277: Chapter 277 If I have a boy, I'll name him Qin Ri.

"I... I'm not..." Her face flushed instantly, turning red from the roots of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.

She glanced at Qin Lin, then at Han Qing, and lowered her head, wishing she could bury her face in her bowl.

Han Qing glared at her, then picked up her bowl and continued eating, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Can what you call him compare to Su Yuling's? And yet you still say it."

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment. Why had this girl started acting playfully too? He reached out and patted Han Yurou's head: "If it's tasty, eat more."

Han Yurou lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's: "...Mm."

She bowed her head to eat, her heart beating so fast that she felt the whole room could hear it.

Although she was usually cheerful and lively, the moment those two words escaped her lips, she still felt at a loss.

She had seen Su Yuling calling him that for the past few days, so she tried it on a whim, but the effect was completely different from Su Yuling's.

She couldn't reach Su Yuling's Realm of sincerity; instead, it felt a bit like teasing.

Su Yuling leaned on Qin Lin's shoulder, looking at Han Yurou with a faint, indiscernible smile at the corners of her mouth.

She didn't say anything, but there was something indescribable in her eyes.

It wasn't hostility, nor jealousy, but a kind of understanding.

Su Yuran sat opposite them, holding her bowl and eating quietly, her face devoid of expression.

But the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were suppressing a laugh.

Li Ran glanced at Han Yurou, then at Su Yuling, and lowered her head to continue eating.

Lin Wanwan's chopsticks paused for a moment, then she continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Wang Xiulan put a piece of spare rib into her bowl, and she whispered a soft thank you.

Li Ying put down her bowl, looked at Han Yurou, and laughed: "Yo, Yu Rou, what did you just call Qin Lin?"

Han Yurou didn't bicker with her this time: "I... I didn't call him anything..."

Li Ying blinked: "We all heard it."

Han Yurou wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into: "I... I just had a slip of the tongue..."

Li Ying blinked: "A slip of the tongue? Then how long have you been thinking about it in your heart?"

Han Yurou was anxious: "No! I wasn't thinking about it!"

Li Ying laughed and didn't press further.

But she glanced at Qin Lin, her eyes meaningful.

Qin Lin pretended not to see it and continued eating.

Han Qing hadn't spoken the whole time, just eating quietly.

But Qin Lin noticed her hand tremble slightly, and she almost lost her grip on her chopsticks.

Han Yurou lowered her head, her heart beating fast.

She could feel everyone's gaze landing on her—some curious, some teasing, some calm.

She snuck a glance at Han Qing.

Han Qing was drinking soup, her expression unchanged, as if that sound hadn't just happened.

...

In the afternoon, Xu Xue held a small art exhibition on the lawn.

She took out all the paintings she had done recently and used branches and ropes to set up a simple display rack, hanging them up one by one.

There were mountains in the distance, streams in the woods, flowers in the Flower Garden, and the RV under the sunlight.

Everyone came to look.

Li Ying stood in front of a painting, stared for a long time, and said: "Who is this painted of?"

Xu Xue walked over and whispered: "It's you."

Li Ying looked closely. The painting showed a woman lying on the grass, wearing a sports tank top and shorts, limbs splayed out like a pancake.

She recognized it—it was her sunbathing.

"You painted me too ugly!" Li Ying said.

Xu Xue was anxious: "Where is it ugly? I think it looks quite good."

Li Ying looked again and laughed: "Alright, it'll do."

Su Yuran stood in front of another painting. It depicted a tree with a thick trunk and dense branches and leaves, with sunlight filtering through to create dappled light and shadows.

"This painting is very good," Su Yuran said. "It has an impressionist feel."

Xu Xue's eyes lit up: "Really? I was just trying to paint that lighting effect."

Su Yuran nodded: "You succeeded."

Xu Xue smiled, beaming with happiness.

Xia Qiuyan had been following Xu Xue, helping her organize the paintings and introducing them to visitors.

She usually didn't talk much, but when talking about Xu Xue's paintings, she was surprisingly eloquent.

"This one was painted at sunrise; Xu Xue spent the whole morning in the woods painting it."

"This one is of the Flower Garden; Xu Xue spent two days on it."

"This one is of the stream; Xu Xue said the reflection on the water was the hardest to paint."

Qin Lin stood in front of a painting, looking at it intently.

The painting showed the back of a girl crouching by the stream drinking water, her long hair draped down, barefoot, the hem of her skirt wet.

Sunlight shone on her, casting a blurry reflection on the water.

It was Su Yuling.

Qin Lin looked at it for a long time, then turned to Xu Xue: "I want this painting."

Xu Xue was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "You like it?"

Qin Lin nodded: "I like it very much."

Xu Xue took the painting down and handed it to Qin Lin: "It's a gift for you."

Qin Lin took the painting and looked at Xu Xue: "Thank you."

Xu Xue's face flushed slightly: "You're welcome."

Xia Qiuyan stood nearby, watching Qin Lin take the painting, a hint of envy in her eyes.

But she didn't say anything.

Su Yuling walked over and saw the painting in Qin Lin's hand: "Is this me?"

Qin Lin nodded: "Mm, it's painted very beautifully."

Su Yuling looked at herself in the painting, the corners of her mouth curling up. She turned to look at Xu Xue: "Sister Xu Xue, thank you."

Xu Xue smiled: "You're welcome."

Li Ying leaned in, glanced at the painting, then at Su Yuling, and said: "Yuling, you look better in person than in the painting."

Su Yuling blinked: "I know."

Li Ying laughed: "You girl, how did you become so immodest?"

Su Yuling tilted her head: "Really?"

Li Ying was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Fine, you win."

In the evening, everyone sat around the lawn eating dinner.

The moonlight was bright, the stars were numerous, and the sound of insects rose and fell in succession.

Su Yuran suddenly said: "When the children are born, what names should we give them?"

Everyone went quiet, looking at one another.

Han Yurou raised her hand first: "If it's a boy, let's call him Qin Yang, and if it's a girl, let's call her Qin Yue!"

Qin Lin looked at her: "Why?"

Han Yurou thought for a moment and said seriously: "Because we can see the sun and the moon here every day."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, then laughed.

Su Yuran looked at her with gentle eyes: "Yu Rou, that's a good name."

Han Yurou blushed: "Really?"

Su Yuran nodded: "Really. Qin Yang, Qin Yue—they sound good and have meaning."

Li Ying thought for a moment and said: "Then if I give birth to a boy, I'll name him Qin Ri."

Qin Lin was stunned: "What?"

Li Ying blinked: "Ri, as in the sun."

Qin Lin couldn't laugh or cry. He knew Li Ying was deliberately being funny, but the name "Qin Ri" sounded strange no matter how he listened to it.

Lin Wanwan whispered: "I think... it's better to ask Qin Lin to name them."

Qin Lin looked at Lin Wanwan. She was looking down, her face flushed, her fingers twisting the edge of her sweater.

"Wanwan, do you have any ideas?"

Lin Wanwan hesitated for a moment and said: "Names... I haven't thought of any yet."

Wang Xiulan said from the side: "No rush, there are still several months left, think about it slowly."

Lin Wanwan nodded.

Han Yurou was unwilling to give up: "Brother Qin Lin, what do you think of my suggestion, Qin Yang and Qin Yue?"

Qin Lin looked at her: "I'll consider it when the time comes."

Han Yurou nodded with satisfaction.

Li Ying asked again: "Then what about my suggestion, Qin Ri?"

Qin Lin looked at her: "Not considering it."

Li Ying pouted: "Why?"