My Youth Began With Him

“Damn, we don’t have time to eat a midnight snack or celebrate anymore.”

“What happened?” Qin Chu tilted his head and looked at Huo Mian, who answered, “My mom just called and asked me to head back home. I’m assuming that she saw my live broadcast and is probably going to scold me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go with you.”

Then, Qin Chu drove straight to Sky Blessing Court, where her mother lived.

“Cousin Mian, you’re here!” Yang Xiuping opened the door; her eyes lit up immediately upon seeing Qin Chu standing behind Huo Mian.

She greeted him, “Brother-in-law… you’re here too?”

Qin Chu nodded, but he didn’t say anything.

That’s the kind of person he was; he never said more than 3 sentences at once to anyone but Huo Mian.

Of course, work not included…

Therefore, Assistant Yang often thought of himself as a lucky man, since aside from his wife, Yang was the second person Qin Chu spoke the most to.

Technically, Qin Chu was showing favor towards him, right?

“Mom… you wanted to see me?” Huo Mian went in as she took off her scarf and down jacket.

The north wind was blowing strong outside… but the plants inside the house bloomed so beautifully that it felt like spring.

Yang Meirong liked potted plants, so the first-floor living room was filled with greeneries.

There were devil’s ivies, viper’s bowstring hemp, money trees, lucky bamboo, and even peace lilies, which were incredibly hard to care for…

After taking off her jacket, Huo Mian picked up a watering can and began spraying the money trees with water.

Yang Meirong was cooking in the kitchen and walked out upon hearing her daughter’s voice. “Mian… I just saw you on TV.”

“Yup, that was a live broadcast, did I look pretty, Mom?” Huo Mian smiled as she asked coyishly.

“Child… I told you to stay low-key, didn’t I? Don’t be so flashy, famous people always get spat at…” Yang Meirong droned on and on.

“Mom… it’s fine, it was a one-time thing. Plus… it was just an entertainment program, haha.” Huo Mian watered the flowers as she listened to her mother nag at her.

To prove that everything was okay, she played dumb so that her mother wouldn’t feel anxious.

“Qin Chu, you’re here too?” Only then did Yang Meirong see Qin Chu, who was sitting on the couch.

“Auntie…” Qin Chu nodded at Yang Meirong, and Huo Mian reminded him, “Why are you still calling my mom ‘auntie’? Are you sleepwalking?”

Qin Chu immediately understood what his wife meant; he looked shyly at Yang Meirong and then said, “Mom.”

Yang Meirong was both embarrassed and surprised to hear Qin Chu suddenly going from ‘auntie’ to ‘mom’.

“Mom… what are you standing there for, hurry up and give him a red pocket for changing to calling you ‘mom’!” Huo Mian joked, and Yang Meirong slapped her forehead in realization. “Right, right, look at me, I completely forgot about it…” (TL Note: it’s a Chinese tradition)

Then, she immediately ran up to the second floor…

“Um…I was just kidding, I can’t believe she actually went…” Huo Mian put down the watering can in her hand and stood up from the couch.

“Mian, have you and my brother-in-law had dinner yet?” Yang Xiuping suddenly asked her, and Huo Mian shook her head. “Not yet, is there anything to eat here?”

“There is, Auntie and I made some pork hock soup. It’s really good, I’ll pour you guys some.”

“Sure.” Huo Mian nodded, but she noticed a detail, and that was the fact that Yang Xiuping said that she and her mom made the soup together.

Huo Mian knew better than anyone that pork hock soup was her mother’s specialty, and even she hadn’t learned how to make it. So how did Yang Xiuping and her mother make it together?

Why did she have to emphasize the ‘together’? Did she want to prove how virtuous she was? That she was capable of doing anything?

Soon, Yang Meirong hurried downstairs with a really thick red pocket in her hand…

She carefully handed it to Qin Chu. “Here, take it.”

“Aun – Mom, you didn’t have to do that.” Qin Chu was too old to take red pocket money from elders.

“Just take it, it’s just a gesture.”

Huo Mian smiled. “Since my mom is offering, you should just take it.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Chu took the red pocket and felt the weight of it in his hands…

“Hey, my rich mother… let me guess how much money you put in there. I’m guessing 10,001 yuan, as in Qin Chu is a one-in-a-hundred-thousand son-in-law?” Huo Mian walked up to Yang Meirong and coyishly put her arms around her mother’s neck.