It was a hot and humid weekend. Lumi and Tu Ming completed their first mountain biking trip. Tu Ming had really worked hard to practice driving. When he was climbing the mountain and taking the bends, the car leaned just right, and he suddenly had a little more wildness about him.

Lumi followed his car, watching his tall figure crammed into his summer cycling clothes. It was like a low-alcohol beer that had been thrown a shot of vodka. He suddenly became fierce.

They had agreed before they set off, not to rush, not to speed, just to enjoy the scenery on the mountain. So they took it easy. Compared to the others who were roaring past, they were a bit like elderly people taking a stroll.

Finally, they reached the top of the mountain. They spread out a picnic blanket under a tree and put on hats to get some sun.

Lumi was comfortably sunbathing, and she even broke a sweat. After a while, she couldn’t take the sun anymore. She sat up and took out a small fan to cool her face, “No, no, no. If I stay out here any longer, I’m going to turn into jerky!”

A laugh came from under Tu Ming’s hat. Lumi snorted and pulled him up, “Let’s go to the creek and catch some fish!”

Lumi took out a fishing net and a bucket and dragged Tu Ming to catch fish. As they were fishing, she said, “Why don’t we go on a bike trip to the north when we have a break?”

“I don’t agree,” Tu Ming said, “It’s a long journey, and we don’t have any experience.”

“Oh, I’ll take you!”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Hmph!”

“Maybe we could go to Fiji.” Tu Ming had been on a business trip to Fiji, and he still remembered the scenery. The island’s ecosystem was pristine, the scenery was beautiful, and the calm, shimmering waters were breathtaking, “I heard you like going to the beach. Fiji is perfect.”

“Oh, you just want to see people in bikinis!”

Lumi blushed and scolded Tu Ming, “You pervert!”

Tu Ming chuckled and didn’t defend himself.

Their motorcycles were parked side by side on the grass, looking closer than they were.

They took out a gas stove to cook instant noodles and waited to watch the sunset.

The pot was bubbling with heat, and Lumi was chewing on her chopsticks, waiting. Tu Ming really brought a lot of stuff with him. It was just instant noodles, but he even brought eggs, cilantro, cucumbers, and red tomatoes. It reminded Lumi of school field trips when there would always be classmates whose lunchboxes were more abundant than others, and they were so envied.

“I think we can eat less. We can have a big meal at home. Look at your face. You need to eat nutritious things to stay beautiful forever…” Lumi suggested. She didn’t feel like eating barbecue. Maybe it was because she had been thinking about fighting evil for a while, and although she thought she wasn’t bothered by it, she had unconsciously lost a few pounds.

Tu Ming cracked two eggs into the pot, added a slice of luncheon meat, and some spinach leaves. He said to her, “Protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates. Is that enough?”

“That’s just a little bit of a scam. When I cook later, I’ll feed you shrimp and big prawns…”

Lumi was very unconvinced and argued with Tu Ming. Tu Ming just looked at her and smiled, saying nothing. The wind was gentle, the grass was gentle, the sunset was gentle, and he was gentle. Lumi leaned against Tu Ming, like a pendant hanging on him, incredibly close.

“The sunset today was beautiful. We should come see it again next time.”

“Okay.”

They watched the sunset on the mountain before heading down. When they got home, they opened the door and saw a pair of men’s shoes at the door, “Damn it! We’ve been robbed!”

Lumi cursed. Then she heard a voice from inside scolding her, “I’m the thief! You’re your father!”

Lumi’s scalp tingled when she heard Lu Guoqing’s voice. She turned around and pushed Tu Ming, whispering, “Quick.”

Tu Ming was like a nail stuck in the ground, “Why? Is it someone we shouldn’t see?” Tu Ming didn’t know why he was hiding. What was there to hide? He was a righteous man, so he wasn’t afraid of meeting his parents.

“No…” Lumi wanted to explain, but they didn’t have their lines straight. They were afraid that Tu Ming would say something wrong.

“Don’t come in! What are you doing?” Lu Guoqing stood at the door with his hands behind his back and looked at Tu Ming, “Why are you hiding? Can you hide from the first day of the month but not the fifteenth? Your second uncle already told me you’re living together. Your grandpa also said you two are inseparable!”

“You haven’t been here for a year or two. What brought you here today? What’s going on?” Lumi put on her slippers as she entered. Tu Ming smiled at Lu Guoqing behind her, “Uncle, hello.”

“Come in!”

Lu Guoqing kept his hands behind his back and watched Tu Ming change his shoes. He was a well-mannered young man, with a gentle demeanor, a straight posture, and not a rough movement. He looked like he had read a lot of books. He took off his shoes and put them neatly on the shoe rack, along with Lumi’s.

Lu Guoqing sat down on the sofa. The sofa was comfortable. He bounced on it, “Nice sofa. You should buy one for your dad too.”

“You can’t buy this one. No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy it. He designed it himself and had it made.” Lumi’s eyes lit up. She was clearly proud of it. She pointed at Tu Ming, “The chief designer.”

“You designed it yourself?”

“Yes, Uncle. I’ll design one for you too. One that’s suitable for you, that protects your back and neck.” He spoke very politely and smiled.

Lu Guoqing felt that Tu Ming was very well-mannered. His attitude softened a bit, “How old are you? Where are you from? How did you meet Lumi? What do you do?”

“Taking a census?” Lumi interrupted Tu Ming, “Dad, you’re scaring me with this kind of setup…”

“Get out of here!”

Lumi shrunk her neck. Tu Ming smiled, “Just chatting with Uncle.”

“Yes, what’s he going to do, eat him? Sit down. You can go do what you need to do!”

“Oh.”

Lumi turned and went into the bedroom, leaving the door slightly open. She put her ear to the door to listen to the conversation outside.

“Uncle, I’m 32 years old this year.”

“A bit old…” Lu Guoqing frowned, picking at a flaw.

“…32 is a good age, right?” Tu Ming tried to explain to Lu Guoqing. The age for young people has been raised in recent years. 32 is a prime age.

“Alright, I guess.” Lu Guoqing turned to look at Tu Ming. To be honest, he looked pretty good up close.

“I also work at Ling Mei.”

“Her boss!” Lumi called out from behind the bedroom door. Tu Ming was amused by her, “I’m boss in the company, but outside the company, she’s my boss.” He deliberately chose to say what Lu Guoqing wanted to hear. In fact, Lumi was actually in charge more often outside of work.

Tu Ming didn’t realize that he wasn’t as quiet as he used to be. When he encountered someone he didn’t dislike, he was willing to chat a little more.

“Her boss…” Lu Guoqing looked at him, “Where are you from?”

“Beijing.”

“What do your parents do?”

“They teach at the university.” Tu Ming deliberately made his parents’ professions sound ordinary. He was used to being humble and low-key. He didn’t feel that his family was any different.

Lu Guoqing sized Tu Ming up and suddenly asked a question that made no sense, “How’s your health?”

Tu Ming was stunned, “I’m fine. I have an annual physical. No high blood pressure, no other problems.”

Lumi burst out laughing in the bedroom. She knew exactly what her irresponsible father meant, so she said, “He’s fine! What are you worrying about!”

Lu Guoqing glared at the door and asked Tu Ming, “What do your parents think about you living with a girl?”

This question stumped Tu Ming. He hadn’t told his parents in detail about his relationship. They only knew he was dating, but he hadn’t told them how far it had gone.

“My parents know I’m dating, but to be honest, Uncle, I haven’t told them about living with Lumi. I was negligent. I’ll tell them.”

“You need to tell them. Dating is dating, and living together is living together. They’re not the same thing, you know? Lumi never lived with anyone when she was dating.”

“I know, Uncle. We didn’t decide to live together on a whim. We’re taking it seriously, and I hope you can rest assured.” Tu Ming was very sincere. He spoke his heart to Lu Guoqing.

“How are you going to be responsible?” Lu Guoqing asked him.

“We’re living together with the intention of getting married.”

Lumi, inside the bedroom, heard the words “with the intention of getting married” and was a little stunned. They hadn’t talked about it like that when they moved in together. They just wanted to be together more because they liked each other.

“Alright then.” Lu Guoqing stood up and walked towards the door, “It’s getting late. You two should rest.”

Lu Guoqing suddenly felt a bit of heartache. He didn’t know why. He just felt that his precious daughter was living with someone, so did that mean she was close to getting married?

Lumi ran out to see Lu Guoqing off. Tu Ming wanted to go too, but Lumi pushed him back, “Just talk to Dad for a bit. Don’t follow me.”

They reached the downstairs. Lumi saw Lu Guoqing’s stern face and said, “Living together isn’t the same as getting married. What are you frowning about? Did your daughter fly away or something?”

She hit the nail on the head. Lu Guoqing felt a bit choked up.

“Alright, alright. Girls grow up and can’t be kept. Let them do as they please. But one thing, don’t get pregnant before getting married. Don’t be silly and get tricked. Then you’ll be abandoned, and the child won’t have a father! Poor thing!”

Lumi giggled, “Silly? I haven’t had enough fun yet!”

“Just keep that in mind. Go back up.”

Lu Guoqing turned and left. Lumi watched his back and felt a bit of heartache too. She had always been her parents’ darling, especially Lu Guoqing. He wouldn’t even slap her. Whether they had money or not, they spoiled Lumi rotten.

Lumi followed behind him, all the way to the entrance of the residential area, where Lu Guoqing got into his car and drove away. Then she turned back.

She saw Tu Ming standing there waiting for her and said, “Parents are unpredictable. He hasn’t been here for a year or two, and he randomly shows up today. He’s such a handful.”

“Measure Uncle and Aunt’s living room and sofa dimensions later.”

“Why?”

“You promised, so do it. Don’t go back on your word.”

Lumi knew he was serious, but she didn’t know he was serious enough to carry out a casual promise.

“Are you bored or something?”

“It’s no trouble. Just measure it and tell me. I’ll have Uncle and Aunt get a better sofa.”

“Better than yours?”

“Yes, better than yours.”

They talked and decided to go out for a late-night snack. They held hands and walked out of the residential area.

When he got home, Lu Guoqing was smiling. Yang Liu Fang asked him, “Did you find money? You’re so happy!”

“Your daughter’s boyfriend is a good kid from a good family. He’s polite, looks good, and has a good job. He’s really good! Better than those other guys who looked okay.” Lu Guoqing didn’t like Lumi’s previous boyfriends. He always felt like they were ticking time bombs, and they could explode at any time.

This one was good. This one was pleasing to the eye.

He soaked his feet and praised Tu Ming to Yang Liu Fang, “You should have gone with them today. It would have saved you from worrying so much. You would have felt reassured after seeing him.”

“Then let’s go early tomorrow!”

“We have a family gathering tomorrow. Forget it. It’s not good to be too eager. It would make us seem too desperate. Let’s go next week!”

“Okay!”

Lumi didn’t know that her parents were planning their next surprise attack. She and Tu Ming finished their late-night snack and went back home. They had tidied up and were chatting in the darkness. Lumi asked Tu Ming, “Did you see how nervous Dad was?”

“A little bit.”

“Why?”

“He was afraid Uncle would kick you out.”

“…You’re afraid of Dad? Okay, then, if you ever make him angry, you’ll tell Dad and have him chase you with a broom.” Lumi felt very confident, having her family as her support.

“What about when you make me angry?”

“Then you’ll just have to bear with it!”

Lumi pinched his face hard, “That’s right, you’re such a jerk. You can dislike it, but you just have to put up with it! Usually, you’re fine, but when you’re being a jerk, you’re a real jerk! You can’t control yourself!”

Tu Ming pinched her mouth, “Go to sleep!”

“No.”

Lumi snuggled into his arms, “Dad said I can’t get pregnant before marriage…”

“Uncle is right. So it’s not happening tonight. We don’t have any protection at home.”

“…Why don’t you buy some!”

“I thought…”

“Nonsense!”

Lumi was a little angry. What a great night, and now it was ruined!

She snorted and turned her back to Tu Ming. After a while, his arm went under her neck and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her gently.

Lumi giggled, “You jerk!”