In a daze, I drifted off to sleep. When I opened my eyes once more, pitch darkness had already blanketed the outside world. Glancing at the wall clock, I saw it was already eight o’clock in the evening.
I crawled out of bed, got dressed, and stepped out of my room. As soon as I entered the living room, I noticed a thermal flask placed on the dining table, with a note attached to it. Picking up the note, I recognized Mimi’s handwriting: “Older sister, remember to drink the porridge when you wake up. I’m heading out for a bit and will be right back.”
I opened the thermal flask to find a bowl of steaming-hot porridge inside, emitting an inviting aroma. I slowly savored the porridge, feeling enveloped by Mimi’s care.
After finishing the meal, I sent a message to Mimi.
“Mimi, I’m awake. It’s getting late, when will you be back?”
Mimi did not reply for a long time.
I waited anxiously, hesitating over whether to give her a call, but fearing that doing so might disrupt her work.
Just as I was wavering, Mimi’s call came through.
“Older sister, you’re awake? How did you sleep?” The moment I pressed answer, Mimi’s concerned voice rang out from the other end of the line.
“Thanks to you, Mimi, I slept very well,” I responded softly.
“Older sister, seeing you fast asleep this afternoon, I decided to make a quick trip to the garment factory, and now I’m already on my way back.” Mimi’s tone was light and cheerful, seemingly quite pleased with the trip.
“It’s getting so late, is it safe for you to come back alone? Do you want me to come pick you up?” I asked.
“No need, Older sister, I’ve already arrived downstairs,” Mimi laughed.
Immediately afterward, the sound of the front door opening drifted in. I stood up and hurried to the entryway to greet her. Mimi stepped forward and wrapped me in a tight embrace, calling out, “Older sister…”
Her voice echoed continuously through our connected phone call.
“Older sister…”
“Older sister…”
“Older sister…”
In that fleeting instant, I felt as though I were completely surrounded by overflowing affection.
Quietly feeling the warmth of Mimi’s skin against mine, my heart suddenly skipped a beat, a blush instantly rushing to my face as a wave of heat surged through me.
Breaking away from her embrace in a flurry, I took a deep breath and, feigning composure, walked back to sit on the sofa.
Mimi sat down beside me, pressed the back of her hand against my forehead, and asked, “Older sister, why is your face so red? Are you running a fever?”
I offered an awkward laugh. “I’m fine, it’s probably just because I just woke up… How did things go at the garment factory today?” I tried shifting the subject.
“I brought over my previous design drafts, went over the details with them, and asked them to make a prototype sample as soon as possible,” Mimi said excitedly.
“Does that mean we’ll be able to see the physical Hanfu very soon?” I asked happily.
“Mmhmm!” Mimi beamed, her eyes curving into crescents. “Older sister, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if it weren’t for your help!”
Meeting Mimi’s sincere gaze, my heartbeat once again quickened uncontrollably.
Mimi grabbed my hand and continued excitedly mapping out the future, “I still have so many ideas! Once the clothes are made, I’m definitely going to make older sister try them on!”
Blushing even more deeply, I kept my head lowered and replied softly, “Alright.”
Right at that moment, the doorbell rang. Feeling a wave of relief, I stood up and prepared to answer the door.
Mimi gently pressed me back down, considerate as ever. “Older sister, you’re still feeling under the weather, I’ll get the door.” Then, looking puzzled as she walked toward the entrance, she muttered, “Who could it be at this hour?”
Opening the door, Mimi exclaimed happily, “Older sister, it’s Auntie!”
“Mom!” I scrambled toward the entryway and threw my arms around her. “Mom, what brings you here?”
“My precious Momo is starting work next week, and since I have evening classes tomorrow, I figured I’d drop by after work today to check on you,” Mom said with a smile, patting my head.
Hearing the commotion, Xiaoxiu bolted out of his room and greeted us cheerfully, “Aunt Yang, long time no see! It’s me, Xiaoxiu.”
“Xiaoxiu, you’ve grown up so much,” Mom said, turning toward him before asking, “How did things turn out with your job hunt?”
We all gathered on the sofa, and Xiaoxiu chimed in, “Auntie, I’ve successfully landed a job at YHM Company! I start work next week!”
“That’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you,” Mom responded with a relieved smile, then turned back to ask me, “How was your trip to Yunnan?”
“It was great, Mimi took care of me the whole way. Plus, I even managed to remember some things from the past,” I said, looking toward Mom.
“Actually, Older sister was the one taking care of me the whole time,” Mimi interrupted with a touch of embarrassment, before adding remorseful tones, “Besides, I noticed earlier that Older sister seemed a bit feverish, it’s all my fault for not taking good care of her.”
Hearing this, Mom quickly reached out to touch my forehead, looking worried. “Oh my, you really do feel a bit warm. Should we go have it checked out at the hospital?”
Feeling a guilty pang, I shook my head. “I’m fine, Mom, I was just a little warm because I had just woken up from a nap.”
“That’s good then. Since I’m busy with work and can’t look after you properly at home, knowing you two are here taking care of each other gives me peace of mind. By the way, Momo, what past memories did you manage to recall?” Mom asked with curiosity.
I recounted what I had remembered at the temple in Yunnan to Mom, including the mysterious man from my dream.
After listening, Mom fell into deep thought. “Is that so? Perhaps your memories will come back little by little over time.”
I nodded gently.
Mimi quickly chimed in as well, “Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll protect Older sister.”
Checking the time, Mom stood up. “It’s getting late, I should head back now. Get some rest early, and remember to call me if anything comes up.”
“Auntie, I’ll walk you out,” Xiaoxiu said, rising and heading toward the door.
Mom waved her hand dismissively. “No need, you guys are exhausted too. I’ll just hail a cab and head back.”
“Mom, let me at least walk you out to the front of the complex,” I said, taking hold of Mom’s hand with lingering reluctance.
Mimi followed closely behind. Together, Mimi and I saw Mom off, watching the taxi drive away into the distance while a wave of sadness welled up inside my chest. Dad was always away, leaving Mom to handle everything all by herself, it was so exhausting for her.
Lost in quiet contemplation, I walked back home alongside Mimi. Mimi reached over to take my hand and asked, “Older sister, what’s wrong?”
Feeling the warmth of her palm, my heart skipped a beat once more. I stopped in my tracks, turned to look at Mimi, and stood momentarily at a loss for words.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I spoke softly, “It’s nothing, just thinking about how hard Mom works all by herself.”
Mimi paused for a moment, her eyes widening as she looked up at me. Seeing her expression, I tilted my head slightly with a puzzled look.
“Older sister, Uncle… he…” Mimi trailed off mid-sentence, lowering her head and muttering hesitantly.
“I just wonder when he’ll finally get some time off to come back and keep Mom company,” I sighed helplessly, my voice laden with worry.
“Don’t worry, Older sister, we can spend more time keeping Auntie company from now on.” Hearing my words, Mimi suddenly looked back up at me with comforting reassurance.
I nodded in response. “Mmhmm.”
We continued our walk home. The evening breeze felt wonderfully cool against our cheeks.
Upon stepping inside, Xiaoxiu said his goodnights and retreated to his room to rest. Mimi and I also prepared to wash up and go to sleep. Lying in bed, however, I tossed and turned, unable to find sleep.
Taking out my phone, I changed Mimi’s contact name to “Secret.” She was my sweet Mimi (Honey), and also the secret locked deep within my heart.
Just as these thoughts ran through my mind, a message popped up from Mimi.
“Older sister, are you asleep yet?”
Seeing the message instantly sent a fresh wave of heat to my cheeks, and my heart hammered uncontrollably against my ribs. Clutching my phone, my palms grew sweaty, unsure of how to reply.
“Older sister?” Mimi sent another message.
Taking a deep breath, I replied, “Not yet, Mimi.”
“Older sister, I can’t sleep.”
“Me neither.”
“Then why don’t you come over to my room and chat, Older sister?”
My heart gave a violent thud, followed by the sensation of a skipped beat.
Staring at the phone screen, I politely declined, “No, it’s alright, I’m getting ready for bed.”
“Older sister, are you mad at me? You’ve been acting a bit strange these past two days.”
“No, no, Mimi, I’ve just been a little tired lately.”
“Get some rest early then.”
“Okay, goodnight, Older sister.”
“Goodnight.jpg”
“Goodnight.jpg”
Slowly setting my phone aside, I tried to quiet my frantically racing heart. Even so, sleep refused to claim me.
Those fleeting images, voices, and emotions continued flashing through my mind. Pulling the blanket over my head and squeezing my eyes shut, my thoughts churned endlessly like a surging tide.
Easter Egg
(Xiyumi’s Bedroom)
Xiyumi lay sprawled facedown across her soft bed, her brow furrowed slightly as she endlessly turned a single question over in her mind: What on earth is going on with older sister these days?
Could it be that she was angry because Xiaoxiu and the others left the house in a total disaster today? Or was she annoyed because she thought I was dragging my feet packing my luggage this morning? Or perhaps could it be because of whatever she remembered when we visited the temple yesterday?
A flurry of guesses swirled through Xiyumi’s mind, causing her to toss and turn restlessly, unable to fall asleep. She carefully weighed every single plausible reason, yet none of them seemed to fully explain older sister’s unusual behavior.
Xiyumi could not help letting out a soft sigh of frustration, her anxiety growing deeper. As time ticked away and the night grew darker, sleep remained entirely out of reach.