My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 192 A Visit

Little Ma was efficient; the next day, he relayed Hu Yi's message through Natasha, formally inviting them to his home for dinner on Saturday.

The trucks at the market were not expected to arrive until 5 p.m. that day, which was too tight a timeframe. Hu Yi had no choice but to ask Fu Jiahui for leave again and apply to leave work early.

Fu Jiahui readily agreed. At heart, he was a carefree, playboy type, and he was rather dismissive of this kind of meeting-the-parents activity. He chuckled and teased Hu Yi a few times, then brought two bottles of Jinliufu liquor from home: "You can't visit someone empty-handed, bring something. From what I've observed, Russians generally prefer Chinese baijiu."

Hu Yi hurriedly returned to his dormitory with the wine, took a shower, and found the suit he wore when he first visited Natasha's room.

Strangely enough, he hadn't taken the invitation too seriously a few days ago, but now that it was almost time, he was getting a little nervous. With Natasha's help, he tied his tie, tidied himself up neatly, and bought a bouquet of flowers before leaving.

Maxim's family lives in a five-story matchbox-style building constructed in the 1970s or 80s, located on a quiet side street, not too far from the school.

The doorbell downstairs rang urgently, dull, and shrill, like a chainsaw cutting damp wood. Hu Yi and Natasha went upstairs, where Maxim and his wife were already waiting to greet them at the door.

"Nata! Anton! Welcome!" Maxim leaned over and hugged Natasha, then shook hands with Hu Yi. He was dressed in a gray suit and tie today, and his hair and beard were neatly groomed, clearly showing how much he valued his guests.

Neither of the two men had ever seen the other dressed like this before, and they couldn't help but take a few more glances at each other.

"Not bad, Anton, you look very handsome today."

"Thank you, you too." Hu Yi handed over two bottles of liquor: "These are baijiu I brought from China, please accept them."

Natasha also presented the flowers to her aunt: "These are flowers Anton gave you."

"Oh, thank you. What beautiful flowers! Thank you, I love them very much." Natasha's aunt stood beside the three of them. She was a little short and plump, and not particularly beautiful. Although her features were regular, her face protruded forward, and a large hooked nose made her look somewhat fierce. However, her gaze towards the two of them still revealed gentleness and kindness.

"Please come in, dinner is being prepared." Maxim led the two into the living room: "Tea? Or coffee?"

"Either is fine." Hu Yi clasped his hands together in front of him. "How about a cup of tea?"

Maxim poured two cups of tea and brought them over, gesturing with his chin to the sofa beside him: "Please sit down, don't be shy. Nata, your man is too nervous!"

Natasha giggled and pulled Hu Yi to sit beside her. "Anton, don't be nervous. Maxim is my uncle, this place is like my home, understand?"

"Yes, I understand, I'm not nervous." Hu Yi smiled awkwardly. He had been in Moscow for quite some time and had interacted with many Russians, but only in restaurants or dormitories. This was his first time actually visiting a local's home, especially in this "meeting the parents" situation.

Normally, Hu Yi is intimate and comfortable with Natasha, but now, sitting next to her, he is very proper and doesn't know where to put his hands. So he pretends to pick up his teacup and take a sip.

It was early September, and Moscow was in the late summer/early autumn season, so the weather was still quite hot and humid. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt during the day at the market, but now he was all dressed up and nervous. After a sip of hot tea, sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

"Anton, relax." Natasha gently wiped the sweat from Hu Yi's forehead, took off his suit jacket, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, and loosened his tie. "I told you, just treat this place like my home. Here, you can hug me, just like you always do."

"Really? Is it okay?" Hu Yi glanced nervously at Little Ma, and seeing that he was also looking at him with a smile, he mustered up his courage and put his arm around Natasha's waist.

However, he only put his arm around her briefly before withdrawing his hand, saying with an embarrassed smile, "It's too hot."

"It is indeed very hot." Maxim also took off his suit jacket and turned on the electric fan standing in the corner. "I was planning to install an air conditioner this year, but I just got a new TV recently, so the budget is a bit tight. Now that summer is almost over, I'll wait until next year."

"There's no need to buy an air conditioner! Summer is short, just bear with it." My aunt chimed in from the kitchen, "In my opinion, we should save the money to buy a new refrigerator! This old refrigerator keeps buzzing all day long, keeping me awake at night."

"It's not as exaggerated as you say! This refrigerator cools very well!" Maxim shouted gruffly. "You can't sleep because of menopause! Neurasthenia!"

Hu Yi didn't quite understand what she was saying, but seeing Natasha laughing happily beside him, he immediately felt the atmosphere lighten up and chuckled a few times as well.

"That's more like it, no need to be so reserved." Maxim nodded in satisfaction, stood up and beckoned to him, "Come, let me show you my home."

This is an old-style three-bedroom apartment. Although it is old, the construction and decoration quality is still quite good. However, the old floor seems to be not very sturdy, as it thuds under the two people's leather shoes, and there are a few slight collapses.

The room was dimly lit, and most of the furniture looked as old as the house itself. The old-fashioned wooden cabinets and the pedal sewing machine instantly evoked Hu Yi's childhood memories. There was also a computer in the study, covered with a large cloth cover, suggesting it wasn't used very often.

The humming of the refrigerator was indeed a bit excessive. A very clean tablecloth was laid on the dining table, though it was slightly faded and washed. The things in the room had such a vintage feel that Hu Yi couldn't help but recall what his grandfather's and maternal grandfather's houses looked like. Only the brand-new Panasonic flat-screen TV, full of modern flair, seemed out of place with everything else around it.

"There you go, that's it. How do you feel?"

"Great, I feel...very comfortable."

Maxim and Hu Yi stood facing each other in the living room doorway, both finding themselves speechless for a moment. Just a few days ago, they were merely dormitory manager and student in each other's eyes, but now the distance between them had suddenly narrowed considerably, yet an additional layer of seniority had been added, which undeniably made things quite awkward between them.

Fortunately, my aunt appeared just in time to save the day: "Comrades, the food is ready, let's begin dinner!"

"Alright! Let's eat!" Maxim yanked off his tie and pointed at Hu Yi's chest: "Take it off, you can't eat with this rubbish on."

(End of this chapter)