What's Wrong With Being Fifteen Years Older Than Me?! - Chapter 25.1

Later, the rain in the mountains stopped, but the roads were too slippery to continue playing. So, everyone just had lunch at a restaurant in the scenic area and took the cable car back down the mountain. After the rain, the mountains were even more misty, and the clouds covered everything in a gloomy haze. As the cable car slowly went down, it felt like they were in the clouds.

When they got back to the ground, they saw that the sky over the city had turned gray, as if a heavy rain was about to fall at any moment. Ye Li and the others didn’t linger and quickly got back to the bed and breakfast.

Ye Li had discovered a leisure platform on the second floor last night. When they got back, she started going through her luggage for her summer homework, planning to do it there. She and Auntie Lu had the same idea. After a short rest, the woman was also getting ready to go to the platform. They walked out of their rooms at the same time and stopped.

“Are you going to do your homework outside, Xiaoli?” Lu Zhiyun asked, looking down at the workbook in the girl’s hand.

“Yeah,” Ye Li replied.

“I was planning to go sit there, too. Let’s go together,” Lu Zhiyun said, her eyes curving.

After leaving the room, they walked down a long hallway to the outdoor leisure platform on the second floor. Green vines were wrapped around the wooden railings and roof of the platform. There were two sets of outdoor tables and chairs, and some flowers and plants were placed around. It blocked the wind and rain but didn’t block the view. The weather was a little windy, so it was much more comfortable than staying in the air-conditioned room. To avoid disturbing Ye Li, Lu Zhiyun sat at another table, keeping a distance from her.

As Ye Li opened her workbook, her eyes couldn’t help but glance over. The woman was sitting there quietly, her back slightly leaning against the chair. One of her legs was naturally crossed, and she was looking straight ahead. She was so still that she looked like a painting.

Ye Li looked away, held her pen, and started doing the problems. The cool breeze blew the bangs on the girl’s forehead, making them sway with the rhythm of the wind. The surroundings were quiet. All that could be heard was the scratching of the pen on the paper.

From the corner of her eye, Ye Li saw the woman get up once. She seemed to have left without saying anything, probably so she wouldn’t disturb her. But she couldn’t help but wonder if she was really gone. Soon, she heard footsteps again. This time, Ye Li couldn’t help but look up. She saw that Auntie Lu was holding two glasses of iced lemonade. She slowly placed one on Ye Li’s table.

“Thank you,” the girl said and went back to doing her homework.

Just when she thought the atmosphere would stay this quiet, someone else came. Tang Qianxia had gotten a plate of cut, chilled watermelon from somewhere.

“Have some, Ye Li.” Ye Li took a piece with her fork and waved her hand no. Tang Qianxia then took the plate to Lu Zhiyun’s table.

Tang Qianxia: “The owner of the B&B gave it to me. I came to find you guys when I didn’t see you.”

“Where’s Beibei?” Lu Zhiyun asked. Beibei was Tang Qianxia’s daughter’s nickname.

“She got tired of playing and is sleeping now. Her dad is with her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to sit here so leisurely,” Tang Qianxia said, putting a piece of watermelon in her mouth.

“Even though it rained on the mountain today, the beautiful natural scenery was incredible. No wonder it’s famous all over the world. I have a picture I took today that’s just amazing,” Tang Qianxia said and opened her phone to show Lu Zhiyun.

But Lu Zhiyun first looked at the girl at the other table and asked in a low voice, “Xiaoli, are we bothering you?” Tang Qianxia was a little surprised and looked at the woman in front of her. She was so thoughtful. Ye Li looked up and said clearly, “No, you’re not.” Lu Zhiyun was relieved. The woman turned back and saw Tang Qianxia looking at her, her hand on her cheek. “What’s wrong?” she asked with a faint smile.

“I have to say, Lu Zhiyun, you are such a good auntie. You’re even more thoughtful than me, and I’m a mom!” Tang Qianxia said, then added, “If you ever become a mom, you’ll be a great one.”

The girl, who was doing her homework, paused. She thought to herself, A mom? She has to have a partner first, right? Lu Zhiyun: “It’s a little too early for me.”

Tang Qianxia: “No, it’s not. It’s not early at all. In medicine, a woman who gives birth after the age of 35 is considered high-risk. Let’s say you start dating next year, get married a year later, and then get pregnant a year after that. You’ll be 35 when you give birth. Plus, there are so many unknown factors.”

Lu Zhiyun lowered her eyes. She slowly picked up the lemonade on the table and took a sip. Then, she put it down and said, “My parents have been pressuring me about this lately. They even tried to set me up on a blind date in the US at the beginning of the year, but I refused. I told them I wouldn’t consider dating until I went back. They’ll probably be setting me up on more blind dates when I go back next year.”

Ye Li, who was doing her homework, was secretly listening. She couldn’t help but think to herself, Blind dates in the US? Are they going to be all white guys? Will they get along with Auntie Lu? Just as she was thinking this, Tang Qianxia excitedly said, “If your parents set you up with a white guy, will you have a mixed-race baby?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Lu Zhiyun said, pouring cold water on her. “My parents are still very traditional. The last person they set me up with was a third-generation American immigrant.”

…

Ye Li’s mood became more and more annoyed. She couldn’t focus on her homework at all. She secretly took out a piece of scratch paper and started drawing. She had an idea and immediately started drawing. She drew a scene on the white paper. The two people in the drawing were standing under the eaves of a house, hiding from the rain. They were both wearing earphones and listening to music together.

At some point, the table next to her became quiet. She didn’t even notice when Tang Qianxia left. It wasn’t until she finished the drawing and looked up that she made eye contact with Auntie Lu.

“I knew our conversation was bothering you. So, what did you draw today?” the woman asked with a smile. She knew her so well.

Ye Li was a little embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment, but still got up and took the paper from the table to show her. Lu Zhiyun took the paper and looked at it very carefully. Soon, she said in a slightly coquettish voice, just like she had countless times before, “I love it. It’s really good, Xiaoli. Can you give it to me?”

The girl forced a smile, pretending to be calm. She suddenly remembered the box she had found in Auntie Lu’s room when she had gone to her place to spend the night. It was full of her “drawings” from the past few years. This woman must want to keep this one, too!

“If you like it, you can have it,” Ye Li said, acting generous and nonchalant.

Later, a storm fell on the city. The edge of the platform was wet from the rain. The wind blew a light mist of rain on her face and body. It was no longer suitable to stay outside, so they quickly took their things and went back to their rooms. The summer storm finally stopped when it was dark.

Ye Li, Auntie Lu, and Tang Qianxia’s family of three left the B&B to go out for dinner. They had booked a restaurant that was famous for its local cuisine and had a minority ethnic vibe. Most of the customers were tourists, and only a few were locals. When they were ordering, the waiter recommended a local wine. It was a little sweet and not very strong, even lower in alcohol content than beer. Ye Li hesitated and couldn’t help but ask, “Can minors drink this?”

“It’s okay to have a little bit. People here have been drinking it since they were kids.” Because Auntie Lu had been so strict with her over the past few years, she had never touched anything with alcohol in it, not even beer. Even when Auntie Lu was in the US, she felt like she had a ruler in her heart and never dared to cross the line.

“So, can I try it?” Ye Li asked, like a kid asking for permission from her parents.

“Just a little then,” Lu Zhiyun said. It was a little surprising that she didn’t say no this time.

“Lu Zhiyun, did the sun rise from the west today?” Tang Qianxia teased her after the waiter left.

“Because the lady said that the kids here can drink it, it should be fine to let Xiaoli have some,” Lu Zhiyun said.

While they were talking, Ye Li had already quietly finished a small glass. Because it was sweet, it was easy to drink. She didn’t even realize she had finished the whole thing.

“Ye Li, I’ve wanted to drink with you for a long time, but Lu Zhiyun is too strict. Come on, let’s have one,” Tang Qianxia said, holding up her glass of beer. Lu Zhiyun looked helpless but didn’t say anything. It turned out that no matter how good the wine was, you shouldn’t drink too much. And you shouldn’t underestimate how weak the alcohol content was. Because Ye Li, who had never had alcohol before, was drunk.

When they left the restaurant, even the owner was shocked. “She’s drunk from our wine? I thought this wine wasn’t strong!” Yes, Ye Li was drunk. She couldn’t believe she was such a lightweight. It was so embarrassing. At that moment, she just wanted to dig a hole and hide.

As she was being helped into the car, she vaguely remembered Auntie Tang in the passenger seat turning around and saying, “Ye Li, you’re no good. Your alcohol tolerance is terrible.” Lu Zhiyun, in the back seat, felt bad but was also a little helpless. She defended her like a mother bear. “…I told you not to let her drink so much.”

“Okay, okay, my bad! I’m so sorry!” Tang Qianxia said, bowing.

Ye Li didn’t remember what happened after that. She vaguely remembered being taken back to the B&B and lying on the bed.

“How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Lu Zhiyun was sitting on the headboard, gently putting the girl’s loose hair behind her ear.

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