Chapter 30

Before heading home from work, Zhang Meili had indeed gone to find Li Ling, and the two had talked for over half an hour before she returned.

From what Li Ling had shared, Zhang Meili felt an increased trust in He Cheng’an, even to the point of compromising and accepting him as her future son-in-law.

Since she had accepted him, it was clear that she was focusing on the positives, and she could think of many of He Cheng’an’s virtues.

Zhang Meili said, “Li Ling also spoke highly of He Cheng’an. Alright, let’s not linger here. We have things to do. After all, when it comes to marriage, can there really be perfection?”

The last sentence felt like a self-comfort.

With Zhang Meili’s affirmation, Lu Yun linked her arm with hers and said, “Then it’s settled for this Sunday?”

Zhang Meili replied, “Mm, it’s settled.”

As Lu Yun headed out, she added, “Then I’ll go make the call.”

Zhang Meili responded, “Mm, got it.”

Seeing Zhang Meili’s attitude, Lu Yun smiled; this meant that she agreed to her being with He Cheng’an.

—o—o—o—

When they reached the small shop outside the alley, there was a queue of people making calls. Lu Yun stood at the back, waiting for over ten minutes, her face becoming slightly flushed from the cold. Finally, it was her turn. She took out the slip of paper and dialed the number written on it.

The first time she called, the line was busy. Lu Yun dialed again and finally got through.

On the other end, a middle-aged man’s voice answered, “Who is this?”

Lu Yun said, “I’m looking for He Cheng’an. Could you please let him know…?” Before she could finish, she heard He Cheng’an’s voice on the other end.

He Cheng’an responded, “It’s me.”

Lu Yun replied, “He Cheng’an?”

Hearing Lu Yun call his name made He Cheng’an unable to suppress a chuckle. He said, “Yeah, it’s me. I just came to the small shop to buy some things when I received your call.”

Upon hearing He Cheng’an speak, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but glance at the man waiting in the shop for over an hour, holding a bottle of soy sauce.

Buying things was a pretext; the real reason was to wait for a phone call. The shopkeeper shook his head, thinking that today’s young people and their way of dating were different.

When he got married, he had only met his future wife once through an arranged meeting before they set a wedding date.

Lu Yun gently tapped her toes against the ground, a smile forming on her lips as she continued, “My mom said you should come to our house on Sunday. She even asked Li Ling about you. Li Ling spoke very highly of you, and I think once you come over, she will definitely like you and be satisfied with you.”

She looked up at the moon in the night sky, wondering if He Cheng’an felt the same way as she did. She continued, “As for my dad, he listens to my mom. My eldest brother is even more pleased with you.”

He Cheng’an listened attentively to Lu Yun’s every word, taking them all in seriously. He replied, “Then after we get back, let’s go buy a gift for Li Ling, okay?”

Lu Yun said, “Sure.”

Just as they were about to hang up, He Cheng’an called out to Lu Yun, saying, “Lu Yun, tell me, I really am not dreaming, am I?”

Lu Yun replied, “Well, pinch yourself.”

He Cheng’an instinctively did as she suggested, and when he realized he felt some pain, he laughed and said, “It hurts; I’m not dreaming.”

—o—o—o—

After finishing his call with Lu Yun, He Cheng’an paid for his purchases and ended up running back home.

He pushed open the door and found Zhang Hao, who was busy calculating some accounts.

He Cheng’an’s voice was slightly raised as he announced, “I’m going to the Lu Family this Sunday!”

Zhang Hao also stood up excitedly. “Really?”

He Cheng’an confirmed, “Mm, really.”

Zhang Hao began to pace in excitement., “Brother He, you two will definitely love each other deeply and have a harmonious marriage for a hundred years.”

—o—o—o—

That night, before going to bed, Zhang Meili and Lu Dong counted the virtues of He Cheng’an.

What pleased her the most was Li Ling’s remark that even if Lu Yun was a bit spoiled, if she married He Cheng’an, he would certainly take good care of her.

After discussing He Cheng’an, she and Lu Dong began planning what to cook for Sunday.

After all, the more important the occasion, the better the meal needed to be, and they also had to consider how much money would be appropriate to give He Cheng’an for their first formal meeting.

As the couple discussed these matters, they even forgot that Lu Yun’s aunt, Li Hong, was staying with them.

However, as bedtime approached, Zhang Meili felt a bit hungry and recalled Lu Yun mentioning braised pig’s trotters and braised rice. If it weren’t for their family being there, she would have made it that evening.

Zhang Meili tried to push these thoughts aside: “And there’s the dowry. The next step is to discuss the wedding. I wonder if these two kids are anxious. They’ve been trying to save money lately; the more we can save for the dowry, the better.”

Lu Dong reassured her, “Don’t worry.”

Lu Yun put down her book. She had finished reading an entire volume of *How the Steel Was Tempered*, but she still didn’t feel sleepy.

He Cheng’an said he felt as if he were dreaming, and Lu Yun felt the same.

Hesitantly, she reached out and pinched her arm, nearly crying from the pain.

Meeting the parents signified that they would continue discussing the wedding—that she and He Cheng’an would get married.

Actually, before crossing over, Lu Yun had thought that being single for life wouldn’t be a problem.

She never expected that she was now close to marrying He Cheng’an. Despite the myriad of emotions swirling within her, she found no inclination to back down.

Lu Yun opened her mouth and said: “He Cheng’an?”

At some point, He Cheng’an seemed to move further away from the Male Supporting Character in novels and became more and more real to Lu Yun.

After rubbing her cheeks, Lu Yun closed the book and went to bed.

—o—o—o—

Li Hong returned with her daughter-in-law and grandson on Thursday.

It was clear that their stay with the Lu Family in the county city had not been very pleasant.

Usually, their meals consisted of either green beans stewed with potatoes or coarse steamed buns and vegetables brought back by Zhang Meili from the cafeteria.

They had originally planned to stay until Friday, but decided to leave on Thursday instead.

As they were about to leave, Li Hong wanted to say something, but Zhang Meili spoke first.

Zhang Meili said, “I truly apologize for the lack of hospitality. That’s why it’s better to stay in a guesthouse when coming to the county city. After all, we still have to work to earn a living; we can’t spend all day worrying about your meals. But the green beans you brought were quite good; I just finished them all.”

This statement left Li Hong momentarily speechless.

She looked at Zhang Meili with a hint of daze, recalling how Zhang Meili had been when she first married into the Lu Family.

She had not been like this at all; instead, she resembled Lu Yun now, with a gentle demeanor and a warm smile for everyone.

Yet now, Zhang Meili had become quite capable, able to hold her own and never fall behind.

Looking at her grandson beside her, she couldn’t help but sigh; time was passing quickly, and she had little desire to chat further with Zhang Meili and the others.

Lu Yun watched them leave the courtyard and asked, “Why do I feel like she seems a bit disappointed, not unhappy?”

Zhang Meili replied, “Who knows? Come on, get in here and write down the menu for He Cheng’an’s visit.”

Lu Yun responded with an acknowledgment.

Inside the house, Zhang Meili held a piece of paper and began writing down the dishes.

Her intention was that when He Cheng’an came over, they would prepare six dishes and one soup for a total of five people: sweet and sour pork, braised pork ribs, cold cabbage salad, stewed sauerkraut, along with a portion of braised meat and spicy potato shreds, with a fish soup simmered for the occasion.

After all, this was to meet her future son-in-law, and she felt that these dishes were still somewhat lacking.

Zhang Meili said, “Take a look, or do you know what he likes to eat?”

Lu Yun replied, “He’s not picky.” After that, she asked, “Didn’t you say I should make braised pig’s trotters and braised rice?”

Zhang Meili looked at her in exasperation. “He Cheng’an is coming over, and you want me to let you cook? I almost forgot, hurry and make the braised pig’s trotters and braised rice. I’ll think about this menu a bit more.”

She thought about possibly replacing the spicy potato shreds with another dish and decided to see what fresh vegetables she could buy at the market early on Sunday morning, even if they turned out to be a bit pricey.

As soon as Lu Xiang’an returned home, he caught a whiff of the braised pig’s trotters. He quickly ran over to take a look, greeted Lu Yun, and then went off to tidy up his room. He needed to wash everything inside and wipe it clean.

That evening, the Lu Family enjoyed the braised pig’s trotters and braised rice together.

Compared to the braised pig’s trotters they had eaten before, everyone preferred the braised rice that they hadn’t tried previously.

By the end of the meal, not a single grain of rice was left, and Lu Xiang’an’s bowl looked like it had just been washed.

Lu Xiang’an wiped his mouth and said, “Mom, Dad, I think He Cheng’an is a good guy. I went to find Li Ling, and she praised him. You all know that Li Ling is straightforward and doesn’t lie. He looks good, treats Lu Yun well, and he’s quite nice.”

Zhang Meili smiled and scolded him, “You really didn’t waste the food Ah Yun cooked! Hurry up and wash your bowl from today.”

—o—o—o—

On the day He Cheng’an was set to arrive, before dawn, the Lu Family was already busy getting ready.

Lu Yun was still asleep when she heard Zhang Meili talking outside, mentioning that her boyfriend was coming over.

Zhang Meili chatted for a bit in the yard before heading out with Lu Dong to the market to buy vegetables.

Lu Yun crawled out of bed.

Zhang Meili had already washed and neatly folded a red sweater and jeans for Lu Yun, placing them in her wardrobe. Lu Yun changed into the outfit, combed her hair without tying it up, letting her long curls flow freely. After washing up and getting ready, she waited at home.

Lu Xiang’an came over and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Lu Yun replied, “I’m waiting for He Cheng’an to arrive. Is there anything you need me to do?”

After a while, Lu Xiang’an chuckled, but then recalled something and continued to ask, “Is He Cheng’an coming over by himself, or are you going to find him, and then you both come together?”

Lu Yun shook her head, saying, “We didn’t discuss that.”

Lu Xiang’an glanced at her and thought for a moment before saying, “Once you’re done tidying up, you should go find him and come back together.”

With that, he left.

For the first visit, could they really have He Cheng’an come over by himself? It seemed that Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had carelessly forgotten about this detail, or perhaps they thought Lu Yun and He Cheng’an both knew. Thankfully, Lu Xiang’an was at home and remembered this matter.

Lu Yun didn’t quite understand what Lu Xiang’an meant. She just assumed he was looking out for her and He Cheng’an. She put on her coat and said to Lu Xiang’an, “Brother, you really didn’t waste any of the pig’s trotters and braised rice.”

Lu Xiang’an replied, “Next time, make sure to cook more for me.”

After a while, Lu Xiang’an caught up with her again and said, “When introducing your boyfriend to the family for the first time, you both should come back together. You need to introduce He Cheng’an to us and tell us he’s your boyfriend.”

Lu Yun pressed her lips together and finally said, “I understand.”

—o—o—o—

When Lu Yun arrived at He Cheng’an’s courtyard, she saw the table outside piled high with packaged goods that were nearly overflowing.

She walked over to take a look—there were fruits, malt milk powder, fabric, and not to mention the pork bones and lean meat. She wondered if He Cheng’an would be able to carry it all later.

He Cheng’an was impeccably dressed, and Lu Yun noticed he had even used hair gel.

She covered her mouth as he laughed, but He Cheng’an stood there, his palms sweating from nervousness.

He Cheng’an said, “I think I should go change into another outfit.”

As He Cheng’an turned to head back inside, Lu Yun tugged at his shirt. A gentle pull was enough for him to stop. He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

Instead, Lu Yun tiptoed and gently kissed his cheek before standing back.

In a soft voice, Lu Yun said, “When I said I’d be with you, I meant it. When I said I’d take you to meet my family, I meant it. So I want you to be at ease; don’t worry.”