Chapter 67: Moonlit Memories and a Card Game

The wine was indeed good—

Just a bit hard to digest.

At least, not long after Lin Shishi finished her glass, she hurriedly rushed to the bathroom.

Then, sitting on the toilet, she whimpered while taking care of business.

Upstairs, Song Qinghuan picked up a book. She swirled the remaining half glass of red wine, took a sip, and quietly read.

A smile tugged at the girl’s lips. “Hey—are you done yet?”

“Wah—bad dog owner—whimper, always rushing me,” came Lin Shishi’s weak, mumbling voice from the bathroom downstairs.

“This wine is pretty good, though. It goes down smoothly,” the girl said with a sweet smile.

Lin Shishi: “…”

After finally relieving herself, Lin Shishi stood at the sink, her face flushed as she stared at her reflection.

She made a funny face at herself.

“Little vixen…”

The girl in the mirror made a funny face back at her.

Lin Shishi got annoyed with her mirror self.

“Whimper—it’s bad enough that bad dog owner bullies me, but you do too!!!”

With that, Lin Shishi flipped off the mirror.

And the girl in the mirror flipped her off back.

Lin Shishi was completely speechless.

With a huff, she took off her nightgown and took a proper shower.

Meanwhile, Song Qinghuan stayed upstairs, drinking wine and enjoying the moonlight, utterly delighted.

And she kept urging Lin Shishi to play cards.

“Shishi—come play cards now—the game won’t wait!” the girl said sweetly.

Lin Shishi: “…”

‘Play cards, my ass.’

But she only dared mutter that silently in her heart.

After all, Song Qinghuan could easily pin her to the wall.

And she wouldn’t be able to peel herself off.

Finally—

After washing herself into a fragrant beauty, Lin Shishi shyly went upstairs.

Her cheeks were still flushed.

No surprise there—

She had drunk… half a bottle of red wine.

Even though the alcohol content was low, for her small frame, it was quite potent.

“Aha—my baby is spotless inside and out—fragrant all over.” Song Qinghuan smiled, her eyes narrowing.

Lin Shishi: “?”

That description—

Really quite peculiar.

“Such a fragrant little pet, let your owner taste you—” the girl said, pulling Lin Shishi close.

Lin Shishi, tipsy and dizzy, responded instinctively.

Outside the window, the waves seemed gentler, lapping against the shore in soft, rhythmic swooshes, like a lover’s low whisper.

Occasionally, a seabird’s dreamlike cry pierced the night, highlighting the silence and the thick, intoxicating atmosphere inside.

Song Qinghuan pressed her forehead against Lin Shishi’s and suddenly laughed. “Right, little drunkard, the card game begins—”

***

Downstairs.

Lin Mo put down her book.

She had been reading to calm her mind.

But the singing and waves from outside were too loud.

Instead, she found her thoughts disturbed.

So—

Lin Mo put on her earphones and played Teresa Teng’s “On the Water”.

Green grass, lush and dense,

White mist, vast and wide.

There is a beautiful woman,

By the water’s side.

…

Listening to the gentle, enchanting song, Lin Mo’s furrowed brows finally relaxed.

Upstairs.

Song Qinghuan tossed a card onto the table.

Her palms were slightly warm.

“Alright, done playing. Good girl.”

The girl coaxed softly, a satisfied smile curving her lips.

Lin Shishi: “…”

“What? Don’t like me?”

“Whimper—I don’t… You’re the best!”

Song Qinghuan chuckled and held Lin Shishi tighter.

“Such a sweet mouth? Seems the red wine wasn’t wasted.”

***

Late at night.

The waves, tireless, still gently lapped the shore.

Lin Mo lay in bed, wide awake.

She took off her earphones. The noise upstairs seemed to have finally subsided, leaving only the steady rhythm of the sea.

She reached into the deep drawer of her nightstand and carefully took out an old, hardcover notebook.

Opening the flyleaf, she revealed a slightly yellowed photograph.

It showed two young girls tightly huddled together.

The one on the left wore a tailored white dress, her long hair reaching her waist, with an upright posture and a heroic, innate nobility in her features—it was a young Dai Fanghua.

The girl on the right was much smaller, dressed in a simple blouse and plaid skirt, with twin ponytails. Her smile was gentle and sweet, tinged with shyness, as she leaned on the shoulder of the girl in white—that was a young Lin Mo.

One heroic and spirited, the other gentle and lovely—a moment frozen in time, heartbreakingly beautiful.

Lin Mo’s fingers gently traced Dai Fanghua’s face in the photo. Tears welled up without warning, falling onto the yellowed paper, leaving small wet marks.

“Heartless thing…”

She choked out a curse, unsure if she was cursing the person in the photo or fate itself. “Your daughter… has grown up. She… she reassures me. Even if her methods are a bit… special.”

She paused, tears flowing harder.

“We’ve known each other… eighteen whole years. These eighteen years… I raised Shishi alone. You… you damned queen… you know how hard it was for me, alone?”

The suppressed grievances, bitterness, longing, and resentment—in this moment, in the deep night accompanied only by the sound of waves—finally burst.

She buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders shaking slightly as she cried silently.

After what seemed like an eternity, her sobs subsided.

She lifted her head, wiped her tears, and looked at the photo again.

In the picture, Dai Fanghua’s eyes were bright and resolute, as if they could pierce through time and give her strength.

Suddenly, some noise came from upstairs again.

It sounded like a heavy object hitting the floor, followed by a short, startled cry from a girl.

Lin Mo was startled. With tear-filled eyes, she looked up, opened her door, and called toward the ceiling, “Shishi? Qinghuan? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

A few seconds later, Song Qinghuan’s voice came from upstairs, hurried but somewhat calm: “Auntie, it’s fine! Shishi accidentally fell off the bed! She’s not hurt!”

“Fell? Is it serious?” Lin Mo’s heart tightened.

Just then, Lin Shishi appeared at the top of the stairs, half-supported, half-carried by Song Qinghuan.

She was wrapped messily in the white nightgown, her hair tousled—

Her forehead had a sheen of sweat, and her eyes looked somewhat panicked, but she forced a smile.

“Mom, I-I’m fine!”

Her voice was a bit breathless. “It’s just… we were watching the moon by the window, too absorbed, and I slipped… Really, the moon is beautiful…”

She pointed outside the window.

Lin Mo followed her gaze.

Sure enough, a bright moon hung high in the night sky, its clear light spilling over the sea, shimmering and beautiful like a dream.

Seeing that her daughter, aside from looking a bit tired and disheveled, didn’t seem injured, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at her daughter’s face, which tried to appear calm but couldn’t hide her shyness, then at Song Qinghuan, who was calmly supporting Lin Shishi. Lin Mo shook her head with a smile.

“You need to be careful watching the moon! You’ve always been clumsy since you were little, and now you’re still like this. Did it hurt when you fell?”

“It didn’t hurt, didn’t hurt!”

Lin Shishi waved her hands frantically, afraid her mother would ask more questions. “Mom, you should rest! We, we’re going to sleep too!”

With that, the girl pulled Song Qinghuan and, like a startled rabbit, “thump thump thump” ran back upstairs.

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