Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 60

It was only later that Qi Ning learned Xiao Bao’s older sister was the specific student Chu Yunjing sponsored.

The situation of Xiao Bao’s family was quite tragic. His parents had worked away from home for many years, leaving the children in the care of Grandma Yu. When Xiao Bao was born a few years ago, his mother passed away due to severe hemorrhaging during a difficult labor.

Following the death of his wife, Xiao Bao’s father was devastated but took on the heavy burden of supporting the family alone. However, misfortune did not spare them. The following year, he accidentally fell from a scaffold while working at a construction site and could not be resuscitated. Consequently, the family lost its sole source of income.

With only the grandmother and two grandchildren remaining, they survived on a meager subsidy. Unable to afford school, the sister, A-Ling, nearly had to leave with relatives to find manual labor. Three years ago, when Chu Yunjing first visited the village and heard of Grandma Yu’s plight, she resolutely decided to sponsor the family until the sister graduated from university.

The sister was very diligent. Last year, she placed into the county middle school, taking a step closer to leaving the mountains behind. It was fortunate she met Chu Yunjing; otherwise, she would likely have been forced into the workforce for the family’s survival as soon as she turned fourteen.

The two women quickly finished their meal. Xiao Bao wanted to lead them home. He was very curious about the new sister who had arrived but did not dare to ask too much, simply observing her with his large, round eyes.

Qi Ning stared back at Xiao Bao. She had not forgotten how the little boy had clung to Chu Yunjing’s leg earlier. After watching him for a long while, she finally spoke. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh,” Xiao Bao stammered. “Sister, you are so beautiful.”

This comment left Qi Ning unsure whether to laugh or cry. She wondered how a child this young could be such a smooth talker. Regardless, it improved her impression of him slightly.

She squatted down so her eyes were level with his. Aside from being flushed red from the cold, his small face was relatively clean. Upon closer inspection, his floral cotton jacket was somewhat torn, and his short hair was plastered to his forehead.

She did not know that the boy had specifically washed his face before coming to meet them to scrub away the mud. He had even put on his new clothes that he usually could not bear to wear, fearing that the city sister would find him dirty just as other adults did.

“Xiao Bao, how old are you this year?”

“I am six years old.”

“I see.” Qi Ning wiped the expression from her face and said seriously, “You are six years old. You are a little man now.”

Xiao Bao looked at her blankly, not understanding what she was trying to convey.

“A little man is not allowed to hug a sister’s leg. Otherwise, that is being a hooligan. Do you understand?”

“What is a hooligan?”

“It is a bad person.”

“Oh.” Xiao Bao tucked both hands behind his back and said timidly, “Then I will not hug you anymore.”

“That is a good boy.” Qi Ning patted his small head with satisfaction.

“What are you two talking about?” Chu Yunjing emerged from the house and saw the adult and the child squatting at the door.

“Nothing!” Qi Ning stood up quickly, looking quite guilty.

Chu Yunjing noticed but said nothing. She looked down at the boy. “Let us go, Xiao Bao.”

By seven o’clock in the evening, the sky was completely dark. The temperature difference between day and night in the mountains was vast. The night air was much colder than the daytime. Walking along the dirt road, Qi Ning rubbed her hands together, realizing she had forgotten her gloves in the car.

The child, accustomed to the mountain air, led the way ahead, bouncing slightly with every two steps while carrying a box of milk. Qi Ning exhaled, and a cloud of white mist formed. Chu Yunjing used a flashlight to light the path. Hearing the sound, she glanced sideways at Qi Ning. “I told you it was cold in the mountains.”

“Yes.” Qi Ning pouted. Her hands had been tucked in her pockets for a while, but they still felt icy.

Chu Yunjing reached out a hand from her coat pocket toward her. “Give me your hand.”

Qi Ning obediently reached out. Chu Yunjing took her hand and pulled it into her own pocket. It was warm inside, and Chu Yunjing’s hand was significantly warmer than hers.

Qi Ning shifted her grip, interlacing their fingers. She stole a glance at Chu Yunjing’s reaction, but it was too dark to see clearly.

“Why are you looking at me?” Chu Yunjing asked suddenly, as if she had eyes on the side of her head.

“Who is looking at you!” Qi Ning replied defensively, her voice fluttering. “You are clearly the one looking at me. Otherwise, how would you know I was looking at you?”

“That is true. I am looking at you,” Chu Yunjing replied, not bothering to argue.

Qi Ning asked instinctively, “Why are you looking at me?”

“Because you look good,” Chu Yunjing said with a smile, her hand inside the pocket tracing Qi Ning’s palm almost imperceptibly.

That single sentence made Qi Ning blush for no reason. Fortunately, it was pitch black. Feeling the itch in her palm, she felt she could not keep being suppressed like this. She turned her head, capturing Chu Yunjing’s eyes in the dark. “President Chu, are you flirting with me?”

In the silent night, she heard Chu Yunjing’s short, soft laugh. Then, the other woman leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Will you let me?”

Qi Ning had lost this round. Not only was her face red, but her ears also felt hot.

“I wonder how many people you have flirted with,” Qi Ning pioneered under her breath, rolling her eyes privately.

Xiao Bao’s home was located in the most remote part of the village. The further they walked, the more sparse the houses became. After nearly ten minutes, they saw a dilapidated old house with a single lightbulb hanging from the exterior wall.

“Sister, my house is just ahead!” Xiao Bao pointed to the building.

Qi Ning noticed immediately that while many old houses they passed showed signs of renovation, this one appeared untouched for many years. The Spring Festival couplets had been worn down to scraps by the wind and sun. The walls were made of brick and tile, and large gaps were visible in the structure.

Hearing her grandson’s voice, an elderly woman leaning on a cane walked out of the house. Her figure was shaky.

“Xiao Chu,” the old woman said. She raised a hand, her face wrinkling deeply as she smiled. Seeing the guests, she tried to hurry forward, but her physical limitations caused her to gasp for breath after just two steps.

“Grandma, please do not worry!” Chu Yunjing hurried over to support her. Since she was carrying items in one hand, she could only use the other to steady her. Qi Ning followed suit, supporting the woman from the other side.

Upon touching the woman’s arm, Qi Ning’s first thought was how thin she was. It was a dry, skeletal thinness. She hardly dared to apply pressure for fear of breaking a bone.

The two helped Grandma Yu inside. The old woman caught her breath before saying, “Thank you, Xiao Chu, for coming to see us again.”

Chu Yunjing set the items down and patted Grandma Yu’s hand. “Grandma, is your health any better?”

“Much better!” Grandma Yu nodded. “The medicine you sent through someone last time worked very well. My knees do not hurt as much now.”

Grandma Yu turned her gaze toward Qi Ning and asked with a smile, “Is this your friend?”

Chu Yunjing nodded. Grandma Yu remarked, “Your friend is as beautiful as you are.”

Qi Ning smiled, unsure of what to say. She finally understood where Xiao Bao learned his charming tongue. However, seeing the kind old woman reminded her of her own grandmother, and her gaze softened.

They chatted for a while before Grandma Yu suddenly gripped her cane to stand up. “I stewed some chicken soup for you. I will go serve two bowls now.”

Chu Yunjing politely declined, saying they had already eaten, but the old woman was stubborn. Finally, Chu Yunjing said, “We will serve it ourselves then. Grandma, you stay here and sit.”

They walked into the kitchen. It was the first time in Qi Ning’s adult life that she had seen a traditional earth stove fueled purely by wood. Her grandmother’s house in the countryside used to have one, but it had long been replaced by a gas stove. Very few places still used firewood.

A large pot sat on the stove, covered by a wooden lid. Chu Yunjing lifted the lid and took two bowls to serve the soup.

“Are you really going to drink it?” Qi Ning whispered. She was full and did not particularly want soup. Moreover, the soup was dark in color and did not look very appetizing.

“Drink a little,” Chu Yunjing said. “The elderly woman made this specifically for us.”

Qi Ning agreed and took the half-bowl of soup. The taste was not bad, but she was not accustomed to the local flavors. After finishing the liquid, she found a chicken wingette in the bowl. She picked it up and took a bite.

The meat was incredibly tough. She chewed twice but could not bite through it. “It is so hard.” Even the bad chicken pot she had eaten recently was not this dry.

Chu Yunjing paused, finished her soup, and said, “This is an old hen.”

“How do you know?”

“Every year I come, Grandma kills the old hen she keeps at home to make soup. If I remember correctly, this was the last one.”

Qi Ning felt a pang of sadness. For a family in poverty, killing their last hen to host guests was the highest form of hospitality. It was a gesture of deep sincerity, so Qi Ning said no more. She simply looked at the wingette in her hand, unsure of what to do. She did not want to eat the tough meat, but throwing it away felt wasteful.

Chu Yunjing read her thoughts. She set her bowl on the stove and placed her hand over the back of Qi Ning’s hand. With a slight pull, she moved the wingette to her own mouth and took a bite. With a firm tug, she tore off a piece of meat.

Qi Ning watched in shock. Chu Yunjing had just bitten the exact spot where Qi Ning had left her own teeth marks.

“Do you not find that dirty?”

Chu Yunjing replied casually, “I do not find you repulsive.”

In the dim light, Qi Ning watched as Chu Yunjing slowly chewed the meat. Her thin lips were stained with soup, giving them a moist, reddish glow. Qi Ning stared for a long time, watching a pink tongue tip dart out to lick a drop of soup from her lower lip.

It was far too captivating. Qi Ning subconsciously swallowed.

The tongue retracted quickly, and Chu Yunjing’s mouth curled into a playful, teasing smirk. “If you keep looking at me like that, I will think you want to kiss me.”

Qi Ning snapped out of her daze and looked away immediately. “Who is looking at you? How shameless,” she denied stubbornly.

Chu Yunjing arched an eyebrow. With a playful glint in her eyes, she took a step forward, bracing both hands on either side of Qi Ning, pinning her against the earth stove.

“Who is it then?” she asked in a light, airy tone. “Is it not you?” She then let out a sigh of mock helplessness. “You are such a coward, yet you will not admit it.”

Chu Yunjing was only trying to tease her. Seeing Qi Ning’s face turn beet-red and her inability to speak was amusing, but the final comment triggered Qi Ning’s competitive streak.

Qi Ning straightened up immediately. “Who are you calling a coward?”

With that, she grabbed Chu Yunjing’s collar and pulled her forward.

She planted a loud kiss on Chu Yunjing’s cheek. The sound was incredibly clear in the silent night.

Chu Yunjing was instantly stunned.

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