Chapter 187

Chapter 187 – A Short Separation Beats What?

Mei Lijun and Mei Lijiong’s discussion finally led to a final plan. Considering that their daughter, Mei Yue, has already started working, and given that they have both retired, it was time for them to return to their hometown to spend their twilight years. Settling down in Baimei County was a good option, and the拆迁房 (demolition compensation apartment) would be inherited by Mei Lijiong.

As for Mei Lirong, who couldn’t return home due to her distance in Xingcheng, the brothers decided to give her some extra money later.

After confirming the arrangements, the two brothers drove home together.

The journey from Baizhou to Baimei County took only two hours. Mei Fang sent a message to the group earlier and soon returned to the long-missed hometown of Baimei County.

With the New Year approaching, traffic in the county was heavy, with cars honking everywhere. Mei Ya was bouncing around at the car window, but Mei Fang gently tapped her bottom.

“Sit properly.”

“Brother Fang, aren’t you excited? We’re about to meet Sister Yuan and Sister Youxi.”

“There’s nothing to be excited about. It’s not been that long since we last saw each other.”

Mei Fang pulled his sister away from the car door.

Xiang Xiaxia glanced at Mei Fang through the rearview mirror. “Fang, you’ve been taken care of by Aunt Liang Meijuan all this time. Has Youxi ever called her Mom?”

Mei Fang shook his head. “She still calls her Aunt, but now it’s Ah Juan. I think it’s a bit more familiar?”

“Hmm…”

“It’s not like she’s the original mother, so suddenly calling her Mom wouldn’t feel right either.”

Mei Ya chimed in, “Speaking of which, if my mom—”

“Fang!”

“Got it!”

At Xiang Xiaxia’s command, Mei Fang grabbed his sister and turned her face towards Xiang Xiaxia, who slapped Mei Ya’s mouth.

“Talking nonsense during the New Year, I’ll clean your mouth!”

“Waaah… Sorry, Mom… Mmph… I won’t talk nonsense anymore!”

In the Mei family, children were not allowed to speak freely, especially during the New Year.

The Mei family arrived at their old neighborhood. Mei Fang gently knocked on the door, which was opened immediately.

Opening the door was Xia Yuan, wearing an apron. Her eyes flashed when she met Mei Fang’s gaze.

However, she only gave Mei Fang a slight smile before quickly looking behind at the adults.

“Uncle Mei, Aunt Xiang, you’re back!”

“Yes, we’re back.”

Xiang Xiaxia hadn’t seen Xia Yuan in a while, and seeing her again filled her with joy. “It’s been half a year, Yuan, you’ve changed so much. You look different every day.”

“Haha… I ate a bit too much this year, so I gained some weight.”

Xia Yuan scratched her head bashfully.

“You’re not fat, not at all. Girls look better when they’re fuller!”

“By the way, me and Youxi cleaned the house yesterday, so it should be pretty clean.”

“Oh… You two really went out of your way to do this. Fang, you really did something unexpected.”

“No, no, we wanted to do it! Don’t blame Fang.”

Mei Lijun looked contentedly at his bright, nostalgic little house, feeling a mix of emotions.

“It’s great, everything is great.”

Xia Yuan led the family inside, pausing slightly as another person entered.

“Um… These must be Brother Fang’s uncle and aunt, right? Hello!”

“Hmm, hello, who are you?”

Mei Lijiong and his wife were surprised to see a stranger welcoming them.

Meanwhile, Mei Yue had been eagerly waiting to meet Xia Yuan. As soon as they entered, she grabbed Xia Yuan’s hand tightly.

“Hello, hello! This is one of Fang’s girlfriends, Yuan, right?”

“No, no, not at all!”

Xia Yuan blushed and denied, “I’m Fang’s childhood friend, which means… I’m Fang’s good friend.”

Good friends who can entrust each other with keys…

“Oh, what good friends… Where’s the other one? Let me see.”

The sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen. Mei Fang went in to greet Lin Youxi first, then she caught him helping with cooking, while she herself wiped her hands to greet the Mei family.

“Uncle Mei, Aunt Xiang.”

Lin Youxi nodded politely.

“Hello, hello, Youxi… You seem taller.”

Xiang Xiaxia stepped forward to tidy Lin Youxi’s hair. “You child… Running around and cooking at someone else’s house during the New Year. Really…”

Lin Youxi didn’t protest against Xiang Xiaxia’s criticism, just smiling at her.

“Because we haven’t seen each other in a while, I wanted Aunt Xiang to taste my cooking and see if I’ve improved.”

“The aroma is already spreading… You must have improved! Let me cook now, you rest, these are…”

“I know, hello Uncle, Aunt.”

Lin Youxi directly addressed them as Uncle and Aunt, which was a common way to address relatives in a crowd, otherwise everyone would just be called Uncle and Aunt, leading to confusion.

Even the closest couples might feel reluctant meeting each other’s relatives, as they weren’t truly close acquaintances.

However, Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan seemed to be competing, both actively trying to impress Mei Fang and his family.

After greeting Mei Yue’s parents, Lin Youxi also greeted Mei Yue, who was holding Xia Yuan’s hand.

“Yueyue, you really are as beautiful as Fang said.”

Mei Yue had been pulling Xia Yuan’s hand to show her support, but Lin Youxi left a strong first impression, causing her to be overjoyed. She held onto both Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan.

“Oh, Xiao Fang actually praises me in front of others, how embarrassing… But honestly, you two will definitely be prettier than me when you grow up.”

Mei Ya, who couldn’t get a word in, tugged at her brother’s hand. “Brother, you’re so lucky…”

Mei Fang smiled and pinched his sister’s cheek.

“So are you.”

Looking at this scene, Mei Fang felt a sense of reflection. When he first met Lin Youxi, she was a shy girl who struggled to speak to adults. Now, she could handle situations effortlessly.

Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan seemed to be hired chefs and servers, chatting with the Mei family for a while before saying they needed to go home for dinner. After much persuasion, Xiang Xiaxia first forced a red envelope into Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan’s hands, then ordered Mei Fang to escort them home.

Thus, through their efforts, Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan gained a chance to be alone with Mei Fang.

Mei Fang escorted Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi downstairs. The three of them suddenly fell silent in the elevator.

Xia Yuan nervously fixed her hair in the elevator’s reflection, while Lin Youxi continuously touched Mei Fang’s hand.

…Clearly hinting at something.

So Mei Fang asked, “Shall we stay in the pavilion for a bit and chat?”

“Sure!”

Xia Yuan immediately agreed.

The pavilion was where Mei Fang and Xia Yuan often recharged their energy. Staying there was no different from the suggestion of recharging energy.

For Lin Youxi, this was her first time recharging energy in such a manner.

Although the daytime was busy with cars in the residential area, the pavilion was inconspicuous, making it unnecessary to worry about being seen. Lin Youxi sat next to the pavilion watching Xia Yuan recharge first, then she followed suit. The three of them were content.

“Feels like Fang’s super energy is particularly abundant today.”

“Maybe because it’s been a while since he recharged?”

“Speaking of which, this state is like… like… a short separation beats what?”

Xia Yuan suddenly closed her mouth, feeling embarrassed.

“What does it beat?” Lin Youxi tilted her head, asking Xia Yuan.

“Nothing, nothing!”

Xia Yuan pushed Lin Youxi forward, then blushing, told Mei Fang, “I need to go home for dinner! Fang, take Youxi home.”

“Okay.”

Great, completed three chapters today!

Tomorrow I’ll announce a break, and the day after, I’ll update with a big release.