Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 200 - 197: Setting Out for He City

Chapter 200: Chapter 197: Setting Out for He City

September 30th.

Evening.

After everything was done.

Qin Guanglin didn’t lie at the head of the bed to smoke a cigarette—he didn’t smoke—so he could only hug He Fang and nuzzle against her neck, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

"Let’s sleep in peace."

He Fang, slightly exhausted, pushed his head away with her eyes closed, "We have to get up early tomorrow."

"But I’m a bit nervous, I can’t sleep," Qin Guanglin’s hands mischievously slid inside He Fang’s pajamas, feeling the smooth touch which slightly comforted him, "Is your family in the city or the suburbs? Are there any hotels nearby?"

"I’m very sleepy..." He Fang grumbled discontentedly, "There are, everything’s there, we’ll talk about it tomorrow, you surely won’t be aggrieved..."

"Alright, alright, you sleep first, I will think about it a bit more."

"Think about what, just go to sleep." She turned around impatiently and hugged Qin Guanglin, her body wriggling as she pushed up and pressed his head into her chest, "If you doze off at my house tomorrow, I’ll... yawn~ ay, just sleep."

"..."

Unable to sleep, Qing Guanglin closed his eyes and after a while lifted his head again, "That..."

He saw He Fang was already fast asleep, so he closed his mouth, hugged her again, and lay quietly without speaking anymore.

Hmm... With Teacher He there, there should be no problem.

He had the looks with He Fang’s help in dressing up, the physique of being neither too thick nor too thin, and the job with particularly good benefits and welfare; there was no reason to be nitpicked.

...

A leisurely night passed, and as the day broke with the first light of dawn, Qin Guanglin got out of bed to wash and dress, looking at himself in the mirror to make sure there were no dark circles under his eyes before reassuringly going out to buy breakfast.

"Hey, you’re up so early today?" The breakfast stall owner greeted Qin Guanglin.

The owner was already familiar with him, just setting up the stall and not open for business yet, with him being the first customer.

"It’s National Day, so of course I should be up a bit earlier... Five buns, two bowls of millet porridge, and add a tea egg."

"... Okay." The owner didn’t understand what National Day had to do with getting up early, packing the buns as he asked, "Aren’t you sleeping in since it’s a holiday? Why up so early?"

"If I slept in, you would lose a sale, wouldn’t you?"

"... True."

The owner swiftly packed the breakfast and handed it over, taking the money and tossing it into the box behind him, "Just right, take care."

Qin Guanglin responded and took the breakfast up the stairs, Teacher He still deep in sleep. He fumbled around and finally woke her up, annoyingly.

"Why so early?"

"Breakfast, then you have to take me to meet your father."

"..."

He Fang rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned, sitting up to take a look at him before coming to her senses, "What time is it?"

"A bit after six, eat and get ready, we’ll head out at seven."

This was what she instructed him last night—take the train around eight, arrive at He City in three hours, and then take another ride, just in time for lunch.

Qin Guanglin handed her a bun and then took an egg, tapped it twice to peel, and put it in her bowl of millet porridge before starting to eat his own bun.

"Don’t keep saying ’your father’ when we get there, what if you let something slip?" He Fang suddenly remembered while eating her breakfast and warned him, "My dad doesn’t like slick talkers."

"Um, don’t worry," Qin Guanglin assured with a serious nod.

"And during the meal, don’t be too restrained, eat as much as you need, the main thing is to be full, don’t starve yourself."

"Okay, got it."

"Don’t mess things up following some crappy strategy you found online, just be normal, like when I went to your house."

"Oh, okay... Was it normal when you went to my house?"

"Wasn’t it?"

"Alright, let’s do it that way." Qin Guanglin nodded thoughtfully, "Anything else?"

"There’s nothing else. When I think of something, I’ll say."

After they had finished breakfast and He Fang had freshened up, Qin Guanglin, with the tickets he had bought in advance, pulled He Fang out the door to the train station to wait for the train.

It was time to meet the parents...

He felt a bit unreal in a dazed moment.

He pinched He Fang’s hand slightly harder and, facing the gaze she cast on him, his lips moved, but he made no sound.

"What’s wrong?" He Fang asked.

"I... I’m just not confident."

"With me here, don’t worry." She smiled, "What’s there to be afraid of? Haven’t you said it yourself? The only thing we’re short of is a license, this is just a formality."

"Just a formality?"

"Yes, you will marry me; it’s a sure thing. All this is just going through the motions."

"You’re more confident than I am." Qin Guanglin licked his lips and then took out the tickets to check them, "Once we’re on the train, there’s no turning back..."

"Don’t overthink it. I know you’re worrying because you care so much. I promise there won’t be any issues—

Let’s assume the worst scenario; even if you get chased out, I’ll elope with you. Are you reassured now?"

He Fang pulled on his arm, took a few steps forward, and said, "Get ready to board. We’re off on a seven-day tour to my place."

"Do we have to stay that long?" Qin Guanglin exclaimed in surprise. He thought it was just a quick meet and greet before heading back. How come it turned into a seven-day stay?

The internet advice stated that the first meeting shouldn’t be too long; the longer it is, the more likely weaknesses and flaws are to be revealed. While he didn’t think he had any flaws, any extended stay might unavoidably lead to mistakes.

After all, nobody’s perfect. It might be just some inconsequential habits, but in another’s eyes, those might be considered flaws. Long-term adaptation was required. The shorter the initial meeting, the better. He wished he could just have one meal and then return, waiting for another opportunity to visit.

"I’ll take you around He City for a good tour, to stroll around. I didn’t say we’d be cooped up at my place for seven days." He Fang saw through what he was thinking at a glance.

"Oh..."

Qin Guanglin let out a sigh of relief, let her lead him onto the train, and as they found their seats and settled down, he rubbed his hands as he looked out the window, "I’m really going to meet Teacher He... to meet Uncle."

"And my brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew."

"The most important thing is Uncle though... I can call your brother ’brother’ and your sister-in-law ’sister-in-law,’ but with your dad, I need to figure out a way to call him ’dad.’"

He Fang looked out the window in silence. It wasn’t until the train doors had closed and the train slowly started to move that she turned her head to him and gave him a wicked smile, "I’m selling you off to a remote mountain to mine coal."

"..."

"Scared?"

"Do I not make more from painting than I would digging coal? Are you dim?"

"Yeah, right."

He Fang leaned boredly on his shoulder, looking out the window. After a while, she took out her phone and grabbed his hand to take a photo.

"What are you doing?" Qin Guanglin asked.

"Just letting my dad know so he can get lunch ready."

"Do you need to take a picture for that?"

"Just a picture of our hands, to show him." He Fang intertwined their fingers and placed their hands on the small table in front of them, taking a snap with her phone, "The tickets."

Qin Guanglin took the tickets from his pocket and handed them to her. Watching her take another photo which included both their tickets, he couldn’t help but ask, "You’re taking a picture of that too?"

"Yeah. Otherwise, they might think I’m joking, and then lunch won’t be ready for you, and that’d be a mess."

As He Fang spoke, she sent the photos and then showed him the screen, "My brother says he’s looking forward to it."

"I’m kinda looking forward to it too..."

The train sped towards He City with a whistle, and Qin Guanglin watched the landscape sweep by outside the window, his heart filled with anticipation, but even more with nervousness.

The attitude of Teacher He’s family was critical, this trip could only succeed, not fail.