Autumn Dryness

Chapter 251

After praising the color of the sweet and sour pork ribs in the kitchen, Gu Ran took advantage of the moment Ye Shulian turned around to grab the vinegar. He boldly reached out a finger and gently pinched the soft waist of the aloof girl.

He pulled back the moment they touched.

Ye Zhenzhen stiffened all over, a fiery heat instantly shooting up to the tips of her ears.

"You child, the kitchen is full of smoke, why are you staying here? Go to the living room and drink tea with your dad."

Ye Shulian turned around with the vinegar bottle.

She gently nudged Gu Ran's arm with her elbow, half-pushing and half-shooing him out.

Ye Zhenzhen: "???"

What about her?

"Alright, I'll leave the hard work to you."

Gu Ran glanced at the girl with a cheeky smile and quickly slipped out.

The sliding door was left half-closed with a clatter.

The glass door blocked out the sound of Gu Xiangcheng watching TV in the living room.

In the cramped kitchen space, only the mother and daughter, Ye Shulian and Ye Zhenzhen, were left.

The girl stood by the stainless steel sink.

She lowered her head, vigorously scrubbing a few small bok choy in the basin with both hands.

The faucet was turned on to the maximum, and the splashing water hit the bottom of the basin, sending droplets everywhere.

She tried to use the noisy sound of the water.

To cover up her heart, which was beating like a drum after being ambushed just now.

This bastard was too bold!

Mom was just half a meter away, and he actually dared to make a move!

Ye Shulian scooped the bright red sweet and sour pork ribs, covered in a rich sauce, onto a blue and white porcelain plate.

She then casually switched off the range hood.

The buzzing roar stopped abruptly.

The kitchen instantly fell quiet.

The splashing sound of the water suddenly seemed incredibly prominent, carrying a distinct vibe of trying to hide something.

Ye Shulian picked up a clean rag, turned around, and walked to the counter.

She didn't speak, quietly observing her daughter beside her out of the corner of her eye.

The little girl lowered her head, staring intently at the vegetables in the basin.

From her delicate earlobes to her slender, fair neck.

Everything revealed an unnatural crimson flush.

Looking further up, those eyes that usually revealed a cold and aloof detachment.

Were now rippling with moisture, hiding an unmistakable trace of spring in her brows and eyes.

The most eye-catching thing was those excessively plump lips.

Looking closely, there was even a tiny bit of broken skin on her lower lip.

As an experienced woman, Ye Shulian knew exactly what was going on.

How could running produce a state like this?

Even though she probably had the answer in her heart, she hadn't caught them in the act, so she was ultimately unwilling to admit it.

Ye Shulian calmly said on the surface.

"The wind is so cold this autumn morning. You went for a run with Xiao Ran, so how did your lips get so red and swollen from running?"

She slowly wiped the water stains on the counter, her tone flat.

"Are you suffering from internal heat because of the autumn dryness these past few days? How about Mom goes to the market this afternoon to buy some mung beans and boil you some mung bean soup to clear the heat?"

This precise probe exploded directly in Ye Zhenzhen's ears.

The girl's hand washing the vegetables suddenly trembled.

Her fingertips slipped, and a handful of cold water splashed directly from the basin.

Accurately wetting the back of her hand and the cuffs of her clothes.

"Ah..."

Ye Zhenzhen let out a short gasp.

She hurriedly reached out to turn off the faucet.

However, because her hands were shaking, she turned it the wrong way, and the water flow suddenly surged even larger.

After clumsily turning down the water flow, she didn't dare to turn her head to look into her mother's eyes.

Her gaze darted back and forth between the sink, the cutting board, and the dish soap bottle.

"Ah... yes, it's probably just the autumn dryness."

Ye Zhenzhen stammered, firmly pinning the blame on the weather.

"Plus, the wind was too strong this morning, it dried... dried them out, and I accidentally bit them myself..."

Bit them herself?

Seeing her daughter's flustered appearance, which was practically a guilty confession, Ye Shulian's heart was as clear as a mirror.

What kind of normal person bites their own lips and makes both the upper and lower lips so evenly red and swollen?

She didn't expose her directly, but sighed along with the conversation.

She folded the rag neatly and placed it by the sink.

With a worried tone, she steered the topic to a deeper level.

"You're in college now, away from home with no one to watch over you. You're so pretty, there must be a lot of boys trying to court you, right?"

Ye Shulian looked at her daughter's profile.

"How can a mother not worry? Have you met anyone suitable?"

Facing her mother's sudden escalation of questioning, a thin layer of sweat seeped from Ye Zhenzhen's back.

In order to get rid of this oppressive feeling of intense scrutiny, her brain spun rapidly.

She immediately brought out the "exclusive medical student shield" she used to deal with annoying suitors at school.

Feigning calmness, she raised her head, shook the water drops off her hands, and tried to make her tone sound natural.

"Mom, you're overthinking it. Where do we medical students have the time to think about all that nonsense?"

The girl took a deep breath and began to frantically output heavy topics to divert attention.

"My major classes are fully packed every day. I have to face formalin every day and even get my hands on dissecting 'silent mentors'."

"You don't know, the smell of formalin is so strong it makes people dizzy. After cutting nerve specimens in the morning, seeing pineapple fried pork in the cafeteria at noon makes me nauseous and want to throw up. Who has the mood to date?"

As soon as this vivid and highly graphic description came out.

Ye Shulian indeed frowned.

Her wiping motion paused for a moment.

"Alright, alright, stop right there."

Ye Shulian quickly waved her hand, forcibly interrupting Ye Zhenzhen's professional report.

"Talking about this in the kitchen at noon, do you still want people to eat? A young girl having to deal with these things every day, it's really tough on you."

Seeing this, Ye Zhenzhen's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Thinking she had just managed to muddle through.

However, Ye Shulian put down the rag, turned around, and faced her directly.

She also put away the casualness of the small talk from just now.

Her tone suddenly became extremely serious and earnest.

"It's best not to date, at this stage, your studies are still the priority."

Ye Shulian stared intently into her daughter's eyes and spoke word by word.

"However, Mom has been through it, and there are some things I must warn you about in advance. No matter what kind of partner you look for in the future, even if it's someone whose roots and background we know inside out, someone who wanders right under our noses every day, a girl must still hold her bottom line."

Ye Zhenzhen's just-relaxed heart was instantly gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand.

"You can't just let a boy do whatever he wants and easily let him take advantage of you. Protecting yourself is the most important thing, understand?"

Ye Shulian emphasized the words "know inside out" and "right under our noses" extremely heavily.

Every single word accurately shredded the psychological defense line Ye Zhenzhen had just built up.

Know inside out?

Wandering right under our noses every day?

Good heavens, you might as well just read out Gu Ran's ID number!

A small bok choy that Ye Zhenzhen had just picked up.

Slipped from her hand due to her guilty conscience.

With a smack, the vegetable fell into the water basin, splashing a few drops of water onto her face.

Her cheeks instantly turned completely red.

That crimson color spread all the way to her fair neck, bringing a layer of pink even to her collarbones.

An immense sense of shame and immorality completely submerged her like a tsunami.

Right under the nose of her elder, she was secretly having an affair with her nominal younger brother.

Not only did they wake up early to sneak into the woods, but they also secretly held hands and flirted in the kitchen.

She thought they had hidden it perfectly, but now it was being pointedly hinted at.

This was even more humiliating than a public execution!

She bit her lower lip hard, wishing she could find a crack in the ground and crawl right in.

Under her mother's intensely oppressive gaze, she could only lower her head.

Her hands gripped the hem of her shirt tightly as she squeezed out a single word, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.

"...Understood."

Just as the atmosphere in the kitchen reached a freezing point and she felt like she was about to suffocate from a lack of oxygen.

From outside the sliding door came Gu Ran's carefree shout.

"Aunt Ye, Sister Zhenzhen, is the food ready yet? My stomach is completely flat from hunger! Comrade Lao Gu is also starving so much his eyes are popping out!"

Gu Xiangcheng's scolding voice immediately followed from the living room.

"You brat, you're obviously the one who's hungry. Stop using me as a shield!"

Listening to the relaxed interaction between the father and son outside.

Ye Shulian put away her serious expression and replaced it with a gentle look.

She picked up the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs from the counter and turned to walk out.

As she passed by Ye Zhenzhen, she stopped and reached out to gently pat her daughter's stiff shoulder.

Taking the opportunity, she tossed out a warning regarding their afternoon outing.

"When you guys go out to play this afternoon, you must be home before ten tonight. Don't stay out too late messing around, remember?"

"I remember."

Ye Zhenzhen nodded quickly, feeling as if she had just been granted amnesty.

Ye Shulian slid open the door and walked out with the dish, saying with a smile.

"Coming, coming. You two must be starving to death. Little Ran, go to the liquor cabinet and get that good bottle of wine of your dad's. We're happy today, let him have a couple of glasses."

Ye Zhenzhen carried the washed vegetables and a few sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Like a quail that had done something wrong, she followed behind and walked out of the kitchen.

She raised her head, just in time to see the living room sofa.

Gu Ran was sitting with his legs crossed, playing with an orange in his hands.

Completely oblivious, he was telling Gu Xiangcheng some joke, and the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

Looking at this main culprit, whose face was currently full of relaxed contentment.

Looking as if he had absolutely no idea what had just happened in the kitchen.

The girl ground her back teeth in shame and anger.

Gu 'Dog' Ran!

You are out here playing the innocent!

While making me get grilled by my mom in the kitchen!

Just you wait!

Gu Ran seemed to notice her gaze, turning his head to meet the girl's eyes.

He couldn't help but flash a bright smile, raising an eyebrow at her.

Ye Zhenzhen glared at him fiercely, carrying the bowls and chopsticks as she walked quickly to the dining table.

Is it her time of the month?

It shouldn't be these few days...

Unsure of what was going on, the latter rubbed his nose and had no choice but to get up to fetch the liquor.

The National Day lunch for the family of four slowly kicked off with such a very "harmonious" beginning.

...