Chapter 35
Xiao Ming sat on the sofa, drinking tea from his cup, while Jiang Lan whispered something to him.
Jiang's mother forced a smile and said to Xiaoming, "I'm still simmering soup in the kitchen, so I won't keep you company any longer. Jiang Lan, please take good care of Xiaoming."
After saying that, she got up and walked towards the kitchen, then turned back and winked at Jiang's father.
The two went into the kitchen, closed the sliding door, and Jiang's mother muttered to herself:
"This girl came all this way, bringing so many things. It's like she's trying to woo Jiang Lan. Could there be something wrong with her?"
Jiang's father also lowered his voice: "This young girl looks upright and doesn't seem like someone with problems. Could it be that there's something wrong with her family?"
“My son told me during the Chinese New Year that the girl’s family is doing quite well. Her brother runs a supermarket, her parents help out, her sister-in-law is a tenured teacher, and they have a nephew who is about ten years old. The whole family is healthy, so what could possibly be wrong?”
After pondering for a moment, Jiang's father said to Jiang's mother with some hesitation, "When you said you were going into the kitchen, did the little girl not respond?"
"I don't remember saying anything, what's wrong?"
“If she were eager to help, she should have made an effort to ask to come in and help. And Xiao Lan’s enthusiasm for her was so intense it made my teeth ache. No matter how you look at it, it should be our son who is eager to help.”
"So we're overthinking it? Or is it simply that they respect us?"
"No, that's not right. Let me think."
Jiang's father paced back and forth in the kitchen, rubbing his chin, while Jiang's mother picked vegetables and watched him wander around.
Jiang's mother had already picked all the vegetables when Jiang's father stopped, slapped his forehead, and hissed, "Honey, look at those two in the living room. If you switch their genders, wouldn't all this seem more reasonable?"
At first, Jiang's mother didn't understand what her husband was saying. She got up and walked towards the glass sliding door, peeking out to look at the two people sitting on the sofa with their backs to the kitchen door.
Xiao Ming sat upright watching TV, while Jiang Lan smiled and whispered something in her ear, practically leaning against the girl.
Jiang's mother also hissed, looking at Jiang's father with an expression of existential doubt, while Jiang's father nodded heavily.
"When these two families get married, the formal visit usually involves the man going to the woman's house first, which shows the man's respect and importance to the woman. Children don't understand, but the elders in the family certainly do. Before they got out of the car, I thought the little girl was just coming to visit and get acquainted with the place."
"So you're saying that if we consider Xiaoming as a boy and Xiaolan as a girl, then everything makes sense. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me. Jiang Lan said the proposal was made by the girl, the ring was bought by someone else, and the entire wedding ceremony was planned by the girl... this..."
"We'll go out and ask him later, see if our usually overly clever but clueless son knows what this means, and ask Xiaoming if he knows what it means. Don't ask directly, just give him a hint so we have a general idea."
The two sat down on the sofa, and Jiang's mother grabbed a handful of snacks and stuffed them into Xiaoming's hand: "Why aren't you eating snacks? Here, take these and eat them. Auntie bought them according to Xiaolan's preferences, I don't know if you'll like them or not."
"Thank you, Auntie. Jiang Lan and I have similar tastes; we like all of these."
Looking at Xiaoming's expression, Jiang's mother realized that the girl didn't show any of the shyness that most girls have when they first meet their boyfriend's parents; she remained poised and calm throughout.
"Xiaoming, why did you bring so many gifts today? You're too kind. Are these gifts something your family wanted to prepare, or did you prepare them yourself?"
Before Xiaoming could speak, Jiang Lan replied, "Those local specialties were all sent by Xiaoming's family, and the gifts specifically for his parents were all bought by Xiaoming."
What a fool!
Xiao Ming smiled as he looked at Jiang's mother, whose expression stiffened slightly. "This is my first time visiting, and it's after the proposal, to discuss the wedding details. It should be a bit more formal to show respect to your parents. That's what my parents said too. When two families get married, mutual respect and equality are essential for a good future relationship."
So I told Jiang Lan that I don't need a bride price, since the government is now advocating against this outdated custom. As for start-up capital for the young couple, Jiang Lan and I both have jobs and decent incomes, so we shouldn't need any financial support from our families.
As for the property of both parties, such as the RV, they can have a prenuptial agreement notarized if they each need it.
I might pay in full to buy a bigger house and a car. It wouldn't be right to just take advantage of Jianglan's good fortune; I could rent out the vacant houses I have to supplement my household income.
Jiang Lan and I went to my house for the Double Ninth Festival, and then my family came here to hold the wedding. I told Jiang Lan my requirements: a simple wedding, just the two families having a meal together, witnessing each other's presence, and getting the marriage certificate. I just wanted to see if Jiang Lan had any objections.
Jiang Lan had been trying to interrupt for a while, but Xiao Ming had held her down several times by pinching her hand. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer: "Didn't we already agree on the property notarization? It's unnecessary. Why didn't you tell me beforehand that you wanted to buy a car and a house? There's no need to buy them at all, it's not like we don't have them!"
Xiao Ming comforted Jiang Lan: "I already said, it's about equality. What I bought is still far less than what you bought. We can't just take advantage of you when we're together."
Jiang's parents exchanged a glance, and Jiang's father said to Jiang Lan, "Alright, what Xiaoming said makes sense."
Back in the kitchen, Jiang's mother complained to Jiang's father, "Your good son interrupted me the whole time, and I didn't get anything out of him. One said 'equal treatment,' and the other said 'simplify the process,' how was I supposed to ask him anything?"
"Then don't think too much about it. In any case, they are still very kind. They are probably just young people with modern ideas."
“You’re kind, but you’re too kind. I think your idea about the genders being switched is correct. We were probably right when we guessed that Xiao Lan likes boys. But she got lucky and met Xiao Ming, who is a man in a woman’s body. So we have to treat Xiao Ming better. Otherwise, if she runs away, where will Xiao Lan find someone like her? I don’t want my son to be a man’s wife and be dominated by her.”
Mr. Jiang nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy: "You're right."
It has to be said, this was truly a beautiful misunderstanding.
After lunch, Jiang Lan took Xiao Ming upstairs to rest. Xiao Ming looked around the room, which still retained the air of a young boy, and asked Jiang Lan while sitting in the computer chair, "How long have you been staying here?"
“I’ve lived here since I was in elementary school. Before that, I lived in a dormitory building built by my work unit. It was narrow and noisy, and my mom disliked it a lot. So she bought someone’s yard here and built her own house.”
Xiao Ming picked up the photo frame on the table; inside was a family portrait: "You and your dad looked quite alike when you were young."
"Yes. That's what everyone says. I also have photo albums from when I was little, would you like to see them?"
"Yes. May I see the books in your bookshelf?"
"Can."
Xiao Ming glanced at it briefly and saw that it contained some study reference books, historical classics, basketball magazines, and some shonen manga.
She took out a comic book, glanced at it, and then put it back. She had seen this comic on her computer before.
Jiang Lan looked at the photo album, then put the book back, and said with a smile, "I've been following this anime for several years; I really loved it back then."
"I also watched the TV version on my computer, but I didn't watch the whole thing. It was very popular at school at the time, and a lot of people were into it. I also followed it for a while."
Why did they stop chasing after them?
"Personally, I prefer the restrained and subtle way Chinese people express their emotions. I don't really like the kind of passionate and fiery emotional expression. I was just following the trend, and I stopped following it when the trend died down."
He took the photo album and started looking through it with Jiang Lan.
It's clear that Jiang Lan has been handsome since he was a child. His mother has a great sense of style, so he always exudes a god-like aura in the photos. He had a bit of a smiling face when he was little, but after growing up, he has a cool and aloof look.
Flipping to his high school graduation photo, Xiaoming pointed to Jiang Lan standing in the last row and asked him, "What about that female classmate who was looking for you a while ago?"
“This one.” Jiang Lan pointed to it, and Xiao Ming flipped through the photos to see the names of the people on the back.
"Your name is Yao Xue. You have a goddess-like aura and are a very intellectual girl. Your class has a pretty good overall appearance, with several stunning beauties in the front row."
Jiang Lan showed her a lot of things from his childhood. After watching Jiang Lan's past, the two of them lay in bed scrolling through their phones and eventually fell asleep until Jiang's mother called them downstairs for dinner.
The two got up, went downstairs to wash their hands, and sat down at the dining table. Jiang's mother served each of them a bowl of soup: "This soup is delicious, see if it tastes good. And these dishes are all Xiao Lan said you like to eat, come and try Auntie's cooking."
The food here is relatively light and slightly sweet. Xiaoming doesn't mind anything except strong flavors.
"Thank you, Auntie. These dishes look delicious."
Throughout the meal, Xiaoming praised Jiang's mother countless times, and Jiang Lan's statement that her family's cooking skills were inherited from a long line of tradition seemed to be true.
After dinner, the family went out for a walk. Jiang's mother went to do square dancing, and Jiang's father found someone to play chess with.
Jiang Lan led Xiao Ming around the streets, saying she was showing her around the area.
Upon arriving at a dessert shop, Jiang Lan led Xiao Ming to a spot under a large tree in front of the shop and ordered several signature snacks and desserts: "I've been eating at this place since I was a child; it's a famous old shop around here. We've been walking around for so long, and our digestion from dinner has almost worn off. Shall we grab something to eat together?"
Xiao Ming nodded.
The two were eating and talking when suddenly a girl's voice rang out: "Jiang Lan, it really is you."
Xiao Ming looked up and saw a girl in front of him wearing a white dress, with long black hair, fair skin, and a beautiful appearance.
Jiang Lan's smile vanished instantly: "Hello, Yao Xue."
Yao Xue turned to look at Xiao Ming, and asked Jiang Lan with a slight smile, "And who is this?"
"My girlfriend."
Xiao Ming smiled and waved to Yao Xue: "Hello, my name is Xiao Ming."
Yao Xue chuckled softly, then quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand: "Hello. My name is Yao Xue, Jiang Lan's high school classmate. Your name is quite interesting."
"Yes, everyone says that. Are you out for dessert too?"
"Yes, I didn't expect Jiang Lan to come out for dessert after coming home. What a coincidence."
"Ah, that's quite a coincidence."
"I'm alone. If you don't mind, can I share a table with you?"
Jiang Lan focused intently on eating the dessert in front of her, occasionally scrolling through her phone, completely ignoring the conversation between the two.
"The table is too small, I'm afraid there won't be enough room to sit."
"It's okay, I don't take up any space."
Seeing that Jiang Lan remained silent and did not look up, Yao Xue finally stopped hiding the malice and provocation in Xiao Ming's eyes.
After saying that, she wiped the chair and the table in front of her, then adjusted her skirt and sat down gracefully.
Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and quietly ate his dessert spoonful by spoonful.
"Hey, are those couple rings on your hands? They look pretty nice."
“This is the engagement ring,” Jiang Lan said.
Yao Xue feigned surprise, covering her mouth and saying, "Ah, I thought they were couple rings."
Then she turned to Xiaoming and whispered, "But these days, let alone engagements, there are even cases of couples divorcing the very next day after their weddings. I think you should keep a low profile. Aren't they saying that showing off your love will lead to a quick breakup?"
Xiao Ming looked up at Yao Xue, whose smile was still sweet but whose tone was sarcastic, and said, "I can't keep a low profile. With such a handsome and rich boyfriend, what's the difference between not showing off our love and hiding our wealth? I feel incredibly good when I see other girls envious and jealous of me."
Yao Xue listened and began to lecture with a serious expression: "Oh dear, girls shouldn't be vain. Being vain makes one seem shallow."
Unable to bear it any longer, Jiang Lan suddenly stood up and said to Xiao Ming, "Let's go." After saying that, she turned around and walked a few steps away, waiting for Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming wiped his mouth with a tissue, stood up, thought for a moment, bent down and whispered something in Yao Xue's ear. Yao Xue's expression changed, then she seemed to remember something, smiled gently, and replied to Xiao Ming, "Don't worry, I will."
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