It was completely dark, and Zhao Meimei's parents still hadn't come to pick her up.
That evening, Zhao Meimei ate the food Shi Yang's mother had brought over in the morning. It was all takeout from a restaurant, mostly meat and fish, and included several large red prawns.
Zhao Meimei had never eaten prawns this large before. Sometimes, her dad would bring home some small shrimp from the morning market over the weekend for her mom to fry. These were more for flavor; beyond the shells, there were only antennas left, with almost no meat.
For Zhao Meimei, eating at Shi Yang's house today was a change, trying many things she hadn't eaten before and seeing things she hadn't seen before.
She greedily slurped the fragrant juice from between the shrimp shells, her little eyes curving into crescents: "Brother Yangyang, your house is really nice, it has everything."
Shi Yang helped her peel another large prawn, smiling with his eyes: "Then you can come and keep me company whenever you're free."
Zhao Meimei nodded enthusiastically, her mouth full of tender shrimp meat, and burped contentedly.
When making the bed at night, Shi Yang brought out a new quilt and laid it on the bed.
Zhao Meimei kicked off her slippers and rolled onto the bed: "Brother Yangyang, your bed is really soft."
Zhao Meimei bounced on it twice, her feet sinking into the comfortable softness. Curious, she leaned over the edge to peek underneath: "Is it a sponge mattress underneath too?"
Shi Yang finished making the bed, pulled Zhao Meimei to sit in the middle: "Be careful not to fall off. This is a feather mattress, we air it out in the summer, and every month just take it outside and shake it a bit."
Zhao Meimei looked on enviously, counting on her fingers: "Such a big bed, how many geese did it take to make a mattress like this for your family?"
Shi Yang laughed heartily, falling onto the bed and pinning Zhao Meimei beneath him, ruffling her hair. He truly liked this funny and resilient little girl.
Playing with her Brother Yangyang, Zhao Meimei's eyes turned into slits of happiness, her cheeks flushed with warmth. Only then did she contentedly burrow into the covers, sleeping next to her Brother Yangyang.
This was the first time Zhao Meimei had ever slept over at someone else's house. Lying on the comfortable bed at Shi Yang's home, she was so excited she couldn't sleep. She turned onto her side to look at Shi Yang: "Brother Yangyang, are you asleep?"
In the darkness, Shi Yang's eyes gleamed as he looked over, making Zhao Meimei giggle foolishly and move closer to him.
"Why are you laughing?" Shi Yang, also unable to sleep, wasn't used to having someone else in bed, having slept alone since childhood.
Zhao Meimei reached out to lightly touch Shi Yang's eyes, the soft eyelashes brushing gently across her fingertips, fluffy and soft.
"Brother Yangyang, I can see your eyes, like grapes, so black and bright."
Shi Yang grabbed her hand and placed it on her eyes: "Your eyes are pretty too."
Zhao Meimei giggled, feeling extremely proud. Shi Yang was the first person besides her parents to call her pretty.
Zhao Meimei held Shi Yang's fingers, flattering him: "Brother Yangyang, you have good taste."
In the darkness, a smile curved Shi Yang's lips as he closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.
Zhao Meimei had a habit of moving around in her sleep. At home, she slept on a small bed by herself, used to spreading out freely. Suddenly having someone next to her didn't stop her from stretching her arms and legs everywhere.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Meimei kicked the blanket off herself, unaware and sleeping soundly. Not long after, feeling cold, she started searching for warmth nearby.
The heating at Shi Yang's house was warm, and they used thin blankets. He usually just kept one corner of it draped over his stomach while sleeping.
Zhao Meimei snuggled under the blanket, inching closer to Shi Yang. Shi Yang's body, warm and cozy in sleep, was very comfortable to lean against.
Zhao Meimei moved closer, raising a leg to rest on top. After a while, feeling uncomfortable, she adjusted her position in her sleep, inching upward. Her hand stretched out, and, suddenly, she found it slipped inside Shi Yang's loose-fitting shorts, right into a warm, soft place between his legs, perfectly grasped.
Shi Yang had just barely fallen asleep when something important to him was suddenly grabbed. He woke with a start, grunting: "Let go!"
Zhao Meimei was blissfully asleep.
Shi Yang, groggy with sleep, groaned again: "Let go of me!"
Half asleep, Zhao Meimei's hand reflexively tightened slightly. Shi Yang yelped in pain, fully waking up.
Shi Yang's shout woke Zhao Meimei too.
Shi Yang pulled Zhao Meimei's small hand out from his shorts: "What are you doing!"
Zhao Meimei, still groggy and not fully understanding what she'd done, asked dazedly: "What did I do?"
Shi Yang, his voice hoarse with sleep, complained: "You were grabbing me!"
Zhao Meimei, with her neck tilted backwards and eyes closed, asked sleepily: "What did I grab?"
"You grabbed my bird!" Shi Yang grunted, closing his eyes to continue sleeping.
Zhao Meimei finally understood, giggling, realizing her mistake. She stuck out her tongue, climbed back up to her pillow, and dutifully placed her hands at her sides under the covers.
In the latter half of the night, Zhao Meimei wet the bed. The salty food she had eaten made her drink a lot of water. The place she was sleeping became wet, and the dampness was uncomfortable against her backside, prompting her to instinctively seek a dry, comfortable spot.
Zhao Meimei crawled expertly under the blanket towards Shi Yang, arriving at a warm and comfy spot. Without any hesitation, she turned over directly onto Shi Yang, limbs aligning, continuing to sleep. Her breath came in warm puffs against Shi Yang's neck, light and cozy.
As dawn broke, Shi Yang, unable to breathe under Zhao Meimei's weight, woke up slowly, simmering with frustration, and rolled her off him directly.
As Zhao Meimei returned to the wet part of the bed, the warmth had turned cold. Even in her sleep, she shivered from the cold and instinctively snuggled back towards Shi Yang, turning over onto him again, falling asleep with bubbles of breath forming at her nose.
Shi Yang, at the end of his patience, rolled Zhao Meimei over, swapping their positions on the bed so Zhao Meimei ended up on his dry part, and he slid into the wet spot.
All he felt was the chilly dampness seeping up his back: "......"
With a jolt, he threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, turning on the light to see the obvious pale yellow stain on the sheet, roaring: "Zhao Meimei! You wet the bed again!"
Zhao Meimei mumbled, curling up like a shrimp. She had claimed the dry, comfortable half of the bed, sleeping warmly and snugly.
Zhao Meimei's little face was flushed red as she slept, looking adorable. The half-exposed sheet revealed the half-dried spot on her pants, making Shi Yang laugh as he watched, his chest shaking with laughter. Razor-sharp in the light, his side profile was handsome, his eyelashes long and fluttering.
That night, Shi Yang quietly played dad to Zhao Meimei, changing the smelly little girl out of her wet pajamas, fetching a clean blanket and replacing the sheets. Not entirely reassured, he slipped a floral towel under Zhao Meimei's bottom before returning to the fresh bed, and fell asleep again.