Liu Zhi still had to hand over the shift to another boss, and Meng Yang waited anxiously for another twenty minutes.
After leaving the affiliated hospital and getting some fresh air, the two of them became much more sober.
"Shall we go for a bike ride this afternoon?" Meng Yang suggested.
"Shared bikes?" Liu Zhi stopped in her tracks.
"When I'm in a bad mood, I like to ride my bike and feel the breeze." The traffic was a bit loud, so Meng Yang moved closer to Liu Zhi. "Two wheels are much more convenient than four wheels, and you can go to more places."
The weather is nice today; spending a long time outdoors can brighten one's mood.
Meng Yang couldn't keep up with Liu Zhi's pace, and Liu Zhi deliberately stopped several times along the way. The third time, Meng Yang directly took Liu Zhi's arm, forcefully slowing down Liu Zhi's pace.
Have you ever heard the saying?
"What?"
"Take your time and enjoy the scenery!"
"I've heard of it," Liu Zhi paused, then said, "But aren't you sleepy?"
Meng Yang was speechless for a moment.
Before they could even rest after getting home, Meng Yang and Liu Zhi were still eating bread to stave off hunger when the doorbell rang.
Meng Yang felt a chill run down his spine and rushed to open the door before Liu Zhi could.
A man and a woman stood outside the cat's eye; they were Meng's parents.
With mixed feelings, Meng Yang gripped the doorknob, feeling a sense of tragic heroism, as if he were about to die a martyr.
The three furry kids were also hiding behind the shoe cabinet, peeking out in the same orderly fashion, their postures still perfectly synchronized.
"Your parents?" Liu Zhi asked.
Meng Yang nodded.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Liu Zhi felt an urge to immediately hide in her bedroom.
"Should I go into the bedroom so you can talk?" Liu Zhi felt it was strange to say that.
"No need." Meng Yang remained calm and slowly opened the door.
When Meng's father saw Liu Zhi, he remained calm, but Meng's mother was very surprised.
"It's Liu Zhi!" Meng's mother recognized him carefully. "I haven't seen him for many years."
Liu Zhi smiled and said, "Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."
Meng's father was transferred to a grassroots hospital to work on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and he worked in Yancheng for more than a year. Meng's mother accompanied her husband and daughter to Yancheng. It was during this time that Liu Zhi met Meng Yang.
Liu Zhi and Meng Yang walked home from school together. Meng Yang's mother liked to stand at the entrance of the community waiting for Meng Yang to come home. Whenever Liu Zhi saw them, she would greet them.
The faces in her memory had long since become blurred; Liu Zhi only remembered Meng's mother's graceful figure and extraordinary temperament.
Liu Zhi was surprised that Meng's mother still remembered her.
Meng's father was very busy with work, and today was the first time Liu Zhi had met him.
"This is my high school classmate, and now my colleague—Liu Zhi," Meng Yang introduced.
Although the atmosphere was harmonious, Liu Zhi felt a strange sense of unease.
Meng Yang and Liu Zhi pushed open the path to welcome Meng's parents.
Midway through, Liu Zhi went to hold the baby, and Meng Yang took the opportunity to frantically wink at his father.
Meng's father understood and gave his daughter a reassuring smile.
After that phone misunderstanding, Meng's father explained the "co-renting" issue to Meng's mother. Meng's mother, with a hint of doubt, pondered for a long time before expressing her understanding.
Meng Yang had only eaten half of his family reunion dinner yesterday when he grabbed a plate of dumplings and rushed out the door.
At that time, Meng Yang's mother still suspected that something was wrong with him. But when she saw Liu Zhi, she was relieved—she felt a little at ease, but also a little disappointed.
It's not good to leave a new house empty during the New Year. Before the New Year, Meng's parents had already discussed it and decided to hold a housewarming party here on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Meng Yang had forgotten about it, but they remembered. They came here today for the same reason.
The family of four sat in a circle around the coffee table, with three kittens in the middle.
Liu Zhi felt out of place and wanted to retreat to her room, but she didn't want to leave abruptly.
"Which department does Xiao Liu work in at the affiliated hospital?" Meng's father broke the silence.
“In neurosurgery,” Liu Zhi replied somewhat reservedly, sitting opposite Meng Yang.
"It's not easy for someone so young to stay," praised Meng's father. "They're very outstanding."
Before retiring, Meng's father was also an expert at the affiliated hospital, a leading figure in neurology, and Director Shen would occasionally mention him.
Liu Zhi felt a little apprehensive after being praised like that.
“My hometown is Yancheng,” Meng’s father said thoughtfully. “I worked in Yancheng more than ten years ago, and life there was very comfortable.”
Meng Yang sat with his hands on his knees, and the more he listened, the more something seemed amiss.
Her father was an old man who couldn't chat and loved to gossip. His barrage of questions made him sound just like a father-in-law interrogating his son-in-law.
Chapter 21 Sadness
Meng Yang couldn't stand it anymore and escaped to the kitchen to make flower tea.
Mencius' mother followed him out and stood by to watch Mencius boil water.
"Mom, would you like it a bit stronger?" Meng Yang slowly tore open the tea bag.
"I won't drink it." Meng's mother crossed her arms and looked into Meng Yang's eyes. "You better tell me the truth."
"Explain what?" Meng Yang leaned back unconsciously, his arms braced against the table.
Mencius' mother had a background in psychology. Although she later gave up her career for her family, she was more than capable of dealing with her own daughter with her professional knowledge.
Throughout his life, Meng Yang had never successfully lied to his own mother.
"Why did you trick others into coming to share the apartment?"
"It really is just a coincidence," Meng Yang said awkwardly. "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence either."
"I just wanted to earn some extra money, and I happened to hear a college classmate talking about his friend..." Meng Yang's knuckles turned white as he pressed the table.
"You need your dad to pretend to be a landlord to earn extra money?"
"I wanted to ease her psychological burden."
"Delivering dumplings on New Year's Eve?"
"She's all alone in the capital; she still needs to have New Year's Eve dinner."
...
Meng's mother looked at her quietly for a long time before saying, "You're with Liu Zhi?"
Meng Yang shook his head in silence.
"You like Liu Zhi, don't you?"
Meng Yang lowered his head.
“I felt something was off when your father explained it to me with that ‘white lie about cohabitation.’” Meng’s mother’s voice softened. “If I had known you were living with Liu Zhi, your father and I wouldn’t have come here today.”
"It's my fault for not explaining clearly. Dad thought I was the only one here today."
The atmosphere inside the living room and outside the kitchen were two different things. When Meng's mother came in, she closed the door. Outside, Meng's father laughed heartily, while inside, Meng Yang was timid and flustered.
“Mom will not discriminate or be prejudiced,” Mencius’ mother said. “Liu Zhi is very outstanding, and Mom has no objection to your liking for her.”
Meng Yang looked up, somewhat surprised, at his mother.
Do you know why I'm so certain?
Meng Yang shook his head.
"You like to put the notes you leave for me on the shoe cabinet," said Mencius' mother. "That time you put the note in the wrong place."
A wave of shame washed over Meng Yang. The note had been left in the gap between the shoe cabinet and the corner of the wall. Meng Yang thought his mother hadn't seen it, so he carefully tidied it up and hid it in his spare pencil case.
Are you planning to use companionship and warmth to win her over?
Upon hearing this, Meng Yang's nose suddenly stung with tears.
"It's not appropriate for your father and me to interfere in your personal relationships," Meng's mother sighed. "I never expected you to be so persistent."
"Given the current situation, you'll need to communicate with them yourself. We'll be back in a bit."
Meng's parents brought food and drinks, intending to celebrate the New Year with Meng Yang in their new house.
Right now, the plan is in chaos.
Mencius' mother pushed open the door and went out, leaving Mencius alone to think about his way out.
The father's hearty voice still echoed in the living room. The mother walked to the cat tree, picked up the kitten and held it in her arms, while patting Gege's head and searching for Lihua's figure with her eyes.
With these days of careful care, Gege's wounds have recovered to varying degrees, but her legs and feet have shown no improvement.
Mencius' mother also loved cats, and she had a knack for petting them, making the furry children squint their eyes comfortably.
"Lixing," Mencius' mother called Mencius' father's name, "It's getting late, let's go back and make lunch."
Mencius' father was stunned. He was about to speak when Mencius' mother interrupted him.
"Hurry up, didn't you say you still had things to finish?"
"I'd completely forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it," Mr. Meng said with an apologetic smile. "We'll head back now."
Meng Yang poked his head out from the kitchen. "Didn't we say we'd eat here?"
"Your father has made plans to play cards with his friends," Meng's mother said as she walked to the entrance. "You'd better get busy."
The door was closed, and the whole house fell silent.
Liu Zhi sat on the sofa, while Meng Yang stood by the kitchen; the atmosphere became tense.
“Meng Yang.” Liu Zhi looked up.