Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âNo, no⦠itâs not sour. Itâs really sweet.â
âThen whatâs wrong? Why did you go quiet all of a sudden?â
Yang Yiren placed a hand on his knee. âI⦠I am the caretaker of the graveyard. People donât really like associating with someone who spends his life taking care of a cemetery. I never thought someone would offer me food so kindlyâ¦â
Yang Yiren trailed off. Auntie Bao understood him. Yang Yiren was single-handedly taking care of his young daughter and his old mother. It must have been difficult to do that and earn money so that his daughter could study abroad.
His mother was getting on in years. Every time he returned home after finishing his work at the graveyard, she would be busy taking care of the house. Yang Yirenâs heart ached when he saw his mother all alone. He usually went to a grocery store after work to buy ingredients to make something delicious for her.
Auntie Bao understood him because she knew how it felt to be alone. However, she felt that she had it easy. She didnât have anyone to take care of, so she only needed to look after herself.
âIâm afraid Iâll burden you with responsibilities.
âWhat are you talking about? Are you calling Auntie Yang a burden?â
âNo⦠but my mother is getting on in years. Old age comes with complications.
Iâm afraid that a time will come when someone will have to take care of her. Your life might be easier if you live on your own.â
âAn old proverb says that having an elderly at home is like having a precious treasure. You donât know how envious I am that you still have your mother with you,â said Auntie Bao. âWe only feel a sense of belonging when we have an elderly at home. Family should always come first.â âYou really think so?â Yang Yiren asked.
âYes,â said Auntie Bao.
At Yun City Airport, Tiantian got the link to the location of the hotel that Yang Ruoxi had chosen. It was near her village. He might reach the village late at night. Tiantian decided to meet Yang Ruoxi in the morning instead.
Lin Wan and Yang Ruoxi returned to the old mansion, hand in hand. âWeâre back,â said Lin Wan. âItâs so cold outside. We should just stay in.â âWhat about Xixi and Papa Yang?â asked Li Yanchen.
âWe donât live that far away. It only takes twenty minutes to drive.â Yang Ruoxi knew that it was inappropriate for a man and a woman to live in a house together if they didnât share some kind of relationship.
âPapa Yang, you must come and visit Mama Bao occasionally,â said Lin Wan. âYanchen and I live very far away. Mama Bao is all alone here.â Lin Wan wanted them to meet often.
âYes.â Yang Ruoxi nodded. She was aware of Lin Wanâs intention.
âNo problem at all. I always pass by this village when I return home from work anyway. I can check on Baobao,â said Yang Yiren as he checked the time. âXixi,
we need to go.â
Before her father could head out, Yang Ruoxi got up. âI have something important to announce!â she said.
Yang Yiren looked at his daughterâs solemn face and felt that something bad had happened. âWhatâs wrong? Is it bad news? Let me prepare myself mentally first.â
âNo. Itâs good news. Dad, how would you feel if I brought home a son-in-law for you?â
Yang Yiren was shocked. âWhat?â
âEveryone present here is my family, so I want to share this with you. I have a boyfriend. He is honest and kind. Wanwan can vouch for it.â
Lin Wan nodded. âYes. Heâs a good person.â
âAlright. Letâs talk at home about it, okay?â Yang Yiren treated everyone in that room like his own family, but he still couldnât express his opinion in front of so many people.
âOkay.â Yang Ruoxi followed her father out of the house.
Auntie Bao hadnât known Yang Yiren for long, so she had no say in it.
âHave you met Xixiâs boyfriend?â asked Auntie Bao cautiously.
âNo,â said Lin Wan. âBut he is visiting soon. I heard him talk with Yang Ruoxi.
He seems to be very honest and kind.â
Li Yanchen listened to Lin Wan while she praised another man. âReally? Is there anyone better than me? You praise him as though there is no one else like him in this world.â
âSeriously? Youâre jealous right now?â
Mother Bao chuckled. âYanchen wants you to praise him too.â
âIf I praise him, his ego will inflate endlessly. Besides, all the ladies of the Royal Water Bay are already jealous that I have someone like Yanchen in my life.â
âThen⦠Can Tiantian compete with Yanchen?â asked Auntie Bao.
âOf course not. No one can compare to Yanchen,â said Lin Wan.
âOh my, so down-to-earth, both of you!â said Auntie Bao and laughed.
âAnyway, I donât think Old Yang will have a problem. He was just mentioning
Yang Ruoxiâs marriage when you arrived. He said he would leave it up to Yang Ruoxi and respect her choice.â
âI think so, too. I saw Tiantianâs photos. He is very handsome. Xixi told me he took good care of her when they both were studying overseas. The only problem is that Xixi is from the south, and Tiantian is from the north. They live too far away from each other.â
âI donât think being from different places matters so much,â said Auntie Bao. âThe means of transportation has increased rapidly. Whatâs so bad about being from two different places?â
Lin Wan was happy to hear that. âI said the same thing to Xixi! Itâll be so great if you can actually become Xixiâs mother.â
âDonât talk nonsense, child. There is nothing of that sort between Old Yang and me. I was just expressing my opinion.â
âI think Papa Yang will readily agree if you tell him, â said Lin Wan.
âOld Yang seemed very anxious, though. He was worried about Xixi. He was just saying that she isnât a young child anymore and that she should have someone to rely on.. Why didnât Xixi tell him that she had a boyfriend? Was she worried that her family might object to her relationship with Tiantian?â