Chapter 20

Zhou Han left immediately after speaking, without wasting a single extra word.

His departure was effortless, but it left Lin Li feeling conflicted. His apology had been straightforward and sincere; if she refused it, she would seem overly coy or difficult. Yet, if she accepted and went to eat noodles with him—sitting face-to-face—it felt rather awkward.

However, if she didn't go, she would be going hungry. For some reason, her appetite had improved over the past couple of days; although she still couldn't eat large portions, it was a significant improvement over the recent past, and the bouts of nausea and vomiting had subsided.

After a brief internal struggle—and driven by genuine hunger—Lin Li ultimately made her way to the dining area.

By the time she arrived, Zhou Han had already eaten more than half his meal; he glanced up at her as she approached.

Flustered by his gaze, Lin Li pulled out a chair and sat down, offering an awkward explanation: "I... I just didn't want to waste food."

Zhou Han said nothing and returned to his noodles, though the corners of his mouth—usually set in a serious line—curved upward into a pleasant smile.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

The next day was the weekend, and Zhou Han headed straight to the office early in the morning. Lin Li had intended to get up early to make lean-meat porridge for the little one—she had even looked up the recipe the night before—but when she scooped out the rice and prepared to cook it, she realized there was no lean meat in the house. In fact, there was no meat at all—just a few eggs and some bread.

She went ahead and cooked the porridge anyway, planning to swirl an egg into it once it was ready.

When the porridge was nearly done, Lin Li went to check if the little one was awake. She gently pushed open the door to find him already up; he was sitting alone on the bed, gazing intently at the edge of the mattress—so absorbed that he didn't even notice her enter.

Lin Li walked over, crouched down in front of him, and asked with a gentle smile, "What is it? What are you looking at?"

The little one finally snapped out of his daze. He looked at Lin Li, shook his head, and turned away, lowering his gaze to his own hands resting on the quilt.

Lin Li followed his gaze. Feeling a pang of sympathy, she took his hand in hers and stroked it gently, asking, "Does it still hurt?"

The little one remained silent, keeping his head bowed. Seeing this—and mindful of the child's fragility—Lin Li didn't press the issue. She patted his head and said with a gentle smile, "Come on, let's get up. Auntie will help you get dressed."

The little one nodded and let Lin Li dress him and wash his face before they left the room. She fed him some porridge; he wasn't a picky eater and happily ate the plain porridge mixed with egg ribbons.

After breakfast, Lin Li planned to take the child to the supermarket to stock up on groceries, intending to cook up a variety of tasty meals for him over the next couple of days. She put his coat on, changed her own clothes, and grabbed her car keys. Just as she was about to head out, her phone rang—it was a call from her mother.

Lin Li realized she had been so busy the past few days that she had completely forgotten to call home. She hurriedly answered the call. "Hey, Mom, I was just..."

She was about to explain her oversight, but her mother cut her off.

"Xiaoli? You aren't home this weekend? I've been ringing the doorbell for ages, but there's been no response." Her mother’s voice sounded slightly anxious, and Lin Li could hear her father speaking in the background as well. Lin Li was taken aback; holding her phone, she asked, "Mom, have you and Dad come to Jiangcheng?"

Her mother replied, "Yes, we arrived this morning. We wanted to surprise you, but we rang the doorbell for ages and you never came out." She then wondered aloud, "Isn't it Saturday? Are you working today?"

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Lin Li hadn't told her parents about her marriage to Zhou Han. It wasn't that she intended to keep it a secret forever; she simply wanted to hold off for a while. After all, her marriage to Zhou Han wasn't exactly a conventional one—it was largely a partnership, and there was no telling how long it would last. She planned to wait until the end of the year; if the arrangement was still holding up by then, she would tell her parents—it would be easier to come up with a plausible explanation at that point. If she told them now, there was a risk they might overthink the situation.

So, while her parents had come to Jiangcheng hoping to surprise their daughter, they were unaware that she had gotten married and moved house over twenty days prior. They had stood at the doorstep—using the very address she had given them—ringing the bell repeatedly. Only after waiting anywhere from ten to thirty minutes did they finally take out their phones to call her.

"Mom, you and Dad just wait for me there; I’m coming to pick you up right now." Lin Li told her mother to wait downstairs at the apartment she had previously rented, then hurriedly hung up the phone, grabbed the little guy, and drove straight over.

When Lin’s parents saw their daughter pull up in a car to pick them up, they couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Seeing her step out of the vehicle, her father asked in confusion, "Xiao Li, what’s up with this car?"

Lin Li glanced at Xiao Bin and then at her parents; the situation had arisen so suddenly that she hadn't figured out how to explain it yet. She decided to gloss over it for the moment, saying, "Dad, Mom, let’s head back first; I’ll explain everything when we get there." As she spoke, she opened the trunk and loaded in their luggage.

Realizing that standing on the street—right in front of someone else's apartment building—wasn't the place for a conversation, her parents nodded, deciding to ask for a full explanation once they got home.

Her mother opened the back door and was startled to see a child of about six or seven sitting inside. She turned to Lin Li and exclaimed, "Xiao Li, why is there a child in your car?"

At her mother's exclamation, her father leaned over to look. Sure enough, there was a child sitting inside—one hand wrapped in gauze, the other clutching a toy robot. He, too, turned to his daughter in confusion. "That’s right, Xiao Li—whose child is this?"

Lin Li felt a bit overwhelmed. She had rushed over in a panic and hadn't thought through how to explain the car and the child to her parents. She gave an awkward, sheepish smile and said, "He’s... He’s a friend’s child. Mom, Dad, please get in the car; I’ll tell you all about it in a bit."

Although puzzled, her parents nodded and got into the vehicle.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Her father sat in the front passenger seat, while her mother sat in the back with the little boy. The little one didn't make a fuss about the two extra people suddenly in the car; he simply kept playing with the Transformer in his hands—though, due to his injured arm, his one-handed handling of the toy was a bit more clumsy than usual.

Lin Li started the car and drove off, wondering how she would explain the situation regarding the vehicle and the child.

"Xiao Li, what happened to this child? He’s got injuries on both his hands and his face," Mother Lin asked as she sat in the back seat, looking at the little one's wounds.

Lin Li just smiled and said, "He’s a mischievous kid; he accidentally took a tumble and got scraped up."

"Where are the child's parents?" Mother Lin asked again. Seeing the injuries on the boy's hands and face, she couldn't help but sigh softly, "Parents these days are so careless—letting a child get hurt like this."

Lin Li smiled and hurriedly changed the subject. "Mom, Dad, what brings you to Jiangcheng all of a sudden?"

At this, Mother Lin’s expression stiffened, and she cast a furtive glance at Father Lin.

Father Lin smiled and said, "It’s nothing. Your mother and I missed you. We knew you were busy with work and couldn't find the time to come home, so we decided to come visit you instead."

Lin Li glanced at her mother in the rearview mirror; she could clearly see something was amiss. A sense of foreboding washed over her, and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Mom, why aren't you saying anything?"

Mother Lin was startled and gave an awkward laugh. "Right... exactly. Your dad and I missed you, so we came."

Lin Li didn't respond; she simply kept a tight grip on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed steadily on the road ahead.

It seemed Father and Mother Lin were deliberately trying to hide something. Seeing their daughter remain silent, they stayed quiet too, afraid they might let something slip and reveal the truth.

The atmosphere inside the car grew eerily silent. Even young Zhou Jiabin, who was sitting to the side playing with a Transformers toy, sensed something was up. He looked up at them, but being a quiet, reserved child by nature, he didn't say a word; he simply lowered his head and went back to playing with his toy. 

The car slowed to a halt at a red light. After a long silence, Lin Li finally spoke softly: "Dad, is something wrong with your health again?"

Her father, sitting beside her, was momentarily stunned; he gave an awkward, dry laugh and shook his head. "No, no... I'm perfectly fine. We really just missed you and wanted to come visit."

Lin Li turned to look at him and said firmly, "Dad, whenever you try to fool us, you always grip your trousers tightly." As she spoke, her gaze dropped to her father's hands, which were indeed clutching his trousers in a tight grip.

Realizing this, her father hurriedly let go and offered his daughter an embarrassed smile. "No, it's nothing like that... really, nothing at all..."

"Oh, dear." Her mother sighed from the back seat. "Old Lin, we can't fool Xiao Li. If something is really wrong, how could we possibly keep it from her? Xiao Li, your father's illness might have relapsed; that's why we came to Jiangcheng—to get a thorough check-up."

Hearing this, Lin Li turned to look at her father. "Dad, how could you try to hide something so serious from me?" Her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke; she was frightened and worried.

Seeing her teary eyes, her father shot her mother a reproachful look before hurriedly explaining, "Actually... it's really nothing. The weather turned cold suddenly, and I think I caught a bit of a cold—that's why the cough won't go away. Your mother is just the worrying type; she wouldn't rest easy until we came here for a check-up."

Lin Li wasn't buying his explanation. As the light turned green, she started the car and said, "We're going to the hospital right now!"

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/