Jiang Yumo went to the kitchen to help her Mom. She couldn’t do much, so she could only fan her Mom with a big palm-leaf fan. As she watched her Mom covered in sweat, she felt very sorry for her Mom. From time to time, she used a wet tissue to wipe her mother’s sweat. Finally, it was time for the meal.
Mother Jiang had been busy all morning, but now she had lost her appetite. After preparing a separate meal for herself, she left the space for the young children to eat and went to play cards at her friend’s house.
Once Mother Jiang left, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Zheng sat at the dining table, and his previously tense body relaxed a bit. “I don’t get it. Aunt is so much gentler than my Mom, but I still feel a bit scared.”
Guo Shichao laughed and replied, “Because Brother Duan is scared of Aunt, we’re scared of Big Brother Duan, so naturally, we’re scared of Aunt too.”
Duan Ye, who was teased, just smiled and patiently peeled shrimp for Jiang Yumo.
Indeed, it proved that things were much easier without the presence of elders.
The table was almost empty, with the dishes swept away. When they were at Duan Ye’s house, they didn’t need to worry about cleaning up afterward, but now at Jiang Yumo’s house… Although Mother Jiang had repeatedly said before leaving that they didn’t need to clean up, could they really leave the place in a mess for Aunt to clean up when she came back? Although they had thick skin, it wasn’t to that extent.
“I just applied nail polish, you know,” Yan Qing waved her hand in front of them, “It’s not suitable for washing dishes.”
Sun Mengting also said, “Yesterday, when I was counting money, my finger was accidentally cut by a new banknote. It’s best not to get it wet these days.”
Ning Zhiyu silently added, “Today is my birthday.”
Jiang Yumo couldn’t come up with a good reason for a while. She could only look at Duan Ye with a pitiful expression and say, “I don’t want to do the dishes either.”
Duan Ye couldn’t bear such a look. Without hesitation, he made a decision, “Girls don’t need to handle this, we’ll take care of it.”
“Brother Duan is the best!”
“Thank you, Brother Duan!!”
Zhao Zheng : “?”
Guo Shichao : “……”
Zhou Ji : “.”
Alright, Zhou Ji didn’t have any objections either. He was just worried that he wouldn’t get a chance to show his efforts, so he quickly said, “I think the same. How can we leave tasks like cleaning up and doing the dishes to the girls? These rough tasks are better suited for us to handle.”
Zhou Ji then praised himself, “I and Lao Duan are truly worthy brothers, our awareness in this aspect is extraordinary.”
Ning Zhiyu : “……”
The four boys divided the tasks clearly. Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao cleaned the dishes and trash, while Duan Ye and Zhou Ji washed the dishes and pots. After completing everything, Duan Ye even had Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao mop the floor. In short, they aimed to leave an excellent impression on Mother Jiang when she returned.
The other three boys usually liked to joke around, but they knew Duan Ye attached great importance to the impression he made on Mother Jiang. So, they cooperated actively with Duan Ye, eager to form a housekeeping team to clean every nook and cranny of Jiang Yumo’s house, all to get a compliment from Duan Ye’s prospective mother-in-law.
The girls weren’t idle either; they prepared iced cola and washed some grapes.
Finally, after finishing the tasks, Zhao Zheng took out a few DVDs from his bag and said playfully, “Xiao Guozi and I went to the audio-visual store early in the morning and selected the best of the year—some from Japan, some from Thailand. They are guaranteed to be thrilling and perfect for beating the summer heat!”
The DVDs Zhao Zheng rented were horror movies.
Just looking at the designs on the DVD covers would make anyone break out in a cold sweat in the middle of summer.
Although Jiang Yumo was afraid, she was also very excited. Horror movies are like that—the more scared you are, the more you want to watch. Moreover, there were eight of them together, so watching together doubled the joy. It’s just like telling ghost stories; the more people, the better. Besides… with so many people and so much positive energy, it shouldn’t be that terrifying, right?
“Do we watch or not?” Jiang Yumo asked her friends.
Yan Qing raised her hand, “I have no objections, but I don’t want to sit next to you.”
“Me neither,” Sun Mengting said, having suffered from it before, “Every time I watch horror movies with Yumo, whoever sits next to her is in for bad luck. One time, she squeezed my thigh so hard it turned purple!”
Zhou Ji quickly pulled Ning Zhiyu behind him, “I won’t sit with her either.”
Jiang Yumo snorted.
Actually, no one wanted to compete with Duan Ye either. Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye sat together on one side of the sofa.
Zhou Ji and Ning Zhiyu sat together.
Yan Qing and Sun Mengting sat together, and Zhao Zheng insisted on squeezing in and sitting next to Yan Qing.
Jiang Yumo closed all the curtains in the living room. The air conditioner hummed, making the living room pleasantly cool. On the TV, a Japanese horror movie was playing. Jiang Yumo leaned in close to Duan Ye’s ear and whispered, “Whenever there’s a scary scene, cover my eyes. I’m afraid I won’t dare to get up and go to the bathroom at night if I see it.”
Duan Ye chuckled. The living room was dimly lit, and he couldn’t help but stare at her. They were sitting very close together. Jiang Yumo was genuinely afraid, and involuntarily, her body moved closer to him. In the end, she leaned against his shoulder, feeling his body warmth, and that creepy feeling gradually dissipated.
Duan Ye naturally reached out and placed his hand on her other shoulder.
This film truly deserves the title of the best of the year. From the beginning, it captivated the audience’s attention, giving them a realistic and immersive experience.
Jiang Yumo got goosebumps several times and asked Zhao Zheng, who was closest to the air conditioner’s remote control, to raise the temperature.
Everyone had no objections… because it was indeed a great way to beat the summer heat…
Occasionally, Duan Ye would reach out and cover her eyes. She leaned towards him, finding comfort in his slightly rough palms and the scent of the same shower gel they both used. It made her feel both at ease and excited. Zhou Ji had been fully engrossed in the movie but happened to glance over and saw Jiang Yumo snuggling up to Duan Ye, who was being protective with his hand over her eyes. He whispered gently in her ear, “It’s okay, it’ll be fine soon.”
Zhou Ji : “…”
Damn, he really is Master Duan!
Undoubtedly Master Duan! How come he didn’t think of doing something like this?
Indeed, a disciple is just a disciple, and a master is a master.
He admired Duan Ye to the extreme and could only acknowledge his defeat.
Quickly withdrawing his envious gaze, he looked at the TV screen. As the female ghost was about to appear, he decisively reached out to cover Ning Zhuyu’s eyes. It was time to show his manly side! It was time to tell her that as long as he was there, there was nothing to fear from any demons or ghosts!!
Before he could even comfort her, she brushed off his hand, looking a little angry. “Don’t bother me, don’t touch me. I want to watch the movie.”
After saying this, she looked excited and focused as a spooky female ghost entered the scene.
Zhou Ji : “…”
Wow, she’s not afraid at all. It seems she’s even braver than him!
With a stiff expression, he looked over to the other side. Jiang Yumo was already scared by the eerie music and had nestled into Duan Ye’s arms. Duan Ye reached out and patted her shoulder, comforting her in a whisper. It was as sweet as it could be.
At that moment, Zhou Ji felt like howling to the heavens, “Oh heavens! It’s so unfair!!“