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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, Cheng Qiuyi went for her usual morning run, and Liu Shuhan, on a whim, woke up early and insisted on joining her.
"Can you handle it? Don't make me carry you back halfway," Cheng Qiuyi teased her.
"This time I will definitely run faster than you, just wait!" Liu Shuhan said as she zipped up her sportswear in front of the mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes. She and Cheng Qiuyi laughed and left the room.
As soon as they stepped outside, they ran into Xu Ruyun and Liu Sen.
Xu Ruyun was dressed in a pure white Tai Chi outfit with a ruffled collar and frog buttons, wearing white cloth shoes. She held a long sword with a red tassel, exuding an air of grace. Liu Sen was carrying a wooden chessboard, apparently looking for someone in the neighborhood to play a few games with.
"Mom... Dad... Good morning..." Liu Shuhan instinctively stepped in front of Cheng Qiuyi, as if trying to hide her.
Cheng Qiuyi stood behind Liu Shuhan and greeted them openly, "Good morning, Uncle and Aunt."
Xu Ruyun nodded and asked Liu Shuhan, "Why are you up so early today?"
"I'm going for a run to exercise. What about you?" Liu Shuhan pointed at her mother's Tai Chi outfit, surprised to learn that her mother practiced Tai Chi. She also wondered when her dad had started playing chess.
"We're exercising too. Usually, we finish our practice and you're still sleeping in. But today you're quite diligent," Xu Ruyun said, calling out to Liu Sen, "Old Liu, hurry up! You must teach Old Man Li next door a lesson today..." With that, the two elders left before them.
"That's too much!" Liu Shuhan complained indignantly. "They go downstairs to exercise every day and always wake me up to buy breakfast. It's simply exploitation!"
While they were talking, Cheng Qiuyi had already put on her shoes. She crossed her thumbs and index fingers together a few times, tying the shoelaces into a beautiful bow. After finishing the other shoe, she clapped her hands and stood up. "Alright, let's change shoes and head out. If we wait too long, the air will get worse with all the cars."
"Don't worry about that; with your car included, there are probably no more than five cars in our neighborhood," Liu Shuhan yawned while covering her mouth. She lazily stretched her feet into her shoes without bothering to untie the laces. Just as she was about to head out, Cheng Qiuyi helplessly pressed her back down onto the shoe rack.
Cheng Qiuyi knelt beside Liu Shuhan's feet, gently tugging at one end of the shoelace to separate it into two strands. She then adjusted the tightness of the shoes and re-tied them properly.
Liu Shuhan looked down at Cheng Qiuyi's head and suddenly remembered the patch of hair that had been shaved during her last surgery. She was curious about how that patch had grown back, so she reached out to mess with Cheng Qiuyi's hair.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?" Cheng Qiuyi grabbed her hand and stood up, biting it playfully.
Liu Shuhan stomped her feet, adjusting her grip to be just right, much more comfortable than before.
"Qiu Yi, you really are considerate," Liu Shuhan said with a silly grin.
"Alright, let's go."
The neighborhood wasn't large; there was a small flat area at the entrance with a big banyan tree nearby. Xu Ruyun was practicing swordplay with a group of elderly women in the open space, while Liu Sen and several old men were playing chess under the banyan tree. The soft music accompanying the Tai Chi created a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
Liu Shuhan ran a few laps, initially able to keep up with Cheng Qiuyi's pace. However, as her stamina waned, she slowed down and decided to stop running. She sat down next to her dad to watch the old men play chess.
Her eyes were on the chessboard, but her thoughts were entirely on the runner. As she stared at the board, Liu Shuhan propped her arm up and rested her chin on her hand, fixated on Cheng Qiuyi's occasional appearances.
"This girl has good physical fitness," Liu Sen said while playing chess and chatting with his daughter.
"Yeah," Liu Shuhan thought. It wasn't just good; it was exceptional. She could probably take on ten people without much trouble.
After running for half an hour and breathing evenly, Cheng Qiuyi also came to sit under the banyan tree beside Liu Shuhan to wipe off her sweat.
"Old Liu, is this Shu Han's friend?" one of Liu Sen's chess buddies asked with a smile.
"What friend? This is my daughter," Liu Sen replied, contemplating his next move for a few minutes before picking up a piece to capture his opponent's elephant. "Knight jump, check."
Seeing this, his chess buddy sighed in resignation. "Lost again. Old Liu, you're really something." He made room for another person before adding, "Don't brag now; who doesn't know you only have this one daughter? Where did another girl come from?"
"That's my daughter, believe it or not." Liu Sen quickly set up the board, glanced at the time, and reminded the person across from him, "Just this game. I have to leave in ten minutes."
Cheng Qiuyi and Liu Shuhan exchanged glances and smiled. She said to Liu Sen, "Dad, what do you want to eat for breakfast? Shu Han and I will go buy it."
Liu Sen paused with his pieces, looked at her, then returned his gaze to the board. "Steamed buns will do. Don't forget to buy soy milk from the market; Shu Han's mom loves it."
No wonder Liu Shuhan loves soy milk so much; she must have inherited it from her mom. Cheng Qiuyi took Liu Shuhan's hand, and they walked towards the market together.
In the old neighborhood of the city, life passed leisurely. Everyone moved slowly, as if time had slowed down here.
Liu Shuhan swung Cheng Qiuyi's arm and suddenly had a thought. "Qiu Yi, when we get old, should we practice Tai Chi or dance in the square?"
"Why don't you play chess?"
"I don't know how. Do you?"
"I don't know either."
Cheng Qiuyi had learned various arts since childhood, but chess referred to Go in this context. In so-called high society, everything was about being 'elegant.' Besides, after all these years, Cheng Qiuyi had forgotten most of the basics of Go.
"..." Liu Shuhan was speechless. "If you don't know how, why mention it?"
"Then let's practice Tai Chi," Cheng Qiuyi said thoughtfully. "The outfits for Tai Chi are nice."
That makes sense. Liu Shuhan praised her: "Qiu Yi, you're really smart!"
"Go!"
Arriving at the breakfast shop next to the market, Liu Shuhan called out before even entering, "Auntie, six servings of soy milk, four fried dough sticks, four barbecue pork buns, two red bean buns, and two trays of soup dumplings."
The Boss Lady poked her head out to greet Liu Shuhan, "Shu Han, you're back? I was wondering why you bought more than usual today." She noticed that Liu Shuhan was accompanied by someone and curiously asked, "Oh, who is this?"
"This is my wife, Cheng Qiuyi."
"Hello, Auntie," Cheng Qiuyi smiled and greeted.
"Hello, hello." The Boss Lady laughed as she started packing buns for Liu Shuhan. "Shu Han, you silly boy, always talking nonsense."
"Auntie, I'm not joking; she really is my wife!" Liu Shuhan nudged Cheng Qiuyi with his elbow. "Qiu Yi, you tell her you are my wife."
"Yes, Auntie, Shu Han is serious this time."
"Alright, alright." The Boss Lady added an extra barbecue pork bun for Liu Shuhan. "To celebrate our Shu Han getting married, Auntie is giving you a barbecue pork bun to eat."
"That's great! Thank you, Auntie!"
On the way back, Liu Shuhan was still immersed in the joy of receiving an extra barbecue pork bun.
"Look at you, so pleased over just a bun."
"Is it just a bun?" Liu Shuhan scoffed at Cheng Qiuyi. "This is my wife's face!"
"Yes, my dear wife, your face is the most important."
Liu Shuhan walked ahead with his head held high and chest out, feeling so proud he could almost fly. "Having a wife is truly wonderful; it's so comforting, so comforting!"
She felt at ease, and seeing Cheng Qiuyi's proud little expression made her even more comfortable.
"By the way, Qiu Yi, there's something I want to ask you..." Liu Shuhan suddenly hesitated, "What you said about getting married... is it... true?"
"Of course."
"Then can I... can I..."
"Shu Han, just say it directly." Cheng Qiuyi rubbed her forehead, knowing it couldn't be anything good.
"I want to wear a suit!" Liu Shuhan exclaimed excitedly.
"What did you say?"
"I want to wear a suit!" Liu Shuhan imagined herself in a sharp suit bringing Cheng Qiuyi, the beautiful woman, home, and just thinking about it made her heart race. "Qiu Yi, I've never worn a suit before!"
"No way." Cheng Qiuyi rejected her without hesitation.
Liu Shuhan's face suddenly fell. "Why, Qiu Yi..."
"Because I want to see you in a wedding dress."
Of course, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event. Cheng Qiuyi had been thinking about how Liu Shuhan would look in a wedding dress for many years; such a good opportunity couldn't be missed.
"But... but..." Liu Shuhan whined, pleading with Cheng Qiuyi. "Qiu Yi, I also want to see you in a wedding dress..."
Cheng Qiuyi smiled, "Silly girl, who says that both people can't wear wedding dresses at a wedding?"
"I just want to wear a suit, Qiu Yi, please..."
Liu Shuhan pleaded with Cheng Qiuyi all the way, and Cheng Qiuyi could no longer withstand her incessant buzzing like a mosquito, so she had to give in. "Just so you know, you can only wear it for half a day; you have to change back in the afternoon."
"That's great, Qiu Yi! Thank you!" Liu Shuhan jumped onto Cheng Qiuyi's back. Cheng Qiuyi steadied herself; with such a big person jumping on her, the soy milk in her hand didn't spill at all.
At the dining table, Xu Ruyun glanced at the ring on Liu Shuhan's left hand, put down half of her youtiao, and asked, "Have you two talked it over?"
Liu Shuhan and Cheng Qiuyi exchanged glances.
Liu Shuhan swallowed the bun in her mouth. "Mom, talked about what?"
"What else could it be? Marriage! When will you take wedding photos? When will you set a date? How many guests will you invite? Which restaurant will you book... Even though you two can't get a marriage certificate, we can't skip any steps. I've been waiting for this day for so many years just to indulge a little."
Great, we're getting married just to indulge you. Liu Shuhan picked up the bun again.
Cheng Qiuyi said, "Auntie, we just want to invite a few close friends; we don't plan to make a big deal out of it. As for the location... City Z or C City is fine; we'll leave it up to you."
Xu Ruyun looked a bit displeased. "Why are you still calling me Auntie? I heard Old Liu bragging that you called him Dad this morning!"
Cheng Qiuyi smiled and apologized, "Mom, it's my fault."
Xu Ruyun's expression brightened as she picked up a fried egg for Cheng Qiuyi. "Now that's more like it! Try the fried egg I made and see how it compares to what Shu Han makes."
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