Iris at Dusk

The wife of the Fifth Hospital’s president—who was also one of Mother Zhou’s mahjong partners—acted with impressive speed; she got back to them within ten minutes of Mother Zhou’s call, telling them to bring the person straight over. She had already contacted Dr. Li, and various examinations could be scheduled for that very afternoon. The situation had taken a dramatic turn. Just an hour ago, Lin Li’s parents had been grilling her and her partner; yet now, they were already at the hospital, sitting in a room that had been hastily arranged for them, waiting for the upcoming tests. Lin Li’s parents sat in the hospital room, while Lin Li and Zhou Han went out to handle the necessary paperwork. Mother Zhou did not come along, as she had to look after Xiao Bin. Lin Li’s parents sat side-by-side on the room’s sofa, their brows furrowed in deep thought. After a long silence, Mother Lin spoke first: " Lao Lin, what do you make of this?" Although they didn't spell it out, they bo...

While Lin Li was still stunned by his eyes and tone, Zhou Han had already turned his head and looked at Lin's father and mother intently, and said firmly: "Dad, mom, I did something wrong without notifying you that I married Lin Li. Please don't blame Lin Li. If you want to blame, blame me." "You..." Father Lin looked at him and said nothing for a while. “Uncle, the reason why Lin Li didn’t dare to tell you was because she was afraid that you would disagree.” Zhou Han changed his title, looked at Father Lin steadily and said, “Because I have been married and have a child, and I know that parents are reluctant to wrong their daughters so much. I can understand your feelings, and I can understand if you really don’t agree, but what I want to tell uncle and aunt is that even if you don’t agree, I will not let go!” "Won't let go even if we don't agree. You, what are you, a robber and a bandit!" Father Lin glared at him. That man is simply too a...

Mother Zhou sternly reprimanded Zhou Han: "How could you two get married —such a major life event— without notifying either set of parents? What was the point of us raising you all these years? It was simply to see you get married and have children. Yet, you didn't even let us know about the wedding! Did you ever stop to consider our feelings as parents? What you did was absolutely outrageous!" Perhaps genuinely furious, she abandoned her usual dignified demeanor; her words came out as a near-roar. Lin Li was taken aback and stared fixedly at Mother Zhou. In their previous meetings, Mother Zhou had always treated her kindly—her sincerity and genuine warmth were palpable. This was the first time Lin Li had seen her lose her temper; while she wasn't exactly frightened, she was more startled. It wasn't just Lin Li who was stunned by Mother Zhou’s outburst; Lin Li’s parents, who were sitting nearby, were also dumbfounded and took a long moment to collect themselves. R...

Lin’s parents were completely bewildered by the situation and turned in unison to look at Lin Li. Meanwhile, Zhou Han stepped forward to take the items from his mother’s hands, asking, "Mom, what brings you here today?" Mother Zhou rolled her eyes at her son with a touch of exasperation. "I missed my grandson—can't I come over to see him?" She grumbled, "You and Xiao Li never bring the child home for your father and me to see. I missed him terribly; since you wouldn't come, I had to come myself. After all, he is my precious grandson." As she spoke, she smiled and waved at the little one standing beside Lin Li. Then, looking up at Lin Li with a slight frown, she asked, "Xiao Li, have you lost weight again?" Lin Li glanced at her own parents, then offered a sheepish, awkward smile to Mother Zhou and shook her head. "No... no, I haven't." Mother Zhou didn't take her word for it; instead, she turned to scold Zhou Han: "...

"What is it?" Zhou Han’s slightly deep voice came through the phone—brief and to the point, true to his style. "It’s like this: my parents arrived from home today and are at our place right now. I was just trying to figure out how to explain the situation quickly..." Lin Li began, but Zhou Han cut her off mid-sentence. "I’ve met your parents." Zhou Han’s voice was steady and calm—so calm, in fact, that he sounded as if he were merely mentioning he’d just finished a meal; his composure was almost surreal. Lin Li, however, was practically startled out of her skin by his incredibly calm statement. She shrieked into the phone, "What did you say?"  Had she misheard? Did he really say he’d met her parents? But wasn't he supposed to be at the office? How could he have run into them? "I’ve just arrived home. Come out here," Zhou Han said steadily before hanging up, ignoring Lin Li’s reaction. Lin Li stared blankly at her phone for a moment ...

In the end, Lin Li didn't take her father to the hospital. Before she had even called her daughter, her parents had already been there; however, the attending physician who had performed her father's surgery was off for the weekend, meaning they would have to wait until the following Tuesday for his specialist clinic hours. Lin Li drove her parents home. As she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she deftly retrieved slippers from the shoe cabinet—a series of actions that caused her parents, following close behind, to exchange a puzzled glance. Once inside, Lin Li asked her parents to sit on the living room sofa and brought out two glasses of water from the kitchen. All the while, her brow remained furrowed with worry over her father's condition. Her parents took the water and glanced around the house, taking in its general appearance. Just as they were about to ask their daughter about it, Lin Li spoke first: "Mom, Dad, have a seat for a moment. I need to make a pho...