Labor Day.
As voice actresses, Chao Xin and Xiang Wan are not particularly sensitive to holidays—after all, they’ve had to rush work even during the Spring Festival—however, Paipai is quite perceptive.
So, the world’s most competent auntie, Chao Xin, along with the rookie auntie-in-law, Xiang Wan, meticulously planned a camping trip just for Paipai.
Even though Paipai doesn’t really like camping at all.
Paipai watched with wide eyes as Chao Xin and Xiang Wan snuggled on the couch, carefully selecting camping equipment worth nearly ten thousand yuan. Their faces were filled with dramatic sorrow as they made the purchase. Then, turning to Paipai, they exchanged looks that seemed to say, ‘You are the luckiest child in the world,” and “We are the most selfless parents on earth.’
While feeding her little turtle, Paipai couldn’t help but think that adults were often hypocritical.
However, as the departure drew near, she felt a twinge of excitement sneak over her. When she shared her May Day holiday plans with her classmates, Qiu Shanshan gave her a cool look. It was comparable to the awe when she mentioned a trip to an amusement park or hearing that her mom had drunk fake alcohol.
Vanity filled the young child’s heart, too full to contain it, it overflowed with joy, making her feel ‘happy.’
It was like that day in class when she overheard her classmates talking about Xiang Wan, praising and admiring the new voice actress they had recently come to like. Paipai swelled with pride, and it took all her effort to swallow down the words, She’s my aunt Chao Xin’s girlfriend.
And from that moment on, she took a special liking to Xiang Wan.
Because Xiang Wan made her feel noble among her peers.
The camping trip was planned with Su Chang and Yu Zhou. Peng Xiangzhi opted to spend time by the seaside instead of participating in this healthy activity. To move the camping gear, Su Chang and Yu Zhou arrived at Chao Xin’s home early, coinciding with Chao Xin’s cooking of millet porridge. So Chao Xin invited them to sit down for breakfast.
The two didn’t stand on ceremony and started eating as soon as they sat down.
Yu Zhou picked up a piece of pickled radish with her chopsticks. It had a satisfying crunch and was not as sweet as the store-bought kind, with a fragrant hint of pickled pepper. Surprised by the flavor, she asked Chao Xin “Where did you buy this, Ms. Chao?”
“She made it herself,” Xiang Wan said with a smile.
“Wow,” Yu Zhou marveled, “Impressive.”
As she tasted the porridge, it seemed to be regular millet porridge, however, it exuded a rich fragrance and silky smooth texture with a subtle sweetness. Seeing Yu Zhou savoring it carefully, Chao Xin explained, uncertain whether they would like it, “I added some milk to it. Wanwan likes it that way.”
Yu Zhou chuckled, “Hehe,” her eyes curled into a smile as she bowed her head, “It’s quite tasty.”
Oh, Xiang Wan, what good fortune you have.
“I like it too, Chao Xin, I like it too,” Paipai propped up her head, eager to steal the spotlight.
“Mm,” Chao Xin responded, “Is your little bag packed?”
Paipai lifted her backpack and hugged it, tilting her head with a troubled gaze towards Su Chang and Yu Zhou, she said, “There are only three bottles of AD calcium milk left at home. If you guys want some, can Auntie let you have one bottle, okay?”
Then Chao Xin and Xiang Wan would share a bottle, Su Chang and Yu Zhou would share another, and Paipai along with Chao Bei would share the last one.
Yu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, standing up to help clear the bowls and chopsticks, she replied, “Three bottles don’t seem to be enough to go around.”
“Adults shouldn’t drink too much sweet stuff, right? I heard that when you grow up, you stop liking sugar,” Paipai fiddled with the zipper of her bag.
“Besides, you guys can use a single straw together, which isn’t convenient for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You guys kiss sometimes, right?” Wasn’t it just like that time she stumbled upon Chao Xin and Xiang Wan embracing and kissing in the kitchen?
And once, after Chao Xin and Xiang Wan had drunk a little and thought Paipai was asleep, Xiang Wan closed the door and pinned Chao Xin against it for a kiss, both lost in passion, only for Paipai to suddenly switch on the light with a ‘snap.’
Chao Xin was startled, and Paipai clutched her chest, patting it too, “That scared the life out of me; I thought the big bad wolf was coming.”
Rustling and panting followed.
Tiny lips were covered by a gentle hand as Chao Xin reached out to stop Paipai from saying anything further, then, along with a giggling Yu Zhou, took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen.
There was so much gear to carry, but fortunately, they had two cars. The traffic was heavy on the way, and by the time they reached the campsite, it was just past one o’clock.
Luckily, they had some porridge in the morning to fill their stomachs, so they weren’t too hungry while setting up camp.
The campsite was chosen next to a natural lake on the outskirts of Jiang City, where the waters embraced and washed a small patch of green into a tiny triangle. The lake’s surface shimmered, reflecting the mountains across the bank, and the grass was dense and moist, for it was May now, and the rains had begun to fall more generously.
Su Chang parked the car and stepped out of the tall SUV, her flat boots hitting the ground. She removed the sunglasses she wore to block the glare while driving, surveyed the colorful tents around the campsite for a moment, and then, leaning on the car door, she said to Chao Xin, who was opening the trunk, “You guys go ahead and find a place. Somewhere flatter, with a nicer view. Zhouzhou and I will bring the stuff down.”
The group split up, and soon they had set up the leisurely chairs and tables, then spread out the tents to start assembling.
Chao Xin was dressed in the sportswear Xiang Wan had recently bought her, her long curly hair tied back in a high ponytail, crouching on the ground to hammer in tent stakes. She always worked efficiently, organized and strong. It was rare for Xiang Wan to see her in this attire, and as she watched Chao Xin’s profile, she felt a fleeting sense of trance.
It was as if she was seeing the Chao Xin of her early twenties.
Youthful, stubborn, vibrant, and unyielding.
“Ms. Chao,” Xiang Wan passed Chao Xin the stakes, abruptly calling out to her softly.
“Hmm?” Chao Xin was still focusing on her task.
“You look really beautiful,” Xiang Wan whispered.
Chao Xin laughed, glancing at Xiang Wan, “What’s this about?” She also whispered.
Yu Zhou and Su Chang were nearby lighting the stove, and Paipai was there too…
“Where’s Paipai?”
From inside the tent came a muffled child’s voice: “I’m in here.”
She wriggled out of the bulging fabric, gasping for air, “I heard everything.”
“What were you doing inside?” Chao Xin asked with a smile, squeezing her brows together.
“I was trying to help by finding the entrance to see if it was oriented correctly.”
“Was it?”
“I only realized once I crawled in,” Paipai sounded slightly aggrieved, “that from where I entered was, in fact, the entrance.”
There was a moment of speechlessness. However, Paipai was still young, and her intelligence still developing, so she could be forgiven.
Paipai slumped in a chair, inserting a straw to take a big gulp of AD calcium milk.
She swung her little feet, watching Su Chang and Yu Zhou make a fire and skewer meat, and when the meat began to sizzle, Xiang Wan sat beside her, also taking a bottle of AD calcium milk and sipping it slowly.
“Ms. Xiang, why aren’t you helping my auntie?” Paipai glanced at Chao Xin, who was still threading the tent poles.
“My hand’s sore,” Xiang Wan sighed, daintily flexing her wrist.
Paipai was a bit speechless again. Xiang Wan was like a delicate heiress, unable to carry or lift anything whenever they went out. Just watching could tire her out.
Tsk.
Once Paipai had tried to stick up for the overworked Chao Xin, subtly suggesting that Ms. Xiang should do some weight lifting since her grip seemed weak. Chao Xin had choked on her plain porridge, her face turning red, and told her to stop talking.
Protecting her to this extent. When Paipai learned about Mencius’s mother moving three times, and the teacher talked about how too much maternal love can spoil a child, Paipai wondered if Chao Xin had heard about how a doting girlfriend can also spoil her partner.
As the meat skewers began to cook, Su Chang went over to help Chao Xin with the tent.
Yu Zhou took out the cola and set it up, glancing back as she stood up. She asked Xiang Wan, “Why is that guy lingering behind us the whole time? He keeps looking over here, what’s he after?”
Xiang Wan also glanced back, then turned around and shook her head.
“Maybe he wants to kidnap me?” Paipai crossed her arms and leaned forward to whisper to them. After all, she was the only child here, wasn’t she?
“No way,” Yu Zhou was alert, taking another glance at the man.
“What should we do?” Yu Zhou asked Xiang Wan, feeling more suspicious the longer she watched.
Xiang Wan blinked, pondered for a moment, then said to Paipai in a gentle voice, “I don’t have much experience with taking care of children outdoors, and I’m afraid I might not be able to keep an eye on you. How about you untie your belt and tie yourself to a tree over there? Once Ms. Chao finishes setting up the tent, she can look after you.”
? Paipai was about to burst into laughter. Was that even something a person would say?
Just as she was about to pout and call for Chao Xin, she heard the uncle approach, hands clasped behind his back, casting a glance at their stove, saying, “You’re not allowed to use charcoal here, open fires are prohibited.”
Charcoal, right? He had been staring for quite a while.
Yu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, then felt stunned, “If we can’t use this, then what are we going to eat for lunch? We only brought raw meat skewers.”
“You can rent a cassette stove over there. You should go rent one; you definitely can’t use charcoal,” the uncle said with his hands behind his back, continuing to loiter nearby, keeping a close watch on them.
Yu Zhou signaled to Xiang Wan, who stood up, set down her AD calcium milk, and took Paipai by the hand to go rent a stove together.
When they returned clutching the stove, Chao Xin and Su Chang had already set up the tent. It was spacious, able to accommodate six or seven people without a problem.
Inside, there was only one air mattress since they weren’t planning to stay overnight; they had planned to take turns resting.
Pulling the wind rope, lighting the camp lamp, and the atmosphere of camping was fully created. The group sat around the hot stove, they opened colas and ate fresh beef and lamb skewers dripping with fat. The lake air felt humid, the grass dewy, mirroring the dampness in their eyes and the warmth in their hearts.
The biggest difference between the wilderness and the city was probably this sense of dampness. It was like invisible, intangible cells that penetrated into the soil, into the spring breeze, diluting the molecular structure of all matter. It wasn’t as tight and tense as steel and iron, leaving some room to accommodate comfort and ease.
If at this moment you had your beloved by your side, the dampness could easily turn into poetry.
The lake and mountains were poetry, raising a glass was poetry, beaming smiles were poetry, and in the crackling gaps of the stove fire, gently resting one’s head on her partner’s shoulder was also poetry.
After the meal, Yu Zhou and Su Chang sat by the lake chatting, watching Paipai teasing a Samoyed brought by another family a few steps away.
Xiang Wan held Chao Xin’s hand, walking down by the water, looking at the distant islands, then at the resting boatmen.
Later, they returned to the tent, lay down on the air mattress, ready to take a nap.
Delicate English melodies floated from the small speaker, the tent’s skylight partially open, allowing dappled sunlight to cast patches across Chao Xin’s face. Suddenly, Xiang Wan didn’t feel like sleeping anymore.
What does it feel like to like someone? Xiang Wan was always searching for adjectives.
At this moment, she felt perhaps less at a loss for words than usual.
Liking someone is like seeing one as a piece of warm cake—not because it’s a feast for the eyes or because it’s sweet to taste, but because it can precisely please one’s senses of sight and taste. And one has this premonition that the other can make one feel very good.
A bite of sweet dessert makes the world seem wonderful, and a glance at Chao Xin is not much different.
Unable to resist any longer, Xiang Wan kissed her under the cascading sunlight of the tent, starting from her slightly trembling lashes to her lips warmed from the heat.
They almost went through with it.
However, thankfully, both still retained some sense of reason. Chao Xin licked her still-warm lips and played with Xiang Wan’s hair.
“Next time, let’s stay overnight outside, okay?” Xiang Wan asked her softly.
“Okay,” Chao Xin answered with a hoarse voice.
“Shall we ask Yu Zhou and the others to take Paipai for the night, okay?” Xiang Wan asked again.
The implication was too obvious. Chao Xin’s neck turned a bit red, yet she still replied, “Okay.”
There was a slight swelling in her lower abdomen as if anticipating the next time already.
Content, Xiang Wan pecked Chao Xin on the lips, “Ms. Chao owes me one.”
“And another one.”
The last IOU was made when Xiang Wan discovered that the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows were the most beautiful around three or four in the afternoon.
But Xiang Wan wasn’t in a hurry.
There was plenty of time. Ms. Chao would ‘settle her account’ eventually, right?
CNYuriTranslation 