Artes antiguas y maravillosas

Capítulo 1

Chapter 1: The He Family

1)

After getting out of the car in front of the house with its low wooden fence covered in pink trumpet-shaped flowers, Lin Hong looked up at the three-story riverside building and suddenly felt uneasy.

The feeling was strange, as if she were standing in the cold wind of winter, an irresistible chill seeping into her heart. Her eyelids twitched involuntarily, her joints were stiff and numb, and her muscles trembled violently, out of control of her mind.

She shook her head in surprise, secretly laughing at herself for being too neurotic. It was just meeting her boyfriend's parents; every girl had to go through this. She should be more composed.

"We're home." After getting out of the car, He Ming stood in front of the three-story building and looked up at the building. "I finally brought this stubborn aunt here. Now I can finally give my parents a satisfactory answer. You don't know, Honghong, because of you, the future young mistress of the He family, they've been nagging me so much that I don't even dare to come back home."

He wasn't very tall, just over 1.75 meters, and his every move exuded a nonchalant sense of superiority and smug composure. As he spoke, dappled shadows fell on his face, fragmenting his fair and delicate features, and even his most approachable smile was tinged with an eerie quality by the shadows.

Lin Hong took a few steps forward, her heart pounding, and moved closer to him.

For some reason, the closer Lin Hong got to the house, the stronger her unease became. When she and He Ming walked hand in hand through the entrance hall into the living room on the first floor, this feeling had turned into a feeling of utter terror and fear. She was so afraid that she wanted to turn around and run away for her life. But strangely, this feeling was completely inexplicable and without any basis, because she knew clearly that she had never been here before and should have no reason to be afraid.

Hearing the door open, an elderly man dressed in work clothes came back from the back garden carrying a watering can. He Ming called out with a grin, "Dad, watering your lousy flowers again?" The old man replied, "Nonsense, what else can I do if I don't water them?" When he saw Lin Hong standing with He Ming, the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes immediately turned into a big smile, and he looked at He Ming with a questioning expression.

He Ming immediately pushed Lin Hong forward: "Dad, this is Honghong."

"Good, good, that's wonderful," the elderly man said with a beaming smile, quickly putting down the watering can he was holding. "Sit down, please sit down," he said warmly, then looked up and called upstairs, "Come down, what are you dawdling for? They've already come all this way." Then he turned to Lin Hong and said, "Sit down, don't be shy, Honghong—that's your name, right?"

This elderly man is He Ming's father, He Zhenggang, a political veteran with a highly legendary background.

This was the first time Lin Hong had met the old man up close. Calm and composed yet proud, she had always believed that becoming his daughter-in-law would be an honor for the He family. However, when she truly faced this political elder, her initial indifference vanished. In its place was a sense of unease and bewilderment, coupled with an inexplicable fear. She suddenly felt awkward, only managing to maintain her composure and avoid revealing the petty, unassuming nature most easily looked down upon by powerful and influential families.

Her inexplicable nervousness is understandable, as Lin Hong had seen He Zhenggang once on television before he retired.

As a prominent figure in Taizhou's political arena, He Zhenggang was frequently in the public eye. In He Ming's own words, even the dogs in Taizhou who frequent television sets were familiar with his imposing face, and would wag their tails frantically at the sight of Secretary He. This statement, while somewhat sarcastic, is not an exaggeration. However, while He Zhenggang was wielding considerable influence in Taizhou, Lin Hong was studying in Beijing. For a beautiful female university student residing in the capital city, there was absolutely no reason for her to notice the frequent media appearances of the mayor of the small city of Taizhou.

Only once, when Lin Hong returned home for the Spring Festival, she saw Lin Zhenggang on TV, but she didn't remember him at all. However, she often heard the name He Zhenggang, who was at the height of his fame.

He Zhenggang's personal political achievements can be seen as a microcosm of Taizhou's development over the past twenty years.

Twenty years ago, Taizhou was just a small county-level city with a backward economy, scarce resources, inconvenient transportation, and slow development. Its annual fiscal revenue was only 15 million yuan, not even enough to pay the salaries of government officials. Later, He Zhenggang took charge of economic work and budgeted the fiscal revenue for that year at 200 million yuan. At first, people thought it was a typo in the report, but He Zhenggang told them firmly: There was no mistake. If the fiscal revenue for that year did not reach 200 million yuan, he would resign.

He Zhenggang's recklessness caused all the veteran comrades in the municipal government to worry. They repeatedly approached He Zhenggang to advise him to be cautious. Economic development has its own inherent laws. Last year it was only 15 million, and this year you dare to say that you want to reach 200 million. What makes you think that?

Based on what? Based on the project!!!

The project was He Zhenggang's main focus in his economic development efforts. His colleagues, unable to dissuade him, could only shake their heads and sigh, watching with skepticism as they watched the ensuing chaos unfold. Unexpectedly, He Zhenggang used the project to secure funding, obtaining a 100 million yuan loan from banks and the provincial government that year. He established a small company specializing in the production of a product similar to a pancreatic indwelling hormone. Investment was made in the first half of the year, production began in the second, and by the end of the year, several international orders were secured, resulting in a return of 400 million yuan—leaving everyone stunned. It was then that people learned this pancreatic indwelling hormone product cost 40 million US dollars per kilogram on the international market. He Zhenggang's project, after all the effort, barely produced a dozen kilograms of the finished product, yet it had already achieved Taizhou City's economic development goals for that year.

After that, He Zhenggang used projects as a springboard, making bold and decisive moves, and in a few years transformed the small city of Taizhou into a vibrant and vibrant place with a completely new look. Since the success of his pancreatic infusion product, He Zhenggang has become a well-known economic powerhouse in Taizhou, and his political career has also been smooth sailing. A few years later, he finally took charge of the work of the municipal party committee.

Just as He Zhenggang was feeling triumphant and ready to make another big splash, the shocking collapse of the Taizhou International Exhibition Center building occurred.

2)

The International Exhibition Center building, with a total construction area of over 700,000 square meters, is the largest construction project in Taizhou's history. Before its commencement, the project was met with much debate and opposition. However, He Zhenggang, with his characteristically domineering and autocratic style, overruled the objections and propelled the project into implementation. It took three full years to overcome countless difficulties, including funding shortages, substandard construction quality, material shortages, and a lack of rigorous scientific justification in the design and planning. Finally, a magnificent landmark building stood tall in Taizhou.

A month before the Taizhou International Exhibition Center was to be completed, He Zhenggang personally led his team to Beijing to promote the project and attract business. On the very night of the banquet held at the Beijing International Hotel, the bad news came that the International Exhibition Center had collapsed due to substandard construction quality. Huge precast concrete slabs fell from the sky, burying dozens of workers on site in the rubble.

Of the dozens of construction workers who died on the spot, half were from He Zhenggang's hometown, a suburban county of Taizhou. These workers were led by He Zhenggang's distant relative, a foreman named He Dazhuang. At the time of the accident, He Dazhuang was directing the workers to pour grout on the construction site when a loud bang occurred, and as dust rose, He Dazhuang and more than a dozen of his workers turned into dust.

When He Zhenggang received the call from Taizhou City, he was chatting and laughing with foreign guests at a banquet. In an instant, his face turned ashen, he collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, speechless with sobs.

For He Zhenggang, what collapsed that day was not just a building, but also his political life; what was buried in the ruins was not just the bodies of the victims, but also his lifelong innocence.

The case alarmed the provincial government. The top officials were furious and a joint investigation team was stationed in Taizhou. The first thing they did was to dismiss He Zhenggang from his post and place him under investigation. After a full six months of being detained and losing his freedom, the vice mayor in charge of infrastructure construction was imprisoned. He Zhenggang returned home safely, but by then he was no longer an official and had no conscience.

He Zhenggang, stripped of his official post and reduced to a commoner, couldn't bear such a heavy blow. Upon returning home, he fell seriously ill. His mother and nanny, Xiaozhu, cared for him tirelessly in the hospital for two whole months before his body slowly recovered. However, the mental trauma remained deeply etched in his mind. He lacked sufficient psychological preparation for such a devastating consequence, subconsciously rejecting and trying to forget it. His consciousness descended into delirium; he would often pace back and forth in his room, loudly arguing with himself. Sometimes, when he went out, he would suddenly and sternly reprimand passersby on the street, just as he had reprimanded his subordinates in the office years before.

One day, as soon as the municipal party committee arrived at work, they saw several lines of neat chalk writing on the blackboard in the corridor, announcing an immediate meeting in the conference room. Upon entering, they were surprised to find He Zhenggang sitting imposingly in the chairman's seat, angrily reprimanding everyone, urging the construction of the International Exhibition Center building to be accelerated, ensuring funding was in place, and even suggesting that if project funds were truly tight, compensation from suburban land could be used to compensate the construction company… It took them a long time to realize that the meeting notice on the blackboard was actually written by He Zhenggang himself, who had already been dismissed from his post.

The intense rejection of reality caused He Zhenggang to become confused, and he was still living in the days before the collapse of the International Exhibition Center building.

From then on, whenever the nanny, Xiaozhu, wasn't looking, He Zhenggang would rush off to a meeting at the municipal party committee. He Ming, feeling utterly helpless, took his father to Wuyishan, Fujian for a period of recuperation and hired a professional psychological counselor from Hong Kong to help He Zhenggang overcome his resistance to reality. After six months of psychological treatment, He Zhenggang slowly recovered and accepted the reality that the International Exhibition Center building no longer existed.

However, he went too far in trying to correct his mistake and fell into self-torture due to his pessimistic personality. He cried every day and wailed at the drop of a hat, grieving for the souls buried under the cold and heavy precast concrete slabs. He blamed himself for all the mistakes and hoped to atone for his crimes against the victims through torture.

In order to help his father fully recover, He Ming read a large number of psychology books, carefully studied abnormal psychology and deviant psychology, and developed a treatment plan for his father's condition.

One night, He Zhenggang was once again consumed by grief and remorse. He called out He Dazhuang's name, pounded his head with his fists, and collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly. He repeatedly berated himself for his rashness and stubbornness, begging the deceased for forgiveness. It was all his fault, He Zhenggang, that had turned these passionate lives into lonely ghosts in the underworld, leaving their families orphans and widows. How many families had He Zhenggang brought misfortune to? No punishment could ever compensate for the lifelong pain and sorrow he had inflicted on these families.

Just as He Zhenggang was overwhelmed with grief, a strange, eerie wind swept in, and the door suddenly opened. In the dim, dismal light, a person with a slightly stiff face stood outside, looking at He Zhenggang with some hesitation. He Zhenggang sobbed, raised his head to wipe away his tears, and carefully examined the person outside the door. His crying suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened in astonishment: "Dazhuang? You're Dazhuang?"

The man outside the door was wearing a hard hat and a dirty work uniform that was so worn that its original color was no longer discernible. He stared blankly at He Zhenggang and said, "Big cousin, it's me."

He Zhenggang stood up hesitantly: "Dazhuang, Dazhuang, aren't you...aren't you already dead?"

He Dazhuang gave a bitter smile: "That's right, I'm dead, but you're still alive, cousin."

In an instant, He Zhenggang's expression changed drastically, and he fell to the ground: "Dazhuang, I know you died unjustly, but... but Brother Dazhuang, life and death are preordained... you can't blame me."

“I don’t blame you, I never have.” He Dazhuang took a step forward, but immediately retreated. “Cousin, I’m truly grateful that you’re saddened by my situation. But cousin, you’re so sad now, not eating or drinking, not taking a meal, damaging your health, harming your spirit, breaking your will, and weakening your body. Your wife’s family is worried sick and in great pain because of you. My nephews have even neglected their work to take care of you, yet you still can’t let go. By doing this, you’ve gone against the original intention of grieving for the deceased.”

"Giggle, giggle, giggle," He Zhenggang sat blankly on the ground, staring at He Dazhuang. Strange sounds came from his throat, his eyes were wide open, and he had no words to say.

He Dazhuang continued, “Big Cousin, there’s something you need to understand: all your grief is meaningless. You weren’t the one who started it all, and such a large project couldn’t have been undertaken by one person alone. The collapse of the building has nothing to do with you. No one blames you, and no one holds you responsible. All your attempts at atonement and feelings of guilt are of no value to us, the victims who have become ghosts.”

He Zhenggang craned his neck and looked at He Dazhuang suspiciously: "So, Brother Dazhuang, you really have the heart to forgive me?"

He Dazhuang glared at He Zhenggang unhappily: "There's no such thing as forgiveness or not. In a hundred years of life, who can escape death? Don't you think so?"

"That's right, that's right." He Zhenggang nodded repeatedly.

He Dazhuang sneered, "If that's the case, why make things difficult for yourself over the life and death of others?"

He Zhenggang touched his face in surprise, about to express his agreement, when he suddenly heard He Dazhuang shout: "Since you understand such a simple principle, why are you still so upset? Don't say anything, get up right now, go to bed, close your eyes, and go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll let go of everything."

He Zhenggang mechanically obeyed He Dazhuang's orders, climbed into bed, closed his eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep. This experience played a decisive role in repairing He Zhenggang's feelings of self-blame. With the comfort and understanding of the deceased, he quickly fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up the next morning, he had completely forgotten the strange events that had occurred the night before. This forgetfulness was understandable, as the events of the previous night contradicted the principles he had upheld throughout his life.

However, after that strange encounter, He Zhenggang's mental illness miraculously healed. He regained his former dignity and composure, and his confidence and courage in life. From then on, He Zhenggang, who frequently appeared on television to warmly comfort the masses, spent his days at the market, tirelessly haggling with fishmongers. This once prominent figure finally retired to enjoy his peaceful old age.

Aside from the ruins in the city center occupied by rat burrows, the memory of the International Exhibition Center building has gradually been forgotten by the citizens of Taizhou.

3)

From any angle, He Zhenggang was a kind and dignified old man, nearing sixty years old, with a straight back, tall stature, graying temples, and a clean-shaven beard. He looked even more energetic than his son, He Ming, and his eyes were full of endless smiles as he looked at the flustered girl his son had brought home. He hurriedly tried to pour tea for Lin Hong, but in his panic, he accidentally knocked over the purple clay teapot. He Ming couldn't help but laugh when he saw his father's helpless appearance.

Fortunately, an old woman wearing an apron hurriedly came down the stairs, holding onto the handrail. Behind her was a plump country girl. The two of them quickly took over He Zhenggang's work and made tea for Lin Hong.

Watching the family scrambling around with some displeasure, He Ming reluctantly introduced Lin Hong: "My mom, this is Xiao Zhu."

Lin Hong awkwardly agreed, trying to appear natural and sit down calmly. However, the inexplicable sense of dread lingered and grew stronger, leaving her feeling unsettled and disoriented.

This absurd feeling made Lin Hong extremely nervous and flustered in front of He Ming's parents, causing her to lose her usual composure and calmness. It wasn't until they warmly invited her to sit down three times and brought her tea that her emotions calmed down slightly.

He Zhenggang smiled as he sized up his son's girlfriend. He saw a long-haired, beautiful, and elegant girl with a touch of scholarly refinement. Lin Hong's unease, in particular, revealed a deep respect and admiration for the He family, while her composed demeanor dispelled any preconceived notions about social class in He Zhenggang's mind. In short, he had a very good first impression of Lin Hong. He saw none of the petty arrogance and materialistic tendencies that had plagued him from his humble background. This further fueled his excitement, and he repeatedly urged He Ming's mother to quickly bring over the fruit platter.

"Uncle, Aunt, please have a seat, don't be so polite." Forcibly suppressing the inexplicable anxiety and fear in her heart, Lin Hong greeted He Ming's parents with a stiff upper lip. She really didn't understand what was wrong with her, why her emotions were so abnormal? Perhaps a momentary feeling of tension was understandable, but where did that undeniable fear come from?

He Ming's mother was an honest, simple old woman. She was three years younger than He's father, but she looked ten years older than him. She had a hunched back, timid eyes, a face full of wrinkles, and a noticeable scar on her forehead. She would even look at her husband for his opinion before smiling. She was the kind of old woman who had developed a timid and submissive personality because she had no status at home.

Lin Hong remembered He Ming telling her before that because He Zhenggang had an overly strong personality, his career wasn't very smooth when he was young, and he even spent a few years in prison. This happened precisely during the time his mother was ill, which led to emotional estrangement between the couple. But sitting in the living room at this particular moment, Lin Hong didn't sense any signs of this emotional estrangement. Perhaps the He family had become accustomed to this way of life; that indifference and aloofness had become part of their smiles—sincere, cold, and not lacking in enthusiasm, but like oil and fat, there was a clear dividing line between them and genuine family affection.

The He family's young nanny, Xiao Zhu, came over with a fruit platter and sat down to quickly peel an apple for Lin Hong. This girl had a strong rural air about her; a round face, a humble expression, and a shy smile. Her clothes were distinctive—loose and oversized, concealing her figure. Unlike the He family members who wore slippers in their rooms, she wore a pair of old-fashioned blue cloth shoes with round toes, shoes Lin Hong had only ever seen in movies and TV dramas. This piqued Lin Hong's interest. He Ming had once told her that Xiao Zhu had been working for the He family for three years, yet this girl still retained her rural roots.

Lin Hong withdrew her gaze from the piglet, consciously lowered her eyelids, and neatly put her knees together, trying her best to maintain a ladylike composure. This made the He family members scrutinize her as if she were a product. Before coming, she had joked with He Ming that she really wanted to see what faults the He family could find in her.

But now, Lin Hong could no longer find that confidence in her heart, not because the He family was too picky, but because of that inexplicable fear in her heart.

The fear grew more and more real, almost overwhelming her psychological capacity to bear it.

Lin Hong's nervousness and unease caught He Ming's attention. He looked at her with some disbelief. No one knew this girl better than him; she was always so calm and composed, always so self-assured. But today, her face was pale, her lips had lost their usual vibrancy, and her body was trembling slightly. He Ming frowned and immediately blamed Lin Hong's loss of composure on her parents.

"Alright, enough of what I'm saying," He Ming raised his eyebrows impatiently, "Is this how you look at people? You're practically examining them with a magnifying glass."

"Look at you, child—!" Lin Zhenggang only managed to utter one sentence before stopping. No one knows a son better than his father. Although his beloved son had single-handedly built a successful business empire, a powerful and influential figure in the business world, in his parents' eyes he was still a spoiled, willful, and immature child. He immediately retorted to his father's words, "What's wrong with my child? My child has never stared at people like you do." He stood up, grabbed a piece of apple that Xiaozhu had just peeled, and put it in his mouth, urging his parents indistinctly as he chewed, "Hurry up and prepare the food, we haven't eaten yet."

"Please sit down, please sit down," Mrs. He said in a thick, unintelligible dialect, with a heavy retroflex accent, firmly pressing Lin Hong, who wanted to get up to help in the kitchen, back onto the sofa. She then called to the nanny, Xiao Zhu, who quickly agreed, carefully wiping the fruit knife clean with a cloth and placing it, along with the fruit in the fruit bowl, in front of Lin Hong: "Sister, have an apple." Her fluent Mandarin contrasted sharply with her simple, homespun clothes. Lin Hong smiled shyly as she spoke, following Mrs. He into the kitchen.

Lin Hong watched with some nervousness as He's mother and Xiao Zhu left. It wasn't that anything about the two women attracted her attention, but rather that the scene of the two women entering the kitchen one after the other seemed strangely familiar, as if she had witnessed it somewhere before. A chilling, eerie atmosphere permeated the ordinary scene of daily life. However, this feeling was completely unfounded, and what truly terrified her was precisely this inexplicable feeling itself.

What also unsettled Lin Hong was the furnishings in the room. The layout of the house was simple and clear. After entering, there was the main living room, and separated from the staircase was the dining room and flower room. There was almost no furniture in the main living room, just a row of imposing leather sofas, opposite which was a widescreen color TV and stereo system. On the wall hung a piece of calligraphy, Cao Cao's "Though the Tortoise Lives Long". The calligraphy looked quite good to a layman, but in Lin Hong's eyes, she found that the layout of the calligraphy was unbalanced, the strokes were weak, and the overall feeling was fragmented.

The walls of the dining room were covered with vines, a masterpiece created by He Zhenggang after his recovery from illness, a man enjoying his retirement. These plants writhed slowly in the dim room, half-dead, listless, their sickly curling resembling a venomous snake coiled up in the desert night. Moreover, the plants' color was strange; it wasn't a vibrant green, but a dark, almost brownish-purple. This odd color amplified the plants' already sickly and somber appearance.

The floor was a deep, dark red, almost like the color of a coffin, and the walls seemed to be tinged with a heavy gray-white. It was as if a dark power was hidden in this small room, irresistibly seeping out and surging into Lin Hong's heart, making her tremble and feel a terrifying fear and desolation.

Why would she have such a strange feeling?

4)

He Zhenggang was fifty-seven years old that year, nearing the age of sixty. He had been a powerful figure in the political arena for a long time, and had seen all kinds of things. Lin Hong's tension and embarrassment were noticed by him, and the old man frowned slightly.

From He Zhenggang's perspective, he was willing to chat with the girl in front of him, to talk about everyday things, and to learn about Lin Hong's family situation—a way of fulfilling his responsibility for his youngest son's marriage. Furthermore, like his son, he also felt an unusual fondness for this girl named Lin Hong, and immediately approved of her becoming his daughter-in-law. However, it was obvious that the two young people, including his son, did not welcome him. Lin Hong was alright; out of politeness, she reluctantly answered the old man's questions, using feigned enthusiasm to mask her inner coldness. But his beloved son, He Ming, was far less polite.

Seeing that the old man was still oblivious and walked away, He Ming leaned over and said very seriously, "Dad, today is your chance to show off your skills and let Honghong see your spicy ginger steamed turtle. I told her, but she didn't believe me."

Hearing his son's veiled hint, He Zhenggang was furious. This brat He Ming was deliberately embarrassing him in front of his future daughter-in-law; it was simply outrageous. However, although he was very uncomfortable, the old man was unwilling to go against his son's wishes, so he stood up tactfully and said, "Please sit down," he continued, "I'll go to the market and buy a turtle."

Seeing He Zhenggang reluctantly stand up, Lin Hong hurriedly offered a token word of advice: "Uncle, there's no need. We can just make whatever we have at home. If anyone should go out to buy something, it should be us."

Lin Hong's words made Old Man He beam with joy, and he immediately waved his hand generously: "Hmm, no way, you guys don't know how to choose. I have a method to buying turtles. Xiao Ming told you about it, right? The turtles I buy are steamed, and after eating all the meat, the shells can still swim in the fish tank."

"Is that really true, Uncle Lin?" Lin Hong was stunned. He Ming had indeed told her this, but she had thought he was joking at the time. Now that the old man himself was saying it, it must be true. However, imagining a turtle shell swimming freely in the water was really unbelievable.

Old Man He proudly picked up a net: "You'll see after we finish eating. Xiao Ming, fill the fish tank at home with clean water. After you finish eating, I'll give you a performance."

"Dad, if you're going to buy turtles, then buy turtles. Don't argue with the vendor over a few coins." He Ming waved one hand, as if shooing away flies, and said, "Our family isn't short of money. Let them laugh at us."

"You don't know anything!" He Zhenggang glared at his son, annoyed. "This isn't about money, it's about our family's reputation and dignity... Humph!" Perhaps afraid of losing face in front of Lin Hong, Lin Zhenggang snorted and said no more.

Lin Zhenggang had just left when He's mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. She sat down beside him with a smile and carefully asked her son, He Ming, "Should we add more chili to the dishes for lunch? Your father loves it."

"If he likes it, then let him eat it," He Ming said dismissively. "Whatever you make, we'll eat it."

Mrs. He nodded very cautiously. This poor old woman had no status at all in the family. Looking at her timid and hesitant manner, Lin Hong suddenly felt a strong anger. He Ming's family had gone too far. Mrs. He today might be Lin Hong tomorrow. Thinking of this, Lin Hong bowed slightly and handed an apple that the nanny, Xiao Zhu, had peeled to Mrs. He's mother: "Auntie, please sit down and rest. If I cause you any trouble, I really won't dare to come next time."

Startled, Lin's mother recoiled and looked at Lin Hong hesitantly with her fearful eyes. "No need, little pig, you and Xiaoming sit here. The kitchen is still busy." With that, she hurriedly stood up, hunched over, and quickly walked into the kitchen. As she entered, she turned back and gave Lin Hong a fawning smile.

Lin Hong felt a chill run down her spine at He's mother's smile. She grabbed He Ming's arm and asked, "What did your mother call me just now, 'Little Pig'?"

He Ming turned to look at her in surprise: "No, my mom has always been like this."

Lin Hong looked at He Ming with suspicion, her bewilderment beyond words: "No, your mother just said 'little pig,' I heard it clearly."

“What’s so strange about that?” He Ming smiled and shrugged. “She was thinking about what was going on in the kitchen, and she just blurted it out without thinking. How can you not even understand something so simple?”

Lin Hong lowered her eyelids and fell silent. He Ming plopped down next to Lin Hong, picked up the remote and turned on the TV: "Hong Hong, you've met everyone in our family. How are you?"

"It's alright," Lin Hong said, her mind unsettled. She suddenly wanted to find an excuse to leave, because even staying in this house for another minute felt like an eternity. So she casually replied, "Your parents are both nice people."