Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

The Bell family's yard was lit up, with several more lights than Arya's.

She was standing on the ladder hanging a string of lanterns under the eaves when she heard the gate open. Turning her head, she saw Lin Yu and Arya walking in. Without stopping her work, she said:

"Hey, what brings you all here?"

Lin Yu walked over and held the ladder steady: "I came to borrow something, and I'll help you hang the lamp while I'm at it."

Bell climbed down two steps of the ladder, looked down at him, and asked with a smile, "What do you need?"

"Push the cart." Arya stood in the yard, looking up at Bell:

"Aunt Martha has trouble walking, so I'd like to take her to the market tonight. I'd like to borrow your stroller."

Bell climbed down the ladder, dusted his hands off, glanced at the few remaining lights in the yard, then looked at Lin Yu and Arya:

"The stroller is in the backyard; I'll go get it later. But—"

She paused, glancing between the two of them: "If you're in a hurry to leave, I can hang the light myself."

Lin Yu reached out and took the unfinished string of lanterns from her hand:

"No rush, let me finish hanging the lights for you first."

As he spoke, Lin Yu climbed the ladder, with Bell standing below holding it up and looking up at him.

Arya stood in the middle of the yard watching the two people, then walked over, bent down and picked up the scattered light cords from the ground, tidying them up one by one.

Bell turned his head to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Arya, why is your face so red?"

Arya's hand paused for a moment, but she didn't flinch. She looked up at Bell, her voice steadyer than before:

"I was hanging up the lights at home just now, it was so hot."

Bell didn't press further, knowing that Lin Yu had definitely manipulated Arya.

Speaking of which, Lin Yu hasn't controlled her for a few days. Although he has passed the seven-day mark, Bell suddenly feels a bit hunched over.

Thinking of this, she gently stepped on the bottom of the ladder, her heel leaving a small mark on the muddy ground.

His gaze shifted from Arya's face back to Lin Yu, watching him tie the knot.

"About Aunt Martha," Bell said, her voice lower than before.

"I'll come too. I'm more familiar with pushing the stroller, so it'll be more stable for me."

Arya looked up and glanced at Bell.

Her gaze lingered on Bell's face for a moment, then she smiled and said, "Mm."

The lights are all hung.

Bell said to go to the backyard and push the cart out, but as soon as he turned around, Lin Yu hugged him from behind.

Her back pressed against his chest, her hands still dusty from fixing the light cord, she turned her head to look at him: "What?"

"Of course, it's not evening yet." Lin Yu's lips brushed against her earlobe: "Let's do something else first."

Belle's ears turned red, but she didn't straighten up; she simply turned her head away, her voice muffled and tinged with reproach:

"...Don't go too far."

Although he said that, Bell didn't move his feet. His back was pressed against Lin Yu's chest, and his heartbeat was transmitted to Lin Yu's palm through his back.

Arya stood in the yard, watching the two figures standing close together from behind. She neither went over nor left.

She simply leaned against a wooden pillar in the yard, arms crossed, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Bell turned to look at Arya, his lips moved, but he only managed to say, "...Are you coming or not?"

Arya took a half-inch step forward.

......

As night fell completely, the town's main street was illuminated as a warm yellow river.

Lanterns hung from one end of the street to the other, made of paper, cloth, and silk, in red, yellow, and white, swaying gently in the wind and illuminating the entire street.

The crowd moved through the lamplight, their laughter and shouts mingling together, scattered and then gathered again by the evening breeze.

Bell pushed the cart ahead. The cart was small, with a sturdy wooden frame and two iron wheels underneath, making a rumbling sound as it rolled across the stone pavement.

Aunt Martha sat in the car, covered with the thin blanket Bell had brought, her hands resting on the edge of the car frame. She looked up at the strings of lanterns passing overhead, her lips curving into a smile that she didn't lower for a long time.

Arya walked beside the stroller, holding a small lamp she had just bought. The lampshade was pale orange, and the light shone through and fell on her face, making her eyelashes appear long.

She would occasionally glance at Aunt Martha and, seeing her looking at the lamp, would raise it a little higher so that the light could shine more easily on Aunt Martha's face.

Lin Yu walked on the other side, holding a bowl of hot sugar water she had just bought.

The cup was made of rough pottery, and the inside was hot to the touch. He held it for a while, then handed it to Arya, who took a sip, before passing it to Bell.

Bell took the cup with one hand, drank a sip, and kept pushing the cart with the other hand. After finishing, he handed the cup back and continued pushing the cart.

Aunt Martha watched the three of them take turns passing the cups to each other without saying a word.

Her lips curved into a smile, and remained curved for a long time.

As Lin Yu walked past the pudding stall, he stopped and bought three.

One was handed to Aunt Martha, and the other to Arya and Belle. The two of them each took a bite, and the sugary shell of the pudding cracked open in their mouths with a crunching sound.

Aunt Martha looked down at the pudding in her hand, picked it up, took a bite, and let it slowly melt in her mouth.

"I haven't eaten here for many years. I remember the last time was ten years ago when my husband brought me here. It's a pity she's no longer here."

But he would be very happy if he knew how good you were to me.” Aunt Martha said, a nostalgic expression on her face.

Upon hearing this, Arya paused for a moment, stood up straight, and continued pushing the cart.

She slowed her pace a little more than before, but didn't stop.

It was already late at night when we finished browsing the market.

The crowds on the street gradually dispersed, the lights were still on, but the stalls had already begun to pack up.

Lin Yu pushed Aunt Martha back to her house, with Arya walking beside her, holding the edge of the blanket for her.

When she entered the house, Aunt Martha didn't ask them for help. She slowly walked in by herself, holding onto the handrail, and sat down on a chair.

"Alright, go back now." She waved her hand.

"The light is bright enough for me to watch all night."

Arya stood in the doorway, watched her for a while, then bent down and hugged her.

Aunt Martha patted her back gently twice without saying anything more.

The door closed.

Lin Yu and Arya stood outside the courtyard gate, listening to the sounds of Aunt Martha moving around inside the house.

Then the light flickered, as if she had stood by the window for a moment before walking away.

Arya didn't say anything on the way back.

She walked to Lin Yu's left, her shoulder pressed against his arm, her fingers clutching the hem of his clothes, a grip she maintained the entire way.

When I got home, Bell was already there, squatting in the yard washing her hands. Hearing the sound of the gate, she looked up and shook the water droplets off her hands.

"You're back?"

"Um."

"Aunt Martha—"

"It's all settled," Lin Yu said.

Bell stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and didn't ask any more questions.

She glanced at Arya, and Arya looked back at her. They stared at each other for a moment, but neither of them spoke.

Lin Yu walked over, put his arms around the waist of each of them, and led them into the house.

Bell turned her head to look at him, her lips curving slightly, but she didn't pull away.

Arya nestled into his arms, her face pressed against his chest, her fingers clutching his clothes.

The bed was more crowded than usual that night.

Bell lay on his side facing the wall, his back pressed against Lin Yu's chest.

Arya curled up on his other side, her forehead against his collarbone.

His arms went around their waists, pulling them into his embrace.

Bell reached his hand out from under the covers, placed it on the back of Arya's hand, and gently pressed it.

Lin Yu patted their cloths one by one, signaling them to turn around.

......