Chapter 20

As the sea breeze, carrying warmth and the smell of crude charcoal fire, brushed past the tip of their noses and passed between the two of them, pale yellow clouds slowly floated in the light golden sky like soft brushstrokes.

Lin Wan bit the rubber band, casually tied her hair up, and squatted down to look at the watermelon stall on the roadside.

Lin Wan had no idea whether watermelon that cost two yuan per pound was cheap or expensive.

She just looked at the haggard face of the woman selling melons. She was only forty years old, but her hair was completely gray.

The round watermelons lie side by side in the bamboo basket, and their emerald green color is very pleasing to the eye.

Lin Wan imitated the people around her and patted the watermelon. It made a "thump" sound, and it felt very solid. She wasn't sure which one was better, so she just picked one up at random.

Chen Yu gently pulled her arm.

Feeling the pull, Lin Wan turned around and saw Chen Yu motioning her to take the other watermelon he had knocked over before.

"That's sweet." He said in Lin Wan's ear.

You can't order takeout in the small town, so after buying the groceries and the necessary cleaning tools, the two of them had no free hands to move another mattress.

So, Lin Wan planned to go back to the house after buying pajamas.

Lin Wan was embarrassed to ask Chen Yu to follow her into the lingerie store, so she asked him to wait at the door for a while and she would be out soon.

The sun was shining brightly outside, but the light inside the store was cold and filled with the unique damp smell of mold growth.

A cheap machine voice sounded, shouting "Welcome".

Lin Wan met an unexpected person here: the domineering woman from the police station, Zhang Qiangqiang's mother - Shen Meizhen.

Chen Yu told Lin Wan her name.

The impact of the heavily made-up woman behind the counter was so great that Lin Wan froze in her tracks. Shen Meizhen was still wearing her tight top and bright lipstick.

"Hey, Xiaoyu's friend?" Shen Meizhen looked up, ready to greet the customer, but saw a familiar face. She walked out from behind the counter, holding a handful of sunflower seeds.

"Why are you here?" Shen Meizhen asked in surprise.

Lin Wan was a little stunned. He wanted to say that he was about to ask the same question, but swallowed his words and replied, "Come and stay for a few days."

Lin Wan thought that answering questions on a show must be quite pretentious.

"Stay for a few days, we too, our hometown is here and we want to come back and stay for a few months. We'll go back when Xiaoqiang finishes school. You forgot to bring your bra--" Shen Meizhen changed to a more elegant word here.

"Did you forget to bring your underwear? Did Xiaoyu come with you?" She threw the melon seeds in her hand into the bucket, wiped her hands with a wet towel and prepared to recommend them to Lin Wan.

"I forgot to bring my pajamas. Xiaoyu came with me." Lin Wan wanted to finish this quickly.

"pajamas."

Shen Meizhen's expression was a little subtle, she bit her lower lip with her teeth and thought.

"Is that what I meant?" Shen Meizhen asked her.

Lin Wan didn't quite understand what Shen Meizhen meant. Shen Meizhen led her to a wall of pajamas. When the clothes were hanging on the wall, Lin Wan was a little afraid to look directly at them.

What on earth could such a thin fabric cover?

Lin Wan took a deep breath and was stunned.

Shen Meizhen took one of the tops off and enthusiastically introduced it to her: "This one suits you. It's pink and complements your skin tone. Look at the lace, isn't it beautiful? Xiaoyu will definitely like it."

Shen Meizhen blinked at her, her eyelashes moving up and down. "Since we're old acquaintances, I'll give you a 5% discount. Two hundred yuan. And I'll give you a leg ring."

Shen Meizhen took out a black leg ring with a silver metal heart on it from the box next to her.

"It's a good deal." Shen Meizhen raised her eyebrows at her.

Lin Wan was so frightened that she quickly took a step back and waved her hands repeatedly: "Sister Meizhen, I just want to buy a set of ordinary pajamas - pure cotton, pure cotton will be fine."

She couldn't bear it anymore.

"Ordinary pure cotton pajamas." Shen Meizhen was not discouraged and continued to seize the opportunity to get another set of cartoon pajamas for Lin Wan.

"This pattern is very cute and very popular among young people. It's our best-selling pajamas," said Shen Meizhen.

"Then this one." Lin Wan made the decision quickly. After all, Chen Yu was still outside basking in the sun.

"Okay, this is it?" Shen Meizhen took Lin Wanbao's size and went to check out.

"But Xiaowan, the first piece that auntie recommends to you is definitely nice-looking. You two can go out and play together, Xiaoyu will definitely like it." Shen Meizhen raised her eyebrows at her, with a strong hint of meaning.

Lin Wan originally thought that there was no need to explain, but now it seems that he has to make it clear.

"Xiaoyu and I don't have that kind of relationship." Lin Wan said.

The mechanical "Welcome" at the door sounded again.

Huang Qiangqiang walked in holding Chen Yu's arm.

"Brother Xiaoyu, why don't you go in? Are you shy?" Huang Qiangqiang's tone sounded a bit annoying. Although his ears were still full of earrings, he finally didn't wear so many crosses.

"Xiao Yu is at the door?" Shen Meizhen paused while checking out, looked up, then quickly lowered her head and said to Lin Wan.

Lin Wan subconsciously turned to look at the two people at the door. They were standing there like brothers amidst a pile of underwear. It was quite a disconnect.

Shen Meizhen moved quickly and packed the pajamas into the bag in an instant.

"I've put it away for you. Come back next time."

Lin Wan took the bag handed to her by Shen Meizhen and felt that it seemed a little heavy, but she didn't think much about it. She said thank you and left with the things.

After the two of them walked away, Shen Meizhen slowly let out a breath, feeling that Chen Yu really deserved her gratitude.

After all, she has watched her child grow up, so she wants to help Chen Yu as much as possible. She doesn't want her to see him so lonely all the time.

The two of them bought a lot of things, but most of them were in Chen Yu's hands, so Lin Wan had some free time.

She only realized something was wrong when she returned home with her pajamas bag to wash them.

Many of the pajamas, except the one she bought, were on the wall that Shen Meizhen showed her.

There are many colors, black, white, and colorful. I don't know what kind of ability Shen Meizhen used to compress them into such a tiny plastic bag.

And this necklace, to be honest, Lin Wan felt - just felt - that it looked a bit like something a dog would wear.

Lin Wan immediately wanted to return these strange clothes, but she couldn't put them all into the bag.

There were no other opaque bags, so Lin Wan was forced to leave one item and the necklace behind. She took a deep breath and went downstairs carrying the bulging bag.

Chen Yu was making lunch downstairs, and the air was filled with steam.

Lin Wan cautiously went downstairs carrying the bag, not wanting to run into Chen Yu at all. However, carrying the things in one hand downstairs was too difficult.

Lin Wan stepped on the thin wooden strips and felt that she might slip and fall down in the next second.

One step, two steps, and there might be no problem.

Lin Wan breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the ground getting closer and closer, and he would soon land safely.

Her right hand, clutching the bag and the ladder, slipped, and her center of gravity immediately lost its balance. Lin Wan suppressed a cry of alarm, praying that Chen Yu wouldn't notice what was happening, or else he would be forced to witness the plastic bag filled with her pajamas.

After swaying left and right and barely stabilizing himself, Lin Wan felt relieved and continued to climb down, but he heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Grab it—click.

Lin Wan looked at her empty hands and the large pile of clothes of various styles on the cement floor and fell into deep thought.

"sister."

A voice called out from behind, but Lin Wan didn't want to turn back. She remained in this mid-air position for a long time, until Chen Yu walked over to her and patted her on the back, and then she came to her senses.

"Yeah." She responded.

The hands held her waist, like a red-hot iron touching her skin. Lin Wan subconsciously wanted to dodge, but because she moved too much, the ladder began to shake.

This time she really didn't dare to move.

"It's okay, I can get down by myself." She forced herself to stay calm, climbed down, and started picking up clothes on the ground.

She had just picked up two pieces when another pair of hands joined in to help her pick up the separate pajamas scattered on the ground.

Lin Wan exhaled with a trembling breath: "Don't pick it up, cook first, I'm hungry."

Let's go quickly. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't breathe.

But Chen Yu didn't leave.

"Sister, did you buy these clothes?" he said.

"No." Lin Wan answered sincerely and stuffed the last piece of clothing into the bag.

"I don't know when Sister Meizhen stuffed it in here, but now the clothes are dirty and there's no way to return them."

Lin Wan planned to pay Shen Meizhen for the four pieces of clothing.

"Sister, the meal is ready, you eat first. It's sunny outside, I'll go pay." Chen Yu said.

Lin Wan slumped in the chair and nodded in agreement. Chen Yu walked out the door.

The dishes on the table were prepared to suit Lin Wan's taste. Lin Wan glanced at the dishes on the table but didn't eat. She went to the living room, turned on the TV, and waited for Chen Yu to come back.

The door was pushed open from the outside, bringing in sunlight and heat. Chen Yu came back quickly.

"Sister Meizhen asked me to say apology to her. She didn't mean any harm." Chen Yu said.

Lin Wan curled up on the sofa, staring blankly at Crayon Shin-chan on TV.

This house is so old that even after a simple cleaning, there is still a dull smell in the house.

"It's okay." Lin Wan said.

"But Xiaoyu, do you like me?"

I can't run away any longer, I can't play the boring game of "I like you, but this is just family affection" as if nothing happened.

This kind of mutual testing was completely meaningless; it was time to draw a clear line. Lin Wan smiled at Chen Yu, a smile that was almost cruel.

Chen Yu didn't say anything, but raised his thin eyelids and looked at Lin Wan.

"Our relationship is just brother and sister, right?"

Lin Wan smiled, wanting to get a definite answer from Chen Yu, even if it was fake.

She wanted a definitive answer, something to tell herself she hadn't done anything wrong.

Chen Yu kissed her.

Things happened so fast that before Lin Wan's smile was still frozen at the corner of her lips, Chen Yu's lips pressed against hers.

The deep eyebrows and eyes appeared in front of Lin Wan, closer than ever before.

Breathing blending.

Chen Yu lifted Lin Wan's chin with his right hand, and stroked Lin Wan's neck with his left hand, sliding his thumb from the chin to the collarbone, again and again.

The lips parted, Chen Yu spread his legs and knelt on both sides of Lin Wan's thighs.

The kiss was so quick and so fleeting that Lin Wan could only feel Chen Yu's hair brushing against her cheek.

His breathing was a little hot and his movements were heavy, Lin Wan realized belatedly.

"What about now?" Chen Yu asked condescendingly in front of her.

"Sister, what is our relationship now?"