I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 74: Side Story 3 (101004, October 4th, 2010)

Liang Zhu drove Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin to Han Feixu’s place. When they arrived, neither of them got out of the car.

Liang Zhu turned around and asked, “Why aren’t you two getting out?”

Ye Mingxin lowered her head and said, “I need a little more time to prepare.”

Han Feixu, sitting next to her, added, “I’ll stay here and help her prepare.”

Liang Zhu: “….” 

Today is the first time Ye Mingxin has visited Han Feixu’s place. Liang Zhu took out the car key, turning her head with the expression of an onlooker watching a good show, “Are you worried that your parents will make things difficult for Ye Mingxin?” 

Han Feixu looked up, not quite understanding her implication. “Difficult? Why would my parents make things difficult for her?”

“Because… she’s a female actress, always busy, and her educational background isn’t very high. That doesn’t seem to fit your family’s style.”

In Han Feixu’s family, having a PhD. was considered the lowest level of education one can get, and so typically, a member of their family had several PhDs under their belt. However, even that might not be considered impressive in their family. 

Han Feixu stared at her blankly, “I’m an actress too. I’m also busy all the time, and my educational background isn’t high either.” 

Liang Zhu raised an eyebrow.””I know and do you think you fit your family’s style?”

Han Feixu fell silent. “….I don’t fit.”

Liang Zhu chuckled twice. Ye Mingxin was usually a quiet person, but today she was even more reserved than usual. No matter how accomplished or powerful a person was, they would inevitably feel nervous when meeting their partner’s parents for the first time. Liang Zhu put away her teasing expression and said, “Don’t be too nervous. I’ve met her parents before, and they are very kind people.”

Ye Mingxin nodded gently and even smiled at her.

Liang Zhu turned back around, glancing at them through the rearview mirror. “Feixu, do you know why your mother wants to meet Ye Mingxin? Has she told you?”

“No, she just told me to bring my girlfriend home to meet her and let her get to know her.”

They had only been together for less than two months, and now they were meeting the parents. It seemed too fast. What if, as soon as Ye Mingxin entered the house, Zhong Ya pulled out a bag of money and said, “Here’s five million, now leave my daughter!”

Then Ye Mingxin would take out a check and write down an astronomical figure, “Here’s five hundred billion, you leave your daughter!”

Liang Zhu had read a joke like this somewhere online yesterday and now she was applying it to Zhong Ya and Ye Mingxin. It didn’t feel out of place at all. Liang Zhu couldn’t help but laugh at her own imagination. In the meantime, Ye Mingxin opened the car door.

Liang Zhu called out to them, “Good luck! If you can’t handle it and need to leave, call me, and I’ll come to pick you up right away!”

Inside the elevator, Han Feixu continued to encourage Ye Mingxin. She praised her parents as if they were the most amazing people, but in reality, she was just as nervous as Ye Mingxin. The more she talked, the more anxious she felt. Ye Mingxin was worried that Han Feixu’s parents wouldn’t like her, while Han Feixu was worried that Ye Mingxin wouldn’t like her parents.

When they rang the doorbell, it was Han Feixu’s father who answered the door. He was wearing a pair of metal glasses, and his expression didn’t change much even when he saw his beloved daughter had returned home. Han Feixu walked in with a smile, introduced Ye Mingxin to her father, and he nodded, offering a somewhat reserved smile. Then he let her inside. “Have a seat, and eatsome fruit.”

Once Ye Mingxin had taken her seat, Han Feixu hurried to her own room, calling out, “I left a watch in my room last time, Mama, where did you put it?” 

She had just entered her room when she immediately turned back around. However, she almost collided with her father as she turned. Han Feixu used her eyes to ask why her father was following her. Father Han rubbed his nose and pointed at Ye Mingxin outside, then shook his head repeatedly.

It seemed he didn’t know how to act when he was alone with her.

Han Feixu simply turned her father around and pushed him back outside. 

Father Han staggered a step, and Ye Mingxin quickly stood up to help him, but he waved his hand, indicating that it wasn’t necessary. “No need, please sit, sit.” 

After he sat down, the living room fell into an awkward silence.

In the end, it was Ye Mingxin who eventually broke the ice. The two of them began to chat, with one question leading to another, and they gradually became more comfortable with each other.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ya was in the kitchen chopping vegetables. Ever since Han Feixu had started attending school, she rarely cooked at home and often had her husband bring home takeout. Today was a rare occasion for her to cook, so she was in a good mood and made extra dishes.

She chopped the vegetables on her cutting board, wiping her hands before opening the kitchen window slightly to secretly observe Father Han and Young Miss Ye.

Han Feixu came in to ask where her watch was, and Zhong Ya responded without looking back, “It’s in the first drawer of your desk.”

Han Feixu walked over and stood next to Zhong Ya, teasing her, “Mama, this is called peeping.” 

Zhong Ya turned around and gave her daughter a playful pat on the back. “No, it’s called observation.” 

Han Feixu ducked away with a smile, then leaned against Zhong Ya, acting like a child who never grew up, “Mama, please don’t make things difficult for her.”

“Ai, now you’re trying to protect her. I don’t think I have said anything yet, right?” 

Han Feixu glanced at her mother with a playful smile, “You haven’t said anything yet, but I’m asking you to promise me in advance. Otherwise, when you actually start talking, who can stop you?”

Zhong Ya laughed and said, “I understand. Don’t worry; I won’t eat her.” 

With her mother’s assurance, Han Feixu felt relieved. She took an uncut cucumber from the kitchen counter and broke it into three pieces. 

She handed one to her father, one to her girlfriend, and kept the last one for herself. Watching Han Feixu distribute the cucumber pieces, Zhong Ya smiled gently and closed the white Nordic-style kitchen window, and returned to her cooking.

When they arrived, it was already dark outside. By the time Zhong Ya had finished cooking, the clock had passed half-past seven. Liang Zhu had been right; Han Feixu’s parents were genuinely kind-hearted people. Father Han, who seemed reserved and introverted, turned out to be somewhat like a well-informed and knowledgeable uncle-next-door. He engaged in conversation with Ye Mingxin effortlessly, and it seemed like he knew more about the entertainment industry than she did. He spoke clearly and succinctly,  discussing the current state of the industry and even predicted its development trends for the next thirty years.

Han Feixu refrained from interrupting her father, as every time she did, he became even more enthusiastic. In this regard, her father was somewhat similar to Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory” , that is to say, both are a bit annoying. = = 

While Han Feixu found it irritating, Ye Mingxin didn’t mind at all. She listened with great interest, and seeing her enthralled expression, Mr. Han’s favorability toward her, which had started at 60, which was considered a passing grade, jumped straight to 80 – a very good score.

After the meal, when Zhong Ya joined the conversation, the atmosphere became even more pleasant. Zhong Ya is a skilled conversationalist who effortlessly steered the topics into lighter areas. She artfully avoided any sensitive subjects, and Ye Mingxin didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, even though her profession was one that most parents were wary of.

As it had grown quite late, Zhong Ya insisted that Ye Mingxin stay the night. Although their place wasn’t very large, they did have a guest room, and Zhong Ya had already tidied it up earlier in hopes of Ye Mingxin staying. 

Ye Mingxin, influenced by the warmth and hospitality of the elders, agreed and settled into the guest room. As she sat there, she contemplated when she could bring Han Feixu to her own home. She didn’t expect her parents to be as witty and humorous as Han Feixu’s parents, but as long as they didn’t embarrass her, it would be fine = = 

There was a knock on the door, and Ye Mingxin opened it to find Zhong Ya entering with a set of pajamas. “I bought these for Feixu, but since you two have similar body types, I think they should fit you as well. Don’t worry; she hasn’t worn them yet. You can change into this set.”

Ye Mingxin accepted the pajamas. “Thank you, Auntie.”

“You’re welcome,” Zhong Ya said as she closed the door partially, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Ye Mingxin with a smile. “This bracelet is very beautiful. Although I’ve known about you for a while, it wasn’t until you and Feixu got together that I noticed you had come into possession of this bracelet.”

Ye Mingxin subconsciously touched her jade bracelet. Zhong Ya continued to smile.””Could you tell me how you got this bracelet?”

After a brief pause, Ye Mingxin decided to be honest. “Little Xu gave it to me.” She removed the bracelet and handed it over to Zhong Ya.

However, Zhong Ya refused it, “Since Little Xu gave it to you, you should keep it. I’m not here to ask for it back. It’s just a bracelet and our Han family is not lacking in such things. 

She looked up and met Ye Mingxin’s gaze. “So, you’re the little girl from back then, the “jie-jie” who brought Little Xu down the mountain.”

The event Zhong Ya was talking about had occurred back when Han Feixu was still young. Han Fexiu had a fever for nearly an entire day and night back then. Her brain had almost been burned out from the fever and she couldn’t remember anything, much less the Ye Mingxin who had helped her. After Ye Mingxin had brought her down the mountain and found a police station, they had separated. Seeing that the child’s fever was very severe, the police took her directly to the hospital. While Ye Mngixn stayed at the police station and waited for her parents to pick her up.

Ye Mingxin had wanted to find Han Feixu after, but when she finally was able to go back to Kunshan to find her, she couldn’t. When she asked the police, they had informed her that the little girl’s parents had come to pick her up and she had gone home.

China is a vast country, and it was incredibly challenging to find one person in such a country. Ye Mingxin hadn’t made any deliberate efforts to locate Han Feixu because she assumed that since her parents had picked her up, she must have started a new life. However, sometimes fate was predetermined, and even without actively searching, the people who were meant to appear would show up at specific moments.

Ye Mingxin hadn’t expected that Zhong Ya knew about this incident. She had thought that Han Feixu had forgotten completely about her. She laughed and said, “That person is me. Auntie, did Little Xu tell you about this?” 

“No, I only found out because she kept calling for her “jie-jie” while she was unconscious in the hospital.” Zhong Ya’s face darkened as she recalled the past, however she calmed her emotions as she looked up at Ye Mingxin, “Mingxin. I wanted to ask you something.” 

“Go ahead.” 

“Have you ever told Little Xu you were that jie-jie?” 

Ye Mingxin froze. She hadn’t told her yet. She had wanted to find a more romantic place and memorable moment before telling Han Feixu. 

Hearing her answer no, Zhong Ya nodded slightly, “I thought so. If you had told her, her dad and I would’ve been able to tell.” 

She stood up and said, “There is something I want to ask of you. I know this request is a bit too much, but I hope you will agree. I ask you, can you…can you not tell Little Xu you are that jie-jie? In fact, not only can you not tell her that, you must not tell her anything that happened on that day, alright?” 

Ye Mingxin didn’t understand and Zhong Ya softly explained to her, “Little Xu had nightmares for a long time after that incident and she had basically recovered from it by now. Our family no longer mentions that incident around Little Xu, because she has almost forgotten everything about that day. However, I am afraid that one day she will remember. The hurt one suffers in childhood can accompany them throughout their entire life. It is not something that one can accept and get over with just because they have grown up and their psychological endurance has grown stronger. I know such a request is selfish, but I do not want Little Xu to be hurt. So, Mingxin, can you agree to this one request for me?” 

Ye Mingxin was slightly stunned, but after listening to Zhong Ya’s voice that was almost pleading and after mulling over it for a long time, she finally nodded.