Chapter 59

Her home was so warm.

No wonder she was so kind.

—Zhang Lurang

—

Two days later, it happened to be Sunday.

Zhang Lurang had arranged the time with Su Zai Zai in advance and arrived early in the morning for his visit.

He stood at the door for a moment, his eyebrows carrying a hint of nervousness.

The next second, Zhang Lurang curved his lips slightly and reached out to press the doorbell on the right side of the door.

Almost at the same time, the door opened from the inside, and Su Zai Zai peeked her head out.

She grinned and grabbed his wrist, pulling him inside.

Standing in the entryway, Zhang Lurang glanced inside.

A middle-aged man sat on the sofa, looking in his direction with a gentle smile on his face.

A middle-aged woman walked out of the kitchen, holding a plate of fruit in her hands. She happened to see Zhang Lurang and smiled. “Lurang is here? Come in and sit.”

Zhang Lurang had just finished changing into the indoor slippers Su Zai Zai handed him. He then walked over to the coffee table.

He reached out and handed over the gift he brought, his tone respectful and humble. “Uncle, Auntie, hello.”

Father Su stood up, took the gift from him, and placed it on the coffee table. “Have a seat.”

Zhang Lurang nodded and sat on the adjacent sofa.

Like a little tail, Su Zai Zai quietly sat beside him.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Lurang was about to say something when Mother Su suddenly leaned closer to Father Su’s ear and whispered, “He looks even better than in the photos.”

Su Zai Zai immediately interjected, “Mom, you’re too loud!”

Hearing this, Zhang Lurang was momentarily stunned, his face heating up slightly.

The slightly awkward atmosphere instantly eased.

Father Su, with a hint of amusement in his voice, poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Zhang Lurang. “Zai Zai mentioned your family is in B City?”

“Yes.” Zhang Lurang thought for a moment before adding, “My parents are there, but I live in Z City with my uncle.”

“Will you be going back to B City for work in the future?” Father Su asked casually.

Zhang Lurang had already considered this and answered directly, “No, I will work in Z City. After graduation, I plan to settle down here.”

“Do your parents know?”

“Yes, I’ve mentioned it to them, and they agree.”

Father Su seemed to have no more questions and simply sighed. “I can’t believe our little princess has found someone.”

Hearing this, Su Zai Zai couldn’t hold back. “Dad, how can you say it like that?”

Zhang Lurang, however, was completely focused on the words “little princess.” He paused and solemnly said, “I will take good care of her.”

After that, Father Su and Mother Su shifted the conversation to other topics, mostly about Su Zai Zai’s childhood.

Zhang Lurang listened carefully, the corners of his lips subtly lifted the entire time.

—

After lunch, considering that the two elders might want to rest, Zhang Lurang didn’t want to overstay and decided to take his leave.

Su Zai Zai changed her clothes and left with him.

On the way, Zhang Lurang was unusually quiet.

Su Zai Zai blinked and asked seriously, “What’s wrong? My parents really like you.”

He seemed deep in thought, staring into the distance with a neutral expression.

After a while, Zhang Lurang finally spoke. “Do you think I did well?”

Su Zai Zai didn’t quite understand what he meant, assuming he was looking for praise and affirmation.

So she enthusiastically complimented him, “You were practically the perfect son-in-law! Super impressive! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve met parents hundreds of times before.”

Zhang Lurang’s lips twitched.

He turned his head, looking down at her, his eyes filled with amusement and anticipation.

“So… you have experience now?”

Caught off guard, Su Zai Zai was momentarily stunned and dumbly nodded.

“Then, how about meeting my uncle next week?” Zhang Lurang licked his lips and continued, “In a few days, you might have your interview, so there won’t be time to visit my parents in B City. Maybe we can go during winter break or next summer?”

His tone carried a hint of urgency, leaving Su Zai Zai slightly unprepared.

“Winter break, okay? Once you’re free, we’ll go.”

Seeing him like this, Su Zai Zai suddenly smiled, unable to suppress the grin on her lips.

She looked at Zhang Lurang and answered solemnly, “Okay.”

Both of them were trying so hard to integrate each other into their lives.

And there was nothing wrong with that.

—

During the winter break of the following year, before the New Year, Su Zai Zai went to B City with Zhang Lurang.

Zhang Lu Li had also just returned from abroad a few days prior.

The once empty house instantly became lively with a few more people around.

Because of this, Father and Mother Zhang seemed to be in a particularly good mood.

After dinner, everyone sat on the sofa, chatting.

Mother Zhang, smiling, held Su Zai Zai’s hand and asked, “You and Lurang are in your third year now, right? He mentioned he wants to start working directly. What about you? Will you pursue graduate studies or start working?”

Su Zai Zai lowered her head to think for a moment before replying, “I plan to start working right away too.”

Zhang Lurang picked up the teapot on the table, slowly pouring tea as he reiterated, “Both of us will be working in Z City, and we’ll settle down there in the future.”

Father Zhang had no objections and simply said, “Just remember to come home whenever you can.”

Hearing this, Zhang Lurang’s hand paused slightly before he softly replied, “Okay.”

Beside them, Zhang Lu Li took a sip of tea and casually asked, “I’ll be back in two years. Bro, when are you planning to get married? Do you want me as your groomsman? Won’t I steal the spotlight from you?”

Zhang Lurang seriously thought about it for a moment. “Then forget it.”

Laughter erupted in the living room.

Moments later, Mother Zhang pulled Su Zai Zai toward the room, saying, “Zai Zai, come with me. Let me show you Lurang’s childhood photos.”

Zhang Lurang instinctively stood up, wanting to follow.

Father Zhang suddenly called out to him in a stiff tone, “The tea is empty.”

Zhang Lu Li gave him a disgusted look. “Bro, you’re way too clingy.”

Zhang Lurang’s brow twitched slightly, but he didn’t say anything and sat back down.

He murmured to himself, his expression somewhat puzzled.

“Really?”

“In my experience, girls don’t like guys who are too clingy.”

Even Zhang’s father, who rarely spoke, added, “That’s true.”

Zhang Lurang licked his lips and said in a low voice, “But she seems to like it.”

—

Inside the room, Zhang’s mother sat Su Zai Zai down by the bed and took out two thick photo albums from the bookshelf.

She was in high spirits. When she turned to one particular photo, she pointed at it and laughed. “Arang and Ali are only a year and a half apart, so a lot of people used to ask if they were twins.”

Su Zai Zai looked at the photo.

Zhang Lurang was around seven or eight years old in the picture, grinning so widely that his mouth nearly reached his ears. Standing beside him was Zhang Luli, mirroring his expression exactly. Looking at them like this, they really did seem like twins.

She had never seen Zhang Lurang make such an exaggerated expression before.

Somehow, it was contagious—she couldn’t help but smile too.

“Arang never liked studying when he was younger,” Zhang’s mother reminisced. “He used to play outside with his classmates until seven or eight in the evening. Even when his younger brother wanted to tag along, he wouldn’t let him.”

“Later on, when his brother started skipping grades in fourth grade, his father and I probably started to change our mindset, and Arang’s personality slowly changed as well.”

“By the time his brother got into B University at fifteen, he even made the news.”

Su Zai Zai listened quietly, taking in every word.

“A lot of relatives called to praise him. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. His uncle told me many times, but I never felt like I had done anything wrong.”

“After Arang went to college, he never came home again.” Zhang’s mother’s voice grew choked, her gaze fixed on the photos in the album. “Neither did Ali. I thought he was close to me, but he never called me.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and finally spilled over as she covered them with one hand.

“So I was wrong all along.”

Su Zai Zai placed a hand over hers, unsure what to say. “Auntie…”

“My two children… because of me and their father… have never been truly happy.”

“I thought I had given them a good life, but it turns out I hadn’t.”

“It turns out… only their father and I thought it was good.”

Su Zai Zai’s nose tingled, and she gently patted Zhang’s mother on the back.

“Auntie, Zhang Lurang is doing really well now.”

“You don’t have to be sad. Everything will get better.”

Everything…

—

It was getting late. After saying goodbye to Zhang’s parents, Su Zai Zai prepared to return to the hotel for the night.

Zhang Lurang took his father’s car keys and left with her.

After getting into the car, he didn’t start it right away.

After a moment of silence, he couldn’t help but ask, “What did my mom say to you?”

“Nothing much, she just showed me your childhood photos.” Su Zai Zai widened her eyes as she recalled. “Lurang, your mouth was HUGE when you were a kid.”

Zhang Lurang: “……”

He glanced at her before finally starting the car.

Su Zai Zai leaned her elbow against the car window, watching the scenery blur past outside.

The sky had already darkened, carrying a faint sense of oppression.

Amidst the silence, she suddenly asked in a soft voice, “Do you still resent your parents?”

Hearing this, Zhang Lurang was visibly stunned for a moment, but he quickly answered, “Not really.”

It wasn’t quite resentment, but it wasn’t forgiveness either.

More than anything, it was just… impossible to be close again.

Su Zai Zai didn’t comment further and instead changed the topic.

“Let’s not have kids in the future.” She said it half-jokingly.

Zhang Lurang didn’t respond, as if waiting for her to continue.

“Because I’d definitely only dote on you.”

At her words, Zhang Lurang’s lips curled slightly. He replied, “Then the poor kid would really have no one to love them.”