She was too embarrassed to say it aloud, and looked away in a flustered manner. Her shifty eyes completely betrayed her unease.
Xie Yan stepped forward, grabbed her hand, tightened his grip slightly, and asked in a low voice, half threatening and half urgent, "What is it?"
Yu Yue turned her head and looked into Xie Yan's eyes, her expression earnest to the point of reverence: "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
Xie Yan nodded emphatically, her tone firm: "I must say!"
Yu Yue smiled helplessly, as if she had made a great decision: "Alright! It's what you wanted to hear!"
Xie Yan interrupted her directly: "It's not your fault! Go on, tell me."
Yu Yuehui coughed lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her voice was soft yet playful: "I just think you're very cute!"
Xie Yan looked puzzled, his eyes wide: "?"
"What's so cute about it?"
He was completely baffled; what exactly had made him so endearing?
Yu Yuehui said seriously, her eyes full of gentle smiles, "You look so cute when you're worried about me! You're so cute when you're anxious about me!"
Xie Yan: "!!!"
He was both annoyed and amused. He had almost thought that Yu Yue had seen through his feigned vulnerability, but it turned out that this guy just thought he was cute for worrying about her!
Yu Yue was leaving that evening, and the thought of not seeing Xie Yan for so many days made her feel a pang of sadness, and her eyes reddened slightly.
She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and looked at Xie Yan beside her, her eyes full of worry: "You know, I've been gone for so long, what am I going to do? I'm sure I won't be able to eat well."
Yu Yuehui had considered inviting Xie Yan to her parents' home for dinner. But...
Xie Yan refused resolutely. He took Yu Yuehui's hand and said earnestly and gently, "Wife, we and Mom's side are two different homes now. It's not the same as before."
He sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "In the future, my parents' care will mainly depend on my older brother and sister-in-law, so I won't go and cause them any trouble."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yuehui became extremely anxious and hurriedly explained, "I will bring food with me, enough for you, and even more." Her eyes were full of expectation, hoping that Xie Yan would agree.
Xie Yan nodded gently, took Yu Yuehui's hand, and patiently persuaded her: "Wife, I know what you mean, but think about it, when our parents get old, they will mostly have to rely on your sister-in-law to take care of them."
"My brother is away from home all year round. Doesn't my sister-in-law take care of everything at home, from food and drink to the toilet?"
“She already feels that your parents favor you. If I go over there again and bring you better food, she will feel resentful.”
"Bring regular grains, she won't feel comfortable. She feels that we usually eat refined grains, and she's worried that they'll bring coarse grains instead of vegetables."
"What if she holds this grudge against her parents? Will they have a good life when they get old?"
"Besides, I felt really uncomfortable going there."
Yu Yue listened and remained silent for a while. Although she was reluctant, she also felt that Xie Yan's words made sense. She forced a smile and said, "Alright, I'll make you more cooked food now, and you can heat it up yourself later."
Xie Yan seemed to suddenly remember something, his expression turned serious, and he hurriedly explained, "Wife, you know I'm not unfilial, nor do I object to taking care of our parents in their old age."
"Besides, you know my relationship with my family. They will definitely not ask me for help with their retirement. At most, I will just give them some money every month."
"If my parents are willing to live with us, and we can take care of them in their old age, I would definitely be more than willing!"
"But you know your parents' temper better than anyone else. It's almost impossible to get them to take care of you in your old age."
"Even if we give money, it's actually my sister-in-law who gets the benefits."
"I don't want this matter to strain the relationship between my parents and sister-in-law, or leave them with resentment."
"We won't be able to stay with our parents for long periods of time in the future, so we should try to minimize the trouble we cause them."
Yu Yue tilted her head, patted Xie Yan's hand, and said reproachfully, "Why are you saying all this? I already know."
"That's just how things are here. As long as the son is still alive, there's no such thing as living with the daughter in old age."
“You’re right. My mother has suffered her whole life, and I don’t want her to be unhappy in her old age.”
She paused, as if remembering something, and then said, "Over at the village cemetery, there's an old woman with bound feet, about the same age as my grandmother, do you remember her?"
Xie Yan recalled for a moment, then nodded and said, "I remember, I used to come out to sunbathe quite often."
Yu Yuehui looked somewhat emotional and continued, "That old lady had a hard life. She originally had two sons. Her younger son was eaten by wolves when he was young. Back then, the wolves in our area were very fierce and would often come into the village."
"Things are better now, but you still have to go up the mountain in a group. Nobody dares to go alone."
As she spoke, she gave Xie Yan a meaningful look.
Xie Yan instantly recalled running around on the mountain earlier, and slowly shifted his gaze to the side, pretending not to understand the meaning behind Yu Yuehui's look.
Yu Yue looked back at him and smiled, then continued, "Her eldest son was swept away by a flood years ago."
"There was only one daughter left in the family, and she got married early."
“Our children get married early, and she’s the eldest.”
"What happened later? Did you take your parents to live with you in your old age?" Xie Yan asked curiously.
Yu Yue shook her head. "No."
"Later, a family in the village took a liking to their house and land and agreed to support the two elderly people, but everything the elderly people left behind would belong to them."
“You see, even so, no one is thinking about relying on their daughter to support them in their old age.”
"That's how it is here. My dad is so concerned about his reputation, how could he possibly agree to live with us in our old age?"
As they were talking, Yu Yuehui had already started kneading the dough.
With skillful hands, the dough rolled obediently in her hands and was soon rolled into a thin and large pancake.
The dim light shone on her face, reflecting her focused expression.
Watching her skillful movements, Xie Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "Wife, your dough-rolling skills are absolutely amazing!"
“Every time I watch you do it, it feels like magic.”
Having received so many compliments, Yu Yuehui was no longer the shy, blushing woman she used to be. A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips, but she feigned composure and said nonchalantly, "That's right!"
Soon, she had cut a large bowl full of noodles and started preparing the sauces. "I'll make several kinds of sauces. When you cook the noodles, add some vegetables, mix them with the sauces, and you're good to go."
"This requires absolutely no technical skill."
As she spoke, she deftly poured oil and chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic.
Xie Yan followed Yu Yuehui like a little tail, always wanting to help, but he couldn't get involved at all in the face of Yu Yuehui's quick and efficient pace.
Once the large bottle of spicy sauce was cooked, the aroma instantly filled the entire house.
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