My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 226

Chapter 226: The Grasslands

On their first night in the grasslands, they were lulled to sleep by quiet, soothing music.

Jiang Mei brought out the “floor bed” specifically for stargazing and placed it under the open skylight.

Xie Xitong closed all the privacy walls and blackout curtains, turned off all the lights, kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the floor bed, and lay there with Jiang Mei, looking up at the small rectangular patch of night sky.

“I suddenly feel like a frog in a well,” Xie Xitong said after gazing at the stars for a while. “The ideal scenario would be lying directly on the grassland and watching the stars, but I don’t have the courage.”

“Or we could turn the entire ceiling transparent,” Jiang Mei casually suggested, “like the glass sunroom on the rooftop.”

Xie Xitong was silent for about half a minute. “I suddenly have an idea.”

“Oh?”

“If I turn myself into a ‘sunroom,’ wouldn’t I be able to lie on the grass?” Xie Xitong said. “Like buying a full-body protective suit, or a custom-made, life-sized glass coffin…”

Jiang Mei: ?

“Stop it,” she said, covering Xie Xitong’s eyes, exasperated. “Why a glass coffin?”

“Just to cosplay a mini, life-sized sunroom~” Xie Xitong said, playfully removing her hand.

Although she found the idea strange, Jiang Mei, still looking at the stars, continued along her train of thought, “A sleeping bag with a detachable transparent window—the kind that only exposes your face for breathing—would be more convenient than the two options you mentioned.”

“That’s also a good idea, I think we have sleeping bags at home? I’ll ask Sister Cheng to find them,” Xie Xitong said cheerfully. “But what material should we use for the detachable transparent window?”

“It’s better to ask Uncle Seuss, he can try 3D printing it,” Jiang Mei said, taking out her phone, about to send a message to Uncle Seuss, when Xie Xitong snatched it away.

“Not now,” Xie Xitong turned off the screen.

“Okay, then let’s continue stargazing,” Jiang Mei said gently, like coaxing a child, and played with Xie Xitong’s hair, twirling a strand around her finger.

She no longer truly saw Xie Xitong as a child, but the young woman’s playful nature always made her want to tease her, to see her happy smile.

Xixi, having woken up from its nap, yawned, jumped onto the bed, and rubbed against Xie Xitong’s hand, demanding attention.

Xie Xitong hugged the cat like a doll.

Deliberately pressing down slightly with her weight, she made Xixi yelp and run away, but it didn’t go far, just curling up on the other side of the bed.

After chasing away Xixi, Xie Xitong turned to Jiang Mei.

Jiang Mei, who exercised regularly, wasn’t afraid of her small frame. Feeling Xie Xitong climb onto her, she reached out, cupped the back of her head, and gently pulled her closer for a kiss.

It turned out that stargazing together could indeed spark other desires.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Mei closed the skylight, turned on the lights, picked up Xie Xitong, and carried her to the bathroom.

Xixi couldn’t stay in the sink this time. After placing Xie Xitong in the bathtub, Jiang Mei put Xixi on the soft bed and, before the little creature could jump down and run to the bathroom, closed the glass door.

The sound of scratching at the door soon came, but Xixi, having learned that its two owners always did something together in the bathroom, was just expressing its displeasure. After scratching for a while, it went to the bed and rolled around on the quilt.

Actually, from the beginning of their relationship until now, their honeymoon period, Jiang Mei and Xie Xitong hadn’t been very intimate.

At first, Jiang Mei had been embarrassed, feeling like it would be “an adult taking advantage of a child.” Later, it was because she truly didn’t have the time or energy, and also because of her studies. What happened most between them was playful banter and kisses.

A relaxing vacation was a good time for learning, and even if she forgot the “guides” she had read beforehand during the actual practice, as long as she found the right position and chose the appropriate tools, it wasn’t difficult to achieve mutual satisfaction.

When Jiang Mei carried Xie Xitong back to the large, soft bed, Xixi had once again claimed the center, sleeping soundly, sprawled out like a cooked pancake.

Jiang Mei could only have Xie Xitong sit on the edge of the bed first, carefully “removing” the cat pancake and placing it on the slightly firmer sofa, then returned and got into bed with Xie Xitong.

“I’m thinking about children again,” Xie Xitong said, adjusting her position and easing the slight discomfort. “After I get used to the clinic’s work, and you also feel ready, let’s go to the hospital for embryo cultivation.”

While enjoying their intimacy, she would also think of Jiang Mei’s worries—Jiang Mei was concerned about the risks of childbirth at an older age.

Xie Xitong, however, felt that she could handle pregnancy, childbirth, and raising a child, and the burden would be lighter, since she owned the pet clinic and could close it early if she was tired. And her clients would understand if she was pregnant.

But precisely because her job was treating animals, she inevitably had to deal with parasites and bacteria, which wouldn’t be good for a child.

“No rush,” Jiang Mei said, pulling her closer and gently massaging her lower abdomen. “Unless we really want children, or want them soon, we can consider it later.”

She had finally come to terms with it, no longer dwelling on age, only considering their mutual wishes.

However, she hadn’t found an opportunity to tell Xie Xitong this, not until Xie Xitong brought up the topic of children.

Xie Xitong did like children, but knowing the white cat’s secret identity, she also felt that raising it was like raising a child.

Although this “child” probably wouldn’t be able to speak until they were old, it was easy to take care of, always providing emotional support, affectionate and clingy, easily appeased, and she was very satisfied with it, whether it was living with them or going out with them.

Seeing that Jiang Mei had let go of her worries, Xie Xitong also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, snuggling closer and agreeing, but she started seriously considering whether she should reveal this big secret to her beloved.

After a good night’s sleep, at 4:30 the next morning, Jiang Mei was woken up by Xixi’s tail brushing against her face. She got up to refill its food and water bowls.

The tourist activities on the grasslands were relatively traditional: horse riding, archery, trying various dairy and meat products, herding sheep with the locals, and bonfires at night.

The horse riding and archery activities were scheduled at specific times, with an early morning session starting at 6:00 AM. Visitors with good scores could even get a bowl of milk tea and a small gift.

While Xie Xitong and the cat were still asleep, Jiang Mei, having changed into her riding outfit, went out to scout the location and gain some experience, so she could teach Xie Xitong later.

She had learned archery when she was younger and had even been invited to join the archery club, but she had only been casually interested, quite similar to Jiang Xue in this aspect, both prone to “short-lived passions.”

But even if the passion didn’t last, it didn’t take her long to regain her skills.

Following the recommendation of the local horse breeder, Jiang Mei mounted a reddish-brown horse, rode a few laps to familiarize herself with the horse and warm up, then retrieved her bow and arrows and went to the archery range.

For the convenience of the tourists, the targets here were stationary. There was also a separate area for moving targets, but it was indoors and didn’t offer any rewards, a gathering place for “archers” who were genuinely interested in exchanging tips and ideas.

When Xie Xitong arrived, holding a steamed bun filled with beef, Jiang Mei had already shot several arrows.

Even the locals were applauding. Xie Xitong glanced at the targets and, as expected, they were all nine or ten points. Her Mei-jiejie, either didn’t do something, or if she did, she would strive for excellence.

When she was little, she had asked the “existential question” of “isn’t this tiring?”, but now she felt that this was simply Mei-jiejie’s “belief.”

People weren’t fools, they would rest when they were tired, not to mention Mei-jiejie, an excellent person who had consulted with Dr. Qi a long time ago, naturally valued a balance between work and rest.

After breakfast, she also rented a horse, slung her bow and arrows over her shoulder, and went to find Jiang Mei, who was drinking water and taking a break.

As soon as she arrived, she heard a local woman say jokingly, “If I met someone as talented as you at the competition, I would propose on the spot!”

Xie Xitong didn’t interrupt, just stretched leisurely, then tested the elasticity of her bow.

Then she heard Jiang Mei say seriously, “I apologize, but I’m already married and currently on my honeymoon with my wife. We don’t appreciate this kind of joke, please refrain from saying such things again.”

See? When Mei-jiejie was serious, she wouldn’t budge, whether it was a joke or a genuine confession, she wouldn’t hesitate to shut it down.

Xie Xitong hummed a tune and shot an arrow, which flew off course and landed on the soft grass.

But she didn’t care, continuing to nock and loose arrows, about five in total, before putting away her equipment, riding over to Jiang Mei, and dismounting.

Jiang Mei’s score had already been calculated. Xie Xitong thus earned a free cup of hot milk tea, which she enjoyed with a roujiamo (meat sandwich) and shaomai (steamed dumplings).

The milk tea on the grasslands was completely different from the milk tea sold in shops, rich and fragrant, the slightly burnt flavor of roasted rice and the saltiness blending well, quite filling.

“Why didn’t you sleep more?” Jiang Mei asked after she finished eating.

“I went to bed early last night, but I was too excited to sleep this morning,” Xie Xitong replied. “It’s a good thing I came, otherwise, I would have missed your archery skills.”

“Actually, I was just scouting the location, planning to try it with you after you woke up,” Jiang Mei explained.

“Then let’s consider it a joint experience. How about ‘riding together across the grasslands’ or milking cows for our next activity?” Xie Xitong asked cheerfully.

Jiang Mei had no objections. She had enjoyed riding and shooting arrows alone, and now that her “three-minute passion” had subsided, trying something else was also good.

Xie Xitong quickly chose “riding together.” They didn’t even have to change their clothes. After renting a two-person horse, as they were about to set off with the guide, a young woman approached them with a camera, asking shyly, “H-Hello! Do you need any ‘couple riding’ photos or videos? My hands are very steady!”

“Sure, please,” Xie Xitong said with a smile before Jiang Mei could refuse.

She also occasionally wanted to record memorable moments, like A-Xue and Xiao Luo.