chapter 20

The next morning, Su Shuilian went downstairs of the inn to check out.

“Miss, did you want to check out?” One of the employees asked with a shy smile when he saw Su Shuilian come downstairs with her luggage.

“Yes, I’ll be troubling you.” Su Shuilian replied with a small happy smile that reached her eyes. Yes, since last night when she found out that her feeling were reciprocated by Lin Si Yao, Su Shuilian couldn’t contain her joy. This kind of happiness, she had never felt before in her life.

“Tha-that…” The employee said in a stutter. He scratched his scalp as he bashfully took the room keys from Su Shuilian. His mind was contemplating whether or not to ask this girl if she was willing to marry him.

“Ready?” When Lin Si Yao came into the counter with the two wolves, he walked to Su Shuilian and took her luggage as he looked at her with gentle/warm eyes. Ever since he had found out about Su Shuilian’s feelings, he was immersed in happiness and did not sleep at all last night.

At the break of dawn, he left Su Shuilian a note before he took the two wolves on a practice. In a mountain-less area, he took in happy breaths of air as he continued to train the wolves.

Only afterward did he come back refreshed with the two exhausted wolves, looking for her -his future, one and only wife.

“Mmhm” Su Shuilian smiled and nodded at him.

“Then let’s go.” Lin Si Yao picked up the luggage just bought yesterday and tied it to the wolves backs. The two wolves were were obediently lying on the ground as they helplessly allowed Lin Si Yao to tie it on. Their sad expressions and eyes that almost seem to say: You had us run until we were this tired, and now you want us to carry such a heavy task? Wu wu wu, owner, can we not?

“Miss, here is your change.” When the employee saw the intimate interactions between Su Shuilian and Lin Si Yao, his originally excited heart suddenly cooled down. So this cold man that was by her side all the time was her fiance. He lowered his head in frustration as he came to her table to return her change.

“Thank you. We are going then, bye-bye.” Su Shuilian said with a smile as she received the thirty-six pieces of bronze. After thinking for a bit, she decided to give the rest of the wild fruit basket to the boy. “This is for you, thank you for taking care of Xiaochun and Xiaoxue.”

“It is just my duty.” The employee said as he waved his hand in embarrassment. He had truly liked these large, snow white dogs. He had never seen any other family’s dog to be so well trained; no one else’s dog would would help carry luggage and such either.

“Then I have to thank this miss.” The employee rubbed his palms together as he took the basket from Su Shuilian. Just when he was about to turn around and talk back to the counter, he was stopped by Lin Si Yao.

“Ai?” The employee stared wide eyed at Lin Si Yao. He didn’t move as he watched Lin Si Yao take the fruit basket and empty the fruits into his hands and then tied the cute, but now empty basket onto the dog’s back.

Su Shuilian also watched Lin Si Yao’s series of moves to until he tied the basket to Xiaochun’s back. She gave the employee a smile before she followed Lin Si Yao out the door of the inn.

Su Shuilian looked at the Lin Si Yao who had once again turn cold. She blinked a few times, wasn’t he just fine before? What happened?

Lin Si Yao knew that she had been glancing at him, but he was extremely disturbed. He should not feel unhappy that she was smiling gleefully at the waiter. He should not be disturbed that she gave the fruit basket she made herself and the fruits to the waiter. He should not be …

“Are you angry at something?” Su Shuilian tugged at his sleeves as she asked him the question that she could not get out of her mind. She was afraid that if she didn’t clear this up now, the budding feelings of love that the both of them have towards each other will be completely crushed by the fact that the both of them have a habit of not talking about their feelings directly.

Lin Si Yao stopped in his tracks and turned around. He took her in his arms and left the busy streets of Fan Luo city. He only stopped running after he reached the unending field of green (grass) outside the the city.

“Lin…A Yao.” Su Shuilian was going to yell out his full name, but she realised that since they have already confessed to each other, it would be weird for her to call him that as if he was a stranger, so she picked a name that she would not mind calling him with. She raised her head, wanting to continue on with the unanswered question, only to find him staring at her with his unfathomable eyes. From his eyes, she could pick out that he was suppressing his deep emotions.

“You…” Su Shuilian broke the silence between them, but realised that she did not know where to start. Just when she was about to continue, Lin Si Yao stopped her by covering her lips with his finger.

“I am annoyed.” He explained, but at the same time it seemed he was also in talking to himself, “I don’t like other men seeing you smiling, and I also do not want you to give your own weaved items to them either.”

“Pfft!” Su Shuilian could not help but laugh out loud. When her eyes met with Lin Si Yao’s cold gaze did she realised that her laughter was inappropriate. She smiled and apologetically said, “I didn’t mean to laugh at you, I just thought…. Cough…it’s funny that the longest phrase you said would be you complaining. So I couldn’t help….” She grew more quiet as she continued, and finally silently looked down; under his eyes, held indescribable emotions.

“Shuilian….” Lin Si Yao said softly as he leaned over and placed a light kiss her smooth forehead.

Su Shuilian looked at him stunned; her cheeks suddenly flushed red. Looking at this, Lin Si Yao could not help but kiss her once again.

“If you continue to look at me like that, I will want to do even more…” Lin Si Yao softly smiled, his eyes reflected her shy expression.

“You…you can’t just kiss me like that!” When Su Shuilian finally found her voice again, she lightly exclaimed.

“Do not like?” Lin Si Yao lightly caressed Su Shuilian’s peach blossom cheeks. This slight warmth reminded him that she was being bashful.

“It’s not that, it’s just…. It’s just that…” Su Shuilian’s mind had gone blank in his gaze, as she could not find a reason to justify.

“This is not appropriate, is it not?” She thought that these interactions between opposite genders can only be done after marriage. Was she old-fashion? No wonder, Shuiyan had once pointed at her nose and said the same thing. Guess it was really true…

“Woman, you are not allowed to just go in a daze like that.” Lin Si Yao pulled her face closer. He played with delicate nose as he crinkled his brows and warned. He then wrapped his hand around her waist. Just as Su Shuilian came back she yelped as with a leap, Lin Si Yao jumped towards Fan Hua Town.

From behind, the two wolves who had finally caught up saw that the man had once again took their owner and left. Panting heavily, they could only helplessly start to run again, following them across the green field.