Jiang Sixian melted under her kisses, instinctively clutching at the fabric over Jiang Yi’s chest. Just as they were about to lose control, the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen reached Jiang Yi’s nose. After struggling internally for a moment, she finally pulled away from Jiang Sixian’s lips and began hastily straightening her clothes.
Jiang Sixian lay on the sofa, breathing unevenly, her lips glistening: “Jiang Yi… aren’t we continuing?”
Jiang Yi looked somewhat embarrassed: “I just got too excited bringing you home. It’s fine, we can do these things after dinner too. You should know—we have the whole night ahead of us.”
Jiang Yi leaned down to plant another kiss on Jiang Sixian’s cheek, comforting her: “Alright, I’ll go make dinner for you first.”
Jiang Sixian tugged at her clothes, clearly reluctant to let her go, but eventually nodded in agreement.
In the depths of winter, with the heating on indoors, Jiang Yi removed her coat and entered the kitchen wearing just a shirt and knitted sweater to prepare their meal.
Jiang Sixian wheeled her suitcase into the bedroom. After putting everything away, she went to the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Jiang Yi’s slender waist from behind.
Jiang Yi was stir-frying when she noticed the movement behind her. Turning her head, she said somewhat sheepishly: “What are you doing here? The kitchen’s so full of oil smoke…”
Jiang Sixian hugged Jiang Yi’s waist, nuzzling against her shoulder as she peered over at the dish Jiang Yi was stir-frying. Smiling, she said: “I came to see what delicious food my girlfriend is making for me.”
Jiang Yi flushed slightly and nudged her gently with an elbow: “You should go wait outside. I’ll call you when it’s ready. There’s so much smoke in here…”
Jiang Sixian clung to her waist, whining: “No~ I want to stay with you~ Can’t we do this together?”
The moment Jiang Sixian’s voice softened, Jiang Yi felt her knees go weak.
When your girlfriend sweetly whines at you like that, could you resist? At any rate, Jiang Yi couldn’t, so she reluctantly agreed: “Alright, alright, let’s do it together then.”
The two of them finished cooking together in the kitchen. Three dishes and a soup made for a sumptuous-looking spread on the dining table. Jiang Yi had even warmed some newly purchased wine glasses and opened a bottle of red wine.
When Jiang Sixian saw her take out the alcohol, she looked surprised: “How did you get this?” She remembered neither of them were twenty yet—they shouldn’t be able to buy alcohol.
Jiang Yi deftly uncorked the bottle while proudly explaining: “I asked a sister to buy it for me. I just begged her a little and she helped me out.”
Jiang Sixian found this both funny and exasperating, but didn’t comment as she watched Jiang Yi. After opening the bottle, Jiang Yi poured Jiang Sixian half a glass and asked: “You can drink a little, right?”
Jiang Sixian nodded: “Mmm, I can drink.” She wasn’t exactly a rule-abiding child either—she didn’t believe in abstaining from things just because she wasn’t of age yet.
After pouring the wine, Jiang Yi raised her glass to Jiang Sixian beside her: “Then let’s toast—to our future life together being smooth, harmonious, loving, and completely argument-free.”
Jiang Sixian laughed at this little speech. Eyes curved in amusement, she nodded solemnly: “Mmm, it will be. I won’t… let you suffer any grievances.”
“From now on, whatever happens, we’ll be honest with each other and face it together.”
When Jiang Yi heard this, her heart skipped a beat. After a pause, she made her own promise: “Alright, I won’t hide anything from you. We’ll face… everything in the future together.”
Jiang Sixian nodded. They clinked glasses, shared a smile, and drank.
After so many years away from the kitchen, Jiang Yi’s cooking skills were still decent. While not as good as Jiang Qionghua or Ning Wenying’s cooking, since Jiang Yi had made it herself, Jiang Sixian ate heartily.
After clearing the table, the two went to shower together. Lying in Jiang Yi’s arms, Jiang Sixian rubbed her stomach and whispered: “What should I do? I think I ate too much.”
Jiang Yi reached down to massage her belly, asking with concern: “Should I go buy some digestive medicine later?”
Jiang Sixian shook her head. Turning over, she straddled Jiang Yi and wrapped her arms around her neck: “Some exercise will help digestion.”
Jiang Yi looked up at her lips in surprise: “Here?”
Jiang Sixian leaned down to peck her lips, smiling as she said: “Of course not here. Tonight… how about keeping me company the whole night?”
Jiang Yi hugged her waist and laughed: “Of course we can. It’s not like you have class tomorrow anyway.” She tilted her head up to catch Jiang Sixian’s lips between her teeth, murmuring suggestively: “Not just the whole night—I can give you the entire day tomorrow too.”
After some playful splashing in the bathtub, they finally emerged. Jiang Yi held Jiang Sixian as they squeezed together in front of the bathroom sink to brush their teeth. Seeing their blurred reflections in the misty mirror, Jiang Yi suddenly felt that their future would surely be wonderful.
She reached up to ruffle Jiang Sixian’s damp hair, smiling unconsciously.
This is so good right now. If only twenty would never come—that would be even better.
Jiang Yi led Jiang Sixian back to their new bedroom. After blow-drying Jiang Sixian’s hair, Jiang Yi took the hairdryer to dry her own hair with loud whooshes.
At that moment, Jiang Sixian hopped off the bed and headed for the door. Watching her retreating figure, Jiang Yi casually asked: “Going to get something?”
Without turning back, Jiang Sixian replied: “Mmm.”
Soon after Jiang Yi finished drying her hair and lay down on the bed, Jiang Sixian returned, closing the door behind her.
Jiang Yi looked up at her: “What took you so long? Come to bed already.” She patted the space beside her, signaling for Jiang Sixian to join her.
Jiang Sixian nodded, her face faintly flushed as she approached Jiang Yi. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she reached out to hook her arms around Jiang Yi’s neck and pulled her close, pressing her lips to Jiang Yi’s.
As their tongues met, Jiang Yi tasted the rich wine flavor lingering on Jiang Sixian’s tongue. She pulled Jiang Sixian into her arms, kissing her thoroughly: “You drank more?”
As Jiang Yi’s kisses trailed downward, Jiang Sixian clung to her head, responding in fragmented whispers: “Mmm… drank it all… Jiang Yi… I’m so dizzy…”
Hearing this, Jiang Yi gently laid her down on the bed, looking down at her as she said: “Then should we just sleep?”
Jiang Sixian shook her head, arms still looped around Jiang Yi’s neck as she gazed up at her with glistening eyes: “Right now… I think I can… Jiang Yi… should we try tonight?”
Jiang Yi’s mind went blank. Try what? How? Were they really going to misbehave while drunk?
It took Jiang Yi a while to process this. Licking her lips, she looked at Jiang Sixian, her heart pounding like thunder: “I think…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Sixian pulled her down into another kiss.
In their dazed state, the scent of pheromones began to diffuse, soon filling every corner of the room.
Jiang Sixian was extremely dizzy. Barely holding on, she gripped Jiang Yi’s arm, her alcohol-flushed face burning bright red.
Jiang Yi looked at her worriedly: “Are you okay? Jiang Sixian, maybe we should call it a night.”
Jiang Sixian was nothing if not determined. Having come this far, she wasn’t about to quit now. She shook her head, her gaze at Jiang Yi resolute.
Seeing that look, Jiang Yi’s earlier hesitation seemed to melt away, replaced by renewed courage. Her fighting spirit rekindled, she nodded firmly and said: “Okay.”
This was, after all, quite a challenging endeavor. Even with thorough preparation, they inevitably encountered difficulties. Fortunately, the alcohol dulled their senses, numbing some of the pain along with it.
The girl who normally couldn’t stand pain overcame her fear this time, ultimately crossing into forbidden territory.
When everything fell into place, Jiang Yi buried her face in Jiang Sixian’s shoulder, tears falling uncontrollably. She held Jiang Sixian tightly, whispering in her ear: “Jiang Sixian… I’ll… I’ll… take good…”
Take good care of you, protect you well, never let you get hurt again.
Tears welled in Jiang Sixian’s eyes as she clutched at Jiang Yi, lifting her head to bite Jiang Yi’s shoulder. In a hoarse voice, she said: “Jiang Yi… starting today, you’re marked by me.”
Jiang Yi’s voice was equally rough: “Wrong. I was marked by you long ago.”
She propped herself up to kiss Jiang Sixian’s teary eyes, smiling as she asked: “Can you keep going?”
Jiang Sixian wrapped her arms around Jiang Yi’s waist and nodded: “Mmm, I can.”
Because Jiang Sixian said she could, that night Jiang Yi led her through treasure-filled lands, climbing mountains and fording streams, smoothing out every wave again and again.
After a night of turbulence, Jiang Yi woke the next morning still buzzing with energy.
On winter mornings, the dawn light looked particularly cold. The grayish glow filtering through the curtains left the room feeling chilly and still. Jiang Yi lay on her side, tracing the perfect contours of Jiang Sixian’s face with her eyes, her fingers following the play of light and shadow.
Jiang Yi’s hands were warm. Sensing this disturbance in her sleep, Jiang Sixian frowned slightly and curled closer into Jiang Yi’s embrace.
This unconscious display of affection made Jiang Yi’s heart skip wildly. Unable to resist, she pulled Jiang Sixian closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She trailed kisses downward, finally pausing at Jiang Sixian’s fluttering eyelashes. Understanding dawned, and she smiled before capturing Jiang Sixian’s lips.
The girl who’d been pretending to sleep had no choice but to part her lips, allowing Jiang Yi to plunder her mouth.
When the kiss ended, Jiang Sixian opened her eyes and looked at Jiang Yi helplessly, her voice husky: “Why are you up so early?”
Jiang Yi leaned in to suck at her lower lip, smiling as she said: “I dreamed about you. Thinking I’d get to see you as soon as I woke up made me get up.”
Jiang Sixian bit Jiang Yi’s lip in retaliation, even as she cooperated, wrapping her arms around Jiang Yi’s back to ask softly: “Time to get up?”
Jiang Yi answered vaguely: “It’s too cold—I don’t really want to.”
Jiang Sixian felt the same way. Pushing Jiang Yi onto her back, she settled atop her beneath the covers, looking down with smiling eyes: “Then let’s not get up yet… we’ll sleep a little longer. We can get up whenever you feel like it, okay?”
Jiang Yi released her lip to smile up at her: “Sure, it’s rare we get to sleep in. I’ll make breakfast when you’re hungry?”
Her arms around Jiang Sixian’s waist, Jiang Yi asked cheerfully: “By the way, what do you want for breakfast? Pancakes? Or noodles?”
Jiang Sixian lay atop her, gradually lowering herself as she traced Jiang Yi’s features with her fingers, murmuring: “How about congee?”
Jiang Yi hugged her, gasping: “Slow down…” After a moment to recover, she looked at the mischievous Jiang Sixian and said helplessly: “I don’t think you really want congee.”
Jiang Sixian clung to her shoulders, smiling sweetly: “Mmm… it’s fine. Anyway, if it’s too much trouble, we can decide after we get up.”
