On the second day after Han Ye came home, he headed over to Qiao Lanshu’s house early in the morning.
As luck would have it, Qiao Lanshu wasn’t working that day. She was already on vacation, so she had gone shopping with Xiaxia.
When Han Ye arrived, he found the house empty.
He couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
After thinking it over, he rode his bicycle out and made two rounds of the Cloth Street. Sure enough, he spotted Qiao Lanshu shopping for clothes with Xiaxia.
Han Ye hesitated, then slowly pedaled toward them.
Xiaxia spotted him first and said to Qiao Lanshu, “Mom, Brother Ye is here.”
Qiao Lanshu looked up and saw Han Ye. She immediately lowered her voice and said to Xiaxia, “Didn’t Director Han say last night that you should ask him about it? Go ask him now, and keep him company while you’re at it. He hasn’t been home in a long time, after all. I’ll go to the market to buy groceries first. You two come home for lunch.”
Xiaxia hesitated for two seconds before nodding. “All right. I’ll go ask him.”
By the time Han Ye reached them, Qiao Lanshu had already placed the clothes she and Xiaxia had bought into his bicycle basket. She said, “Han Ye, I have to go buy groceries. Take Xiaxia around Cloth Street and get some clothes, shoes, socks, and whatever else she needs. Remember to come home for lunch.”
Han Ye: “…”
He quickly glanced at Xiaxia and said awkwardly, “Huh? Mom, aren’t you coming with us? It’s still early. You can go buy groceries later.”
Qiao Lanshu patted him on the shoulder, her eyes filled with tenderness. “Better to go early. I’m making your favorite meat dragon for lunch, but I’m not very good at it, so I’ll have to ask Teacher Zhao to come over and help. All right, enough talking. You two go look around. You’ve both just gotten back, so take a walk and see more of the town. I’m off to buy groceries.”
Han Ye was about to say something else.
But Xiaxia had already walked behind him and naturally climbed onto the back seat of his bicycle.
Han Ye: “…”
Without thinking, he fell silent.
After Qiao Lanshu left, he remained sitting on the bicycle without moving.
Xiaxia reached out and tugged at the hem of his shirt. “Brother Ye, let’s go.”
Han Ye: “…”
Han Ye stiffly began pedaling, riding slowly along Wencheng’s Cloth Street.
Cloth Street was quite large, with three main streets and several alleys. Besides clothes and fabrics, there were all kinds of general stores, audiovisual shops, arcades, and more. It was bustling with people.
When Xiaxia was little, she often came here to buy things at the stationery and bookstores.
As they passed a bakery, Xiaxia said, “Brother Ye, stop for a moment. I want to buy some bread.”
Han Ye stopped the bicycle with a tap of his foot, moving like a robot.
Xiaxia got off the back seat and walked toward the bakery. After taking two steps, she turned around and looked at him. “Brother Ye, aren’t you coming in?”
Han Ye lowered his head. “I’ll wait here. I need to watch the bicycle and the clothes. What if someone takes them?”
Qiao Lanshu had just bought Xiaxia two new outfits, both warm thermal sets for autumn. They were currently sitting in the bicycle basket.
Xiaxia glanced at them and said nothing more. She went into the bakery by herself.
Han Ye watched her retreating figure and silently sighed.
Xiaxia bought a box of egg tarts. The three siblings had loved eating them since they were children, and they weren’t easy to find anywhere else.
When she came out with the egg tarts, Han Ye looked up at the sky.
Xiaxia had noticed long ago that Han Ye was acting strangely. He would look at the sky or the ground—anything but her.
She put the egg tarts into the bicycle basket and said, “Brother Ye, shall we take a walk?”
Han Ye immediately grew nervous. “A walk? Where are we going?”
Xiaxia walked beside him as they headed forward. “After dinner last night, once you left, Mom and Dad started wondering whether something was bothering you. So they asked me to find out.”
Han Ye: “…”
He did have something on his mind, but could he really say it?
He was just about to speak when Xiaxia asked again, “Brother Ye, be honest. Do you have a girlfriend?”
Han Ye jumped and blurted out loudly, “Of course not! Why would you ask that?”
Xiaxia said, “It’s not me who wants to know. It’s the four elders.”
Han Ye: “…”
Looking at Xiaxia’s delicate little face, Han Ye said awkwardly, “There’s nothing like that. Don’t make wild guesses.”
Seeing the panic in his expression, Xiaxia understood. “I see. Then you must have someone you like?”
Han Ye: “…”
Xiaxia leaned closer and asked in a low voice, “Who is it? Tell me.”
As Xiaxia moved closer, Han Ye’s face and ears immediately turned bright red. His eyes darted nervously from side to side, refusing to meet hers. He stammered, “You’re just a kid. Why are you asking about this?”
Xiaxia was astonished. Judging from his reaction, he really did have someone he liked.
But weren’t there only men in the military?
He had said himself that the only women he got to see were at the military hospital.
So how had he suddenly found someone he liked?
Xiaxia leaned in even closer. She was a head shorter than Han Ye, so she tilted her head to study his expression.
Han Ye shifted to the side, but she followed him and continued looking.
Han Ye: “…”
His ears burning red, he glared at her. “Qin Qiaoxia, you’d better stop while you’re ahead.”
Xiaxia suddenly asked, “Han Ye, why won’t you look at me?”
Han Ye retreated half a step. “What do you mean, I won’t look at you? I am looking at you.”
Xiaxia said with certainty, “See? You’re not looking at me right now.”
Han Ye took another half-step back and pretended to be angry. “Qin Qiaoxia, you’re getting more and more disrespectful…”
He didn’t finish.
Xiaxia had placed her hand on the back of his.
His hands were gripping the handlebars, and Xiaxia had set her hand over his right hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Her expression remained calm as she did it. She simply stared intently at Han Ye’s face, watching for any change in his expression.
Han Ye was completely flustered. He stood rigidly still, glancing at Xiaxia’s hand before looking back at her.
His heart was racing. His face was full of panic, while his eyes held both surprise and delight. His emotions were incredibly complicated.
He swallowed and met Xiaxia’s gaze, but for a long while, he couldn’t say a word.
Xiaxia studied him for quite some time before suddenly smiling.
Xiaxia had always been emotionally steady. She rarely showed her feelings openly, and most of the time, her expressions were rather restrained.
But now she grinned, revealing eight neat little teeth. Two dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, just like Qiao Lanshu’s, making her unbearably adorable.
Han Ye was completely mesmerized.
It had been so long since he had seen Xiaxia this happy. Somewhat puzzled and more than a little nervous, he asked, “Xia’er, why did you suddenly start smiling?”
Xiaxia’s hand was still resting on his. It was cool and soft, and it made his entire arm feel as though it were burning.
She looked at him for a long moment before finally smiling and saying, “It’s nothing. Come on, let’s keep looking around.”
With that, she climbed back onto the bicycle’s rear seat and urged him, “Han Ye, hurry up.”
Han Ye: “…”
Han Ye was like a puppet manipulated by Xiaxia. He climbed onto the bicycle and continued pedaling her around Bu Street.
But before long, he felt Xiaxia, sitting on the back seat, suddenly reach both arms around and hug him by the waist!
Han Ye: “!!!”
Han Ye’s entire body jolted, and the bicycle wobbled with him. They nearly fell over and almost collided with someone else.
Fortunately, his legs were long enough. He hurriedly planted both feet on the ground and managed to steady the bicycle.
A passerby glared at him. But when he saw Han Ye’s dark skin, crew cut, and towering build, he immediately withdrew his hostile stare and hurried away, deciding it was safer not to get involved.
Han Ye remained there with both feet braced against the ground and fell silent for a long while.
He waited and waited, but Xiaxia still didn’t let go.
Han Ye’s entire body was taut, every muscle drawn tight. As Xiaxia hugged him, she could feel how hard and rigid he was. Curious, she reached out and patted the side of his waist.
It really was hard. How strange.
Han Ye nearly jumped out of his skin. At last, unable to take it anymore, he turned around and glared at Xiaxia. “Qin Qiaoxia, what exactly are you doing?”
Xiaxia smiled at him. “What do you think?”
Han Ye: “...”
