Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 465 I understand
Han Zhou didn't have the habit of eavesdropping on other people's family affairs, and he didn't have to meet and communicate with Zhong Ling today, so he didn't turn on the "Listen to others' fate" enhanced hearing function and had no idea what had just happened in the living room.

But while eating, he was still keenly aware that the atmosphere at the table was a little strange - the originally enthusiastic and cheerful Liang Hongfei seemed to be considering something, Ouyang Wenhao's originally old-fashioned face was full of dissatisfaction, and although Teacher Ouyang was smiling, he gave people a feeling of being in a bad mood.

...Is this a quarrel?

Realizing that this family's time together alone did not seem to be pleasant, Han Zhou shook his head. Time is a very complicated thing. It can turn past grievances into ashes, and it can also make accumulated conflicts more acute. It seems that this family belongs to the latter.

Their longing for each other is real, and their reflection and regret over their original argument are real, but the contradiction that remains there is also real.

And this is the most troublesome thing.

In fact, thinking from their own perspectives, neither Teacher Ouyang nor her parents did anything wrong, at least in terms of their demands.

The former's first half of life was almost entirely arranged by her parents. She had to learn unnecessary etiquette and manners from a young age, be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, and dabble in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Although she did not have the luxury of a wealthy family, she had to cultivate the temperament of a lady from a noble family.

You must strictly abide by family rules at home and must not bring shame to the family outside. You are not allowed to fall in love or get too close to the opposite sex during school. You must concentrate on your studies. But after graduation, you must immediately give up everything you have learned during school, give up your favorite job, hastily find someone to spend the rest of your life with, and stay at home to take care of your husband and children.

Who can tolerate this?
So Teacher Ouyang exploded.

She once said that the reason she liked mathematics was because mathematics was a subject that strictly followed rules but was also very free. Every number had a predetermined destiny, but they had more than one destiny. Even if they led to exactly the same answer, there were always different solutions.

Of course she knew that she would get married sooner or later, but she didn't want to give up her favorite job and marry someone who was not even more attractive to her than mathematics.

Why?
That's why she refused to go home in a fit of anger, and no longer abided by the etiquette and manners that once bound her. She only retained the gentleness that had once been praised by everyone, and came to Linda to be a good teacher in her own way.

This is a belated rebellion of adolescence and also her resistance to her predetermined fate;
As for the latter, the reason why they are strict with their daughter is still the classic quote that most parents like to say - "I'm doing this for your own good."

As for why he was in a hurry to arrange a marriage for his daughter, it was because he felt too sorry for her getting injured every now and then, and was worried that she would not be able to take care of herself in the future, so he wanted to find someone to rely on for her as soon as possible.

Han Zhou could actually understand Teacher Ouyang's parents. As early as when he first met Ouyang Lianyu, he often felt that this woman was really lucky and seemed to be fine no matter how she got bumped into things. He also sighed that this girl might be living a miserable life.

But when he later found out that the other person could live alone even in a wheelchair with bandages, and could even greet everyone with a smile every day, he was not worried at all.

Han Zhou withdrew his thoughts.

In short, both Teacher Ouyang and her parents have their own stubbornness and considerations, and as Teacher Ouyang’s "boyfriend", what he has to do is to stand firmly on Teacher Ouyang's side.

He originally thought that he didn't need to do too much unnecessary work. He just needed to show his "boyfriend power" at the right time. It was even necessary for him to expose a few shortcomings in order to avoid being caught and engaged right away. But now it seems that he may have to change his thinking.

Ouyang Lianyu's family was taught by their parents not to talk while eating or sleeping, but Liang Hongfei obviously did not intend to continue to abide by this at the moment. While eating, she kept praising Han Zhou's cooking skills and even ate several bowls of rice.

Seeing his wife's increased appetite, Ouyang Wenhao's stern face finally showed a barely perceptible smile. He did not scold her to pay attention to her manners, but stood up again and again to help add more rice, asking her to eat more if she liked it.

Liang Hongfei's face flushed, and she smiled, "I'm ashamed. After eating the meal Xiao Han made today, I suddenly felt that my life was wasted. I've been in the kitchen for decades, but the meal I made is not as delicious as a child's. No wonder Yu'er misses this place so much and is reluctant to go home every year."

Han Zhou didn't know this new "mother" very well, and for a moment he wasn't sure whether she was simply praising him or being sarcastic.

Why did it seem like he was the one who ordered Teacher Ouyang not to go home...

He said modestly, "Ah... Mom, you're too kind. This must be your first time trying this kind of dish. It tastes quite special, so you think it tastes good."

"A gentleman should be humble, but he should not be too modest. Your dishes are not just delicious." Liang Hongfei smiled, "But this is the first time I have eaten such dishes. Could it be that you created it yourself?"

Han Zhou nodded: "When I have nothing to do, I like to do research in the kitchen."

"That's amazing. Can you teach me how to cook these dishes when you have time?"

"Of course." Han Zhou said with a smile.

"So how about the New Year this year?"

Liang Hongfei asked with a smile, "Yu'er hasn't been back to her hometown for the New Year for a long time. It just so happens that there's not many people at home. Why don't you come back with Yu'er this year? The whole family will be lively and happy, and Mom will give you a big red envelope."

"This……"

Han Zhou looked embarrassed. He didn't want to go home with Teacher Ouyang to celebrate the New Year, but he didn't know what reason to use to refuse.

But Ouyang Lianyu suddenly said, "Mom, Han Zhou has already agreed to spend the New Year with someone else this year, please don't make things difficult for him."

"Oh? Is there anyone more important than your partner?" Liang Hongfei asked half-jokingly.

"How do you think Han Zhou has been able to survive all these years alone? It's because there is a couple who treat him as their own son and have helped him a lot over the years. He has already agreed to spend the New Year at that family's home this year." Ouyang Lianyu rolled her eyes at her mother.

The couple she was referring to were of course Gu Zheng's parents, but she did not mention their names so as to prevent her parents from making wild guesses and suspecting that Han Zhou was indecisive.

...even though he is indeed such a person.

"Is that so? The grace of raising is greater than the grace of giving birth. We really have to spend this New Year at their home. We will go to visit those two some other day, and by the way, ask if we can ask them to attend the wedding as Xiao Han's parents when you two get married in the future." Liang Hongfei seemed a little regretful.

Ouyang Lianyu's face turned pale. If she invited Gu Zheng's parents to attend her wedding with Han Zhou, wouldn't that offend Gu Zheng's family? She couldn't even think of such a scene.

Fortunately, Liang Hongfei didn't notice her strangeness and suddenly asked, "How about Yuandan?"

"There's only one day off for New Year's Day. How do we have time to go back?" Ouyang Lianyu refused subconsciously.

"Who said you guys were coming back?"

Liang Hongfei said with a smile, "I heard that it's popular among you young people to celebrate the New Year's Eve on New Year's Day, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. It's very ritualistic. You have only been together for a short time, so you probably haven't experienced it yet, right?"

So you know we've only been together for a short time, but you keep talking about marriage...

Ouyang Lianyu felt helpless and suddenly froze. Why do I feel that Han Zhou and I have not been together for long?

No, no, we are a pretend couple and have never been together. Ouyang Lianyu, you have too many random thoughts today...

Besides, what dad said is right. You are almost ten years older than Han Zhou. When she was in her prime, you became a shrew. You can’t delay her...

No, why would I think of coming here!
As her thoughts raced, she heard Han Zhou's laughter suddenly ring in her ears: "Okay, I also want to celebrate the New Year with Teacher Ouyang."

Ouyang Lianyu was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously reminded: "Didn't you already say that you would go to that couple's house to celebrate the New Year..."

She was reminding Han Zhou that the people he really needed to spend the New Year's Eve with were Guzheng and Yixia, not herself.

"What does that matter?"

Han Zhou looked over with a smile and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Wouldn't it be fine if I took you with me?" Ouyang Lianyu was stunned and wanted to say "Are you kidding me?", but when the words came to her lips they turned into other words.

"Are you serious……"

"of course."

The boy had a warm smile, and his tone was gentle yet firm, and his emotions were genuine, not sounding fake at all.

In fact, Han Zhou was serious. After all, he had been thinking about how to spend the New Year's Eve with Guzheng and Yixia at the same time. Finally, he decided to repeat the old trick and use the "Zhengxiatou strategy" again - just like the last typhoon, just gather everyone together. That way, he would not have to face the difficulty of who to choose, but could have them all!
This way I can find a reason to stay in school and don't have to face Uncle Gu and Sister Miao who are trying to monitor me during the New Year's Day.

He believed that Teacher Ouyang could understand his intentions.

However, he was overthinking. Ouyang Lianyu would never think of this at the moment. Her mood was so complicated that it was hard to describe. After a long while, she said "hmm".

Liang Hongfei looked at this scene with a look of relief, then glared at her husband and said in a low voice, "I said they must have feelings for each other, so what if they are a fake couple? Sooner or later it will become real. It's ok for you to expose Yu'er, but if you dare to say those words before dinner in front of Xiao Han, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost."

Ouyang Wenhao did not respond, but said in a deep voice: "It's rare that you have an appetite, eat more."

Seeing his wife staring at him without saying anything, he sighed in surrender, "Don't worry, just because this kid can make you eat more, I won't say another word today."

"You..."

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Liang Hongfei was satisfied, and she gently grabbed her husband's hand and said with a smile: "That's settled. My husband and I will also spend New Year's Eve at home on New Year's Day. I will give you a video call to wish you a happy new year then."

"You actually want to see if we are really together on New Year's Day, right?" Ouyang Lianyu said helplessly.

Since she has been exposed anyway, she has nothing to worry about.

But at this moment she did not realize that since she knew that the relationship was fake and her parents had already seen through it, why would she continue to cooperate with the unsuspecting Han Zhou in the performance?

Liang Hongfei smiled but said nothing.

After lunch, Han Zhou planned to go to the kitchen to wash the dishes, but was stopped by Liang Hongfei, who said, "I can't let you do everything," and walked into the kitchen. Ouyang Lianyu immediately followed.

Only Han Zhou and Ouyang Wenhao were left in the living room.

Although he didn't have a good impression of this uncle who always had a stern face, he was Teacher Ouyang's father after all. Han Zhou didn't want to glare at him and was just trying to find a topic to talk about, but unexpectedly the other party spoke first.

"Smoking?"

Ouyang Wenhao took out a wrinkled cigarette box from his pocket and pushed out half of the last remaining cigarette. Although he didn't look at Han Zhou, there were only two people in the room, so it was obvious that he was talking to him.

"Sorry uncle, I don't smoke, please feel free to smoke." Han Zhou declined.

He originally thought that Ouyang Wenhao would put the cigarette in his mouth, but the other party just said "hmm" and put the cigarette box back into his pocket.

"You're still young, and you don't smoke or drink. That's pretty rare. You're better than I was when I was young."

It can be seen that this conservative and old-fashioned uncle is not very good at chatting with people, or he is not very good at chatting with juniors. His tone is so stiff that it doesn't sound like praise, but more like ridicule.

Han Zhou thought he was just trying to save face, so he said, "Uncle, if you want to smoke, go ahead. Don't mind me."

"I won't smoke anymore. I'm quitting."

Ouyang Wenhao shook his head, and after two seconds he suddenly asked, "Boy, are you wondering why I, who always asks Yu'er to observe etiquette, smoke and drink?"

"Smoking and drinking don't have much to do with etiquette. Didn't the literati in ancient times regard drinking as an elegant hobby? It's just that it is somewhat harmful to the body, so it's better to avoid it." Han Zhou said in a pertinent tone.

"Yeah, it hurts my body, so I started to quit."

Ouyang Wenhao was silent for a while, and suddenly asked again, "Boy, do you know why I am so anxious to get Yu'er married?"

He seemed to have something on his mind, so much so that he wanted to talk to someone, even though the person in front of him was the "son-in-law" he was not very happy with.

Han Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "The fact that you can ask this question shows that you should be very clear about the conflict between you and Teacher Ouyang, right?"

"Huh, I'm her father, don't I know her better than you?"

Ouyang Wenhao seemed upset and wanted to take out a cigarette from his pocket and light it, but he held back and said after a while, "Your mother and I... Bah, your aunt and I had a child late. We were almost forty when we had Yu'er. Don't look at us looking young. In fact, we are already sixty years old now."

Uncle, you don’t look young...

Han Zhou complained in his heart and listened silently.

"It is precisely because we had children late that we understand more clearly what it means to have children late. This means that when the children are 20 years old, we are already in our 50s or 60s. When the children have their own children and gradually feel the burden of life and need help from their parents, we may have passed away. It is only because conditions are good now, otherwise we might not even be able to live to see the day when we have grandchildren."

Ouyang Wenhao was strong-willed all his life, so there were some things he didn't say and never told anyone else - because he was too old, he was actually always afraid to go to school for parent-teacher meetings for his daughter, because he was always worried that children of the same age would laugh at his daughter for having an old father, causing his daughter to be looked down upon since childhood.

This kind of thing happens from time to time in my hometown. Sometimes, not only the children, but also the neighbors and even relatives will make fun of it.

It was for this reason that he picked up the long-forgotten sign of "Ouyang Family" and strictly required his daughter to be well-educated and well-mannered since childhood, trying to use the bright outer packaging to resist the inferiority and self-blame in his heart.

In his cognition, which is stuck in the last century, intellectuals born into large families should always be respected and should not be ridiculed.

Logically speaking, Ouyang Wenhao was not going to say the next sentence, but looking at the overly young boy next to him and thinking of his daughter who was almost thirty years old, he felt his heart filled with irritability and finally couldn't help it.

"Most importantly, I'm worried that when Yu'er gets wronged someday and looks for someone to back her up, we won't be around anymore.

The winter wind kept hitting the windows, shaking the old trees outside the house, but no leaves could fall from the bare branches.

Perhaps because he felt that this was too hypocritical, Ouyang Wenhao did not give Han Zhou a chance to speak, and immediately continued to ask: "So do you understand what I mean?"

"I see."

After a moment, Han Zhou nodded seriously, saying firmly, "Don't worry, uncle. I will support Teacher Ouyang in the future."

You...you understand nothing!

Ouyang Wenhao was stunned, then cursed in his heart, I meant to ask you to persuade Yu'er to have a baby as soon as possible, so that she won’t end up like me in the future. Who asked you to support Yu'er?

Also, what do you mean by "don't worry"? Do you want me to go with peace of mind?
He opened his mouth, but for some reason, when he met the pair of eyes that belonged only to that young man, he was inexplicably speechless.

(End of this chapter)