Strange Senior Sister

I spent the whole day "punishing" Senior Sister.

From being shaken awake in the morning, to the sofa, the bathroom, and the dining table.

Fang Xuan leaned against the sofa and did a quick mental count: once in the morning, once while washing up, once at breakfast, at noon... there didn't seem to be one at noon, as Senior Sister had fallen asleep.

Then twice more in the afternoon.

By the time he counted to six on his fingers, he decided to stop keeping track...

The refrigerator was almost empty.

He opened it and took a look; there were two wilted carrots, half a head of cabbage, and the meat was completely gone.

It was time for a trip to the supermarket.

Ning Xian was curled up on the other end of the sofa, hugging a cushion and watching TV.

She had become quite skilled at changing channels, jumping from the news to variety shows, from variety shows to dramas, and then from a drama to a shopping channel, where she stared intently at a non-stick pan on the screen with a serious little face.

“Senior Sister, let's go to the supermarket.”

Ning Xian turned off the TV, stood up, and went to the entryway to change her shoes.

Her white canvas shoes had their laces tied in a messy tangle, with the left foot wrapped around one more time than the right.

Fang Xuan could only crouch down to help her re-tie them.

...

The supermarket was not far away, only a five-minute walk.

Fang Xuan pushed a shopping cart and turned into the snack section.

Potato chips, cookies, nuts—he placed them into the cart one by one.

The yogurt was at the very back of the refrigerated display case; he took a few bottles of original flavor and then some strawberry-flavored ones.

Senior Sister should like strawberry; all girls like strawberry.

Ning Xian didn't have much interest in those colorful bags, but she stopped when she reached the beverage section.

An entire row of shelves was filled with beer.

Yellow, white, black, canned, and bottled.

She stood there, tilting her head up to look at the brightly colored cans.

By the time Fang Xuan walked over, she had already started moving them into the shopping cart.

One can after another, she lined them up neatly, her movements quick as if she were afraid he would stop her.

Fang Xuan stood by and watched her. After she had moved about seven or eight cans, she glanced up at him; seeing that he didn't say anything, she continued.

She only stopped once she reached the twelfth can.

She glanced at the mountain of beer in the shopping cart, then back at Fang Xuan.

“That's enough, Senior Sister,” Fang Xuan said.

Ning Xian gave an “Mmm,” but her hand still reached out for one more can from the shelf, which she secretly stuffed into the very bottom of the shopping cart.

Fang Xuan saw it but just smiled without saying a word.

Why did Senior Sister seem to be getting sillier and sillier...?

...

The produce section wasn't crowded. Fang Xuan picked out a few ribs, a bunch of green vegetables, two tomatoes, and a box of tofu.

Then, they were ready to head home...

On the way back.

Ning Xian followed behind him, clutching the bag of beer and walking slowly as if afraid of dropping it.

The bag was large, and as she held it in her arms, it almost covered half her face, leaving only her eyes visible—and they were curved into crescents.

She kept her head down to watch the path, the corners of her mouth curling up, which she quickly pressed back down to maintain her cool facade.

Fang Xuan carried the groceries in front, his gaze constantly drifting back toward her.

Senior Sister followed him with small steps, hugging her bag of beer, thinking she was hiding her joy well when it was actually written all over her face.

He couldn't help but let his own lips curve into a smile.

Senior Sister was so silly; she surely didn't know he had discovered her secret happiness. She was truly adorable.

...

Back at home, Fang Xuan placed the groceries on the table.

With a serious expression, Ning Xian opened the bag of beer and stacked the cans into the refrigerator one by one.

She arranged them very neatly, all the labels facing outward, as if she were setting up an array.

She crouched in front of the fridge for quite a while before finally closing the door with satisfaction.

Fang Xuan twisted open a bottle of yogurt and handed it to her. “Senior Sister, try this.”

Since Senior Sister was so adorable, how could she like drinking beer? She should definitely like yogurt.

Ning Xian looked at the bottle of yogurt, took it, and sipped. She licked her lips and said, “It's okay.”

“Better than beer, right?”

“No, beer is the best,” Ning Xian said very seriously.

Fang Xuan was helpless and could only finish the rest of the yogurt himself.

How could beer possibly taste better than yogurt?

...

What happened next was even more ridiculous.

Fang Xuan sat on the sofa looking at his phone, while Ning Xian sat on a chair, staring at the refrigerator.

She had been staring for nearly an hour, just sitting there with her hands on her knees, eyes fixed on it.

Fang Xuan looked up at her, and she quickly averted her gaze, pretending to look at the ceiling.

After a while, she would secretly turn back and continue staring at the fridge.

When Fang Xuan looked up again, she looked away once more, stood up, and walked to the balcony, pretending to have something to do.

She moved the dried clothes from left to right, then moved them from right to left.

After she finished moving them, she came back to sit down and continued staring at the fridge.

Fang Xuan really couldn't take it anymore, so he put down his phone.

“Senior Sister...”

Ning Xian turned her head, her expression very innocent. “Yes?”

Fang Xuan stood up, grabbed a hoodie from the room, and walked over to her.

“Senior Sister, hands up.”

Ning Xian obediently raised her hands. He pulled the hoodie over her head and guided her arms through the sleeves.

Then he pulled down the hem and put the hood on her.

The hood was a bit large, covering half her face and revealing only the tip of her small nose and her mouth.

Fang Xuan took her small hand and tucked it into his pocket. “Let's go.”

“Where?”

“To drink beer.”

Ning Xian's earlobes turned red.

She lowered her head and let him lead her away, falling silent.

At the barbecue stall downstairs, they took the same spot as last time.

The owner recognized them and cheerfully brought over a crate of iced beer. “The usual?”

Fang Xuan nodded.

Meat skewers, chicken wings, squid, chives, eggplant—one of each.

The owner was quick; the charcoal fire rose, and the smoke drifted up, mingling with the light from the streetlamps.

...

Fang Xuan ate his skewers while watching Ning Xian across from him.

Senior Sister didn't eat a single thing.

She just held the beer can with both hands and took small, serious sips.

With every sip, she would lick her lips, her tongue tip catching the foam at the corner of her mouth, and then she would squint her eyes slightly with a look of pure satisfaction.

After finishing one can, she would open another.

Her movements for opening the cans were already very practiced; she would hook the pull tab with her index finger, give it a light tug, and there would be a soft "pfft."

Halfway through the third can, her small head began to wobble.

Then she gave a few silly laughs and let out a hiccup.

Fang Xuan couldn't help but secretly take out his phone.

The screen lit up, showing the wallpaper he had taken of her last time.

It was a photo of Senior Sister asleep, her hair scattered across the pillow, her little face flushed, and her mouth slightly open—very well-behaved.

He opened the camera and aimed it at her.

She was currently clutching her fourth can of beer, her head no longer able to stay upright, her forehead resting against the can, her eyes half-open and half-closed.

Ning Xian looked up, dazed. “Junior Brother... what happened?”

“Nothing.” Fang Xuan stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

Ning Xian gave an “Oh” and lowered her head to continue drinking.

By the time she was halfway through the fourth can, she was completely finished. She slumped onto the table, her face pressed against the cool surface, eyes closed, whispering something under her breath.

Fang Xuan leaned in to listen.

“I... like Junior Brother the most, hehehe...”