Marriage First, True Love Later Novel

Chapter 57: A Walk After A Meal

In the end, Anran and Su Yicheng didn’t end up staying in Luoxia Town to watch the sunset. One reason was that Anran simply felt too embarrassed to linger on the boat anymore after that episode, and another reason was that, as the speedboat approached the shore, Su Yicheng received a call from Lin Xiaofen, telling them to come over for dinner since it was the weekend. What she didn’t say was that she was actually afraid that Anran couldn’t cook, and since a man like Su Yicheng probably couldn’t cook either, she was worried that they were harming their health by eating out every day.

Therefore, although they had originally planned on catching the last bus out of Luoxia Town after they had seen the sunset, they had to cut their plans short and leave the beautiful beach earlier than planned. After two hours on the road, they were once again back in Jiang City.

The two of them didn’t make a detour to the apartment again since they hadn’t seen their parents for more than a week. Anran thought she should have visited, but since she had been busy these few days, even though she wanted to, she was simply too exhausted to do so.

Out of common courtesy, Su Yicheng insisted on bringing fruits as presents despite Anran’s objections, and, in the end, the two of them carried the fruits into the Gu family’s residence.

When Anran and Su Yicheng arrived, Lin Xiaofen was in the kitchen and in the process of preparing the dishes to be cooked at night, while Gu Hengwen was in the study practicing calligraphy at the moment.

Seeing them return, Lin Xiaofen and Gu Hengwen were all smiles, and the four of them sat and chatted for a long while. They didn’t talk about anything too serious, other than some simple daily affairs. Of course, besides wanting to cook a good meal for them, Lin Xiaofen had called them back today for another purpose. Although the two of them had stated that they had no plans for a wedding at the moment, the Gu parents still thought it necessary for the parents of the two families to meet each other formally.

Su Yicheng nodded and said that the arrangement would be made according to Gu Hengwen’s schedule, so they didn’t need to worry about anything else.

Lin Xiaofen and Gu Hengwen were also well versed in etiquette and said that they had already chosen the luckiest date. The 28th day of the lunar calendar, which would be the next Friday, was a lucky day, and, despite the fact they weren’t planning on holding a wedding, nevertheless, it would be a good day for the two families to meet. However, if for some reason that day was inconvenient, they were more than happy to choose another day to accommodate.

After she finished speaking and glanced at the time, Lin Xiaofen stood up first and said that it was almost time for dinner. Anran raised her hand to volunteer herself for help in the kitchen. Lin Xiaofen hesitated a little but then agreed only under the condition that Anran would be of actual help. Meanwhile, Su Yicheng chatted with Gu Hengwen in the living room and kept him entertained. Despite the age difference, there was no awkwardness between the two of them, and they had much to discuss. They talked about social issues, current affairs, and politics. Gu Hengwen used his years of life experience to comment on the current situation in society and evaluated the pros and cons objectively. Gu Hengwen’s advice, comments, and worldviews unexpectedly served as insight for Su Yicheng and made him gain a new sense of understanding, along with wisdom.

On the other hand, Anran and Lin Xiaofen were busy preparing that night’s dishes in the kitchen. Lin Xiaofen was the chef, while Anran served as her helper.

Sitting on the small bench, Anran picked away the rotten parts of the green vegetables, then put the fresh parts into a basket.

Lin Xiaofen was standing in front of the counter while handling the small yellow croaker. She sliced a knife across the middle of the fish’s belly, scraped off the internal organs, then started washing it with water and finally sliced the fish on its back with a knife. Then, she cut some thin slices of ginger and onion, poured some dated rice wine, and marinated the fish on the plate with the mixture. The aromatic scent of the wine evaporated into the air.

......

“How does he treat you? Does he treat you well?” Mothers were always worrying about their children nonstop. Although she already knew what the answer would be inside, she still wanted to hear it from her daughter’s own mouth since it was more convincing that way.

“Mom, Su Yicheng is very kind to me. Really, you can rest assured.” Su Yicheng really treated her well and helped her out in all aspects, and besides one tiny issue, he was practically flawless.

Lin Xiaofen nodded, then said, “That’s good to hear. I think he is really good for you as well. By the way, have you met his parents? How are they? Are they nice to you?”

“Yes, I’ve met them already.” Anran truthfully told her what happened that day she met Su Yicheng’s family. They were all exceedingly kind to her, and, despite their prominence and affluence, they treated her without the slightest hint of condescension. They treated her like family, and she couldn’t help but feel truly in luck.

“So according to you, the Su family is a family of high standing, so that would make Su Yicheng the son of a senior cadre. Are you sure they don’t care about pedigree?” She had always thought that Anran had merely married a man of average background and never imagined that Anran had married so high up. Yet this also made her worry because with such a prominent family comes etiquette and tradition, so what if Anran had trouble getting accustomed to them?!

“Mom.” Anran got up and went to her mother’s side. She naturally knew what her mother was worried about. “Everyone in the Su family was very kind. In terms of pedigree, it’s not that they don’t care. They had asked about meeting you and dad that day, but they aren’t the type of snobby and pretentious people that you are probably imagining them to be.”

“Really?” Lin Xiaofen asked a little doubtfully. She had personally experienced it, so she knew more about these senior cadres than she let on. The so-called senior cadre is more of an attitude than a rank—an attitude that suggests superiority.

“Really, it’s absolutely true. You will understand when you meet them. My mother-in-law is really not the kind you think she is,” Anran asserted.

Hearing Anran say so with such certainty, Lin Xiaofen nodded and decided to believe her.

When the two of them came out of the Gu family’s residence again, it was almost 9 o’clock in the evening, and they were quite full after eating so much. After dinner, Anran and Su Yicheng ate some of the fruits they had bought, so their stomachs were even more full. The two of them didn’t drive when they came over, but, since they were stuffed, they didn’t call a taxi to return home. Instead, they walked slowly along the street toward their apartment.

The night sky wasn’t particularly beautiful that night. There was no moonlight, not even a few stars. There were only a few large, dark clouds, which made the night sky appear even bleaker and hauntingly expansive.

At around 8 to 9 o’clock, nightlife began in Jiang City. Neon lights flashed and the streets were filled with pedestrians, but most of them were young people, and most of them were holding hands like Anran and Su Yicheng were at the moment.

Anran didn’t feel any discomfort with her tiny hands in the tight grasp of his large palms, as if everything was natural and this was how things should be. It still hadn’t been that long since they had first met each other, and barely half a month had passed since their marriage. Everything had progressed so quickly, yet to them, it didn’t feel that abrupt.

Anran passively allowed him to hold on to her hands while her eyes stared at the road ahead with a faint smile on her lips. In terms of this marriage, all she could think about was how lucky she was.