191: Chapter 191 Chainmail in the Nun's Village
Arriving at Di Zhenzhen's home, she first gave Yun Zhuo a plate of snacks, telling him to have a bite to tide himself over while she took a shower and then cooked dinner for him.
Yun Zhuo didn't pay it much mind; after all, she had been busy all day, and on their way back together, he could smell the fragrant sweat on her.
He sat in the living room, snacking with tea while watching the scenery outside the window.
After his Mental Energy improved, Yun Zhuo discovered that his senses had become sharper; his eyes could see further and more clearly.
When he focused on a speck of dust on the flower leaves beneath the fence outside the window, it was as if he were looking through a magnifying glass; he could even see the individual particles of dust clearly.
His hearing had also sharpened. For instance, with the sound of water in the bathroom, a normal person would at most hear a splash, but now, if he listened closely, he could visualize it through acoustic imaging.
Much like an ultrasound machine at a hospital, his ears had become a third eye, able to clearly capture every movement Sister Zhenzhen made under the shower.
It was a pity that it was in black and white, with nothing much to see.
His sense of smell was the same; if he wanted to, he could catch scents drifting from a kilometer away. In other words, he could not only smell things but also perceive their distance.
However, regarding the heightened sense of touch, Yun Zhuo felt it might not be a good thing. It was too sensitive; he would feel pain more intensely if injured, and it might even cause him to "surrender his weapon" prematurely.
"Creak."
Di Zhenzhen opened the bathroom door and stepped out. When she appeared in the living room, Yun Zhuo saw that she was still wearing her nun's robe. Did she not own any loungewear?
Even pajamas would do; she was home, yet she was still wearing that nun's robe.
"Xiao Zhuo, wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon." With that, she hurried off to the kitchen.
Yun Zhuo paused, feeling that something was off. The clothes! Right, the clothes. Although it was still a nun's robe, it was not the one she had been wearing earlier. It looked identical in style, but in reality, both the cut and the fabric were different.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Yun Zhuo's mouth, and he immediately stood up and followed Sister Zhenzhen to the kitchen.
Sister Zhenzhen was taking vegetables out of the refrigerator. The moment she closed the door and saw Yun Zhuo at the entrance, her body stiffened and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Why did you come here?"
"I came to see what you're cooking and if there's anything I don't like."
"Well, it's all right here."
Di Zhenzhen held the vegetable basket against her chest, and Yun Zhuo walked over to grab it and take a look.
She had indeed changed her clothes, and the style was different, too.
The token-shaped area from her chest to her neckline had become semi-transparent black silk. The fabric was softer, and the chainmail underneath left the imprint of two fish-scale patterns on the outside. Furthermore, there was a slit on one side of the skirt hem, hidden within the folds; it would be hard to notice unless she took a step.
"Are you done looking? I need to wash the vegetables." Di Zhenzhen kept her head lowered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Go ahead. You need to be quick; I'm really hungry."
"Oh."
As she turned, the hem of her skirt flared out from the centrifugal force. The moment it rose, her long, black-stockinged legs were revealed and then hidden by the slit. She had even changed into ten-centimeter black-upper, red-bottomed high heels. No wonder she had suddenly seemed much taller.
Standing straight before the sink, she turned on the faucet. The water splashed over the vegetable leaves as her fingertips methodically plucked off withered edges and wiped away spots of mud. Even the lines of her profile exuded calmness.
But only she knew that her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it might burst from her chest. Her fingertips couldn't stop trembling even as they touched the cold water. Her movements were even half a beat faster than usual, as if she feared that slowing down would reveal her secret.
Just then, Yun Zhuo suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. Di Zhenzhen's body trembled. "Wh-what's wrong?"
Yun Zhuo leaned in close to her hair and took a deep breath. "You smell so good."
"Do I?"
"You do. What brand of shampoo do you use?"
"Huh?" Di Zhenzhen stiffened for a moment, then gave a light harrumph and continued washing the vegetables, though her movements were much more natural than before.
"I'm complimenting your shampoo, are you still not satisfied?"
"I wouldn't dare."
"Fine. Actually, Sister Zhenzhen smells pretty good, too."
"You wouldn't happen to be talking about my shower gel, would you?"
"Oh? Little Zhenzhen has gotten smart; she even knows how to draw inferences now."
"Get lost. If you have nothing else to do, go wait for me outside and stop disturbing me while I cook dinner."
"I'm not going." Yun Zhuo leaned against her shoulder and acted coy.
"Hey, I can't cook like this." Di Zhenzhen's neck felt itchy, and when she tried to turn her head to rub it against her shoulder, she ended up rubbing against Yun Zhuo's face instead.
"Then we can just do it later." With that, Yun Zhuo scooped her up horizontally, holding her steadily in his arms. "Sister Zhenzhen, where is your bedroom?"
Di Zhenzhen subconsciously clutched his lapels, her eyes filled with a sudden, caught-off-guard panic. She wanted to chide him, but there was a hint of shyness in her expression. When she noticed Yun Zhuo looking down at her, she hurriedly lowered her gaze, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Why are we going to the bedroom?"
"I'd like to stay in the kitchen too, but you've wiped the glass so clean that I'm afraid someone might pass by and see. Look, aren't those Nana and Lingling strolling down the road?"
Upon hearing this, Di Zhenzhen quickly buried her head in his chest, as if that would make her invisible to others.
"Stop looking, let's go already." Yun Zhuo smiled slightly and carried Sister Zhenzhen upstairs.
On the village road outside the kitchen, Lingling and Nana were running as fast as they could, playing around. Suddenly, Nana said, "Wait, I think I heard Sister Zhenzhen's voice."
Lingling stopped to listen. "I don't hear anything."
"But..."
"Oh, forget the 'buts.' If Sister Jingjing catches up to us, we're done for."
Nana suddenly paused. "Wait a minute, that's not right. You were the one who broke Sister Jingjing's prayer beads. Why am I running away with you?"
"Weren't you running because you ate a meal without paying?"
"No, I was just going to buy vinegar."
"Did you make dumplings?"
"No, I made wontons. I had just put them in the pot when I realized I was out of vinegar."
At this, Nana paused again, finally remembering why she had been running. She then took off, running even faster than Lingling.
"What's wrong?" Lingling called out as she chased after her.
"I don't remember if I turned off the stove when I left. I have to go back and check!"
"Wait for me! I'm coming to your place to help you eat those wontons."
The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, and the final trace of sunset slid along the eaves into the night. The wind carried away the lingering warmth, and twilight rolled in from the distant mountains, silently enveloping the village road and the shadows of the trees as the world gradually sank into darkness.
Once the sound of footsteps had completely dissipated into some alley, one or two stars quietly dotted the dark blue sky.
...
Inside the bedroom, Yun Zhuo turned on the bedside lamp. The warm yellow light illuminated the room in a mix of light and shadow.
Sister Zhenzhen stood by the bed, her waterfall of black hair cascading down from the shadows to her waist. She gave her head a gentle toss, throwing her hair over her shoulders to the front, then reached her hands behind her back, preparing to fasten the clasp.
Yun Zhuo suddenly reached out and stopped her.
Di Zhenzhen turned her head to look at Yun Zhuo, her eyes filled with confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Why do you have to wear this chainmail? It's too uncomfortable. Can't you change into something else?"
Di Zhenzhen smiled faintly. "Alright then, I'll wear it after you leave."
"That's not what I meant. Why do you have to wear it?"
"Dr. Qiu said that girls need to learn how to protect themselves when they are out."
"Hmm? You mean, all of you have one?"