Chapter 70: Preparing to Meet the Parents
White Dumpling was in high spirits and wanted to play again, but it was getting late, so Lin Xia carried the “Tiger Plushie” off for a bath.
After the Tiger Plushie finished bathing, he lay on the bed, rolling around hugging his dog doll, only putting it down when it was time for a bedtime story.
White Dumpling fell asleep listening to the story. Once he was asleep, Lin Xia spoke softly with Tang Yinlang to discuss matters.
“Are you going back to your grandmother’s house tomorrow?” Lin Xia kept his voice low.
“I am. Why?” Tang Yinlang replied in a deep voice. Although Green Ivy District wasn’t far from Yuanyang District, now that he had his own home, his life centered around Green Ivy.
However, he certainly had to go back to keep his grandparents company. It would be even better if he could take Lin Xia and White Dumpling with him.
“I want you to take some Tu ji (local free-range chickens) and free-range eggs to the elders.” Today, Lin Xia had gone to the country market (Gan xu) specifically to buy a few extra local chickens, just to give to Tang Yinlang’s grandparents.
“So it’s about this.” Tang Yinlang nodded and reached out to pull Lin Xia into his arms. The two faced each other, intimately close.
The corners of Tang Yinlang’s mouth hooked up slightly, a glint flashing in his eyes. His thumb caressed Lin Xia’s smooth cheek as he whispered, “You and An An should come back with me, hmm?”
His magnetic voice, with that slightly rising tail tone, was sexy and teasing. Lin Xia felt his ears going numb from the sound.
“To be honest, I’m not ready yet.” No matter how good Tang Yinlang’s voice sounded, it couldn’t instantly prepare Lin Xia for meeting the parents. Actually, he knew this day would come sooner or later; meeting them was inevitable.
“I know.” Tang Yinlang patted Lin Xia’s head, the soft texture under his hand softening his own heart. “But, I feel there’s no need to prepare.”
Hearing this, Lin Xia lowered his eyes, falling into thought. Tang Yinlang gently stroked his hair, saying no more.
The room was silent, save for the shallow sounds of breathing. White Dumpling was sound asleep, limbs sprawled out in innocent abandon.
Lin Xia looked up slightly and saw the sharp lines of Tang Yinlang’s rugged face, just like his personality: hard and decisive. Tang Yinlang could analyze and judge at top speed and make decisions quickly. He didn’t like to drag things out; if conditions allowed, he would execute immediately.
Meeting the parents was the same. For them, both sides knew of the other’s existence, and it hadn’t been just a day or two; there had even been communication. Although they were approaching a close relationship, at this speed, it was perhaps a bit slow.
Lin Xia and White Dumpling could wait, but what about Tang Yinlang’s grandparents? They were at an age where they hoped to be surrounded by descendants. Knowing that their great-grandson was in the same city, not far away, they could only suppress their anxious hearts and await their arrival.
Lin Xia could tell that Tang Yinlang’s grandmother liked White Dumpling very much; she wanted to see him. But she respected Lin Xia and didn’t interfere in their lives, letting Lin Xia decide for himself. Even when the Big Dumpling (adult tiger form) “broke out of prison” to find them and stayed at Lin Xia’s house, she didn’t use that as an excuse to disturb them.
Such a considerate elder must be very kind, right?
Thinking of this, Lin Xia let go of some of his worries. Tang Yinlang was right; he really didn’t have anything to prepare. What he needed to do was break through his psychological defenses. Facing strangers who would become intimately related to them in the future, it was hard not to feel panic or a desire to retreat. But he and Tang Yinlang had already reached that stage of their relationship. Integrating into Tang Yinlang’s circle was something he had to face eventually; it was just a matter of time.
“What gifts should I bring tomorrow? Just bringing two chickens to the door seems too shabby…” A smile spread in Lin Xia’s eyes. He moved Tang Yinlang’s mischievous hand away and asked seriously.
He wanted to take that step. Perhaps the beauty of family affection he longed for could be found there. Besides, Tang Yinlang would always be behind him, supporting and accompanying him, right?
“They don’t lack anything, so you don’t need to buy much. Local specialties are enough.” Tang Yinlang smiled, his gaze growing softer.
“That’s not good, is it?” Lin Xia felt he should buy something more valuable.
“Just buy some fruit to go with it. They actually won’t accept expensive things.” Tang Yinlang smiled gently, seeing through Lin Xia’s thoughts at a glance.
“Alright.” Hearing Tang Yinlang say this, Lin Xia dismissed the idea.
“Lin Xia, thank you!” Thank you for taking this step for me. Tang Yinlang pulled Lin Xia into his arms again, speaking sincerely and affectionately. He lowered his head and left a deep kiss on Lin Xia’s forehead.
“Thank what? I should be thanking you.” Lin Xia laughed. He also had to thank Tang Yinlang for pushing him to take this step. Otherwise, without someone “forcing” him, he didn’t know how long he would have dawdled.
Tang Yinlang smiled without speaking, holding Lin Xia and feeling the heartbeats from both their chests. The two quietly enjoyed the peaceful moment, the years tranquil and good.
“I forgot!” Lin Xia suddenly thought of something and sat up abruptly. Caught off guard, Tang Yinlang was shoved to the side.
“Mn?”
“I forgot to help Jasmine call Teacher Luo!” Lin Xia hurriedly threw on a jacket and grabbed his phone to go downstairs to find Jasmine.
As soon as he came back, he had played hide-and-seek with White Dumpling, then bathed, and completely threw the phone call to the back of his mind.
“Jasmine, sorry, I forgot!” Lin Xia said apologetically to Jasmine.
“It’s okay!” Jasmine wasn’t asleep yet. Seeing Lin Xia, it jumped around happily.
“Let’s do a WeChat video call.” It was already past ten at night. Lin Xia, afraid of disturbing them, sent a message first to ask.
Teacher Luo replied instantly; it seemed he was on his phone. Lin Xia immediately started the video chat and aimed the camera at Jasmine.
Teacher Luo and Wang Jiaming’s faces soon appeared on the screen. Seeing them, Jasmine shouted excitedly.
“Master! Stupid Egg!”
“Fat bird, don’t call me Stupid Egg!” Wang Jiaming was the same as ever; hearing Jasmine call him Stupid Egg, he gritted his teeth in anger.
“Is the pet shop fun?” Teacher Luo stroked Wang Jiaming’s head while asking his beloved pet.
“Fun! There’s a silly dog that’s fun!” In front of its owner, Jasmine became a chatterbox.
…
The owner and pet chatted for about half an hour, mostly Jasmine and Wang Jiaming twittering away. Teacher Luo just smiled and sat to the side, leaving the floor to them. Lin Xia occasionally chimed in to ask how they were doing.
The competition had already started. Wang Jiaming had passed the preliminary selection and was now preparing for the next round.
When the time was about right, both sides ended the call. After saying goodnight to Jasmine, Lin Xia went back upstairs.
“I’m back.” Tang Yinlang was waiting for Lin Xia and hadn’t slept yet; he was flipping through White Dumpling’s storybook. Seeing Lin Xia enter, he put the book down and watched with a smile as Lin Xia walked over.
After taking off his jacket and putting it away, Lin Xia nimbly climbed onto the bed and burrowed under the quilt.
“Ready to sleep?” Tang Yinlang asked. He slept on the outside, responsible for the lights.
“Sleeping.” Lin Xia kissed White Dumpling as usual before lying down properly.
“Good.” Tang Yinlang reached out to turn off the light, then embraced Lin Xia. Lin Xia actively leaned into his chest, the two pressing intimately together.
“Goodnight.” Tang Yinlang pressed a goodnight kiss onto Lin Xia’s forehead.
“Goodnight.” Lin Xia closed his eyes with a smile on his lips…
A night of good dreams.
In the morning, the curtains were drawn open. Bright spring sunlight spilled in, like a golden carpet unfurled, warm and comfortable. Opening the window, a light breeze blew in, sweeping away the stale air from the night and replacing it with fresh air.
Lazily stretching and taking a deep breath, his whole body was filled with vitality. Fatigue was swept away, leaving him refreshed.
Lin Xia turned to look at the large and small figures still sleeping soundly in identical postures and laughed despite himself. He quietly got ready and went downstairs to make breakfast.
After Lin Xia left, Tang Yinlang woke up. Seeing no one beside him, he immediately got up. After washing up, he went to the kitchen to help, even attempting to fry sunny-side-up eggs.
Under Lin Xia’s guidance, Tang Yinlang’s fried eggs looked decent enough, and he was even praised by White Dumpling as “delicious.” This made Tang Yinlang happy for a long time, claiming he would make the eggs from now on.
After breakfast, the family of three walked to the pet shop together. They missed the peak commuting hour, so there weren’t many people on the road. The family walked leisurely, treating the ten-minute journey as a stroll.
After dropping Lin Xia and White Dumpling at the pet shop, Tang Yinlang left. He had his own matters to attend to and couldn’t stay by their side every moment like before.
Lin Xia hadn’t managed the shop yesterday, so today he needed to process yesterday’s accounts. Upon arriving at the shop, he got busy. White Dumpling saw Meng Zheng arrive and happily pounced on him.
” Aowu!” Brother Meng Zheng! White Dumpling enthusiastically tackled Meng Zheng onto the sofa, almost licking his face wildly with his tongue.
” Aowu!” Brother Meng Zheng, An An missed you so much while you were gone! White Dumpling poured out his longing for Meng Zheng in a torrent. After Meng Zheng went home for the holidays, there was no one to take selfies with him.
“An An!” Meng Zheng also missed White Dumpling very much. They shared a common interest: selfies. Without White Dumpling in the foreground, his face looked huge in selfies, not to mention he had gained weight from eating during the New Year.
“Let’s take a selfie! A certain app released new filters recently.” Meng Zheng pulled out his phone. His phone was full of beauty cam apps, and he skillfully opened one.
” Aowu!” Okay! Hearing there were new filters, White Dumpling’s eyes lit up immediately. He ran to Wang Ziyu, who was looking in the mirror, borrowed the mirror to fix the fur he had just messed up, and then returned to Meng Zheng.
” Aowu!” Brother Meng Zheng, An An is ready! White Dumpling sat obediently, waiting for Meng Zheng to take the picture.
“Come on!” Meng Zheng deliberately messed up his hair, making an arrogant expression. His look of wild uninhibitedness formed a sharp contrast with the well-behaved White Dumpling.
“Cool!” / ” Aowu!” So cool! Meng Zheng raised a hand and the tiger raised a paw to high-five; they were obviously very satisfied with the selfie.
” Aowu!” Brother Meng Zheng, let’s take another one, no, many many more! White Dumpling found the groove and just wanted to snap non-stop, recording his peerless beauty.
Aowu, An An really is very good-looking…
Author’s Note: Good morning… (≧▽≦)/
Recommended Reads
