Translated by Serena Love

LF: editor~

Before He Songbai had time to get back to Zhao Lanxiang, he was shocked by her proposal.

His ears were buzzing, as if some fairy music lingered in his ears. At that moment, it felt as if he was so light that he could soar in the sky. She wanted to take him to see her parents. She must have a lot of courage!

He Songbai had some longing to see Zhao Lanxiang's family, hoping to get to know them. Otherwise, he would be able to control his legs. He subconsciously came near her house and wanted to play with the little Huzi. In the afternoon, he almost accompanied him to throw the round sand-ball!

Her brother looked a lot like her, lively and cute.

He Songbai's whole heart was bubbling with happiness, and it took him a long time to wake up.

He... can't meet his girlfriend's parents!

It was not a good time to visit.

Zhao Lanxiang pulled his hand, but he pulled her back a few steps instead.

He whispered with a smile, "Forget it."

"Wait next time. Today I am not prepared. Do you want me to go to your door, empty-handed? This... this can't work. Isn't this rude?"

He Songbai looked at Zhao Lanxiang. He couldn't help but touch her face and smoothly wrapped it up with her scarf.

"Go back. It's too cold."

Zhao Lanxiang glared at him, "If you don't want to come empty-handed, then let's go buy fruit with me."

Although the supply and marketing cooperatives had not opened yet, many production teams around City G were growing oranges and grapefruit in the counties. During the New Year, two or three farmers would pick some fruits and sell them.

Zhao Lanxiang dragged him and said, "You agree to me quickly."

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

"Otherwise, we would be pulling each other on the street now, and it will not look good. I am afraid we will be taken away by the police as delinquents. It will be your fault!"

He Songbai heard her words, felt as if he was choked for a while. He was dumbfounded and silently withdrew his hand.

He looked at her unshakable eyes and knew that he was in trouble.

Zhao Lanxiang said again, "I promise not to tell them that you are my boyfriend. Just treat it as me entertaining a friend from far away?"

"Don't you want to see where I grew up and see my family?"

Zhao Lanxiang thought as if He Songbai could do anything else other than agree to her? He had never been able to reject her.

He was very distressed, but the excuse that she prepared was very positive.

He Songbai bought some fruits, and along the way, he saw someone selling his homemade sweet wine inside a clean soy sauce bottle.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "My mother usually likes sweet wine."

The two people walked around the street, and He Songbai bought a bunch of things. He even ran to someone's house and bought some candy at a high price. He ran to the black market and bought pork—a piece of pork, a bag of candy, a pack of cigarettes. Things were very random, because during the New Year, the supply and marketing cooperatives do not open at all, and the black market was also closed. These gifts were only scattered things from other people.

After a long time of speculation, He Songbai developed a pair of sharp eyes.

Which one was a seller; he can recognize them at first glance.

He Songbai finally followed his girlfriend to her neighborhood. He began to get nervous again and stopped before her door.

"Me, am I... properly dressed?"

Zhao Lanxiang glanced at him, "You look proper and handsome. Don't worry. Your current identity is my friend."

"The like-minded friend I met in the Hezi village."

He Songbai felt relieved when he thought so.

Zhao Lanxiang took out her key, went inside first, and look around. Zhao Yongqing was not there, and Feng Lian was marinating the meat in the kitchen, preparing to cook dinner.

She told Feng Lian, "Mom, I have a friend who came to visit."

"He is from Hezi village in City N."

Feng Lian heard her, wiped her hands with her apron, and wondered, "How come he came here during the New Year?"

He Songbai walked into the house at this time.

He said calmly, "I am a breeder in charge of raising cattle in the Hezi Brigade, called He Songbai. Auntie, you just call me Xiaobai. I came to City G to purchase livestock vaccines."

He paused for a moment and said with a bitter smile, "The New Year's Day was cold and confusing. I fumbled around here for a long time like a blind fly. Thanks to Comrade Zhao's help, she was very enthusiastic and solved a big problem for me."

"I came here to say thank you."

Zhao Lanxiang was dumbfounded when she heard it. He made excuses so naturally. He took the initiative to gain control into his own hands.

What she wanted was to secretly confess his identity to her mother so that he could see her parents this time without him knowing. As a result, when he came, how could she still have the face to reveal the truth to her mother secretly?

He Songbai handed over the meat and fruits with a smile, and a bottle of wine.

Feng Lian said, "You are polite. How come you have brought so many things?"

He Songbai pointed at the pork and said sincerely, "I bought this one. Comrade Zhao picked up the others."

Feng Lian glared at her daughter and pinched the back of her hand.

"Go get a fruit knife and give it to He, He..."

"Xiaobai." He Songbai reminded her with a smile. His white teeth, coupled with his bright and dazzling smile, was very expressive.

"Go and cut fruit for Xiaobai." Feng Lian patted her daughter's hand to urge her.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

So, there was only He Songbai, and Feng Lian left in the living room. He Songbai seemed a bit cautious. After a few tentative sentences, he knew how to catch Feng Lian's interest and talk about all sorts of things.

Feng Lian looked at this energetic and polite young man who spent the Spring Festival alone in a foreign city and couldn't help but pity him.

"Have you got the vaccine?"

He Songbai shook his head, "I have to wait for the comrades at the epidemic prevention station to return to work before I can buy it. I'll come here early so I can get a ticket and can catch the train."

Feng Lian is a teacher and also very talkative. She asked He Songbai several questions and couldn't help but praise him for his hard work, clever mind, and sacrifice for the country.

The more her mother praises her boyfriend, the more Zhao Lanxiang did not dare to "reveal his identity."

She listened to Feng Lian's repeated praises and couldn't help but bury herself in the kitchen like an ostrich plunged into the sand. He was really powerful, but she was blushing. She had never heard Feng Lian praise her or little Huzi so much!

She peeled off the grapefruit with great effort, while still eavesdropping, listening to every movement in the living room.

He Songbai talked to Feng Lian about interesting things in the countryside, starting from transplanting seedlings in spring to harvesting crops in autumn. From catching frogs in the fields to catching pheasants with grains in the mountains in winter. In his words, the countryside became very interesting.

This caused Feng Lian to praise his ability repeatedly. Feng Lian lived in the city her whole life and had never done any farm work. After graduation, she was directly assigned to become a teacher. There was very little contact with those glorious middle- and poor lower-class peasants. This time, He Songbai portrayed the peaceful image of the rural life in one breath.

'He is an experienced farmer.'

'Isn't he a diligent child? Just look at those hands, and you know.'

Her daughter's friend came from afar. He had a pair of farmers' hands. The calluses were thick and long. There are frostbites and cracks between his thumbs and his index fingers, and his knuckles were big. This kind of hand is an experienced farming veteran hand. However, his face is full of spirit, and the whole person was positive and uplifting, which could make people warmly laughed with him.

Older middle-aged women prefer such sincere and warm boys, and Feng Lian is no exception.

Who would like someone who looks passionate in the face but cold in the heart?

When Jiang Jianjun came to the Zhao family before, he had a serious face and a hard-faced expression, with no warmth in his eyes. It was extremely difficult for Feng Lian to feel good about him.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

In front of him, she felt like a small person who had to be cautious in facing high-ranking officials.

Feng Lian taught Chinese in school and was very interested in He Songbai local dialect. She listened to He Songbai's words about the countryside and was fascinated.

Zhao Lanxiang finished peeling the grapefruit skin and kept the remaining orange skin. The Chinese New Year's meals were greasy with oily dishes. Drinking some bitter and refreshing grapefruit juice would be perfect.

In the coldest winter, grapefruit is the sweetest. During the new year, grapefruit in City G's supply and marketing cooperatives was the best-selling item.

"Mom, eat some fruit, and quench your thirst."

Zhao Lanxiang put the fruit tray on the table, and He Songbai did not look at her. At this moment, he really looked like a serious breeder that Zhao Lanxiang met in the village.

In this era, the relationship between men and women was very strict.

But their glance-free communication had turned this major event of their life into a simple friendly meetings between comrades.

He Songbai glanced at the wall clock in the living room and noticed that it was almost time to eat.

He then said, "I have been idle in the guest house for the past two days. Can I borrow a book from Comrade Zhao and let me learn?"

When Zhao Lanxiang heard this, she almost spewed out the pulp in her mouth.

Fortunately, she was sitting behind Feng Lian and her mother was facing her, otherwise she would really give He Songbai a big kick.

She couldn't help being amused, but she quickly cleared up her emotions and asked calmly, "What book do you want to read?"

"I have the red book here, as well as the thread-bound books of the Marxist philosophy series, and Mr. Lu Xun's prose..."

He Songbai said, "I want to study Marxism."

Zhao Lanxiang quickly took over his words, "I have a lot of Marx's philosophy books! Why don't you pick it yourself?"

Feng Lian glared at her daughter, "What would be a reason for guests to pick books themselves. Are you too lazy to walk two steps and don't want to go?"

She said, "Xiaobai, you are a good learner. My Niuniu's attitude towards learning is very wrong. Never remember the thoughts given by her dad and made both of us angry. She didn't give you problems in the village?"

He Songbai's slender thighs stretched out, his eyes popped out, and he said, "Although Comrade Zhao is a girl, but she is one of the girls who rarely troubles others..." He paused as if he could not think of other descriptions after searching his brain.

Feng Lian smiled knowingly

'He is a very, very keen person, but his impression of Zhao Lanxiang is still in the public impression. It is reasonable for a single man not to have a deep understanding of a girl's affairs.'

Zhao Lanxiang couldn't help but laugh. She had to "reluctantly" lead He Songbai to her bookshelf.

She led He Songbai to her room, and while her mother was eating fruit in the living room, she quickly kissed He Songbai.

The string in He Songbai's mind was so tight that it almost snap, and there was a feeling of weightlessness in his heart that was suddenly tightened.

There was a thin layer of sweat on his neck, and his heart was like ice and fire. One side was immersed in the joy of seeing his girlfriend's mother. He was very cautious and tried his best to give a good impression. Simultaneously, while the door of her room was not closed at all, she dared to be so bold!

'This woman is really horrible. No wonder even the aunt said she was difficult!'

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

The corners of his mouth opened slightly to warn her silently.

Zhao Lanxiang saw He Songbai's suddenly changed face, she scratched his thick palms with her thumbs, and ridiculed him, "Comrade He, take your time. You just choose what you want and tell me."

She squeezed his buttocks vigorously. His muscles were tensed, and they felt elastic and firm.

He Songbai's body stiffened, his chest seemed to be squeezed out of oxygen. His cheek twitched, and his lips moved slightly.

A frightening ambiguity breeds in his secret dark place.

At this time, Zhao Lanxiang smiled. After she managed to take some advantage, she walked out of her room and returned to the living room to eat fruits with her mother.

He Songbai froze, but the feeling of his girlfriend's mischief remained on his hips for a long time. It took him a while to finally move and look around his girlfriend's room.

This is a feminine room, clean and elegant. The air was full of her scent. Her books and her handicrafts were neatly placed on the desk. A wooden picture frame was facing him, and He Songbai saw a twelve or thirteen-year-old charming young girl, her clear eyes seemed to stare at him.

She was here, growing up year after year, day after day.

He stared at the picture silently for a while...

---

Author's Note:

In this chapter, He Songbai's ears are full of sound:

Mother-in-law favorability +10

Mother-in-law favorability +10

Mother-in-law favorability +10

The hard-pressed Mr. Jiang didn't have this treatment when he came to the house, hey.

Brother Bai, who was in deep thought: Everything needs to pay attention to strategy.

Like stewing a frog in warm water, just take your time.

Then come back next time :)

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

Back Index Next

Please support us by whitelisting this site! Thank you!!