Chapter 56
The Maybach was driving on a country road without streetlights, with its high beams on the whole time. It wasn't until an oncoming driver honked in dissatisfaction that Song Jingliang came to his senses. By then, the other car had already passed by. There were no other cars coming along the country road at night, so there was no need to turn off the high beams.
The ambient lighting inside the car was on, and none of the four people spoke.
Song Jingliang was driving, with Lu Mingxiao in the passenger seat and Jiang Lan and Jiang Huaiyu in the back.
Discovering their two sons kissing was like being struck by lightning for Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan. Song Jingliang almost jumped out of the bushes and tore the pig, who was engrossed in eating cabbage, off the cabbage.
Jiang Lan stopped him, and the two quietly retreated from the bushes and stood outside the grove.
“If you just jump out like that, Xiao Bao will be very embarrassed, given how sensitive he is,” Jiang Lan said.
Song Jingliang wiped his face hard, feeling a bit overwhelmed: "Wife, I'm so embarrassed too. Why is nobody caring whether I live or die?"
"Two!" He stretched out his long, slender fingers in front of Jiang Lan, trembling as if he were about to have a stroke: "Could you at least leave me one straight one?"
Jiang Lan grasped those two fingers and pressed them down: "Old Lu, calm down, be careful of a stroke."
The two of them then fell silent.
Five minutes later, the two debt collectors finally emerged furtively from the grove and bumped into the parents who had been waiting for "a long time".
...
Jiang Huaiyu felt stiff all over; even sitting in a soft leather seat, he was as tense as a taut bowstring.
He had thought many times about what would happen if his relationship with Lu Mingxiao were discovered.
In countless scenarios, they should all be prepared, capable, and able to face any storm.
But to my utter surprise, it turned out like this...
On an ordinary night, two children who are still six months away from turning 18...
child.
His hands, resting on his lap, clenched into fists. Through the reflection in the car window, he secretly glanced at Jiang Lan.
His mother's makeup was exquisite and beautiful. Today's makeup had an unusual touch of "internet celebrity style," less dignified and gentle, but more radiant. She was probably preparing to spend a romantic campfire night with her husband and then suddenly appear to surprise her two sons whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
Everything was messed up.
Jiang Huaiyu felt as if there was a wad of soaked cotton stuffed in his throat, making his nose sting.
...
After driving in silence for an hour, the Maybach stopped at the entrance of the alley. The designated driver, who had been waiting there, took the keys from Song Jingliang and drove the car away.
After getting out of the car, Lu Mingxiao stood directly next to Jiang Huaiyu. If Song Jingliang hadn't looked so serious, he would have reached out and grabbed Jiang Huaiyu's hand.
Jiang Lan then spoke, sounding somewhat tired but still gentle: "Let's go home first. It's not about judging you... it's just that our family, including your mother Li Qing and father Lu Chuan, needs to talk."
The couple walked into the alley first, and Lu Mingxiao finally took Jiang Huaiyu's hand.
Those slender fingers, so cold, made his heart ache.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, "if I hadn't insisted on going to see that 'Stone of Fate'..."
Those cool fingers moved and grasped his hand.
Jiang Huaiyu didn't look at him, but instead looked at the lamp deep in the alley.
“Brother Xiao, you never need to apologize to me.” Jiang Huaiyu stepped into the shadows of the alley first: “This day was bound to come sooner or later, but I didn’t expect it to come so suddenly. There’s nothing to apologize for. Just tell me that we won’t separate.”
The light dispelled the gloom in Lu Mingxiao's eyes, and he held Jiang Huaiyu's hand tightly: "We will not be separated."
...
Tiger, the dog in the courtyard, wiggled its butt to welcome everyone, but no one paid any attention to it. When the four people entered the house, Li Qing had just finished work and was washing her face with dust on it. She was a little surprised to see Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan and quickly scooped up some water to rinse off the face wash.
"President Song, Xiao Lan? Didn't you say that visibility was poor at night and driving was inconvenient, so you wouldn't be coming back tonight?" She dried the water droplets on her face with a towel, her short hair still wet, and then looked at the two boys behind them: "Xiao Bao! Why don't you look well? Did you catch a cold from the cool night breeze?"
Jiang Lan realized that she had been somewhat presumptuous to return without informing anyone, but her mind was in turmoil and she couldn't concern herself with such formalities. She could only manage a forced smile: "Sister Qing, I'm sorry, I should have called you before coming back so suddenly..."
"It's alright, why be so formal?" Li Qing smiled and took Jiang Lan's hand. "Of course, it's more comfortable staying at our house..."
Song Jingliang, as if in a daze, said, "Let's be a little more formal."
Li Qing: ? ? ?
Lu Chuan also came out of the bedroom, looking at the two adults and the two children with pale faces, puzzled.
Lu Mingxiao suddenly stepped forward, shielding Jiang Huaiyu behind him. He looked at Song Jingliang, his gaze calm: "Dad, if you find it difficult to say, then I'll say it. I don't think there's anything shameful about it..."
Jiang Huaiyu was behind him, took his hand, and slowly exhaled.
"Lu Mingxiao and I are dating." He stood beside Lu Mingxiao, finishing what Lu Mingxiao hadn't finished saying. His dark eyes, like the tranquil night, quietly looked at Li Qing and Lu Chuan: "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry."
He repeated, "We're dating."
Li Qing instinctively reached for her ear, suspecting that cement had been poured into it.
Lu Chuan recalled everything, feeling a sense of sudden enlightenment, yet also a feeling of having been overwhelmed and his mind was overflowing with information.
An eerie silence fell over the small living room.
Seeing this, Lu Mingxiao became a little anxious, and in his anxiety, he blurted out: "If you want to scold me, scold me. I seduced Jiang Huaiyu first!"
Li Qing calmly turned around, went to the kitchen and grabbed a large iron ladle, but then felt it wasn't right, as it was too curved, so she simply replaced it with a rolling pin.
"Are you two little rascals out of your minds?!"
"Wife! Wife!" Lu Chuan quickly hugged her, "Calm down, calm down..."
...
After a chaotic commotion, the six people finally sat down.
Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu sat under the east wall of the room, and Jiang Huaiyu sat under the west wall, as if the four parents were separating them by a Chu River and Han border.
Lu Mingxiao just took two blows; one was his own fault, and the other was to shield Jiang Huaiyu.
Li Qing, who had already sat down, held a rolling pin and asked Lu Chuan, "Will drinking some traditional Chinese medicine help?"
Lu Chuan glanced at the two children's stubborn expressions: "...I'm afraid even if they drink some pesticide, they'll be buried in a hole."
Li Qing had nothing to say, only feeling that she had ultimately suffered from not reading enough, and could only look to the other two cultured people in the room for help.
Song Jingliang took a sip of the strong tea that Lu Chuan had brewed for him. Half a pot of tea leaves filled the pot. The bitter taste made his throat ache, but at least it calmed his mind.
"Your mother and I don't approve of you being together." Song Jingliang laughed self-deprecatingly, wearily pinching his brow, and muttered to himself, "I never thought I'd actually be saying these words..."
That's what his father-in-law told him back then. After Jiang Huaiyu was born, he was determined to be an open-minded father. He would accept whatever girlfriend his son brought home, as long as his son truly liked her.
Now it turns out he's not so enlightened after all.
Song Jingliang had already stated his opinion, and Li Qing followed suit: "Your father and I also disagree! What nonsense is this?!"
Lu Chuan: ...
His wife had spoken, so he remained silent, but he felt it was pointless. He thought it would be better for them to drink Chinese medicine together to regulate their bodies and get better sooner.
The parents' reactions were exactly what Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu had expected.
The two looked at each other from a distance, but neither spoke.
Both were angry, and they tacitly chose not to go against the grain. This room was full of people who were neither too old nor too young, and if any of them collapsed from anger, it would be bad for both of them.
Song Jingliang took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Speak."
Lu Mingxiao spoke up: "I know you disagree. If it were me, I would also find it hard to accept. I can understand."
The subtext is: understand, but don't separate.
Jiang Lan looked at Jiang Huaiyu, her voice still gentle, but with a hint of seriousness: "Xiao Bao, do you think so too?"
Her fingernails stung her palms as Jiang Huaiyu met her mother's gaze, her eyes resolute, unwavering, and she nodded gently.
"Then there's nothing more to say." Song Jingliang tapped the small table heavily with his fingertips: "Xiao Bao, go abroad first."
Lu Mingxiao suddenly stood up, his movement so abrupt that he knocked over a chair: "Dad!"
Song Jingliang shot a cold glare at them. He had never been so sharp and aggressive towards the children before: "Shut up! Hearing this makes me angry. I was wondering why you called me 'Dad' so easily! Turns out you didn't mean to call me 'Dad,' you meant to call me 'father-in-law'!"
Lu Mingxiao had always thought his sharp tongue came from Li Qing, but now he realized it was from his father. Speechless after being rebuked, he finally snapped, "Why should Jiang Xiaoyu go abroad! We should both share the consequences. You can't treat him differently just because he's not your biological son. How could you kick him out?!"
"Haha..." Song Jingliang was so angry he laughed: "What does it have to do with being your biological son? I'd like to send you to Australia. How much English can you speak? Do you know how to say 'go' or 'spit out a knife'?"
Lu Mingxiao's face turned red from his ears to his neck: "You're so amazing, huh? Then let me ask you, how do you say 'roast whole lamb'?!"
Song Jingliang: "Roast Whole Lamb, Whole Lamb Barbecue, Spit-Roasted Lamb, which do you prefer? Choose for yourself!"
Lu Mingxiao sat back down, looking so aggrieved after being teased.
Jiang Lan pressed down on her husband's hand, signaling him to stop making a fool of himself. She softened her voice and looked at Lu Mingxiao: "Xiao Bao was planning to go abroad anyway."
Lu Mingxiao's eyes reddened: "It shouldn't be like this..."
A brief silence fell over the small living room once again.
Until a clear, youthful voice rang out: "I agree with Dad's suggestion."
Author's Note:
Hey~ I owe another three thousand [emoji]
The two babies will be separated for a while; time will allow them to grow up quickly. Parents will send their blessings in the end. [heart emoji]
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