Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

"Little green plums."

"Isn't it nice to have small ones? You can eat them in one bite."

"Okay, Yunshu, buy these kinds of green plums again next time."

"I'll buy green plums for my brother for the rest of my life~"

Liu Yunshu looked up at the incandescent light, her eyes stinging from the glare.

Shen Shiyan reached out to shield her from the light above her head, his palm resting on her slightly cool forehead.

"Don't stare at the light, your eyes will get tired."

Liu Yunshu lowered her head, her eyes stinging from the lamplight, and tears welled up in them.

As she lowered her head, a tear slid from the corner of her eye down to her delicate chin, and then dripped onto Shen Shiyan's lips.

The warm, slightly salty sensation melted on my lips.

Shen Shiyan paused, looked up at her reddened eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He reached out and wiped away the tears that hadn't yet dried from her cheek, his fingertips tracing her damp eyelashes, his voice hoarse and soft: "Why are you crying? Is the light too bright, or are you feeling unwell?"

Liu Yunshu shook her head, reached out and squeezed his soft black hair tightly, "I'm not feeling unwell, it's just that I'm too, too happy to be with my brother."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shiyan's heart softened as if it had been soaked in warm water.

He rose slightly, kissed her reddened eyes, and said tenderly, "Silly girl, it's because I'm so happy to be with you. Thank you, Yunshu."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her voice soft and tearful.

"Why are you thanking me, brother? I should be thanking you, brother. Thank you... for always being there for me."

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her reddened earlobe, his voice hoarse and husky: "Silly girl, staying with you is what your brother wants to do most."

Shen Shiyan reached out and lifted her chin, gently wiping away the tears on her cheek with his fingertips.

His gaze fell on the reddened corners of her eyes, his eyes filled with pity and love.

"Don't cry, okay? If you keep crying, your brother will feel sorry for you too."

Liu Yunshu nodded, but still couldn't help sniffing and reaching out to pinch his cheek.

"Then you must promise me, brother, that you'll stay with me forever and ever!"

"Okay." Shen Shiyan agreed without hesitation, leaned down and kissed her glistening lips, swallowing the rest of her sobs.

"I want my brother to carry me to the bathroom."

He carried her to the bathroom, his nose brushing against the lingering scent of gardenias in her hair, mixed with the warm sweetness of ginger tea, and his heart melted.

Liu Yunshu clung to Shen Shiyan's shoulder like a koala, their intertwined figures reflected in the mirror.

He was wearing light gray loungewear, and he held her steadily in his arms, the hem of her off-white skirt hanging down the outside of his arms.

Liu Yunshu reached out and touched her reflection in the mirror, her fingertips overlapping with Chen Shiyan's hand in the mirror.

"Brother, you're holding me so well." She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled, with a hint of softness from just having cried.

Shen Shiyan looked down at the little girl with reddened eyes in his glasses, and walked even lighter: "That's right, our Yun Shu is so light, she won't fall."

He carefully placed her on the sink, tested the water temperature of the showerhead, and then turned to help her untie the ties of her loungewear.

"Take a warm shower first and change into clean clothes, otherwise you'll catch a cold."

Liu Yunshu obediently raised her arm, watching his fingertips gently help her remove the skirt stained with ginger tea, and her ears began to heat up again.

As he turned to grab a clean towel, she suddenly reached out and tugged at his sleeve: "Brother... shall we shower together?"

Shen Shiyan paused, turned around and met her bright eyes, which were filled with a sly smile, a cute contrast to her reddened eyes just now.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he reached out to pinch her cheek: "Are you being silly again?"

"No, not at all," Liu Yunshu tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Brother, you're also covered in raindrops. It'll be warmer if we wash together."

As she spoke, she deliberately rubbed the damp stain on his sleeve with her fingertips.

The steam in the bathroom grew thicker and thicker, blurring the figures of the two people.

Looking at the little girl throwing a tantrum in his arms, Shen Shiyan finally smiled helplessly.

In this lifetime, he truly had no way to deal with her.

"Liu! Yun! Shu!"

"What's wrong? Brother should call me Yunshu Baby!"

"Yun! Shu! Bao! Bao!"

"Brother, that's a really loud call! Call me more gently~"

Shen Shiyan was at his wit's end with her pestering him, and a low chuckle escaped his throat as he gently brushed his fingertips across the tip of her nose.

"I've never seen such a presumptuous little brat as you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he softened his tone, his voice as gentle as lukewarm water: "Yunshu baby, stop fooling around, the water's getting cold."

The frosted glass bathroom door is supported by two small hands.

The two little hands gently drew circles on the glass, and the water droplets on their fingertips spread out as tiny misty marks.

Shen Shiyan reached out and grasped her mischievous wrist, his palm enveloping her slightly cool hand, and gently guided it under the warm water: "Don't touch the glass, it's cold."

Seeing that she ignored him and was still playing in the water.

"Liu Yunshu—" Shen Shiyan murmured her name, his voice hoarse with a hint of helplessness, but he still reached out and turned up the water temperature a little.

"If you keep making a fuss, you'll end up drinking the ginger tea for nothing."

Then she softened her tone, "Sweetie, I'll take you to see the stars after we shower."

"To see the stars?" Liu Yunshu's eyes lit up, and she obediently let him rinse the shampoo from her hair. "Didn't it just rain outside?"

"You can see from the balcony." Shen Shiyan gently stroked the top of her hair with his fingertips, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of breaking her hair clip.

"I checked this morning, there are a few stars tonight."

What he didn't say was that while practicing hair clips until midnight last night, he also checked the weather forecast.

He was thinking that if the rain stopped, he would take her to see the stars for a while, since his little girl even had star-shaped ornaments.

When the two of them walked out of the bathroom wrapped in the same large bath towel, there were indeed a few scattered stars outside the window, and the faint light shone through the gauze window onto the balcony.

Liu Yunshu ran barefoot to the balcony, but as soon as she stepped onto the cold tiles, Shen Shiyan picked her up and placed her steadily on the sofa.

"Put on your shoes." He bent down and helped her slip on her fluffy slippers, his fingertips brushing against her reddened ankles. He then turned the air conditioning up two degrees. "You just took a shower, don't catch a cold."

Liu Yunshu pulled his hand and walked towards the balcony, pointing to the brightest star in the sky: "Brother, look! That star looks like my hair clip!"

The blue crystal on the side of her hair shimmered in the moonlight, echoing the stars in the sky.

Shen Shiyan wrapped his arms around her from behind, rested his chin on the top of her head, and brushed his nose against the hair clip: "Hmm, prettier than the stars."

He reached out and picked up the scented candle on the windowsill, then gently lit it.

The warm yellow candlelight flickered, casting a gentle glow on the candle cups holding the stars and the moon. The fragrance of gardenias slowly spread, mingling with the scent of grass in the night breeze.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, as the morning light streamed into the room through the sheer curtains, Liu Yunshu woke up in Shen Shiyan's arms.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and before she even opened her eyes, she smelled the familiar scent of cedarwood mixed with the faint fragrance of gardenias from beside her pillow.

It's the lingering scent of the incense that wasn't completely burned last night.

Shen Shiyan's arms were still around her waist, his palms pressed against her lower abdomen, his fingertips gently caressing it, as if he still remembered her bloating from last night.

Liu Yunshu stirred, the blue crystal hair clip on the side of her hair brushing against his chin. The cool touch made his Adam's apple bob slightly, and his deep voice, still hoarse from just waking up, asked, "Awake?"

She looked up at him; the morning light fell on his eyelashes, casting soft shadows. "Good morning, brother~"

As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach suddenly growled, and Liu Yunshu blushed instantly, reaching out to cover her stomach.

Shen Shiyan chuckled softly, then leaned down and kissed the top of her head: "Hungry? I'll make breakfast."

He was about to get up when Liu Yunshu grabbed the corner of his clothes.

"What's wrong?"

Liu Yunshu gently tugged at the hem of his clothes with her fingertips, rubbed her cheek against his arm, and said in a soft voice like a kitten that had just woken up, "I want to stay on you, brother~"

Shen Shiyan was amused by her clingy little appearance and reached out to pick her up. "Okay, then I'll hold onto my little tail."

He supported her hips, letting her wrap her arms securely around his neck, and slowly walked towards the bathroom.

He carefully tidied up his little girl, then quickly washed himself before carrying her to the kitchen.

The open kitchen countertops were clean and tidy. Shen Shiyan placed Liu Yunshu on a bar stool, took out some milk from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and put it in the microwave to heat it.

Shen Shiyan tasted the heated milk. "Hmm, the temperature is just right. I'll drink some hot milk to warm my stomach first."

Liu Yunshu held the cup of hot milk in both hands, her fingertips warmed by the milk, and her eyes curved into crescents as she took a small sip.

She watched as Shen Shiyan tied on his apron, turned around, and turned on the gas stove. The light gray apron accentuated his upright posture, and she couldn't help but reach out and poke his side: "What are you doing today, brother?"

"How about the Three Delicacies Noodles?" Shen Shiyan turned to look at her, pinching her puffed-up cheek with his fingertips. "You had a bloated stomach last night, so have some light soup noodles this morning to soothe your stomach."

Liu Yunshu nodded vigorously, shaking the milk cup in her hand: "Okay! And add a soft-boiled egg too~"

"No problem." He smiled and took out fresh shrimp, bamboo shoots, and greens from the refrigerator, along with two eggs.

The sound of chopping vegetables echoed on the cutting board. Shrimp were deveined, bamboo shoots were thinly sliced, and bright green vegetables were cleaned and arranged on a white porcelain plate, looking exceptionally fresh.

The three-delicacy noodles were ready in no time, served in a white porcelain bowl, with thin noodles soaking in a light milky broth.

The shrimp are pinkish-white, the bamboo shoots are tender yellow, and the green vegetables are fresh green. On top of all, there is a trembling soft-boiled egg. With a gentle poke of the chopsticks, the golden egg liquid flows out.