The Bliss of a Sister’s Massage

“Chen Si Yi, a little lower, yes, yes, right there! Hurry, hurry! Yes, just there, ah~ So comfortable, keep going, phew~.”

The scorching sun beat down, the hour just past noon. After a satisfying lunch, wrapped in a white nightgown and basking in the pleasant warmth, I reclined languidly on the sofa. My face was buried in a goose-down pillow, eyes half-closed as I indulged in Chen Si Yi’s personal massage.

“A little higher, yes, yes, right there, around the shoulder. Press a bit more.”

I pointed to my shoulder over my back, only to be met immediately with Chen Si Yi’s grumbling.

“What is it? Why do I still have to massage your shoulder?” Chen Si Yi pouted, clearly displeased. “I’ve been massaging for over an hour, and I’ve already done your shoulders so many times!”

“Oh, there’s nothing I can do about it…” I lifted my face from the pillow, speaking with an air of helplessness. “It seems to be an aftereffect. My shoulder has been aching ever since yesterday.”

“I could have endured it, but ever since I drank that bowl of pumpkin porridge this morning and was misunderstood by someone, my shoulder just…”

“Stop, stop, stop! I know all this, you don’t need to say another word!”

Chen Si Yi angrily cut me off, then grabbed my head and forcefully buried it back into the pillow.

“I’ll keep massaging you, alright? That’ll make you feel better, won’t it?”

As she spoke, Chen Si Yi gripped both of my shoulders, her slender fingers applying pressure as she resumed the massage.

“Hehe…” With my eyes still closed, I raised a hand to give an ‘okay’ gesture. “Thank you, little sister. It really does feel a tiny bit better.”

****

Time swiftly passed, and evening descended. The dim, yellow light filtered through the curtains, casting a layer of golden foil across the floor.

Upon catching the enticing aroma of food wafting from the dining table, my stomach rumbled, and I reluctantly pushed myself up from the sofa. I stretched my arms with a yawn, feeling as if every bone in my body had turned to jelly.

Indeed, from three in the afternoon until six in the evening, a full three hours before the takeout arrived, I had been continuously enjoying the beneficial massage from my sister, Chen Si Yi. It wasn’t until she was drenched in sweat, her thin blue bra faintly discernible through her clothes, that I finally waved my hand, nodding contentedly, and told her she didn’t need to continue.

The moment the words left my mouth, Chen Si Yi, who had been straddling my lower abdomen, immediately let out a sigh of relief. Her body sagged, and she collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted and unable to move.

Several minutes later, once her breathing had stabilized and her chest was no longer gently rising and falling, she hurried to the bedroom to grab a change of clothes, then, wrapped in a bath towel, dashed to the bathroom for a shower.

Thanks to this, after a hot shower, Chen Si Yi, now emanating a fresh scent, had no energy left to cook. She reluctantly opened her phone and ordered an exceptionally lavish dinner from a takeout app.

Although, for revenge, the takeout was paid for with money from my bank card. But who cared? Anything that could be solved with money was no big deal. Compared to Chen Si Yi’s devilish ‘dark cuisine’ concoctions, I’d rather spend money to avert disaster and enjoy a delicious meal.

“Ah, it smells so good! What are we eating tonight?”

Having risen from the sofa, feeling considerably more refreshed from head to toe, I was naturally in an exceptionally joyful mood. I practically bounced to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Picking up the chopsticks before me, I began to chew.

“Mmm, this crispy pork in sweet and sour sauce is quite good!”

I swallowed a piece of the succulent, non-greasy pork, unable to suppress my praise. While it lacked a bit of the freshness compared to my own rendition of crispy pork, when stacked against Chen Si Yi’s ‘dishwater-fried greens’ from this morning, this plate of crispy pork was truly a supreme delicacy capable of bringing tears to one’s eyes!

“Excellent, excellent. Let me try this shredded pork with green peppers as well.”

I glanced sideways, setting my sights on a plate of stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers next to the crispy pork. The green peppers and pork were uniformly sliced, and the cooking temperature was perfectly controlled. Not only did it retain the ingredients’ inherent freshness, but the aroma and color were also flawless, making one’s mouth water unconsciously.

“Hmm, this restaurant is genuinely great. Si Yi, you absolutely must tell me the name of this place later. I’ll order from here whenever I don’t feel like cooking.” I chewed the food in my mouth, turning my head to look at Chen Si Yi.

However, unlike me, who was feasting with gusto, Chen Si Yi, sitting beside me, was frowning deeply. Her chin rested on her left hand, her head drooped, and an indescribable melancholy clouded her expression.

“What’s wrong, Si Yi?” I tilted my head, feigning ignorance. “Why aren’t you eating? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…”

Chen Si Yi beside me ignored my question. She opened her eyes wide and glared at me fiercely, then sighed. “I’m not sick. You go ahead and eat. I’m just a bit tired; I’ll rest a while before eating.”

“Oh, I see!” I nodded lightly, then continued to pick up shredded pork with my chopsticks, placing it into my bowl of white rice and eating heartily.

How should I put it? While I felt a pang of guilt for my exhausted sister, the thought of my painful experience after turning into a loli immediately lessened that sense of wrongdoing. Besides, having Chen Si Yi massage my shoulders and back was partly due to a small, private desire for revenge. But fundamentally, it was because Chen Si Yi’s finger massage was simply too comfortable!

I can proudly say that my sister’s massage technique is among the best in the industry. And the only person who knows this, apart from myself, is no one else.

When we were children, our parents often worked late and weren’t home, so as her older brother by a year, I naturally took on the responsibility of cooking dinner for my sister every night. Back then, my strength was limited, and I wasn’t tall enough, so I had to stand on a chair, vigorously wielding the cleaver and spatula. Consequently, backaches and profuse sweating were common occurrences after preparing a meal.

Whenever this happened, a young Chen Si Yi, still a cute little loli with bare, tender feet, would skip over. She would bend her legs and dutifully sit behind me, grasping my shoulders with her hands to begin her ‘Yi-style massage’. Thus, year after year, time flew by, and Chen Si Yi’s massage technique grew increasingly skilled and refined, reaching a point where, with just a nimble movement of her fingers, all the fatigue accumulated throughout my day would instantly vanish without a trace…

Speaking of which, our relationship had cooled considerably in recent years, so this was the first time in two years I had enjoyed her exclusive massage. Ah, just recalling it makes me feel so much more comfortable all over. Truly worthy of being my little sister; her expert kneading technique can be summarized in one word: blissful!