Xia Lan: From Meeting a Martial Arts Girl

Chapter 27 Hot Spring Town

The next morning, the bus stopped on time in the parking lot on the east side of the square.

The driver was a man in his fifties, wearing a uniform and holding a list in his hand.

"Mr. Lu?"

He glanced at the list in his hand, then at the people who were walking over.

"it's me."

"Five of you, right? This way, please."

When Lu Siye got into the car, Wen Ranran was still holding his hand.

She wore new clothes today, which Xiaoman bought at the convenience store last night: a light blue sweatshirt, a pair of dark trousers, and a pair of white sneakers.

The clothes were a little too big, so the sleeves needed to be rolled up, but overall they looked much cleaner and neater.

Her hair was also tied up in a high ponytail, secured with a light blue hair tie, the same style as the one Xiaoman had in her hair.

When she got on the bus, she looked down at her new shoes and carefully stepped onto the pedals, afraid of getting them dirty.

Feifei perched on her shoulder, in high spirits today, her tail held high, looking left and right, curious about everything.

Baozi was the last to board the bus, carrying his bulging backpack and a plastic bag filled with snacks and drinks.

"It'll be two hours, so we need to bring some dry food."

He said he held up the plastic bag and shook it.

Xiaoman glanced at him.

"Didn't we just have breakfast this morning?"

"You'll get hungry on the way."

"You ate three rice balls just an hour ago."

"That's breakfast, this is a snack, they're different."

Xiaoman shook her head and didn't say anything more.

There weren't many people on the bus.

Besides the five of them, there were seven or eight other passengers, mostly couples or families traveling together.

Lu Siye chose a seat in the middle by the window.

Baozi naturally sat down next to him, placed her backpack at her feet, and hung the plastic bag on the hook of the seat in front of her.

Xiaoman sat opposite them with Wen Ranran.

Wen Ranran sat by the window, and Xiaoman sat next to her.

Feifei jumped off Wen Ranran's shoulder, squatted on the windowsill, pressed her nose against the glass, and looked at the scenery outside.

The car started.

The streets of Shiragake-cho recede slowly outside the window.

Lu Siye took out his phone and opened the news page.

The information on the screen scrolled down one by one.

Entertainment news occupied most of the pages.

A celebrity's relationship has been exposed, and fans are tearing each other apart in the comments section.

A variety show released a new season, and the trailer was shared over 100,000 times.

A social media influencer cried during a live stream, saying she was being cyberbullied. Half the viewers in the chat were comforting her, while the other half were cursing her.

He slid down.

Social news.

A traffic accident occurred in a certain area, involving three vehicles in a rear-end collision, but no one was injured or killed.

Vegetable prices have risen in a certain area, and residents are saying they "can't afford it."

A kindergarten in a certain area conducted a fire safety drill. The children wore yellow safety helmets, and the photos turned out very cute.

He continued sliding down.

International news.

An earthquake occurred in a certain country. The magnitude was not high, and there were no casualties.

The election in a certain country has entered its final stage, with the two candidates' approval ratings differing by less than one percentage point.

A country's central bank announced an interest rate hike, and the stock market immediately fell.

He stopped at the words "stock market".

He paused his finger on the screen for a moment, then tapped it and found the stock market chart.

The red line is moving downwards.

It wasn't a precipitous drop, but a slow, continuous, and irreversible decline.

He then flipped through other economic news articles.

Commodity prices are rising, gold prices are rising, crude oil prices are rising, and food prices are rising.

Exchange rates are fluctuating, capital is flowing out, and risk aversion is rising.

The war has begun.

It is not a war filled with the smoke of gunpowder; it is a silent war, but one that causes casualties every moment.

On the stock market curve, in the fluctuations of exchange rates, and in the changing price tags in supermarkets.

His brow furrowed.

Baozi leaned closer, glanced at his phone screen, and then lowered her voice to say, "Zhou Che might..."

Lu Siye didn't wait for him to finish speaking.

"I know," he said calmly. "He probably has some difficulties."

Baozi glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing more.

Zhou Che.

This name hasn't been mentioned among them for a long time.

Zhou Che was one of the five Xia Lan, no, now there are four.

Zhou Che was the fifth, but he wasn't with them.

A mole.

Someone they once trusted.

But Lu Siye did not intend to treat him as an enemy.

Not at least not now.

He recalled Zhou Che's family background.

Xiaoman once said that Zhou Che's family wasn't particularly powerful, but they were still closely connected to the Xia Lan clan.

His ancestors were peripheral members of Jiugongling. Although they were not officially part of the Xia Lan organization, they had been providing logistical support to the Xia Lan organization.

In the eyes of radicals, such families are probably the kind that can be "won over or sacrificed".

It is highly likely that they were coerced.

"Judging from how he attracted Zero's attention at Jiugongling before," Lu Siye said in a low voice, "he probably didn't do it willingly."

Baozi's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded.

"Of course," Lu Siye's voice lowered, "if he really intends to oppose us..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Baozi glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The car drove out of the city and began to climb the mountain.

The view outside the window changed from farmland to forest, and from forest to mountains.

The road winds its way uphill, with one bend after another, each bend higher than the last.

The distant snow-capped mountains appeared and disappeared on the left side of the car window, getting closer and bigger.

Two hours later, the car stopped in a small town.

Snow Mountain Town.

The town is small, nestled at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, at an altitude of about 1,500 meters.

The air was much cooler than down the mountain, probably only around ten degrees Celsius, but it was very fresh, carrying the scent of pine needles and snowmelt.

The buildings on both sides of the street are all traditional wooden structures.

The town was quiet, with only a few tourists passing by occasionally.

As she got off the bus, a gust of cold wind blew by, and Wen Ranran shivered.

Are you cold?

Xiaoman squatted down, zipped up her coat, and put her hat on.

"It's not cold anymore."

Wen Ranran said, but her voice trembled slightly.

Lu Siye wasn't too afraid of the cold.

When the primordial energy circulates in the body, the body temperature will be slightly higher than that of a normal person, but this slight increase in temperature is nothing to him.

Feifei is no good.

It huddled on Wen Ranran's shoulder, curled up into a ball.

Wen Ranran lifted it off her shoulder and tucked it into her coat.

Following the guide's instructions, they walked along the stone path for about ten minutes and arrived at the entrance of a hotel.

The hotel was small, with a plaque above the door that read "Snow Mountain Villa".

The receptionist was a middle-aged woman wearing a kimono, with a gentle smile.

"Mr. Lu, right? Five single rooms are ready. This way, please."

Five single rooms.

Lu Siye glanced at Xiaoman.

Xiaoman nodded slightly, indicating that this was her arrangement.

The rooms are on the second floor, lined up along the corridor.

Each room is small, about ten square meters, with a single bed, a small table, a chair, and a wardrobe.

It was very clean, and the window faced the snow-capped mountain, offering views of the snow-covered peaks and the sea of ​​clouds at the mountainside.

Lu Siye pushed open the door to his room, stood at the doorway, and paused for a moment.

It wasn't because the room was particularly nice; he hadn't seen many nice rooms, but he could imagine better ones.

It was because he suddenly realized that he had never lived in such a place before.

When I was little, I lived at my grandma's house. It was an old house with peeling paint and a leaky roof. It was as cold as an icebox in winter.

Later, when I grew up, I rented a place to live, the cheapest kind, with a bed, a table, a faucet, and a shared bathroom.

He stood at the doorway, gazing at the neatly folded blankets in the room, momentarily mesmerized.

"What's wrong?" Baozi poked her head out from behind. "Is there something wrong with the room?"

"no."

Lu Siye said, walked into the room, and put the bag on the ground.

He touched the edge of the table, looked at the window latch, and then squatted down to test the firmness of the tatami mat.

Baozi leaned against the door frame, watching him do these things, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"Is this your first time staying in a place like this?"

Lu Siye paused for a moment.

"……Um."

"It's okay," Baozi said. "I did the same thing the first time I stayed in a hotel. I touched and looked at everything, like I was in a museum."

He patted Lu Siye on the shoulder, turned and walked towards his room, then turned back after taking a couple of steps.

"By the way, don't be too reserved."

"Xiaoman ordered it. Her family is wealthy, so this expense is nothing to her. Just think of it as a way to relax."

Lu Siye nodded.

After Baozi left, he stood alone in the room for a while, then walked to the window and opened it a crack.

A cold wind blew in, carrying the unique chill of the snow-capped mountains.

The air is very clean; when you take a breath, it feels cool from your nasal cavity all the way to your lungs.

The snow on the mountaintop was blown up by the wind, creating a thin layer of snow mist.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he closed the window and took the things out of his bag and tidied them up.

A few changes of clothes, some daily necessities that Xiaoman bought for Wen Ranran yesterday, and that gold card for a year of free pork chop rice.

He placed the card on the table, looked at it, picked it up again, and put it in the inner pocket of his backpack.

Then he walked out of the room.

We had lunch at the hotel restaurant.

The restaurant is on the first floor and is very large, capable of accommodating dozens of people at the same time.

The floor-to-ceiling windows face the snow-capped mountains, and sunlight streams in, casting a large patch of warm golden light on the wooden floor.

The dishes were served as a set meal, one serving per person, and were packaged in lacquer boxes.

Opening the lid reveals compartments containing rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), and a small dish of cold spinach salad.

The plating was exquisite; everything was arranged neatly, making it look like a work of art.

But the taste...

Lu Siye picked up a mouthful of rice, put it in his mouth, and chewed it.

The rice was a bit hard.

It wasn't the chewy kind of hard; it was the kind that wasn't fully cooked, with the rice still white inside.

He picked up another piece of grilled fish.

The fish skin was burnt and tasted a bit bitter.

The fish was cooked, but it didn't have much flavor.

The miso soup was too salty.

The pickled vegetables were too sour, the tamagoyaki was too sweet, and the cold spinach salad was fine, but it didn't have any salt, so it tasted like eating grass.

He chewed without expression, finishing everything.

It wasn't because he thought it tasted good, it was because he was hungry.

Moreover, he developed a habit from a young age that he must finish the food served to him, no matter how good or bad it is.

Grandma taught me.

"Food must not be wasted."

Steamed buns are different.

He took two bites, put down his chopsticks, and looked like he had swallowed a fly.

"What is this thing?"

He lowered his voice.

"You call this a restaurant?"

Xiaoman ate quietly, taking one bite at a time, with little change in expression.

She probably ate much more refined food when she was young, but she didn't show any dissatisfaction.

Wen Ranran sat next to Xiaoman, eating with her head down.

She ate slowly, but very attentively.

She didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the meal.

Feifei squatted on the table, with a small plate in front of her containing several pieces of torn-up grilled fish.

It lowered its head to sniff, then raised its head to look at Lu Siye.

"Just eat it as is," Lu Siye said.

Feifei chirped again, lowered her head, and reluctantly began to eat.

Baozi pushed her portion to the middle of the table, picked up her phone, and started scrolling.

"I'll go to town later to see if there's a supermarket and buy some groceries."

"I'll give you a special meal tonight."

Xiaoman looked up and glanced at the steamed bun.

"Last time you made tomato beef brisket, the tomatoes were raw, and the beef brisket was mushy."

"That was an accident! It was a problem with the pot!"

"The pot is new."

"That's a matter of fire! Induction cookers and gas stoves are different!"

Xiaoman didn't say anything more and lowered her head to continue eating.

In the afternoon, Baozi indeed went to town and bought a bunch of ingredients.

The hotel owner was very understanding. When he heard that they wanted to cook for themselves, he was not unhappy at all. He even lent them his kitchen, saying, "It's rare to find someone who appreciates the ingredients in our town."

At dinner, the steamed buns were indeed made much better than the hotel chef's.

The braised pork belly was a bright red color, fatty but not greasy; the sweet and sour pork ribs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour; the sauerkraut fish soup base was rich, and the fish slices were smooth and tender; the tomato beef brisket was also delicious, as the tomatoes were ripe and the beef brisket was tender this time. Xiaoman took a bite, didn't say anything, but ate an extra bowl of rice.

There were other guests staying at the hotel.

During dinner, everyone sat in the restaurant and chatted about all sorts of things.

Several of them were regular customers who knew the owner well. They would drink and chat about everyday things.

One young couple was visiting for the first time, with a three- or four-year-old child. The child ran around everywhere, and the parents chased after him.

There were also a few middle-aged people, who seemed to be colleagues out for a team-building activity, sitting together and laughing loudly.

Lu Siye sat in the corner, quietly eating his meal.

He wasn't good at dealing with strangers and didn't know what to say.

In such situations, he would usually choose to sit in an inconspicuous spot, hide himself, and quietly leave after finishing his meal.

But today, someone kept trying to talk to him.

He was an older man.

He looks to be in his early fifties, but maybe not even sixty.

He was wearing a loose, dark gray bathrobe with the collar open, revealing his chest hair underneath.

He held a cup of sake in his hand, taking sips every now and then as he spoke.

It's not the kind of red that comes from being drunk and acting crazy, but the kind of red that comes from being slightly tipsy.

"Young man, is this your first time in a place like this?"

The middle-aged man sat next to him, holding a wine glass, and looked at him with a smile.

"Um."

Lu Siye said.

"I can tell," the uncle nodded, "that your posture is too stiff."

"His back is too straight, his hands are on his knees, and his eyes are looking around."

"This is the look of someone who hasn't traveled far from home much."

Lu Siye moved his hand, shifting it from his knee to the table.

The uncle smiled.

"No need to change it deliberately."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of if you've never traveled far from home."

"I was like that when I was young. The first time I went to a big city, I stood at a crossroads, not knowing which way to go, and stood there for a full ten minutes."

He took a sip of his drink and continued, "Later I figured it out. If you don't know which way to go, just pick one randomly."

"If you take the wrong path, turn back; if you take the right path, continue. It's always better than standing still."

Lu Siye looked at him without saying a word, but there was something more in his eyes.

The uncle poured another glass of wine and pushed it toward Lu Siye.

"Want a drink?"

"I'm not a big drinker."

"Then drink less."

"A man should learn to drink."

"It's not about getting drunk, but about not being at a loss when drinking is necessary."

Lu Siye hesitated for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and took a small sip.

The sake tastes mild, but as you swallow it, a warm sensation spreads from your throat all the way down to your stomach.

"How is it?"

"good."

"It's alright, but I don't like it."

The uncle smiled, didn't force him to continue drinking, and poured himself another glass.

"If you don't like something, you just don't like it. There's no need to force it. It took me twenty years to learn this lesson."

He talks a lot, but not in a noisy way.

He wouldn't make vulgar jokes, nor would he make fun of other people's shortcomings or say things that make people uncomfortable.

He was talking about interpersonal relationships and conduct.

How to interact with people.

Say the right thing in different situations.

How to judge a person's personality.

How to avoid offending people.

How to uphold your principles without offending anyone.

Lu Siye had never learned these things.

How can you stand in the middle of a crowd like a person?

"You're such a boring person," the middle-aged man said, looking at him.

"Um."

"It's not that you're bad."

"Being quiet has its advantages; people who don't talk much are reliable."

"But you're so boring that people don't even know where to begin when they want to talk to you."

Lu Siye remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know what to say."

"Then listen; listening is more important than speaking."

"Listen to others talk, and you'll know how to speak properly after you've listened to enough."

The middle-aged man took another sip of his drink, his eyes narrowing as if he were recalling something.

I used to know someone who was even more boring than you.

"I can't say more than three sentences a day."

"But everyone was willing to talk to him because he listened very attentively."

"When you talk to him, you can feel that he is listening, thinking, and understanding what you are saying."

"This kind of person is more popular than those who talk incessantly."

Lu Siye nodded thoughtfully.

The uncle talked for a long time.

When the conversation turned to how to date girls, his expression became more serious.

Do you get nervous when you talk to girls?

Lu Siye thought for a moment and nodded.

"It's normal to be nervous; it would be abnormal not to be," the man said. "But you must remember one thing."

"Girls aren't monsters. They're just like you. They get nervous, scared, and sometimes don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything fancy, you just need to be yourself."

"Be yourself?"

"Yes. Don't pretend, don't act, and don't change yourself to please anyone."

"Be who you are, and honesty is always more important than skill."

He paused, then added, "Also, you must learn to respect others."

"It's not the kind of superficial, polite respect; it's a heartfelt respect that treats her as an equal."

"Don't assume that just because she's a girl, she needs to be protected, cared for, or guided."

"What she needs is for you to stand beside her, not in front of her."

Lu Siye thought of Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan often said that he was a quiet, reserved person.

He says it every time we meet, and he's been saying it for years.

He never quite understood why he was "bored," why he couldn't say sweet things or do romantic things like other boys.

He probably knows now.

Men tend to think more rationally.

When faced with a problem, think about how to solve it, rather than how to express it.

Women's way of thinking tends to be more emotional.

When faced with a problem, one should think about how to be understood, rather than how to be solved.

When he was with Tang Yuan, whenever she confided in him about something, his first reaction was to give her advice.

Tell her what to do, how to solve it, and how to handle it.

He felt that he was helping her and doing her a favor.

But what Tang Yuan needed was not an idea.

What she needs is for him to say "I understand," or "I'm here," or just to listen quietly to her finish speaking.

He looked down at his hands, which were resting on the table.

"What are you thinking about?" the uncle asked.

"I was thinking about a friend," Lu Siye said. "She used to say I was boring."

"A girl?"

"……Um."

The uncle smiled, a very gentle smile.

"Being bored is not a problem."

The question is, have you let her know that you care about her?

"No need to say a lot, no need to do a lot."

Sometimes, a look or a gesture is enough.

Lu Siye remained silent for a long time.

"I think I..." he paused, "...didn't manage to do it."

"Then do it next time," the uncle said. "Life is about making mistakes and correcting them. If you know it today, you can do better tomorrow."

Lu Siye nodded.

Just then, Baozi came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cooked dishes. Seeing Lu Siye chatting with the uncle, she came over.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's talk about how to be a good person," the uncle said.

"Oh, I'll have to listen then." Baozi put the dishes on the table, pulled up a chair and sat down. "I also need to learn how to be a good person."

The uncle looked at the steamed buns and sized them up.

"You..." the uncle pondered for a moment, "You don't need to learn how to be a person, you need to learn how to get along with people."

Is there a difference?

"Yes. How you conduct yourself is your own business and has nothing to do with others."

"But getting along with others is a matter between you and them, and you need to consider the other person."

"You are a warm-hearted, righteous, and kind-hearted person."

"But sometimes you're too enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that it makes others uncomfortable."

Baozi paused for a moment.

Do I have one?

Have you ever encountered this situation?

"You're incredibly kind to someone, but that person keeps drifting away from you?"

Baozi opened its mouth slightly, then closed it again.

The uncle smiled.

"It's not your fault."

"Some people just need space, and your enthusiasm makes them feel suffocated."

"You don't need to change your passion; you just need to learn when to advance and when to retreat."

Baozi scratched his head, seemingly lost in thought.

"And another thing," the uncle glanced at Baozi's belly, "you don't exercise enough."

Baozi looked down at her slightly protruding belly, her face turning a little red.

"I've just been eating a bit too much lately."

"It's not a matter of what you eat, it's a matter of exercise. How long has it been since you last exercised?"

Baozi thought for a moment.

"About...three months?"

"Three months?" Lu Siye glanced at him.

"Okay, six months." Baozi shrank his neck. "I've been on the road the whole time, so there's no time for training."

The middle-aged man shook his head and then looked at Lu Siye.

"You're the same, too skinny, you don't have much muscle."

"Neither of you is healthy, one is too fat and the other is too thin."

He stood up, took a business card out of his pocket, and placed it on the table.

"I own a gym in this town. Come over tomorrow morning and I'll arrange a training plan for you."

"Soaking in a hot spring after training will give you a unique experience."

Lu Siye looked down at the business card.

The sign is white with black lettering that reads "Snow Mountain Fitness Center" at the top, followed by a name and a phone number.

The name is Yamada Shinsuke.

"Yamada?"

Lu Siye raised his head.

"I share the same surname as that competitive eater, but we're not related." The uncle smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, it's getting late, you guys should get some rest. See you tomorrow."

He picked up his glass, finished the last sip of wine, stood up, and left.

His steps were steady; he didn't seem like someone who had been drinking at all.

Baozi watched his departing figure and muttered, "That guy is quite interesting."

"Hmm." Lu Siye put the business card into his pocket.

Are you really going tomorrow?

"go."

"Should I go too?"

"You should go too."

Baozi rubbed his stomach with a bitter face.

"Okay, I guess I really should lose some weight."

The girls' side presented a completely different picture.

The hotel bathrooms are located at the end of the corridor and are divided into men's and women's sections.

Xiaoman took Wen Ranran to the women's bath.

The changing area in the bathroom is small, with two rows of cabinets, a mirror, and a few bamboo baskets.

Xiaoman took off her clothes, folded them neatly, and put them in the closet.

Wen Ranran stood next to her, imitating her, and folded the newly bought hoodie and pants, putting them into the closet.

Xiaoman glanced down at her.

Wen Ranran's body has changed significantly compared to a few days ago.

Her body already had a thin layer of flesh.

My ribs are no longer so prominent, my collarbones aren't as noticeable, and my arms and legs have gained some muscle.

Xiaoman reached out and gently touched Wen Ranran's shoulder.

"Sister?" Wen Ranran looked up at her.

"It's alright," Xiaoman said. "I'll wipe your body for you."

She wrung out a hot towel, squatted down, and started wiping Wen Ranran's neck, wiping her down little by little.

Wen Ranran stood there quietly, neither crying nor making a fuss, letting her wipe her face.

When she wiped her stomach, Wen Ranran suddenly smiled.

"It itches," she said.

Xiaoman smiled too.

She flipped the towel over, changed its direction, and continued wiping.

Wen Ranran looked down at Xiaoman's hand.

Her hands were very white and slender, with long fingers and neatly manicured nails.

When she brushed against her wrist, Wen Ranran suddenly spoke.

"elder sister."

"Um?"

"Do you like your brother?"

Xiaoman paused for a moment.

Her ears turned red at a visible speed.

Starting from the earlobe, it extends upwards to the auricle and downwards to the neck.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"...Children shouldn't ask about these things," she said in a very soft voice.

Wen Ranran tilted her head, looked at her bright red ears, and nodded as if she understood.

Xiaoman lowered her head and continued to wipe her body.

She moved a little faster than before, and when she wiped Wen Ranran's knee, she saw that the band-aid on Wen Ranran's knee was still there, the edges had peeled up, but the middle was still on.

"Does your knee still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Xiaoman peeled off the band-aid and looked at it.

The wound has healed and a thin layer of pink new skin has grown.

She threw the band-aid into the trash can, gently wiped around her knee with a towel, then took a new band-aid out of her bag and put it on.

"Okay," she said.

Wen Ranran looked down at the new band-aid, touched it, and then looked up at Xiaoman.

"elder sister."

"Um?"

"Your face is red."

Xiaoman's hand paused on Wen Ranran's shoulder for a moment.

"...from the steam of hot water."

"oh."

Wen Ranran nodded, seemingly believing her.

Xiaoman didn't look at her again, quickly finished wiping the rest of the area, then picked up a bath towel, wrapped Wen Ranran in it, and carried her to a bench in the changing area.

"Wait here for my sister, she'll be out in a flash."

"it is good."

Xiaoman turned around and walked into the shower area, turned on the tap, and let the hot water pour down from above her head.

The water was very hot, and steam filled the entire shower room.

She stood under the flowing water, her eyes closed, the blush on her face a mixture of the steam and something else, it was hard to tell.

She stood there for a long time.

It wasn't until Wen Ranran called out "Sister" from outside that she snapped out of her daze, turned off the tap, dried herself off, changed into a bathrobe, and went outside.

Wen Ranran sat on the bench, wrapped in a bath towel, her two legs dangling in the air and swinging back and forth.

Feifei suddenly appeared out of nowhere, squatted down next to her, and was wagging its tail.

"Let's go," she said, taking Wen Ranran's hand. "Let's go back to sleep. We're going to soak in the hot springs tomorrow."

"Okay." Wen Ranran jumped off the bench and took Xiaoman's hand.

Feifei jumped onto Wen Ranran's shoulder and squatted down.

Goodnight, Ranran.

Goodnight, sister.

Wen Ranran pushed open the door, went inside, and glanced back at Xiaoman.

"elder sister."

"Um?"

"Can I go to the hot springs with my brother again tomorrow?"

Xiaoman's ears turned red again.

"...It depends on the situation."