Shen Su should have guessed long ago; answering one silly question would only lead to a hundred more waiting for him…
"Young Master Shen, if I were a sweet white steamed bun, would you still like me?"
At that moment, he was sitting by the window, using a thin blanket to dry her wet hair.
The sky was completely dark, and a sudden gust of wind rose.
The night rain condensed into beads and dripped down the eaves tiles into the water vat under the corridor, the sound of dripping and pattering, both delicate and noisy.
The lights were on inside, casting a dim, warm glow in the pitch-black night amidst the torrential rain.
A pot of rock sugar ginger soup simmered on the stove, bubbling and gurgling. The rising wisps of smoke carried a faint, spicy, and sweet aroma that warmed the body and made one feel incredibly comfortable.
Zhan Xinjia sneezed and shook her hair like a kitten or puppy, making Shen Suqing even more at a loss.
He simply spread out the blanket and wrapped her completely, then turned around to pour her some ginger soup.
Behind him, the little girl continued to press him for answers.
"Young Master Shen, do you not like me anymore? Young Master Shen, Young Master Shen, Young Master Shen—"
Shen Suqing felt a headache coming on.
No one turns into a steamed bun for no reason...
Even so, he patiently answered while ladling ginger soup into the bowl.
"If you turn into a white steamed bun, I'll lock you in the cupboard and open it every day when I eat to take a peek."
"What if I get moldy?"
"No mold allowed."
"What if I were stolen and secretly eaten by Ji De?"
As soon as she finished speaking, before Shen Suqing could even open his mouth, the big orange cat lying on the table not far away, idly swishing its tail, opened its eyes, licked its paws, and meowed in confusion.
Not only did Zhan Xin feel good, but even Shen Suqing couldn't help but chuckle.
He handed the bowl, lined with a cloth, to the little girl, reminding her, "Be careful, the bowl is a bit hot."
Under the warm yellow light, her eyebrows and eyes curved.
Her already beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to have been washed clean by rain, becoming clear and bright, as clean as a glass mirror, without any impurities.
He blew on the bowl and took small sips.
The little girl held the bowl in both hands, her lips curving into a bright smile.
"What if I turn into a butterfly? Will Lord Shen still take care of me?"
"...This one won't do, let's try another one."
"Why, Lord Shen? Doesn't Lord Shen like butterflies?"
"A butterfly's lifespan is only three days to a month. If you become a butterfly, what will happen to me after a month? Do you want me to die?"
"But it was me who turned into a butterfly, not Lord Shen."
The little girl argued.
However, she was met with a hand ruffling her hair, and Shen Suqing, busy with his work, glanced at her sideways.
"There's nothing I can do. Sensitive and stubborn writers like us are prone to melancholy and lamenting the passing of spring and autumn. Even the smallest things can fester into a knot in our hearts and cause us to fall seriously ill. If my butterfly dies, I probably won't survive either."
Hearing his half-joking self-deprecation, Zhan Xinjia felt both amused and smug.
She must be very important to Master Shen!
The blanket draped over her shoulders radiated warmth, and the soup bowl she held in her hands steamed with white vapor.
Even in the pitch-black night, amidst torrential rain and fierce winds, as long as she sheltered in this bright and warm little house, as long as she stayed by Master Shen's side, no storm could cross his embrace and strike her.
"Master Xiao Shen."
"Um?"
"I wish I were only the size of a potato pancake, so you could put me in your pocket and take me out to play every day. I wouldn't have to walk, I wouldn't have to go to school, and I could ride my 'Jide' everywhere."
Listening to the little girl's longing ramblings, Shen Suqing couldn't help but chuckle.
Fortunately, he had gotten used to her nonsense.
He pondered for a moment, and actually gave it serious thought about its feasibility.
"Okay, I'll hide you in my sleeve pocket and take you with me to court... It might even save me some money, right? You won't eat much when you're smaller, so I'll pack you two steamed buns and you can eat them all day."
"Damn it, how come you only think of saving money when it's something so fun?!"
"alright."
Smiling, he pushed the little girl, still wrapped in a blanket and puffing up in a huff, out of the room, and took the bowl from her hands.
"The bathtub was already filled with boiling water, it should be cooled down by now. Go take a bath and wash up first, and don't come nagging me if you catch a cold."
The clean clothes are draped over the screen next to the bathtub; just throw the wet clothes into the basin beside it.
Although she pretended to be unconvinced, her smiling eyes couldn't hide her good mood. Even as she comfortably soaked in the perfectly heated bathtub, Zhan Xinjia couldn't help but chuckle.
How could there be such a wonderful young man in the world?
He happily submerged half his head in the water, making bubbles. Outside, the shadows of people walking by were reflected on the door, and the sound of a young man worrying himself sick could be heard from the distant corridor.
"Don't play in the water. Once you're done soaking, quickly get dressed and go back to bed."
"I heard it! I heard it with both ears!"
He surfaced, shook off the water, and Zhan Xinjia's smile deepened.
Even after she finished washing up and went back to her room to lie in the soft, warm bed that Jide had prepared, she could still see the dim yellow light shining through the door. It was Master Shen washing dishes in the kitchen.
After a while, the kitchen light went out, and footsteps, growing louder as they approached, stopped at her window.
Little Shen is checking if she has closed the window properly.
A moment later, the light disappeared into the distance under the eaves.
A faint sound of enamel flowerpots being moved could be heard through the fine rain. This time, Master Shen must be moving the flowers and plants in the corridor back under the eaves to protect them from the wind and rain.
Hearing these sounds, Zhan Xinjia, feeling incredibly at ease, slowly closed her eyes.
She thought she would have a good dream, and she did have one, but it was hard to say whether it was good or bad.
Spring is in full bloom, and a gentle breeze is blowing.
In my dream, pear blossoms were in full bloom in March, swallows carried grass under the eaves, and the bright sunlight was so dazzling that I couldn't open my eyes. The air seemed to be filled with the faint, sweet scent of green pears.
A young girl sat on a treetop, and as she leisurely swung her legs, pear blossoms fell like snowflakes.
Under the tree, the young boy stretched out his arms and looked up at her.
"Come down quickly, little sister."
The little girl wore a light green ruqun embroidered with willow branches, her hair styled in a drooping cloud bun, with a forsythia flower hairpin with green and yellow flecks in her hair, and a few strands of soft hair fluttering in the wind along with the ribbons.
When she smiled, her teeth, which hadn't fully grown in, were gapped, and even her speech was somewhat unclear and slurred.
"No, the view from the tree is amazing! You can see all the way to the river outside!"
The young boy in the tree sighed, rubbing his forehead. Despite his young age, he seemed quite profound, clearly having a lot on his mind.
He attempted to negotiate again.
"Come down here, how about I give you half of my allowance?"
Before the girl could answer, an angry voice came from not far away.
"Ah Jian!"
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