When walking out of the buffet, the sunset had just fallen, and the orange-yellow light passed through a patch of emerald green, casting the light and shadows of the leaves onto the asphalt road.
Zhuang Zhong rubbed his stomach and walked slowly in front. Pi Tao'er had just finished eating and was feeling sleepy, so as soon as they left the restaurant, she wanted Lao Lu to carry her; she was now sleeping soundly on his shoulder.
Shui Cao grabbed the corner of Lao Lu's clothes and followed behind with her little legs.
The group strolled along slowly, with Zhou Ran and Xia Mian following far behind.
The distance between the two was not close; Zhou Ran had his hands in his trouser pockets, walking with particular leisure, always maintaining the same pace as Xia Mian.
"How is the tattoo?" Zhou Ran asked suddenly.
Xia Mian raised her hand and extended it in front of Zhou Ran: "It has scabbed over, and it's still a bit itchy."
Zhou Ran lowered his eyes to look at the light green butterfly on her arm. Her arm was so thin that the butterfly took up nearly half of it when it spread its wings.
Looking closely, one could even see her pale blue veins under the sunlight.
"It's healing well," he said.
"You have good craftsmanship," Xia Mian said.
Zhou Ran's mouth curled up with a hint of a smile: "Are you complimenting me?"
Lao Lu said that Zhou Ran was the most famous tattoo artist in Xia Cheng.
In Xia Cheng, if his craftsmanship was ranked second, no one would dare to rank first.
Moreover, Zhou Ran had extremely high talent. He had been in the tattoo industry for less than three years. He was unwilling to participate in those miscellaneous competitions; otherwise, the awards would have long since covered the entire "Chan" shop.
Xia Mian looked down at the butterfly on her arm, wanting to say that Zhou Ran was not only good at tattooing, but also good at shelling abalone.
Every time she finished eating one, there would always be a new one to replace it.
Sometimes it was scallops, sometimes it was crab.
He didn't eat them himself; it was as if he was peeling them just for fun.
Xia Mian had secretly watched him twice and discovered that he peeled them for Pi Tao'er, for Shui Cao, and when the mood struck him, he even peeled them for Lao Lu, the kind where he fed it right to their mouths.
He just wouldn't peel them for Zhuang Zhong, which made him wail in front of the dining table.
It was just like teasing a child.
He wasn't really annoyed with Zhuang Zhong; when he teased Zhuang Zhong, he would secretly smile.
The corners of his mouth would curl into a very small arc, which they all seemed to have missed.
Xia Mian thought that he didn't seem to be a completely cold person either, at least he was... somewhat human?
When children are full, they get sleepy. Shui Cao followed along, clutching the corner of Lao Lu's clothes. Although her legs were moving, her eyes were almost closed.
Xia Mian watched as her two feet tripped over each other, and she was about to fall to the ground with a stagger.
"Shui Cao!" she called out.
Lao Lu and Zhuang Zhong turned their heads to look at her, but only Shui Cao kept walking with her head drooping, showing no reaction.
Zhou Ran explained: "She can't hear clearly."
Xia Mian was stunned and turned to look at Zhou Ran.
He pointed to his own ear and said: "Here, it was damaged by a fever when she was a child. She can only hear clearly when people speak loudly."
Xia Mian was stunned; no wonder she thought Shui Cao's reactions were a bit...
The little girl couldn't hear people clearly and always lacked a sense of security, looking timid wherever she went.
"Is she also Mr. Lu's younger sister?"
Zhou Ran said: "No, she's the child of the owner of the fried skewer stall on Snack Street."
After that, Zhou Ran didn't say anything more.
Lao Lu stopped in his tracks and handed the Pi Tao'er he was holding to Zhuang Zhong.
He bent down, gripped Shui Cao under her armpits, picked her up, and said to her: "Brother Lu will carry you to sleep."
The two of them walked forward, each carrying a child in their arms.
Shui Cao rested on Lao Lu's shoulder, and within a few seconds, she tilted her head and fell asleep against Lao Lu's neck.
Her two hands were still tightly hugging Lao Lu's neck, refusing to let go.
Xia Mian followed behind, walking slowly. The last ray of light shone from the end of the road, warm and cozy. She looked at the backs in front of her and suddenly enjoyed this moment very much.
This kind of feeling, she didn't seem to have experienced it before.
A hand suddenly reached out from beside her, swept across her eyes, and passed over her head.
Xia Mian was startled, and her footsteps suddenly stopped.
The person beside her also stopped.
She looked up at Zhou Ran, and the man was still maintaining that posture.
...What does this mean? A wall-pin?
Where is the wall?
Zhou Ran looked down at her. The girl only reached his shoulder. He lowered his head, taking in the confusion and surprise in her eyes at a glance.
He moved the hand that was reaching out to grab the tree branch.
That protruding flower branch extended outward, swaying gently where Xia Mian was about to pass.
He had pushed it aside for her.
Xia Mian looked at Zhou Ran and felt that this action was unexpectedly familiar.
...How could it not be familiar.
Xia Mian was dazed, her mouth reacting faster than her brain.
"Is it stuffing a cushion this time too?"
Zhou Ran was slightly stunned, his hand twisting the flower branch.
The unexpected question left him both stunned and wanting to laugh.
He released his grip on the flower branch.
The petals twisted off slid down his fingertips and fell onto the top of her head, like a tiny rain of flowers drifting before her eyes.
"Flowers."
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