Having received the answer, Mencius' mother took two plates and went out gracefully.
"My mother really didn't say anything?" Meng Yang asked as soon as his mother left the house.
Liu Zhi shook her head.
"None of you will tell me." Meng Yang finished mixing the last cold dish and went out.
Liu Zhi followed behind her. Meng Yang seemed to remember something, turned around, and almost bumped into Liu Zhi's chest.
"Are you just going to go out empty-handed?" Meng Yang asked.
Liu Zhi realized what was happening and picked up the last two plates to follow.
"There's some warm rice wine in the kitchen, bring it out in a cup," Meng Yang said as he tidied the plates at the dining table.
Liu Zhi then went to fetch the yellow wine.
Mencius's father and mother kept their eyes on them.
"Little Liu is so wonderful. With your daughter's princess-like temper, who could put up with her?" Meng's father exclaimed.
Mencius' mother hummed in agreement, looking at her husband with an almost pitying gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Meng's father was puzzled by Meng's mother's gaze, and paused in stroking the princess.
"It's nothing," said Meng's mother.
Meng's father turned back with a puzzled look and continued to stare at the two girls.
"Sigh," Mr. Meng sighed, "Why don't we have a girl like Xiao Liu?"
"Isn't Mengmeng good?" Meng's mother asked.
"Great!" Meng's father couldn't hide his pride. "Of course my own daughter is the best."
“Don’t you think Xiao Liu’s personality is a lot like mine when I was young?” Meng’s father said. “He doesn’t talk much, he just does practical things, he’s filial and responsible.”
“You’re just shy and don’t know how to speak properly. How can that be compared to someone who is composed?” Meng’s mother questioned. “Who would have thought that the pretty boy from back then would turn out like this?”
Mencius' father chuckled.
“Back then, one sentence from you could make me so angry that I lost my appetite for half a day,” said Mencius’ mother.
"And now?" Meng's father asked with a smile.
“Occasionally,” Meng’s mother replied.
"Dinner's ready! Try my cooking!" Meng Yangli called to his parents from the table.
"I want to adopt Xiao Liu as my goddaughter." Meng's father nodded to Meng Yang and put down the cat.
"Here we go again," sighed Mencius' mother. "You have to see if they're willing to go."
"Let me ask," said Meng's father.
At the dinner table, Meng's father hesitated for a long time about whether to bring up the matter of taking Liu Zhi as his goddaughter, and didn't say much.
The atmosphere among the remaining three became somewhat awkward due to their conversation.
"Xiao Liu is twenty-eight this year, right?" Meng's father finally spoke up. "My Mengmeng is twenty-seven."
Meng Yang felt something was very wrong when he heard this. Why did it sound like they were trying to play matchmaker?
Mencius' mother sighed inwardly, turned her face away, and refused to look at her silent teacher.
"You two are about the same age, and you have such a good relationship..." Meng's father said, pausing between sentences, and couldn't get to the point for a long time, making Liu Zhi uneasy.
"I've been thinking of taking you in as my goddaughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, while Meng Yang looked a little disappointed.
“Look at this…” said Meng’s father.
Liu Zhi looked to Meng Yang for help, and Meng Yang looked to Meng's mother for help.
"You've had too much to drink," Mencius' mother said, saving her two children. "Why didn't you ask me, your godmother, for my opinion before you decided to take Xiao Liu as your goddaughter?"
"Besides, shouldn't this kind of thing be done in a more formal setting?"
Meng's father was taken aback by the question; he had indeed not considered these points.
This unexpected incident made the atmosphere at the dinner table even more somber.
After finally getting through the ordeal, Meng Yang and Liu Zhi saw them off downstairs.
They were running out of seasonings at home, so they decided to go and buy some more.
"Alright, don't bother seeing us off, we're leaving!" Meng's parents waved to them, "You guys go to the convenience store!"
Not long after they parted, Meng Yang touched his pocket and realized he had forgotten his phone.
"I'm going back to get my phone, just in case the hospital sends any notifications," Meng Yang said.
"I'll go with you." Liu Zhi went upstairs with her.
There's no one in the elevator at this hour.
Meng Yang was a little tired after working all day, so he leaned on Liu Zhi's shoulder to rest.
Liu Zhi took her hand in a gentle and tender gesture.
"Are you tired?" Liu Zhi asked in a low voice.
Meng Yang nodded with his eyes closed.
“I’ll go alone, you stay at home,” Liu Zhi said.
"Oh no, you're leaving tomorrow, I'm going to cling to you." Meng Yang opened his eyes and looked at Liu Zhi.
Her eyes were beautiful, and every time she looked at Liu Zhi, her gaze was both pure and earnest.
Liu Zhi saw his own reflection in her eyes.
Her throat tightened slightly.
When the elevator reached the ninth floor, Meng Yang linked arms with Liu Zhi, his head seemingly glued to Liu Zhi's shoulder.
Liu Zhi held Meng Yang's fingers and stuffed them into her coat pocket.
The door was opened, and there was only one furry child left by the shoe cabinet.
Before Liu Zhi could react, Meng Yang threw himself into her arms and then placed a clean kiss on her lips.
Meng Yang pounced suddenly, and Liu Zhi, caught off guard, instinctively pulled her into his arms. His waist bumped against the shoe cabinet, causing him to stumble.
Liu Zhi's breathing became heavier.
"I bumped my waist..." Meng Yang was silenced by Liu Zhi's kiss before he could finish speaking.
Darkness amplifies all the senses.
Meng Yangneng could tell that Liu Zhi's kiss was very deep.
Meng Yang hooked his arm around her neck, his balance unsteady.
Liu Zhi straightened up and pressed Meng Yang against the other wall.
It was too tiring to keep hunching over, so Meng Yang stood on tiptoe and grabbed Liu Zhi's clothes.
The moment his knuckles loosened, Meng Yang was like a fish out of a dried-up pond, reborn.
Liu Zhi pressed her forehead against hers, her ears turning red.
“Actually, you could agree,” Meng Yang blurted out abruptly.
"What?" Liu Zhi asked in a low voice.
“To be her goddaughter,” Meng Yang said.
"I can't agree to that." Liu Zhi rubbed her nose against Meng Yang's.
Meng Yang chuckled softly in a hoarse voice.
"You've been diagnosed with orthopedics, haven't you?"
Liu Zhi hummed in agreement, her tone alluring at the end.
"That's so exciting." Meng Yang kissed Liu Zhi's lips twice more, very gently.
Liu Zhi smiled too.
Meng Yang buried his head in Liu Zhi's arms and hugged her waist tightly.
"Okay, go get your phone." Liu Zhi reached out and touched the light switch on the wall.
The closed door suddenly made some noise.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Liu Zhi: I don't have to be your goddaughter, but I must be your son-in-law.
Chapter 54 Steadfast
The next second, the door was pushed open, and Liu Zhi happened to press the switch.
Meng's father stood at the entrance, his expression frozen.
Liu Zhi remained in the position of pressing the switch, Meng Yang's hand was still on her waist, and the two of them froze.
"Uncle." Liu Zhi was the first to react and distanced herself from Meng Yang.
"Dad." Meng Yang took a step back, his cheeks burning.
Meng's father remained silent, his expression somewhat grave.
"Dad, is there something you forgot to take?" Meng Yang asked.
Mencius' father entered the room with a dark face, walked to the sofa, picked up the bag that Mencius' mother had left behind, and turned to leave.
"Dad, I'll take you." Meng Yang opened the door for him. "Dad, you..."
"Uncle," Liu Zhi called out to Meng's father.