Chapter 70 Meeting the Parents

Chapter 70: Meeting the Elders

Over the next few days, He Yuzhu delivered meticulously prepared lunch boxes to Song Jinfeng every noon or evening. When he had time off, he would sometimes bring Yushui along with Song Jinfeng to visit the park or go to the cinema for a movie.

The relationship between He Yuzhu and Song Jinfeng progressed by leaps and bounds, and Yushui grew very fond of Song Jinfeng as well.

With things going so smoothly between them, He Yuzhu felt it was time to take their relationship a step further.

One evening, He Yuzhu was having dinner at his master's house.

His master's wife, who had always been concerned about He Yuzhu's marital prospects, asked directly, "Zhuzi, how did things go with that young woman Tingting introduced to you a while ago?"

He Yuzhu replied, "Things are great. We've been going out together and catching movies quite often lately."

The master's wife continued, "How do you find her as a person? If you think she's a good match, bring her over so your master and I can have a look."

Hearing this, He Yuzhu realized this meant meeting the elders. Yet, thinking of his bond with Song Jinfeng, he agreed that it was indeed time to introduce her to his master and master's wife.

"Alright, Master's Wife," He Yuzhu said. "I'll ask when she's free and bring her over to meet you both."

Delighted that He Yuzhu was going to bring her over, the master's wife immediately suggested, "Why don't you bring her tomorrow?"

Caught off guard by the suggestion of tomorrow, He Yuzhu thought to himself that neither Song Jinfeng nor he himself was prepared for that.

Hesitantly, He Yuzhu replied, "Master's Wife, wouldn't that be a bit too soon? Meeting tomorrow means no one has any time to prepare. Can we push it back a few days?"

His master chimed in from the side, "It is a bit hasty. We need to give the young lady some time to prepare."

The master's wife retorted, "What is there to prepare? Zhuzi can just bring her right over."

The master reasoned, "Even if the young lady doesn't need to prepare, we certainly do. It wouldn't do to lack proper manners."

"Very well, let's make it next Saturday then," the master's wife conceded.

"Understood, Master's Wife," He Yuzhu hastily agreed.

That evening, He Yuzhu invited Song Jinfeng to the cinema. During a particularly tense moment in the film, Song Jinfeng instinctively grabbed He Yuzhu's hand.

Startled by the sudden contact, He Yuzhu turned his head to look at her. In the dim light of the screen, he saw her gazing intently and nervously at the projection.

As the suspense passed, Song Jinfeng suddenly realized she was holding He Yuzhu's hand. Blushing, she quietly tried to loosen her grip and pull her hand back.

Sensing her subtle movement, He Yuzhu had no intention of letting such a heaven-sent opportunity slip away. He firmly caught her retreating hand in his.

Startled by his action, Song Jinfeng turned to look at him, only to find He Yuzhu staring solemnly at the screen, as if the movie plot were the most fascinating thing in the world. However, the faint flush on his cheeks betrayed him. Blushing, Song Jinfeng turned her gaze back to the screen and didn't pull her hand away again.

Thus, He Yuzhu held Song Jinfeng's hand continuously until the movie ended without letting go.

When the film finished and they stepped out of the screening hall, surrounded by crowds, it felt improper to keep holding hands in public, so He Yuzhu reluctantly released her delicate hand.

The two exchanged a glance, neither mentioning the hand-holding.

He Yuzhu said, "It's getting late. Let me walk you back."

"Alright," Song Jinfeng replied.

"Then let's go."

They mounted their bicycles and rode toward the compound where Song Jinfeng lived.

At the entrance of the compound, just as they were about to part ways, He Yuzhu broached the subject of introducing her to his master's family: "Jinfeng, are you free next Saturday? I'd like to take you to meet my master and master's wife."

Song Jinfeng was momentarily stunned before recovering quickly. Knowing that He Yuzhu's master and his wife were practically family to him, meeting them was tantamount to meeting his elders. "Alright, then I need to prepare properly. What do they like so I can get them a gift?"

"There's no need for you to prepare anything special," He Yuzhu said. "I'll take care of it."

"What you prepare is your business, but I can't go empty-handed. Anyway, you should head back now. Don't forget to come pick me up then."

"I won't forget," He Yuzhu promised.

Time flew by, and the day for He Yuzhu to bring Song Jinfeng to meet the elders finally arrived.

He Yuzhu woke up early and roused Yushui, who was still fast asleep.

Yushui rubbed her eyes and checked the time, realizing it was even earlier than her usual wake-up time for school. "Brother, are you out of your mind? What time is it, and you're already waking me up?"

"Of course I'm fine," He Yuzhu said. "Get up quickly and have breakfast. Once you're done, I'll take you to Master's house."

"You call this being fine? Even Master's wife hasn't unlocked the door at this hour."

Hearing this, He Yuzhu checked the time and said rather awkwardly, "It is a bit early, huh. Do you want to go back to sleep for a bit?"

Upon hearing that, Yushui immediately flopped back down and continued sleeping. He Yuzhu stood awkwardly for a moment, thinking: Since I'm already up, going back to sleep won't buy me much rest anyway.

He walked over to the east wing room, took out a piece of wood, and decided to soothe his nervous excitement through carving. As he pictured Song Jinfeng's smiling face when they were together, he picked up the carving knife and began to work with meticulous concentration.

Under his skilled hands, a sculpture gradually took shape: Song Jinfeng standing by the lakeside during their first date, resting her hand on the railing, head tilted slightly upward, eyes half-closed as she enjoyed the breeze caressing her face.

Before he knew how much time had passed, Yushui walked in and interrupted his engrossed carving.

"Brother, it's getting late," Yushui urged. "If you don't get ready now, you'll be late picking up future sister-in-law."

Startled out of his focus, He Yuzhu put down the carving knife and checked the time. Indeed, it was getting late. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?" he complained as he hurriedly went to wash up and get himself ready.

Straddling his bicycle outside the door, He Yuzhu shouted to Yushui, "Hurry up! I'm dropping you off at Master's first; we're running out of time."

Climbing onto the back of the bike, Yushui retorted, "Coming, coming! You're in such a rush now, what were you doing earlier?"

Stumped by Yushui's retort, He Yuzhu didn't know what to say and could only pedal furiously.

Arriving at his master's doorstep, he let Yushui off. "I won't go in. Tell Master's wife I'm off to pick up your future sister-in-law."

With that, He Yuzhu pedaled away swiftly.

Watching his retreating back, Yushui felt a momentary pang of loneliness. She took a deep breath, composed herself, pushed open the door, and entered her master's home.

Seeing Yushui walk in alone, the master's wife asked, "Yushui, why are you by yourself? Didn't Zhuzi bring you?"

"Master's Wife, my brother dropped me off," Yushui explained. "It was almost time for him to meet my future sister-in-law, so he had to rush off."

"Alright then, never mind him," the master's wife said with a smile. "Xiaohu and Sister Yaoyao are inside the room. Go on in and play with them."

"Got it, I'm going right now," Yushui replied happily.

Watching Yushui skip away joyfully, the master's wife went back to washing vegetables in preparation for today's lunch.