Chapter 225: Auntie
Lunch at Ren Tianyou's home was very generous. Even though there were only three people eating, including Li Mu, the table was filled like it was a banquet, with seven or eight dishes neatly arranged.
"Is today some kind of holiday?" Li Mu asked Ren Tianyou in a low voice.
"No," Ren Tianyou also looked confused. Usually, if his family made two dishes, that was already pretty good. "Maybe... because you've finished your exams?"
"Maybe."
The rice had already been served, but Auntie was still busy preparing the last dish. Since she wasn't sitting down yet, Li Mu didn’t start eating either and continued chatting with Ren Tianyou.
"How’s your work lately?"
"It’s okay, just a bit boring because it’s too stable."
Right now, Ren Tianyou worked as a company driver. The job was steady, and the pay was good, but someone like him, who was used to a freer lifestyle, still hadn’t gotten used to it.
He actually preferred his old job driving for ride-hailing apps, but now the companies were taking more commission, just like food delivery services, so the money wasn’t as good anymore.
He complained to Li Mu about his work and life. "Now that my mom sees my job is stable, she keeps trying to set me up on blind dates every day."
"You’re almost thirty. It’s about time to get married," Li Mu said.
"Why are you saying the same thing? Blind dating isn’t real love!"
Actually, Li Mu had quite traditional views about marriage. Maybe it was because her parents had a happy marriage, so she never feared the idea of marriage. At least, not before she became a woman.
Now, even though she was dating Yu Fan, whenever she thought about marriage, she would think about... being intimate...
"My old homeroom teacher is about your age. A few days ago, he went on a blind date and met a beautiful 18 years old girl. Now they’re always stuck together."
Ren Tianyou’s eyes lit up. "Eighteen years old?"
So, you don’t really want love, you just want someone young and pretty, Li Mu thought silently.
Meanwhile, Chen Li and Yang Ye’s relationship seemed to be growing more stable. They weren’t literally together every day like Li Mu joked, but at least after work and on weekends, Yang Ye would often spend time with her.
The school hadn't gone on winter break yet, so Chen Li still lived in the school dorm, which made dating easy.
Chen Li's social media, which hadn’t been updated for two years, now had new posts. All pictures of her and Yang Ye.
Seeing that Li Mu wasn’t talking, Ren Tianyou couldn’t hold back his curiosity. "Hey, how did your teacher meet such a pretty 18 years old?"
"Probably just luck," Li Mu answered.
"Hearing that, now I kinda want to go on a blind date too."
At that moment, Auntie brought the last dish to the table, and both of them immediately went quiet. Even though there was a few-year age gap between them, at times like this, they were completely in sync.
"Come on, eat. Why are you waiting for me?" Auntie said warmly, sitting across from them, smiling gently at Li Mu.
Li Mu felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze. She had a feeling Auntie had some other reason today.
"Xiao Mu, Auntie is old. It’s not easy for me to accept things quickly," Auntie said, pulling a bottle of Coke from the cabinet and handing it to Li Mu. "Don’t be mad at me, okay?"
"I understand," Li Mu nodded.
"The more I look at you, the prettier you seem," Auntie sighed. "Before, I just thought you were a good-looking boy that people liked. But turns out, you’re a girl."
"......"
"Do you have the money for your surgery?"
"Uh... I’ve already had the surgery," Li Mu answered, going along with Auntie’s words. She couldn’t tell the real truth.
"Will it affect you having children in the future?"
Auntie was very concerned about Li Mu. "Is your body feeling okay? Any discomfort?"
"I'm fine. The surgery went pretty well," Li Mu paused, then added, "The doctor said now I’m no different from a normal girl."
"It’s just that my personality is still a bit like a boy."
"Yeah, after all, it’s been that way for so many years."
Actually, Li Mu liked this kind of care, but she still felt a little awkward.
Ren Tianyou jumped into the conversation.
"How did you do on your spring exams? Which school are you planning to apply to?"
"I haven’t filled out my applications yet. I think my grades aren’t too bad," Li Mu replied.
"What are your plans after that?" Auntie asked.
Li Mu frowned and thought for a moment before answering.
"I’ll probably try to move up from a junior college diploma to a bachelor’s degree. It’s hard to find a good job with just a junior college diploma now."
"Honestly, even having a bachelor’s degree doesn’t help much," Ren Tianyou muttered. "Big companies only want graduates from top universities, and even then, you have to work overtime like crazy. They don’t even treat you like a real person."
He had quit his job in the big city because he couldn’t handle the heavy overtime and came back to this small town.
It felt like a real family, the three of them chatting while eating. They talked about Li Mu, then Ren Tianyou, and finally Auntie’s small grocery store.
Auntie started complaining again about how hard it was raising Ren Tianyou all by herself and teased him about not being very successful.
Ren Tianyou didn’t mind at all. He just responded half-heartedly while secretly complaining to Li Mu in a low voice.
"She only says stuff like this in front of you. When she’s with relatives and friends, she always says how great and filial I am. How I gave up a good job in the big city just to stay and take care of her."
"If anyone says I’m a failure, she’ll fight with them."
Li Mu smiled softly. "Maybe it’s because she doesn’t see me as an outsider."
"Why don’t you spend Chinese New Year at my house this year?" Ren Tianyou suggested.
Actually, every year around New Year’s, Ren Tianyou and Auntie would invite her, but Li Mu always refused.
After all, seeing other people’s homes so lively while her own home stayed cold and empty. That huge contrast was more painful than just staying home alone.
This year, she refused again, but this time it was because of the Xiao Jing at her house.
"Thanks, but I’m fine staying at home."
After about ten more minutes of eating, Auntie suddenly asked Li Mu.
"What do you think of Ren Tianyou?"
Li Mu and Ren Tianyou both looked up at her, stunned.
"I’ve noticed you two have been close since you met. And both of our families know each other very well..."
This made both of them even more confused.
"Tianyou used to like playing around, but you know he’s a good-hearted boy. He’s always treated you well."
"Our family isn’t rich, but at least we have enough to eat and drink..."
Ren Tianyou immediately understood what she was thinking. "Wait, Mom, Xiao Mu has a boyfriend already."
"So soon?" Auntie widened her eyes and looked Li Mu up and down. "Well, Xiao Mu is so pretty... of course someone else would get there first."
She looked full of regret. If only she had thought about it earlier, maybe her son would already have a wife.
"Mom, I see Xiao Mu as a brother!" Ren Tianyou sighed helplessly. "Even rabbits don’t eat the grass next to their burrow, you know?"
Li Mu gave an awkward smile.
Auntie had once even wanted to treat her as a godson, but she had refused. And now Auntie even wanted her to be a daughter-in-law...
That change happened way too fast!
"You’re probably never going to get a wife at this rate," Auntie muttered. "You don’t want to go on blind dates, and you can’t even bring a girlfriend home."
"Yeah, yeah. If I don’t get married, I can stay and take care of you forever, right?"
"Who wants you to take care of me? I’ll be happy enough if you don’t make me angry."
The mother and son argued loudly while Li Mu just focused on eating faster.
She figured Xiao Jing at home must be getting impatient by now.