YA Ch87: Changing Terms

The air was quiet for a moment.

The winter wind rustling through the vegetable packaging bags was the only sound that broke the silence.

Mother Ming smiled and spoke: “Ah Yan, why are you letting Lu Yu carry you? Get down quickly.”

Lu Yu: “We went hiking yesterday.”

Ming Yan: “Twisted my ankle.”

They spoke at the same time, and what they said was completely mismatched, leading to mutual silence. Ming Yan secretly punched Lu Yu in the back, signaling him to put him down.

However, Lu Yu seemed to be impervious to the punch, still holding Ming Yan steadily and calmly saying: “We went hiking yesterday, and Yan-ge twisted his ankle. To prevent worsening his injury, I didn’t let him walk.”

Father Ming, holding a plucked chicken like a gentleman’s cane, glanced at his son’s reddened ears and said: “If you’re injured, don’t run around.”

Mother Ming, petite and secretly laughing, waited until the taller people couldn’t see her, then looked up with a wink and said: “Hiking in winter is so cold, if you’ve twisted your ankle, you should be carried upstairs.”

Ming Yan struggled a bit and finally got down from Lu Yu’s back: “No, it’s not necessary.”

The family of four awkwardly took the elevator, with only Ming’s two sons feeling awkward, while Lu Yu and his mother-in-law chatted happily.

Mother Ming pointed to Father Ming holding the chicken: “Look at him, wearing a suit and coming to the market with me; they’d definitely charge more.”

Lu Yu dared not agree, laughing: “It’s more ceremonial this way.”

“That ceremony feels so strange,” Mother Ming said, fanning herself with her hand, looking displeased, “The vendors probably thought I, at my age, was dating some big boss.”

Father Ming cleared his throat, reminding Mother Ming not to speak nonsense in front of the children.

Luckily, at that moment, the elevator arrived. Father Ming led the way out. Lu Yu quickly supported Ming Yan, almost wanting to carry him.

Ming Yan tried to push him away: “I’m fine.”

Mother Ming slapped Ming Yan’s arm: “We’re home, no need to be stubborn. Let Lu Yu help you, otherwise, what if you fall?”

The two of them pushed and shoved, following the mother-in-law into the house.

Lu Yu settled Ming Yan on the sofa, checked to make sure he wasn’t uncomfortable, and then eagerly went to help his mother-in-law with the cooking.

“Come with me.” Father Ming got up and called Ming Yan to follow him, extending his arm to support his son to avoid falling.

Ming Yan’s face was flushed, and he waved his hand: “I’m fine, I can walk.” He turned to glare at Lu Yu, but the man had already gone into the kitchen, happily running around and didn’t notice.

In the study, Ming Yan didn’t insist on standing but sat at the desk, observing quietly.

Father Ming looked at him, confirming he was fine, and took out a file from the drawer, handing it over with a serious tone: “My friend only found this document. Take a look.”

Ming Yan took the file, which was a copy of the original, likely stored in a file that couldn’t be taken out, only copied.

Inside was a single thin sheet of paper, a birth certificate. It stated June 3, 2005, male, with Lu Yu’s birthday being the same day. The child’s name was a single character “瑜” (Yu), the mother’s name was Li Moqiao, and the father’s column was blank.

Li Moqiao…

Ming Yan silently reviewed the people Lu Yu knew, not finding anyone with that name, suggesting they had never interacted.

“This name is rare and easy to trace,” Father Ming said, taking the initiative before Ming Yan could ask, “Li Moqiao, an undergraduate from F University. She was well-known at her university, a complete genius, and was recommended for graduate school at her own university. However, she took a year off and during that time published a cutting-edge paper. She was accepted by three prestigious foreign universities. She chose M Province Institute of Technology with a full scholarship, and then there’s no further news.”

Back then, the internet wasn’t very developed. Although she was famous at her university, there was little trace of her online.

Ming Yan held the document, not speaking for a long time, just looking at the character “瑜” which symbolized brilliance, and pressed his lips tightly.

In contrast to the serious atmosphere in the study, in the kitchen, Lu Yu was happily learning to cook with his mother-in-law.

“This chicken soup is so unique,” Lu Yu sniffed the steam rising from the pot, the aroma was incredibly fragrant, and he couldn’t help but swallow.

Mother Ming sighed: “A-Yan’s grandmother loved drinking chicken soup, saying it was nourishing, and wanted to drink it almost every day. But A-Yan didn’t like it when he was young. Every time his grandmother asked him to drink it, he was very reluctant, secretly telling me that it had a stinky smell. Later, to make him drink it, I specially sought out a chef specializing in Huaiyang cuisine, and practiced for a long time to make the soup clear like water.”

She then lifted the lid of the pot and ladled a spoonful out for Lu Yu to taste. The soup was so clear it looked like water at first glance. Tasting it revealed a rich, fresh flavor that burst on the tongue, making one want to lick the bowl.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Mother Ming smiled proudly, “A-Yan can drink two big bowls of this.”

“It’s so delicious, I could drink two big pots!” Lu Yu quickly recorded the recipe on his smart device, “I’ll practice more when I get home and try to make it resemble yours seven or eight parts. I want Yan-ge to have it regularly.”

Mother Ming saw him taking notes so diligently and taking pictures of all the seasonings, and winked: “Have you reconciled with A-Yan?”

Lu Yu was startled, typing a string of random characters on his screen and cautiously glancing at his mother-in-law’s expression.

Previously, he thought Father Ming and mother only saw them as partners and might know a little but not everything. He didn’t expect his mother-in-law to know everything, which reassured him greatly, and he nodded vigorously: “Yes, we’ve reconciled.”

Mother Ming smiled with relief: “That’s good. You can’t easily say break up in the future. A-Yan is thoughtful, speaks little, and is like his father, hard to read. But he’s actually soft-hearted and sensitive. After the family fell, he had a heavy burden and spoke even less. You’ll need to be more tolerant.”

Lu Yu felt a pang in his heart. He was well aware of these things and lowered his voice: “Yan-ge is very good; it was my fault before.”

Mother Ming shook her head with a smile: “In love, there’s no right or wrong. Even his father did many foolish things when he was young, it’s all because he liked deeply and lost his rationality. If love were as precise as a machine, it would be a relationship devoid of emotions, merely a task completed.”

Deeply in love, thus losing rationality?

Lu Yu felt a sudden enlightenment, his lower lip trembling, and said softly: “Listening to you, I feel like I’ve been enlightened. No one has ever told me this… If only you were my mother.”

If Lu Yu had heard this kind of guidance earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t have tortured himself so much.

Seeing Lu Yu looking like a little puppy with his head down and fur drooping, Mother Ming took out a big chicken leg from the pot and handed it to him, speaking gently: “From now on, Auntie will be your mother. You two have already gotten your certificate, so we’ll hold a wedding to make it official, and you can call me ‘Mom’.”

Lu Yu sniffled, took a big bite of the chicken leg, and puffed out his cheeks: “No need to wait for the wedding; this chicken leg can serve as the official call to ‘Mom’.”

Mother Ming laughed, covering her mouth, and patted Lu Yu’s drooping head: “Too hasty, that won’t do.”