Grandma sighed, "So all that Grandma said was for nothing?"
Liu Zhi remained silent.
Liu Zhi said, "I have a bit of a headache, I'll go upstairs to sleep first. You can leave the dishes and chopsticks there, I'll wash them later."
My maternal grandmother's house was a two-story self-built building, and a room was reserved upstairs for Liu Zhi.
Liu Zhi kicked off her shoes and went straight to her room.
The room hadn't been lived in for a long time, but everything was clean and tidy.
Although her grandmother had difficulty walking, she still insisted on climbing the stairs to clean. The second-hand apartment in the city only had two rooms, and Liu Zhi had been sharing a room with her mother for the past two days.
Thinking about all this, and then about her grandmother's urging, Liu Zhi felt somewhat unsettled.
She called Meng Yang.
At this time, Meng Yang should be taking a lunch break, but Liu Zhi regretted making the call afterward.
Before Liu Zhi could hang up, Meng Yang answered the phone.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Meng Yang's voice was a little hoarse.
"Hmm..." Liu Zhi didn't know where to begin.
"What's wrong?" Meng Yang moved his neck, becoming much more awake.
"I don't know how to say it," Liu Zhi said in a muffled voice.
"Say whatever you want, I'm listening," Meng Yang said softly.
Liu Zhi propped her forehead up with her hand.
"I'm being pressured to get married."
A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone.
"Isn't this normal? How did it become a problem?"
"Now I'm being forced to go on blind dates," Liu Zhi sighed. "But I don't want to go at all."
"It's not easy. Even the good-tempered Dr. Liu is getting irritable." Meng Yang said with a smile, "Relax, if you really can't take it anymore, just go."
Liu Zhi paused, her hand that was rubbing her temples.
"I'm not going," Liu Zhi replied firmly.
“Going there would be a complete waste of time,” Liu Zhi said. “I don’t want to hold anyone else up.”
"Such a blockhead." Meng Yang was somewhat moved.
"If it really doesn't work out, then go for it. I really understand."
"I'm not going."
"Elm wood does have its advantages."
"Um?"
"He's very firm on certain things."
"Um."
"Why don't you be a little more modest?" Meng Yang teased. "That's not like Dr. Liu's style."
"What style am I?" Liu Zhi asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Humble, cautious, pragmatic, and secretly passionate." Meng Yang used a few words to accurately summarize Liu Zhi's qualities.
"The first part was praising me, but what's with that 'closet pervert' thing?" Liu Zhi frowned.
"Whether you admit it or not, you're just a closet pervert." Meng Yang said with a smirk.
Liu Zhi: "..."
"What did you have for lunch?" Meng Yang changed the subject.
"Kung Pao Chicken and stir-fried lettuce," Liu Zhi asked. "What did you eat today?"
"Instant noodles," Meng Yang replied.
"It has no nutritional value."
"They added ham and eggs," Meng Yang said. "Even if it's not very nutritious, it tastes better than the cafeteria food."
“A simple diet has its advantages.” Liu Zhi lay on her back in bed. “A simple diet is good for physical and mental health.”
Meng Yang glanced at the time and crawled out of his warm bed. Liu Zhi heard the rustling of clothes and could roughly guess what Meng Yang was doing.
"Is it still raining outside?" Liu Zhi turned her head and looked at the sky outside.
"It's still a bit overcast, the sky is gloomy." Meng Yang put on his coat and stepped barefoot onto the blanket.
"Are you getting ready for work?" Liu Zhi shifted to a more comfortable position while lying down. "I'm still snuggled in bed."
"I just crawled out of your bed, got dressed, and was about to wash my face before going to work." Meng Yang squatted down and patted the baby's head.
"I really don't want to go to work," Meng Yang sighed. "In this kind of weather, all I want to do is stay in bed and sleep."
"Your bed?" Liu Zhi's voice rose at the end.
"Your bed." Meng Yang said calmly, "You're not home, so what's wrong with sleeping in your bed? I still need to use your pillow."
"Is your bed not warm enough?" Liu Zhi laughed. "My bed is much warmer."
Meng Yang kneaded the baby's breasts, pondered for a long time, and then said, "I don't know why, but I just really like the smell of your clothes."
Meng Yang's frankness made Liu Zhi a little embarrassed.
“Our laundry detergents all smell the same,” Liu Zhi said.
“It’s different.” Meng Yang hugged the baby girl to his lap.
The little dumpling heard Liu Zhi's voice and meowed.
"Milk ball?"
“Your mother,” Meng Yang said to the milk bag.
Then, Meng Yang ended the video call, picked up the little girl's short legs, and said, "Come here, Dr. Liu. Let's see your daughter."
The little dumpling struggled to reach Mengyang's phone, scratching the screen with its tiny paws.
"Hey, my screen!" Meng Yang grabbed the little hand of the baby and held it in his palm. "I'm going to cut your nails tonight."
Milkball: "Meow~"
“When you come back, have Lihua sterilized,” Meng Yang said. “We can’t let him harm the sisters in the family.”
Liu Zhi hummed in agreement.
"I'm hanging up, I'm going to be late for work."
"good."
...
That evening, Liu Zhi was busy delivering food again.
After the argument, Liu's mother and Liu Zhi were in a state of cold war again.
After finishing his self-study session, Liu Yi clearly sensed that something was off at home. Not daring to say a word, he quickly grabbed his bag and fled back to his room.
That evening, Liu Zhi came to give him some fruit, and only then did he dare to cautiously ask a couple of questions.
Liu Zhi simply said that nothing was wrong.
Later, Liu's mother heated up a cup of milk for each of the siblings, and the atmosphere at home eased.
Mr. Liu will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, and Liu Yi will have a morning off. Mrs. Liu plans to take advantage of this occasion to celebrate.
It was past 11 a.m. when Liu's mother was still in the kitchen preparing ingredients for tomorrow.
Liu Zhi came out of the room and offered to help her mother pick vegetables.
"You're going back next week, right?" Liu's mother asked, rubbing her eyes without noticing as she chopped chili peppers.
Liu Zhi kept her head down and didn't notice.
Liu's mother didn't say anything for a while, so Liu Zhi looked up at her.
"Stop rubbing, rinse with clean water." Liu Zhi put down what she was holding and turned on the tap to rinse her hands.
Liu's mother took a step back to prevent Liu Zhi from touching her.
"It's okay, it'll be fine in a bit. Don't get it in your eyes and rub them."
Liu's mother lowered her hand and blinked twice.
"Alright, alright," said Liu's mother. "You continue picking the vegetables, and go to bed early after you're done."
Liu's mother prepared a lot of dishes this time, and there were too many things to do tomorrow, so she had to finish what she could today.
Liu Zhi stayed with her, busy until almost one o'clock.
At 1:00 AM sharp, his mother finished washing up and went to sleep, and the light in Liu Yi's room was also turned off.
Liu Zhili stood on the balcony, looking out from the old apartment building.
Scattered lights, like stars, dot the dark night.
The window wasn't closed tightly, and the cold wind blew into the house through the cracks.
Liu Zhi wrapped her coat tighter, her eyes reflecting the night.
After clearing my mind, all sorts of random thoughts flashed through my head.
Liu Zhi suddenly remembered the night before she left, Meng Yang's warm breath and intimate whispers. She remembered every little detail of how they met and got to know each other.
During the day, we're busy with many things, and even the worst emotions can be forgotten. But when it's late at night and everyone is quiet, those bad emotions can be magnified.
Couples like them will always encounter two such hurdles—worldly conventions and filial piety.
She wasn't one to take risks, but after wasting so much time, she didn't want to let Meng Yang down.
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