Chapter 223: Chapter 216: Coming for the Reputation

Chen Lidong couldn’t bear it.

She still had exams to take.

As the older sister, Tang Yuxin couldn’t be cruel either. If she took her along, her uncle would surely be furious.

So they sneaked out one day without knowing if Sisi cried. At this point, they were already on the train to Water City. Though it was said to be a solo trip, it didn’t really count as solo. The tickets were actually bought by Xu’s father who also arranged for someone to meet them at the railway station. Despite the veneer of freedom, their trip was still being orchestrated by adults.

After all, they were not grown up yet. Tang Yuxin was seventeen, Xu Miaomiao and Chen Lidong were both sixteen. Tang Yuxin was the eldest among them.

Yes, the oldest sister.

Add the word “old” and she was indeed an old sister.

She felt she should be called Auntie instead.

True enough, there was someone waiting for them when they arrived at the station. There was no need for them to make any extra effort.

The person who came to meet them was a relative of the Xu family, Miaomiao’s aunt who had been married here for over a decade. Both families had always been on good terms. Although it was Miaomiao’s first time in Water City, her aunt had been here many times already.

The reason they called it the Water City was because the entire city was surrounded by water, much like Venice. It was a beautiful little town in Jiangnan.

The water was good here, the air was fresh, and even the women raised here were uniquely beautiful.

“This girl looks like one of our Water City locals,” Miaomiao’s aunt liked Yuxin instantly. Yuxin was well-raised, her complexion as fair as a steamed baozi, and her brows were as fine as a painting, making her pleasant to look at.

“Auntie,” Miaomiao quickly hugged Yuxin’s arm, “She’s beautiful and smells good too. Take a sniff. There’s a pleasant scent on her.”

Miaomiao’s aunt had wanted to ask what these kids had applied on themselves. They had a faint fragrance, reminiscent of orchids or peonies. It’s a chilly yet comforting scent, like a snowflake landing inside the nostrils while the scent lingered.

This faint fragrance was noticeable on Miaomiao too. But it was more pronounced on Yuxin. As for Lidong, auntie didn’t want to ask. If he dared to apply any fragrance, she would scold him. A boy applying fragrance, was he trying to be a woman?

Therefore, the fragrance was definitely from Yuxin.

“What did she apply?” Miaomiao’s aunt really liked the scent. Was it a perfume? What brand was it?

“Violet,” Miaomiao pointed to her own face and glared at Yuxin. “I also apply Violet every day, but it doesn’t have the same scent.”

“Of course it doesn’t.”

Miaomiao’s aunt covered her mouth and laughed. “Some people have a natural body fragrance. This girl has it, and it’s a cool fragrance.”

“Yes, she smells so nice.” Miaomiao clung to Yuxin’s arm, put it under her nose, and took a whiff. “Whenever I’m free, I get her to help perfume my house. Whenever she visits, the fragrance lingers in my house for three days. If only she could visit every day then, I would also be fragrant.”

The fragrance on Yuxin had this effect. Interestingly, her fragrance was only permeable to women and not men. Women who stayed around her for a while would have a faint scent on them. But Chen Lidong, none of the men in the Tang family had this scent on them.

So this fragrance was rather strange.

But strange as it was, she still liked it.

“Auntie, haven’t I been nice? I’ve brought her to perfume your house,” Miaomiao muttered, reducing her aunt to a mix of laughter and tears.

Miaomiao’s aunt could not help but take an extra look at Yuxin again. She was around fifteen or sixteen, just blooming into adolescence. Yuxin was just smiling, a gentle curve hanging at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were filled with elegance.

Natural light fell on her skin, leaving a sheen that was almost translucent.

Miaomiao’s aunt thought of a phrase: ice skin and jade bones.

This skin, it should feel slightly cold to the touch.

Miaomiao’s aunt took them to a guest house. That was what Miaomiao had requested. She said she was here to relax and unwind, and staying at her aunt’s house would deprive them of their freedom.

They should be staying outside to feel like real tourists, right?

And Miaomiao’s aunt actually agreed. But she insisted on picking a guest house for them. Fortunately, she had a friend who ran a guest house. Leaving these kids there would put her at ease.

Yuxin and Miaomiao shared a room, while Lidong was alone. Being the only boy, he had to lodge alone.

Having just alighted from the train, they had a quick bite outside before heading back to the guest house for a good night’s sleep. And they slept very soundly.

By the time they woke up in the evening, they started strolling along the streets of the Water City. At night, there was not much crowd on the streets, unlike other cities that turned into sleepless cities.

The streets were dimly lit with few pedestrians around. Only the office workers were still making their way home, and small shops along the streets were still open. These shops were a distinctive feature here. This place and its products were always famous nationwide, then and now.

They sold local specialities of Water City like artistic stone carvings and minority ethnic embroideries, all of which were special attractions.

This was not Yuxin’s first time here, she had heard a lot about the Water City and even had colleagues bring back souvenirs from here. She had seen it in pictures too, but never had a chance to visit. Now, she finally came here herself.

It was rare for her to feel so relaxed. She forgot about her past life and also that she was someone who was reborn. She felt like an ordinary middle-school student here for tourism.

She bought many handicrafts. Each was novel and intriguing, and not pricey. Most of them were just one or two yuan.

When she left, her father had given her five hundred yuan. If she ran out, she could withdraw cash from the bank, but she felt the five hundred yuan was more than enough. At most, she would only spend a hundred yuan.