Chapter 125: Return from Target Practice
Chapter 125: Return from Target Practice
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Li Zian pressed the doorbell of the neighbor’s house while carrying a grocery basket.
Footsteps came from behind the door. Li Zian listened carefully, but he could only hear muffled sounds. He couldn’t tell whether it was Mu Long or Mu Chuntao’s footsteps. If he had been holding a lit sandalwood incense stick at that moment, he could have identified who was coming to open the door based on the characteristics of the footsteps.
Click, the door opened.
A Peach Blossom Face appeared at the doorway. Happiness showed on her face, her eyes were full of affection, and there was a hint of feigned annoyance.
She was wearing a one-piece yoga outfit, somewhat like the kind ballet dancers wear, and it was pink, with a strong girly style.
Their eyes met.
You stare, I stare.
After several seconds, Li Zian coughed dryly, “Are you practicing yoga?”
It seemed like a question.
But anyone who wasn’t blind should have known the answer.
Mu Chuntao pursed her lips and smiled without saying a word, stepping aside from the door.
Li Zian walked inside, his gaze moving past Mu Chuntao as he looked toward the Living Room. He asked, “Is Uncle Mu home?”
Mu Chuntao still didn’t speak, but she closed the door.
“Is your dad home?” Li Zian asked again quietly.
Mu Chuntao laughed and said, “Are you here to see me or my dad?”
“Of course I’m here to see you,” Li Zian said, cutting off half of his sentence—why would I come looking for your dad?
Mu Chuntao gave Li Zian a charming glare. “Then why did you ask if my dad was home?”
“It’s polite. Shouldn’t a junior greet their elder?” Li Zian entered the Living Room and looked around but didn’t see Mu Long.
“I don’t believe you. If my dad weren’t home, what would you want to do?” Mu Chuntao said.
Not seeing Mu Long, Li Zian’s courage grew. He lowered his voice and said, “What do you want me to do?”
“Coward. Last night you said you’d leave the door open for me, but when I came over, it was closed.”
Li Zian was slightly taken aback. “You… you really came over last night?”
Mu Chuntao gave him another charming glare. “Otherwise, how would I know you didn’t leave the door open for me, you coward.”
Li Zian smiled wryly. “I actually did leave the door open for you, but Officer Liu asked me to help him with a case, so I went out. I closed the door when I left.”
“To catch the killer again?”
“Yeah.” Li Zian was a bit distracted, staring at her one-piece yoga outfit.
“Did you catch him?”
“We found out who the killer was, but he got away.” Li Zian kept staring at her one-piece yoga outfit, finding it more and more appealing.
Mu Chuntao said, “Next time Officer Liu comes to find you, just don’t go. You’re not a police officer. Even if you catch the killer, the credit goes to them. What’s the use of giving you a certificate? Besides, catching killers is dangerous. What if you get hurt? You’re a grown-up—can’t you think about the consequences?”
Although her words carried a hint of blame, Li Zian felt warm inside. He smiled and said, “Well, last night when I was catching the killer, I really missed you.”
“Really?” The corners of Mu Chuntao’s mouth were full of smiles.
Li Zian raised his left hand, the one not holding the basket. “I swear to heaven…”
Before he could finish his so-called oath, Mu Chuntao let out a soft moan, buried herself in his arms, and his raised hand came down. The grocery basket in his other hand fell to the ground.
The Devialet speaker was playing music suitable for yoga practice, natural sounds of water flowing from a stone wall, with a babbling stream. There was also an unknown animal nibbling on fruit, making constant munching sounds.
Li Zian had originally come to tell Mu Chuntao about Yu Meilin inviting them for dinner that evening. But from the second Mu Chuntao appeared in front of him, his heart was filled with Taozi, and he forgot everything else. Now, he couldn’t remember at all. He was like a fish caught in a net—the more he struggled, the tighter the net wrapped around him.
Just as he was about to risk everything and break free, Mu Chuntao suddenly pulled away and called out, “Dad.”
That “Dad” frightened Li Zian out of his wits. He hurriedly looked toward the staircase.
The staircase was empty; Mu Long hadn’t appeared.
It was a false alarm, but several large beads of sweat still broke out on Li Zian’s forehead.
If Mu Long had really come down just now and seen his precious daughter and the married man from next door kissing, he probably would have rushed into the Kitchen without a word, grabbed a kitchen knife, and come out to chop up Old Li from next door, right?
Mu Chuntao burst out laughing. “Scared you, didn’t I?”
Li Zian glared at her.
“My dad went out early this morning. A friend invited him to hang out, and he won’t be back today,” Mu Chuntao said.
Hearing this, Li Zian’s courage inflated again and grew bigger. He put on a fierce expression. “Alright, you dared to trick me. Let’s see how I spank you.”
He reached out to grab Mu Chuntao’s arm.
He had already planned it out—catch her and then spank her.
He wanted to be a baker, using physical methods to help the dough rise.
But before he could accomplish the first step, Mu Chuntao turned and ran, clattering up the stairs.
Li Zian chased after her for two steps but couldn’t keep going. For some reason, he looked back at the grocery basket on the floor.
You came out to buy groceries.
How did you end up at the neighbor’s house?
What kind of vegetables do they grow next door?
He thought that if he didn’t go upstairs, Mu Chuntao would come down soon. But after waiting for two minutes, she didn’t come down, nor did she peek down to look at him.
After two minutes and one second, he couldn’t control his feet anymore and stepped onto the stairs to go up.
This was the first time he had climbed the stairs to her house.
As he walked up, he reflected on himself.
I came to buy groceries.
What am I doing?
Li Zian, ah, Li Zian, you really shouldn’t…
Yet, he still went upstairs.
There were three rooms upstairs. The doors of two rooms were closed, but the door at the end of the hallway was open.
He had left home at 10 o’clock, and several more minutes had passed since then. If he delayed any longer before buying groceries, he probably wouldn’t make it back in time to cook lunch. And if the Old Matriarch asked about it when he got home, how should he answer?
Li Zian’s heart was conflicted, but his feet still moved toward the open door.
This was Mu Chuntao’s bedroom—spacious and bright, without flashy decorations or furnishings. The blue-and-white color scheme was simple yet stylish. The tiles in the bathroom were Mediterranean Sea style, and even the glass had a slight blue frosted effect.
Mu Chuntao was washing peaches by the sink, bent over at the waist. The lines formed by her narrow waist and long legs were especially eye-catching.
He saw the Camel’s Foot Arch again.
Li Zian took a deep breath and coughed dryly. “So this is your room. The decor style is quite nice.”
Mu Chuntao glanced back at Li Zian, holding back a laugh. “Did you come to my room just to look at the decor?”
“Right. Did you design this, or was it a designer?” Li Zian pretended to glance at the ceiling but returned his gaze after just one second.
The idea of being a baker grew even stronger.
“I just love watching you pretend to be proper,” Mu Chuntao said, turning back to wash the peaches. There were already two washed peaches in the fruit bowl on the sink, and on the other side of the sink was a plastic bag filled to the brim with peaches.
Li Zian saw that after washing the third peach, Mu Chuntao picked up another from the plastic bag and held it under the faucet. He quickly said, “That’s enough, that’s enough. If you wash too many, we won’t be able to eat them all.”
“How do you know I’m washing them for you to eat?” Mu Chuntao turned and smiled at Li Zian.
Li Zian also smiled: “If you aren’t washing these for me to eat, then are you washing them for yourself?”
Mu Chuntao gave Li Zian a look of disdain. She placed the third washed peach into the fruit bowl and reached into the plastic bag for the fourth one.
Li Zian grew nervous: “I really can’t eat that many.”
Mu Chuntao turned her head and pouted: “Last time you ate ten, and this time you can’t even handle four?”
“I still need to go buy groceries,” Li Zian said, feeling extremely awkward inside.
“I have a cabbage in my fridge. You can take it later and say you bought it,” Mu Chuntao said. She put the fourth peach into the fruit bowl and took a fifth one from the plastic bag, bringing it under the faucet to wash.
Li Zian felt a headache coming on and some pressure building inside him.
But when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Camel’s Foot Arch, his headache vanished, and the pressure disappeared.
“So, besides a cabbage, what other vegetables do you have in your fridge?” Li Zian watched her skilled movements as she washed the peach. He didn’t need to think hard to know he wasn’t going grocery shopping today.
“I think there’s also a tomato. Later, whatever is there, you take it all,” Mu Chuntao said. She wasn’t in the mood to chat about boring vegetable matters; washing peaches was much more enjoyable.
Li Zian reached out and closed the door.
Mu Chuntao looked back with a smile: “Don’t you like looking at interior designs? Come see how this bathtub is.”
Her words were like a hook with bait.
Li Zian wanted to act reserved, especially since he carried the honor of being a Master, but his feet stepped forward almost as soon as she finished speaking.
In the Living Room, the Devialet speaker was still playing yoga music.
The earlier sound of spring water had passed. Now, the sounds of nature were playing—rumbling thunder, followed by rain falling and pattering on banana leaves.
Rain beat against the banana leaves, turning them a vibrant green.
A small bird huddled in its nest. The rain soaked its feathers, and it lifted its head, chirping as if calling for Grandfather Sun to return, dispel the rain clouds, and shine warm sunlight.
Music was truly amazing. With just a few natural sounds, it could paint such vivid pictures.
Rumble, rumble.
The heavy rain continued without pause.
This segment of rainfall sounds played for a full hour before it ended, and new music began—the sound of a waterfall cascading down.
A little while later, Li Zian and Mu Chuntao came downstairs.
Li Zian took a cabbage, a tomato, a piece of meat, some spring onions, and two cucumbers from the Kitchen, nearly emptying the fridge.
“If I take all the vegetables, what will you eat?” Li Zian felt a bit guilty.
Mu Chuntao smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me. I can just order takeout. The main thing is, you came out to buy groceries. If you don’t take some back, how will you explain it?”
“Well then, I’ll take them,” Li Zian said, truly feeling a little embarrassed.
Mu Chuntao placed the peaches from the fruit bowl into the grocery basket Li Zian had brought: “Take these peaches back with you too.”
“The peaches aren’t really necessary, are they?”
“Just take them. I have plenty more. If you want to eat some, just come over,” Mu Chuntao said, winking at Li Zian.
Li Zian suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit and said, “I just remembered, Meilin said she invited friends for dinner tonight and asked me to come invite you.”
“Are you going?” Mu Chuntao asked.
Li Zian nodded: “I’m going.”
“If you go, then I’ll go,” Mu Chuntao said.
“Alright, then I should head back. I need to start cooking,” Li Zian said.
Mu Chuntao pouted: “Give me a hug before you go.”
Li Zian reached out his arms, feeling as if he was holding a lifetime of happiness.
It was several minutes before Li Zian finally stepped out. He returned to his own door, took a deep breath, checked himself for anything out of place, any red marks on his skin or anything like that. Once everything seemed proper, he entered the password and scanned his fingerprint to unlock the door.
Perfect.
The Master had returned from buying groceries.
To be more accurate, he had actually returned from target practice.