Give Me Another Smile

n adult? Why didn't I know about it?” Tang Yu asked, puzzled.

Yin Zhao-an wryly smiled when she heard Tang Yu's question.
After accelerating onto the almost empty road, she subconsciously raised her voice as she said, “It was a while ago, you were too busy to remember.”

Tang Yu's birthday was in February, and Yin Zhao-an was a few months younger than her.
When Tang Yu thought about it, she quickly realized she had forgotten about Yin Zhao-an's birthday.

Immense guilt welled up within Tang Yu's heart.
Afraid that the wind might obscure her voice, Tang Yu leaned forward and shouted in Yin Zhao-an's ear, “I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you next time!”

The person buried under the helmet smiled contentedly and accepted the belated promise.

Yin Zhao-an drove them back home at full speed.
By the time they arrived, both of them were drenched, their clothes clinging to their bodies, and the hot, humid feeling made them uncomfortable.

Yin Zhao-an pushed Tang Yu into the bathroom before checking the water temperature under the water heater.
Then, while leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her, she said, “Take a shower first; don't catch a cold.
I'll find you some dry clothes.”

Tang Yu obediently listened to Yin Zhao-an's orders, taking off her wet clothes and turning on the water.
Immediately, warm water poured out of the showerhead and enveloped her cold body, gradually warming her up.

Not long after, Tang Yu heard Yin Zhao-an's voice outside the door, “Tang-Tang, come and get your clothes.”

Tang Yu turned off the water and opened a crack in the door, finding Yin Zhao-an standing outside with a set of neatly folded clothes.

Tang Yu accepted the clothes and whispered a thank you.
Then, she heard Yin Zhao-an's footsteps heading downstairs, “I'll be showering downstairs.”

…

When Tang Yu left the bathroom, she didn't see Yin Zhao-an in the room.
So she went downstairs to look for her.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, she smelled the strong aroma of ginger soup.

Yin Zhao-an had finished showering at lightning speed and left the bathroom in a hurry to prepare ginger soup in the kitchen.
Her hair was still dripping wet, the water droplets falling onto her shoulders and staining the back of her shirt.

“I'll take over here.
You go and dry your hair.”

Yin Zhao-an paused her stirring motion when she heard the gentle voice coming from behind her.
Then, she turned around and smiled, saying, “It'll be done soon; it won't take long.”

Tang Yu leaned at the ginger soup boiling in the aluminum pot.
The liquid in the pot was dark red, and there were thin slices of ginger bobbing up and down in it.
After taking a sniff of the soup, Tang Yu's eyes suddenly lit up as she asked, “Did you put in brown sugar?”

Yin Zhao-an raised an eyebrow.
Then, feeling a little proud of herself, she answered, “Yes! Is your nose that sensitive?”

It wasn't that Tang Yu's nose was sensitive.
It was just that she had also made ginger soup before, and it turned out with an unappetizing light yellow color.
Moreover, the taste of the ginger was overwhelming and bitter.
So, it was always a torture whenever she had to make and drink it.

“Adding brown sugar makes it taste better, and it can help with blood circulation and dispelling cold.
Anyway, I think it's ready,” Yin Zhao-an said as she took a white porcelain bowl from the counter and filled it with ginger soup.

“When did you learn how to do all this?” Tang Yu asked.
The Yin Zhao-an in her past life was a complete novice in the kitchen, and all she could make was instant noodles.

After carefully setting the ginger soup on the dining table, Yin Zhao-an shook her slightly overheated fingers and chuckled, “I wanted nothing more than to become an encyclopedia ever since our first meeting.”

Again with the flirting… Tang Yu thought as the tips of her ears gradually reddened.
Then, as if to hide her embarrassment, she quickly said, “I'll go get the hairdryer,” and ran upstairs.

…

The ginger soup was too hot to drink, so Tang Yu pulled Yin Zhao-an to the sofa to dry her hair for the time being.

Yin Zhao-an closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of Tang Yu's fingers running through her hair, her heart fluttering a little whenever those fingers unintentionally brushed against her ears or neck.

When Tang Yu saw Yin Zhao-an closing her eyes and tilting her head with a comfortable look, she couldn't help but feel as if Yin Zhao-an was a cat feeling content at being petted.

After drying Yin Zhao-an's hair, Tang Yu directed the hairdryer to Yin Zhao-an's neck, causing the other party to turn around in confusion.
4887

While parting Yin Zhao-an's long hair to reveal her slender neck, Tang Yu explained, “Warming the back of the neck is good for the body.”

“Okay.” Yin Zhao-an silently took note of it and decided to do the same for Tang Yu's nape the next time she helped dry her Tang-Tang's hair.

When Tang Yu was done warming Yin Zhao-an's nape, she proceeded to dry Yin Zhao-an's clothes with the hairdryer.
Fortunately, Yin Zhao-an was wearing home clothes for summer, so it didn't take long to remove all the moisture from the thin fabric.

Getting up from the carpet, Yin Zhao-an stretched lazily and said with a contented smile, “My whole body feels warm now, thanks to you, Tang-Tang.”

Tang Yu smiled and put away the hairdryer, saying, “The ginger soup should be cool enough now.
Let's drink it before it cools completely.”

Although the addition of brown sugar helped with mitigating the bitterness, the spiciness of the ginger remained.
When Tang Yu took her first sip of the ginger soup, her throat felt like it was getting roasted.
It was no wonder everyone used ginger soup to fight the cold.

Unlike Tang Yu, Yin Zhao-an did not take her time with her soup.
Instead, she held her breath and downed the entire bowl in one fell swoop.
Before she could recover from the spiciness, she heard the living room's telephone ringing.
So, with her tongue sticking out, she walked toward the sofa to answer the phone.

“Hello? Hmm…hmm?! You've given birth?!”

Tang Yu was drawn to the sudden high-pitched voice and couldn't help but turn around to look at Yin Zhao-an.

After responding to the person on the other end of the phone with perfunctory “hmms” and “ahs,” Yin Zhao-an ran toward Tang Yu, picking her up and spinning her around in the living room.

“Tang-Tang, you have a little brother now! Someone can carry on the family line!”

Tang Yu instinctively hugged Yin Zhao-an's neck to stabilize her dizzy brain.
At this point, all she could hear were Yin Zhao-an's joyful cheers.