, it was difficult to take it out, so she always kept it in the mooncake box. It was only after she moved and packed up that she adjusted the time and took it out to use.

She looked at Ling Yao and felt that if she answered no, he would be depressed for a long time and might even cry like he did last night, so she hesitated for a moment and replied, "Well... yes..."

Unexpectedly, when she answered yes, his eyes suddenly turned red.

He smiled with red eyes and said to Ruan Xi: "I understand."

Ruan Xi: “…”

What do you know?

Before she could say anything else, Ling Yao rinsed the washed dishes and went to the kitchen.

Ruan Xi stood by the sink and watched him enter the kitchen, still wondering in her mind - what on earth did he know?

For the next week, Ling Yao was very busy every day and came back very late at night. Sometimes Ruan Xi was already asleep when he came back, and sometimes Ruan Xi was still reading or working under the lamp.

On Saturday night, Ling Yao still got home at midnight.

Ruan Xi also stayed up all night. When she was thinking about modifying the small details of the clothes, she suddenly heard two knocks on the door. She thought she had heard it wrong so she ignored it, but she heard two more sounds a short while later.

Ling Yao knocked on the door twice but no one came to open it, so he leaned against the door, lowered his head, closed his eyes and stopped knocking.

Ruan Xi came out of the main room when he heard the second knock on the door. He walked to the front door, muttering who had bolted it, and then he unbolted the door and opened it. As a result, when the door opened, the person leaning against it fell in directly.

Ruan Xi subconsciously caught Ling Yao and said, "I don't know who bolted the door."

Ling Yao grabbed her arm to help him stand up, turned around and suddenly hugged Ruan Xi into his arms, pressing his whole body on her.

Ruan Xi was a little unsteady on his feet and was forced to take two steps back, with his back leaning against the screen wall.

“…”

Coming again?

This time he was conscious. Ruan Xi did not say anything, but only felt his heart beating heavier and heavier uncontrollably. She was completely wrapped in Ling Yao's arms. She could feel his heartbeat and the hot temperature of his body even through his coat.

Not knowing what was going on, Ruan Xi didn't push him away. After a long while, she asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Why do you look so pitiful and need someone to care for and comfort you?

After a moment of silence, Ling Yao whispered in her ear: "Xixi, I can't help it anymore."

He hadn't planned to be too hasty. After moving in for more than two months, he was very happy every day and felt quite content. But that night when he saw Ruan Xi holding the pocket watch he had given her, he couldn't control himself.

The next day she said that she had been carrying it with her all the time, and something in his mind became more and more stirring.

Ruan Xi's heartbeat subconsciously quickened, and her ears felt a little tingling. She wanted to push Ling Yao away but she was too weak to do so. She wanted to step back but her back was against the screen wall and she could not do so. She had to hold her breath and let him hold her.

He is a grown man now, not a little boy, so Ruan Xi naturally can't hold his hand without thinking too much like she did when they were children. Especially since he said such ambiguous words, she naturally couldn't remain calm.

Her mind was uncontrollably recalling the scene and feeling of him kissing her last week. It was almost like she was dying. Ruan Xi exhaled lightly and said, "Did you...drink alcohol? Or...have a high fever...are you confused?"

Ling Yao whispered in her ear: "I like you. I have liked you since I was thirteen."

The hot breath swept across my ears, and the heat from my ears instantly climbed up my face.

Ruan Xi's heartbeat was so intense because of him that she turned her head to look at him after a moment. The night obscured the redness on her eyebrows and face. Ling Yao raised his head slightly and also looked at her with lowered eyebrows. The distance between their faces was only an inch, and their breaths were entangled, making them feel hot.

Just when Ling Yao was about to kiss him, Ruan Xi suddenly raised his hand to cover his forehead.

really!

I have a fever! !

No wonder it feels hot everywhere! ! !