Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"Don't take it out on the machine..."

How tired are you? You can fall asleep while waiting to get water.

She's still the same as before; she can bump into telephone poles while walking and fall off the bed while sleeping, which is quite amazing in a way.

Zixiao poured herself a glass of water, took a big gulp, tightened the cap, hugged the glass to her chest, and bid farewell to Yang Qiuyun.

"Then... Mom, don't sleep here, go back to your room and rest. I'll... go back to sleep too?"

I was thinking of saying something before I left.

But it was already so late, and Zixiao and Yang Qiuyun hadn't spent much time together before, so it was a little awkward to suddenly ask her to say something.

Yang Qiuyun nodded at first.

But...

Just as Zixiao turned to leave, Yang Qiuyun suddenly called out to stop her.

"Hey Zixiao, wait a minute."

"Hmm? Is there anything else, Mom?"

"No, not really..." Yang Qiuyun asked, "What time is it now? It looks a bit bright?"

"Around... 4:30?"

"Four o'clock... You're preparing to leave at seven o'clock tomorrow, right? To go up the mountain to offer sacrifices to the small pagoda."

"Yes, my brother said it's best to get up at 6:30 to prepare."

"Then why bother sleeping?"

Yang Qiuyun nodded to herself and analyzed, "There are less than two hours left before it's time to get up. If you go back to sleep now, you'll basically be woken up by the alarm as soon as you fall asleep. Since you've already slept this long, you might as well have some morning tea to wake yourself up and enjoy the breeze."

The sea breeze is very pleasant. When it's time, I'll join everyone and head out. I can sleep in a bit more when I get back tomorrow at noon.

"..."

Mom, I don't even want to tell you, but I haven't slept at all until now.

Forget it, I'd better not say anything... otherwise I'll have to go on a rant about Yu Che again.

Moreover, Zixiao also realized that her mother said this because she wanted to invite her to have a heart-to-heart talk.

To be honest, Zixiao had the same thought. Over the years, she had many things she wanted to tell Yang Qiuyun and many questions she wanted to ask her.

After a moment's thought, Zixiao nodded.

"Okay, there's not much point in sleeping for another two hours."

"Alright~ Zixiao, you're such a good daughter! So understanding. Come on, come on, have some tea and chat with Mom. I really want to talk to you."

.................

Zixiao thought that drinking tea meant sitting at the large wooden table in the living room.

But as it turns out, she still wasn't particular enough.

Yang Qiuyun has been studying how to enjoy life over the years, and even if it's just drinking tea, she would never neglect Zixiao.

The tea ceremony is held on an open-air balcony, which has a space of nearly 20 square meters.

The design of this balcony is full of thoughtful details.

A large round table, a parasol, two rows of beach chairs, and a potted plant CD player.

This isn't just a balcony; if you put some sand in it, it'd be comparable to a beach.

Yang Qiuyun took the initiative to make tea for Zixiao and set out a chair for her to sit down. It was still dark, so there was no need to open the large umbrella.

The CD player can't be turned on either, and everyone is still asleep.

Yang Qiuyun poured herself some tea and sat down elegantly opposite Zixiao.

She picked up the Nordic-style teacup with one hand and took a small sip.

Zixiao followed her example and performed the same action.

As expected... Zixiao still didn't quite know where to begin.

A gentle sea breeze ruffled their long hair. In this wonderful environment where the sky was gradually brightening, it was truly pleasant even without speaking.

But if you don't speak, it's meaningless.

Not long after, Yang Qiuyun put down her teacup.

Finally... is it time to start talking?

Zixiao was a little nervous and also placed her teacup on the table.

"Haha... Xiao Zixiao, don't be nervous. I'll be by your side, not for as long as Yu Zhe and Yu Che, but as I said... that's what I owe you. But that doesn't change the fact that we're family."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Since we're family, there's no need to be reserved when we chat, right?"

He blinked rapidly at Zixiao, a playful and comical gesture that did indeed relax her quite a bit.

This time, Zixiao didn't follow Yang Qiuyun's rhythm to drink tea and put down the teacup. Instead, she naturally picked up the kettle and filled the teacup for her.

"Yes, Mom, this is a rare opportunity. Is there anything you'd like to say to me alone?"

Of course~

The atmosphere suddenly became serious.

Zixiao hoped she would listen carefully to what was to come, as this was a conversation that spanned many years.

Yu Zhe and Yu Che have asked all the questions they wanted to ask, but Zi Xiao still has so many things she doesn't know...

Yang Qiuyun was equally serious.

Soon, she tilted her head and smiled.

"Hehe, Xiao Zixiao, let me ask you a question first."

"Ah."

"When you and Xiaoyuzhe exercise, do you feel good?"

"puff!!"

32. Talent?

"Cough...cough cough cough! Mom! What are you saying all of a sudden?!"

I shouldn't have let my guard down and relaxed while drinking tea and waiting for you to speak!

I almost spat it all out after just one small sip!

"Shh! Xiao Zixiao, keep your voice down. I'm not confident in the soundproofing of this balcony. It wouldn't be good if we disturbed everyone."

"If you're not confident in your soundproofing, then please don't ask such a bizarre question in the first place..."

In such a serious setting, to suddenly make such a crude joke is just ruining the atmosphere.

Yang Qiuyun propped her cheek up with the back of her hand with great interest: "Oh dear, Zixiao, why do you look like I was just joking?"

"Is not it?"

"Of course not! Do I look like that kind of boring person?!"

"Very similar..."

"Fine, fine... That's really discouraging, but..."

Yang Qiuyun's expression suddenly turned serious: "But I'm not joking with you at all. Listen, Zixiao, how did you feel at the time? That's quite important. If you can be more specific, that would be even better. Understand... Uh, what kind of look is that?"

What kind of look could it be?

To put it mildly, it was a worried look in her eyes, wondering if her mother was sick. If she wasn't sick, why would she suddenly ask such a nonsensical and unanswerable question?

To put it bluntly, it's the kind of look you give a pervert.

Is this the kind of thing you can ask in a serious tone?

Yang Qiuyun has come to realize that she is being despised by her daughter.

Waaah, Zixiao used to admire me the most, don't look at me like that!

There was no other way; before listening to her explanation, Yang Qiuyun could only explain why she had asked the question.

"Hey...you have to understand why I asked this. Think about it, once there's one, there's bound to be another. Xiao Yuzhe chose the most difficult path. Didn't he want it all? To be honest, when I first heard about his decision, guess what I thought?"

Zixiao guessed: "As a mother... she would probably find it a little hard to understand?"

No, according to my...

I understand Yu Zhe's situation and I understand his decision. I just need to help him make an informed decision.

"..."

Zixiao had forgotten that she couldn't use the standards for judging normal people to measure her mother's thoughts.

She is just too peculiar.

After denying Zixiao's guess, Yang Qiuyun then revealed her thoughts at the time.

"My only thought... is mainly worry. I'm worried about whether Yuzhe can balance the relationship between you two. This isn't just about one or two people; you are both very outstanding girls, and the more outstanding you are, the more complicated it becomes."

Zixiao didn't quite understand: "The more outstanding someone is, the more complicated things become... Mom, what does that mean?"

"Think about it, if all of you were like Little Lychee, would I need to worry?"

"understood."

I understand instantly.

Well, it's not that Xiao Lizhi isn't outstanding, it's just that compared to others, she's still too naive.

If everyone were like Little Lychee, unaware that they were jealous, would Brother still need to worry? No, that would be too easy.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. Not to mention that everyone is much more sensitive about relationships than Xiao Lizhi, there are even jealous people like Zi Xiao, which is what Yang Qiuyun is worried about.

Seeing that Zixiao had fully understood, Yang Qiuyun waited for her to finish thinking before continuing.

"What I was talking about were mental concerns, and then there were physical concerns, which also answers your question."

At this point, Yang Qiuyun can finally prove that she is not a pervert.