bestfiction Chapter 157 Meeting the Parents
Chapter 157 Meeting the Parents
At eight o'clock in the morning, Lingyun drove An Shiyu back to her parents' house.
The car was the Santana, driven by Zhao Hu. An Shiyu sat in the back seat, carrying two gift boxes: West Lake Longjing tea for her father and a silk scarf for her mother.
"Are you nervous?" Ling Yun asked.
"A little," An Shiyu said. "What if your parents think I...?"
"No," Ling Yun said, holding her hand. "They definitely like you."
The car arrived at the family compound, an old-style six-story building with cement walls. Lingyun's home was on the third floor.
Knock on the door. Mother opens the door, "Coming, coming!" She's wearing an apron, and her hands are still covered in flour.
"Mom, this is An Shiyu," Ling Yun introduced.
"Hello, Auntie." An Shiyu bowed slightly.
"Oh my, come in, come in!" The mother's eyes crinkled with laughter. "What a beautiful girl!"
My father came in from the living room; he was wearing a new shirt today.
"Hello, Uncle." An Shiyu handed over the gift box.
"You've come all this way, and you even brought things." The father took the gifts. "Sit down, sit down."
The living room wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. There were crocheted cushions on the sofa and fruits and melon seeds on the coffee table.
The mother pulled An Shiyu to sit down.
How old are you?
"Twenty-two."
"Two years younger than Yun'er, perfect." Li Xiulan looked him up and down. "Where do you work?"
Shandong University Library.
"Okay, that's good." Li Xiulan nodded. "What do your parents do?"
"They are all professors from Shandong University."
"A scholarly family!" Li Xiulan was even more delighted. "No wonder you look so elegant."
Ling Yun sat to the side, unable to get a word in edgewise.
Ling Weiguo gave him a wink, and the two went to the balcony.
"This girl is nice." Ling Weiguo lit a cigarette. "How long have you been talking about it?"
It's been almost a year.
When are you planning to get married?
"By the end of the year, I'll have bought a house and a car."
"Hmm." Ling Weiguo exhaled a puff of smoke. "Have you met her parents?"
"I've seen it, and I'm very satisfied."
"That's good." Ling Weiguo looked into the room. "Your mother is very happy; she started preparing last night."
Inside the house, her mother was showing An Shiyu a photo album.
"This is Yun'er when she was little, three years old, chubby."
"This is my junior high school graduation photo; I'm the one standing in the last row."
"This is a university; they're wearing basketball jerseys and playing basketball."
An Shiyu looked at it carefully.
"He was so cute when he was little."
"He's quite mischievous," the mother said. "He climbs trees to steal bird nests and goes down to the river to catch fish; he gets beaten by his father quite a bit."
Ling Yun walked in.
"Mom, don't expose my past."
"What, you won't let me tell you?" the mother laughed. "Shiyu, if he bullies you in the future, tell me, and I'll deal with him."
"He won't," An Shiyu said.
"That's not necessarily true." Mother stood up. "You all sit down, I'll go cook. We're making dumplings today."
"I'll help you." An Shiyu stood up.
"No, no, you're a guest."
"Let her go," Lingyun said. "She's really good at making dumplings."
"Really?" The mother's eyes lit up. "Then come on, let's do it together, mother and daughter."
In the kitchen, the two chatted while making dumplings.
"Yun'er looks steady, but she's actually stubborn," her mother said. "Once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it."
"He has ideas," An Shiyu said. "He plans things out."
"He's just too busy," the mother sighed. "He's always running around and never home. After you two get married, you'll have to keep an eye on him."
"I will."
"He has a short temper, but if you talk to him nicely, he'll listen."
"Um."
In the living room, the father and Lingyun were drinking tea.
"How's it going at the electronics factory?" the father asked.
"Great, we're preparing to expand and hire people."
"Take it easy," the father said. "Don't take too big a step."
"Know."
"What about the internet cafe business?"
"That's not bad. Zhao Weiguo is in charge, and they're preparing to open a chain."
"That boy from Wei is honest and trustworthy."
"Um."
Grandpa arrived at noon.
My grandfather, Ling Xiao, is over seventy years old, with completely white hair, but he stands upright. Before retiring, he was the director of a bearing factory and was very respected in the family compound.
"Grandpa." Ling Yun stood up.
"Hmm." Grandpa nodded, his gaze falling on An Shiyu.
"Hello, Grandpa." An Shiyu bowed slightly.
"Okay, okay." Grandpa smiled, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Sit down, sit down."
The family sat down to eat.
The mother kept putting food on An Shiyu's plate.
"Try this fish, I made it."
"This braised pork belly was stewed for two hours."
"Eat more dumplings, the chive and egg kind."
An Shiyu's bowl was piled high with food, like a small mountain.
"Mom, I want one too," Lingyun said.
"Get it yourself," the mother said without looking up.
Ling Yun: "..."
Grandpa spoke up: "Is Shiyu a teacher?"
"Library work," An Shiyu said.
"A scholarly family is good." Grandpa nodded. "They are knowledgeable and reasonable. Yun'er has been wild since she was little, so she needs someone to keep a steady hand."
"Grandpa, where did I go wild?" Lingyun protested.
"Not wild enough?" Grandpa glared at him. "You dared to climb the factory's big chimney when you were five years old, and your dad chased you across half the factory with a stick."
An Shiyu smiled, pursing her lips.
"That was when I was a kid," Ling Yun muttered.
"It's not easy now either," Grandpa said. "I heard you almost got arrested in Thailand?"
Ling Yun was stunned for a moment.
How did you know?
"That's what your uncle said," Grandpa said. "Be more careful in the future. Foreign countries are different from China; there are many more rules."
"understood."
After the meal, An Shiyu helped clear the dishes.
Her mother objected, but she couldn't persuade her otherwise.
In the kitchen, An Shiyu was washing the dishes, and Li Xiulan was wiping them.
"Shiyu," Li Xiulan said softly, "Yun'er's father and I both like you very much. From now on, you two should live happily together."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Calling me 'Mom' is fine too," the mother said with a smile. "It'll happen sooner or later."
An Shiyu blushed.
In the living room, Grandpa called Lingyun to the balcony.
"This girl is good," Grandpa said. "She has good eyesight and is quick-witted."
"Um."
"Is it settled?"
"It's settled. We'll get married at the end of the year."
"Okay." Grandpa took a small cloth bag out of his pocket. "This is for you."
Inside was an old pocket watch. It had a brass case and scratches on the surface.
"It was left to you by your great-grandfather," Grandpa said. "It's a Swiss product, it's been gone for over a hundred years. I'm giving it to you as a family heirloom."
"Grandpa, this is too precious."
"Take this," Grandpa said, handing it to him. "Pass it on to the next generation. I'm looking forward to holding my great-grandchild."
Lingyun took the pocket watch; it was heavy.
It was 3 PM, time to leave.
Li Xiulan took out a large bag of things.
"This is braised beef, you like it."
"This is fried fish; it can be kept in the refrigerator for several days."
"These are jujube steamed buns; we'll heat them up and eat them in the morning."
The trunk is full.
"Mom, that's enough," Lingyun said.
"That's not enough." Her mother held An Shiyu's hand. "Come often. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."
"Thank you, Auntie."
The car drove out of the factory area.
An Shiyu looked back and saw her parents still standing downstairs waving.
"Your parents are so kind," she said.
"You treat me better than I treat you." Ling Yun pretended to be jealous.
"That's because they like you."
"I like you."
An Shiyu smiled.
"What did your grandfather give you?"
Ling Yun took out his pocket watch.
"It was left by my great-grandfather and has been passed down for four generations."
An Shiyu carefully accepted it.
"Did you walk well?"
"Just wind it up and it'll go."
"It's so beautiful."
"We'll pass it on to our children."
An Shiyu blushed again.
The car drove back to Kaiyuan Mountain Villa.
I carried the things upstairs: braised beef, fried fish, jujube buns, and a bag of pickled vegetables that my mother had made herself.
"Your mom is really capable," An Shiyu said.
"You'll have to learn from this in the future," Ling Yun said with a smile.
"I'm not going to learn," An Shiyu snorted. "I can do it, I don't need to be that capable."
"That's true."
That evening, the two sat on the sofa in their new home.
The TV is on, but nobody's watching it.
An Shiyu leaned on Ling Yun's shoulder.
"I have a really good day."
"Um."
"Your family is so kind."
"From now on, we'll be your family too."
"Um."
Outside the window, thousands of lights shine.
The nights in Jinan are warm and peaceful.
Lingyun remembered her grandfather's words: "Wait to hold your great-grandchild."
He smiled.
It's time to think about the next generation.
But get married first.
Take it one step at a time.