Qin Ruan was momentarily lost in thought, staring blankly at Wen Yixin.
Under Qin Ruan's intense gaze, Wen Yixin instinctively turned her head, avoiding eye contact. She looked down and cleared her throat softly, then asked casually, "It's still early. Do you want to go somewhere else?"
Qin Ruan snapped out of her daze, tightened her grip on Wen Yixin's hand, and after a moment of consideration, she softly said, "There's a popular morning market in the western district with lots of snacks. I'd like to go there."
"Morning market?" Wen Yixin repeated, a hint of confusion in her voice as she glanced at her watch. "It's already half-past ten. Will the market still be open by the time we get there?"
Qin Ruan nodded. "It should be. It's quite popular, so most of the vendors don't pack up too early."
Qin Ruan had visited the market once before, and the thought of the snacks and delicacies there made her eager to return.
"If it's still open, let's go have a look," Wen Yixin said, then asked, "Do you know the way?"
"Yes," Qin Ruan replied, quickly pulling out her phone to send Wen Yixin the location. "I just sent the directions to your phone. You can check them out."
Wen Yixin nodded. "Let's get in the car. I'll look at it once we're inside."
They had reached Wen Yixin's car by now. Wen Yixin opened the back door and carefully arranged the bags in the back seat. Then she took the other bags from Qin Ruan and placed them in the back as well.
After closing the back door, Wen Yixin opened the passenger door and looked over at Qin Ruan. "Get in."
Qin Ruan smiled. "Thank you, sister."
She bent slightly, brushing past Wen Yixin's shoulder as she settled into the passenger seat. Once seated, she immediately buckled her seatbelt.
"Sister, hurry up and get in," she said to Wen Yixin, who was still standing outside. As she spoke, she finished buckling her seatbelt with a click.
Wen Yixin responded with a light hum, closed the passenger door for her, and walked around to the driver's seat.
Once inside, she opened her phone and checked the location Qin Ruan had sent. It wasn't far—just a short ten-minute drive.
As she had estimated, they arrived at their destination in about fifteen minutes.
Pingyuan Morning Market.
Even though it was close to noon, the morning market was still bustling with activity, and the streets were crowded with people.
Wen Yixin stood at the entrance, taking in the scene. The market was filled with a variety of vendors selling snacks, fruits, vegetables, noodles, fried buns, and other breakfast items. It looked like a comprehensive marketplace.
Having never been to such a place before, Wen Yixin was intrigued by the novelty of it all.
Seeing her curiosity, Qin Ruan couldn't help but smile. She gently tugged on Wen Yixin's hand. "Sister, let me show you around."
Wen Yixin glanced at her. "Have you been here before?"
Qin Ruan nodded. "Yes, I came once before."
"With friends?" Wen Yixin's brow arched slightly.
Qin Ruan shook her head, smiling. "No, I came by myself."
"Come on, there's a stall here that sells really delicious food. Let me take you to try it." Qin Ruan held Wen Yixin's hand, leading her through the crowd toward a specific stall.
They stopped at a stall selling tofu pudding and sticky rice balls covered in bean powder. Qin Ruan pulled Wen Yixin to a stop.
"Sister, I think these two are really good. Do you want to try them?" Qin Ruan pointed to the sticky rice balls and the big iron pot filled with tofu pudding.
Wen Yixin looked at the options. She wasn't very interested in the sticky rice balls, but the tofu pudding looked smooth and appetizing, tempting her.
"I'll just have a bowl of tofu pudding," Wen Yixin decided.
"Okay," Qin Ruan agreed, then turned to the vendor to place the order.
She ordered a bowl of tofu pudding for Wen Yixin and bought a few sticky rice balls for herself.
With the rice balls in a bag, Qin Ruan couldn't resist eating one immediately.
"Is it good?" Wen Yixin asked, holding her bowl of tofu pudding. She couldn't help but ask when she saw Qin Ruan's satisfied expression.
Qin Ruan nodded enthusiastically, swallowed the sticky rice ball, and offered one to Wen Yixin. "Sister, would you like to try one?"
Wen Yixin looked at the thick layer of bean powder covering the rice ball and shook her head. "No, you enjoy it. I'm fine with just this."
"Okay," Qin Ruan didn't push further. She withdrew her hand and popped the rice ball into her mouth. Then she pointed to a row of tables. "Sister, let's sit over there. It'll be easier to eat."
"Alright," Wen Yixin agreed.
The tables were arranged in rows, with two tables pushed together to form a set, resembling the layout of a night market food street.
Qin Ruan spotted an empty spot inside and led Wen Yixin over.
"Sister, let's sit here."
Wen Yixin had no objections and naturally sat down beside Qin Ruan.
She removed the lid from her bowl, stirred the tofu pudding with a spoon, and was about to take a bite when she noticed Qin Ruan watching her closely. Wen Yixin glanced at her. "Do you want some?"
Qin Ruan's eyes lit up. "Can I?"
Wen Yixin replied, "Of course you can. If you want some, I can buy you another bowl."
Hearing this, the light in Qin Ruan's eyes dimmed slightly. She glanced at the tofu pudding in Wen Yixin's spoon and quietly skewered another sticky rice ball, muttering, "No, thanks."
"I don't feel like eating that right now." She had wanted to share the bowl with Wen Yixin, but unfortunately...
"What's wrong?" Wen Yixin found Qin Ruan's sudden change in attitude a bit strange and asked her about it.
"It's nothing," Qin Ruan shook her head. She glanced at a nearby stall selling sweet soup and slowly said, "Sister, I'm going to buy some sweet soup. Wait here for me."
Wen Yixin nodded. "Alright, go ahead."
As Qin Ruan went to buy the sweet soup, Wen Yixin finally took her first bite of the tofu pudding.
It tasted pretty good.
She stirred her spoon, ready to take another bite when someone suddenly handed her a flyer.
The person placed the flyer on Wen Yixin's table and then moved on to hand out more flyers to the other tables with people sitting at them.
Curious, Wen Yixin picked up the flyer and glanced over it briefly.
When Qin Ruan returned with her sweet soup and saw Wen Yixin holding the flyer, she asked, "What's that?"
Wen Yixin handed the flyer to her, asking, "Is there a cruise ship nearby?"
Qin Ruan took the flyer and glanced at it, finally understanding why Wen Yixin had asked that.
The flyer advertised the price and route of a cruise.
She set the flyer down and explained, "Yes, there's a cruise nearby, but I've never been, so I'm not sure if the information on the flyer is accurate."
"Do you want to go?"
Wen Yixin nodded. "I'm kind of interested." She wondered if the cruise here would be any different from the ones she had taken before.
She checked the address on the flyer and opened her map to look it up. The destination was only two kilometers away.
Not too far.
"How about we go there after we finish eating?" Wen Yixin suggested.
Qin Ruan agreed, "Alright."
At the dock.
Wen Yixin stood outside, staring at the wharf that was quite different from what she had imagined. It looked more like a ferry terminal than a luxurious cruise dock.
She glanced away from the dock, looking instead at the cruise ship on the river. As she compared it to the photos on the flyer, she remained silent for a moment.
The difference was clear—the flyer showed a luxurious version, while this one... was perhaps the simple version?
Noticing that Wen Yixin had stopped moving, Qin Ruan asked, "Sister, why did you stop?"
Wen Yixin forced a smile. "It's nothing. It's just that... this isn't quite what I imagined."
"Do you still want to go?"
"Yes, we're already here, so we might as well experience it," Wen Yixin replied.
"Then let's buy the tickets. The ticket window is just ahead," Qin Ruan said, shielding her eyes from the increasingly bright sunlight.
"Alright, let's go together," Wen Yixin agreed.
At the ticket window, Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan bought tickets for the next available cruise and waited in the hall for about ten minutes before being guided by the staff to board the ship.
The cruise ship wasn't very big, and there weren't many people on board—most of them seemed to be there for sightseeing.
When they had bought the tickets earlier, Wen Yixin had asked about the route. She learned that this cruise would take them across the river to the opposite bank, passing several local scenic spots along the way. Some tourists came specifically to take this cruise for the views.
Wen Yixin wasn't particularly interested in the interior of the cruise ship and didn't plan to stay inside for long. She wanted to go out on the deck, but before doing so, she asked Qin Ruan, "I want to check out the deck. What about you? Do you want to rest here or come with me?"
Qin Ruan smiled. "Of course, I'll go with you."
With that, Qin Ruan slipped her arm through Wen Yixin's.
When they reached the deck, a few small groups of people were already there, either sitting or standing.
Wen Yixin looked out at the wide expanse of the river, then rested her hand on the railing and leaned against it.
She had found a spot in the shade, where the sun didn't reach, and the breeze from the river was refreshing. It was a perfectly pleasant moment.
At least, until she felt the weight of someone leaning on her shoulder, breaking the tranquility.
Wen Yixin looked down and to the side.
Qin Ruan's head was resting on her shoulder, her forehead pressing against Wen Yixin's neck, her face almost completely buried in Wen Yixin's embrace.
Wen Yixin paused, gently patting Qin Ruan's shoulder. "Qin Ruan, what's wrong?"
Qin Ruan inhaled the familiar scent surrounding her and replied with a hint of stuffiness in her voice, "I feel a little dizzy."
"Are you seasick?"
Qin Ruan shook her head weakly. "No."
"I was just staring at the river for too long and got a little dizzy. I'll feel better in a bit."
Wen Yixin looked down at her. "Should we go inside and rest?"
"No need," Qin Ruan shook her head. "The breeze here is nice, and I like it better outside." Mostly, she liked that she could lean against Wen Yixin without any excuses.
She tightened her grip on Wen Yixin's arm and pressed her forehead closer to her neck.
For a brief moment, Wen Yixin felt something soft brush against her neck.
It was a light, warm, and soft sensation, like the touch of lips.
Wen Yixin's hand immediately tightened on Qin Ruan's shoulder. "Qin Ruan..."
"What's wrong, sister?" Qin Ruan looked up at her, but all she could see was the perfect line of Wen Yixin's jaw.
Wen Yixin lowered her gaze, meeting Qin Ruan's clear eyes. The question she wanted to ask stuck in her throat.
It must have been unintentional, right?
Wen Yixin tried to convince herself, but her doubts crept back when Qin Ruan, receiving no response, nestled back into her shoulder.
If it wasn't unintentional... does that mean she's interested in me?