Chapter 67: Those Parents
Early the next morning, while Mu Le was still deep in a sweet dream, she was woken up by a knock on the door.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and wanted to stretch, but as soon as her hands touched the cold air outside the blanket, she quickly pulled them back.
Ever since the snowfall some time ago, the weather had become colder and colder.
And in winter, getting out of bed really takes courage. So Mu Le fell into a struggle between getting up… or sleeping a little longer.
Since she didn’t respond for a long time, Xiao Yuze outside the door finally seemed to lose patience.
With a soft sound, the door was pushed open from the outside. Looking at the lump under the blanket, Xiao Yuze couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
He walked to the bedside and said, “Breakfast is ready. Get up already, lazy girl.”
“…Sleepy.”
Mu Le stuck her head out of the blanket and gave a small yawn.
“Let me sleep five more…”
Seeing how drowsy she looked, the man raised an eyebrow and finished her sentence, “Five hours?”
“Five centuries.”
Xiao Yuze: “……”
In the end, Mu Le didn’t even get five more minutes of sleep before Xiao Yuze dragged her out of bed.
Well… “dragged” might not be the best word, but until she sat at the dining table, her mind was still half-asleep.
She had stayed up very late writing the night before. Also, several new games had come out recently, and before she realized it, it was already midnight.
If she didn’t need to go with Xiao Yuze today, she might have kept playing even longer.
Usually, Mu Le had a regular daily routine. But once she got into something, she could go on endlessly, especially during holidays when she had nothing else to do. This was exactly why Xiao Yuze worried about her.
Only after finishing breakfast did she start to feel a bit more awake.
But just as they were about to go out, while Xiao Yuze was helping her adjust her scarf, Mu Le suddenly remembered something.
“If we’re going to your house, should I prepare some gifts?”
After all, it was polite to bring something when visiting elders.
But after fixing her scarf, Xiao Yuze simply patted her head lightly and said, “No need. Bringing you there is the best gift for them.”
“Huh?” Mu Le turned to look at him, confused. She clearly didn’t understand what he meant.
But Xiao Yuze didn’t explain. He just smiled mysteriously.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Before Mu Le could react, he had already picked up her small bag and opened the door.
She still felt puzzled. Even after thinking seriously, she couldn’t understand what he meant by that sentence.
Why was bringing her there the best gift? It sounded… kind of strange.
Seeing that Xiao Yuze had already gone out, Mu Le didn’t have time to think more and quickly followed him.
In early January, the morning air was full of coldness.
But the weather today was nice. The morning sunlight shone on them, driving away some of the chill.
Xiao Yuze’s parents lived in a high-end residential area, and the distance wasn’t short. Even by car, it took quite some time.
Feeling bored in the car, Mu Le took off her gloves, opened QQ, and casually chatted in a gaming group she had joined.
As for her reader group, it had been “muted” for a long time. Because the people there either teased her… or urged her to update.
Mu Le was the kind of writer who could write a lot without being pushed when she had inspiration. But when she didn’t, she might not even write a single word for half a day.
Especially when it came to topics she wasn’t good at, like adult scenes, she would feel very troubled and not know how to start.
Of course, once she got into the flow, even those kinds of scenes could be written very quickly.
After chatting on QQ and browsing forums for a while, just when Mu Le was wondering if she could play a few rounds of a game, they were already close to their destination.
And when she followed Xiao Yuze to the door, Mu Le suddenly felt a bit nervous.
This feeling was hard to describe. But if she had to explain it, it was probably like when she was a child and didn’t finish her homework, and the teacher was already checking the student right before her.
Guilty? Even Mu Le didn’t know what she was feeling guilty about.
Anyway, this feeling made her a bit restless… and strangely shy.
“You’re back?”
The one who opened the door was Xiao Yuze’s father, Xiao Shuheng. He wore thin-framed glasses. Compared to Mu Le’s father, Mu Cheng, who gave off a strict feeling, Xiao Shuheng looked much gentler.
Even though he was already over forty, he didn’t look old at all. His short hair was neat and completely black. He was just a little shorter than Xiao Yuze, but he looked healthy and energetic.
When he saw Mu Le, Xiao Shuheng smiled.
“Come in quickly, it’s cold outside.”
“Yeah. Where’s Mom?” Xiao Yuze smiled and led Mu Le inside. As he entered, he casually looked around.
“She’s cooking. You and Lele go sit in the living room first, I’ll go help her in the kitchen,” Xiao Shuheng said with a smile as he closed the door. “I heard Lele is coming today, so she insisted on cooking herself. So later, you have to eat more, little girl.”
“Hmph, of course I have to cook myself if little Lele is here. You two men can only be jealous.”
Before Mu Le could say anything, another voice cut in.
Then, before she could react, she was suddenly pulled into someone’s arms.
“Oh my, it’s been so long! Little Lele is still as cute as ever. Has my third son bullied you? If he has, just tell big sister, I’ll beat him up for you.”
Looking at the woman hugging Mu Le tightly, Xiao Yuze gave a helpless smile.
Xiao Shuheng beside him had the same expression.
Compared to him, Xiao Yuze’s mother, Xia Ling, not only had a lively and playful personality that hadn’t changed over the years, but she also looked incredibly young.
Even though she was only one year younger than Xiao Shuheng, if she stood next to her son, some people might even believe they were siblings.
Xia Ling often used this to tease her husband, saying he aged too fast. She would joke that if they went shopping together, people might think he was an old man dating a young woman, something that always left Xiao Shuheng speechless.
Actually, Xia Ling’s personality was partly because Xiao Shuheng spoiled her so much.
They had been married for many years and rarely argued. Because every time Xia Ling pouted, Xiao Shuheng would quickly give in.
Xiao Yuze’s personality was also influenced by them. He inherited his father’s calm and gentle nature, but also some of his mother’s mischievous side.
“What ‘big sister’? If you keep this up, the family titles will get messed up,” Xiao Shuheng said helplessly.
“What’s the problem? Calling me ‘aunt’ makes me sound old,” Xia Ling said casually. After letting go of Mu Le, she smiled. “Come on, little Lele, call me ‘big sister.’”
Mu Le had just been pressed against her chest and felt a bit dizzy. Without thinking, she replied automatically, “Big sister.”
Seeing the two of them playing along, the father and son exchanged a look, both full of silent frustration.
“Good girl.” Satisfied, Xia Ling finally remembered she still had things to do. “I’ll go finish cooking. You and my third son go watch TV for a bit, it’ll be ready soon.”
“…How many times have I said, don’t call me ‘third son’?” Xiao Yuze rubbed his nose, sounding a bit helpless.
But Xia Ling completely ignored him and pulled Xiao Shuheng back into the kitchen.
Mu Le finally came back to her senses. Then she looked at Xiao Yuze with confusion.
“Why does your mom call you ‘third son’? Do you have older brothers or sisters?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yuze’s mouth twitched slightly. After a long pause, he sighed helplessly.
“No… before I was born, my parents had two cats. And they raised them like their own children, so…”
So, he became the “third son.”
When he was young, Xiao Yuze didn’t think much about it. But after growing up, he had tried many times to correct it, yet Xia Ling never changed.
He felt helpless, but eventually got used to it.
After hearing the explanation, Mu Le froze for a moment… then burst out laughing without holding back.