Chapter 21: The First Meeting

  After work, Ye Ziran rode his bike back to his dormitory.

  Two years ago, the township government built a six-story residential building in the "Kangjia Community" adjacent to the government office building, using the second and third floors as dormitories. After Ye Zhenran became the deputy head of the township, the dormitory was changed from one room and one hall to two rooms and one hall. Every day after work, he would habitually return to the dormitory, put down his bag, and then go to Ye's old house for dinner.

  As she walked to the stairs, Ye Ziran was surprised to see her parents carrying big and small bags coming over.

  "Dad and Mom, how did you get here? You didn't even call?" Ye Zhenran asked.

  "Let's take a look at what you've been busy with all day and night, never even coming home." Ye Mu said with feigned anger.

  Ye Ziran hastily walked forward and took something from her parents' hands, asking: "Mom, what's going on? Is Dad taking a leave of absence tomorrow?"

  "Your father has taken a day off and your sister introduced a girl, very pretty, she's a teacher. I brought the photo for you to see."

  "Go inside and talk," Ye Mu said discontentedly, interrupting the conversation.

  After entering the house and sitting down, Ye Zhenran poured tea for her parents. Her mother hastily took out a photo and exclaimed, "A Ran, don't bother pouring tea, take a look, this girl is so beautiful, just like a fairy." Her mother looked at the photo with a happy expression.

  Ye Ziran didn't dare to lightly brush off his mother's good intentions, so he took it and looked at it. It's no wonder his parents were anxious, as people in the suburbs get married early. His older brother had already been married for four years, and his son was over two years old, while his younger sister got married two years ago. At his age, there weren't many people who hadn't gotten married yet.

  "Mom, what's the hurry? I'm only 26," Ye Zhenran said with a smile. Ye Zhenran had contracted a serious illness in junior high school and took two years off from school, making him two years older than his classmates. Because of this, he worked hard to improve his physical fitness in high school and joined the school's martial arts team for training.

  "What's with twenty-six, twenty-eight?" His father glared at him.

  Ye Ziran was referring to his actual age, while his father was talking about "virtual age". He was born in December and according to the "virtual age" he is already 28.

  "Tell me, how's the girl?" Ye Mu excitedly looked at Ye Zhenran and said with praise: "She's a middle school teacher! Ah Ran, you've found a treasure!" Then she grinned from ear to ear, as if she had really picked up a treasure.

  Ye Ziran lowered his head and took a look at the photo. The girl in the photo had curly hair, clear eyebrows, and a dignified appearance. She was indeed quite good-looking. He felt a bit embarrassed. His parents had rushed here after taking a three-hour car ride, pinning all their hopes on this one photo. But he had only thought of Yang Ying in his heart before, and now he could only think of Nian Yue. What words could he use to comfort his parents?

  "However, work is important, but lifelong events are also urgent. Your age should also consider finding a partner. If you don't get married after thirty, your future career will be affected." Yefu saw his son looking at the photo without speaking and knew he was still not very happy.

  "Dad, marriage is a lifelong matter, so be cautious, one photo can't solve the problem."

  "I'm not asking you to marry her right away, it's just a meeting. Besides, even if you're willing, the girl may not necessarily look up to you. Now I just hope you two can meet and get to know each other." Ye Mu was unusually patient.

  This remark was hard to refuse, Ye Zhenran hesitated, thinking about how to respond.

  Just as he was thinking, the door was suddenly pushed open and a soft scolding voice was heard: "Wooden head, you......" It turned out that Zhang Nianyue had burst in. As it turned out, Ye Zhenran hadn't gone to the Ye family's old house for dinner because of drinking for two consecutive days, which made Zhang Nianyue angry. Today, seeing that Ye Zhenran didn't arrive at the normal time, she rode her bike over to see what was going on.

  She went upstairs and saw that Ye Zhenran's dormitory door was ajar, so she pushed it open and scolded him. But before she had finished speaking, she saw two middle-aged people sitting in the room talking to Ye Zhenran, and was startled, quickly covering her mouth with her hand, staring at the three people in shock.

  Ye Zhenran couldn't help but sigh inwardly: beauties are indeed beauties, every move they make leaves people with endless aftertastes. He saw Nian Yue storm in, scolding, and hastily shut her mouth, eyes wide with surprise, hand covering the small, red, and tender mouth that had opened wide, the entire movement smooth and uninterrupted, paired with her delicate, weak, and extremely beautiful face, like a close-up shot etched into Ye Zhenran's heart.

  Compared with Zhang Nianyue's surprise, Ye Ziran's parents were even more surprised.

  The two of them stared at this beautiful and unexpected guest, their eyes wide with wonder, frozen in place like a TV screen grab. In their hearts, they were secretly thinking: Is this a celestial maiden? Probably even celestial maidens don't have skin as fair and delicate as this. Is the celestial maiden Ah Ran's friend? Probably even after hundreds of lifetimes of cultivating karma, one couldn't cultivate such good fortune.

  The house was silent for at least half a minute.

  "Yeh's first reaction was to introduce him, saying: 'Mom and Dad, this is Nian Yue, my... classmate.'"

  Ye's parents had yet to recover from their shock, mumbling unclearly and saying something incoherent.

  "Yue, this is my parents, they came to see me."

  Zhang Nianyue woke up from her surprise and became a well-behaved girl, saying: "Good Ye Dad, good Ye Mom."

  Ye Mu was still in shock and hadn't reacted yet. Ye Fu, who had a better composure, replied: "Alright, alright." He casually put the photo into his pocket.

  "I came to call Mù Tóu home for dinner, afraid he would go out drinking again." Zhāng Niàn Yuè explained.

  "Nian Yue, my parents are here today, shall we go out and eat together?" Ye Zhenran took over the conversation, asking for her opinion.

  "Okay, I'll call Grandpa." Nian Yue said obediently.

  The four of them went out and headed towards "Wangshan Building", the wine building was not far away, and it would take about ten minutes to walk.

  "Wooden, who did you drink with last night?" Zhang Nianyue asked on the way.

  "Secretary Qin, Vice Secretary Wang, and Deputy Director Wu of the County Economic Committee." Ye Zhenran replied.

  "Are you drunk?"

  "There isn't." Ye Zhen said hastily.

  "Why didn't you call me after you got back to your dorm?" There's a public phone in the dorm.

  "I'm afraid it's late and I don't want to disturb Old Ye's rest." Ye Zhenran explained softly.

  Listening to Nian Yue affectionately calling Ye Zhenran "Wooden Head" in a soft voice, Ye's father and mother secretly delighted in their hearts. The two elders looked at Nian Yue walking beside them, then glanced at Ye Zhenran, thinking to themselves: "No wonder! No wonder!" But they also worried, would Ah Ran be able to handle such an ethereal girl?

  Arriving at the entrance of the restaurant, Ye Zhenran saw Zhang Liren and his wife bringing their son to eat as well. He greeted them: "Liren, sister-in-law, let's have dinner together."

  Yang Hongmei saw Ye's parents and exclaimed, "Ah! Uncle Ye, Auntie Ye, what brings you here?" Then she glanced at Nianyue and said with a hint of surprise, "You're having a family dinner today? We'd be in the way if we join in."

  Mother hurriedly stepped forward and warmly grasped Yang Hongmei's hand: "No trouble, sister-in-law, let's eat together."

  When Yang Hongmei spoke jokingly, Ye Zhenran glanced at Zhang Nianyue and saw that she was slightly red in the face, but didn't have an unpleasant expression. He felt much more at ease and turned to ask Zhang Liping: "What's wrong?"

  Zhang Liren knew who he was talking about, nodded and said: "Got it, no problem."

  Seven people sat around the table, Zhang Nianyue sat between Ye Mu and Ye Zheran, after sitting down, she used a napkin to wipe the bowls and chopsticks in front of Ye Fu and Ye Mu, a perfect image of a little housewife. Yang Hongmei's eyes widened in surprise, her face full of disbelieving expressions, her gaze shifted to Ye Zheran, revealing a small admiring look, as if saying: "I didn't expect it from you, great job."

  Ye Ziran suppressed his excitement and quickly ordered the dishes. He was a regular at "Wang Shan Lou" and had tried all the dishes several times, so he knew exactly what he liked and finished ordering in just a few minutes.

  Ye Ziran ordered dishes while Ye Fu and Zhang Liren chatted: "Little Zhang, Ah Ran is young and far away from home. Is there anything you can help him with?"

  "Uncle Ye, Ye Chang is now my superior," Zhang Liren said hastily.

  "He?" Ye Mu turned his head to look at his son. He couldn't understand the hierarchy between the police station chief and the deputy township head, feeling that the police station chief was a very powerful official. "After all, he's still just a kid."

  In parents' minds, those who are unmarried are all "little kids".

  "Uncle Ye, Ye Chang is a top student at J University and a reserve cadre in the city. His future prospects are much better than mine, and I'll still need to rely on him for help in the future." Zhang Liren said with a smile to Ye's father.

  "He dare not help you!" Ye Fu said with a majestic tone, showing his parental authority. In fact, after hearing Zhang Liren's words, he was proud of his son in his heart and had a very relaxed expression on his face.

  What about Ye Mu? From the moment she saw Zhang Nianyue, her mouth was slightly open, maintaining a joyful expression. She looked at Nianyue sitting elegantly beside her, wiping dry the bowls with her delicate white hands, and felt more than 100% satisfied. When the dishes arrived, she began to continuously put food into Nianyue's bowl, filling it up in no time, leaving Zhang Nianyue unsure of where to start eating. Fortunately, she was quick-witted, pretending to care about Ye Zhenran, and scooped out the dishes she didn't like from her own bowl into his, saying: "Wooden head, you've had a hard day, come, treat yourself, eat more."

  Ye Ziran's heart was filled with joy, and he devoured the dishes one by one, saying: "Mmm, the dishes you picked are delicious."

  Yang Hongmei burst out laughing with a "heh" sound. Ye Mu quickly served Yang Hongmei some dishes, saying: "Sister-in-law, eat some food, eat some food."

  This meal, the most satisfying was Ye Zhenran's father. Seeing Zhang Nianyue and his son's close relationship, and hearing Zhang Liren say that his son had a bright future ahead of him, he felt both happy and proud. However, as an old worker in a state-owned factory, he had seen many things and warned his son for the sake of his future: "Aran, now society is not good, you must remember, when you become an official, don't engage in corruption."

  "Dad, don't worry, I won't," Ye Zhenran said.

  "It's not just economic corruption." Zhang Nianyue glanced at Ye Zhenran and continued.

  "In life, I won't be corrupt either." Ye Zhenran smiled and promised Nian Yue.

  "Hmm, if you're corrupt, be careful......" Zhang Nianyue stretched out his hand and made a "scissor" gesture with his index and middle fingers.

  Yang Hongmei loudly said out loud the implication of Nian Yue's action: "Ka Cha", and looked at Zhang Liren with a domineering attitude.

  Ye Ziran and Zhang Liren immediately turned black with anger.

  Ye Ziran's parents didn't understand what was going on, but looking at the expressions of several people, they knew it wasn't anything good. So they kept serving dishes to each person, saying: "Eat, eat, don't waste it."