Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 170 What does it mean if there are no buses to get back? Where am I supposed to stay then?

Lin Jianxia's eyes slowly lit up as she looked at the colorful paper sticks in Jiang Yubai's hand.

"Want some? Want some?" Jiang Yu brandished her sparkling white fairy wand, grinning smugly. "I brought these especially for you guys~"

Seeing his expression, Lin Jianxia inexplicably changed the subject she was about to say:

"No, no, I'm not a child anymore... But if you—"

Before the second half of the sentence could even be uttered, Jiang Yubai had already expertly divided the sparkler in half and handed it to Lin Tingwan:

"Hey, Wanwan, these are for you."

Lin Tingwan took the fairy wand, but instead of looking down, she hesitated and looked up at her older sister.

Lin Jianxia stood there, stunned, looking at the half in Jiang Yubai's hand, then at her own sister's, blinking blankly.

"You don't want it, huh?" Jiang Yubai chuckled, "Then Wanwan and I will finish watching it, okay?"

Lin Jianxia said "Oh," her little face unconsciously turning bitter.

Jiang Yubai found it amusing, but deliberately avoided looking at her, instead turning his head to ask Lin Tingwan:

"Wanwan, have you ever set off sparklers before?"

Lin Tingwan looked down at the thin paper stick in her hand and gently shook her head.

After a pause, the girl looked at Jiang Yubai, then at her older sister beside her.

Jiang Yubai pretended not to notice her gaze and continued speaking gently:

"You didn't let it go? It's very simple, I'll teach you in a bit."

Lin Jianxia stood to the side, her gaze drifting into the distance, pretending to admire the scenery, but every word of the conversation around her seeped into her ears.

The more I listened... the more wronged I felt.

—I clearly wanted to play.....

—But why did the words turn into "no" when they were about to come out?

She bit her lower lip, feeling a sudden pang of sadness in her heart, as if someone had gently pinched it.

Just as Lin Jianxia was starting to think about whether she should find an excuse to go inside, her cheek was suddenly gently poked.

She shuddered and instinctively turned her head—

A brightly colored sparkler was handed to me.

Looking further ahead, you see Jiang Yubai's smug, utterly despicable smile.

Lin Jianxia was about to say "I don't want to" when she swallowed the words back down her throat.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she reached out and took the bunch of sparklers, humming softly:

"......Thanks."

—If that idiot dared to say in that cheeky way, "Didn't you say you didn't want it?"...

He's doomed!

However, this time Jiang Yubai didn't utter such an infuriating remark; he simply followed up with a question:

"And what about you? Have you ever played with sparklers?"

"I...I already did it..." Lin Jianxia's voice softened a bit, "A long time ago."

These words surprised Jiang Yubai somewhat:

"No, how come the younger sister never played this, but you, the older sister, have... Are you bullying her because of your age?"

He turned to look at Lin Tingwan:

"Wanwan, don't be afraid. If this girl dares to bully you today, we'll teach her a lesson together."

"What?! I was only born a few minutes before Wanwan, okay?!" Lin Jianxia glared at him angrily. "It's because Wanwan was afraid to play with it when she was little, okay?!"

—How can this idiot talk so irritatingly!

—You want to lecture me together?.....Pah! It's more like Wanwan and I are the ones lecturing you together!

Jiang Yubai had no idea what Lin Jianxia was thinking, but he felt that the little hedgehog seemed to have suddenly become much more docile.

He didn't pay much attention, reached into his bag and pulled out a lighter.

"Hey, since Wanwan hasn't tried this before, why don't you light one up and demonstrate... Should you light it or should I light it for you?"

"I can do it myself."

Lin Jianxia took the lighter and pressed it lightly with her thumb—

With a soft "snap," a faint flame lit up in the night.

She carefully brought a sparkler closer, and the fuse quickly lit. Tiny golden sparks burst forth, scattering a small halo of light.

The tiny fairy wand glowed in her hand, illuminating Lin Jianxia's slightly lowered profile, and her beautiful eyes lit up as well.

She waved it tentatively a few times, and the three of them followed the small halo of light, moving left and right together, until the sparks gradually weakened and finally went out quietly.

Lin Jianxia, ​​somewhat reluctant to leave, withdrew her gaze and handed the lighter to her younger sister.

"Come on, let's try it out last night."

Lin Tingwan took the lighter and looked at it, but did not light it. Instead, she handed it to Jiang Yubai, who was standing next to her.

"Should I do it?" Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

He took the lighter, skillfully flicked it with a "snap," and brought it close to the sparkler in Lin Tingwan's hand—

Lin Tingwan suddenly shifted her wrist, and the fairy wand veered off course.

Jiang Yubai blinked, then leaned closer, the flame drawing near once more—

Lin Tingwan's hand shifted slightly again, but it still didn't ignite.

Jiang Yubai: "...Wanwan?"

No, once is one thing, but these two times are going too far! You're obviously not letting me order, aren't you?

But then he saw Lin Tingwan put down her sparkler, lower her head and write something in her little notebook, then silently hold it up in front of him:

"I'm afraid of getting burned."

"Afraid of getting burned?" Jiang Yubai asked, somewhat puzzled. "The lighter is so far away, how could you... Oh, you're afraid of the sparks from the flame, right?"

Lin Tingwan nodded gently.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yubai was both amused and exasperated.

"It just looks shiny, it's not hot at all... Here, can I borrow yours to light one?"

As he said this, he casually lit another sparkler for Lin Jianxia:

"Look."

Lin Jianxia also waved in response:

"Wanwan, it's not hot anymore."

Ke Lin Tingwan looked at her older sister, then at Jiang Yubai, her little face still showing hesitation.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Yubai sighed, then simply went around behind Lin Tingwan, gently holding her small hand holding the sparkler with one hand, and with the other hand, he lit the lighter with a "snap".

The moment the sparks flew, he clearly felt Lin Tingwan tremble slightly.

Whether it was because he was holding her hand or because she didn't feel the heat, the girl's hand gradually steadied.

Lin Jianxia was happily waving her sparkler when she turned around, about to ask, "Is it pretty? Is it pretty?", when suddenly she frowned.

Next door, Jiang Yubai's large hand gently cupped his younger sister's small hand from behind, and the two of them held the shiny fairy wand together, waving it slowly.

Let's take a look at our own.

Lin Jianxia suddenly felt that the cigarette in her hand didn't taste so good anymore.

After Lin Tingwan's sparkler burned out, Jiang Yubai was about to light another one when he suddenly heard someone's soft voice:

"Feed... Once you're done teaching, let go."

Jiang Yu blinked, then realized that what she was doing might indeed be a bit inappropriate...

Oh my god.

It's all because I've gotten so used to hugging her all the time. I kept telling Wanwan to keep a distance, but I ended up getting dragged into it myself...

He awkwardly released his hand, cleared his throat, and changed the subject:

"By the way... have you guys ever tried time-lapse photography? The kind that makes a sparkler draw a circle in the air?"

Seeing the two looking blank, Jiang Yubai didn't explain much. He simply took out his phone, opened the camera, and tapped the screen a few times.

"Look, like this—" He handed the phone to Lin Jianxia, ​​"Press this when I say stop."

Lin Jianxia took the phone with some skepticism.

Jiang Yubai lit a sparkler, took two steps back, and then began rapidly waving his arms in the night—

Sparks trailed flowing streaks of light in the air as he moved and shouted:

"Three, two, one—Stop!"

Lin Jianxia subconsciously pressed the shutter.

A moment later, she looked down at the screen and slowly opened her eyes wide.

In the photo, Jiang Yubai is smiling happily, and the fairy wand in her hand is arranged in a crooked heart shape.

"How did you do that?" Lin Jianxia murmured as she stared at him.

Lin Tingwan, standing to the side, peeked out with a hint of amazement in her eyes.

"It's just adjusting the exposure," Jiang Yubai said smugly. "Come on, Wanwan, you try it first. Just light it and draw a heart in the air."

Although they were just some small tricks, he felt a secret thrill seeing the sisters' amazed expressions.

This time, Lin Tingwan obediently handed him the sparkler. After lighting it, she waved it earnestly.

The sparks flickered, and after three or four tries, she finally managed to draw a round, soft heart.

"Good, good, it's your turn."

Jiang Yubai handed the fairy wand to Lin Jianxia.

But when it was Lin Jianxia's turn, she couldn't draw it well no matter what she did—it was either crooked and shapeless, or the speed of the swing was wrong, and the light trails were intermittent.

"No way?"

Jiang Yubai couldn't help but complain.

"You can't even draw something this simple?"

Lin Jianxia didn't argue with him. She looked down at the sparkler in her hand, then suddenly turned her head away, her voice low:

"You... teach me."

Jiang Yubai was taken aback: "How do I teach you?"

Lin Jianxia silently reached out and handed him the fairy wand.

"Hey, who was it that just finished lecturing me and immediately let go?" Jiang Yubai complained.

"That's after you've finished teaching. It doesn't matter during the teaching process..."

Her ears turned slightly red, but she didn't pull her hand back.

Jiang Yu rolled her eyes at Lin Jianxia, ​​but still walked behind the girl and took her small hand in hers:

"Follow my lead, okay... Wanwan, I'll shoot when I say so."

The sparkler drew a bright arc in the night, its brief bursts of light intertwining and eventually forming a complete heart.

Just one minute later, Lin Jianxia looked down at her phone screen—

In the photo, Jiang Yubai stands behind her, leaning slightly forward, gently holding her hand with one hand and holding up his phone with the other.

The two were very close, and the glowing fairy wand in her hand drew a bright, sparkling heart in the darkness.

Her heart suddenly started pounding faster.

"How is it? How is it?" Jiang Yubai wanted to come and see.

Lin Jianxia quickly hid her phone behind her back, her face full of vigilance:

"No, you're not allowed to look!"

"...That's my phone."

"You're not allowed to look at that! I'll delete it later!"

Her ears were burning, but her voice was tense, as if she were guarding some incredible secret.

—How absurd!

Jiang Yubai wanted to argue further, but his sleeve was suddenly tugged.

Turning his head, he saw Lin Tingwan leaning against him very consciously, reaching out to let him hold her small hand, and raising her little head to look at him.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Jiang Yubai: "......."

......

Five minutes later.

The light of the last sparkler slowly faded into the night.

Jiang Yubai sat on the steps, while the two sisters, one on each side, held a mobile phone and stared intently at the screen.

But whenever he tried to turn his head to peek, the two sisters would simultaneously turn their bodies to hide their phones, refusing to let him see them.

Even Lin Tingwan, who is usually well-behaved, is the same.

Jiang Yubai was at a loss, unable to get any information out of him, so he could only rest his chin on his hand and wait listlessly.

While counting sheep in my mind, I suddenly heard Lin Jianxia's soft voice:

"Hey, Jiang Yubai..."

"What?" he replied lazily.

"Why...why did you come to our house to wish us a Happy New Year?" Lin Jianxia's voice sounded soft.

Jiang Yubai thought for a moment, then spoke in a serious tone:

"Oh, didn't I say before that I was going to sneak up here under the cover of darkness and kidnap you two to be my wives?"

"Pah! You said you wouldn't!"

"Really?" Jiang Yubai thought for a moment, then nodded. "Oh, maybe I misspoke."

Lin Jianxia, ​​who was beside him, did not respond.

Jiang Yubai silently counted to dozens more, finally unable to resist asking if the two of them had really made up their minds—

Before I could even speak, I suddenly felt a weight on my shoulder.

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned his head to look.

Lin Jianxia, ​​who was sitting to her right, had somehow moved closer, her eyes closed, but the corners of her lips were slightly upturned.

".....What are you doing?"

"You're tired of playing, take a break, shut up."

Before Jiang Yubai could retort, a sudden weight settled on his other shoulder.

A familiar and gentle weight pressed down on me.

Jiang Yubai: "........"

.....

.....

On a country road with cobblestones.

Jiang Yubai dragged his suitcase in front, with Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan following on either side of him.

"The countryside is so much better," he exclaimed, looking around in amazement.

"Nice environment?" Lin Jianxia snorted. "Then I'll let you stay here."

Jiang Yubai glanced at her: "You're going to live with me?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia's ears turned bright red, and she punched him on the shoulder:

"Jiang Yubai, what did you say?!"

—What do you mean by living together?! I'd never want to live with you!

"I meant for you to cook for me, otherwise what am I supposed to eat in this desolate place?" Jiang Yubai gave him a disdainful look. "What's going on in your impure little head?"

Lin Jianxia's expression froze.

"But..." Jiang Yubai turned to look at Lin Tingwan beside him, "It would be nice if Wanwan lived with me. It wouldn't be so bad to be able to hug her every day."

Lin Tingwan blinked and then wrote something on the notebook.

"it is good."

Jiang Yubai chuckled, then turned his head away with a grin:

Goodbye, Lin Jianxia, ​​I'm taking your sister with me.

"Hold your head, my foot!"

Lin Jianxia was so angry that she gave him another cat-like punch.

Jiang Yu scoffed, deciding to be magnanimous and not stoop to the level of this little maid.

He hummed an unknown tune in a good mood, while Lin Tingwan quietly followed beside him.

Lin Jianxia seemed to be thinking about something, her little face puffed up with anger, but she didn't stop walking.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, with only the soft rustling of the three people's footsteps on the cobblestone path.

Jiang Yubai glanced at the night sky, stopped in his tracks, and said:

"Alright, alright, you two can stop here. I can walk the rest of the way myself."

"Oh..." Lin Jianxia looked into the distance, then wrinkled her nose. "Why did you park the car so far away? Couldn't you have driven in to pick you up?"

Jiang Yubai laughed in anger upon hearing this:

"No, what have I done to deserve a bus coming to pick me up?"

"the bus?"

Lin Jianxia was taken aback.

"Wait, where are you going now?"

"A bus stop? Where else could I go?" Jiang Yubai asked, somewhat puzzled.

He looked the guy up and down, and asked curiously:

"Lin Jianxia, ​​are you stupid? If the bus doesn't go to the bus stop, where else can you catch it?"

Lin Jianxia stared at him blankly, her eyes slowly widening:

"You...didn't you call a private car?"

"...Sister, have you forgotten that today is the first day of the Lunar New Year? Ride-hailing drivers also celebrate the New Year."

Jiang Yubai retorted irritably, then added:

"Besides, your place is so remote and far away, even if there were a car, no one would be willing to pick me up. Otherwise, why would I take the bus here? It was so bumpy the whole way."

But this time, the little hedgehog, who usually bickered with him, didn't reply. Instead, it looked at him with a subtle expression.

"....what?"

Jiang Yubai suddenly had a bad feeling.

Lin Jianxia was silent for a few seconds before speaking:

"If I remember correctly, the last bus from here to the city left half an hour ago."

Jiang Yubai's expression froze upon hearing this, then his eyes widened:

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I checked and the last bus was at 7:30..."

Lin Jianxia snorted, crossed her arms, and complained in a very familiar tone:

"Brother, have you forgotten that today is the first day of the Lunar New Year? Bus drivers celebrate the New Year too."

"That's the usual schedule you're looking at. There's a temporary schedule from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. How could the last bus possibly be at 7:30?"

Jiang Yu stood there blankly for two seconds, then took out her phone, found the official WeChat account, and opened the bus timetable.

He looked closely for a moment and finally spotted a reminder in the corner:

A temporary schedule will be used from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

Jiang Yubai: "........."

—Damn it! You should at least put something this important in bold, size 1 font in the center of the screen! How the hell is anyone supposed to see it if you put it in a corner?!

He silently raised his head, glanced at Lin Tingwan beside him, and then at Lin Jianxia, ​​who looked at him like he was an idiot.

The winter evening breeze blew and blew, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

In the biting cold wind, Jiang Yubai finally asked the most crucial question:

"No... what should I do now?"