You're my wife, don't doubt it!

“No, the TV is on,” Yu Luying said. “She went on a pilgrimage to South Korea.”

“Yeah, if she really came back, you’d definitely hang up on me right away,” Xiao Yao said. “She’s not here, so can I come over to your place?”

"..."

"Okay, I was just kidding. I'll wait until you're done with your work." Xiao Yao backed down.

"Come on over." Before Xiao Yao could react, the girl hung up the phone.

"Huh?" Xiao Yao stood there, stunned, trying to recall if he had misheard.

--split line--

"Where are you going?" Shen Tianyun sat on Xiao Yao's bed, in a duck-like position.

"Let's go to a classmate's house to play." Xiao Yao pulled the trousers onto his legs.

"Which classmate is it?" Shen Tianyun continued checking the household registration.

"Hi, Little Bear," Xiao Yao said casually.

"Are you trying to coax a child?" Shen Tianyun said, "Go find Little Bear and look at yourself in the mirror from left to right, and pluck those two tufts of fur on your head?"

"No..." Xiao Yao clicked his tongue: "Adults have serious matters to attend to, children shouldn't ask such questions."

“You’re finished, I’m going to tell you,” Shen Tianyun pointed at Xiao Yao, “I’m going to tell my mom.”

"Go tell her quickly, hurry." Xiao Yao thought to herself, wearing sneakers, "I hope she really cares, and cares even more."

"Old Xiao, are you trying to rebel? Old Xiao, come back here and explain yourself!"

"Don't shout, keep your voice down, Grandma's here." Xiao Yao turned his head and pressed his index finger firmly to his lips: "I really have something important to say."

It was already midsummer, around 2 pm, and the blazing sun was mercilessly engulfing the earth.

The incessant chirping of cicadas, the stench of sweat emanating from the body, and the smell of the asphalt melting in the sun—all of these were incredibly irritating.

Fortunately, because Yu Luying was at home with the air conditioning on, Xiao Yao was still enveloped in an unreasonable chill, which made him feel... much better.

As Xiao Yao passed by the old goods street, he stopped in front of a plush toy store with a sign that read "Clearance Sale, Last Three Days".

Damn, you said last month that there were only three days left...

Visiting Yu Luying's house feels like a memory from the last century.

He could still remember that every time he went back with Yu Luying, she would spend a long time browsing in this toy store.

"How old are you? You actually like dolls. Yu is three years old." Back then, Xiao Yao would always tease her like that.

"None of your business," Yu Luying would always reply, while intently manipulating the joystick on the claw machine.

Xiao Yao never caught her, but Yu Luying was an expert in this area.

How high was it? After that, whenever she came to play the claw machine again, the owner would give her a free plush toy and beg her to leave.

"It's practically cheating..." Xiao Yao muttered to himself as he pulled out the last coin from his pocket.

Great God of Symbiosis, grant me your power—no, grant me her power!

Follow your body's instincts. Like this, like this, good, now's the time, let's go!

Xiao Yao heard the sound of a heavy object falling, pushed open the partition, and picked up the crooked and deformed Doraemon in his hands.

Just kidding, isn't this a bit too ugly?

Having prepared the gifts, Xiao Yao didn't delay any longer and went straight to Yu Luying's door.

The wooden door he had gazed at many times was ajar. Xiao Yao pushed it open and went straight upstairs.

The wooden stairs creaked and groaned, and the air was filled with the smell of old Shanghai life.

Time seems to have stood still here.

Xiao Yao pushed open another half-closed door, and the blast of cold air made him gasp for breath like an asthma sufferer.

"It's you—" Yu Luying put down the broom and patted her chest: "You scared me to death! Why didn't you knock?"

"Sorry." Xiao Yao had indeed felt the same way about being "startled" just now: "Look, I caught you a Doraemon."

Yu Luying pouted and took it with a look of disgust: "This is too ugly."

As he spoke, he turned around, stood on tiptoe, and placed the cheap plush toy squarely on top of the dresser.

She patted Doraemon's round head and secretly smiled when Xiao Yao wasn't looking.

Chapter 37 Lolita

"I hear the gentle breeze whispering, and gaze upon the beauty as if in a dream."

Sitting on the sofa, sipping Sprite from the refrigerator, the above ten words floated into Xiao Yao's mind.

Air conditioning wind is definitely wind, and as for a beautiful woman... well, of course.

A soft and familiar melody drifted gently through the small, twenty-square-meter room.

"...On that night when memories stirred, under the countless stars of my childhood, I knew she had come, like the wind, bringing with her those old times, those loves, and those friends who are gradually growing old..."

This girl even likes to listen to similar songs as me.

Xiao Yao sighed inwardly and looked at the figure mopping the floor: "Shall I help?"

"Forget it, we'll only make things worse if we try to help."

"How could that be? Household skills should be shared," Xiao Yao thought.

The girl was wearing a light blue dress that was somewhere between loungewear and casual wear, with fine checkered stripes.

This puffy short-sleeved shirt, and those delicate lace ruffles on the collar and back buttons... it's really the first time I've seen her wear that.

If Shen Tianyun were present, she would definitely say that this is a light Lolita dress. However, in 2004, "Kamikaze Girls" had just been released in Japan and did not have much influence in China. Therefore, Xiao Yao only knew that it was called "Western dress" and was generally worn by little girls.

You're so tall, yet you look like a little girl... But you are indeed quite beautiful.

The dress's skirt wasn't too long, and a section of her slender thigh extended from it, shimmering with a captivating sheen under the slight covering of sweat.

Yu Luying is a "long-legged" person in the conventional sense—not just because she is 1.7 meters tall, but also because of the proportion between her leg length and upper body.

However, even in the sweltering summer, she always wore long skirts and trousers when she went out, never shorter than knee-length. Therefore, this was the first time Xiao Yao had seen what her thighs looked like.

Her legs were beautifully rounded, her figure as perfect as if sculpted, and her skin was fair and smooth. When she walked, her legs bounced back and forth rhythmically.

Xiao Yao realized he had reacted rather impolitely. The girl suddenly turned around, looked down at Xiao Yao, and then at herself.

"I didn't mean to!" Xiao Yao raised a hand: "You've taken biology class too, this isn't something the brain can control..."

"Get out! Get out!" The girl's strength was astonishing, and a few seconds later, Xiao Yao was forked out.

Then, the wooden door was slammed shut in front of us.

"Stop messing around, I have something important to do." Xiao Yao knocked on the door helplessly.

A few minutes later, the door was reopened.

Yu Luying changed into a yellow T-shirt and loose black trousers, with her ever-present plain white cotton socks on her feet.

"Where are we going?" Xiao Yao asked.

Yu Luying didn't say anything. She took a pair of black sandals from the shoe rack and squatted down to put them on.

The Velcro strap accidentally got stuck to my sock, and when I lifted it up, I saw that my foot was already bubbly.

The girl clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Xiao Yao followed her downstairs. The sun was already setting in the west, and a breeze had picked up, making it finally a bit cooler.

Listening to the rustling of the willow branches, walking side by side with Yu Luying along the riverbank was quite pleasant.

To be honest, it's a bit of a waste to always cover up such beautiful legs. She even altered her summer school skirts to be a few centimeters longer. By doing the opposite of what's expected, it's no wonder people at school often say she has a birthmark on her leg.

“Those gossipy women,” Yu Luying said, her face showing displeasure, “just because you’re pretty, you have to run to the street to show yourself off? Is that all you want me to be seen by others?”

"I didn't say anything!" Xiao Yao exclaimed in shock.

“I know,” Yu Luying pursed her lips, “but I just heard it.”

“You can’t do this,” Xiao Yao said, a little annoyed. “From now on, I’ll have to practice mental silence in front of you.”

“It’s not like I want to hear it,” Yu Luying said. “They just keep sending me their inner monologues every now and then, what can I do?”

Although Yu Luying is usually a bit aloof, when she speaks with a Shanghai accent, she still retains a touch of the soft, sweet charm of the Wu dialect. In comparison, Shen Jie…

No! I can't let my mind wander at such close range anymore.

"Hey, you seem to be in a good mood today. Is it because your mom went on a long trip?" Xiao Yao put his hands together behind his head. "I mean, what kind of holy places are there in South Korea to pilgrimage to? Don't you have to go to Jerusalem or Rome for pilgrimage?"

“It’s close and convenient. South Korea also has martyrdom sites like Mount Cheddar. Besides, she’s probably just doing some shopping on the side,” Yu Luying said as she walked up to an old lady selling peaches by the roadside. “I went to Rome and Jerusalem with my mom during my summer vacation after junior high.”

"They still have money."

"I think you're the one in a good mood, aren't you?" Yu Luying squatted in front of the stall, carefully picking out the big, plump peaches. "You had a lot of fun yesterday, didn't you? You drank so much, you were hugging and cuddling with your Shen Jie, and you got into a fight with someone and got slapped? I called you and your phone was off. Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"You called me? My phone ran out of power later. Hey, why do you eat peaches every day? I'm so tired of them."

I love eating peaches!