Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 209 - 206: Raising a Cat for a Thousand Days, Time to Repay the Favor

Chapter 209: Chapter 206: Raising a Cat for a Thousand Days, Time to Repay the Favor

After booking a room at the hotel, Qin Guanglin and his companion didn’t go upstairs. They paid and turned to stroll around, and only went to the market to buy vegetables for dinner when it was about time.

"What do your family members like to eat? Do they have any food aversions?"

"My dad doesn’t eat eggplants, and my brother doesn’t eat bitter melon."

"Oh, anything else?"

"That’s it."

"Then we won’t buy these two... Why doesn’t your dad eat eggplants?" Qin Guanglin asked casually. It was quite normal not to eat bitter melon, but eggplants... It was rare to find someone who didn’t eat eggplants.

"He thinks eggplants look sneaky."

??

Qin Guanglin had a puzzled look on his face, "What did you just say about eggplants?"

"My dad thinks eggplants look sneaky, so he never eats them... I don’t know why," He Fang shrugged, "Anyway, eggplants have never appeared on our dinner table since I was a child."

"...And your brother doesn’t eat bitter melon, is it because..."

"That’s not it. He simply finds bitter melon bitter and doesn’t like the taste."

"Oh." Qin Guanglin looked at the eggplants in the market and shook his head, indicating he couldn’t understand.

He Fang and Qin Guanglin wandered around the market until after four in the afternoon, when they finally returned home loaded with large and small bags.

Entering through the front door, Zhao Qing was in the living room, watching He Cheng do his homework, while He Shan was nowhere to be seen. He’s Daddy was sitting alone on the balcony, quietly looking outside, lost in thought.

"Eh, you bought groceries?" Zhao Qing saw the bags in their hands at a glance and said to He Fang, "Quick, call your brother to come back so he doesn’t buy a bunch of vegetables that the fridge can’t hold."

"Oh, did he also go shopping? How come we didn’t run into each other..." As He Fang spoke, she handed the bags to Qin Guanglin and fished out her phone to make a call.

Qin Guanglin took all the stuff into the kitchen. He’s Daddy had seen the two of them come back and got up from the balcony to come inside, looked at them, and smacked his lips without a word.

Mixed emotions.

This kid had suddenly been promoted from his daughter’s boyfriend to prospective son-in-law, and he hadn’t quite come to terms with it, looking at He Fang with a somewhat resentful feeling.

She just went out to study and got whisked away by some brat who had popped up out of nowhere.

"Do you need something, Dad?"

As soon as He Fang finished the call, she turned and saw He’s Daddy staring at her and curiously asked.

"Nothing, I’m fine. What could be wrong with me?" He’s Daddy looked away and brought his large mug to his lips, only to realize that the water had long been finished.

"Boil me a kettle of water."

"Alright."

He Fang responded cheerfully and ran to the kitchen, where she saw Qin Guanglin still sorting and unpacking the groceries. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Leave it, it’s not time to cook yet anyway."

"I have nothing else to do right now, let’s get it..."

"Dinglingling dingling..."

The phone’s ringtone interrupted Qin Guanglin mid-sentence. He took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Xiao Yu.

He Fang didn’t disturb him and turned to fill the kettle with water, while Qin Guanglin didn’t avoid her and answered the phone directly.

"Hello?"

"Lin, where are you?"

"What’s up?"

"Bored, inviting you to dinner to help you waste some time," Xiao Yu chuckled on the other end.

"I’m busy, at my father-in-law’s house." Qin Guanglin saw He Fang looking over and gave her a little wink.

"Be careful or my dad will hear you and punch you."

He Fang tiptoed closer and hummed softly under her breath before picking up the kettle and leaving the kitchen.

"Oh my God! No way?!" Xiao Yu was genuinely shocked, "That was a bit... not just a bit, way too fast!"

"Speak if you’ve got something to say, otherwise I’m hanging up."

Qin Guanglin glanced outside and lowered his voice, "I still need to go and play chess with my father-in-law."

"...Don’t hang up, don’t hang up, actually, there is something." Xiao Yu hemmed and hawed on the other end, until Qin Guanglin pressed him again before he finally spoke, "It’s just... um... that time you first took a girlfriend home, what did you say to her? How did you get her to agree?"

"Huh?" Qin Guanglin scratched his head, leaning against the cupboard, "Agree? She just said she wanted to come see my place... When did you get a girlfriend?"

"...That’s it then, I’m hanging up." Xiao Yu ended the call feeling sour, his issue unresolved while giving Qin Guanglin a chance to show off.

So annoying.

Xiao Yu hung up the phone and tossed it aside, slumping onto the couch with a groan and a frustrated look on his face.

How to even start this conversation...

That Qin Guanglin is already meeting the old man, he thought, green with envy. How could it have gone so smoothly?

Just six months ago he was asking me how to pick up girls... Seriously, it’s infuriating to compare oneself with others.

Lying on the couch in turmoil for a while, Xiao Yu sat up abruptly, grabbed his phone, and started drafting a message.

I have to take the initiative.

With his hand hovering over the keyboard, he couldn’t think of any good reason to start.

The little tabby cat, wagging its tail, hopped onto the coffee table and curled up in a comfortable spot, curiously watching its owner sitting on the couch, struggling with his thoughts.

After a long stare-off with the tabby cat, and seeing it yawn impatiently, Xiao Yu suddenly chuckled and began to type.

"My cat can do backflips, do you want to come and see?"

Meanwhile, Qin Guanglin was still having tea with He’s Daddy, just not chatting endlessly like last night, both men were silent.

He’s Daddy eyed him for a while, feeling oddly relieved.

Now that he had entered his house and knowing how much He Fang liked this young man, and that her ridiculous sleeping habit was picked up at home—better here than somewhere else, right?

At least this showed the guy wasn’t like he had thought the night before, some scumbag deceiving his daughter.

Could this be considered... a good thing?

As He’s Daddy thought, his expression became more complex, wishing he could grab Qin Guanglin and give him a thrashing.

His daughter had barely graduated from college and was already ’in trouble’, courtesy of this fellow. Too crafty.

"Well..."

"Well..."

The two men spoke at the same time, then fell silent together.

"You first, you first," Qin Guanglin deferentially gestured for He’s Daddy to speak.

"He City is quite far from Luo City," He’s Daddy smacked his lips, paused to look at Qin Guanglin, and then continued, "We always wanted her to come back, what with being unfamiliar and without support there, it’s too exhausting for a person on their own..."

Qin Guanglin picked up the teacup and sipped quietly, listening without interrupting.

"...She was always looked after by her brother since she was little. Leaving home like that, we were afraid she wouldn’t adapt to school there, but after four years, she never complained of hardship or tiredness, even stayed over during winter and summer breaks with classmates to do some holiday jobs... What’s a small kid doing working, right? Her brother and I used to think so too."

He’s Daddy sighed, took a sip of tea, and went on, "We always treated her like a child until now, when she brought you home. I pondered for a while and realized she’s truly grown up... become an adult with her own thoughts."

He glanced at He Fang, who was in the living room playing with her cousin, then at Qin Guanglin, "Luo City is a big city, certainly a good place, and if she wants to develop there, her brother and I have just been worried she’d overwork herself, without wanting to interfere with her thoughts, nor can we, she’s always been headstrong... We’ve known each other for just two days, not even, and don’t really understand each other yet, but since she brought you here, that means she really likes you... Don’t speak yet, listen to me."

Seeing Qin Guanglin about to speak, He’s Daddy put up a hand to stop him, continuing, "You’ve been cautious these two days, I can tell, and you care about her. She often shares pictures on her phone, seems like you’re really good to her... Well... it’s your business as young people, you figure it out on your own, I only have one request—

No matter what happens, don’t bully her.

I’m a first-time dad, and her brother’s a first-time brother. We have no experience on how to raise a daughter, don’t know if we’ve spoiled her, but in our eyes, she’s always the best. If you ever feel there’s something you can’t tolerate, or she’s not good enough, just send her back here, we’ll continue to pamper her, but don’t you ever bully her."