As soon as Ling Ruoke finished get off work, she rushed out, ran downstairs, and saw the colonel as soon as she stepped out the door, along with Yang Ziyun, Yuan Meng, and the little guy.
Ling Ruoke was stunned, unable to understand what was going on for a while. It felt like a family trip.
The others remained across the street. Huo Qingfeng strode over and put his arm around his wife's waist. "Wife, we've come to pick you up."
"This...this..." This was quite a spectacle; Ling Ruoke was still somewhat taken aback. Actually, it wasn't entirely her fault. Ever since Yang Ziyun learned of her relationship with Huo Qingfeng, she had almost never given her a kind look. Every time Yang Ziyun was around, the atmosphere was either oppressive or tense; such a harmonious scene was truly rare. She even saw the same kind smile on Yang Ziyun's face as when they first met—this was incredibly precious!
Huo Qingfeng smiled, offering no explanation. He put his arm around her and walked across the street, his other arm outstretched protectively the whole way, only letting go after they crossed. "Let's go, Mom's treating us to dinner today!"
"Get in the car." Yang Ziyun smiled and got into the car first.
Ling Ruoke was even more confused. Aside from the first time when they didn't know each other's identities, this was the first time Yang Ziyun had been so gentle with her, as if she were a completely different person. If everyone hadn't been there, she really wanted to ask the colonel if his mother had suffered some kind of trauma.
The car stopped outside the most famous Amazon cafeteria in Z city.
Amazon's buffet is notoriously expensive, but the food is truly authentic, and everyone who's tried it raves about it. It's just that the price makes it unaffordable for most people. Even so, it's always packed, a testament to the chef's exceptional skills!
"Mom, you and the little one sit here, I'll go get you some food."
Yang Ziyun looked at her thoughtful son and jokingly said, "You're not me, how would you know what I want to eat?"
"No one knows a child better than their mother, and the reverse is also true!" Huo Qingfeng patted his mother's shoulder, even winking in a rare display of poor manners. Honestly, the colonel's build and features were really unsuitable for playing cute.
Yang Ziyun was amused by his awkward appearance. If her son weren't already too tall for his head to be patted, she really wanted to pat his spiky hair. Come to think of it, she really missed the feeling of patting her son's head.
Watching her son walk side-by-side with Ling Ruoke towards the dining area, her son instinctively shielded her with his body, lowering his head slightly to listen to her speak. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, a pleasing sight. The scene was heartwarming, even enviable.
She had to admit that Ling Ruoke was actually quite beautiful. She always had a gentle smile on her face, exuding feminine grace. From a man's perspective, this kind of woman was the most appealing. Because she could give a man a sense of home. And home is something everyone cherishes.
Oh well, children and grandchildren have their own destinies.
Ling Ruoke leaned close to the colonel and whispered, "What did you say to your mother? Why is she so different?" She thought she was a completely different person!
"Anyway, just know that she shouldn't stop us from being together." As for whether things will change again, we'll have to wait and see. But one thing is certain: once you win over the mother, you've essentially won over the father as well.
Ling Ruoke's eyes widened in surprise, and she almost shouted out loud. "Really?"
The colonel patted her head, but smiled without saying a word.
Ling Ruoke looked back at Yang Ziyun, who was playing with Fu'an, and pouted. Maybe it was true. If Yang Ziyun stopped targeting her, that would be a really great thing! Qingfeng could also put his mind at ease! Although he was touched by her protection, Yang Ziyun was his mother, and he certainly wouldn't feel good going against her.
In the first round, the two of them took only the foods that Yang Ziyun and the little one liked to eat.
"Auntie, Qingfeng said these are all your favorite foods. Try them. If you need anything else, just let me know and I'll get it for you." Ling Ruoke tried to smile, but she was still a little embarrassed. Their relationship had been strained for a long time, and this sudden improvement made her feel uneasy.
Yang Ziyun smiled gently. "That's enough. Go get whatever you like to eat." Then she lowered her head to talk to Fu'an.
Ling Ruoke thought that she might also feel embarrassed, so she didn't say anything and went to get the food herself.
The colonel naturally followed behind. They each carried items the other liked, occasionally exchanging smiles, their expressions filled with affection.
Yuan Meng deliberately gave them space, avoiding being near them. When she occasionally caught a glimpse of them, she would offer a kind smile. Only in a secluded corner did she dare reveal her sorrow. But no matter what, they were gone; she could only remember them. And then, strong as ever, she raised their child!
This buffet restaurant has performances, so it's not quiet; you have to speak with your mouth close to your ear. But it's actually quite nice to eat leisurely while watching the show.
The happiest one was the little guy. There was so much ice cream and cake, and even a show. From the moment he sat down after entering, his big eyes never stopped moving, and his little white teeth were constantly showing.
Another person who was also very happy was Huo Qingfeng. Ever since he got together with Ruo Ke, his mother had never given Ruo Ke a good look, but this time things had finally improved.
In short, the five of them ate for more than three hours, until their bellies were full and they were in a good mood.
On the way back, the little guy excitedly sang for everyone. Grandma's voice echoed in the car, occasionally going off-key, but the enthusiastic applause only made him sing even harder. His chubby body wiggled and swayed—it was absolutely hilarious!
Back home, Yang Ziyun had barely sat down when she called Ling Ruoke into her room.
Seeing the colonel's encouraging look, Ling Ruoke followed him inside without saying anything. She was still somewhat uneasy. The two had been at odds for so long; it was hard to believe they could reconcile overnight. It was like the Japanese Empire suddenly declaring to the world that the Diaoyu Islands belonged to China—unbelievable.
"Sit down, I'm not a man-eating monster." Yang Ziyun sat down first, then compared the chair with another one.
"That's not what I meant." Ling Ruoke waved her hand and quickly sat down. She looked a bit like a little rabbit, easily startled. There was no way around it; the other person was Qingfeng's mother. The word "mother" itself represents "respect."
Yang Ziyun smiled and waited until she sat up straight before speaking. "To be honest, I had a very good impression of you when we first met. But then a series of unexpected things happened. I won't say much more. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Since it's Qingfeng's insistence on this choice, I don't want to interfere. I just hope that you two can live a good life and let me see that your choice was right. They work very hard in the army, so you need to spend more time taking care of your family and not just focus on working and making money. For a woman, family is always the most important thing."
"I understand, I will try my best to do well." Ling Ruoke nodded hurriedly.
Yang Ziyun looked at her, remained silent for a while, and then said, "You should discuss it with Qingfeng. No matter what, the wedding must be held in B City. He is the only son of our Huo family in his generation. We can't just get married without anyone knowing."
"Okay, I'll tell him." Ling Ruoke secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Ziyun slowly stood up. "That's all I have to say. Do you have anything to say?"
"No, I have nothing to say. Thank you, Auntie!" Ling Ruoke also stood up, smiling with her lips pursed.
Yang Ziyun raised an eyebrow and said, "You're married now, why are you still calling me 'Auntie'?"
Ling Ruoke was stunned, staring blankly at her, speechless for a long time. This sudden change had completely taken aback. She moved her lips several times, but couldn't utter the word.
"What, you don't want to call me 'Mom'?"
"No!" Ling Ruoke panicked and quickly waved her hands. Then, she awkwardly looked away. "Thank you... Mom..."
Yang Ziyun took a deep breath, smiled, and patted her shoulder. "Alright, go out now. He'll be rushing in again in a bit. That little rascal, he really has forgotten his mother now that he has a wife!"
Ling Ruoke was about to explain on behalf of the colonel.
Yang Ziyun waved her hand. "No need to defend him. I know my son perfectly well. Go out."
Ling Ruoke nodded and ran out as if granted a pardon. She nearly bumped into the colonel as soon as she stepped outside.
Huo Qingfeng steadied her and looked her up and down carefully. "What's wrong? What did my mother say?" To be honest, he still felt it wasn't quite real.
"No, she didn't say anything." Ling Ruoke turned around and saw Yang Ziyun standing at the door, and hurriedly denied it. She whispered in the colonel's ear, "I'm just not used to your mother being so gentle with me all of a sudden."
Upon hearing this, Huo Qingfeng laughed heartily. A huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders, at least temporarily.
Ling Ruoke punched him lightly and ran to the sofa to play with Yuan Meng and the little guy.
Huo Qingfeng walked over and put his arm around his mother's shoulder. "Mom, thank you."
Yang Ziyun glanced at him with a half-smile. "I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you, and raised you for over thirty years, and you never thanked me. Now that I'm giving your wife a little kindness, you thank me, and you even say you've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife."
"A wife and a mother are always different, aren't they?" Huo Qingfeng chuckled.
This time, Yang Ziyun didn't really argue with him, only giving him a glare. She knew her own son well; he was definitely not that kind of person. It was just that sometimes the thought of giving away the son she had raised with such difficulty to another woman always made her feel uneasy. This unhappiness directly led to certain obsessions.
Lying in bed at night, Ling Ruoke was still thinking about it and kept pestering the colonel to ask why.
Huo Qingfeng leaned against the headboard, pulling her close. "Actually, it's nothing. I just didn't handle things well before. I was only focused on protecting you, and although I kept praising you, my mother became increasingly resentful. I think besides being concerned about saving face, she's just like any other mother—she genuinely feels that once her son has a wife, she no longer has a place in his heart. I had a calm talk with her today, and her attitude softened. On the way back from the army that day, I was thinking, even though she's well-maintained and seems quite young, she's actually over fifty. As her son, even if I can't bring her much happiness, I should at least not cause her any distress, right?"
Ling Ruoke nodded, recalling what she had read in a book. "I don't remember what book it was, but it said that the key to a good mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship lies with the man. If the man is smart enough, the relationship is more likely to improve; otherwise, it will only get worse. It seems our Colonel has grasped the essence of this!"
In fact, Ling Ruoke could truly understand this feeling. Just like how women devote a lot of energy to their children after having them, men know that those children are also their own flesh and blood, but they still can't help feeling jealous and unhappy.
Qingfeng was Yang Ziyun's only son, and she poured all her love into him, cherishing him like a precious treasure. But now that her beloved son was growing up, he would spend his life intimately with another woman, gradually drifting further and further away from his mother. She must have felt a pang of sadness. Perhaps what she truly minded wasn't which woman would become her daughter-in-law, but rather the thought of her son slowly distancing himself from her and living his own life. And it was this complex mix of emotions that led him to do things he himself wasn't entirely sure about.
Huo Qingfeng pulled his playful wife up and kissed her a few times. "For my wife, I can't help but understand!"
Ling Ruoke giggled, her eyes slowly welling up with tears. She reached out and hugged the colonel's waist, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you."
"Silly girl." Huo Qingfeng kissed her hair, then grinned like a hunter, flipping her over and pinning her down. "Words alone aren't enough; you need to show some real action!"
Ling Ruoke reached out and covered his mouth, preventing him from kissing her. "Then what do you want?"
"What do I want?" Huo Qingfeng grabbed her hand, looked up, and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he lunged at her with a menacing look. "I want to eat you!"
"Ah—" Ling Ruoke was really frightened and screamed as she hid her head in her arms.
Huo Qingfeng chuckled; his wife's reaction was truly amusing.
Ling Ruoke snapped out of her daze and immediately started nibbling at his shoulder. She glared at him and said fiercely, "You almost scared me to death! You're so mean! Don't you know you can scare someone to death?"
Huo Qingfeng took her hand and gently kissed her. "I'm sorry, honey. Come here, let me calm you down."
As soon as he finished speaking, he sealed her bright red lips with his.
Ling Ruoke hummed a few times and then stopped struggling, letting him do whatever he wanted.
...
The next morning, Huo Qingfeng returned to his unit.
Because it was the weekend, Yang Ziyun spent half the morning playing with the little one, and then flew back home in the afternoon.
Before going through security, Yang Ziyun patted Ling Ruoke on the shoulder and said, "Live a good life." Without waiting for her to reply, she went inside.
Ling Ruoke watched her figure until it disappeared from sight before turning away. She was grateful to Yang Ziyun no matter what. Although Yang Ziyun had always interfered in their relationship, she had given birth to this man who loved and cherished her so deeply—that was an immense debt of gratitude.
Yuan Meng, holding the little one's hand, smiled and said to Ruo Ke, "It seems that your mother-in-law is slowly accepting you."
"I hope so. Let's go home, baby!"
After playing all morning, the three of them were a bit tired. So they headed home and settled into the sofa to watch TV.
The next day, while still having breakfast, Ling Ruoke received a call from Mei Yanting, who said she wanted to come over. Since the three of them weren't planning on going out, Ling Ruoke agreed.
Mei Yanting came over happily, carrying a bag of fruit.
"Little Fu'an, have you missed Aunt Tingting?"
Little Huo Fu'an, with his sweet tongue, loudly proclaimed "Yes!" At Mei Yanting's request, he even gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
On the day of the move, Mei Yanting ran into Yuan Meng and learned that the place she was living in was originally Yuan Meng's place.
Seeing Yuan Meng in the villa now, I realized she had moved here, and I felt a wave of unease, like swallowing a fly. So, Sister Xi Meng made her move out just to make room for someone else!
Mei Yanting is not a bad person at heart, but she has suffered too much, and sometimes she inevitably feels that everyone in the world is against her. A small thing can trigger a lot of thoughts, and if she thinks too much, she is prone to going astray or even to extremes.
While Ling Ruoke was preparing lunch, Mei Yanting went in to help and casually asked, "Sister Ximeng, does Sister Yuanmeng also live here?"
"Yes. She is Fu'an's mother. For some reason, we were the ones taking care of Fu'an before, and we didn't know about Yuan Meng's existence. So we wanted Yuan Meng to build a relationship with him here, so that Fu'an could gradually accept his mother."
"Oh." The reason was quite convincing, and Mei Yanting was persuaded, but she still felt very uncomfortable. However, this was their territory, and they had the final say, so she dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. Her high spirits just immediately dampened.
Later, after Mei Yanting went back, Yuan Meng said to Ling Ruoke, "Ruoke, this girl has a demon in her heart. Be careful when you're with her, don't be too honest. This may sound harsh, but I hope you can take it to heart."
Ling Ruoke smiled gratefully at her. "I know. She's suffered a lot, and I just wanted to help her. Actually, she's a good person at heart."
“Yes, I believe you. I just wanted to tell you that sometimes being too kind and considerate can make the other person take your kindness for granted. Kindness sometimes needs to be tempered.” Yuan Meng patted her shoulder and went to accompany Xiao Fu’an.
Ling Ruoke understood, but whenever she thought of Mei Yanting's lonely and helpless childhood, she couldn't help but want to do something for her. Mei Yanting was also well-behaved, and it was hard to bear seeing her suffer.
Yuan Meng understands that sometimes people have to suffer losses to learn certain lessons. Ruoke is too kind; sometimes she needs to be taught a lesson. Hopefully, nothing serious will happen!
No one can predict what will happen in the future. After all, no one has the ability to foresee the future.
...
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