149 Meeting the Parents

"There's still a bit left, which has already been shipped and will arrive in a couple of days."

Xi Yuanyuan felt a mixture of complex emotions as she sent a text message to Du Ruo, then turned around to walk back.

"What did she say?"

Seeing Du Ruo's phone light up with a reply, Yang Chenguang immediately stopped talking, stretched out his neck, and asked.

"There's still some more coming. It'll be shipped right away, so you can rest easy now. I'll have Yuanyuan adjust a fresh batch for you later."

Du Ruo glanced at his screen and replied to Yang Chenguang.

"Hehe, that's great then, that's great. By the way, how much is this wine? I'll transfer the money to you later."

Yang Chenguang was quite happy. Since Du Ruo said it was a good thing that would benefit him, he believed it. Of course, he couldn't just take it without paying.

"Forget about the money. You can't measure this stuff with cash, so just don't worry about it. Just help out around the tavern whenever you can."

Du Ruo waved his hand, not wanting to discuss the matter of money with Yang Chenguang. This stuff really wasn't a matter of price; if he set it too high, Yang Chenguang wouldn't be able to afford it given his tight budget, and setting it too low would be meaningless, so he decided to leave it at that.

Xi Yuanyuan hadn't mentioned money to him either, but he had to keep it in mind. However, thinking about his current relationship with Xi Yuanyuan, Du Ruo couldn't help feeling a mild headache coming on.

"Got it, don't you worry. If any uninvited troublemakers dare to step out of line, even if you don't say anything, the villagers won't let them off. I'll get going now. I'm going to buy some serious game these next few days, and then I'll invite you and the boss lady for a drink."

Seeing that Du Ruo refused to elaborate, Yang Chenguang immediately understood the reason. He didn't press further, got up, and walked outside.

"What a headache."

After Yang Chenguang left, Du Ruo didn't feel like looking at his phone anymore. He sat on the sofa, looking out the window, and began to zone out.

"Ding~~"

"Son, we've boarded the high-speed train. We'll arrive by evening."

Du Ruo glanced at his phone. Another message had come in, a voice note from his mother.

"Alright, I'll go to the high-speed railway station to pick you up tonight."

Du Ruo replied with a smile.

"No need to go through all that trouble, we can just take a cab back..."

His mother was always like that—whenever she could manage something on her own, she never wanted to cause trouble for Du Ruo or Du Na.

"Little bro, we had wild mushrooms last night, and they were unbelievably fresh! We went to the market early this morning and bought some to mail to you. Make sure you eat them as soon as you get them; those things don't keep long."

Just as Du Ruo was chatting with his mother, another message popped up.

His sister, Du Na, hadn't just sent text messages; she had also sent a bunch of pictures showcasing various kinds of wild mushrooms, along with precautions on how to cook them to avoid poisoning.

Actually, Du Ruo had already seen the videos and photos Du Na posted on her Moments yesterday, but he hadn't expected them to act so fast, eagerly eating them the very day they arrived and immediately mailing a batch to him.

"Sure enough, family is always the best harbor."

Replying to his mother and sister, Du Ruo felt a deep wave of emotion, and the lingering confusion in his mind was instantly swept away.

The future wasn't just about practicing martial arts; it was also about life and family. Perhaps he should be a bit more proactive rather than viewing these things as obstacles to his martial arts training, turning them into motivation instead.

"Du Ruo, coming over for dinner tonight? I've got fresh river shrimp, plus the ones from yesterday. I'll pan-fry them later so we can have them with drinks tonight."

Standing on the street, Xi Yuanyuan looked toward the window and waved at Du Ruo, issuing an invitation. At the same time, she held up the bucket in her hand. Right beside her, Maomao pushed open the courtyard gate by itself, trotted into the living room, and collapsed under the sofa to rest.

"Just that little bit? It's not even enough to get stuck between your teeth. But tonight probably won't work; my parents are arriving at the station this afternoon, and I have to go pick them up."

Du Ruo came out of the room, walked over to Xi Yuanyuan, and glanced into the bucket. The river shrimp and small fish combined numbered only around ten.

"If you're not eating, fine by me. There's still a bit left in the fridge from yesterday's catch, and I'll go haul in some more fish this afternoon. I'll just pan-fry them and eat by myself."

Hearing this, Xi Yuanyuan's face instantly lit up with a smile. These were fish she had caught herself, and that sense of personal accomplishment was incomparable. With that, she prepared to carry the bucket upstairs.

"Hey, Yuanyuan."

Just as Xi Yuanyuan took two steps forward, Du Ruo suddenly called out from behind.

"Huh? What is it?"

Xi Yuanyuan turned around to look at Du Ruo. Her face was still beaming with a smile, but the moment she caught his gaze, her expression suddenly froze for no apparent reason, and a wave of panic washed over her.

"How about you skip cooking tonight? Come with me to pick up my parents, and let's grab a bite outside."

Du Ruo spoke in an earnest, serious tone.

"Ah?? Okay, sure."

Xi Yuanyuan felt her heart race and her face grow warm. After a brief moment of daze, she managed a composed nod.

"Great, I'll call you when it's time to go."

Du Ruo smiled.

"Mhm, then I'm heading upstairs first."

Keeping her composure, Xi Yuanyuan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The blush on her face had faded. She nodded at Du Ruo and then hurried upstairs.

Watching her turn around, Du Ruo could see the tips of her ears glowing bright red even from behind, and the sound of her rapid heartbeat had reached him clearly from several meters away.

"Quick, quick, quick, find an outfit, find an outfit! No, I need to wash my hair first. Should I put on makeup? Let me ask Qiqi. Right, I'll video call Qiqi!"

As soon as she reached the second floor, Xi Yuanyuan completely forgot about the bucket of water. She rushed frantically around her room in a panic.

One second she was rummaging through her wardrobe for clothes, the next she was staring into the mirror, until she remembered Li Qiqi and dialed her like a lifeline.

Then followed a conversation between best friends, which gradually helped ease Xi Yuanyuan's nervous tension.

The afternoon actually passed by very quickly. Du Ruo casually grabbed some lunch, studied for a bit, and scrolled through short videos, and before he knew it, the time had flown by.

...

"Mom, Dad, over here~~"

Outside the high-speed railway station, Du Ruo waved at his parents as they walked out of the exit and stepped forward to help with the luggage.

"Huh? Son, who is this young lady?"

Ignoring Du Ruo, his mother handed her bags to him and immediately started sizing up Xi Yuanyuan standing right beside him.

"Mom, this is Yuanyuan, the owner of the tavern next to our guesthouse. We..."

Du Ruo was in the middle of introducing her, trying to figure out the right phrasing, when his mother cut right in.

"Yuanyuan, my goodness, you are so pretty! Du Ruo, you really something—I told you not to bother coming to pick us up, and you even dragged Yuanyuan along for such a long trip."

His mother clearly understood the implication of Du Ruo bringing a young woman to pick them up. She took Xi Yuanyuan's hand and began scolding Du Ruo affectionately. Her overwhelming enthusiasm made it abundantly clear how happy she was and how much she valued Xi Yuanyuan.

When a son is single, the son comes first; but once a son finds a girlfriend, the daughter-in-law takes the crown.

"Aunty, Uncle, let me help carry your bags."

Xi Yuanyuan had already passed the peak of her nervousness. Seeing that Du Ruo's mother didn't seem difficult to get along with, she relaxed, chiming in quickly and reaching out to help with the luggage.

Today's Xi Yuanyuan looked completely different from her usual bare-faced, casually dressed self. She wore light makeup that gave her a healthier glow, and a floral-patterned dress that both softened her silhouette and made her look younger and more energetic.

"No need, we can manage our own things."

Even his usually stern father cracked a grin, smiled at Xi Yuanyuan, and then casually pushed the largest suitcase toward Du Ruo.

"It's fine, Yuanyuan. Let's go. Have you eaten yet? Where are you from..."

Du Ruo's mother held onto Xi Yuanyuan's hand and refused to let go, peppering her with questions.

It was fine at first, but as she kept asking, the topic started drifting off course.

"Mom, I've already ordered dinner. The food will be delivered as soon as we get home, so we'll eat at the house."

In the car, Du Ruo glanced in the rearview mirror. Xi Yuanyuan and his mother were sitting in the back seat. Perhaps because his mother was a bit too enthusiastic and asked too many questions, Xi Yuanyuan was starting to look visibly uncomfortable. Du Ruo quickly spoke up to rescue her.

"Alright, whatever you arrange is fine. Yuanyuan, let me tell you, when Du Ruo was little..."

Without even turning her head, his mother kept a firm grip on Xi Yuanyuan's hand, clearly intending to launch right into stories about Du Ruo's childhood.

"Mom, why don't you talk about your trip to Kyoto instead? If you keep asking questions like this, Yuanyuan is going to turn as red as a steamed bun."

Realizing his mother hadn't quite caught his drift, Du Ruo decided to spell it out explicitly.

"Oh, oh! Well, these past few days, we first went to watch the flag-raising ceremony..."

At that moment, noticing Xi Yuanyuan's embarrassment and realizing she might have been coming on a bit too strong, his mother smoothly shifted gears and began recounting their travel experiences following Du Ruo's cue.

Back home, Du Ruo had already had a restaurant deliver the meal. Dinner naturally consisted of drinking and chatting.

His mother brought out some local specialties she had bought along the way and kept apologizing that she hadn't known in advance that Du Ruo was bringing Xi Yuanyuan to dinner, so she hadn't bought a proper gift for her.

Of course, she also repeatedly invited Xi Yuanyuan to come over for dinner often and taste her cooking.

The dinner table atmosphere was warm and lively. His father even brought out his treasured bottle of Kweichow Moutai, though unfortunately Xi Yuanyuan had to protect her liver—plus, she was too nervous to drink anyway, entirely overwhelmed by the mother's boundless hospitality.

The meal stretched until around ten o'clock, and finally, amid his mother's deeply reluctant farewells, the two of them were sent off to the car.

"Yuanyuan, come back for dinner often. Aunty will cook good food for you."

"Okay, Aunty. You've been on a plane all day, make sure to get some rest early."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Xi Yuanyuan waved at his mother before carefully steering the car toward the guesthouse. Since Du Ruo had been drinking, the driving duties naturally fell to Xi Yuanyuan.

"Can you actually drive? Should we just walk back instead?"

Watching Xi Yuanyuan stare rigidly ahead, gripping the steering wheel for dear life with her back ramrod straight, Du Ruo couldn't help asking.

"Stop talking, you're going to distract me! By the way, which one is the turn signal?"

Without even turning her head, Xi Yuanyuan maintained a deadly serious expression.

"The one on the left side of the steering wheel."

Watching the windshield wipers suddenly spring to life as water sprayed across the glass, Du Ruo pursed his lips and gave a cautious reply.

He had originally intended to crack a few jokes with Xi Yuanyuan, but seeing her current state of intense concentration, he wisely decided to shut his mouth.

Fortunately, the distance wasn't far—just a few minutes away—and the car arrived in front of the guesthouse shortly.

"We're home. I... I'm heading upstairs first."

Parking the car, Xi Yuanyuan kept her head down, unbuckled her seatbelt, and muttered those words before preparing to scramble out of the vehicle.

"Yuanyuan..."

Just as she unfastened her seatbelt, her hand was suddenly grabbed by Du Ruo.