Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Today was Shan Ling’s last day in the dorm. Technically, she could have left tomorrow, but Shen Qingyi had to work, and Shan Ling felt it would be inappropriate to go to her house alone.

Fortunately, Shan Ling didn’t have many belongings. She arrived with two boxes, and she didn’t have much more when she left.

Xu Wentao naturally missed her, holding Shan Ling and talking for a long time, nearly following her into the car. Shan Ling had to comfort her, promising to meet up often.

With all the dragging and emotional farewells, it was already 11:30 PM by the time Shan Ling got into the car.

The trunk was completely packed with her belongings. Some items that didn’t fit, Shen Qingyi placed on the back seat. Only then did they head towards Shen Qingyi’s home.

Shan Ling was in a cheerful mood, enjoying the pleasant rhythm of “+1+1+1” karma and watching the scenery flash by outside the window. She felt the door to a new world was about to open for her.

“Thank you today,” Shan Ling hugged her backpack and turned to look at Shen Qingyi, who was driving diligently. She smiled: “If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t know how I’d move these two boxes.”

“It’s nothing serious,” Shen Qingyi held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on the door, saying casually, “I was coming over anyway.”

Seeing her lowered gaze, Shan Ling asked with concern: “Are you tired?”

“A little,” Shen Qingyi said. “Mainly, I feel very secure when I’m with you.”

This was true. Shen Qingyi usually experienced some degree of anxiety, which could occasionally be very intense, but as long as Shan Ling was by her side, the anxious feelings diminished significantly.

Shen Qingyi thought that if she told Zhou Shu this, Zhou Shu would definitely advise her to be tethered to Shan Ling and never separate, even for a second.

Shan Ling was also delighted by Shen Qingyi’s rather unique “compliment.” The two chatted and laughed, helping Shen Qingyi stay alert, making the drive relaxing.

There were very few cars on the road at midnight, so there was no congestion. Shen Qingyi drove straight home, parked the car in an empty spot downstairs, and helped Shan Ling carry the two suitcases upstairs.

Shan Ling had been here “openly” once before, so she clearly remembered which floor Shen Qingyi lived on and was familiar with swiping the access card.

It was as if she frequently came and went from here.

After opening the door, Shan Ling turned on the lights in the foyer and living room. Then she and Shen Qingyi worked together to bring the suitcases in from outside the door.

“Phew—”

Shan Ling put her hands on her hips and gasped: “Why do I have so much stuff? It’s so heavy!”

Shen Qingyi was fine, only slightly out of breath. She closed the door and told Shan Ling, “It’s too late tonight. Leave this stuff here, and we’ll organize it tomorrow.”

Shan Ling thought so too. She put her backpack on the living room sofa, ignored the clean laundry draped over it, found her pajamas and toiletries, and looked up at Shen Qingyi: “Can I take a shower? I feel all sweaty.”

Shen Qingyi nodded and said, “You used it once before. Do you remember how everything works?”

Shan Ling said happily, “I remember, I remember. I’ll go first, I’ll be out in five minutes.”

“No rush. You can take a longer shower.”

“Okay!”

Seeing that the sofa was messy and there was nowhere to sit, Shen Qingyi went to the kitchen to boil a kettle of water, then pulled up a chair and sat down.

It was already past midnight. She glanced at the messy state of the house, thinking she should call Nuonuo tomorrow and go to the coffee shop in the afternoon.

After all, the house needed cleaning.

Listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom, Shen Qingyi deeply felt that with another person’s presence, the house felt less frightening than before.

Shan Ling was quick in the shower. She not only washed her human body but also filled a basin to wash her bird body. She smelled fresh and clean from inside out, from top to bottom!

She wore her thin pajamas, which she had acquired for free during a mall promotion. They were thin but notably cheap and soft, making them very comfortable to wear.

When Shen Qingyi saw her come out, she had already tidied the pillows and blankets. She pointed to the inner side of the bed and said, “You still sleep here. We won’t switch places. The heater is on, so you can just go to sleep in a moment.”

“Thank you, Yiyi.” Shan Ling sat on the soft, springy bed, happily wanting to roll around.

Shen Qingyi was also happy but didn’t show it too obviously. She said goodnight to Shan Ling and went to the bathroom with her change of clothes.

After Shen Qingyi left, Shan Ling couldn’t resist and rolled around on the double bed.

Besides the fresh, sunny scent, the bedding even had a slight hint of Shen Qingyi’s scent.

Shan Ling realized how improper she was being and quickly rolled over to her side, lifted the blanket, and climbed in.

After Shen Qingyi finished her shower and came out, the two lay side-by-side in bed.

Shan Ling was used to staying up late. Although it was nearly 1 AM, her biological clock felt like the nightlife was just beginning.

“Yiyi,” Shan Ling hugged the blanket, turned her head to look at Shen Qingyi lying next to her, and asked, “Is your coffee shop very busy? What will I be able to do after I start working there?”

Shen Qingyi generally didn’t like to talk about work at home, but seeing Shan Ling ask, she thought for a moment and said: “Just like what you did before—serving coffee to customers, packing takeout orders, and tidying tables. If we are short-handed, you might also be responsible for taking orders and handling the cash register. It’s all very simple. Nuonuo and I will both teach you.”

“Oh,” Shan Ling nodded, thinking it didn’t sound very difficult.

She looked up and asked Shen Qingyi, “I heard Nuonuo say that you weren’t satisfied with many of the people who applied before. Why is that?”

Shen Qingyi thought: Isn’t it because of you?

The work at the coffee shop was simple, and Shen Qingyi was hoping Shan Ling would come, which made her find fault with every applicant. All sorts of minor flaws were infinitely magnified—she thought one person was too short, another person was too dull.

In short, no one was as good as Shan Ling.

“There were various reasons, of course,” Shen Qingyi turned slightly, rubbed Shan Ling’s head, and gently pushed her back under the covers. “It’s 1 AM. Get some rest. You need to adjust your body clock.”

Shan Ling lay under the covers, watched Shen Qingyi switch off the light with a ‘click,’ plunging the entire bedroom into darkness.

The soft mattress underneath her was a completely different feel from the hard wooden bunk bed at the amusement park, making Shan Ling feel immediately much sleepier.

Shan Ling closed her eyes and said, “Goodnight.”

The next morning, Shen Qingyi was awakened by a burst of chirping birdsong. When she opened her eyes, she saw two birds standing outside the bedroom window. They chirped away, and when they saw Shen Qingyi was awake, they flew away.

Shen Qingyi checked the light outside. The morning sun was just starting to spread across the ground, looking like it was only 7 o’clock.

In fact, it was just past 7 AM.

The other occupant of the bed was gone. Shen Qingyi was slightly displeased that the first thing she saw in the morning wasn’t Shan Ling, but a group of birds.

However, when she heard the sound coming from the balcony, her heart skipped a beat.

“Yes, yes, I’m back again.”

On the balcony, Shan Ling, wearing pajamas and fuzzy slippers, was standing with her hands on her hips, watering the plants. A few birds were perched on the railing outside the balcony, chirping noisily.

“What are you saying?” Shen Qingyi asked, speaking up.

Shan Ling jumped in surprise. When she turned around, the watering can splashed water onto her shoes, soaking her fuzzy slippers. A stream of water was clearly visible on the plush material.

“Oops!” Shan Ling looked down at her shoes and said helplessly, “They’re wet now.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. She walked over and said, “Just hang them up to dry. The weather looks great today.”

Hearing this, Shan Ling looked up and smiled widely: “It is! It’s a great day, so I watered your flowers for you.”

Then, Shan Ling scolded Shen Qingyi: “You haven’t been watering them, have you? Don’t you know plants will die if you don’t water them? And you need to fertilize and loosen the soil regularly. I remember telling you to water them last time I was here. Have you not watered them since then?”

Shen Qingyi blinked. She really hadn’t watered them since that time.

“Alright,” Shen Qingyi smiled. “I’ll remember to water them from now on.”

She glanced at the birds still outside on the balcony, suddenly wondering, “That’s strange. Aren’t these birds afraid of people? We’ve been standing on the balcony for so long, and they’re still here.”

Normally, they would fly away immediately if they noticed a person. Why were they lined up like this, looking as if they were watching a show?

Watching a show?

Shen Qingyi found it very odd. Why did she feel like these birds were watching her… show???

Before Shen Qingyi could figure it out, the birds fluttered and flew away, interrupting her thoughts.

“Don’t worry about them,” Shan Ling put down the watering can, took Shen Qingyi’s hand, and pulled her toward the dining area, saying, “I made you breakfast. Come eat while it’s hot.”

It was then that Shen Qingyi noticed the house seemed to have been cleaned. None of the decorative items had been moved, but all the dust had been wiped away.

The previously cluttered dining table was neatly organized and similarly wiped sparkling clean, glowing in the morning light.

In addition, Shen Qingyi noticed that the living room was also tidy. The floor and the TV cabinet were clean. This made Shen Qingyi wonder what time Shan Ling had woken up to be able to tidy the house so meticulously.

It felt as though the house had returned to how it was during that period of time.

Shan Ling served a small plate of pickles, an egg pancake, and a bowl of millet porridge.

“Give it a try,” Shan Ling stood by Shen Qingyi, like a loyal personal assistant: “The pickles are my own. The egg pancake is freshly made, and the porridge is cooked. I added just a little bit of sugar. If you don’t like sweet porridge, I won’t add it next time.”

Shen Qingyi looked at the breakfast and the clean, tidy house and said helplessly to Shan Ling, “You really don’t have to do this. I told you I’d do the housework, or Aunt Jiang would come over to clean. You only need to cook.”

Shan Ling didn’t care at all. She smiled and said, “I have nothing to do when I wake up early anyway, so I tidied up a bit. You first try the porridge and see if it’s edible.”

Shen Qingyi picked up the spoon and drank a mouthful of the porridge. It was soft and sticky, with a subtle sweetness in the aftertaste. The flavor was excellent.

“It’s delicious,” Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling and said, “Sit down and eat together.”

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