Chen Jin and I put Lao Mi's luggage into the trunk. Chen Jin then turned to Lu Jia and said, "Michael has already booked a restaurant in the old town, not far from Sanbao's inn. Why don't you come and have dinner with us? We've invited Michael and my friends from Dali. These people are different from the group we used to hang out with in Shanghai. If you like Dali, you'll definitely like them too."
Lu Jia smiled and replied, "I won't go."
“You know Michael and me, so just think of this as a gathering of old friends… Or you can think of us as new friends, let’s get to know each other again, and not think about those messy relationships from before…”
Lu Jia waved her hand, interrupting, "You guys go ahead and have your gathering. I've already talked to my parents. I'll take them to Jizhao Nunnery tonight. They want to go there to offer incense."
Old Mi, who had been listening nearby, suddenly spoke up and asked Lu Jia, "Your parents are here too?"
"The day after tomorrow is my dad's birthday. We used to celebrate it in Shanghai, but this year I wanted to bring them to Dali. They were both very happy."
Old Mi nodded and replied, "It's a good thing that you're willing to come out for a walk."
"Mmm." After a slight pause, Lu Jia smiled and said, "Seeing that you and Auntie are both in good spirits makes me really happy..."
Old Mi sighed, "Getting old, getting old... and having even more things to worry about!"
"Uncle, please don't say that. Michael will become more and more outstanding in the future, and you and Auntie will enjoy more and more happiness."
Old Mi looked at me without saying a word, and his sudden silence made me a little uneasy... I couldn't understand what he was feeling this time.
Old Mi's silence made Lu Jia a little uncomfortable. She straightened her clothes to make herself look more natural, and then said to Old Mi and my mother, "Uncle, Aunt, let Mi Gao take you to the hotel to rest. I'll be going now, otherwise Jizhao Nunnery will be closed to tourists."
Old Mi didn't try to stop her, he just told her to drive slowly on the road.
Watching Lu Jia's departing figure, I felt relieved, but I couldn't help having some thoughts... I didn't know what her purpose was in coming to the train station. If she really wanted to get back together with me, then she shouldn't have refused Chen Jin's suggestion to have dinner together that night. This should have been the best opportunity, since both of our parents were there.
...
After we put our luggage away, Chen Jin drove us away from the train station. On the way, Lao Mi and my mother didn't talk to me much, but Chen Jin did a lot of things to lighten the mood and portrayed me as a successful person so that they would be in a good mood when they were with me.
But because they were upset about something, no matter how Chen Jin tried to mediate, the atmosphere remained cold. Lao Mi was unwilling to speak, and neither was my mother.
This further confirmed my guess that they had already learned about Ye Zhi's accident from other people... and the person who told them this news was most likely Dai Qiang, or Jian Zihan's cousin who was her assistant.
...
Forty minutes later, Chen Jin drove to the hotel he had booked in advance. Actually, it was the Hilton that Ye Zhi had arranged for Lao Mi to stay at when he last came.
This time, I requested a suite with a very nice layout. Standing in the room, I could see Erhai Lake. The view from the balcony outside the room was even better. The hotel had also created a landscape feature on the balcony, with not only flowers and plants but also a set of tables and chairs with parasols. In my free time, I could sit on the balcony, drink tea, and enjoy the spectacular scenery of facing Erhai Lake and backing onto Cangshan Mountain.
My husband and my mom were standing on the balcony looking at the scenery outside the hotel. After I put their luggage away, I stood next to them.
I told them, "This is the best hotel in Haixi with the best sea view. I've booked three nights for you. If you want to stay longer, I can extend the booking for you."
My mother asked with concern, "Everything in this room looks high-end, it must have been expensive, right?"
I smiled and replied, "You've come all this way to Dali, so make sure you stay comfortably. Don't be afraid to spend the money."
“Listen to Mom, cancel the hotel reservation. Find us a regular place, we’re not that picky.”
I advised, "Mom, this is really a good thing. I'm only able to let you and Dad live in a place like this now that I'm able to... If it were before, even if you made this request, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill it..." After a slight pause, I smiled and said, "Your son isn't one to pretend to be something he's not. I've always done what I'm capable of, so you can rest assured and stay here."
Old Mi chimed in, "You didn't understand what your mother meant... This time, we're planning to stay in Dali for a while longer, we can't stay in this kind of house every day, can we?"
I was a little confused. I thought they would only be here for two or three days, which is why I only booked a room for three days.
My mom continued, "We really did come to see you... Also, there's your dad's situation... He's had sinusitis for quite a while now, and he snores so loudly every night that he can't breathe properly and doesn't sleep well. So we wanted to have surgery in Dali to cure this problem completely... We originally wanted to have it done at home, but we heard that the surgery requires general anesthesia and family members to help carry him. Our relatives are all busy, and we felt embarrassed to ask them for help. Post-operative care would be even more troublesome, so your dad and I discussed it and decided to have the surgery done in Dali... You don't mind the trouble, do you?"
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