Winter Returns

Chapter 41 So Squirtle put on sunglasses.
Zhang Shutong always felt that he and Miss Gu were from two different worlds.

This feeling intensified when I got to her bathroom.

Why do some people have bathrooms that are bigger than their bedrooms?
This villa is Western-style inside and out, and even the bathroom is decorated like a palace, with oil paintings hanging on the walls.

He turned on the crystal chandelier overhead, and the soft light filtered through the petal-like lampshade, scattering across the floor in dappled patterns. It wasn't glaring; it just made you want to yawn.

The towel rack and faucet are made of brass, and there isn't a single water stain on them, which shows that they are well-maintained.

The first thing you see is a built-in bathtub, right next to the window. Her villa is built on high ground, so she can probably enjoy the lake below while taking a bath.

Zhang Shutong, of course, did not intend to take a bath. Instead, he went into the shower room next door. The hot water was provided by gas, which came on very quickly, unlike the solar water heater at home, where you always had to hold the showerhead and hide for a while.

The glass was frosted, which didn't attract much water. Zhang Shutong liked frosted glass; it had the lightness of glass but didn't make him feel insecure. He closed his eyes in this small, warm, and hazy space, the hot water flowing over his body like a stream.

I finally feel a bit warmer.

It seemed to be telling him that the freezing rainy night was over.

My body was relaxed, but my mind wasn't.

For example, after he finished showering, he walked to the mirror by the sink and reluctantly picked up the hairdryer next to him.

He usually uses this to blow water out of keyboards or dry clothes, but rarely to dry his hair.

He always dried himself halfway after showering and let it air dry naturally. But this was in a palace-like building, and he was about to meet the princess in the palace. Zhang Shutong felt that it was better not to let his hair be wet with water droplets with every step he took.

Once I felt warm, I started to feel hungry.

So the next step was to sit at the dining table and eat.

The reason I say "dining table" instead of "dining table" is because in Gu Qiumian's house, they are actually two different things. He is now sitting on the L-shaped dining table in the open kitchen, with a row of lamps hanging down above his head, illuminating the soup noodles in front of him.

Song Nanshan had also finished showering and was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the living room watching TV, holding a bowl of noodles in his hand. He wasn't at all reserved, and the sound of him slurping his noodles sometimes drowned out the sound of the TV. There was even a football game on TV; no one knew how Old Song had found it.

If conditions allowed, Zhang Shutong had no doubt that he would open a can of beer.

The arrival of the two brought a little liveliness to the empty villa. The sound of light rain could be heard in the darkness outside the window. The interior was warm, and the lights were only on where they were supposed to be... It had a cozy feeling.

Zhang Shutong was startled when he had this thought.

He didn't know why he felt warm in this solemn, palace-like place, but that was the truth. Which was better, his house or the one with only Conan? He couldn't say for sure.

Although Old Song is really noisy, and he'll even shout "Good!" when he gets excited, it's still better than the screams of women in Detective Conan when they see a murder, though the improvement is only slight.

So Zhang Shutong stopped worrying about the problem. He lowered his head and tasted the noodle soup. It seemed to be broth, like it was made from old duck. But where could he find duck soup so late at night? Did rich people keep this on hand?

Overall, it tastes pretty good.

After a thrilling operation, being able to calm down and enjoy a bowl of delicious noodle soup is a luxury. The noodles don't matter, nor does the broth. It's not about the extravagance of the food, but about being able to sit here quietly, surrounded by warmth, and feeling a happiness in your heart like the oil floating in the soup—tiny, yet endlessly nourishing.

The only problem is that someone always tries to disturb Zhang Shutong from savoring this bowl of happiness.

But since that person was the owner of the villa, she couldn't politely ask her to leave.

Gu Qiumian sat opposite him. The girl was wrapped in a wine-red velvet robe, which made her skin look even whiter, and her delicate collarbone could be faintly seen.
She had just finished showering, her dark hair still damp and fragrant. Every move she made unintentionally exuded a charming allure, revealing her as a young woman beginning to mature.

Gu Qiumian casually swept her medium-length hair to one side, pulled her bangs back to reveal her smooth forehead, and held her face in her hands while scrolling through her phone, as if this dining table was the place with the best signal in the entire villa.

Zhang Shutong could tolerate her scrolling through her phone, but the way she kept glancing up from the screen, occasionally curving her lips into a smile, as if she were being disrespectful, was concerning. She probably thought she was hiding it well, but Zhang Shutong noticed everything.

It makes people very uncomfortable.

But it would seem silly to ask someone why they're sitting here in someone else's house, so Zhang Shutong simply pretended not to see it and buried his head in his noodles.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but Miss Gu seemed intent on picking a fight. Just as Zhang Shutong picked up his bowl to drink his soup, she finally couldn't hold back any longer and slapped her phone. The iPhone's glass back made a crisp sound against the marble countertop. The girl's eyes widened.

"All you ever think about is eating noodles?"

Zhang Shutong glanced at the TV. "I don't watch football games." If Lao Song put on something else, he would watch it with him.

As he spoke, he picked up the fried egg that was placed on top of the noodles, took a bite, and found that it was still runny, which showed how superb the nanny's skills were.

After looking at the fried egg, Zhang Shutong looked at Gu Qiumian, only to find that Gu Qiumian was also looking at the fried egg. She was pouting, and because she was holding her face in one hand, her small lips were squeezed crooked.

Don't you want to say anything?

"The noodles were delicious, thank you."

"...Don't thank me, you should thank Aunt Wu!"

That's what she said, but her eyes became even fiercer, and she spoke each word as loudly as raindrops hitting the ground.

Zhang Shutong knew she was a bit arrogant, but while she said "no need to thank me," she very tactfully replied, "No, I still want to thank you."
Unexpectedly, Gu Qiu Mian blinked her thick eyelashes upon hearing this, then suddenly slumped onto the table as if deflated, muttering:
"Hey, have you been getting too wet in the rain...?"

"What?" "He was already stupid, but I think he'll be even stupider after getting wet."

Zhang Shutong curled his lips upon hearing this. This person actually thought he was stupid. Then who was it that rushed into the rain in slippers and pajamas just now?

They looked at each other and winked, the more they looked, the more they felt that the other was the real fool.

"How did you know someone came to our house?" Gu Qiumian asked again.

Zhang Shutong then briefly shared his reasoning with her. If Qingyi were here, she would definitely be listening with eyes shining, but Miss Gu was clearly not a mystery fanatic. She listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with questions. But when Zhang Shutong finished the most exciting part, she pouted and asked, "And then?" Zhang Shutong said, "Then I sat here and ate noodles." Gu Qiumian rolled her eyes, as if she wanted to hear much more than that.

But there was nothing he could do; real-life deductions were never as exciting as those on TV, and he wasn't a professional detective, so Zhang Shutong wisely kept quiet and changed the subject:
"Do you always keep stock at home?"

"You think this kind of noodle is delicious?"

"The soup is good."

"Aunt Wu is a very good cook; this duck has been simmering since this afternoon."

"Wait, is this soup for your dinner?"

“Oh,” she said, “otherwise, it’s leftover dinner, of course.”

Gu Qiumian explained in a good mood:
"I didn't finish what was in my bowl, and I was going to throw it away, but then you came, so it's perfect that we don't have to waste it."

Zhang Shutong had just stopped drinking the soup when she snorted and said, "See, you really are stupid. You got fooled so easily. Who makes noodles with just a little soup in a bowl? There's a whole pot of soup in there."

"Don't forget to take your cold medicine later," she added.

"no need."

"No, you have to eat it if I say you have to."

Zhang Shutong nodded; he was never stubborn about such trivial matters.

That's good too; he doesn't ask Gu Qiu Mian how she feels about all the things that happened tonight.

Gu Qiu Mian never took the initiative to mention whether she was in a good or bad mood.

However, as they were chatting, Gu Qiu Mian suddenly stood up, leaned close to his head, and sniffed. Zhang Shutong was caught off guard, but she had already sat back down, smiling like a delicate flower.

"I knew you looked like you hadn't washed your hair. Did you use conditioner instead?"

"The one in the red bottle?"

"Yeah, that's conditioner. The blue bottle is shampoo, you idiot."

"..."

"Your hair is so oily right now." She laughed so hard her body shook.

It seems like something funny has been seen; perhaps in the trainer's eyes, it's a Squirtle wearing sunglasses.

Zhang Shutong really wanted to say that there were five or six bottles and jars in his bathroom with brand names he couldn't understand, were they French or something? He was too lazy to figure them out, so he just used whatever looked similar.

He rubbed his hair, somewhat speechless, and decisively skipped the topic.

Fortunately, Gu Qiumian was a good listener. Whenever he spoke, no matter what he said, she would always listen and nod.

By this time, the nanny had already gone back to her room.

The man not far away was watching the game intently, though he was secretly listening.

When a boy is eating noodles, he will sometimes put down his chopsticks, wait until he has swallowed the food in his mouth, and then say a few words.

The girl held her face in her hands, her legs swinging under the counter. One of her slippers fell off, revealing her foot.

Zhang Shutong thought this bowl of noodles was really generous.

The bowl wasn't very big, but it gave the impression that you couldn't finish the food.

Just as he finished the last bit of soup, Old Song suddenly stood up, turned off the TV, and shouted at the two of them:
"I'm going to bed now. You two shouldn't chat too late. Let's go together tomorrow."

Zhang Shutong and Gu Qiumian turned their heads at the same time, watching the man patter as he went back to the bedroom.

There are two guest rooms on the first floor. One of them was given to the nanny, and Old Song slept in the other one.

Therefore, Zhang Shutong had no choice but to sleep on the second floor.

That was Miss Gu's territory.

Fate is strange; they sat together in school and slept on the same floor.

Thank you very much to the readers 忧郁の东坡肘子, 口口打哟, 多啦夜梦, 唐子炖夫, WILL白, and 一拳打飞嘤嘤怪 for their generous donations!
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(End of this chapter)