Knock, knock, knock. The sound of knocking was accompanied by Xiao Xiaoxiao's cheerful, childlike voice from outside the door.
"Sister Su, I'm back! Open up!"
Hearing her little wife's energetic voice, Su Qi felt her mood lighten. She set aside a poorly-wrapped dumpling, dusted the flour off her hands, and went to open the door.
As soon as she opened it, Xiao Xiaoxiao launched herself into Su Qi's arms like a small cannonball, nuzzling her head against her chest.
Su Qi found this little girl's behavior quite amusing. Just yesterday afternoon, she had declared emphatically, "Sister Su, you're the worst! I won't talk to you for days!" Yet in less than 24 hours, she had reverted to her soft, adorable self. How cute.
Peeling the little radish head off her chest, Su Qi noticed her face was free of makeup. She playfully smeared some flour on her cheek with her still-dusty hand, then turned and ran. Xiao Xiaoxiao touched her cheek, quickly kicked off her shoes, and chased after Su Qi. For a moment, the small dorm 1507 was filled with joy.
However, the fun didn't last long. Due to the room's small size, their horseplay nearly knocked over the basin of dough Wang Yun had worked so hard on. Soon enough, Su Qi and Xiao Xiaoxiao, the two troublemakers, were each grabbed by the scruff of their necks by Wang Yun and An Ning and deposited in front of the tea table to help wrap dumplings.
For Su Qi, who was more accustomed to writing code, dumpling-wrapping proved to be a challenge. It wasn't that her dumplings were inedible, but compared to those made by her wife Wang Yun, they looked far from appealing.
Su Qi had assumed her wife An Ning would be good at wrapping dumplings, but surprisingly found that while she was slightly better than her, she was even slower.
As for Xiao Xiaoxiao, she seemed to be playing a crafting game rather than wrapping dumplings. In the time it took Su Qi to wrap one dumpling, Xiao Xiaoxiao had already molded a little rabbit out of flour, which was unexpectedly cute.
She held it in her palm and said to Su Qi, "Sister Su, look at my little rabbit! Isn't it adorable?"
Hearing the little girl's words, Su Qi was initially surprised, thinking it inappropriate to look at "rabbits" in broad daylight. However, when she turned and saw the flour rabbit in her little wife's hand, she realized she had misunderstood. Looking at the small, cute rabbit, Su Qi found it quite interesting. So, while her wives Wang Yun and An Ning were discussing how to start a company, she began molding small animals with her little wife.
However, their fun was short-lived. The significant disappearance of flour was soon noticed by Wang Yun, resulting in both Su Qi and her little wife receiving a light knock on the head. The little animals—rabbits, cats, and the like—were promptly returned to the dough's embrace.
At six in the afternoon, Su Qi's wife Zijin finally finished her Student Union duties and returned to Room 1507. With the addition of the culinary-skilled Wang Zijin, the five of them finally enjoyed a delicious dumpling meal before 7 PM.
The five gathered around the small tea table, eating the freshly boiled, steaming dumplings. At that moment, Su Qi felt that life was truly beautiful.
However, it wasn't long before she noticed that her wife Zijin seemed preoccupied. Concerned, Su Qi quickly picked up her bowl and moved closer to her.
Indeed, as Su Qi had guessed, Wang Zijin had been troubled recently. She had realized that, aside from herself, each of her husband's wives was exceptionally capable.
Her best friend, though the same age, was already the owner of several clothing stores. Her Little Sister Xiaoxiao was making rapid progress in medicine and was hailed as a young genius by others. Her big sister had achieved the position of investment director at a young age. Just now, Zijin had overheard her discussing plans to start an investment company with their husband.
While Zijin was respected as the Student Union President at school, she knew from conversations with alumni that this position didn't offer significant advantages in the real world.
Realizing how successful the others were, Wang Zijin felt, for the first time, the pressure of competition.
Su Qi, now beside her wife Zijin, noticed her slightly furrowed brow as she stared at her empty bowl. She picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, blew on it gently, and held it to her mouth, saying, "Wifey Zijin, say 'ah'."
This gesture not only caught Wang Zijin's attention but also drew Wang Yun's notice. Although Zijin quickly composed herself, masking her troubled expression with her usual demeanor, her sister Wang Yun, sharing the same parents and similar habits, saw through the momentary lapse.
Combining this with An Ning's earlier comment about her sister's recent over-exertion, Wang Yun approached her sister, who was being fed by their little husband. She clasped her hands together, tilted her head, and said:
"Sister Zijin, may I ask you for a favor?"
By now, Wang Zijin had grown accustomed to her big sister calling her "Sister Zijin," as it had been happening for ten days. Habit truly is a powerful thing.
Faced with her sister's endearing request, Wang Zijin was taken aback. While her sister could be difficult at times, Zijin couldn't recall a single instance when her big sister had asked her for anything.
Out of curiosity, Wang Zijin nodded, disregarding the unusual form of address.
Seeing her sister's nod, a hint of a smile flashed across Wang Yun's pretty face. She sat down next to her sister and gently placed her hand on Zijin's smooth, cool arm. "Dear sister," she said, "Our hubby and I are thinking of starting an investment company. I know you have a wide network. Could you help us with some recommendations? We'll pay you, of course!"
As she spoke, Wang Yun's hand didn't remain idle. Taking advantage of her sister's contemplative state, she continued to indulge her habit of touching others.
Wang Zijin was momentarily stunned by her sister's request, even forgetting to withdraw her left arm from her sister's caresses. She had been searching for her own strengths, and her sister's request suddenly made her realize that while she might not excel at stock trading or business, she did have an advantage in networking. Perhaps she could be of significant help to her husband in the future after all!
As this realization dawned on her, Wang Zijin felt a great weight lift from her chest. Coming back to her senses, she noticed her left arm was still being stroked by her sister. She quickly withdrew it, observing her sister's satisfied expression. After a moment's thought, Zijin asked, "Sister, Hubby, how much salary are you planning to offer me?"