Dreamy Dream
At 6:30 in the morning, the streetlights outside the window were dimly lit. Inside, a fire crackled and lit up the flame. An egg was cracked into a small frying pan. Zhou Qingchi looked a little tired, but his hands were still working methodically.
A short while later, the sound of clattering footsteps came from another room, followed by the door being suddenly pulled open.
Zhou Qingchi's wandering thoughts were suddenly pulled back. He turned to look at the boy and said, "What's the rush? It's still early."
Zhou Qingyan straightened his clothes in a daze, glanced at him curiously, and happily ran into the bathroom to wash up.
A few seconds later, he returned to the kitchen with a toothbrush in his mouth. Looking at the toast that was fried to a golden brown on both sides on the counter, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, is this for me?"
Zhou Qingchi said, "No, it's for your sister Xiaxia."
Zhou Qingchi just wanted to tease him, but she didn't expect Zhou Qingyan to have such an unsurprised expression. He nodded and then pulled his slippers back to continue washing up.
"..." Zhou Qingchi thought about the appetite of a boy of this age and added another egg.
After Zhou Qingyan slowly finished washing up, he saw two steaming hot sandwiches on the table, next to a cup of steaming milk.
He stopped and looked around, but couldn't see Zhou Qingchi. So he tried to pry open his bedroom door.
Zhou Qingchi had already gotten back into bed, but when she heard the sound, she sat up and looked at him. "What's wrong?"
Zhou Qingyan's voice was trembling, "Wasn't it for Sister Xiaxia?"
Zhou Qingchi smiled helplessly, "Are you stupid? Do you think your sister Xiaxia can get up at this hour? Just leave the plate there after you eat. Be careful on the way. Leave your scarf and gloves in the entryway."
After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling him to step back.
Zhou Qingyan couldn't express his feelings. He tightened his grip on the handle and hesitated before saying, "Brother, thank you."
Seeing that Zhou Qingchi did not react, Zhou Qingyan was about to leave when he suddenly remembered the scene he had seen at the subway station last night.
I didn't think there was anything wrong at the time, but now that I think about it, something seems off.
His brother and Xiaxia were standing way too close, weren't they? Even with scarves on, they shouldn't be like that.
Several clues flashed through Zhou Qingyan's mind, but he couldn't grasp them. He kept thinking about this problem while eating, but in the end, he still couldn't figure it out.
He hesitated for a long time before leaving, then knocked on Zhou Qingchi's door again, "Brother, you and Sister Xiaxia yesterday—"
"Go to school." The person inside the door said mercilessly.
About ten minutes later, the sound of the door closing came from the entrance hall. Zhou Qingchi slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.
He raised his hand to stroke his cheek, his fingertips gently pressing the spot where Bai Yixia had kissed him yesterday.
Bai Yixia's lip color was very light, so she always wore some lip gloss to brighten her complexion. Zhou Qingchi didn't remember what color she wore, but he vaguely smelled a faint fragrance.
Is it the scent of perfume? Zhou Qingchi pondered this over and over, but his memory remained fixed on those pink lips.
-
Splash!
A sudden gust of wind lifted the curtains, and the aunt exclaimed, putting down the vegetables she was carrying to close the balcony door, only to be startled by Bai Yixia standing outside.
She patted her chest and said reproachfully, "Xiaxia, what are you doing here?"
Bai Yixia had just gotten out of bed, her dream unusually passionate, making her irritable and restless. She was wearing only a light shirt, her cheeks flushed, and upon hearing this, she turned around and gave her aunt a chuckle.
The aunt frowned disapprovingly, took her hand and led her back indoors, saying, "Why are you wearing so little? You'll catch a cold."
Seeing that Bai Yixia's hair was messy and she was still sleepy, she said, "Did you just get up? Are you hungry? Auntie will cook soon. Have some bread to tide you over."
Bai Yixia suddenly came to her senses and asked, "Auntie, is Mom at the studio today?"
The aunt nodded. "Yes. I'll bring your mother her food in a bit."
"Hmm..." Bai Yixia scratched her cheek and smiled. "You just need to cook for Mom. I'm going to find Brother Zhou to have lunch with me."
After she finished speaking, she skipped into the bathroom, quickly washed up, and then went to the next stall.
Standing at the door, she froze again, feeling a sense of familiarity with the situation. Back in high school, when she realized her feelings for him, she stood helplessly outside Zhou Qingchi's house, unsure how to face him.
"It seems like I haven't amounted to much since then?" Bai Yixia murmured to herself, "but there are still some differences."
Click.
The heavy, dark door in front of them suddenly opened, startling both of them.
Bai Yixia clenched the hem of her clothes, then smiled as usual, "Good morning, Little Zhou!"
Zhou Qingchi said, "Good morning."
He looked like he had just gotten up, and he was still wearing his pajamas, which were also lined with a thin fleece and looked warm.
But this is unusual. Bai Yixia asked curiously, "Did you just get up?"
"Um."
Bai Yixia nestled into his sofa with practiced ease, looking up at him. "How surprising, you don't usually sleep in."
She knelt on the sofa, rolled over, leaned against the back of the chair, and tilted her head. "Didn't you sleep well again last night?"
Zhou Qingchi looked down at her, his concerned face momentarily overlapping with the image in his dream. He hurriedly closed his eyes for a moment, "A little."
Bai Yixia was right. After hearing her say "Come home with me" yesterday, Zhou Qingchi seemed to have lost his mind.
After falling asleep, I wander through countless dreams, and in each dream, there is the shadow of Bai Yixia, smiling, crying, and alluring.
In the final dream, Zhou Qingchi felt as if he were bound by several woven nets. Bai Yixia, with a blush at the corner of her eyes, placed her warm hand on his waist and abdomen. Her dazzlingly fair skin made his nerves twitch.
"Brother Zhou?"
The two voices overlapped, and it felt like I had been punched hard in the head.
Zhou Qingchi staggered back two steps, breathing heavily, and looked at Bai Yixia in a panic. He realized that he had just been completely immersed in a hazy dream.
Bai Yixia knelt on the sofa and reached out her hand to him. Compared to the hazy, veil-like feeling in her dream, it was terrifyingly real.
"I...I..." Zhou Qingchi uttered a few words intermittently, then sighed helplessly and grabbed Bai Yixia before she could withdraw her hand.
"So it's all your fault." His voice was inexplicably hoarse, and his eyes were filled with intense emotions.
Bai Yixia felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and she shrank back and curled her fingers. The blush that had faded returned to her cheeks. "Wh-what is it?"
She tried to pull her hand back, but Zhou Qingchi gripped it tightly and pulled her forward, causing her to stumble.
Bai Yixia hurriedly grabbed the backrest, frantically raised her head, and her nose brushed against Zhou Qingchi's chin.
The two were standing very close. Zhou Qingchi stared straight at her, then suddenly chuckled and affectionately pinched the tip of her nose. "You're so naughty. You've been causing trouble in my dreams all night."
Upon hearing the emphasized four words, Bai Yixia blushed completely, her lips trembling. After a long while, she pursed her lips, turned her head away, and angrily punched the sofa.
It's like you didn't do anything naughty in my dream last night!
Zhou Qingchi ruffled her hair vigorously, then turned and walked towards the kitchen. "What do you want to eat for lunch? Out or at home?"
Bai Yixia followed him into the kitchen, shouting, "I'm home! I want you to cook for me!"
Zhou Qingchi nodded. "Of course I'll make it for you."
But such bold words only lasted until he opened the refrigerator door.
Bai Yixia leaned against the door, craned her neck to look inside, and found that the double-door refrigerator contained only a row of eggs and a few bottles of milk.
She tilted her head slightly. "What is it? What are you going to treat me to?"
Zhou Qingchi sighed, "I was so groggy this morning that I didn't even notice there were no vegetables. That kid Zhou Qingyan, he absolutely doesn't cook."
Bai Yixia then realized it was the weekend and looked around. "Where's Xiaoyan?"
“They’re having extra classes at school,” Zhou Qingchi said casually, browsing online fresh produce. “I’ve always found it strange that you seem particularly concerned about that kid.”
"..."
Receiving no answer, Zhou Qingchi looked up in confusion. Bai Yixia's gaze was shifting; her face wasn't red, but her neck was.
Zhou Qingchi slowly straightened up, put away his phone, and frowned, "You..."
Bai Yixia scratched her hair haphazardly and whispered, "Why do you think it is? Xiao Yan is your younger brother."
In fact, Bai Yixia had always been quite good to Zhou Qingyan, but after realizing that she liked Zhou Qingchi in high school, the concept of "elder sister-in-law is like mother" suddenly popped into her head one day, so she suddenly became even more caring towards him.
But it wasn't easy to explain this to Zhou Qingchi right away, so Bai Yixia vaguely skipped over it and started complaining about something else, "Ah! I'm so hungry, I haven't even had breakfast yet."
She grabbed Zhou Qingchi's hand and shook it, "Brother Zhou, what should we do?"
When Zhou Qingchi was pulled by her, he instantly forgot about Zhou Qingyan and hesitated before saying, "I didn't have time to buy groceries at noon. Shall we eat out? I'll cook for you tonight."
Although Bai Yixia was unwilling, she had no choice. Just as she was about to nod in agreement, the doorbell rang.
When they opened the door, the aunt was carrying a bag of groceries and smiling at them: "Oh my, I knew Qingchi hadn't been back for so long, there must be no vegetables at home."
Zhou Qingchi smiled gently: "Yes, Zhou Qingyan can't cook and doesn't have time. He probably eats at Xia's house all the time. Thank you for your hard work, Auntie."
The aunt waved her hand casually, "They're all children I've watched grow up, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
She handed over the ingredients, saying, "I thought we'd be eating here for lunch, so I bought a lot. Here, take these."
Before Zhou Qingchi could say anything, Bai Yixia took the bag first and thanked her sweetly, "Wow, Auntie's cooking is so delicious, you must have picked out the best ingredients. Thank you, Auntie!"
So the aunt went home happily.
Zhou Qingchi began preparing the ingredients. He had always taken care of Zhou Qingyan when they were young, so his cooking skills were basically maxed out. Within minutes, he had figured out what dish to make.
Bai Yixia had been sitting at the dining table with her legs crossed, watching his back. The kitchen was large, but the countertops were empty, devoid of any signs of human activity.
Zhou Qingchi tied a small bow on her apron at the back, which Bai Yixia did.
Watching Zhou Qingchi's busy figure at the stove, she felt both happy and a sense of something missing in her heart.
After thinking for a while, she ran home and brought back a bunch of baking ingredients, piling them all on the counter.
Zhou Qingchi asked with surprise, "What's this?"
Bai Yixia tied her apron, glanced at him sideways, and said cheerfully, "Let's go together."
Let's go home together, cook together, and stay together for many years to come.
Zhou Qingchi seemed to see through the deeper meaning in her glance, and lowered his head to chuckle quietly.
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