A Winter Solstice Surprise

Zhuang Xun opened her eyes and instinctively reached for the other side of the bed. Her hand met only a lingering warmth, not the familiar presence she sought.

She jolted awake, swiftly sitting up to glance beside her. The disheveled sheets bore the distinct impression of a body, yet the person was no longer there.

Just as Zhuang Xun prepared to get out of bed, she heard the distant bedroom door creak open from the outside.

“Awake already?”

Zhuang Xun paused, turning her gaze toward the doorway.

Shen Xian stood there, a chef’s hat adorning her head and an apron tied over her pajamas. In her hand, she held a rolling pin…

A rolling pin?

“Why do you look so surprised?” Shen Xian asked, approaching her with the rolling pin still in hand.

Zhuang Xun’s eyes remained fixed on her. Moments later, Shen Xian stood before her, opening her arms.

Zhuang Xun melted into her embrace, burying her face against Shen Xian’s chest and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

“What are you doing?” Shen Xian’s voice, soft and teasing, drifted down from above.

Zhuang Xun tightened her hold. Shen Xian chuckled softly. “Stop teasing. That tickles.”

Zhuang Xun’s hand moved to the apron, slipping beneath it, tracing a slow path across Shen Xian’s back.

Shen Xian snapped to attention. “Wait! Little Zhuang Xun, what are you doing?”

Zhuang Xun lifted her head from Shen Xian’s embrace, her eyes conveying a clear question.

Are you really not going to continue?

Shen Xian swallowed hard. “No, you can’t.”

Zhuang Xun’s hand remained, continuing its playful journey. Then, she leaned in and gently bit the apron string at her waist, which was perilously close to falling off.

“Stop it, you little rascal.”

“Senior Sister,” Zhuang Xun called out, her voice deceptively calm.

Shen Xian looked down at her, a laugh escaping her lips involuntarily. “Little Zhuang Xun, you look absolutely hilarious right now.”

Zhuang Xun looked puzzled.

Seizing the moment of confusion, Shen Xian suddenly leaned down and pressed a kiss to Zhuang Xun’s lips. It was a fleeting touch, as light as a dragonfly skimming water. It was gone as quickly as it came.

As Zhuang Xun prepared to pull her back down to deepen the kiss, Shen Xian placed a finger to her lips, speaking earnestly. “You really can’t right now.”

She paused, leaning in to whisper softly into Zhuang Xun’s ear, “Tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xun removed her hand from Shen Xian’s back and quickly stood up, retying the loose apron string. Standing behind her, Zhuang Xun gently bit the nape of Shen Xian’s neck while fastening the bow.

Shen Xian reached up to touch the spot where she had been bitten, but Zhuang Xun caught her hand the next second.

Zhuang Xun spoke calmly, “Are we making dumplings?”

Shen Xian’s attention was successfully diverted by the question. She no longer dwelled on the bite, nodding instead. “Yes. But I’m not very good at wrapping them.”

“It’s alright, I’ll help you.”

Shen Xian smiled, reaching out to cup Zhuang Xun’s cheek. “Rather than helping me, you should wash your face first. You look like a big calico cat.”

Hm?

Before Zhuang Xun could react, Shen Xian walked out of the room. “Hurry up and get ready!”

When Zhuang Xun stood before the bathroom mirror, she finally noticed the white flour smeared across her face. She must have brushed against Shen Xian’s apron when she hugged her. Only then did she understand why Shen Xian had called her hilarious.

Zhuang Xun turned on the faucet, washed her face, and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, her fingers unconsciously caressing her own lips.

“Senior Sister, what is this?” Zhuang Xun pondered, looking at the round, flour-dusted lump of dough on the table that resembled a cross between a tomato and a potato.

Shen Xian scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. “I think I put too much filling in… I had to use two wrappers to try and cover it all…”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xun shifted her gaze from the spherical dumpling back to the girl. “Senior Sister, is this your first time making dumplings?”

Even when Zhuang Xun made dumplings alone as a child, she had never made anything quite so… adorably peculiar.

Shen Xian mumbled softly, “Of course it’s my first time… I’m not very good at these kinds of crafts…” Then, she raised her voice defensively. “You’re not allowed to laugh at me!”

“I’m not.”

“Your lips definitely curved up by one pixel!”

Zhuang Xun paused for a moment, then spoke with an indulgent tone. “Alright, as an apology, I’ll teach you how to wrap them.”

“That’s more like it!” Shen Xian walked to the kitchen counter, returning with a few things. “Take off your ring; you can put it back on after we finish.”

“Okay.”

“Little Zhuang Xun, you’re really amazing!”

As Zhuang Xun took off her apron, she saw Shen Xian gazing at her with sparkling eyes filled with adoration.

She leaned over the table, kissed Shen Xian, then sat opposite her, gesturing. “Senior Sister, try one.”

Shen Xian picked up her chopsticks, chose a dumpling, and popped it into her mouth. “It’s really delicious!”

Zhuang Xun watched Shen Xian, whose face was alight with a happy smile, and said, “I’m glad you like it.”

“Of course I like it! Ah—” Shen Xian picked up another dumpling and held it out.

Zhuang Xun looked at her and opened her mouth, accepting the bite.

“You can only make them for me from now on.”

“Mm.”

“Since we finished eating, you can do anything you want to do now,” Zhuang Xun offered.

Shen Xian’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Mm.”

“When did you buy these, Senior Sister?” Zhuang Xun asked slowly. She leaned against the bedroom doorframe, looking at the neatly arranged cat ears and maid outfit sitting on the bed.

She had absolutely no idea her Senior Sister had bought such things.

Shen Xian picked up the maid outfit, stating very seriously, “I grew cat ears and a tail because of the toxins before, but Little Zhuang Xun, you haven’t experienced it yet. If that’s the case, it’s only fair that you get to have a turn too!”

Zhuang Xun fell silent. She still vividly remembered many details from that day.

“Although the texture might not be as realistic, do you want to try it?” Shen Xian blinked, a hint of fake grievance in her eyes. “Or is Little Zhuang Xun unwilling?”

“No.” Zhuang Xun strode toward the bed, passed her, and picked up the cat ears. “If I put these on, I won’t stop today.”

“Eh?!”

Under Shen Xian’s shocked gaze, Zhuang Xun placed the cat ears on her head, then snatched the maid outfit from Shen Xian’s hands, pressing her down onto the mattress.

Shen Xian swallowed hard. “I—I think we don’t have to do it this way!”

Zhuang Xun kissed Shen Xian’s forehead, her hand sliding down to unzip her outfit. “Senior Sister, it’s too late.”

Little Theater:

“Where did my failed round dumpling go? And all those oddly shaped ones from the beginning?” Shen Xian asked Zhuang Xun. She was drying her hair while Zhuang Xun sat on the sofa watching TV.

Zhuang Xun calmly replied, “I ate them.”

Shen Xian was somewhat shocked. “Those might not even have been cooked properly! Wait, you actually ate all of them?”

“Mm, they were cooked. I ate them all.”

Zhuang Xun placed the remote control on the coffee table and waved her over. “Senior Sister, come here. I’ll help you blow-dry your hair.”

Shen Xian walked over and sat down on the soft rug in front of her. She looked up, asking again, “Were they really cooked?”

“Mm. Really.” Zhuang Xun used the towel to gently rub Shen Xian’s hair, then took a hairdryer from a nearby drawer.

Shen Xian murmured, “But why would you even eat the failed ones…”

Zhuang Xun gently stroked Shen Xian’s hair. “Because Senior Sister made them.”

“Oh, my.”

The next second, the host’s voice came from the TV broadcast. “Today is the Winter Solstice! Have all of you viewers eaten dumplings? Wishing all our viewers and your families happiness and fulfillment. Happy Winter Solstice!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian looked up, meeting Zhuang Xun’s eyes. Zhuang Xun instinctively turned off the hairdryer.

“Happy Winter Solstice, Little Zhuang Xun.”

“Happy Winter Solstice, Senior Sister.”