Chapter 50

Passing the doorway, she happened to see Xu Ruoyan eating lunch. It was just a simple two-dish, one-soup meal, and she was looking down at her phone, replying to something.

Only when she heard movement at the entrance did she look up. Seeing Yu Nianyi standing there, she said, “Long time no see. You’re here pretty early today.”

Yu Nianyi walked in as if they were already close. “Long time no see, Sister Ruoyan. Finals are coming up, so school isn’t all that busy anymore. I kept thinking about the teaware I still hadn’t finished, so I rushed over.”

“I see.” Xu Ruoyan nodded and waved her over. “Have you eaten? I still have some left over there. Want to eat a little with me?”

“Thanks, Sister Ruoyan, but I’ve already eaten.”

“All right, then let’s have a meal together another time when we both have time.” Xu Ruoyan smiled. “The hand cream you brought last time was really good. It’s been cold lately, and after kneading clay and washing my hands, they always dry out and crack. Using the one you bought helps a lot. Thank you.”

Yu Nianyi smiled politely back. “No need to thank me. I should be the one thanking Sister Ruoyan. You’ve helped me so much.”

Xu Ruoyan didn’t say anything else. Her gaze shifted to the studio across the entrance; the little door was half-closed. “Your pieces are all in the room inside. The tools are ready too, so you can go straight in and get to work.”

Yu Nianyi thanked her and headed straight for the studio.

When she walked in, she saw the teapot and teacups she’d made displayed on a shelf just inside the door, easy to spot at a glance. Yu Nianyi hurried over and took them all down.

She had already decided on the exact patterns for the base, so she didn’t need to spend much time thinking about it. Very quickly, she got to work.

People came into the studio from time to time. Seeing Yu Nianyi so focused, they didn’t disturb her; they just took what they needed and left.

At first, Xu Ruoyan still came over to check on her and occasionally offer a bit of guidance, but not long after, she went back out into the shop and didn’t return for a long time.

By then, business in the shop had picked up. Sitting in the studio, Yu Nianyi could even hear the chatter drifting in from outside.

She loosened her grip on the tools and unconsciously rolled her wrist, her gaze falling on the phone on the table.

When she woke up that morning, Yu Nianyi had opened her phone first. It had been ten o’clock then; Xi Yu had already gone to work. But there still hadn’t been a message. She pouted, but when she thought about Xi Yu’s personality, she quickly let it go and took the initiative to greet her instead.

At noon, Xi Yu finally replied, asking what she had eaten.

Yu Nianyi answered honestly and had wanted to chat with Xi Yu a little longer, but after she replied, there was no further response from the other side; not until now.

Yu Nianyi sighed. Just now, she’d been completely absorbed, carving the patterns into the teaware’s clay body, but now that she had stopped, she couldn’t help thinking about Xi Yu.

Outside, it was already completely dark, and it was obviously much noisier than when she had first arrived. Car horns blared one after another, mixed with voices from people she couldn’t make out.

She set down the tools and quietly looked at the teapot and the few teacups in front of her. The soft warm light fell over the clay, bringing out beautiful patterns of varying depth.

Yu Nianyi looked for a while before picking up her phone. The screen showed seven o’clock in the evening.

Xi Yu almost never talked about work, and her hours were irregular. When the two of them were together, Yu Nianyi was usually the one who talked more. They’d chat about anything and everything, the ordinary, the weird, the random. Fortunately, Xi Yu was very good at listening, and her reactions always made Yu Nianyi feel as if what she was saying was interesting, as if Xi Yu were genuinely intrigued.

A rather listless sigh sounded from the studio. Yu Nianyi poked at Xi Yu’s avatar, the longing in her heart nearly spilling over; but in one corner of her heart, there was still a faint awkwardness she didn’t want to think about too deeply.

Looking at the prompt that had just popped up on the screen, she finally sent Xi Yu a message.

[Yu Nianyi: Sister Xi Yu, are you off work? I’m almost done here. I really miss you; when are you coming to pick me up?]

Send.

The screen showed nothing else. One minute; five minutes; ten minutes.

Yu Nianyi turned off her phone and stared at the teaware she’d been working on for so long; she no longer felt like continuing.

“What are you thinking about?”

A voice she knew extremely well suddenly rang out from nearby. Almost the instant she heard it, Yu Nianyi looked up and saw Xi Yu at the doorway.

Xi Yu’s expression was calm. Dressed in black, she stood straight at the door, a white paper box that looked somewhat familiar hanging from one hand.

Yu Nianyi froze for a few seconds, then abruptly stood up and strode toward Xi Yu.

Xi Yu stepped forward in response, her pace still slow and steady.

Before she could even react, Yu Nianyi had thrown herself into her arms.

Yu Nianyi held the person in front of her tightly, staring straight into Xi Yu’s eyes. A smile naturally spread across her face. “I was thinking about Sister Xi Yu.”

“I was thinking about when Sister Xi Yu would get off work. I waited so hard.”

Xi Yu lowered her eyes to look at Yu Nianyi’s face, which was pretending to be huffy. Those beautiful brows and eyes weren’t smiling the way they usually did; instead, they seemed to hold a hint of faint anxiety.

She hummed softly, lifted a hand to pat Yu Nianyi’s head, then raised the thing in her other hand. “I bought some of the pastries you liked last time. Eat a little first; I’ll take you to dinner later.”

Yu Nianyi looked over at once; it was the kind of pastry that seemed especially rare at the resort.

“Wasn’t this already not sold anymore?”

Xi Yu raised a brow, not denying it. “That’s true.”

“But if you want to buy it, it isn’t hard.”

Yu Nianyi nodded and sat down on the chair in front of her.

Xi Yu sat down too, turning her head to watch Yu Nianyi eat.

Today, she wasn’t talking as much as usual, and the atmosphere was a little quiet.

Xi Yu unconsciously took out her phone. Her finger slid once; her gaze paused for two seconds, then she looked at Yu Nianyi, who seemed very quiet and obedient.

She withdrew her gaze, tapped a few things on the screen, then turned it off and looked at Yu Nianyi again.

The phone beside her rang once, then went black.

“I left in a hurry just now. The parking lot is a bit far from here, so I didn’t check my phone.” Xi Yu stopped watching Yu Nianyi eat, then said, “I get off work at six-thirty.”

“But you can message me anytime. No matter what I’m doing, I’ll reply when I see it.”

Yu Nianyi swallowed the food in her mouth, then turned to look at Xi Yu. The brows she’d been holding tightly finally relaxed, and her somewhat heavy expression broke into a smile. “Okay, I know. If you don’t reply, that means you’re busy; I totally understand.”

“But this is what Sister Xi Yu said: no matter when it is, I can message you, and you have to reply too.”

Xi Yu nodded, looking at the smile that had finally returned to Yu Nianyi’s face. “All right.”

When the two of them were ready to leave, Xu Ruoyan was still surrounded by people. One person after another spoke to her, and Xu Ruoyan answered each of them patiently. When she looked over the crowd toward the two of them, she only gave a slight nod and watched them leave.

The parking lot really was quite far from the ceramics shop. Yu Nianyi and Xi Yu walked side by side onto the main road.

There were plenty of pedestrians on the street, most of them familiar faces; some of them Yu Nianyi had seen in the shop more than once.

She looked away, glanced at the hand hanging by Xi Yu’s coat, and boldly reached out to take it. Then she laced their fingers together and held on tightly.

Xi Yu noticed the movement, looked down, then turned her head to look at her.

Yu Nianyi laughed. “Your hands are so cold, Sister.”

As soon as she said that, she asked, “Do you have anything you want to eat tonight?”

Xi Yu shook her head, her fingers tightening slightly against the back of Yu Nianyi’s hand.

The two of them were about the same height; one in black, the other in a streak of yellow, hands clasped as they walked in step. The warm light from the streetlamps shone on the road behind them, then followed the gap between their joined hands toward the distance.

“If not, then come to the supermarket with me?” Yu Nianyi slowed her pace, stepping over the smooth road beneath her feet. “There aren’t any ingredients at home right now anyway. We can go back and cook together.”

Xi Yu hummed, her eyes behind her lenses fixed on Yu Nianyi the whole time. “Okay. There’s a supermarket nearby with a pretty good selection.”

Yu Nianyi nodded again and again, looking very happy.

After walking for more than ten minutes, they finally reached the parking lot.

Once the car was on the main road, Xi Yu didn’t turn on navigation. She drove with obvious familiarity and soon pulled into the supermarket parking lot.

There were really a lot of people inside the supermarket. Even though it was a weekday, quite a few people were still coming in to buy things.

Yu Nianyi reached the entrance and immediately spotted a shopping cart. She hurried over and pulled one out.

Xi Yu took it casually, her hand resting beside Yu Nianyi’s. “I’ll do it. You used your hands a lot this afternoon, so you should rest for a bit.”

Yu Nianyi curved her lips and hooked her pinky around Xi Yu’s finger on the handle, smiling brightly. “Sister Xi Yu, you’re really so thoughtful. I like you so much.”

Xi Yu blinked, froze for a second, then turned her head to look at Yu Nianyi.

Yu Nianyi let go first and walked ahead of her. One hand rested behind her back; her fingers curled playfully and teasingly toward Xi Yu, signaling for her to keep up.

The hand on the cart handle tightened on instinct. Xi Yu pressed her lips together, her gaze heavy, and followed Yu Nianyi’s back with her eyes as she strode ahead.

The vegetable section was nearby; the two of them had only walked a few steps before they arrived.

“Sister Xi Yu, is there anything you don’t like to eat?” Yu Nianyi didn’t rush to pick out vegetables; she asked Xi Yu first.

Xi Yu’s gaze rested on the vegetable section behind Yu Nianyi. “No. I’m not picky about vegetables.”

“Then is there anything else you don’t like?”

“Mm... probably animal organs.” Xi Yu paused and looked around before saying it.

Yu Nianyi found that a little unusual and nodded. “Okay, I know now.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I don’t have any. I like everything.” Yu Nianyi smiled. “My mom’s cooking is just too good. Anything she makes is irresistible.”

Xi Yu’s eyes curved faintly. “Auntie is amazing. Her cooking must be really good.”

Yu Nianyi was a little smug. She ran over in front of Xi Yu, looking rather proud as she bragged, “That’s right. If you ever have time, you absolutely have to go to Lincheng and try my mom’s cooking. It’s definitely, definitely delicious!”

Xi Yu nodded and agreed.

Yu Nianyi really had come to buy ingredients; more accurately, she was stocking up. She picked out a variety of versatile everyday vegetables, but she didn’t buy too many. She only chose a little from each category.

Xi Yu stood in front of her, taking the items Yu Nianyi handed over and placing them into the cart.

Passing the fresh meat and seafood section, the two of them stopped again. Remembering Xi Yu’s tastes, Yu Nianyi picked through and bought some as well.