Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

He Xinglan was completely stunned.

“Mom, why are you still so aggressive towards me even in my dream?”

“Dream?” He’s mother was so amused by He Xinglan’s comment that she laughed angrily.

She tossed the phone from the bedside table directly onto He Xinglan’s lap.

“See what time it is yourself!”

“I told you yesterday to behave well at Manman’s house. Is this how you behave? Sleeping until noon?”

He’s mother sighed repeatedly, extremely exasperated.

“Aren’t you afraid of being disliked?”

While saying this, He’s mother became even more satisfied with Yin Qiuman.

What else could it be but true love to pamper her daughter like this?!

With Yin Qiuman as a comparison, He’s mother thought even less of her own daughter.

She gave the still-dazed He Xinglan a glare, her tone utterly lacking in warmth: “Get up quickly. Manman is helping her mother in the kitchen. Hurry up and go switch with Manman so she can rest.”

He Xinglan finally woke up. After quickly washing up and changing clothes, she walked into the living room and saw her father and Yin Huaishan sitting together, sipping tea and chatting. Her mother was in the kitchen talking with Leng Ci.

The conversation, of course, was full of compliments about her girlfriend.

Yin Qiuman stood next to Leng Ci, her face flushed while preparing vegetables.

“Mom, Manman,” He Xinglan walked over, greeting them sweetly.

“Manman, let me,” He Xinglan greeted her, then stepped forward, snatching the task from Yin Qiuman’s hands. The two stood close together, and He Xinglan complained quietly: “Manman, why didn’t you wake me up when you got up?”

Yin Qiuman’s lips held a smile, her tone gentle and indulgent: “I saw you were sleeping soundly.”

“You still should have called me! You got up so early, and I slept so late. Mom is going to have an opinion of me.” He Xinglan was happy to be cherished by her girlfriend, but she was still worried about the elders.

“No, my Mom wouldn’t dream of it.”

He Xinglan chuckled upon hearing this, then asked: “Did you call my parents?”

“We agreed that I would call them!”

Yin Qiuman looked at He Xinglan, full of confusion: “Isn’t it the same?”

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s the same. My Mom is even happier that you called.”

Just like Yin Qiuman’s mother liked her, her own mother also preferred Yin Qiuman.

That’s good.

He Xinglan didn’t manage to help much because Leng Ci and Yin Qiuman had already finished most of the preparations. Essentially, they were just waiting for He Xinglan to wake up.

Seeing He Xinglan awake, they quickly stir-fried a few dishes, and the two families gathered around the same table.

Naturally, the first meeting between the two families involved plenty of pleasantries. He’s mother and father were full of compliments for Yin Qiuman, and Leng Ci and Yin Huaishan, not to be outdone, were full of compliments for He Xinglan.

This round of praise from the four elders made He Xinglan and Yin Qiuman want to crawl under the table.

He Xinglan couldn’t take it anymore. She quickly finished eating with Yin Qiuman and pulled her out the door.

Standing in the community courtyard, He Xinglan took deep breaths.

“So embarrassing, so embarrassing! It’s so awkward. I never knew being complimented could be so uncomfortable.”

Yin Qiuman agreed, nodding: “Yes, Auntie is very articulate.”

With the complimentary terms He’s mother used, Yin Qiuman felt like she was back in school. She had even forgotten some of those idioms from lack of use.

“That’s why I brought you out immediately, to spare our ears.” He Xinglan felt this counted as rescuing the damsel in distress.

Both were full, so going for a walk to aid digestion was perfect since they were already out.

One advantage of Yin Qiuman’s family always living here was that casual strolls often became a trip down memory lane.

For example, the small alley to the right of the community gate.

Only two families lived in that alley. Few people passed through. When the two were dating at eighteen, He Xinglan often pulled Yin Qiuman into the alley, pushed her against the wall, and kissed her on the way home.

He Xinglan and Yin Qiuman exchanged a look; memories simultaneously flooded their minds.

He Xinglan smiled and raised her chin toward Yin Qiuman: “Shall we walk further inside?”

Her eyes were practically screaming mischief.

Yin Qiuman rolled her eyes and said: “You’re much bolder now than you used to be.”

“Of course! We don’t have to sneak around anymore.”

He Xinglan said this, pulling Yin Qiuman into the small alley. The action was almost identical to the past. Before Yin Qiuman could react, she was pinned against the wall by He Xinglan.

“Jiejie, if I kiss you right now, would it feel particularly meaningful?” He Xinglan lowered her head, resting her forehead against Yin Qiuman’s, smiling naughtily.

Yin Qiuman instinctively looked around. Her eyes were full of agitation, like a startled deer.

“No,” Yin Qiuman refused: “We’re not children anymore.”

He Xinglan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, displeased.

“We could kiss when we were children, but not now that we’re grown up? What kind of logic is that, Miss Top Student?”

Yin Qiuman: “…Someone might see us.”

Yin Qiuman’s face was flushed. The thought that passersby might see them kissing made her want to find a hole and crawl into it.

The twenty-five-year-old Yin Qiuman was less bold than the eighteen-year-old Yin Qiuman in this regard.

He Xinglan: “So what if someone sees us? I’m kissing my girlfriend. What’s there to be afraid of?”

He Xinglan looked completely fearless.

She even seemed to want to show off…

Yin Qiuman: “…”

“If you don’t say anything, I’m going to kiss you.” He Xinglan said, and without waiting for Yin Qiuman’s reaction, she went straight in for the kiss.

The moment their lips met, the two felt as if they had returned to that year when they were eighteen.

High school required evening self-study. Students in the small county town’s high school were all day students. He Xinglan had to go home, and Yin Qiuman also had to go home.

Initially, they went their separate ways, but ever since He Xinglan and Yin Qiuman started dating, walking Yin Qiuman home became something He Xinglan did every day.

Evening self-study finished at 9:30 PM. On summer nights, the roads would still be filled with people trying to cool off. He Xinglan would walk Yin Qiuman to the community gate.

On the first day they confirmed their relationship, He Xinglan pulled Yin Qiuman into this uninhabited alley. Using the reason that they were now girlfriends, she pinned Yin Qiuman against the wall and domineeringly stole her first kiss.

At that time, neither of them knew how to kiss. It was just lips touching lips.

He Xinglan only felt that Yin Qiuman’s lips were soft, like the peach-flavored jelly she had eaten, and carried a faint fragrance.

Aside from holding hands, this was their first intimate skin-to-skin contact. As He Xinglan released Yin Qiuman, she subconsciously licked her lips.

“Is this kissing? It’s quite sweet.”

Yin Qiuman’s face turned beet red. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but retort: “Sweet where? You just ate a sausage, and that’s all I could taste!”

Yin Qiuman’s expression was quite disgusted.

He Xinglan laughed awkwardly. She hadn’t realized that while she tasted sweetness, Yin Qiuman tasted the sausage. For a moment, she regretted buying and eating the sausage on the way.

Giving her girlfriend a bad experience on their first kiss… but…

He Xinglan thought for a moment and proposed a remedy: “Then next time I kiss you, I’ll eat two candies first. What flavor do you like? I’ll go buy some.”