Miss Lin is a hunky VTuber today?

Looking at her little nest, which was almost unchanged and dilapidated but gave her a greater sense of security than the beautifully decorated and clean house she rented in the Night Sea, Yuan Chu sighed softly.

I still can't come back to live here for the next few years.

After all, Yuzu hasn't graduated yet.

......

The day passed quietly. Dinner was made by the two of them, who went downstairs to buy groceries together. It was a simple and plain stir-fried egg with green peppers, which was very spicy but delicious.

Yuzu had no idea that Tobi-Hina had such culinary skills. When they were at Night Sea, Tobi-Hina rarely went into the kitchen; it was usually Yuzu who was in there making some side dishes.

Yuzu, who went to bed early at Tobi-Hina's suggestion, couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned.

"Does having the key to this house mean I'm the lady of the house?"

Yuzu held the key, smiling foolishly, under the warm glow of the bedside lamp.

"But why did Sister An Ai bring me here...? It was so sudden, and I even had to cancel the collaboration."

Worried, happy, expectant, and excited, Yuzu quickly fell asleep after a long day of travel.

A night passed without a word being spoken.

The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye, just as dawn was breaking.

The two dressed neatly and went out together.

Yuzu had no idea that Tobi-chan had a car.

Moreover, he has been driving for three years.

As Yuanchu drove, she knew the way well and got out of the car at the flower shop in the middle of the road from the neighborhood to her destination. She bought a few lilies, a few carnations, and a bunch of baby's breath tied together, which gave off a light and elegant fragrance.

He then went to a nearby shop and bought a pack of cigarettes and a bundle of paper money.

It wasn't until I finished shopping for pomelos with Yuzu that I realized what day it was.

The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

The day for climbing mountains to pay respects to ancestors.

And what can make the kite-like creature offer a sacrifice...

Mom.

Yuanchu remained mostly silent. Yuzu glanced at her discreetly but couldn't discern her true feelings; she seemed quite indifferent. Judging from her practiced manner, this must have been her umpteenth time offering sacrifices.

The city is nestled between mountains and the sea. Although the cemetery is built on the mountain, Iris has driven all the way to the seaside.

They found a secluded cliff, and braving the sea breeze, the two got out of the car and placed a bundle of paper money on the edge of the cliff.

Yuanchu lit a few cigarettes for herself. When she took a puff through her mouth, she coughed repeatedly because she was choked by the smoke. Yuzu couldn't help but feel sorry for her and took over the job.

"You smoke?"

Yuanchu glanced at her in surprise, frowning and looking very unhappy.

"Back then I was a hoodlum, I smoked a few cigarettes, but I didn't like them and stopped."

Yuzu quickly explained.

Chapter 78, Section 462: Mom, I've brought my daughter-in-law to see you!

Smoking is not a good habit.

Upon hearing Yuzu's explanation, Iris gave her a deep look, but didn't say anything more, only uttering a single, understated sentence.

She doesn't dislike smokers, but she also dislikes smokers.

It's somewhat contradictory, but it's also quite simple to explain.

She didn't care whether strangers smoked or not. Yuanchu felt she had no right to interfere with other people's lifestyles, but she didn't like the people around her smoking.

It's not that I, as a girl, hate the smell of smoke, or that I think secondhand smoke is harmful to my health.

Cigarettes are not a good thing; they shorten a person's lifespan and cause their loved ones to suffer unbearable grief.

"I know! I won't smoke!"

Yuzu quickly made a promise, stretching out her little hand as if she were swearing an oath.

Aside from trying it a few times out of curiosity during high school, she had never actually smoked, unlike her sister Xu Lin.

Perhaps it's due to the influence of education. Xu's father is a long-time smoker, and Lin Jiang, who always follows him, naturally doesn't think there's anything wrong with smoking. However, Xu's mother particularly hates the smell of smoke. If Xu's father wants to smoke at home, he has to go to the balcony alone, change into "smoking clothes," and brush his teeth and rinse his mouth after returning home to prevent himself from smelling of smoke.

Yuzi inherited this trait from her mother: she dislikes the smell of smoke and finds it pungent.

"Ah."

Nodding with a look of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, Yuan Chu turned around. Unlike typical worship rituals, she didn't mutter about everyday matters. Instead, she stood silently, letting the sea breeze blow through her hair, her gaze fixed on the burning incense, watching the pale white smoke rise and dissipate.

The pale red glow of the fireworks gradually moved downwards.

Time passed by, and neither of them spoke.

Yuzu didn't dare to disturb Iris's quiet contemplation, but she whispered something in her heart, hoping that Aunt Ann could hear her.

"Yuzu, do you know the song 'Cigarette'?"

"meeting."

"Could you sing a song?"

"it is good."

Without asking why, Yuzu agreed without hesitation. Since she didn't have any instruments, she just found a accompaniment online.

Even with the phone volume turned up to the maximum in an open area, it was still a bit muffled, but Yuzu sang earnestly.

“Counting from last night, it has been twenty-four hours since you left.”

Yuzu's singing voice is quite different from her personality; it's not as lively as she seems, but rather a very calm and serene one. When she sings this song, it's as if she's telling a story.

"And I haven't even stepped out of my house yet."

"Because I hate the smell of smoke, you always smoke on the balcony."

The pomelo sang, and the kite chicks listened.

Xu You sang with great focus, and gradually her active mind calmed down. Looking at the lyrics displayed on her phone, she seemed to understand something.

"Looking at the swaying curtains, her eyes brimming with tears."

"You're not there anymore."

Cigarette is a love song that tells the story of the feeling of loss after a breakup when the other person is no longer there. But that's how music is; the same song can evoke different feelings in different people. To Izumi, it must have resonated with her state of mind at the time.

After all, Aunt An passed away from lung cancer.

“Watch me more closely, more attentively.”

"Is this too heavy a burden for you?"

In the few stories Yuzu had heard about Tobi-chan, it seemed that the relationship between the mother and daughter wasn't very good back then.

The young girl, Tobi, longed for her mother's love during her junior high school years and often threw tantrums, but her busy mother never had the time.

Raising a daughter alone is very expensive. She has to work extra hard, often working until late at night. After get off work, she still has to do housework. Exhausted after a long day, she has no energy to deal with her daughter's whining and demands for affection.

Over time, the relationship between the mother and daughter deteriorated. Although it was repaired later, it was only after they graduated from high school.

"Take even better care of me, and be even more attentive."

If she had taken better care of her mother back then, wouldn't she have discovered her illness earlier and taken her to the hospital for a checkup? Would her mother not have passed away then?

Every time she hears this song, this thought inevitably comes to mind.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease; the child may wish to care for his parents, but they are no longer there. Even though it is something that cannot be undone, it has become a thorn stuck in the heart, causing the young girl to think of it from time to time, and the pain brings tears to her eyes.

Looking back on these times, how much do I really know about you?

"The first thing that comes to mind is the name of your favorite cigarette."

Yuzu's singing continued, even though she herself was already in tears as she tried to understand Yuzu's feelings.

But Yuuki listened quietly, seemingly reminiscing about the time she spent with her mother, or perhaps thinking about the future.

"What's the point of only realizing this now?"

"The cigarettes you left behind are the things I hate the most, so why did I light them?"

"Because it's your scent."

"I tried taking a puff."

"I did choke on it after all."

Yuanchu lit the last cigarette, took a deep drag, coughed again as it was snatched away, and ignored the tears streaming down her face, continuing to smoke.

This is her habit when she worships her mother. Although she doesn't smoke at all, she still wants to accompany her mother once.

"If I pay more attention to you, I will put in even more effort."

"Recalling that somewhat bitter taste, I couldn't help but shed tears."

After Yuzu finished singing, the tears that Yuanchu had choked from the smoke had dried. The cigarette had burned down to the middle, and Yuanchu casually tossed it away.

"Mother."

"Look at your daughter-in-law, are you satisfied?"

"Eh?"

"What are you standing there for? Let's go back, let's go back. The wind is so strong, it's making my eyes sore."

Seeing Yuzu's dazed expression, Yuzu couldn't help but laugh. In Yuzu's eyes, the fresh and elegant girl seemed to have returned, no longer with a stern face, no longer aloof and unapproachable.

She still smiled so gently, cute and playful yet with the warmth of an older sister.

"Sister An Ai...?"

"Get in the car, we'll talk about it when we get back."