Chapter 164

After finally marrying the woman he had pined for half his life, top attorney Liang Yi was riding high on love. He practically floated when he walked, and if he had his way, he’d clock in at work just to turn around and rush home to his wife.

He even wanted Wei Sheng to move in and live with them.

Now that he’d stepped up as a stepfather, Liang Yi quickly embraced the role. After the successful proposal, he had the villa he’d bought earlier completely redecorated. The previously empty upper floor was remodeled, and the largest suite was set aside for Wei Sheng. It came with a private walk-in closet, en-suite bathroom, and even a small study so Wei Sheng could work from home comfortably.

Thinking the boy was old enough to need his own space, Liang Yi even had a fingerprint lock installed on the suite door. Once Wei Sheng registered his fingerprint, only the housekeeper would be able to enter for cleaning. No one else would have access.

But Wei Sheng politely declined the offer.

He accepted the new room, but didn’t move in right away.

Come on! Now that he had encouraged his mom to pursue her own happiness, how could he turn around and become the third wheel?

Hu Qianqian was already a bit shy. How could she possibly relax and be affectionate with Lawyer Liang in front of her son?

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Wei Sheng had to face the truth—there were some kinds of companionship and love that he, as a son, simply couldn’t give his mother.

She had raised him all these years, sacrificing half her life. The rest of her journey should finally belong to her.

Still, Hu Qianqian couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that her son didn’t want to live with them. When she was alone, she often sighed, the house feeling a little too quiet and empty.

Liang Yi, ever quick-witted, immediately came up with a way to cheer up his wife.

“How about we skip the honeymoon in Yadu and go to Langshan instead? We can visit Wei Sheng on set.”

“I heard the area they’re filming in has all kinds of lively town fairs, with great food and fun things to do. We can go enjoy ourselves for a few days! Once Wei Sheng wraps up filming and the weather gets colder, we can take a trip to Hainan with both families.”

Hu Qianqian was instantly tempted.

She had no regrets about marrying Liang Yi. Whether before or after the wedding, he had proven himself to be a truly good man. Honestly, even if she could go back ten years to her younger, unmarried self, she couldn’t guarantee she’d find someone as outstanding as Liang Yi.

People say second marriages can’t compare to first ones, but for Hu Qianqian, it was only after remarrying that she truly experienced what a harmonious marriage felt like.

Liang Yi was incredibly attentive. He wasn’t the type to insist a woman should return to the home and focus solely on husband and children after marriage. On the contrary, he fully supported Hu Qianqian continuing to run her shop. Every morning, after breakfast at home, he’d drive her to work. They had lunch separately, and in the evening, he’d pick her up after buying groceries.

Originally, Liang Yi had planned to hire a live-in housekeeper to ease her workload. But after discovering that Hu Qianqian actually enjoyed doing housework herself, he dropped the idea.

Now, after work, the couple would cook together and do a bit of cleaning. Sure enough, sharing chores brought them even closer. The once-reserved Hu Qianqian had even started yelling at him now and then when she got flustered.

They were newlyweds, sweet and inseparable, but Hu Qianqian couldn’t help feeling guilty toward her son. She felt like her current happiness had come at the cost of Wei Sheng’s self-sacrifice. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he move in with them?

Still, if her son wouldn’t come to her, she could go to him. Compared to a dreamy island honeymoon, seeing her son was far more important!

Liang Yi, the boss of his own firm, shamelessly gave himself a ten-day vacation and whisked his wife off to Langshan for their “honeymoon.”

But he gave Wei Sheng a different explanation.

Liang Yi claimed he was heading to Forked Ridge to gather inspiration for the upcoming TV adaptation of New Song of Sending Off the Lover.

Honestly, it was a flawless excuse. After all, Wei Sheng still needed to stay on good terms with Teacher Wang Wu, the golden screenwriter. Their company’s shareholders had poured a lot of money into producing the drama, and everyone had high hopes for it. Whether it would actually turn out well depended entirely on the script.

“If you’re going there to do research, will I be in the way? Maybe I should just wander around on my own while you work?” Hu Qianqian asked, a little hesitant.

She had clearly discovered Liang Yi’s secret online identity. The fact that she had married her favorite author made her heart flutter like a schoolgirl’s.

Ah~ It might be a little shameless to say, but she’d rather not sleep in the same bed with her husband if it meant Teacher Wang Wu would update with ten thousand words a day!

If he dared skip updates, no dinner for him! Hehe~

Liang Yi steered with one hand and affectionately patted Hu Qianqian’s hand with the other. “No need. With you by my side, I might even get more inspiration. Did you know? The show Wei Sheng’s company commissioned me to write is a modern-day rural romance drama…”

“Rural romance?” Hu Qianqian blinked.

“Pfft! Hahaha, yeah, you could call it that,” Liang Yi laughed heartily.

He wasn’t exactly aiming to write a classic like Country Love Story, but Hu Qianqian’s offhand comment had actually sparked an idea. Maybe he could make the show just a little more fun?

Wei Sheng had assumed Liang Yi was just using the research trip as an excuse to sneak in a honeymoon. But when he saw the man actually bring along his laptop for writing, he was speechless.

Should he praise Teacher Wang Wu for his dedication, or complain that his stepfather was too dedicated—working even during his honeymoon?

And then there was his mom… Alright, Hu Qianqian looked absolutely smitten, clearly in awe of Teacher Wang Wu’s talent. She might even encourage Liang Yi to stay up late and write more chapters.

Forget it. If they were both happy, who was he to get in the way?

Hu Qianqian hadn’t seen her son in days. She was both excited and a little guilty, and for the moment, forgot all about nagging “Teacher Wang Wu” to update. She quickly pulled out all the ingredients she’d brought from home, ready to cook a nice dinner for Wei Sheng.

The crew had rented housing from local villagers. Knowing his mom was coming, Wei Sheng had asked the village chief to help him rent a separate, unused house nearby so the family could stay together. Rent here was dirt cheap—just two thousand yuan a year—so he paid for six months upfront. That way, after filming wrapped, he could come back from time to time to check on the progress of the e-commerce incubation platform.

The house was an old timber structure. Upstairs was a bedroom, and downstairs, from left to right, were the kitchen, main hall, and storage room. Out back was a pigsty, though the village chief said the family had been working out of town for years, so the pigsty had long been empty.

“Been years since I cooked on a wood-burning stove!” Hu Qianqian rolled up her sleeves and started washing the pots, ready to cook. Wei Sheng crouched by the hearth to tend the fire, while Liang Yi took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, filled a bucket with hot water, and went upstairs to clean the bedroom.

“Mom! You and Uncle Liang… getting along okay?” Wei Sheng poked his head out from under the stove like a gossiping auntie, curious about his mom’s second marriage.

Hu Qianqian blushed and stammered, “W-we’re doing alright. Your Uncle Liang is a good man…”

Seeing her expression, Wei Sheng understood everything. Damn, the guy really was a top-tier lawyer. They hadn’t even been married that long, and he already had his mom wrapped around his finger.

Still, seeing that Liang Yi wasn’t the domineering type and even jumped in to do housework as soon as they arrived, Wei Sheng gave a subtle nod of approval. He didn’t press his mom further about their relationship and instead started chatting about the local market culture in Forked Ridge.

He couldn’t care less whether Liang Yi was here for inspiration or to write a script. Since they were using a honeymoon trip as a gimmick, then he might as well keep Madam Hu properly company!

“Mom, do you remember when you used to take me to the rural market fairs when I was little? Let me tell you, every township around Langshan has its own market fair! But they’re not held every day. It’s kind of an unspoken rule—each township usually has three or four fairs a month.”

“On market days, villagers from nearby areas bring their homegrown goods to sell. You can find all kinds of delicious food and fun stuff. These mountains are rich in wild traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. You can go treasure hunting for some quality finds—great for gifts or to keep and use yourself. And they’re way cheaper than what you’d get at a pharmacy.”

“When you go to the market, make sure to go on an empty stomach. On fair days, the whole town is filled with food stalls from morning till afternoon—you won’t be able to finish trying everything!”

“The last time I went with my coworkers, we had beef rice noodles and fried sticky rice cakes in the morning. Then we found out the sticky rice here is amazing too. There’s even a noodle soup with pork intestines and spicy duck blood, beef meat pies, lamb meat pies, deep-fried glutinous rice cakes, crispy potatoes, sweet tofu pudding… If you sample a bit of everything, you won’t have to repeat a single dish all day.”

Wei Sheng had always been a smooth talker. With his vivid descriptions, Hu Qianqian was instantly filled with anticipation for the Langshan market fairs.

That evening, Hu Qianqian cooked a pot of Wei Sheng’s favorite smoked pork and pea rice, along with a hearty pork rib and corn soup. She also made stir-fried lettuce with pork slices, a bowl of mapo tofu, braised ribbonfish, blistered green peppers, and sweet-and-sour prawns. Worried it might not be enough, she even dug into her suitcase and pulled out some homemade pickled chili lemon chicken feet, savory duck wings, and crispy pork trotters she’d brought from home.

“I heard the crew meals aren’t great. While I’m here, just tell me whatever you want to eat. Uncle Liang and I can easily go out and buy groceries,” Hu Qianqian said, looking at her son with concern.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d lost weight again.

“Looking slim makes me look better on camera, Mom~ Don’t worry about me. You finally get a chance to travel—go have fun with Uncle Liang! I’ve been dieting for the shoot anyway. Once filming wraps, you can fatten me up again,” Wei Sheng said as he picked up his bowl and started eating in small bites.

“Why are you dieting again? Weren’t you supposed to be filming a rural romance this time?” Hu Qianqian frowned.

“Pfft—cough cough cough!” Wei Sheng choked and sprayed a mouthful of smoked pork sticky rice.

What the heck? Who said he was filming a rural romance?

Liang Yi struggled to hold back his laughter on the side.

A love story set in a remote village—calling it a rural romance wasn’t exactly wrong, was it?

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes

• *Country Love Story*: Country Love Story (乡村爱情故事) is a long-running Chinese TV series franchise that began in 2008, depicting humorous stories of romance, family, and daily life in a rural village, serving as a benchmark for rural-themed dramas.