Chapter 53

Lin’s mother made a hasty retreat. She had never expected that, after playing matchmaker for so long, she would accidentally ruin a perfectly good thing today.

Ignoring the swing still swaying in midair, Gu Yanqiu jumped off and stumbled a step to bleed off the momentum. She followed after Lin’s mother and said, “Auntie, if you have any questions, ask now.”

Lin Yuewei sat alone on the swing, watching their backs as they left one after the other; her gaze was heavy, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Lin’s mother walked briskly with her head lowered, waving back at her over and over. “Oh, go do your own thing; I don’t have any questions anymore.” Ruining other people’s chances at romance was a surefire way to get struck by lightning. Besides, these were her daughter and her future daughter-in-law; as for whatever the Earth Treasury Sutra or Heart Sutra, they could all take a back seat.

After thinking that far, Lin’s mother silently prayed to the Buddha again: Please don’t take offense. I’m only acting out of maternal concern.

Since Lin’s mother had said as much, Gu Yanqiu couldn’t keep chasing after her.

She stopped in the middle of the living room. Lin’s mother was in the kitchen, Lin Yuewei was out in the garden; no matter where she went, it was awkward. After a moment’s thought, she simply sat down on the sofa and forced herself into a stiff, proper statue.

Gu Yanqiu folded her hands neatly over her abdomen. At first her left hand was on top and her right hand underneath; then she lowered her gaze, shifted her left hand beneath, and let her right hand rest on top, slowly tracing the path Lin Yuewei’s fingers had taken inch by inch across the back of her hand.

Why had Lin Yuewei taken the initiative to hold her hand? And to do all that, like she was kneading something in her palm. Gu Yanqiu’s brows drew together slightly; could it be that she had done the same to Lin Yuewei last night, and Lin Yuewei was getting her revenge?

Although Lin Yuewei wasn’t pinching her now because of that, Gu Yanqiu’s guess had accidentally hit the mark. Last night, she had held onto Lin Yuewei’s hand and refused to let go; even while falling asleep on the sofa, she still hadn’t released her.

Lin Yuewei waited until the swing came to a natural stop, then pushed off the ground with her feet and swung once more. Without Gu Yanqiu beside her, it all felt rather pointless.

Seated there, Lin Yuewei let her thoughts wander. In truth, what had just happened wasn’t very clear in her memory. When the swing rose with the wind, the world in front of her seemed to expand and contract over and over; bathed in the breeze, her whole body felt light beyond belief. The warmth from Gu Yanqiu’s body and that pleasant scent kept drifting toward her nose. Lin Yuewei had wanted to hug her; settling for second best, she took the other woman’s hand instead.

Gu Yanqiu’s hand, like the woman herself, carried a faint coolness even in midsummer. Lin Yuewei was someone who found heat hard to bear, and the cool comfort in her palm felt wonderful. Gradually, she wasn’t satisfied with simply holding it still anymore. Just like Gu Yanqiu had treated her last night, she went a little further, feeling even the fine calluses at the tips of Gu Yanqiu’s fingers.

When she glanced at her from the corner of her eye, she saw that Gu Yanqiu’s ears were red. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead; her whole body was stiff, as though she didn’t know what to do with herself, and she hadn’t given any response the entire time.

Did she not like Lin Yuewei holding her hand? Was she just too reserved to pull away?

Wasn’t that basically bullying her?

Lin Yuewei thought with a mixture of disappointment and guilt.

When Lin Yuewei walked into the house and saw Gu Yanqiu sitting motionless on the sofa, she became even more certain of her guess; her expression darkened a little too. The moment Gu Yanqiu met her eyes, she hurriedly looked away.

Lin Yuewei: “???”

Was that a case of using someone and then discarding them?

Lin Yuewei sighed inwardly and sat down beside Gu Yanqiu, still keeping a fist’s distance between them. Gu Yanqiu closed her eyes. Listening to the other woman’s breathing as she approached, she couldn’t help letting her thoughts run wild. Was she going to kiss her? She, she, she wasn’t ready yet; Lin’s mother was still in the kitchen. Should she refuse?

Gu Yanqiu was caught in a battle with herself inside, but her face remained calm and still.

“I’m sorry,” Lin Yuewei said sincerely. “I get carried away when I’m happy, and I have no sense of boundaries. I was too abrupt with you. I’m sorry.”

Gu Yanqiu was a little dazed. She turned to look at Lin Yuewei and blinked twice in confusion.

The instant Lin Yuewei saw her blink so adorably, her heart rate shot up. Just this afternoon, she had even scolded her for acting cute, but now she couldn’t get a single word out; she could only stare at her blankly and repeat, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I should be the one doing it.” Gu Yanqiu finally came back to herself.

“Should be?” Lin Yuewei caught the key words in her sentence.

“Mhm. I said it before; whatever I did to you last night, you can do back to me. I absolutely won’t resist.”

This was exactly what Gu Yanqiu had said that afternoon. No matter how poor her memory was, Lin Yuewei wouldn’t have forgotten it. Once she learned the truth, she didn’t know what expression to make for a moment. With a flat, detached little “oh” in her heart, she realized that all those wild guesses of hers had merely been compensation to Gu Yanqiu.

“I’m going to help in the kitchen.” Feeling somewhat disheartened, Lin Yuewei no longer wanted to talk to her much. She gave Gu Yanqiu a slight nod and left the living room.

Lin’s mother tried to shoo Lin Yuewei out of the kitchen, but Lin Yuewei, relying on her youth and flexibility, squeezed her way in. Since Gu Yanqiu was right outside, Lin’s mother lowered her voice and scolded her, “What are you doing? Your wife’s out there and you’re not keeping her company; why are you running here to keep me, this old woman, company?”

“I just like old women.”

“You get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Leave.”

“No.”

Lin’s mother patted her chest to catch her breath. “You’re going to anger me to death.”

Lin Yuewei mimicked her. “She’s the one who’s going to anger me to death.”

Lin’s mother’s eyes lit up, but Lin Yuewei beat her to it. “Don’t ask me; there’s no result.”

Lin’s mother: “Hmph.”

“Did you two hold hands out there just now?” Lin’s mother couldn’t hold back and tried to test the waters.

Lin Yuewei lazily said, “No, you saw wrong. I thought it was a stick falling onto the swing; it felt hard as a rock. Only later did I realize it was her hand, and you just happened to see the part where we let go.”

“You’re just spouting nonsense. Be careful or you’ll end up alone forever.”

“If I end up alone forever, the one worrying about it won’t be you?” Lin Yuewei glanced at the dishes Lin’s mother had already prepared, picked up a strip of beef with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth. “Anyway, I’m not in any hurry to date, and I’m not in any hurry to remarry.”

“What remarriage? You’d better get yourself into one marriage first, honestly.” Lin’s mother was furious enough that her nose was almost twisted crooked.

“What era are we in, and you’re still fussing over first marriage and remarriage? So old-fashioned.”

“So what if I’m old-fashioned?”

“Fine, be as old-fashioned as you like. Anyway, my marriage is none of your business—hey?”

Lin’s mother snatched the chopsticks from her hand. “Then you don’t get to eat the food I made either. I’ll feed it to whoever I want.”

“……”

Mother and daughter bantered in the kitchen. Every now and then, Lin Yuewei took advantage of the movement to glance outside. Gu Yanqiu had her back to her, her jet-black hair like clouds, falling softly over her shoulders; even the back of her head looked more elegant than most people’s. Lin Yuewei couldn’t help looking a little longer.

Sensing something, Gu Yanqiu turned back, but all she could see was half of Lin Yuewei’s back, blocked by the angle. She let out a soft sigh.

“Dinner’s ready.” Lin Yuewei came out carrying the dishes. The fresh-from-the-pan plates were so hot that she kept touching her earlobes as she called to Gu Yanqiu, “You there, come eat.”

Gu Yanqiu thought gloomily to herself: She’s not even calling my name anymore.

Lin’s mother flicked her on the forehead from behind. “How are you talking to people?”

Lin Yuewei gave her an ancient-style salute, bowing deeply. “Miss Gu, please enjoy your meal.”

Gu Yanqiu was just about to smile when Lin’s mother came over, took her hand, and led her to her seat. “Ignore her. She’s having a fit.”

Gu Yanqiu shook her hand, her expression showing mild disapproval. “Auntie.”

Lin’s mother laughed heartily. “Protecting her already, are you? Fine, fine; whatever you say goes.”

The tips of Gu Yanqiu’s ears warmed. She gave Lin Yuewei a quiet sidelong glance, but got no response, and her gaze dimmed as she lowered her lashes.

Lin Yuewei turned back to keep bringing out the dishes, and no one saw the dimples that bloomed in her cheeks. Although it might also have been out of compensation, hearing Gu Yanqiu stand on her side still made her unbearably happy.

At the dinner table, Lin’s mother used the same trick again. “Last time, one of my good friends gave me a bottle of really nice wine...”

Lin Yuewei: “......”

Gu Yanqiu: “......”

Seeing their expressions, Lin’s mother felt a little awkward herself. But since she had already started the performance, she had to carry it through even if it was embarrassing; she said, forcing herself onward, “Would you two like to try some?”

The Lin and Gu pair sat across from each other, and with a glance up, they could see one another’s eyes.

The two of them looked at each other silently. One was as still as water; the other, as quiet as a deep pool. Yet in that stillness, some invisible understanding seemed to pass between them.

Lin’s mother felt the atmosphere go strangely off: “???”

She broke the stiff silence. “Yuewei, go get it?”

Lin Yuewei nodded and silently fetched the wine and glasses.

Gu Yanqiu actually drank the wine again.

Under normal circumstances, Lin’s mother would definitely have been overjoyed about that, but today she couldn’t smile. What sort of little secret were these two juniors sharing? She couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Lin Yuewei set down her bowl and chopsticks and said flatly, “You drank just now, so you can’t drive. Why don’t you stay here for the night? There’s a guest room ready.”

Lin’s mother: “!!”

How was her line being stolen too? Could they please give her a little dignity as the matchmaker?!

Gu Yanqiu also answered with a faint “Mm.”

The two of them looked at each other again. Lin Yuewei’s lips curved slightly, her expression half a smile; Gu Yanqiu responded with a polite, generous smile.

Lin Yuewei stopped smiling. Gu Yanqiu kept smiling.

Lin’s mother watched this wordless, headless little mime play out and felt itchingly frustrated. Seizing the moment when Gu Yanqiu wasn’t nearby, she quietly asked Lin Yuewei what was going on. Lin Yuewei gave her a smile full of meaning. “You really want to know?”

Lin’s mother nodded so hard it was practically a bobblehead.

Lin Yuewei broke into a radiant smile. “No comment.”

Lin’s mother: “......”

With Gu Yanqiu around, all the nagging Lin’s mother had prepared over the past few days became useless; what was nagging compared with letting daughter and daughter-in-law build their feelings? She had already planned to go to bed early, but when she reached the doorway, she noticed one small detail.

Before going upstairs, Lin Yuewei deliberately detoured to Gu Yanqiu’s front, paused slightly, and whispered something into her ear. Gu Yanqiu froze for a moment before giving a tiny nod. After Lin Yuewei left, Gu Yanqiu touched the red shell of her ear, stood there dazed for a while, then hurried back to her room.

Watching from the shadows, Lin’s mother was both reproachful and gratified. This beast! Keep it up, beast!

The hot water heater in the guest room had already been repaired, so Gu Yanqiu no longer had to run to Lin Yuewei’s room to bathe. She spent twice as long as usual in the shower, then changed into the pajamas Lin’s family had specially prepared for her and sat upright on the bed.

—Wash up and wait for me.

That was what Lin Yuewei had left her just now.

A few minutes later, as expected, a knock sounded at the door: three light, measured taps. Gu Yanqiu’s eyes snapped up.

“Who is it?” came Gu Yanqiu’s voice through the crack at the door.

Lin Yuewei also answered softly through the gap. “Me.”

The fresh, illicit thrill of something like sneaking around made both of them feel their hearts race.

The door opened a narrow slit, and Lin Yuewei eagerly slipped in along the edge.