The good thing about having Mom around is that one never has to worry about food and clothing. Every morning when you wake up, there's breakfast on the table, and every evening when you get home, there's a light waiting for you.
Of course, nothing in this world is perfect. There are bound to be some things that don't go as smoothly as one would like.
Mom Su was quite dissatisfied with Su Tang's working hours. Although she rarely worked overtime these days, she still got home late.
"You get off work so late! It's not safe for a young girl to come home this late every night!" As soon as Su Tang got home, she saw her mother sitting on the sofa. There were a lot of medicines on the coffee table in front of her, which were prescribed by the hospital a few days ago.
This was a bad sign. She had forgotten to put the medicines away, and her mother had seen them.
Sure enough, before she could reply, Mom Su continued, "Were you sick some time ago? I found a lot of medicines in your bedroom today."
"Why do you rummage through my things without permission?" Su Tang knew her mother meant well, but she was afraid her mother might find something she shouldn't see.
"You child! I just wanted to tidy up for you. Look at this mess! You're never home, and your things are all over the place. It gives me a headache just looking at it."
"I could find them before. Now that you've tidied up, I can't find anything."
"Things should be put in their proper places. I've tidied them up for you. From now on, you should organize your things the way I do. Don't just leave them everywhere..."
Her mother was a strong - willed woman. If she was allowed to continue, she might talk until morning. Su Tang decided to stop her quickly. "Mom, I'm tired. I'm going to rest first. You should go to bed early too."
"You always act like this when I talk to you." Mom Su stood up and said, "Don't go to your bedroom yet. I have something serious to talk to you about."
"You met the boy from Grandma Li's family the other day. What do you think of him?"
Grandma Li's grandson, wasn't that Fang Haoran?
Su Tang felt her head was about to explode at this moment. "I didn't look closely. I don't remember what he's like."
"Good. You two can have lunch together tomorrow noon. Take a good look then." True to her nature, Mom Su knew her daughter's tricks well. She had already prepared a counter - measure and was just waiting for Su Tang to take the bait.
"I have to work tomorrow. I really don't have time. If you really want me to meet him, can we make an appointment when I'm off work?" Su Tang decided to play for time. The longer she could delay, the better.
"I asked Grandma Li. Fang Haoran has a day off tomorrow. You can choose a place near your company and let him come to you." Mom Su took out her phone and sent Fang Haoran's WeChat contact to Su Tang while saying, "It's good for you young people to have a meal together. It's like making a new friend."
"Moreover, I think this young man Fang is really nice. He's young and promising. I heard from Grandma Li that the hospital he works in is very prestigious. Many people would kill to get in."
Her mother got excited just talking about setting her up on a blind date, while Su Tang just felt deflated at the very mention of it.
"Mom, I really haven't thought about dating recently." Su Tang could already foresee the coming storm. After all, there had been countless times when she and her mother had fallen out over the topic of dating.
"You child! I wanted you to go back to our hometown before, but you didn't listen. You insisted on staying here. Since you like it here, you should have a family here. Now when you get home every day, the stove is cold. When you're sick, there's no one to take care of you. It makes me so worried."
"Fang is such a nice boy. He's from the same hometown as you. Our two families know each other well. He has a proper job here. If you two get together and settle down here, the family will be at ease."
"The older you get, the harder it is for me to figure out what you're up to. Why don't you ever listen to me?"
Mom Su looked at Su Tang, feeling rather frustrated.
"Mom, I really don't want to go on blind dates. I've told you this many times, but you just don't listen." Su Tang also thought it wasn't a good idea to keep dragging this on. So she decided to sit down and have an open - hearted talk with her mother.
"I really don't like meeting one strange man after another and then listing my family background, job, and age like I'm a cabbage in the market."
"I think this is an insult to the word 'love'. In my imagination, a family should be formed by two people who love each other, not just two suitable people staying together."
"If you don't even try to get to know people, how do you know who likes you and who you like? All you do is work every day. When do you have time to think about these things? I don't want to worry about this either. I really wish you could just bring a son - in - law home."
"But these years, not only have you not brought a son - in - law home, you haven't even been in a relationship. Do you think I can not worry?"
"Everyone goes through this. After graduation, you find a job and get married. That's how life is. Do you have to be so different?"
"Should I compromise myself just to be like others? Can't I choose the life I want?"
Su Tang felt she couldn't continue this conversation with her mother. In fact, she wasn't resistant to marriage. What she was afraid of was just two people who didn't love each other getting together just because they were suitable.
Maybe love was too illusory, but that didn't mean it didn't exist.
We shouldn't change into someone we don't like just to fit in, right?
Su Tang's mind was in a mess all night. For a moment, the words were on the tip of her tongue. She really wanted to tell Mom Su about Ren Qingzhou.
If her mother knew, she probably wouldn't arrange these endless blind dates and introduce one successful man after another to her.
But she chickened out. It wasn't that there was anything shameful about her relationship with Ren Qingzhou. It was just that she knew her mother too well.
In her mother's mind, a suitable son - in - law should be like Fang Haoran, and Ren Qingzhou was far from her mother's expectation. Her mother might have a hard time accepting him for the time being.
Ren Qingzhou and Fang Haoran kept alternating in front of her eyes. She even hoped that her mother was a money - loving woman. In that case, she might be able to accept Ren Qingzhou's existence.
Ren Qingzhou called very late. Su Tang tiptoed to the door like a thief and peeked out. After making sure her mother was asleep, she answered the phone.
Ren Qingzhou laughed as soon as he heard her whispering. "Is your mother asleep?"
"If she wasn't asleep, I wouldn't dare to answer your call even if you gave me ten more guts."
"Don't we seem like high - school students dating behind our parents' backs?" Ren Qingzhou remembered that he had dated in high school. At that time, his parents were too busy to be at home, so his relationship was quite open.
He used to feel sorry that he had never experienced the thrill of secret dating. Now he found that he was making up for all the things he had missed.
"I didn't date in high school. I just watched others secretly dating. At that time, we didn't have access to mobile phones. They would hide in the small woods behind our school during evening self - study. I used to wonder what they were doing in there."
Ren Qingzhou thought Su Tang's adolescence had come a bit late. "When does your mother plan to leave this time?"
"She hasn't said yet, but I guess she won't stay for long. After all, Dad is at home alone."
"I should be back after the Dragon Boat Festival. If she's still here by then, should we consider meeting each other?" Ren Qingzhou's voice became a bit tentative. "My parents should be back soon. Would you go with me to meet them?"
Su Tang fell silent. She felt her hand holding the phone was sweaty.
She didn't know how to reply to Ren Qingzhou. At this moment, she even despised herself for always subconsciously avoiding the issue.
What was she afraid of?
She couldn't explain it clearly for a while, but she just didn't dare to take him home. It was just like she didn't dare to tell the world that she was Ren Qingzhou's girlfriend.
"It's not urgent. You should meet my parents first." In the end, it was Ren Qingzhou who saved her from the awkward situation.
He must have heard her embarrassment, and she must have hurt his feelings.
Su Tang knew it well, but she didn't know how to comfort him.
After all, in the face of the truth, any comfort would seem futile and powerless.
"Other than that, there's nothing else. Go to bed early. You have to work tomorrow."
"Good night."
"Good night. I love you."
"I love you too."
After Ren Qingzhou hung up the phone, Su Tang's mind became even more chaotic.
She didn't dare to take him home, and she couldn't tell him that her mother had been trying hard to find a suitable marriage partner for her.
How could she say that? She couldn't just say that he wasn't the son - in - law her mother had in mind.
She couldn't say that she was just going to have a meal with those people and there wouldn't be any real progress.
Love was already so precious, so one should never hurt the other person in the name of love.
If someone was willing to give their whole heart to you without reservation, they should be cherished.
Because of this matter, Su Tang didn't get a chance to discuss her work with Ren Qingzhou. Well, there were already so many troubles. As for work, she might as well just make do for now. She would deal with one problem at a time. If all the problems were piled up, it would be too much to bear.
Su Tang rubbed her hair and decided to go to sleep first. To hell with blind dates and work! Tomorrow would be a new day.
She would leave these annoying things for tomorrow. The most important thing now was to have a good sleep.
She would have to outwit her mother tomorrow. She wouldn't give in easily.