One-half meets the parents
After leaving the airport, the two rented a car and drove home by themselves. On the way, they stopped to buy a new set of tableware.
"This is what we need for tonight's shredded chicken." Lu Xinyang held up his new bowl of rice lovingly and placed the entire packaging box directly on his legs.
"If you really are a cleaner, you've lost half a month's salary," Ji Rongyu said, taking a sip of water and returning to his calculating nature. "How are you going to survive for the next half month? Are you expecting me to support you?"
"Okay, okay," Lu Xinyang said, "Can you feed me by hand-tearing chicken every day?"
"You wish."
"Think about it again. I'm not just eating and drinking for free. I work, too," Lu Xinyang actively argued for himself. "Today you make three-good hand-shredded chicken, and I'll be your three-good kitchen dishwasher. Tomorrow I'll go out to work, and come back to be your three-good boyfriend in the evening. It's not a loss for you to support me!"
Ji Rongyu frowned and looked him up and down: "Who gave you this three good things?"
"Three Goods is what I require of myself, and it is also an affirmation of my own work ability."
As he spoke, he made a wish: "I'm so handsome, maybe I can make a second debut as a cleaner and be called a street sweeper. Then I'll promote it on Weibo. My career will not only be booming, but at least it will be very successful."
"You're changing careers so drastically, how can your parents be okay with it?"
Lu Xinyang said in surprise, "I didn't ask them to inherit the business from their father to their son. Why would they disagree?"
If he continued talking, it would seem like he would have to start work at noon today, carrying a broom. Ji Rongyu couldn't help but sigh again: "Is there really nothing else you would rather do?"
"Actually, there are some. For example, when I was building the interior of the library in the village, I thought, it would be great if it could be made real. Every book you open is an adventure world. How fun that would be."
"If that kind of extra-dimensional library is to become real, it might take a hundred years," Ji Rongyu said. "No, strictly speaking, it can't be called a library. It should be an amusement park."
"Then from now on, my dream is to build an alternate-dimensional amusement park," Lu Xinyang said, changing the subject. "But amusement parks also need cleaners, so let's start with the cleaners."
Ji Rongyu was suddenly speechless, feeling that his target was both big and small.
"Don't compete with the cleaners for work. If you want to build an amusement park, just focus on the amusement park. Try building an ordinary one first. But do you have money?" Probably not, Ji Rongyu thought. Not only is this guy not suitable for taking money, he can't even hold anything.
After finally returning home, they ended up leaving their luggage at the crew. They have to wait for several days for the crew to send it back. These days, Lu Xinyang doesn't even have a pillow to sleep on. Let's see what he will do at night.
Before Lu Xinyang had time to think about what was going to happen tonight, he counted the balance in his account. There were indeed very few digits left, but he was not worried: "It's okay, my parents have money."
He seems so confident in living off his parents. I really don’t know whether he is honest or shameless.
"You haven't been home for so long, and you finally go back just to ask for money? It would be strange if your parents weren't angry." It was hard for Ji Rongyu not to put himself in their shoes. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that he should just abandon this son.
"Are you only worried about my parents being angry?" Lu Xinyang turned around and accused him, "You're really not considerate at all! You should be worried about whether they will accept us being together!"
Lu Xinyang tugged at Ji Rongyu's pants with a serious expression and muttered softly, "I heard that there have been several TV dramas and movies about homosexuality recently, and they all talk about the protagonists coming out and not being accepted by their families."
"Many people in our crew have taken on new work that involves filming that kind of subject matter. I've heard them say it all. Now I'm worried. If I tell my parents that you and I are in a relationship, will they also quarrel with me? Then, they will be so angry that they won't eat or sleep, and then they will get sick and I will go back to take care of them. When I kneel by the bed and confess and cry, they will be moved by my filial piety and forgive me..."
He designed this whole series of plots, and then called Xu Ma worriedly. As soon as the call was connected, a choked voice came from the other end: "Xiaolu! You still remember to come back?!"
"Xu Ma, I..."
Before he could finish, Xu Ma informed him bluntly: "Your father had surgery and is in the hospital!"
"Ah?" Lu Xinyang was so frightened that he froze. His shout also scared Ji Rongyu a lot. He pulled over, stepped on the brakes and turned to look over.
After hearing a few more words on the phone, Lu Xinyang tugged at his seatbelt with tears in his eyes and said, "It's over! Let's hurry to the hospital! My dad is really, really in bed!"
…
Lu Huaicheng had thyroid cancer, which was discovered on New Year's Eve. He had been recuperating in the hospital since the operation. In addition, he accidentally injured the recurrent laryngeal nerve during the operation, and it took him more than a month to recover before he could speak properly.
"So you and my mom haven't called me for a long time, just to hide it from me?"
Lu Xinyang sat by the bed, near the window. He could see Ji Rongyu if he stood up and looked down. He wished Ji Rongyu had come up with him, so he could give him a good lecture on his father with his eloquent and witty remarks.
We are a family, father and son, how could you hide the fact that you were sick and had surgery from him?
"It's okay. My illness is safer than others. I just need to take my medicine on time and be careful. I'm lucky I've almost recovered now. But then I thought, I've worked so hard for so many years, I might as well take this opportunity to rest for a while and think about my future work arrangements, so I'm not in a hurry to be discharged."
Lu Huaicheng seemed to be in good spirits. He looked at the box on Lu Xinyang's knees and praised him, "You've made progress. You know you can't come to visit a patient empty-handed. I'm pleasantly surprised."
Lu Xinyang then realized that he had also brought up the set of tableware that he was reluctant to put down. He stuttered, "Yeah, yeah, this is for you."
He unpacked the items, took out the plates, cups, large and small bowls and put them away. Lu Huaicheng then said, "But your gift is a bit empty."
Lu Xinyang also felt that the arrangement seemed not right. Seeing that there was a fruit basket on the table, he took the big bowl down and put it on his lap again, then found the most beautiful apple and peeled it.
Lu Huaicheng smiled with relief and asked him, "How have you been doing recently?"
"It's pretty good...at least better than you." Lu Xinyang said with his head down, his eyes turned red and his nose felt sore.
"Okay, I said I'm fine." Lu Huaicheng was now fussing about something else. "But I'm telling you, now that you've finished filming, are you willing to go home? Before, you were so busy outside that you couldn't be pulled back. You didn't even have a meal with your mother during the New Year."
"There won't be a next time," Lu Xinyang said quickly, "I'm never going to film again. I'm changing my career!"
"Your jargon should be called quitting the industry," Lu Huaicheng paused, "Why are you not filming again? I just want you to pay more attention to your mother. If you really like filming, we still support you."
"I just don't like it now...I don't want to shoot it anymore."
In order to confront his family about his relationship, Lu Xinyang seriously thought of a good idea. He thought that since his parents didn't like him being in the entertainment industry, he would first say that he had quit to put them in a good mood, and then talk about homosexuality, which might make them more accepting.
But Lu Huaicheng showed a very dissatisfied look on his face: "Since you are going to quit the circle so easily now, why did you make such a fuss back then? We couldn't even keep you for a New Year's Eve dinner at home?"
Lu Xinyang said loudly, "Everyone makes mistakes! I'm still young, I haven't even figured out my sexual orientation yet, so what if I end up in the wrong profession? It's no big deal!"
Lu Huaicheng also spoke loudly: "What sexual orientation?"
"I like men!"
After listening to this, Lu Huaicheng thought for a moment: "...Oh? Oh."
Lu Xinyang waited, but there was no follow-up to the noisy situation.
Huh? That's not right. Why is there just an "oh"? This is completely different from what he imagined.
Lu Huaicheng looked at the apple he was cutting into pieces and putting into the bowl, and said casually, "Isn't it just homosexuality? When you were a kid, you failed every exam and I didn't care about you. I asked you to learn violin and ice skating, but you refused. You even spent two hours in the fish pond to skip classes. How could I care about you?"
What does it matter if he likes men or women now? At least homosexuals don't pay teachers tuition for nothing, and they don't harm the fish at home and the entire fish pond every day!
"Dad, you're so kind," Lu Xinyang said with emotion. "I'm so happy to have a good father like you who has passed every exam to become a professional father."
"I didn't pass that exam, so you should praise me for what I have." Lu Huaicheng glanced at him, "Anyway, since you were very young, your mother and I have always said that it was not easy for you to come here, so please listen to me if you have any questions..."
"Listen more to myself."
"Listen to your mother more." Lu Huaicheng looked at him again and found that he had put down the fruit knife in his hand, so he supported himself on the bed and sat up a little straighter.
Then Lu Xinyang picked up another apple and continued peeling it: "But my mother doesn't know I'm in a relationship yet."
"Then tell her quickly. You can't hide such a big thing from her."
"You didn't tell me about such a serious matter as your hospitalization?" Lu Xinyang curled his lips and began to ask questions, "So why didn't you tell me?"
"How old are you..." Lu Huaicheng said halfway, looked at his son's face, and changed his words, "I am already an adult, a father, if there is anything, I will definitely take responsibility myself. Anyway, even if I tell you this, you can't solve it."
"But if you tell me, I can come and accompany you and be your spiritual companion."
"Little cotton jacket? One hundred and thirty pounds? You don't want me to get better, right?" Lu Huaicheng waved his hand, "Okay, okay, let's talk about your boyfriend. How did you two meet?"
"Oh, he and I met while filming a TV series," Lu Xinyang explained in detail. "He obviously liked men, but he was willing to let me stay at his house and let me sleep in the same bed with him. He also took special care of me on the set and was very, very nice to me. His grandfather also treated me like his own grandson. Later, when I went to his house to confess my feelings, he immediately agreed, and we've been together ever since."
"You're saying you have no sense of propriety at all, bothering and pestering others every day, getting so attached to them that you become gay, and then you want to tie them down and make them take responsibility for you for the rest of their lives, is that what you mean?"
"Yes! That's what I mean!" Lu Xinyang answered happily.
"..." Lu Huaicheng didn't know what to say, and could only sigh, "You really met an unlucky child."
"?" Lu Xinyang asked, "Dad, are you feeling sorry for him or are you scolding me in a roundabout way?"
His father simply skipped over the question that didn't need an answer. "So, how long have you two been together? Were you the one who confessed your feelings to him, or what? Back then, when we were dating, the popular thing was to go to the movies, go to the park, send cassettes, write letters, and wait for replies. How about you?"
Lu Xinyang counted on his fingers and explained, "We didn't go to the movies, we went to the park, gave each other a cup, and didn't write a letter. But I wanted him to write me a love letter, but he refused to give it to me. He's too shy."
"Did you write to him?"
"I didn't write it either," Lu Xinyang said in surprise, thinking about this, "Am I shy too?"
"Hurry up and write it to her. You can't even skip this little ceremony," Lu Huaicheng, a man who has been through it, patiently taught his son, "You're making a mistake by being so casual in your relationship with her."
"Yeah! I'll write it right away when I get back!"
"When two people are together, you should talk things over nicely, send more flowers and gifts, and don't quarrel with each other," Lu Huaicheng paused and said, "Look, it's a good thing I kept this a secret from you, right? Otherwise, if you had come to me and taken root, how would you have had the chance to be with your boyfriend?"
"That's different," Lu Xinyang sniffed and said with a pout, "I don't regret filming the TV series. Meeting Ji Rongyu was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I didn't accompany you when you were sick, and I felt bad too..."
In the hospital, there were so many people crying loudly when facing birth, old age, sickness and death. There was nothing special about Lu Xinyang being among them.
He wiped away his tears swiftly and said regretfully, "Alas, if I had known you were ill earlier, I would have gone to the performance with my worry for you. Maybe I could have performed better in some scenes."
"Forget it, just take the fruits of your labor. I don't want to be named after them," Lu Huaicheng pulled out a tissue and shoved it in his hand. "I heard you said that filming was going pretty well. Is it your Director Gao who's taking care of you?"
"Yes," Lu Xinyang nodded, then realized what was going on. "Huh? You two know each other?"
"Of course I know him. It was many years ago," Lu Huaicheng said with a nostalgic look on his face. "We were still young men at that time, and we always loved to go to other people's houses and wait for pretty girls. We were famous in our area. People always said that Wei Hong was pretty, Qing Zhi was pretty..."
Lu Xinyang said, "I know Qingzhi is beautiful, but who is Weihong?"
"She was your mother's best friend back then. Later, she married your Director Gao. But things didn't work out for her. Then she went abroad and hasn't been back for a long time. Director Gao treats you well because he might still be thinking about their youth."
Lu Xinyang thought for a moment and said, "I understand. He also wants to have a son like me."
Lu Huaicheng didn't even look at him, and refrained from saying how successful Director Gao's son was now, graduating from a prestigious university and becoming a company executive.
What about him? Lu Xinyang had studied golf course management in college, figuring he'd be guaranteed a job after graduation, given his family's golf course. But he ended up unemployed! He'd wasted four years studying that major and never used it a single day!
"Dad, since you're sick, I'll definitely come back more often to spend time with you. But filming means I'm often away from home, and you'll definitely miss me..."
"Don't say such nice things to me. You just want to spend more time with your boyfriend, right?" Lu Huaicheng didn't indulge his little thoughts at all.
"I can come back with my boyfriend to accompany you guys," Lu Xinyang smiled. "He's waiting for me downstairs now. Do you want to meet him?"
Lu Huaicheng immediately shook his head: "I'm still lying down, how can I see you? Let me discuss it with your mother and arrange a more formal time."
"It's okay, you can meet him secretly," Lu Xinyang couldn't wait to stand up. He leaned against the window and admired with emotion, "Look, he's standing there, standing so straight! His hair is so black, his shoulders are so straight, the sun shines on him with highlights, even his shadow looks so polite!"
"So you're going to go keep your straight-laced boyfriend company now?"
"Not really," Lu Xinyang rolled his eyes, "If you really need me..."
Lu Huaicheng interrupted him: "I don't need it."
"Then I'll go. I'll come to see you tomorrow." Lu Xinyang turned around obediently and took away the whole bowl of peeled apples under his father's expectant gaze.
Lu Huaicheng: “…”
Mr. Lu, who had seen a lot of ups and downs, adjusted the pillow behind him and lay back down with an expressionless face.
At the same time, Ji Rongyu, who was downstairs, saw what Lu Xinyang was holding and asked expressionlessly, "You were so worried about your dad that you rushed me over here, and then you peeled an apple in front of him and brought it down to me?"
"Why, no?" Lu Xinyang said, "This apple is delicious."
"Well, you even ate it while taking it," Ji Rongyu said angrily, his hands on his hips. "Didn't you consider that this apple should be peeled for your dad to eat?!"
"Oh, yeah! Seeing how fluent he is in talking, he should be able to eat apples too," Lu Xinyang suddenly realized, stuffed the bowl into his hands, turned around and ran, "Then wait here for me, I'll peel another one for him!"
Ji Rongyu was wearing slippers and holding a bowl. He faced the gazes of people coming and going and closed his eyes patiently.
…
Upstairs, Lu Huaicheng, who finally got to eat the apple, was standing by the window. While watching the young male couple walking away below, he answered a call from a partner.
"...How about it? Would your family like to join us in repairing the ancestral tomb? I've hired a very skilled Feng Shui master, and he's set up the grand Feng Shui formation. I hope our ancestors will bless us with prosperous business, abundant wealth, a harmonious and healthy family, and many prosperous descendants..."
Lu Huaicheng listened and thought, isn’t it too greedy to ask for so much? He even wants to make arrangements for his descendants?
He had to remind them: "Then remember to discuss this with your ancestors and ask them to protect your sons and daughters from homosexuality, otherwise your descendants will end with their generation."
"Oh!" There was an exclamation from the other side. Perhaps they had not considered that there would be such unruly descendants, so they hurried back to patch up the ancestral grave.
Lu Huaicheng threw his cell phone onto the hospital bed and stood by the window waiting for a while, then Liu Qingzhi rushed over from the company.
She had just finished an employee commendation meeting and was in a good mood, but when she arrived, she heard Lu Huaicheng say that his son was in love.
"Oh my God, he's not only changing his career, he's also changing his sexual orientation!" Liu Qingzhi groaned. "Young people these days are becoming increasingly difficult to understand."
She thought about it for a while, then said with some discomfort, "If he really is in a relationship with a guy, then I'll have to watch him kissing a guy in front of me every day, and this kissing scene can't be deleted? I can't stand this."
"How could that be?" Lu Huaicheng consoled her. "A married son is like spilled water. He will only spend every day with his boyfriend. You won't be able to see him even if you want to."
"...That's true." Liu Qingzhi frowned with mixed feelings.
"Don't worry, I think that kid is quite polite," Lu Huaicheng added, thinking of the particularly polite and upright shadow downstairs, "and it seems that our son didn't go to the filming because he listened to him. Now that he's back peacefully, aren't you relieved?"
"Oh? This kid has really worked hard and made great contributions," Liu Qingzhi suddenly calmed down a lot. "So Yangyang is willing to go home and work now?"
"No, he said he needed to think about it, and he wanted to build an amusement park."
The mother's heart relaxed and tightened: "Then he is still unemployed now, which makes it difficult for him to find a girlfriend."
"Yeah, no girl would be interested in him. If he hadn't gone out and begged for a boyfriend, the rest of his life might have been in our hands."
Lu Huaicheng analyzed carefully, "And I heard from Xu Ma that he had someone sell his car before. Although, he used the money to do charity work, and he did it with his boyfriend. His heart is good, but his thinking is not up to par, and he hasn't learned sustainable development well. What if he doesn't work hard in the future and can't make money? What else do you think he can sell after selling his car?"
"That's what I mean. That's what I'm worried about." Liu Qingzhi hesitated for a moment. "Then let's talk to Yangyang and arrange a time for him to formally meet his boyfriend. He's unemployed now anyway. If he doesn't mind him, they can persuade him to find another class. Then I, I..."
After a difficult consideration, she took a deep breath and said, "I will embroider a red veil for our son tonight!"
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