You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Chapter 39 Mother-in-Law (Two chapters combined into one)

2023-07-31

Yu Lihua returned three days earlier than originally planned.

The price of this South Korean pilgrimage tour was indeed extremely low, but... despite being called a pilgrimage, half of the time was spent shopping, which was really annoying.

Just then, an emergency came up at the school, so Yu Lihua hurriedly booked the earliest flight back to China.

Now, the advantage of low-price group tours has vanished. What kind of situation is this?

Before entering the room, Yu Lihua noticed the pair of sneakers on the shoe rack.

The shoes look pretty new, but if they're for the younger brother, they're a bit too small. If they're new for the daughter, they're huge, like boats.

She reached out to pick up the shoes to take a look, but then, remembering her daughter's panicked tone on the phone earlier, she seemed to realize something and pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.

Yu Lihua stumbled and swayed, grabbing the wall for support. She frowned and continued to stare at the pair of... men's shoes.

The wooden door in front of her opened, and Yu Lihua turned her head to see her daughter's pale face and forced smile: "Mom~"

Her daughter, Yu Luying, reached out her slightly trembling hands, picked up the suitcase by the door, and then took the bag she was carrying in her left hand.

"So many face masks!" Yu Luying said, looking into the bag as she walked into the house. "Is this enough for three years?"

Yu Lihua ignored her and walked into the room with a sullen face.

There's no way a living person could be hidden behind the curtains.

There were several dishes under the food covers on the table, quite a feast, but there wasn't much of each dish left.

"Mom, have you eaten yet?"

"Ate."

Sure enough, there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks in the sink.

The bed and sofa were clean and tidy; it wasn't something that could be done in a few minutes.

On the bright side, nothing happened; on the dark side…

Impossible, she is, after all, my daughter whom I raised.

Yu Lihua pulled over her suitcase, laid it down in front of the bed, and squatted down to open it.

Her eyes darted under the bed, where boxes and junk were piled up—there couldn't possibly be anyone there.

So, there's only one place left.

As Yu Lihua took two coats out of the box and walked towards the wardrobe, she caught a glimpse of her daughter's expression out of the corner of her eye and sighed inwardly.

She took a deep breath and flung open the wardrobe door.

The clothes hanging inside looked slightly moved, but there was nothing else besides the clothes.

Surely you wouldn't jump out of the window?

Yu Lihua caught a glimpse of her daughter's terrified face out of the corner of her eye.

Is my mother really that terrifying...?

A face full of worry was reflected in the full-length mirror in the wardrobe.

Short hair, tired, stern, withered appearance, the face of a middle-aged woman.

In the mirror, another long-haired, young face was reflected.

So young, so beautiful, no need for makeup or face masks, overflowing with collagen, it looks like it would ooze out if you took a bite...

It looks just like me back then, so much like me.

"Mom, I miss you so much!" The girl behind her hugged her waist.

Yu Lihua turned around and hugged her daughter, gently stroking her head.

“I miss you too,” Yu Lihua said.

--split line--

"You just got back and you're leaving already?" Yu Luying said.

"Yes, I have to get to school right away." Yu Lihua put on her high heels and picked up her bag. "It's urgent at school, I might be back late. Before you go to sleep, make sure you check the doors, windows, and the gas switch..."

"Okay, okay," the girl said.

Yu Lihua strolled down one floor, heard her own door close upstairs, then tiptoed up two more floors, turned into a shady spot, and stood still.

She took out a pack of blue Esse cigarettes, opened it, pulled out a thin, long cigarette, and casually popped the flavor capsule in the filter.

Yu Lihua thought, "I only smoked this cigarette to squeeze the menthol capsule."

Yu Lihua tried to light the lighter several times but failed, while the door to her own apartment downstairs had already been pushed open.

A tall, thin figure strode out from inside.

"Xiao Yao," Yu Lihua called out after the door closed.

The dark figure shuddered and ran downstairs.

Yu Lihua didn't chase after her; she simply lit her cigarette.

But the figure hadn't run far before it slowly climbed back up.

"Yu Luying's mother? Is that you?" the boy called out timidly.

Yu Lihua inhaled a puff of menthol-scented smoke into her lungs and then slowly exhaled it.

She stepped out of the shadows and looked at Xiao Yao in the pale light of the stairwell lamp.

"Want a cup of coffee?"

"it is good."

--split line--

Madier Café is a historic establishment located on the adjacent old commercial street. Although its menu is limited and prices are quite high, its old-money arrogance and the ritualistic exchange of Chinese and Western goods still attract many white-collar workers and residents from the surrounding area.

"A caramel macchiato, no sugar." Yu Lihua stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

"Auntie, I won't drink it. I don't like coffee," Xiao Yao said reservedly. "I mainly wanted to chat with you."

"Okay, let's talk." Yu Lihua leaned back in her chair. "By the way, where did you hide just now? Did you climb out the window barefoot?"

"This..." Xiao Yao hesitated for a few seconds, not answering her question directly: "Auntie, please don't blame Yu Luying, she did nothing wrong. It was me who pestered her and forced her into the house..."

"Why should I care whose fault it is?" Yu Lihua flicked her cigarette ash and gave a smile that was hardly friendly. "Last semester, I went to your school hoping that the school would take effective measures to keep you away from my daughter. But your Director Lin and Teacher Yao both protected you, and in the end, they made you write a guarantee to settle the matter."

The boy in front of her turned pale.

"Regarding today's incident, if I go to the school again, do you think Director Lin will consider agreeing to the previous suggestion—"

“Auntie, this is why I wanted to talk to you. I would like to ask you to allow Yu Luying to choose who she wants to be friends with,” Xiao Yao said loudly, sitting up straight.

Yu Lihua covered her eyes and nose, shaking her head and laughing.

“You chose me, right? Alright,” Yu Lihua laughed, then leaned forward, interlocking her fingers and resting her elbows on the table. “I’ll get straight to the point—you’re still a student, you should focus your energy on your studies. Wait until you’re in university, graduate, enter the workforce, and your relationships have matured, then you can look back…”

Her own boring and stale sermon was interrupted by the boy in front of her: "Yu Luying is first in the class and in the top ten in the grade. And based on what I know about her, even if she really is in a relationship, it won't affect her studies—"

“Of course my daughter can weigh the pros and cons.” Yu Lihua nodded, “Thank you.”

The second half of the "thank you" was addressed to the waiter. She took the coffee, took a small sip, and said, "So I wasn't talking about her, I was talking about you."

"Me?" The boy in front of him looked confused.

"Yu Luying is first in the class, and you are last..."

"Second to last," Xiao Yao corrected. "Last place is Zhang Jialong."

"As far as I know, you're about to repeat a grade, right?"

"There is no such thing."

“You’ve had a terrible record since last semester, giving your teacher Yao a real headache. You’ve skipped class multiple times, gone to internet cafes to play games, never handed in your homework, and even… harassed a girl, namely our Yu Luying. If it weren’t for your school’s habitual favoritism, you would have been disciplined long ago,” Yu Lihua leaned back in her chair. “Am I right?”

"So, you think Yu Luying wouldn't know about my situation?" The boy held the glass of water tightly in both hands: "She has the ability to weigh the pros and cons, as you said yourself."

"Are you saying my daughter has fallen in love with you?" Yu Lihua's temples bulged with veins, and she emphasized the second "you," her tone filled with disbelief: "So, you want to convince me not to stop her?!"

“If a girl is always alone, it’s not surprising that she might fall in love with anyone someday,” Xiao Yao said, as if she had made a big decision.

"A girl shouldn't love anyone at this time!" Yu Lihua slammed her hand on the table in anger, attracting the attention of the surrounding guests and waiters.

She realized she had lost her composure, and remained silent for a while before speaking again.

"If it were a boy from church, I'd just turn a blind eye..."

“If that’s really the reason…” Xiao Yao blurted out.

“You’re converting to Christianity too? It’s pointless,” Yu Lihua said. “If your foundation isn’t solid, and you’re just going through the motions to get married, it’ll be a huge instability factor. Your attitude toward life and marriage will still be that of a non-Christian.”

"Auntie, you're thinking way too far ahead," Xiao Yao's neck flushed red. "We're only in high school—"

“Yes, he’s still just a high school student. Marriage is too far away.” Yu Lihua’s gaze passed over Xiao Yao’s back and landed in the unknown void. “So, just enjoy dating. As for the consequences or the responsibilities you’ll have to bear in the future, those are not things you need to consider. That’s the taste of youth, right?”

“That’s not how it is, Auntie!” The boy looked a little angry: “Your thinking is too biased.”