The air inside the small house carried the fresh scent of clean linens and polished wood. Shen Xu sat by the window, his fingers idly tracing the rim of his teacup as his gaze drifted toward Yue.
She was kneeling near the doorway, wiping the floor with a damp cloth. Her long sleeves were tied back, exposing her arms as she moved in slowly. A few strands of her dark hair had slipped from their loose hold, falling over her shoulder as she worked. She didn't seem to mind, focused on her task.
Shen Xu found himself watching, longer than he should have.
The faint sound of cloth gliding over wood filled the quiet morning. Every now and then, she would pause to adjust her posture, the shift of her weight drawing his attention downward.
Her feet, bare against the polished floor, were small, her toes flexing slightly as she adjusted her balance.
he found his eyes lingering. It wasn't intentional, yet he didn't look away immediately.
"You're staring," Yue's voice came suddenly, light with amusement but sharp enough to break his trance.
Shen Xu exhaled softly, setting down his teacup. "Am I?"
"You are." She wrung out the cloth in a nearby bucket before turning toward him, her expression unreadable. "Something on my face?"
"No," he said simply, meeting her gaze. "You look… focused."
Yue raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. "I always look focused when I'm working."
He didn't argue. Instead, he leaned back, studying her in that quiet way of his.
Lian, who had been watching with mild curiosity, finally spoke up. "Yue-jiejie, are you almost done?" she asked, swinging her legs as she sat on a nearby stool.
"Almost." Yue smiled, wringing out the cloth one last time before standing.
Shen Xu's gaze followed her without thought.
Yue wiping her hands dry on a small cloth. She noticed his silence, the way his fingers absentmindedly tapped against the rim of his cup.
"What is it?" she asked.
Shen Xu looked at her for a moment before answering. "You clean more thoroughly than I expected."
Yue rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."
He smirked slightly. "It was one."
She shook her head and went back to tidying up, but there was a faint trace of color on her cheeks.
Lian, always quick to notice, grinned to herself before hopping off the stool. "Xu-gege, what are we doing today?"
Shen Xu glanced at her. "Nothing in particular. Do you have something in mind?"
The little girl thought for a moment before brightening. "Can we go to the river? I want to catch some fish!"
Yue laughed softly. "That's not as easy as you think, Lian."
"I'll try really hard!" Lian declared.
Shen Xu considered it. "If you want to catch fish, you'll need patience."
"I have patience!"
Yue and Shen Xu exchanged glances before Yue chuckled. "Alright then, let's go to the river."
Lian cheered, already excited, while Shen Xu finished his tea, watching the two of them with quiet amusement.