Chapter 215 A Bombshell
After basking in the sun for a while, the two wanted to help in the kitchen, but their father chased them away, saying, "We don't need you here. If you have nothing to do, go play some chess. Dinner will be ready soon."
Mr. Xiang loved playing chess, and his home was filled with various chessboards and pieces he collected. He didn't mind taking up space, so Ms. Cui gave him a separate storage room where he could display his favorite things.
There was a chess set on the sofa. Xu Songning raised an eyebrow. "Brother Yun, want to try a game?"
Xiang Yun had been playing chess with his father since he was a child, so chess was very easy for him. He nodded, indicating that he should sit down and begin.
"Brother Yun, you don't have to go easy on me." Xu Songning took a step.
Xiang Yun watched her take that step; she didn't seem to be a novice. He raised an eyebrow. "Really, you don't need to let me pass?"
"Songning, don't worry about him, he's very capable," Mr. Xiang poked his head out of the kitchen and reminded Xu Songning.
Xu Songning smiled and nodded, then turned to Xiang Yun with a sly wink, "Whether you let me win or not is up to you, I can afford to lose."
First game.
As expected, Xiang Yun did not yield and slaughtered her without leaving a single survivor.
The second game.
Xiang Yun glanced at Xu Songning's expression. Hmm, he's not angry yet. We can win another round.
Just as he was about to "checkmate," a finger pressed down on that spot, preventing him from going down.
We can't afford to play this game anymore.
Xiang Yun moved aside, letting her off the hook.
But as Xiang's father said, Xiang Yun was too good at chess. Xu Songning didn't play often and hadn't studied the rules of chess in depth, so naturally he couldn't beat him and was forced to retreat one defeat after another.
"Dinner's ready, wash your hands." Mr. Xiang brought a large pot of chicken soup to the table.
"Let's eat, this game is a draw." Xu Songning cheated.
Xiang Yun nodded indulgently, "Okay, a draw."
Even while washing his hands, Xu Songning was restless and splashed water from his fingertips onto Xiang Yun's face, which Xiang Yun wiped away without any disgust.
Two bowls of chicken soup were laid out on the table, with plump chicken legs standing upright in the soup and two wings torn off and arranged on a plate, as if to give them a good nourishing meal.
"Brother Yun, you need to eat more. Your aunt specifically told you to replenish your energy, because you're too weak," Xu Songning said seriously.
Xiang Yun didn't engage in a verbal argument with her; she knew for herself whether she was being evasive or not.
"Songning, you should eat more chicken. I added several kinds of medicinal herbs and stewed it for several hours. This is a rich broth, very nutritious!" Father Xiang looked at her with a smile.
Mr. Xiang was very satisfied with Xiang Yun's girlfriend, and his words were full of affection.
He felt even more sorry for Xu Songning after hearing Xiang Yun say that Xu Songning came from a single-parent family and grew up with her mother without the love and companionship of a father.
When Xu Songning is with older men, she thinks of her cheap father. Compared to Xiang's father, he's utterly worthless.
"Uncle, you should eat too." Xu Songning pushed the chicken wings on the plate to Xiang's father.
Mr. Xiang repeatedly refused, saying, "This was originally meant for you to eat. If I wanted some, it would be easy for me to cook one myself."
“You’ve worked so hard, it’s only right that we give you this to eat. Otherwise, we younger generation wouldn’t dare to eat it,” Xu Songning said.
"Dad, you eat. She can't eat that much; she'll feel uncomfortable if she gets indigestion," Xiang Yun said, trying to mediate.
Hearing this, Xiang's father did not refuse.
The three of them ate in harmony. Mr. Xiang was a gentle person and his conversation was not sharp. He asked some questions that he could ask, but he didn't mention anything that he couldn't.
After dinner, Xu Songning and Xiang Yun went to wash the dishes and chatted casually in the kitchen.
Ms. Cui insisted on washing the dishes by hand. Mr. Xiang cooked, so everyone else, including herself, had to take on the responsibility of washing the dishes.
"Do you want to stay here or go back to our place?" Xiang Yun asked her.
Xu Songning's hand was submerged in the pool, and she applied the foam from the back of her hand to his hand. "Go back and pack your things. Let's leave tomorrow. Time is tight. When we get back, I'll go back to work. You stay home and keep your parents company."
"And what about you?"
“After you’ve spent time with your parents, come back to be with me. You only have a month’s vacation, okay? Don’t think you’re retired yet. Hurry up and come back to practice your simulator training,” Xu Songning said.
Xiang Yun hasn't even looked for a travel destination yet. "So rushed?"
"To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's leave tomorrow!" Xu Songning held up the plate, showing it to Xiang Yun how clean she had washed it, "Look how clean Sister Xu has washed it."
"Clean. Okay, we'll leave tomorrow." Xiang Yun pressed her hand down.
"Where to?" Xu Songning finally thought of the question.
Xiang Yun had a place in mind to fulfill Xu Songning's request: "How about the Maldives? In July, the ocean currents are active in the Maldives. We can go to the southern atoll and see if we can find humpback whales, blue whales, sperm whales, manta rays, dolphins..."
“Okay! Let’s go here.” Xu Songning agreed immediately.
Xiang Yun was looking at flight tickets to the Maldives on his computer, while Xu Songning sat behind him reading his books that he couldn't understand.
After securing the plane tickets, Xiang Yun also prepared a travel guide, recording it in her phone's notes app, and arranged international data plans for both of them.
Mr. Xiang went to school in the afternoon, and the two of them went home and each packed a suitcase. When they returned, Ms. Cui and Cui Yuyue had also gone home.
Ms. Cui was very surprised to see the two suitcases. "Where are you going?"
"Auntie, we're planning a vacation to the Maldives." Xu Songning adjusted her large straw hat, a gift from her mother. She hadn't thought it was useful before, but now it would come in handy.
Ms. Cui was so shocked she couldn't speak. Just a few days ago, she had experienced a harrowing landing, and today Xiang Yun and Xu Songning were going on a trip abroad, and by plane no less. This made it hard for this middle-aged woman to keep up.
"Wait... are you sure you're not joking?"
"Mom, when have I ever joked with you?" Xiang Yun helped Xu Songning take off his hat, and while Ms. Cui was recovering, he said, "Let's meet Songning's mother today."
"Huh?" Xu Songning asked in surprise, "Did we... have this arrangement?"
"Just make a video call. There are some things you probably haven't told your aunt either." Xiang Yun understood her too well; they were both the type to only share good news and not bad.
Ms. Cui knew that the pilot was Xiang Yun, and Ms. Xu knew that the person in charge of the plane was Xu Songning. Both of them lacked another crucial piece of information: they did not know that these two were the main figures in that accident.
"I really didn't tell them, because I was afraid they'd worry." Xu Songning took off his hat, thinking that since he was going out to play anyway, it would be better to be honest about it, at least he wouldn't get scolded later.
"That's so sudden! Does Songning's mother know about this?" Ms. Cui was flustered. Was her business attire appropriate? Should she change her clothes? It's all her son's fault for being so opinionated. She hadn't even finished processing the fact that the two of them were going on a trip abroad, and now her son had dropped this bombshell on her.
He's going to arrange a meeting between both sets of parents!
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