Su Li forced herself to walk over; she really disliked people like Shi Yuan.
They had agreed it was just a meal, but he ended up calling his mother over.
This put her in an awkward position, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Su Li walked over to Shi Yuan's table. The woman was pale and looked sickly, but her eyes were full of excitement as she looked at her.
"You must be Su Li! I've often heard my son, A Yuan, mention you. You're even more beautiful than I imagined."
Shi Yuan smiled and said to his mother, "Mom, don't frighten her. I'll go order some dishes."
He had just stood up when Su Li said to him, "I promised to treat you today, is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll go order now."
Seeing the unwavering look in Su Li's eyes, Shi Yuan didn't insist any further.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
Su Li said calmly, "No need."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yuan slowly sat down. "My mother can only eat thin porridge. Order her some noodle soup. I'll eat whatever I want."
Su Li nodded to indicate that she understood.
Shi Yuan's mother looked at her son disapprovingly and said, "Yuan, what's wrong with you? How can you let a young girl order food? Don't you have any sense of propriety?"
Su Li didn't want to give a patient a hard time, so she still smiled and said, "Auntie, he helped me a lot. I promised to treat you to dinner today."
Su Li's words were undoubtedly an attempt to distance herself from her mother. Was she really that impatient?
A hint of hurt flashed in Shi Yuan's eyes.
"Oh, I see! Alright then, I won't stop you."
When Shi Yuan's mother said this, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She could tell that her son really liked the girl in front of him.
But the other person had no interest in him.
Watching Su Li go to order food, she said to her son, "Son! Is this the girl you like? She's really beautiful."
No wonder so many people in town wanted to find him a partner, but he absolutely refused.
It turns out that she had her eye on this girl all along. Su Li is beautiful and seems very smart, more than a match for her son. It's just a pity that she could tell that he had no interest in her!
Being with them always felt distant and overly polite.
"Mother, you like her too, don't you? Get well soon, and one day I'll marry her."
"I like any girl you like, but I can tell she doesn't reciprocate your feelings. I hope you won't get hung up on this. There are plenty of good women in the world. If it really can't work out, I don't want you to... cough cough..."
Shi Yuan's mother knew her son best. He inherited his stubbornness from his father, especially when it came to relationships. Back then, his father went so far as to hunt wild boars deep in the mountains to marry her.
He did it all just to raise the dowry money her parents demanded. She only found out later that he almost lost his life that time.
Now she's a little worried that Shi Yuan has gone down the wrong path; sometimes, matters of the heart can't be resolved just by wishful thinking.
"Mom, are you alright?" Shi Yuan heard her cough and quickly went over to pat her back and hand her water.
Shi Yuan's mother waved her hand; "I'm fine. I just hope you can live a good life from now on, don't be too impulsive, and don't get stuck on things too much... cough cough..."
"Mother, please don't say anymore. I know everything. I will listen to you."
Su Li ordered four or five dishes, and waited for them to be served.
She ate her meal in silence. Shi Yuan's mother looked at the girl in front of her, still wanting to try and persuade her son; "Can I just call you Xiao Li?"
Su Li nodded; "Auntie, you can call me whatever you want."
How old is Xiaoli this year?
"Twenty-one years old"
"I wonder if Xiao Li, who's so pretty, has a boyfriend?"
Just as Su Li was about to answer that she had, Shi Yuan interrupted her mother's question: "Mother, your noodle soup will get cold if you don't drink it soon. Have you forgotten what the doctor told you not to drink cold food?"
Interrupted, Su Li didn't continue speaking and sat quietly eating the food in front of her.
Shi Yuan's mother looked at her simple-minded son and said, "Yuan, what's wrong with you? Put some food on Xiao Li's plate!"
Upon hearing this, Su Li quickly waved her hand and said, "Auntie, no need, I can pick it up myself."
Shi Yuan picked up a piece of pork rib with his chopsticks and put it into Su Li's bowl; "You're too thin, eat more."
Su Li glanced at Shi Yuan's mother, then nodded without saying anything.
But she didn't touch that piece of pork rib. Shi Yuan's mother saw this but didn't say anything. It seemed that the girl really didn't like her son.
Su Li felt that it was about time, and she really couldn't eat anymore, so she said to the two of them, "I still have some things to take care of. You two take your time eating."
She then looked at Shi Yuan and said, "And thank you for selling me that rough stone."
Shi Yuan stood up, his face not looking too good; "You've only eaten this much, eat some more before you go, it won't take up much of your time."
"No, I really can't eat anymore. You guys take your time. I really have something urgent to take care of."
Shi Yuan's mother smiled and said, "Alright, thank you for having dinner with this old woman today. Since you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it!"
"Then I'll be going now, Auntie."
Shi Yuan escorted Su Li to the entrance of the state-run restaurant; "You really don't want to eat with me?"
Su Li countered, "And what about you? What's the meaning of bringing your mother here?"
"You know how I feel about you." Shi Yuan spoke frankly. He was never a coward; his feelings for Su Li were simply a man's affection for a woman.
"I'll reiterate, I have a partner, and we have a great relationship."
"So what? One day I'll make you my woman."
Su Li couldn't help but swear; "Crazy!"
Without arguing with him any further, she turned and left.
Shi Yuan watched her walk away, composed himself, and then returned to the state-run hotel.
There was still a lot of food left on the five dishes on the table.
As Shi Yuan tidied up, he asked his mother, "Mother, what do you think of Su Li as your future daughter-in-law?"
“Ah Yuan, I’m not trying to discourage you, but this girl, Xiao Li, seems quite nice. However, she doesn’t like you. Look at that piece of pork rib in her bowl. Ever since you put it in her bowl, she hasn’t even glanced at it, let alone taken a bite. What does that mean? It means she doesn’t like you at all.”
Shi Yuan glanced at Su Li's bowl and saw that there was only one piece of pork rib there. He used Su Li's chopsticks to pick up the piece of pork rib and put it in his mouth.
The ribs had gone cold, and an indescribable greasiness filled his mouth as he ate them, but so what? He would get the person he set his sights on, even if it meant resorting to any means necessary.
"Mom, don't think so much. Focus on getting better first. I'll handle my own relationship issues."
"I'm just worried about how you'll live on your own after I'm gone!"
Shi Yuan finished packing the food, went over to help her, and said, "Then please take good care of yourself and stay with your son."
She knew her days were numbered, but she didn't want to keep saying things that would upset her son.
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