"Dad, yes, the package arrived."
"I forgot to tell you yesterday that I need this not only for work, but also for getting a marriage certificate."
She listened intently.
"You didn't really need to come, did you?" Fang Zi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't you say yesterday you were very busy with work? If you couldn't find the time, I would handle things myself—"
"No, I haven't visited her family yet." Fang Zidu looked at Xiang Lan. "I just returned to China yesterday and got the marriage certificate today, so I didn't have time. We'll arrange another time for her to meet her family."
"She had her ID with her, so it was very easy to handle. It wasn't as complicated as you think."
"The ceremony will be postponed until she graduates."
"Yes, she is still a student."
"undergrad."
When Xiang Lan heard her beautiful husband finish saying the words "undergraduate student," the roaring voice on the phone almost became a tangible reality. Fang Zi took the phone away from his ear, still shaken. He waited until the other person calmed down before continuing to listen. After a long while, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to not tell you yesterday. I was just too happy and forgot. Dad, I absolutely didn't mean to lie to you, really, you have to believe me."
"She studied art. I don't know about her family situation yet. Yes, my marriage to her has nothing to do with her family—" Fang Zi was confused.
“I think I can support a family,” Fang Zi said confidently. “I talked with the old professor yesterday, and he promised that as long as I come back to work, he can prepare a brand new laboratory and equipment for me, and let me lead a group independently. I won’t spend much money myself, so money shouldn’t be a big problem.”
"Dad, this has nothing to do with morality, right? I checked the law; it allows college students to get married—"
Fang Zidu wanted to explain, but the other party shut him down with one sentence: "Tell me honestly, have you gotten into trouble?"
He looked at Xiang Lan, whose face was flushed, and said, "Dad, it's all my fault. Xiang Lan is pregnant."
There was silence on the phone. After a moment, he hung up and looked at Xiang Lan with a somewhat blank expression, saying, "My dad is coming."
"What?" She remained oblivious.
"Meet your parents."
"What?" Xiang Lan broke out in a cold sweat. "Why?"
“I’m trying to communicate with him, probably about the ceremony.”
Xiang Lan was a little scared at this moment, refusing to think about those troublesome things in the future, "Isn't it enough to just get the marriage certificate?"
“I’m planning a small ceremony after you finish your defense and receive your diploma. We’ll invite our family and friends to join us. That way, the cost will be lower, and we can afford it ourselves.” Fang Zidu shrugged. “That’s my idea. What do you think?”
"It's great!" Just mentioning this topic made her scalp tingle, and she said like an ostrich, "I'll leave this entirely to you."
“Okay, I’ll talk to my dad about it. A wedding is too much trouble, and your body can’t handle it.” Fang Zidu looked at her belly.
Xiang Lan hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "When your father comes, just see me. Please don't let him see my family, okay?"
"Why?"
Heh, why? Xiang Lan could already imagine her older brother's tyrannical reaction, her mother's wailing and lamenting, and her uncle's gloating. She instantly felt that having these family members was truly a tragedy.
"Take my advice, you won't go wrong."
Fangzi had some doubts, but didn't insist, perhaps because every family has its own way of getting along.
Xiang Lan took the recipe to a small private room in the Dai restaurant. She liked the food here; it wasn't too spicy, the sourness came from lemons, and it had a natural, unprocessed feel. She ordered five dishes and a soup: lemon chicken, beef with sour bamboo shoots, eggplant, wood ear mushrooms, fennel duck, and a clear soup made with various fresh mushrooms. The main dish was rice porridge.
The dishes were served quickly. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "You always smell like lemons. Try this lemon chicken. Do you like it?"
Fang Zi ate a piece and nodded, "Delicious."
Xiang Lan was happy. She ladled herself a bowl of clear soup and began to drink it slowly. In a good mood, her appetite was good, and since the food had no unpleasant smell, she didn't feel nauseous. She watched him eat, head down. Hmm, his movements with chopsticks were so graceful, and the way he ate was beautiful too, especially when he found something he liked, he would look up and smile at her. These past few days had been a real test for her heart; her blood pressure had been soaring constantly.
She was half full when she took her small bag to the bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Hu Li walking in from the other end of the corridor with a tall, thin woman. Startled, she quickly closed the door.
"What's wrong?" Fangzi put down his chopsticks.
"My sister-in-law is outside." Xiang Lan's face turned pale.
"So scared?" Fang Zidu stood up, finding it amusing, and reached for the door. "Go say hello, okay?"
"No, please don't!" She grabbed his arm tightly. "You absolutely can't let her find out about me."
"Why?"
She said with a gloomy face, "I lied to them and said I was going to the United States with my uncle today, but I had already canceled my trip. My sister-in-law called this morning and said she would take me to the airport, but I didn't agree and lied to her that I would go by myself. She even gave me some pocket money."
"You didn't tell your family to cancel your trip, nor did you tell them about the wedding?" Fang Zi was extremely surprised.
Xiang Lan nodded.
"Why?"
"If I tell them, we can't get married."
Fang Zi suddenly realized, and looked at Xiang Lan with her phoenix eyes. She said confidently, "In short, I am definitely going to be with you. If they find out, they will only break us up."
Fang Zi thought for a moment and said, "Xiang Lan, one lie requires countless lies to cover it up. We can't keep hiding like this forever, can we?"
She has already experienced this firsthand, and now she's thinking about how to keep her family in the dark.
"Let's go say hello," Fang Zidu said.
Xiang Lan had a bitter face.
"Xiang Lan—" Fang Zidu raised his voice a little, "Tell your family that this is a very important matter."
“But you want to tell them everything—” Xiang Lan was anxious. If that were the case, her attempt to conceal the truth would be pointless.
"No buts. I've already said it, leave everything to me."
"Fine, I'll go find her." Xiang Lan said reluctantly.
Fang Zidu explained, "One day everyone will find out. It's better to confess sooner rather than later."
Xiang Lan thought about it carefully. Her younger uncle wasn't very involved in family affairs, her older brother was cruel, and her parents were quite eccentric. The most persuasive person was actually Hu Li. If this matter dragged Hu Li into it, she would probably help mediate.
Xiang Lan peeked out of the private room. Hu Li was at the end of the corridor, about to turn the corner. She quickly walked up to him and called out softly. Hu Li seemed not to hear her, so she had to raise her voice and call out again.
Hu Li turned his head, his expression changing from a smile to surprise in an instant, "You—"
She lowered her head and said, "Sister-in-law, can you come with me for a moment?"
Hu Li looked at her, then turned to the woman beside him and said something. The woman nodded and left on her own.
"What's wrong with you?" Hu Li asked, looking at her.
She couldn't speak, shrank her neck, and said, "Let me introduce you to someone."
Hu Li followed with a suspicious look. When she entered the private room, she saw an extremely handsome man standing by the door. She paused for a moment and turned her head to look at Lan.
Xiang Lan whispered, "Sister-in-law, this is Fang Zidu."
"Hello, sister-in-law," Fang Zidu greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
“Hello—” Hu Li froze, unsure of how to react.
Xiang Lan quickly pulled out a chair, "Come and sit down."
Hu Li sat down and watched Xiang Lan run to sit next to Fang Zidu, saying, "Xiang Lan, you should explain this to me properly. You said you wanted to go to America, and I persuaded your brother to agree, but you didn't go. If he finds out, he'll blame me."
Xiang Lan stuck out her tongue shyly, "I went to America to find Zidu, but he came back to find me, so I don't need to go anymore."
"You and your uncle conspired together? He helped you cover up the lie?" Hu Li asked incredulously. "It's not a big deal for you to be in a relationship, so why did you hide it from your brother?" She looked at the two young people suspiciously, her gaze drifting to Xiang Lan's belly, her suspicions growing stronger.
"I had no choice. If I didn't drag my uncle into it, my brother wouldn't have agreed to let me go to America." Xiang Lan still felt a little resentful.
"So now you're asking me to help you cover it up?" Hu Li leaned back in his chair. "That's impossible. Your best course of action is to pretend you didn't see me, don't greet me, and after a couple of days, it'll all be over. I won't know you didn't go to America, and your brother won't find out either. Everyone's happy."
After Hu Li finished speaking, he saw Xiang Lan staring at him expectantly and felt that some trap was approaching him. He instinctively wanted to run away.
"It's Zidu, saying I shouldn't have lied to you—" Xiang Lan wanted to argue, but Fang Zidu pressed her hand down, and she immediately shut up.
Hu Li glanced at Xiang Lan and sensed that the situation was hopeless. Her sister-in-law was the most willful and disobedient in the family, yet this man could stop her with just a look and a gesture.
"That's right," Fang Zidu said gently, "Xiang Lan and I got married today—"
"Wait!" Hu Li raised his hand, staring directly at Fang Zidu. "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
"Xiang Lan and I got married today."
Hu Li reached up and touched her forehead; she felt a little dizzy and wanted to leave.
Author's Note: Keep leaving comments to earn points.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hu Li didn't say a word, grabbed her bag, and was about to leave. Xiang Lan wasn't about to let her get away, so she got up to stop her, grabbing her arm tightly. Fang Zi, seeing Hu Li's lively and energetic behavior, felt her eyelids tremble and quickly pulled her back, "Be careful—"
Xiang Lan, dangling Hu Li, said, "Good sister-in-law, why are you running away?"
"I'm dizzy. I have to talk to a friend at noon and have to leave soon." Hu Li nervously hugged Xiang Lan, his hand protecting her stomach. His eyelids twitched involuntarily. Damn, it was too glaring.
"We can finish in just a few words, it won't take up your time."
Fang Zi nodded. "I was so sorry I didn't know Xiang Lan hadn't discussed this with her family. If it's alright, I'd like to invite you and my brother to dinner tonight, what do you think—"
Hu Li knew he couldn't leave, so he shook his hand and said, "Xiang Lan, let me go."
"You promise you won't run away."
"If you keep dragging me along like this, I can't run away."
The three sat down again. Hu Li saw Xiang Lan's eyes darting back and forth over her, and she knew that her sister-in-law was going to trouble her. She instinctively reached for her cigarette case, but then remembered that she was trying to conceive, so she stopped and said, "Xiang Lan, you know your brother's temper."
Xiang Lan is as quiet as a chicken, precisely because she knows him too well, and that's why she's afraid.
Afraid? Afraid of my ass! If he were really afraid, would he dare to do something like this? He's clearly just taking advantage of his family's pampering and acting lawlessly.
After exchanging glances with Xiang Lan, Hu Li shifted her gaze to Fang Zidu. The young man was very energetic and impeccable in appearance and demeanor, but he was just too handsome. She was almost certain that her sister-in-law was only after his looks.
"You're dragging me along, hoping I'll put in a good word for you with Xiang Yuan?"
“Yes!” Xiang Lan said, “Zi Du wants to treat you to dinner tonight. If my brother yells at me, please help me stop him.”
"What did your parents say?" Hu Li couldn't believe that such an unreliable family would let their son get married so casually.
Fang Zidu replied, "My dad's plane is coming to the city today, so we can arrange to meet tomorrow."
"Didn't your family object to this?"
Fang Zidu looked a little embarrassed, scratched his head, and said, "I'm an adult and can make my own decisions, but my dad seems to have a different opinion. But don't worry, sister-in-law, I can handle it."