Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Liu Xiangyang came to the kitchen with his camera. "Qiqi and Yaoyao, go and take out all of your godmother's things and put them away. Don't forget them."

"Okay, Xiangyang, Yaoyao and I will go now." Leqi and the other went to the living room to distribute the things to Chen Jie.

Liu Xiangyang came up behind Chen Jie, pressed against her back, wrapped one arm around her flat stomach, and rested his chin on her shoulder: "Godmother, what were you thinking about just now? Why is your face so red?"

She was cooking when he startled her so much that she dropped the spatula and her whole body went limp. Luckily, Liu Xiangyang caught her.

Seeing Chen Jie's flushed face, Liu Xiangyang had no choice but to hold her in one arm and take the spatula from the pot with the other to prevent the food from burning.

It took Chen Jie a while to come to her senses. She stomped her foot hard, but Liu Xiangyang dodged it again.

"Don't you know how scary people can be? They can scare you to death!" Chen Jie angrily took the spatula, intending to push him out of the kitchen.

Liu Xiangyang tightened his grip on her waist, saying, "Godmother, you're wronging me. I told them to go to the living room and get the things before I came in. What were you thinking about and you just spaced out? How can you blame me for that?"

"By the way, Yao Yao asked me to take good pictures of you, why are you blushing?"

He straightened his dog-like back.

Chen Jie couldn't do anything about it, so she could only let him hug her. "It's a deal, right? You can't show my photos to anyone else, not even other girls, okay?"

"Would you like to see them?"

Chen Jie paused in her cooking, then resumed her actions without saying a word. She tried to push him away by leaning back, but he only pressed against her more tightly.

"Silence means consent. I'll give you a good look tonight." Liu Xiangyang said, releasing his grip, adjusting his position (it felt tight), and walking to the kitchen door. "I'm going out now."

Chen Jie blushed and ignored him, continuing to cook her dishes.

After the group finished dinner, Liu Xiangyang went to the small room that had been renovated to develop photos, while Chen Jie and the others were tidying up some things and discussing what style of clothes to make.

Liu Xiangyang held the camera, closed the door tightly, and carefully covered the gaps with a thick cloth curtain.

The room was lit only by a low-wattage light bulb wrapped in red cloth, emitting a dim and hazy light. He carefully took the film rolls he had finished shooting from the camera, his movements slow and gentle.

In the living room outside, Chen Jie, Le Qi, and Le Yao sat around on the floor where fabric was spread out.

Le Qi and Le Yao told Chen Jie how Liu Xiangyang bought things in Wanwu.

The conversation gradually turned to the silk. Leqi picked up a bit with her fingers, and the cool, smooth feel of the silk made her blush slightly: "This silk is really good stuff, it feels like water."

Le Yao also came over to touch it, her eyes sparkling: "Sister, Mom said that they used to use this to make underwear that fit close to the skin. It's soft and doesn't irritate the skin."

Chen Jie, having been through this herself, felt a little embarrassed when they mentioned it, but her tone remained natural: "Yes, this material is excellent for making underwear. It's perfect for making a bellyband. Cut two triangular pieces of fabric and trim them with thin ribbons. It's comfortable and breathable to wear, but it tends to stick when you sweat."

She paused, then lowered her voice, "If there's extra material, you can make two pairs of close-fitting underwear too."

Leqi and Leyao blushed as they listened, but their eyes also shone with eager anticipation.

"Then let's listen to Sister Chen," Leqi said softly, carefully rolling up the soft satin and separating it from the other fabrics.

Le Yao was already imagining Liu Xiangyang seeing her covered in sweat wearing a silk bodice, and she pursed her lips and smiled secretly.

Chen Jie looked at the gold rings on the two sisters' hands and knew that Liu Xiangyang had just given them to her today. She touched the ring hanging around her neck through her thermal underwear. She was very happy that hers had been given to her earlier than the other two, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

Le Yao looked at her and asked, "Chen Jie, what do you usually eat? How come your skin is so good? It's so tender, you could squeeze water out of it."

Chen Jie blushed upon hearing this and reached out to touch Le Yao's face. "I'm already an old hag, how can I have good skin? You two have such good skin that it's like you could squeeze water out of it. And, your skin will only get better in the future."

Liu Xiangyang developed the photos and hung them one by one on a rope to dry. Looking at the results of his two hours of work, he nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the darkroom.

Everything in the living room was repacked into three packages, one large and two small, so the three of them can carry them to the car tomorrow.

Seeing Liu Xiangyang come out, Leqi went up to him and said, "Brother Xiangyang, we've packed everything. Tomorrow, each of us can carry one bag."

"Yes, Qiqi, you always make me feel so at ease." Liu Xiangyang took her hand and stroked it.

Leqi struggled but couldn't break free, and whispered, "Sister Chen is watching."

"What's the big deal? You'll all be calling her godmother from now on, right, godmother!" He gestured with his chin toward Chen Jie.

Upon hearing Liu Xiangyang's words, Chen Jie stood up and walked to the two of them, pulling Le Qi aside and saying, "Let's call each other sisters. Logically speaking, you should call them aunties." She then looked at them with a mischievous grin.

Le Yao's eyes darted around, and she replied with a grin:

"Sister Chen, your calculations of seniority are giving me a headache! According to you, does that mean Brother Xiangyang has to call us 'Auntie' now? I'd better sit up straight and wait for my nephew to come and pay his respects!"

After she finished speaking, she deliberately winked at Liu Xiangyang, then quickly turned to Chen Jie with an innocent yet sly smile on her face:

"But Sister Chen, you call us sisters, and Xiangyang calls you godmother. So, in the future, who's the most important person at home—the older sister or the godmother? Who should Xiangyang listen to?"

After saying that, she rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling as she scanned back and forth between Chen Jie and Liu Xiangyang's faces, with an expression that said, "I'm so curious."

As soon as Le Yao finished speaking, a blush appeared on Chen Jie's face. She hadn't expected Le Yao to be so quick-witted and cunning in throwing the question back at her.

Liu Xiangyang was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and pointed at Le Yao with his finger: "You little rascal, Yao Yao, were you waiting for me here?"

Leqi couldn't help but smile slightly.

Chen Jie quickly regained her composure. Her eyes sparkled, and she reached out to gently pinch Le Yao's cheek, feigning a reproach: "You little rascal, you should ask your brother Xiangyang about that. In this family, he has the most say. If he calls me godmother, then I am his godmother. If he doesn't call me godmother, then it's up to him to decide."

She deliberately paused on the word "arrange," her tone carrying a hint of ambiguity, both answering Le Yao and passing the buck back to Liu Xiangyang.

Seeing that Chen Jie had broken through the barrier, Liu Xiangyang picked up the thread: "Listen to this, my godmother understands me best. So, let's not talk about those formalities, let's just do what's comfortable. You call her Sister Chen, and me Brother Xiangyang, let's each be our own person, isn't that great?" He walked over, naturally putting one arm around Chen Jie's shoulder, and with the other hand he tried to rub Le Yao's head, but Le Yao dodged it with a grin.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The twins and Chen Jie knelt down and begged everyone for donations, to continue reading, and to have their bookshelves filled.