Chapter 141 Changing Our Address to Each Other: This is Our Mom!
The two kept whispering to each other at the door, making Gu Chunling anxious. Although she was still in the kitchen serving dishes, she kept craning her neck to look outside.
"Shuangshuang, Xiao He... it's cold outside, don't stand there, come inside quickly!"
But actually, it wasn't very warm inside.
The wall-mounted air conditioner in the Zhu family's living room is a model from ten years ago. It is not used often to save electricity, so when it is turned on now, the heating effect is naturally reduced.
"Coming in, coming in, there's a lot of stuff..." Zhu Liushuang carried two buckets of peanut oil into the house. "Mom, come and lend a hand—"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chunling stopped serving the dishes, put down her spatula, and hurried outside. Her hands, covered in chilblains, rubbed against her apron repeatedly, momentarily unable to find a place to put them.
“This… Xiao He bought so much stuff… It’s too extravagant…” Her gaze fell on the New Year’s goods spread out like a carpet outside the door. Bright red gift boxes, golden gift bags, and all kinds of grains, oils and food… Gu Chunling’s lips moved, her voice trembling slightly.
She lowered her head in alarm, quickly following her daughter's steps. As they bent down, their eyes met, and Gu Chunling tugged at her daughter's hand, a hint of reproach in her eyes.
Why didn't you stop them?!
Zhu Liushuang roughly understood what her mother meant, but she wasn't even there when He Ming was buying things, so she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to! She helplessly spread her hands, stuffed the two health products into her mother's arms, and whispered in her ear, "It was his own idea, he didn't listen to me... You'll just have to accept it, after all, it's the first time our new son-in-law has come to celebrate the New Year."
"How much will this cost?" Gu Chunling muttered, then looked up at He Ming and forced a smile. "Xiao He, thank you... Actually, I'm just happy that you could come."
She still addressed He Ming as "Xiao He," her tone carrying a subtle blend of formality and politeness. Although she felt uneasy, Gu Chunling knew that she couldn't show her timidity anymore, lest her daughter lose face in front of others.
He Ming didn't mind Gu Chunling addressing him that way, and replied modestly, "These are all affordable and practical things, they won't cost much, Auntie, don't worry."
"Hey...driving is tiring. You go inside first, Auntie will carry the rest of the stuff." As she spoke, Gu Chunling warmly took the bags from He Ming's hands.
“That won’t do. Moving things is hard work; it’s for us young people to do.” He Ming naturally refused.
"Listen to your aunt, go and rest on the sofa, the tea is ready."
"You have difficulty walking, I can't let you get tired..."
They went on and on with polite exchanges for a while, neither convincing the other. Zhu Liushuang, however, couldn't take it anymore. She put her hands on her hips and yelled, "Mom—A-Ming—are you two ever going to stop? Stop being so polite, let's all move in together! If we don't move soon, the heating in the house will almost run out..."
Her words had an effect; the two people who were called out fell silent and each picked up their belongings and headed into the house.
About seven or eight minutes later, the Zhu family's large iron gate slammed shut.
Gu Chunling turned around and went back to the kitchen to serve the dishes. Zhu Liushuang pulled He Ming's arm and squeezed in with her.
The kitchen space was not large to begin with, and with three people standing there, it was almost impossible to move.
"Shuangshuang, A-Ming is a guest. Take him outside to sit down. Mom will serve the dishes and then we'll start eating." Gu Chunling patted her daughter's shoulder and urged her towards the living room.
“He’s been here five, six, seven, or eight times already, why is he still a guest?” Zhu Liushuang grumbled discontentedly. “Mom, you’re biased.”
Gu Chunling shoved a plate of stir-fried pork kidneys into her daughter's arms: "Go away... stop talking nonsense."
"See? You're biased." Zhu Liushuang's smile didn't fade. She casually passed the pork kidney to He Ming and said, "A-Ming, take it to the table."
"Okay." He Ming accepted the plate and strode outside.
With one tall figure missing from the kitchen, Gu Chunling, who had been tense, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She pulled her daughter aside and whispered, "Shuangshuang, Xiao He is a guest, and it's rare for him to come to our house, so you should take good care of him."
Having heard it so many times, Zhu Liushuang disapprovedly of her mother, saying, "Mom, don't treat him like a guest. The more you treat him like a guest, the more uncomfortable he'll feel... From now on, we're all family. If we keep being so polite, it'll only create distance!"
"That makes sense, but you two haven't even had your wedding banquet yet..."
In the eyes of the older generation in Gucheng, holding a wedding banquet is the proper way to get married, which is much more important than simply getting a marriage certificate.
“Once you get a marriage certificate, it has legal effect! Mom, you need to change your mindset…” Zhu Liushuang emphasized.
“Okay, okay… but a son-in-law and a daughter are always different.” Gu Chunling said with some concern, “Mom has to treat him extra well, so that Xiao He will treat you well.”
Hearing her mother's simple yet straightforward words, Zhu Liushuang felt extremely sad. She knew her mother's good intentions and understood that everything her mother did was for her sake.
Her eyes welled up with tears. She put her arm around her mother's waist and said softly, "Mom, He Ming is good to me because he loves me. If he stops loving me one day, even if you treat him a thousand times better, it won't make a difference. Besides, He Ming's mother passed away early, and his father has his own family... He can be said to be all alone now, while we... are his new family. I think that rather than being polite, he would prefer us to treat him as one of our own, rather than as an outsider... who has to cater to him in everything."
After speaking from the bottom of her heart, Zhu Liushuang choked up at the end.
Gu Chunling listened with a stunned expression. She came to her senses and said, "Mom understands. From now on, Xiao He... no, A Ming is a member of our family. Mom will treat him as her son."
Zhu Liushuang forced back her tears and nodded heavily.
"Here, take the soup out." Gu Chunling pretended not to see her daughter's red eyes and said, "Tell A-Ming to come in and get the bowls and chopsticks."
"Okay!" Tears were washed away by a smile. Zhu Liushuang sniffed and turned to leave. As she stepped to the door, she was startled by a figure leaning against the wall.
"Ah Ming?" She glanced at him guiltily. Had he overheard what they said in the kitchen?
The man, who had been engrossed in his phone, suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on her with a deep intensity.
In a daze, Zhu Liushuang caught a glimpse of a faint tear in his complex and unfathomable eyes.
"I just got a call, something came up at the station." The man's eyes flickered, and he awkwardly pointed to his phone.
Zhu Liushuang smiled, seemingly oblivious to his unusual behavior, and said, "My mom was just saying she wanted you to go to the kitchen to get some dishes..."
"I'll go right away; I can't keep my mother-in-law waiting." A thousand words were hidden beneath his faint smile.
The 29th of the lunar year is the "Little New Year" in the south, and fireworks and firecrackers are not forbidden in Gucheng. So, as evening falls, bursts of joyous booms can be heard from afar. The Zhu family's dinner was just as lively as the sound of firecrackers outside the window.
Although there were only three people at the table, they chatted non-stop. Gu Chunling, once she started talking, pulled He Ming and her daughter aside and asked them all sorts of questions. From the small details of their daily meals and the division of household chores, to the big issues of rising and falling housing prices in Gucheng and the delayed retirement of young people…
Zhu Liushuang could clearly sense that both her mother and He Ming were trying to make changes. They spoke in a more relaxed manner, and their conversations became more casual and everyday.
The mother changed her way of addressing him and started calling He Ming "A-Ming".
He Ming, afraid of offending his elders, continued to call them "Auntie" repeatedly.
Seeing that he was oblivious, Zhu Liushuang kicked his heel under the table in frustration: "You blockhead! My mom has already started calling you by your nickname! Why are you still calling me 'Auntie'..."
"Huh? Then you have to shout..."
“Of course it’s ‘Mom’! This is our mom!” Zhu Liushuang said, taking her mother’s arm and raising her chin. “Mom, don’t you think so…”
"Yes...yes..." Gu Chunling, supported by her daughter, smiled so much that her eyes were full of wrinkles. "Shuangshuang is right. You two have been married for almost half a year. Logically speaking...you should have changed your address long ago."
The word "Mom" felt both familiar and strange. He Ming's thoughts churned, and after a long pause, he finally called out "Mom" under Zhu Liushuang's expectant gaze.
"Hey—child, we're family now." Gu Chunling took He Ming's hand and squeezed it twice. As if she remembered something, she hurriedly stood up.
"Mom... what are you going back to your room for?" Zhu Liushuang called out to her mother as she walked towards the bedroom.
"I'm going to get something..." Gu Chunling said to herself.
The dining table suddenly quieted down as the person who had been talking earlier was gone. Zhu Liushuang moved a couple of inches closer to He Ming, rested her chin on her hand, blinked, and asked, "How does it feel to have another family member?"
He Ming didn't answer directly. He raised his hand and touched Zhu Liushuang's head, saying with emotion, "Shuangshuang, thank you."
"You're being so formal!" Zhu Liushuang pouted. "Who said that lovers don't need to say thank you...? So it turns out..."
"Shuangshuang, I love you."
This time, Zhu Liushuang wasn't mistaken; He Ming's eyes were indeed glistening with tears. That crystalline light unexpectedly shone into her chest. In an instant, her heart pounded like thunder, drowning out the fireworks bursting outside the window.
"I love you too, A-Ming."
The bedroom door opened as they were pouring their hearts out to each other. The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gu Chunling walking towards them, carrying a red envelope.
"Mom—what's this?" Zhu Liushuang asked.
“According to our local custom, you have to give a red envelope when you address someone by their name.” Gu Chunling walked up to He Ming and said shyly, “Ah Ming, this is a little something from your mother, please don’t mind.”
“Mom, you should keep this money for yourself. We young people don’t care about these things…” After saying that, He Ming gave Zhu Liushuang a wink, hoping she could help persuade her.
Zhu Liushuang understood immediately and chimed in, "Yes, there aren't that many rules. You can keep the money yourself!"
Gu Chunling stubbornly refused to back down: "Some rules can't be skipped. If you don't accept them today, then don't call me Mom anymore."
Having said all that, if He Mingruo refused again, it would be deliberately embarrassing for the elder. So, he reluctantly accepted the red envelope to fulfill his elder's wish.
After a brief interruption, the three of them ate a little faster. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, they ate as much of the food on the table as possible.
After eating and drinking their fill, Zhu Liushuang and He Ming volunteered to do the cleaning and tidying.
Gu Chunling, unusually, didn't take on any work, tactfully giving the young couple some space.
————
At nine o'clock in the evening, an old rural romance film was playing on the television in the living room.
The ceiling light above their heads was off, and the light and shadows flowing on the TV screen were reflected on three different faces.
Zhu Liushuang stared absently at the television, barely paying attention to the plot. The reason, she thought, was He Ming. A small cushion lay on her lap, and beneath it, a man's hand was tightly enveloping hers. He was playing with her fingers like beads, kneading, scratching, and gently rubbing them…
Because her mother was present, Zhu Liushuang dared not make a big fuss and could only endure the itching and let him tease her.
Her eyes would occasionally dart toward her mother, and seeing her mother staring intently ahead, her heart would ease.
At 9:10, Mother yawned and got up: "My eyes hurt from watching TV for so long, I can't stay awake any longer. You two should go to bed early too. We have to go to the market to buy groceries early tomorrow morning!"
Zhu Liushuang nodded repeatedly, and discreetly withdrew her hand.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, the door to the master bedroom closed, leaving only the noisy background noise of the television and the two of them sitting very close together in the living room.
A hint of affection surfaced when their eyes met, but Zhu Liushuang's expression was unfocused as she avoided looking directly at He Ming. After all, this was her home, and the old house had poor soundproofing. How embarrassing it would be if her mother heard anything!
Seeing her so timid, the man chuckled and said, "Since the TV isn't interesting, let's take a shower and go back to our room."
"Us?" Zhu Liushuang repeated, her fingers hovering over their chests.
"Hmm." He Ming deliberately spoke vaguely, "Can't I take a shower?"
"No! There's only one bathroom in the house... I'm afraid we can't shower together," Zhu Liushuang said weakly.
"What are you thinking about... You go wash first, then I'll take over." He Ming's voice was an octave lower.
Zhu Liushuang felt like she'd been granted a pardon, tossed out a "good," and ran back to her room as fast as she could. She opened her wardrobe, grabbed a thick coral fleece nightgown haphazardly, and headed for the bathroom, not glancing at the man on the sofa once more.
The showerhead was turned on, and the sound of rushing water sang merrily in my ears.
The thought of them sharing a bed tonight made Zhu Liushuang's heart tremble uncontrollably. Her thoughts, like scattered piano keys, pieced together a passionate and enchanting scene, albeit discordant.
The air was filled with humid steam, which gradually reddened her fair skin.
Perhaps because she had been showering for too long, she felt short of breath, so she turned off the shower and dried herself.
Her fingers instinctively reached for the sink, but when she found nothing, she froze.
I was so confused just now that I forgot to bring my change of underwear.
What should I do? Zhu Liushuang bit her lip in frustration. After a moment of silence, she crept naked behind the door and listened intently to the sounds outside.
"Ah Ming, Ah Ming..." she called out tentatively twice.
Aside from the incessant chatter of advertisements, no one responded to her.
Zhu Liushuang had no choice but to give up. Fortunately, the coral fleece pajamas were thick enough that she could just put them on without any problem. With that thought in mind, she put the outfit on her bare body.
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Author's note: We're truly a family now! [droopy-eared rabbit head]
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