Chapter 146 Equal Distribution of Rain and Dew "Since they are all equally important, now... is..."

The Lantern Festival at the foot of Shoushan Temple is held only once every five years. This year, thanks to the strong support of Gucheng Culture and Tourism, its scale is unprecedented.

Zhu Liushuang has never been to such a crowded place before, so she naturally wants to broaden her horizons.

She had promised her mother long ago that she would stay home and watch the Spring Festival Gala with her. Now, if she went back on her word and went out to have fun, it would really be a bit unreasonable.

"I have to stay home and watch the Spring Festival Gala with my mom..." she typed regretfully.

The message had barely been sent when it drew a barrage of complaints from a friend: "You're still stuck at home watching the Spring Festival Gala with your aunt every year? Aren't you tired of it yet? Come on, Shuangshuang! You're married now, can't you try something new and romantic? Lanterns and fireworks, tonight would be such a great opportunity..."

Staring at the words on the screen, Zhu Liushuang became increasingly eager. If Tian Xingyu continued talking like this, she wasn't sure if she would waver.

"What are you agonizing over? Your mouth could hold an oil bottle..." He Ming's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Zhu Liushuang instinctively covered her lips; it wasn't nearly as exaggerated as he'd made it out to be. She couldn't help but glance at him, her fingertips hovering over the WeChat chat window.

"The Spring Festival Lantern Festival...Want to go?" He Ming glanced at a message in the corner and asked her.

Zhu Liushuang puffed out her cheeks and said slowly, "It seems quite lively, but... I'd better not go. There are too many people, it'll be too crowded."

She spoke hesitantly, her words practically screaming "insincere" on her face.

He Ming could easily sense her subtle emotions. He guessed what she was thinking and offered a compromise: "The Lantern Festival only happens once every five years, it's quite a rare event. If you want to go, we can wait until Mom is asleep before driving there."

Her almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, and Zhu Liushuang looked up and asked, "Isn't it too late?"

"Isn't it better if there are fewer people later?" He Ming smiled and looked at her.

"Then it's settled!" Zhu Liushuang happily stood on tiptoe and pecked He Ming twice on the cheek. After the kisses, she lowered her head and excitedly replied to her friend's message.

Fingers scrolled across the phone's keyboard as the man standing beside her stroked his cheek, his eyes growing increasingly deep.

She was completely unaware of this.

Just as I finished typing and pressed send, my chin was suddenly lifted up by a strong hand.

Zhu Liushuang was speechless, a look of panic flashing across her face. She didn't speak, but stared at him with wide eyes.

The man's phoenix eyes were like a dark magnet, as if they would suck her into the abyss at any moment.

Zhu Liushuang's expression grew increasingly tense.

“Ah Ming…”

The sweet moans abruptly ceased, replaced by the soft rustling of the man's fingertips caressing her lips. He stroked her lips slowly and deliberately, as if savoring the kiss that had just been given, or as if firmly controlling her in this moment.

A silent tenderness blossomed at their fingertips. He Ming slowly lowered his eyes, a faint wrinkle appearing at the corner of his eye: "Compared to your A Yu, I don't seem that important... Shuangshuang, we didn't kiss enough."

“You and Ayu…are just as important to me!” Zhu Liushuang blurted out.

"Oh, really?" the man asked calmly, and before she could answer, he quickly snatched the annoying phone and casually placed it face down next to the sink.

"Shuangshuang..." He pulled her close, drawing her against his chest, his eyes darkening. "Since they're equally important, shouldn't we share the spoils now?"

His deep voice brushed against her eardrums, like a murmur or a gentle coaxing, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority. The moment the words left her lips, He Ming's lips pressed down on hers like a tidal wave, leaving her no room to escape.

Outside the window, the night was pitch black, the moon was like a silver hook, and the branches and leaves of the camphor tree swayed in the wind.

The intertwined branches resembled two intertwined figures inside the window, graceful and tender.

When the kiss ended, Zhu Liushuang leaned weakly against He Ming's chest, panting heavily. Her nose was damp with sweat, and her face was burning hot.

"Ah Ming, could you please not do that next time..."

"What do you not want?"

"Don't kiss me for so long! I can't breathe..." she said shyly, her chest heaving.

"After so many times, you still haven't learned how to breathe properly?" The man holding her turned her around. "Looks like I haven't tried hard enough. Let's practice more." As he spoke, he pretended to kiss her again.

Zhu Liushuang made two "woof" sounds, dodging her head from side to side, pleading, "No, no... if you keep kissing me, my lips will swell up, how am I supposed to go out and see Ayu then?"

“I’ll be gentler…” He Ming said, cupping her face in his hands.

"You have to keep your word!" Zhu Liushuang grumbled.

“Of course, Shuangshuang…look at me.”

This time, she surprisingly didn't close her eyes.

She watched him approach her little by little, so close to her.

She counted his thick, dark eyelashes, smelled his warm breath... The intense sensory stimulation made her heart pound like a deer, and her fingertips curled up into a ball.

He Ming wasn't lying to her; his movements were unusually gentle, making her lips itch with his kisses.

He slowly pried open her lips, his tongue lightly touching and swirling on her palate...

A deeper itch seeped into her bones, and Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but let out a soft "Mmm."

Once the invitation was sent, the man's interest only grew stronger.

He teased her even more, playing with her lips and tongue.

“Ah Ming…” Zhu Liu’s eyes welled up with tears.

She gripped his back tightly, her tongue entwining with his mischievous tongue, and deepened the kiss.

The large iron gate of the house was opened at this moment, accompanied by a "bang," and a short, stout figure appeared by the gate.

Gu Chunling was in a good mood, humming "Good Luck" as she changed her shoes.

"Where are they?" She glanced around the living room and, not seeing her daughter and son-in-law, called out, "Shuangshuang—Aming—"

Thankfully, the kitchen door was half-open, otherwise their two panting faces would have been exposed to others.

"I'll go out first, you can come out later," Zhu Liushuang said in a whisper.

In the dim light, He Ming nodded obediently.

"Phew—" She took a deep breath, cupped her burning cheeks in her palms, and then pushed open the kitchen door. "Mom, you're back?" She darted past her mother and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Why are you walking so fast? Be careful not to bump into anything..." Gu Chunling muttered. "Shuangshuang, where's A-Ming?"

As soon as he finished speaking, He Ming peeked out from behind the door with a rag in his hand: "Mom, I'll take the gas stove off and wash it for you."

“It’s Chinese New Year, don’t wash anymore…” Gu Chunling quickly stopped him, “A-Ming, you’ve been busy all day, come out and rest for a while.”

"Okay, whatever you say." He Ming didn't stand on ceremony and folded the dishcloth before walking out of the kitchen.

His skin was fair, and after what had just happened, although his face wasn't as radiant as Zhu Liushuang's, it still had an unusual red tinge.

Why are all of them blushing?

Could it be that it got cold?

Gu Chunling was puzzled, but remained silent. She made He Ming a cup of hot tea, led him to the sofa, and asked him about the couple's daily life.

After asking but her daughter still hadn't come out, she called out, "Shuangshuang, are you done in the bathroom? Mom wants to talk to you two about something..."

Zhu Liushuang had already washed her face with cold water twice, but the flush on her cheeks did not subside.

"Okay—coming!" she responded, hurriedly went to the toilet, pressed the flush button, and then opened the door to go out. "Mom, what's up?"

"Actually... it's nothing serious. I just went downstairs to deliver some rice cakes and saw that Aunt Jiang on the third floor was all alone at home, which looked quite pitiful. I wanted to go down and chat with her and watch the Spring Festival Gala together," Gu Chunling said, sounding embarrassed.

"Didn't Uncle Yu come back this year?"

“Standing guard on the frontier… Your Aunt Jiang has it tough too. Her daughter married a foreigner and rarely comes back, and her son was handed over to the state.” As she spoke, Gu Chunling felt a sense of shared sorrow. “My husband passed away early, and this house is so quiet and lonely.”

Zhu Liushuang knew about the Jiang family's situation, and upon hearing her mother's words, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic: "Mom, why don't you go down and keep Aunt Jiang company? Should we bring some walnuts or tangerines as snacks?"

"No need, no need. The government officials visited her a few days ago; she has everything she needs," Gu Chunling said, waving her hand. "You two...are you staying at home or..."

"Don't worry about us..."

“That’s true, you’re all adults now. I’ll go downstairs first…” Gu Chunling got up to leave, but after a few steps she turned back and reminded He Ming, “If you feel bored at home, A-Ming, you can take Shuangshuang out for a walk. It’s not good to stay at home all day.”

"Mom, don't worry."

Gu Chunling returned in a hurry and left in a hurry. As soon as the door closed, the two people left in the room exchanged a silent glance.

Who would have thought that it would be her mother who would break her promise first!

Now, Zhu Liushuang's guilt dissipated considerably.

With a smile, she walked quickly to He Ming and jumped onto his lap with a "thump".

The little girl snuggled into his arms, her voice sweet and affectionate: "Ah Ming... can we go out right now?"

The man's fingertips twirled around the ends of her hair, playing with them in circles: "Hmm, that's fine."

“Then I’ll call Ayu!” Zhu Liushuang jumped up and dialed her best friend’s number. “Hey, Ayu! My mom went out to meet her old friends… Yes, we’ll be leaving in a bit, around eight o’clock… um, I’ll contact you when we get there.”

After hanging up the phone, her eyes sparkled: "Ayu said she bought two sets of Hanfu makeup and styling through a group purchase... I've never worn Hanfu before, I must take lots of photos tonight to remember this moment!"

“Okay—” He Mingsong said, opening his hair, “I’ll go get the camera.”

"When did you bring your camera?" Zhu Liushuang asked, both surprised and delighted. She had always known that He Ming was very good at photography; the covers of his radio programs used landscape photos he had taken himself, which were so beautiful they looked like they had been cut from a magazine.

"When I was packing my clothes yesterday, I thought I might need them," He Ming chuckled. "See, they've come in handy."

Zhu Liushuang said with a big smile, "Then you'd better take a good picture of me!"

"good--"

"Ah Ming, have you ever photographed people?" she asked him indirectly.

"I've photographed my grandfather..."

"Oh..." Not hearing the answer she wanted, Zhu Liushuang wanted to probe further.

The person being questioned confirmed, "Don't worry, besides my grandfather, there's no one else, and certainly no other woman."

Zhu Liushuang chuckled to herself, feeling secretly pleased, but still denied it: "Who asked you that... It would be great if you had photographed a lot of girls, that would mean you have experience photographing people! People online say that being good at landscape photography doesn't necessarily mean you can photograph portraits, especially men!"

He Ming knew she was being stubborn and didn't bother to call her out on it. After helping her sit down on the sofa, he solemnly assured her, "Lack of experience can be overcome with practice, just like when we kiss. Practice makes perfect. From now on, my camera lens will only capture Shuangshuang."

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Author's Note: I'm even jealous of my best friend! The way my senior is vying for her attention is so adorable [shrug]