“Sui Sui, what are you doing? Hurry and come help.”
A soft call drifted from inside the house.
“Oh! Coming!”
Brushing away the tiny snowflake she had just caught in the palm of her hand, Mai Suisui took a look around the courtyard, which was already covered in a thin layer of snow. With a thoughtful purse of her lips, she quickly wrapped her shawl tightly around her and ran into the house with hurried, light steps and her head bowed.
“Awoo… so cold.”
Closing the door behind her, Mai Suisui crossed her arms, huddled her body, and stomped her feet in place in her plush slippers. Although she sounded like she was complaining, a pleasant smile clearly hung at the corners of her mouth, her ruddy lips curling upward slightly.
It was faint and moving.
“What were you doing standing in the yard all by yourself?”
Inside, a tall, thin young woman looked up with a smile, her eyes filled with an indescribable gentleness.
Wearing a large apron, she stood by a large table, her hands moving incessantly as she prepared ingredients. She beckoned to Mai Suisui, who had just run into the room, with hands covered in flour and said, “Come help your sister wrap dumplings.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mai Suisui took off the thick knitted shawl from her shoulders, rubbed her hands together, and sat on the stool. Waiting for her sister to finish mixing the dough, she said, “I was just outside watching the snow.”
Mai Tian stopped her movements, turned to look closely at her sister, and could not help but smile at the face so similar to her own. She asked, “Didn’t you say it was too cold back when you were working in Suzhou? It’s much colder here than in Suzhou.”
“Yeah… how strange.”
Hearing her sister say this, Mai Suisui also looked up. Her fair hand, which was holding the dumpling filling, paused. She turned her head with a seemingly puzzled frown and said, “Clearly it should be colder here since it’s snowing, but I feel like life at home is more comfortable than in Suzhou.”
“It’s because you were there alone and felt too lonely, right?”
Mai Tian immediately dismantled her sister’s excuses without mercy. “So… since you feel so lonely, why aren’t you, a twenty-six-year-old, hurrying to develop a stable relationship? Do you think your family can accompany you for a lifetime?”
At this point, Mai Tian’s tone paused. She pursed her lips and continued, “…Besides, with only the two of us left in this family, it’s time to add some more life to the house.”
“Sister…”
Mai Suisui immediately widened her eyes, looking at her sister with a mix of surprise and nervousness.
“Sister, you couldn’t possibly have someone you like, could you?”
Feeling both annoyed and amused, Mai Tian raised her hand and left an inconspicuous white flour dot on Mai Suisui’s smooth forehead. “What are you imagining? I was talking about you.”
“You should take good care of yourself too, Sister…” Mai Suisui mumbled in a low voice.
She then looked at Mai Tian with expectant eyes. “Working in Suzhou is indeed lonely. This year, my work situation… well, it’s settled down. How about you come to Suzhou with me after the New Year?”
“Forget it.” Mai Tian didn’t even look up. “The little shop at home was left behind by our parents; we can’t just close it down.”
“I just feel like keeping you trapped here is too unfair to you…” Mai Suisui muttered a few words.
“This is the sin I must atone for,” Mai Tian said expressionlessly while kneading the dough.
Mai Suisui sniffled. Seeing her sister’s aggrieved expression, Mai Tian suddenly burst out laughing.
“Don’t look down on our family’s little shop. During this New Year period alone, you won’t even earn as much as this in two months of salary. The time is flexible, and the pay is higher—don’t ever make me taste the bitterness of having a regular job again.”
Mai Suisui was left speechless, her small mouth hanging open.
The next moment, she lowered her head and began wrapping dumplings with a “ferocious” expression!
“Xiao Nian, what’s wrong? Did you not sleep well again last night?”
Just as she raised her hand to cover a yawn, a voice from the side startled Yu Nian, who had been in a bit of a trance.
She turned to meet her mother’s concerned gaze and forced a smile. “I’m fine. Last night… I actually slept okay; I just woke up quite early this morning.”
“Isn’t that the same as not sleeping well? Is the pressure too high lately? Do you want to see a psychologist?”
Sitting in the front, Zhang Yueqing heard their conversation and couldn’t help but hold onto the seat and turn around. She said to Yu Peilan, “I already asked for her. The doctor said this is because the psychological pressure is too heavy and that she needs to rest well for a while.”
Yu Nian smiled helplessly.
“Right, the doctor also said if she really can’t let go of things at work, then she should add some other colors to her life—like starting a romance. The boosting effect brought by a beautiful love is infinitely great,” Ms. Zhang Yueqing said seriously while looking at her computer.
“Yes, yes,” Ms. Yu Peilan nodded in a mock-serious manner. “By the way, how are things going between you and that girl who sent the wrong text?”
Yu Nian was stunned and turned to look at Yu Qiu, who was watching the excitement from the side.
Yu Qiu blinked her large, innocent eyes. “I’m just a little curious, that’s all. I definitely don’t mean to join these two ladies in interrogating you.”
“You little traitor!”
Yu Nian shared a look with the innocent-looking Yu Qiu and sat back with a chuckle.
Since she stopped responding, the two ladies did not let her off. After a while, they asked with feigned curiosity, “How has it actually developed? If it works out, maybe Ms. Zhang Yueqing can use the two of you as prototypes to film a TV drama.”
“Right, right! Mom, don’t you think it’s especially like an idol drama?” Yu Qiu immediately grinned, her smile generous yet tinged with a bit of mischief.
Being the subject of discussion, Yu Nian helplessly rubbed her forehead. “Fine, I promise you all that I will take good care of myself in the future and won’t let myself get this tired again.”
“That’s more like it.”
Hearing Yu Nian’s guarantee, the family finally let her go.
However, Yu Nian’s thoughts drifted back to the day after the company’s annual meeting.
【I’m sorry.】
That was the first message she received after waking up that day.
【I drank a bit too much last night. At the time, I thought you had blocked me, so when I saw you reply, I couldn’t help but call you.】
【Um, it was just that my phone was turned off.】
Actually, she didn’t want to explain, but she didn’t like others misunderstanding her…
【Oh.】
【Then regarding those two calls you made before, was there something wrong?】
【I… just wanted to say thank you.】
【No need to thank me. According to your logic, the person you should thank more is your superior.】
Yes, that’s right, that’s still me.
【I will! By the way, you’re a girl?】
Chatting up to this point, Yu Nian had felt a bit nervous, as if she didn’t want Mai Suisui to know it was her on the other side of the phone.
She hesitated for a moment and continued to reply.
【Yes, that’s right. Why?】
【Nothing, I just think your voice is very beautiful.】
Yu Nian breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Mai Suisui hadn’t noticed any clues; it must have been too noisy on her end at the time, so she couldn’t hear clearly.
Afterward, because she had to get up for the housekeeping lady to clean and had to pack for her flight, she didn’t reply to the message, and Mai Suisui hadn’t sent anything else since.
Thinking of this, Yu Nian said to her dear sister, “Xiao Qiu, teach me how to change my voice.”
Yu Qiu was stunned. “Huh? Sis, why do you suddenly want to learn that?”
“I’ll give you a big red envelope for the New Year.”
“Alright, Sis! Just follow my lead. In two days, even your own mother won’t be able to recognize your voice!”
“What are you two talking about!” Yu Peilan swatted at the two unconventional sisters speechlessly.
Everything in the house was surrounded by a happy and joyful atmosphere.
Until…
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
Mai Tian froze in the middle of opening the door.
The person standing outside carrying gifts greeted her with a smile.
“Sister, long time no see.”
By the side, Mai Suisui, who was wrapping dumplings, curiously poked her head out and asked:
“Who is it?”
She also froze.
The person pursed her lips and smiled.
“Suisui, long time no see.”
“I know what you came here for. I think both of us are very clear about the situation. So, after you finish this glass of water, I hope you can leave my house as soon as possible.”
In Yu Nian’s study, she placed a glass of water in front of the young woman with a calm face. Her emotions were much cooler than when she first saw the other person; her speaking speed was not fast, but her tone clearly carried a sense of determination.
“I just came to visit the aunts and Xiao Qiu.”
The woman did not pick up the glass. She only lightly stroked the warm body of the glass with her fingertips, her head lowered, her voice sounding quite gentle.
“They are doing fine, so I don’t want to see you suddenly appearing at my doorstep again. This is not just for myself, but for your own good as well.”
As Yu Nian finished speaking, she saw the woman sitting opposite her looking at her silently with a gentle gaze that she could no longer adapt to, her expression carrying a hint of faint sadness.
“You look very impatient. It seems my persistence hasn’t moved you.”
“Is the ‘persistence’ you speak of simply showing up uninvited?”
Hearing the other person say this, Mai Suisui suddenly let out a sneer that seemed to be laced with anger.
Having a good temper does not mean being weak; in fact, when a good-tempered person erupts, it is like a volcanic eruption—uncontrollable.
“You were the one who told me you would sort things out yourself first and then come find me. But I’ve waited for so long—have you really thought about giving me a response?” The woman also couldn’t help but frown.
“What the answer is—you and I have both known for a long time. I didn’t come to find you only because I hadn’t figured out how to tell you about this yet!”
“In other words, things between us have really ended this inexplicably? This inexplicable drifting apart, this inexplicable cooling of the relationship, to the point where you aren’t even willing to sit down and talk to me properly now!”
“Mi Rou!”
Mai Suisui’s hands slammed onto the tabletop. Her eyes, usually clear, were now rimmed with red.
Her chest heaved violently and her breathing was heavy, as if she were exhaling all the frustration that had been stifled in her heart during this period.
“We had better get one thing straight first… You need to realize that the person who did something wrong in the beginning was you!”