Chapter 42: My Mouth Cramped Up

Pei Muyin never expected to actually move into the residential complex where Musi's older sister lives.

So the Rolls-Royce simply drove into Yujingyuan.

"Older sister, which building do you live in?"

"F."

"I, I also live in Building F!"

Pei Muyin then asked Shu Shu which floor she lived on.

Shu Shu said: "Sixteenth floor, unit 1600."

Pei Muyin stared wide-eyed, looking incredulous: "... I live on the seventeenth floor, unit 1702."

1702—that is, the unit next to the one on the seventeenth floor that the Chu family mother and daughter had previously seized.

This is really too coincidental.

Even Shu Shu couldn't help but be surprised.

Shu Lingchen beside them wondered: "But isn't the owner of unit 1702's uncle's house bought intending for his son's wedding? They've never even lived there, and just last week I saw him bringing people over to buy furniture—there's no way they'd rent it out at a time like this."

Pei Muyin: "The house isn't rented."

If it's not rented, then it can only be bought.

A newly renovated house meant to be a wedding home, sold so swiftly in such a short time—clearly the buyer must have offered a particularly good price.

Buying a house was as straightforward as buying a pair of shoes.

Shu Lingchen thought of the car he was sitting in, license plate 66666, and suddenly it didn't seem surprising anymore.

Pei Muyin was overjoyed.

She would now live upstairs or downstairs from Musi's older sister, so from now on, whether after school or going to school, they could be together!

When the elevator reached the sixteenth floor, Shu Shu glanced back and saw Musi's child wanting to mention something but feeling embarrassed and unwilling to go home, so she took the initiative to invite them.

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

"May I?"

Shu Shu smiled: "Of course, welcome."

…

After entering, Shu Shu fetched slippers for Pei Muyin, brought her to the living room, set down her things, and asked.

"Would you like some sweet water? It's chilled."

Upon hearing that, Pei Muyin nodded firmly: "I want some!"

"All right, then wait two minutes; you can freely wander around the house, no need to hold back."

Having said that, Shu Shu headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and then took three glass bowls from the cupboard to fill with sweet water.

In the living room.

Pei Muyin obediently sat on the sofa, not wandering around, just keeping her legs together, holding her schoolbag in her arms, turning her head, and glancing around with mild curiosity at Musi's older sister's home.

Opposite her, Shu Lingchen unzipped his schoolbag, pulled out his language textbook, and began to recite the classical Chinese passage he hadn't finished memorizing that afternoon.

In order to save up enough to meet the 200,000 withdrawal threshold as soon as possible, he has been especially diligent lately.

Shu Lingchen memorizes the classical Chinese text by rote, sentence by sentence.

"Knowing when to stop leads to steadiness; steadiness leads to tranquility; tranquility, tranquility..."

"What comes after tranquility? I'm stuck."

He was about to flip open the textbook to look again—

"Tranquility brings peace; peace brings thought." A soft, sweet female voice beside him smoothly continued.

Shu Lingchen froze, then looked over.

As their eyes met, Shu Shu pulled her schoolbag closer, apologetic: "Sorry, am I disturbing you? I'll stay quiet."

"No, it's fine."

Shu Lingchen waved his hand indifferently, then continued reciting.

He had recited up to: "Those who wish to govern a state must first regulate their family; those who wish to regulate their family must first..."

He forgot again.

But this time he didn't go back to the textbook; instead, he instinctively glanced at Pei Muyin opposite him.

Pei Muyin blinked, then tentatively offered: "Those who wish to regulate their family must first cultivate themselves?"

Shu Lingchen scratched his messy head: "You can recite this passage?"

"... Yeah." Pei Muyin nodded: "It's the required 'Great Learning' from the textbook."

Shu Lingchen couldn't help but complain: "I think this passage is too hard to memorize, with all those 'thereafter's."

Pei Muyin softly suggested: "You could first roughly remember the meaning of the translation; that would make it easier to memorize and recite."

"Really?"

Shu Lingchen, without pretense, decided to give it a try later.

At that moment, Shu Shu called from the kitchen, saying they could come over for sweet water.

…

It was taro ball matcha milk jelly.

Upon taking the first bite, Pei Muyin's eyes lit up; she was dazzled by the milky sweetness, and unconsciously narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"It's delicious." Pei Muyin asked: "Older sister, did you make this yourself?"

"Yes."

"That's impressive."

"Of course not, I—" Shu Lingchen blurted out impulsively, then quickly corrected himself: "Her sweet water is absolutely amazing, tastier than anything sold in stores, and her chestnut pumpkin cake is even better."

Pei Muyin didn't catch the word Shu Lingchen stumbled over and almost said; hearing that, she only gazed at Shu Shu with starry, admiring eyes.

Shu Shu said: "I also specially packed a box just for you; take it home later, but don't drink any more after you get home—drink it tomorrow instead; if you drink too much cold at night, your stomach will feel uncomfortable."

Okay.

Pei Muyin turned her head and replied sweetly.

The sweet drink was too delicious; she was enjoying herself so much she didn't notice a layer of coconut milk had clung to her fair lips, making it look like she'd grown a cute, playful little white moustache.

Shu Shu glanced over; Pei Muyin was about the same age as her daughter, and besides being a poor little thing so neglected and mistreated by her family, Shu Shu couldn't help wanting to take better care of her.

She pulled a tissue from the box, leaned in, lowered her gaze, and gently wiped Pei Muyin's mouth clean, softly reminding: "There's something here."

Pei Muyin blankly let Shu Shu come close and wipe her; after Shu Shu sat back down, the faint fresh orange scent lingered before her, her fair, baby-fat cheeks flushed slightly, and she shyly whispered a thank-you.

You're welcome.

Shu Lingchen took in this scene.

On the boy's face beneath his red-yellow-blue chicken-coop hairstyle, he looked pensive; after a moment, holding a spoon, he deliberately splashed a spoonful of coconut milk onto the corner of his own mouth.

Then he stared at Shu Shu.

At first Shu Shu didn't notice his gaze; he coughed twice, immediately drawing attention.

Shu Shu lifted her eyelids and asked, "Is your throat uncomfortable?"

…… Shu Lingchen: "No."

He then twitched the corner of his mouth toward Shu Shu, lifting his chin as well.

Shu Lingchen felt his hint was already obvious enough.

Then he heard his mother ask again: "Is your mouth cramping?"

…… Shu Lingchen stammered, his voice sounding as if he'd burned his mouth: "Look, I—I wonder if my mouth is dirty?"

Shu Shu narrowed her eyes, studying him for a few seconds; as if she'd seen something, she suppressed a laugh, but her expression gave nothing away, and she nodded: "Yeah, it's dirty; the tissue is here."

Wipe it yourself.

Shu Lingchen: ……

Oh!

The boy replied glumly, drooping his eyelids, reaching out to get the tissue himself.

A long, plain white hand was faster than his, pulling out a tissue and extending it to wipe his mouth corner.

Shu Lingchen lifted his eyes, flattered and startled.

Shu Shu took the tissue back, lowered her hand, tilted her head at him, and said meaningfully: "Is your mouth still cramping?"

No longer.

Shu Lingchen forcibly suppressed the upward twitch of his mouth.

If he had a tail, a propeller would have appeared behind him right now.

His mother wiped his mouth for him.

Was he showing off?