Marriage (Part 2)
As the benefactor who saved Ruan Qi and Xi Jiu, Bai Li was warmly received by all the members of the Ruan family as soon as he solidified into a physical form and returned to reality.
Ruan Fengmian, Grandma Ruan and others found ways to make delicious food for him every day, while Ruan Munan, Nie Heng and other younger generations treated him as their own grandfather. Even the two dogs, Dahui and Xiaohui, were particularly well-behaved in front of Bai Li, and they almost wanted to shake his tails off.
Under the Ruan family's enthusiastic offensive, Bai Li quickly fell in love with them. In less than a week, he had gained eight pounds.
On this day, Ruan Qi returned home late at night after a date with Xi Jiu. As soon as she walked into the living room, she saw Bai Li sitting on the sofa, watching TV series and eating roast chicken.
Looking at the coffee table full of drinks, chips and junk food, Ruan Qi just felt a stomachache.
She frowned and couldn't help but say, "Uncle Bai Li, you've already eaten four meals today. It's been less than four hours since dinner, why are you eating again? Five meals a day, aren't you full?"
Bai Li put down the roast chicken, drank a sip of fat otaku happy water, burped contentedly, and said, "It's okay. There are too many delicious foods in the world, I can't control myself. Come on, Seventh Girl, I just ordered some crayfish takeout, want to try some together?"
Bai Li picked up a bright red crayfish and waved it at Ruan Qi.
Ruan Qi said "I don't want to eat" with a look of disgust.
Bai Li clicked his tongue and muttered "you don't know what's good", then put the crayfish into his mouth.
Ruan Qi walked over and sat down on the sofa next to him, saying earnestly, "Uncle Bai Li, I don't object to you eating. But five meals a day is really too much. Even if you're a divine weapon, you can't overeat like this. Your abdominal muscles will be gone."
"If it's gone, it's gone." Bai Li slurped the crayfish with a look of ecstasy on her face. "The food on earth is really delicious. I've been away from this plane for many years, and I never thought humans would invent so many foods. For example, this crayfish is truly a delicacy. I want to eat another hundred pounds!"
Bai Li also tried her best to eat.
Fortunately, he is not an ordinary person, otherwise if he continues to eat like this, he will end up in the hospital sooner or later due to vomiting and diarrhea.
Ruan Qi shook her head helplessly, picked up a bottle of yogurt from the coffee table, unscrewed the lid and started drinking.
"Did Mom and Dad go to bed?"
"Yeah." Bai Li chewed two mutton skewers and answered incoherently, "It's time to go to bed. He even told me not to eat too much before bed. How about you? Did you have dinner tonight? Did you enjoy your date with Xi kid?"
Ruan Qi: "Of course I'm happy. Jiujiu and I had French food, it was delicious. I'll take you to try it next time."
When mentioning Xi Jiu, Ruan Qi smiled.
But Bai Li noticed that she seemed a little absent-minded, and the corners of her mouth were less upturned than usual.
Seeing this, Bai Li asked directly: "What's wrong with you? You don't look happy. Is something on your mind?"
Ruan Qi shook his head.
"No worries. Just a little..."
Bai Li: "What's going on? Is there something wrong with your relationship?"
"How is that possible?" Ruan Qi immediately retorted, "There will never be any problems with Jiujiu and my relationship. It's just..."
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "Isn't Jiujiu's birthday coming up soon? I'm a little confused about what birthday present to get him."
Bai Li thought it was a big deal, but when he heard this, he almost gasped.
He was speechless. "Is that all? Is it worth worrying about? Weren't the gifts you gave him on his birthday in previous years quite good?"
"But this year is different." Ruan Qi opened her eyes wide, her expression serious. "This year is Jiujiu's 30th birthday! 30 is the only time in a person's life when they reach adulthood. How can I give such an ordinary gift for such a grand birthday?"
Bai Li has lived for tens of thousands of years, and age is just a string of numbers to him, so he doesn't quite understand what Ruan Qi cares about.
But since Ruan Qi took it so seriously, he began to actively give her advice.
"Thirty is the age of independence...after this age, does that mean you are considered middle-aged?"
"..." The yogurt in Ruan Qi's mouth almost spurted out.
She glanced at Bai Li speechlessly and said, "If thirty is considered middle-aged, then what are you, who are tens of thousands of years old? An old ancestor of ashes? In our human world, thirty is considered a young man with a bright future. Only forty or fifty is considered middle-aged."
Bai Li let out an "ah" with some regret.
"I thought the Xi family kid was already middle-aged." He sighed and muttered softly, "I recently saw a health package online that's specially designed for middle-aged and elderly people. I was just about to recommend you buy this package as a birthday gift for Xi kid..."
Under Ruan Qi's deathly gaze, Bai Li's voice became smaller and smaller. Finally, he stretched out his hand and silently made a zippering motion on his mouth.
Ok, he shut up.
Bai Li tactfully stopped talking.
Seeing that he was quite perceptive, Ruan Qi withdrew his murderous gaze with satisfaction.
At the same time, she defended Xi Jiu again: "My Jiujiu is in his prime and doesn't need those health packages. He's in good health and doesn't need them even when he's in his forties or fifties. Old Bai, put away your messy thoughts. Instead of browsing health packages online every day, it's better to avoid these junk foods in front of you as soon as possible."
Ruan Qi went around in circles and finally came back to unhealthy eating habits.
Bai Li's head hurt after hearing this, and he quickly changed the subject, "What about Xi's birthday present? Have you decided on something?"
Ruan Qi's teaching of Bai Li came to an abrupt end.
The 30th birthday was so important that she had been thinking about it for almost a month but still hadn't come up with a suitable gift.
Looking at Ruan Qi's wrinkled and troubled face, Bai Li suddenly remembered something.
"Seventh girl, put the birthday present aside for now. Xi boy is almost thirty, isn't it time for you two to consider getting married?"
Ruan Qi:?
Ruan Qi was a little confused when she suddenly heard the word "get a marriage certificate".
Seeing her reaction, Bai Li's eyes widened in shock. "No way, Ruan Xiaoqi? You and Xi Jiu have been together for over five years, and you haven't even thought about getting married? Ruan Xiaoqi, you're not planning on being a scumbag and abandoning me, are you?!"
Ruan Qi was stunned for a moment, then immediately defended herself after realizing what was happening: "No! I'm serious about Jiujiu!"
Bai Li: "Then why were you so confused when you heard about getting a marriage certificate?"
"..." Ruan Qi's eyes drifted when she was asked, and she whispered with a guilty conscience, "It's not that I don't want to get married. It's just that my relationship with Jiujiu has been so good over the past few years that I completely forgot that we were still single. If you hadn't mentioned this today, I would have almost thought that he and I were already married."
Bai Li: ...
Actually, it’s not Ruan Qi’s fault.
If you want to blame someone, blame her and Xi Jiu for having such a good relationship.
Other couples would have their share of arguments and disagreements when they were in love, but Ruan Qi and Xi Jiu were so compatible and emotionally stable. Because they cared so deeply about each other, they would never do anything to anger the other.
So, they've been dating for over five years, and they haven't had a single argument. With such a good relationship and such a deep understanding, even an outsider would mistake them for a couple who've been married for years, rather than just a couple who've been dating for a few years.
And Ruan Qi also felt the same way subconsciously.
She had long regarded Xi Jiu as the person she wanted to spend her life with. Although they had not yet obtained a marriage certificate, in her heart, Xi Jiu was already her husband and lover.
So, as time went by, Ruan Qi would unconsciously ignore the fact that she hadn't gotten married to Xi Jiu yet. She would treat him as her lover every day, spending sweet time with him, and her life was very comfortable.
After listening to Ruan Qi's mental journey, Bai Li was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Ruan Xiaoqi, you're amazing. In this technological age, you've actually learned to get married with your mind."
“…” Ruan Qi’s face flushed red.
Bai Li tutted, then added, "You might be confused, but that Xi family kid shouldn't be confused too. He wanted to marry you so badly, how could he have refrained from mentioning this for years?"
These words made Ruan Qi stunned.
She suddenly thought of what the Ruan and Xi families said when they first met a few years ago.
At that time, Ruan Fengmian said that he wanted to keep his daughter at home for a few more years, let her have some fun, enjoy her youth more, and not get married too early to assume the responsibilities of a wife.
Jiujiu... Could it be that because of these words, you have been holding back for several years and not mentioned getting a marriage certificate?
Ruan Qi shared her doubts with Bai Li.
Bai Li slapped her thigh after hearing this: "It must be because of this! Xi likes you so much, how could he not mention getting married for several years? He must want you to have fun for a few more years, so he deliberately delayed the marriage."
Ruan Qi was only nineteen years old when she and Xi Jiu were together.
Even though more than five years have passed, she has only just celebrated her twenty-fourth birthday.
Twenty-four is really too young. How many people are still studying for their master's degree at the age of twenty-four, and how many people are just graduating from school and entering the society at the age of twenty-four.
This young age, this vibrant youth, is the best time of one's life. People at this age have the most unrestrained time of their lives, the world's biggest stage. They should indulge their youth without restraint and enjoy the world, rather than being bound by marriage and trapped by the daily necessities of life and family matters.
Therefore, it is very likely that this is the reason why Xi Jiu has not mentioned getting a marriage certificate yet.
Bai Li couldn't help but sigh, "If this is really the reason why they haven't mentioned getting a marriage certificate, then this Xi kid is too in love. He's almost thirty, and you're only twenty-four. He must be feeling quite insecure having such a beautiful and outstanding girlfriend, yet he can't get a marriage certificate."
Bai Li was just speaking casually from a man's perspective.
But Ruan Qi took it to heart.
She suddenly felt that she was not a qualified girlfriend.
How could two people who truly loved each other not want to get married soon? Xi Jiu loved her so much that he must have thought about getting married thousands of times. But she was too young, so he hadn't mentioned it yet.
But if Xi Jiu didn't mention it, couldn't she take the initiative to offer some snacks? It was she who ignored Xi Jiu's occasional entanglement and hesitation. It was her carelessness that made Xi Jiu endure it silently for so long.
And now, Xi Jiu is almost thirty years old.
Did she want him to keep waiting and continue to indulge her?
Ruan Qi wouldn't allow herself to be so heartless.
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly leaned close to Bai Li's ear and whispered, "Uncle Bai Li, I have an idea..."
See you tomorrow~
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