Kiyono Lin took a deep breath, her voice ice-cold, "Childish."
"I especially love stubborn people," Jiutiao Meijie said with a pleased smile, though it was filled with malice.
"What else can you do to me besides tickling?" Kiyono Lin said disdainfully.
"Oh?" Jiutiao Meijie’s tone was mockingly admiring, "How about this then?"
Kiyono Lin’s expression changed.
A finger hooked between her back skin and the strap of her bra, stretching the bra strap like a slingshot.
With her eyes tightly closed, she braced for the impending pain of the bra snapping against her skin.
"What are you doing?"
At the door, in the backlight of the setting sun, Mrs. Dubian, carrying big and small bags, looked in surprise at the scene in the hallway:
Jiutiao Meijie was pressing Kiyono Lin against the wall, her left hand holding her wrists, her right hand reaching inside her clothes.
Kiyono Lin was gasping for air, her face flushed, her clothes disheveled, revealing her snow-white, delicate waist.
The three people locked eyes.
At this moment, in the Dubian Family home, only the sound of firewood burning in the living room stove could be heard.
"Snap!" Jiutiao Meijie let go, and the bra snapped against Kiyono Lin’s body.
As women, everyone present knew the situation.
"Just playing around," Jiutiao Meijie withdrew her hand, crossed her arms, and indifferently explained.
"It can be called play, but it’s also physical bullying," Kiyono Lin straightened her clothes.
"I see," Mrs. Dubian nodded as if she understood, though she actually didn’t grasp anything, "I’ll go cook, it will be ready soon."
Kiyono Lin intended to help, took a few steps towards the kitchen, but then turned and went upstairs.
She had almost forgotten to use the toilet after the commotion caused by Jiutiao Meijie.
Dubian Che heard about the incident from his own mother.
He had sent Little Lian back and arrived home, where his mother called him to help in the kitchen and then secretly told him about it.
When he exclaimed in surprise "Ah?!" after hearing the story, Kiyono Lin just happened to enter the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.
His mother gave him a ’keep it down’ look and smiled as she passed the ’soy sauce roasted bamboo shoots’ to Kiyono Lin.
When Kiyono Lin was about to leave, looking at her retreating back, Dubian Che hesitated before speaking:
"I will win it back," Kiyono Lin didn’t turn around.
After she left, Dubian Che shrugged at his mother, indicating that everything was alright.
Dinner was ready, and Mr. Dubian returned home as well; the five of them settled into the same seats as the day before.
"I’ll start eating now."
During the meal, Dubian Che noticed that Kiyono Lin’s dinner plate and utensils were new.
’Why didn’t they buy me a new set too?’ Dubian Che sipped the miso soup made with radish and tofu as he pondered this question.
"Meijie, did you sleep well last night?" Mrs. Dubian asked.
"Everything else is fine, just not used to having someone beside me," Jiutiao Meijie said while eating pig meat from the chilled pork dish.
"Lies," Kiyono Lin ate the fresh roasted bamboo shoots.
Jiutiao Meijie put the pig meat she had bitten into back into her bowl, looked at Kiyono Lin, and said word by word:
"Except for Che, I’m not used to having others around."
"To be able to sleep beside a beauty like me, what else could you be dissatisfied with?" Kiyono Lin took a sip of miso soup, showing an expression of relishing the taste.
"Self-love is fine, but you should also choose your audience. You dare to speak like that in front of me?" Jiutiao Meijie swallowed the piece of pig meat in one bite.
She had also expended quite a bit of energy today, whether it was morning, afternoon, or dusk.
To Dubian Che, the scene was nothing out of the ordinary; he silently concentrated on his meal—this was the most suitable approach for him after many experiences in breaking up fights.
But to Mr. and Mrs. Dubian, the two seemed to be arguing outright.
Mrs. Dubian thought about the scene she witnessed at dusk and couldn’t help worrying.
Interrupting the two, she asked Jiutiao Meijie:
"Meijie, when did you and Little Che start dating?"
Jiutiao Meijie didn’t answer but instead asked Dubian Che, "When?"
"May," Dubian Che answered.
"Even more specific."
"May twenty-ninth at 11:05 AM, I confessed; at 12:11 PM, you accepted the confession."
Jiutiao Meijie served Dubian Che a slice of pork.
Watching this, Mrs. Dubian said with a smile:
"Meijie, we’re not rich, we can’t afford to buy a house in Tokyo, it must be hard on you."
"What I like is Che, what does your wealth or lack thereof have to do with me?"
Mrs. Dubian didn’t know what to say.
Mr. Dubian, who had been silent, nodded in agreement and said in a deep, experienced voice:
"As long as there is mutual affection, any difficulty can be overcome."
"We don’t have any difficulties," Ssaid Jiutiao Meijie, "on the contrary, if you ever have any difficulties in life or run into trouble, you can tell Che, and he can tell me. When Che and I get married, you’ll be my parents too."
Mr. Dubian didn’t know what to say either.
The table fell into an awkward silence for a moment.
Kiyono Lin held her bowl, the sound of her lightly blowing on the miso soup clearly audible in the tranquil atmosphere.
"By the way, when I was delivering letters this morning, Mr. Honma asked me to pick up some dried persimmons," Dubian Che interjected bravely at this time.
"Bring some back for Meijie and Lin to taste," Mrs. Dubian said.
"Take some natto too, that guy Honma likes it as well," Mr. Dubian added.
"Okay," Dubian Che nodded.
"Mr. Dubian," Kiyono Lin spoke up, "I heard from Aunt Zhi that you’ve been delivering newspapers and letters for quite a while, haven’t you?"
"Not that long, probably since first grade," Dubian Che replied.
Kiyono Lin nodded in approval and said, "You’re indeed exceptional, even though you like..."