“Phew, finally done.” The room settled like a pond after rain as Lu Ke looked over the new daily goods and the items for Xiao Qianxue, all lined up like little boats in order. He straightened and wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm, the sheen like dew on stone.

“Should I add more salt or less...” Little Loli hovered over the simmering pan, indecision fluttering like a moth against glass. Her soft golden strands were tied into a single long ponytail trailing down her back, its tail brushing past her waist and swaying like a tassel with each small shift.

“Hey, dinner’s ready.” She tipped the dish into the waiting plates; the rice cooker behind her beeped, a neat beep-beep like sparrows tapping a window. After setting the two or three dishes on the table, the blonde girl darted back into the kitchen and flipped open the rice cooker lid.

“Uuu...” A cute little cry spilled from the kitchen, thin as steam and just as warm.

“What’s wrong, Xue’er?” At the sound, Lu Ke rushed in, his concern rising like a quick tide. He found Little Loli covering her eyes and facing the rice cooker as if it had betrayed her.

He leaned over the cooker and blinked at a pot full of water with barely any rice in sight. “Oh, congee tonight? Xue’er, you did great!” He slid the ladle to the bottom and lifted it, and the pale grains rose like drifting snow.

“Ugh, so annoying! I failed!” Little Loli puffed her cheeks, her frustration bright as a spark. Somewhere in that pout, her beautiful golden eyes shifted again—one gold, one red—like sunset striking a coin and a cherry blossom, “I completely forgot how I did it before...”

“It’s just a little extra water. No big deal. Congee’s good for the body too.” Calm first, joke second; Lu Ke didn’t even notice the change, only tried to soothe the small storm in front of him. “Then big brother will serve the rice. I’ll head out.” She untied her apron, and the blonde girl ran toward the dining room, her steps light as wind over bamboo.

“Since we moved here, we almost never use the rice cooker,” he murmured, warmth settling in his chest like a small hearth. “Usually I get lazy and just eat bread or throw something simple together. Thanks for the effort, Xue’er.” Lu Ke carried out two bowls of congee and two pairs of chopsticks, and the blonde girl was already fiddling with her new iPad, her focus narrowed like a beam of light.

“It’s been so long since I watched anime. I’ve got a mountain to catch up on...” Little Loli didn’t even notice him approach, her attention sealed like a lid over tea.

“Xuexue! Dinner!”

“Wah!” She jolted, her whole body shivering like a startled kitten, tiny and irresistibly cute. She turned her head, and that delicate face pinched with displeasure, clouds crossing a clear moon.

“Don’t think you can bully your little sister just because you’re the big brother!”

“Sorry...” Lu Ke lowered his head, guilt settling like a shadow under a lamp. Had he gotten carried away again?

“Stop bowing all the time! You’re a grown man!” Her little hand tugged his hair and lifted his head, gentle but firm, like pulling a bell rope to make it ring.

“Xue’er... your eyes...” He met her gaze and paused, surprise flickering like a candle in wind—her irises were different from that morning, one gold, one red, the same strange glow as last night.

“My body’s a bit different in some ways... I’ll tell you someday...” She didn’t want to spin excuses. She spoke slowly, her one-gold-one-red eyes blinking like twin lanterns, dangerous and beautiful.

“I’ve read through some weird cases in my family records,” Lu Ke said, curiosity prowling like a cat. “Never found anything about eyes changing color by themselves.”

“There’s plenty you haven’t seen!” Her lips puckered, pride cute and sharp like a cherry on ice.

“Let’s eat first.” Lu Ke rose, patted the blonde girl’s head—a soft brush like palm over silk—and sat on the other side of the table.

“How is it!?” Little Loli watched him put a bite of tomato scrambled eggs into his mouth, both hands clenched at her chest like two small shells. Her face practically screamed Please praise me.

“It’s really good.” He tasted carefully and nodded, sincerity clear as a bell. He knew he couldn’t make it this tasty himself.

“That’s a relief...” The knot in Xiao Qianxue’s chest loosened like a ribbon untying. It was her second or third time cooking—she couldn’t even remember. If she had to pick a reason, the old grandma had taught her well.

Memory pulled her back to that star-studded night, the old grandma’s gentle voice echoing near her ear like far-off chimes. Too bad you can’t return to the past; even getting back to A City was still a question mark hanging in fog.

“Ah~~~”

“Huh? ... ah-woo.” She just opened her mouth at the call, and something firm slipped in—his spoon, smooth as a river stone.

“Don’t just shove a spoon into someone’s mouth, big brother!” She swallowed the congee, pulled the spoon out with a little huff, and glared at Lu Ke across the table, who kept eating like a monk at his bowl.

“You keep zoning out, Xue’er. If you don’t eat, it’ll go cold.” Lu Ke chomped some stir-fried cauliflower, crunch sharp as frost on leaves, his words half-chewed but warm.

“Uh... too many things lately. Give me some time...” Realizing her slip, the blonde girl picked up her chopsticks, settling into the rhythm of the meal like a drumbeat.

“The taste is really good. I didn’t expect it to be this tasty...” Her eyes widened, surprise blooming like a firework, disbelief softening into delight.

“So eat up.” Lu Ke kept demolishing the food, his pace steady like a steady rain.

After they finished, the blonde girl hugged her fresh clothes and toiletries and slipped into the bathroom, a small bird carrying spring. Lu Ke volunteered to wash the dishes, water clinking like glass beads.

Hot water streamed, and mist unfurled in the bathroom like a pale veil over orchids.

“Days like this aren’t too tiring...” She shut her eyes, trying to steer away from the sad shore of old memories. Warm water flowed along her golden hair and down the curves of her body like rain tracing a willow. “Huaa...”

“Xue’er went to bath?” Lu Ke left the kitchen after the last dish, and the sofa held only the iPad—her small, lovely silhouette was nowhere, absence light as a missing note. “I’ll prep what I need for tomorrow first.”

Before long, the freshly bathed blonde girl stood at Lu Ke’s doorway.

“Big brother...”

“Mm... Xue’er?” He looked over, and Little Loli stood there in a pale pink nightdress, her golden hair damp and draped like silk, her exquisite face haloed with a gentle weariness. Two pink straps rested on porcelain-white shoulders, and after the bath her skin held a faint rose like spring waking. The hem brushed her knees, her slim legs bare to the cool air, and that budding figure under soft fabric was quietly, dangerously lovely.

“Hey, big brother... why are you spacing out again?”

“You’re asking while knowing.” He smiled, caught like a moth in light.