Chapter 30: “What Does Your Mom Call Your Dad?”

74.

The New Year was approaching, and the weather was getting colder.

The central air conditioning in the living room was broken, so for the past few days, I had been huddling in the room with Dr. Wei to watch TV.

I don’t know if others are like this, but whenever my body touches the bed, I unconsciously slide down, searching for the most comfortable and lazy position. At these times, whenever Dr. Wei’s gaze shifted my way, he would hold my neck and shout, “Your cervical spine has problems, you can’t do that.”

“You’re the one with problems.”

Dr. Wei: “Get up, sit properly.”

“This is so comfortable.”

“If you keep doing this, I’ll use restraints on you.”

I immediately sat up straight.

The “restraints” Dr. Wei mentioned were the bondage set we bought for Christmas. Guess what the first thing he did after getting it was?

He tied me up, plucked the little fuzz off the chicken feather duster, and tickled the soles of my feet.

It was unbearably painful.

007 had grown more mischievous now. It had learned to sprint and jump onto the bed. Dr. Wei would kick it off, but after a while, it would climb up on its own. After a few cycles of this, 007 didn’t dare to jump directly onto the bed. It would raise its two little front paws, cling to the edge of the bed, and howl at Dr. Wei.

“Keep howling.”

“Ah ah ah!”

Dr. Wei stuck his toes into 007’s mouth. “Howl again.”

007 turned its head away and bared its teeth at him, “Ah ah ah!”

Dr. Wei leaped onto the edge of the bed, sticking his butt out and assuming a stance like a wolf spotting its prey. He began to roar, “Ah ah ah!”

007 was so frightened that it retreated while urinating, running all the way to the door and continuing to howl, “Ah ah ah!”

A long, yellowish, intermittent water stain was left on the floor.

“007!” Dr. Wei also yelled, “How old are you? You’re still peeing on the floor!”

I rolled my eyes, “You’re the one who kept provoking it. If you hadn’t scared it, it wouldn’t have done this.”

Dr. Wei came back from the bathroom with a mop. “It started howling at me first.”

75.

A piece of advice: When going on blind dates, never judge solely based on appearances, especially don’t trust your first impression.

The first glance is all just a performance for you.

Some men might seem refined, knowledgeable, and well-mannered at first sight, but behind closed doors, they could be arguing as fiercely as a dog with their tail tucked.

Dr. Wei: “Xiaoqi, come over and clean 007’s paws. It stepped in its own urine just now.”

“…”

Life isn’t easy; don’t get angry.

76.

Because Dr. Wei believed that leaving the electric blanket on for too long would dry out the skin, we got into the habit of turning it on during dinner and turning it off when we got into bed. So, by the time we finished cleaning 007’s paws, our bed had already cooled down.

The sensation of burrowing under the covers during the dead of winter is probably only understood by people from the non-heated parts of the country. If I had to describe it, it would be like climbing into an ice coffin and shivering from head to toe.

Wake up and be alert.jpg

Don’t be fooled by Dr. Wei’s age; his constitution is better than mine. His body is warm, like a little oven. When I extended my foot and rested it on his thigh, Dr. Wei turned his head and glanced at me.

“Get your feet warm.”

Dr. Wei lifted his pajamas and stuffed my foot inside.

77.

In our company’s group chat, we were discussing year-end bonuses. Deputy General Manager Shao mentioned that in November, we had successfully completed the tasks set at the beginning of the year. The overall performance was good, so the bonuses would be higher than last year.

A new graduate with a straightforward personality directly asked in the group chat how much money it would be.

The Deputy General Manager diplomatically stated that the Finance Department would determine the bonuses based on everyone’s performance evaluations.

“You guys have year-end bonuses too?” Dr. Wei asked.

“Yeah, every year. Last year was over seventy thousand. Not sure how much it’ll be this year, but it shouldn’t be less than last year.”

Dr. Wei nodded. “That’s good.”

“How about you?”

“We just get an extra month’s salary. Not as much as you guys.”

Previously, when I chatted with Dr. Wei, I tried to avoid the topic of salaries. I thought it was a private matter and asking about it might be offensive. Dr. Wei probably thought the same, and he didn’t really inquire about mine.

Now that our relationship had progressed to living and eating together, it didn’t matter. Dr. Wei had told me his monthly salary and also showed concern about whether my monthly expenses were sufficient and if I had any plans for the future.

I’m a lazy person, not very good with financial matters. Dr. Wei, on the other hand, is quite skilled. The annual return rate on his investment funds was around 20%, and our daily expenses like eating, drinking, caring for the plants and fish were covered by the interest.

Dr. Wei knew that I was going to receive a large sum of money soon, so he immediately started educating me on financial knowledge, teaching me how to select high-quality funds and how to handle market fluctuations. But I was clueless about all this, and the more I listened, the more confused I became.

“Or maybe you could handle it. You can manage my finances.”

Dr. Wei seemed surprised. “Do you trust me that much?”

“You’re my boyfriend. If I don’t trust you, who can I trust?”

Dr. Wei ruffled my hair.

So, the financial control of our home was handed over to him, including my salary card.

78.

I imagined interest accumulating, money making more money. In the future, I thought I’d only need to use a portion of the interest to buy snacks or LEGO sets.

Reality is, every time Dr. Wei noticed a small expenditure of a little over ten yuan on my bank card statement, he’d sternly ask if I had secretly bought another milk tea.

Not a shred of freedom as a man.

79.

Starting from the middle of the month, schools began to take turns closing for the holidays.

My mom made plans to travel abroad with a few teachers from her school, and my dad went along too.

When I learned this news, they were already in the waiting hall of the capital airport, preparing to board the plane.

That feeling is indescribable, a wave of discomfort surged straight to the top of my head.

A loving family (Part 4)

[Chu Qi]: Am I not your son anymore? You didn’t even invite me to this good thing!

[Mother]: We were afraid it might affect your work.

[Chu Qi]: I have annual leave, exactly one week.

[Father]: Our friends Zhao, Wang, and Li didn’t bring their children. We’re bringing you along and have to book an extra room, that night is quite expensive.

[Mother]: Next time, I’ll tell you in advance before going out.

[Father]: Don’t be upset, sweetheart.

[Mother]: When you’re with Linqian, don’t quarrel. Be good. We’ll bring gifts back for you.

[Nanlin]: Thank you, Mom and Dad. Don’t worry, we won’t quarrel. Have a pleasant journey and be sure to stay safe. [❤]

[Mother]: Okay, dear. [Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!]

[Father]: [Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!]

Two red envelopes, I got 20.3 yuan, Dr. Wei got 379.7 yuan.

I don’t even want to live anymore.

“Give me some of yours, Dr. Wei…”

“No, don’t,” Wei Nanlin laughed until his eyes almost disappeared, “I got these by my own ability, why should I share with you?”

“I want to buy a figurine…”

“Then ask me in a sweet-sounding way.”

“Please, Ge.”

“Well…” Wei Nanlin didn’t seem entirely satisfied, “I’ll think about it.”

“Why do you need to think? Are you giving it to me or not!?” I confronted him.

“I won’t give it to you with that attitude.”

I lunged at his phone like a starving tiger, Dr. Wei blocked with his knee and held my hand. When his lower leg pressed against my abdomen and trembled as he lifted it up, my whole body was pushed into the air by him.

This position requires mastering balance and is quite physically demanding. He gritted his teeth and held his breath, his calves trembling incessantly. I made a funny face to tease him.

Suddenly, his legs spread apart, catching me off guard. My body’s center of gravity plunged abruptly, and I landed in his embrace.

Indeed, it was a landing.

Luckily, our chins were positioned apart, not colliding. Otherwise, we would have ended up in the hospital.

He reached out to hug me and whispered softly in my ear, “What figurine caught your eye?”

“A Chopper figurine.”

“What’s a Chopper?”

“It’s a character from ‘One Piece.’ Haven’t you seen it?”

Dr. Wei shook his head. “Is it expensive? How much does it cost?”

“The authentic ones are over 400 yuan.”

“A bit pricey.”

“Yeah, so I only want a Chopper figurine. I won’t buy others. I’ll wait until I have more money.”

“Then you’ll have to call me sweetly a few times.”

From what I knew, Dr. Wei was the type who responded better to gentle requests than to forceful demands. While gnawing on his neck, I called him “big brother,” and he seemed to struggle with it, asking me to stop.

“Let’s change the way you address me.”

“Change it to what? Daddy?”

“What does your mom call your dad?”

“Chu Jianguo or Old Man.”

“…” Dr. Wei’s face turned ashen, “Just these two options?”

An instant revelation dawned upon me, and I leaned closer to his ear, urging softly, “Husband, could you buy me a Chopper figurine?”

Dr. Wei’s lips moved, revealing his effort to suppress his emotions. However, the slight upward curve of his lips couldn’t hide his true feelings. His left hand searched under the blanket.

I lay beside him, watching him unlock his phone, open Taobao, and type: “One Piece figurine set.”