I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

"Tch..." Chen Jianwen curled his lip and glanced at him sideways, "Didn't you swear last time that she wasn't your girlfriend?"

“But I didn’t say that this time either.” Chen Shuo said matter-of-factly, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of Coke, unscrewed the cap, took two gulps, and asked, “Dad, you didn’t tell Mom about what happened in my family, did you?”

"About you living with someone?"

"It's not cohabitation, it's just staying with someone else," Chen Shuo corrected.

Chen Jianwen was too lazy to argue with him, so he pushed up his glasses and said, "If your mother knew that you were living with a woman, do you think you could still live there peacefully? They've already arranged a wedding for you."

"It's good that you didn't bring anyone back this time, so you won't let it slip later. I didn't mention that you're living with a girl, I just said that you're dating someone."

"I'm not dating anyone, why are you telling my mom this?"

"What, you still want your mom to pressure you into going on blind dates?"

"..." Chen Shuo was speechless for a moment.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chen Jianwen continued to instruct him, "Keep your mouth shut for a while, don't let it slip out and get me involved."

As the two were talking, the sound of keys clicking open the door rang out. Wu Yulan then entered carrying groceries. Upon seeing Chen Shuo, she raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "Oh, our great writer is back?"

"What great writer? Mom, can you stop insulting me?" Chen Shuo was so ashamed he wanted to cover his face.

"How am I insulting you? When relatives and friends ask you what you do for a living or which company you work for, what else can I say but 'writer'? I can say my son does nothing, just sits at home all day, spending his days glued to the computer."

"Just say it was written online, or by a writer, but don't say it's by an author."

Wu Yulan rolled her eyes at him, then glanced around the living room and asked, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She stays at home."

As soon as Chen Shuo uttered these words, Chen Jianwen immediately started coughing: "Cough cough cough cough..."

Wu Yulan frowned at Chen Jianwen and asked, "What's wrong with you? Did you get a donkey hair stuck in your throat?"

Hearing this, Chen Shuo almost burst out laughing. His mother's cursing words were truly unique and unconventional. Thinking about it, he realized that he often got cursed like that too, and his feelings became complicated.

I don't know how my dad and I have managed all these years. We get scolded all the time and we're still quite happy about it.

"No, I might have caught a cold recently."

Chen Jianwen rubbed his throat, then gave Chen Shuo a subtle glare before picking up his teacup and taking two gulps before saying, "Your girlfriend is staying at her own home, right?"

"Yes, she stayed at her own home."

Wu Yulan frowned, glancing at Chen Jianwen and then at Chen Shuo, feeling that the conversation between the father and son was a bit strange.

Where else can people go if they're not at home?

Chen Jianwen felt a little uneasy under her gaze and couldn't help but cough twice. He then said to Chen Shuo, "What are you standing there for? Go help your mother carry the groceries."

"okay."

Chen Shuo responded and quickly went over to extend his hand, "Here, Mom, let me help you carry it."

Wu Yulan handed him the dishes, looked him over a few times, and then asked, "Why didn't you bring your girlfriend with you for dinner?"

"You've only just met, how can you bring her home? You should date her for at least six months to a year before bringing her home, right?"

"A year!?"

Wu Yulan was clearly unable to accept this timing, and even raised her voice several decibels as she began to nag, "When your father and I got married, I went to your father's house the day after we met on a blind date, and then we finalized the marriage. And look at you, you've known them for a whole month..."

"Yes, yes, you two are fast, but can things be the same now as they were back then? Dating is not the same as marriage now. Dating is dating, and marriage is marriage."

As Chen Shuo carried the groceries toward the kitchen, he continued, "It's only when you're dating and you find that the person is alright and you can get married that you go to meet your parents together."

"What if you find out later in the conversation that this person isn't right for you?"

"If it doesn't work out, just break up, then find someone else and keep dating until you find the right one."

"So what do you think of this one you're talking about? Is it possible to get married?" Wu Yulan was concerned about this. She heard people outside say every day that there are tens of millions more boys than girls now, and it's not easy for boys to find partners. If they don't hurry up, they'll be stuck being bachelors.

This made her feel uneasy, and she just wanted Chen Shuo to get married as soon as possible.

This shows that anxiety is not only sold to young people, but also to housewives with sons.

"We've only known each other for a month, how can it be so fast? Getting to know someone takes time."

Chen Shuo put the groceries in the kitchen and continued to make up stories, "You can't see results all at once. You have to go out for meals, watch movies, go shopping, and spend six months to a year getting to know someone properly and decide if she's right for you."

Wu Yulan tied on her apron, thought about it and felt that what the young man said made sense. She instructed him, "If you feel it's not a good match, break up with him quickly. Don't waste his time or yours. I'll ask someone to arrange another blind date for you."

"Why go on blind dates? Have you forgotten the blind date you set me up with last time? He smokes and drinks, and he's more manly than my dad."

Chen Shuo utterly detests blind dates; the thought of two strangers sitting together and discussing such an intimate topic as marriage is incredibly awkward.

"Besides, only people who can't find a partner go on blind dates. It's not like I'm unwanted."

What does it mean that people who can't find a partner go on blind dates?

Upon hearing this, Wu Yulan became displeased and wanted to hit him with a spatula. "When I was young, I had so many suitors. The line of men could stretch from the village entrance to the supply and marketing cooperative. Later, I went on a blind date, and that's how I met your dad."

"Okay, then people who can find partners can go on blind dates, but nowadays everyone values ​​free love, so who would go on blind dates? I'm not going."

"........"

Chen Shuo was kicked out of the kitchen, which suited him perfectly. He then went to the living room and sat down with Chen Jianwen, who was watching TV.

The TV was showing a program called "Lecture Room," where a white-haired professor was giving a long and eloquent speech about a turning point in history: the Treaty of Chanyuan.

Chen Shuo glanced at it twice and then stopped paying attention, turning his gaze to Chen Jianwen. His father was much more handsome than the professor on TV, and he wondered when he would be able to go in and give a speech.

Chen Jianwen frowned when he saw that the guy was staring at him, and turned his head to say, "Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

"Dad, were there supply and marketing cooperatives back in the 90s?"

"Yes, the supply and marketing cooperatives were not abolished until the early 2000s, but a large portion of them had already been eliminated in the 1990s."

Chen Jianwen gave a brief explanation, and then asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to ask this?"

"No, it's what my mom just told me. She said that when she was young, the number of men who pursued her could stretch from the village entrance to the supply and marketing cooperative."

"Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. She has an urban household registration, so where would she find a village entrance?"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Take Care of Your Health

The sound of cooking in the kitchen continued until after 7 p.m. before finally stopping.

Several dishes were also served on the table, four dishes and a soup, which was already considered a rare feast for Chen Shuo.

Heaven knows what kind of life he's been living lately. Although the cat-eared girl in the house has improved her cooking skills, her cooking preferences are really hard to describe. She often burns or scorches food.

Chen Shuo held his bowl and buried his head in his rice, not saying a word, tears streaming down his face. This was the taste of his mother's cooking, so delicious.

Seeing him wolfing down his food, Wu Yulan had originally wanted to see a picture of his girlfriend, but she hadn't thought about it anymore. She felt sorry for her son. She had heard people say that dating is expensive these days, and seeing this, it was really true. Look how hungry this kid is, he probably can't even afford to eat.

Seeing this, Chen Jianwen couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Young people just don't know how to restrain themselves. Without making a sound, he picked up a bowl and ladled a bowl of pork rib soup for Chen Shuo, placing it in front of him and saying, "Here, have some soup."

"Thank you, Dad..."

Chen Shuo chewed his food and mumbled his thanks, but when he saw the layer of goji berries floating in his bowl, he fell silent.

Seeing this, Wu Yulan reached out and pinched Chen Jianwen's waist, complaining, "The child is starving, why did you scoop all those goji berries from the pot into his bowl? Will those goji berries fill him up?"

"......"

The old man twitched his lips and remained silent, secretly glaring at Chen Shuo. However, Wu Yulan saw this scene clearly. "What are you trying to do with those eyes that are glaring like a donkey's testicles?"

"cough...."

Hearing this, Chen Shuo couldn't help but cough to suppress the feeling of choking; he was a little confused.

Logically speaking, my mother is a town resident and shouldn't have seen many donkeys, yet 80% of her swear words are related to donkeys.

He then picked up the soup and took a couple of sips, then made up an excuse: "Mom, I've been staying up late every night writing lately, and my eyes are a bit dry, so I need to replenish them with goji berries. I was just talking to Dad about this, so he scooped out so many goji berries for me."

"Can goji berries cure eye problems?"

"Hmm." Chen Jianwen nodded, picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth, and said calmly, "According to the 'Compendium of Materia Medica,' wolfberries are sweet and neutral, and have the effects of moisturizing the lungs and clearing the liver, dispelling wind and improving eyesight. They can indeed treat eye problems."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yulan asked in confusion, "Did you forget something? I remember goji berries are for nourishing the kidneys, aren't they?"

"Mom, tonifying the kidneys is only a small part of the effects of goji berries. Their main effects are moisturizing the lungs, clearing the liver, and improving eyesight," Chen Shuo interjected.

"Oh, I see..."

Wu Yulan nodded in realization, then couldn't help but scrutinize the father and son, feeling that the two were acting strangely today, always going back and forth like this.

After dinner, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening, and the night was deep. Wu Yulan cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash. Chen Jianwen sat on the sofa with a cup of hot tea and watched TV. Chen Shuo looked around and, seeing that there was nothing else to do, prepared to go home.

"Dad, Mom, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. You two should get some rest."

"Okay, you should go back and get some rest too, and take care of yourself," Chen Jianwen replied without even looking up.

"Be careful... okay, I'll be careful."

Thinking of his mother in the kitchen, Chen Shuo couldn't explain and could only nod helplessly.

As he spoke, he stepped to the door and was about to open it when Wu Yulan stopped him.

"Hey, wait a minute." Wu Yulan poked half her body out of the kitchen and said to Chen Jianwen, "Old Chen, transfer some money to your son."

"Transfer what money?" Chen Jianwen was taken aback.

Chen Shuo was also taken aback, "Yeah, what money are you transferring?"

Seeing this, Wu Yulan simply came out of the kitchen, wiped her hands and said, "Dating now is different from when we were young. It's more expensive. Look at how he ate today, like he was starving. He must not have had a decent meal in the last few days. Transfer some money to him."

“He earns more than me in a month, why is he turning around?”

Chen Jianwen was unhappy. He had worked hard for a month, giving lectures and earning a meager living, and he had to hand over half of it. Where would he get the money to transfer to him?

Besides, was he hungry?

I was too embarrassed to point it out to him.

Chen Shuo touched his nose, feeling that his mother was right. She was indeed his mother. He hadn't had a proper meal in a while, mainly because Bai Xiaoqi's cooking skills were truly indescribable. She could accept burning or charring food, but she just happened to like sweet food.

Using sugar instead of salt all the time, who can stand that?

Later, I simply taught her how to make sweet and sour pork tenderloin and sweet and sour spare ribs. And these days she's been eating sweet and sour food every meal, and damn, I feel like I can't stand it anymore.

She seemed to be enjoying her meal, but even her burp tasted sweet and sour.

"Mom, I don't want money. My girlfriend is very frugal. When we go out to eat, we always go to small roadside restaurants. Today, I haven't eaten all day because I was busy, so I ate a little too quickly tonight."