Chapter 84 – Under the Eyes of Mom and Dad

84 – Under the Eyes of Mom and Dad

Translator: tamago

Even though he was just visiting under the guise of an ordinary classmate, Xu Xiran was still nervous.

As long as he and Fang Mo stay together, there will be a day when they will appear in front of Fang Mo’s parents under a different identity. In order to ensure things go smoothly when that day comes, he must behave well every second and every minute right now, and strive to leave a positive impression on the two elders.

For this purpose, he specifically put on the coat that Fang Mo gave him, and before leaving the dormitory, he carefully checked his hair in the mirror to ensure that his appearance was clean, neat, and pleasing to the eye.

“Do I look handsome?” He asked Fang Mo when they were about to arrive at their destination.

Fang Mo nodded: “Handsome, handsome.”

His tone clearly did not sound very sincere. Xu Xiran felt that he was being perfunctory and frowned.

When Fang Mo saw this, he laughed and re-emphasized: “When people see you, they see an energetic guy, the kind that elders like the most.”

Xu Xiran was sure that he was being made fun of. Seeing him sigh with a bitter face, Fang Mo continued to comfort him.

“You really don’t have to be nervous. My parents have a good temperament and are not difficult to deal with at all,” he said. “But you, don’t be too surprised when you see them.”

“Ah? Why?” Xu Xiran was puzzled.

“My mom was already a little old when she had me,” Fang Mo said. “One time when I was in middle school, she came to school to find me, and a classmate said, ‘Wow, Fang Mo, your grandma is so young.'”

He deliberately exaggerated his tone and expression, in a clear attempt to loosen Xu Xiran up and to make him laugh.

Xu Xiran did indeed laugh, but what he was also thinking in his heart was that Fang Mo’s parents must be older in age and have good personalities, which meant that Fang Mo must have grown up being loved and cherished. Having this understanding made his lover by his side seem even sweeter.

There was one thing that Xu Xiran thought was quite miraculous. They had just had a little conflict not too long ago, and for the first time since they met, they had an argument that lasted all night. Surprisingly when this minor hurdle had passed, it did not have any negative impact on the relationship between them. Instead, it seemed to have a catalytic effect, giving them a strange sense of intimacy. As the two sat side by side with each other, even the air around them began to feel a little sticky.

Or perhaps it was because he finally realized how sad he felt to be at odds with each other, that their ordinary daily interactions had become all the more precious.

“Then what do you think… If one day they find out about our relationship, how would they react?” asked Xu Xiran.

Fang Mo’s expression suddenly became a little strange. Then, he smiled at Xu Xiran: “I think they would let us get along well.”

How could things possibly go this smoothly? Xu Xiran knew that Fang Mo must be trying to comfort him with nice words again. But deep down in his heart, he wished for it to be true, and so he chose not to argue it.

~

Fang Mo’s parents were indeed as Fang Mo described them: gentle, friendly, and warm-hearted. With Fang Mo’s reminder ahead of time, Xu Xiran had no issue accepting their age. Fang Mo’s mother had gray hair and visible fine lines on her face, especially around the corners of her eyes where the lines were long and deep. When Xu Xiran compared her to his own mother, they did not look like they were from the same generation at all.

However, they were only different in their appearances. Xu Xiran felt that Fang Mo’s mother was still an elegant and beautiful woman. The gentle creases at the corners of her eyes made her seem like she was always smiling, which made her seem very likable.

The way Fang Mo was in front of his parents was a bit different from how he was at school. When this person, who was usually calm and composed among his peers, pushed open his home door, he instantly became very cheerful. He rushed in, gave his parents each a hug, and then happily introduced them to Xu Xiran.

Fang Mo’s mother was in the middle of cooking, and after exchanging a few words with them, she went back into the kitchen. Left behind was Fang Mo’s father, who took Xu Xiran to the guest room to put his belongings.

In contrast, Fang Mo’s father had a slightly more serious appearance, with a solemn demeanor and a somewhat formal way of speaking. He earnestly showed Xu Xiran the cabinet where he could store his things, the wardrobe where he could store his clothes, and mentioned that they both had separate keys for locking and that he could take them whenever he went out because they didn’t have any spare keys.

Even though he was just a temporary guest, Fang Mo’s parents were so thoughtful in remembering to leave him some privacy, and Xu Xiran was immediately moved.

Not only that, but the bed in the guest room looked freshly made, and the sheets and blankets seemed freshly dried. As Xu Xiran got closer, he could even smell a hint of sunshine in them. Fang Mo’s parents had prepared everything with great care to host him.

“You really didn’t need to go through all this trouble,” Xu Xiran said, “Uncle, you two are too polite. I don’t have that much stuff anyway. To even go out of your way to prepare a room for me, it must have been so much work… I was originally planning on sharing a room with Fang Mo, and was even going to sleep on the floor if needed.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Fang looked at Xu Xiran’s face for a moment, and then smiled and said, “It’s not troublesome. Your auntie likes tidying things. You don’t have to worry too much about staying with us. Just treat this place like it’s your own home.”

As they were talking, Fang Mo, who had just returned to his room to put away his things, hopped in. He wandered around the guest room, pointed at the bedsheet, and said, “Isn’t this mine!”

“Of course it’s yours,” Mr. Fang chuckled. “We can’t possibly use ours.”

~

There was still some time before dinner, so Mr. Fang said he didn’t want to disturb his unpacking and left.

As soon as he left, Xu Xiran immediately lowered his voice and started whispering to Fang Mo.

“Why didn’t you just tell your parents that we can share a room?” Xu Xiran whispered to Fang Mo. “I feel bad that they went through the trouble of preparing everything.”

Fang Mo’s eyes wandered. “…Well, in any case, they’ve already prepared everything.”

After he said this, Fang Mo shifted closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. “If you want to come to my room at night, you can just sneak in,” he whispered. “If you’re worried about them seeing you, I can also come over to your room.”

This was not what Xu Xiran meant, but when he said this, it immediately changed the mood. 

He couldn’t help but sigh. How could such parents raise their son to be so unserious, not being able to hold back his words one after another.

After all, he was a guest, so Xu Xiran had to be more reserved than Fang Mo, and couldn’t be as open as him. As he sighed and still didn’t speak, Fang Mo smiled at him. 

“My mom said that you’re quite handsome,” he lowered his voice and said to Xu Xiran.

Xu Xiran raised his eyebrows: “When?”

“Just now. Before I came over, I asked her what she thought of you,” Fang Mo felt quite proud. “She said, ‘Mn, not bad, he seems very energetic.’”

Xu Xiran felt embarrassed. After feeling shy for a while, he suddenly felt that something wasn’t right. “When Zou Shun came over, did you ask her too?”

“Of course not!” Fang Mo immediately shook his head.

“…Then wouldn’t auntie think that… it’s a little strange?” Xu Xiran felt guilty like a thief. “Who would normally ask this kind of a question when they bring a classmate home?”

Fang Mo reached out and scratched his chin: “Letting her know now that you are special to me shouldn’t be a bad thing right?”

It sounded like some false reasoning, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt there was also some truth to it. When Xu Xiran hesitated for a moment, Fang Mo raised his face at him: “Don’t worry so much. Can I have a kiss?”

Xu Xiran went with the flow and was about to kiss him when suddenly, Fang Mo’s father’s voice came from behind. 

“Xiao Xu-ah, did you prepare a toothbrush and tow—” 

His voice stopped very unnaturally.

Xu Xiran turned pale in fright, and in a hurry, he pushed Fang Mo away, and in the speed of light turned around, and loudly shouted, “Yes! I did!”

Fang Mo’s butt fell onto the bed, making a lot of movement. Xu Xiran quickly turned back: “Are you alright?”

Fang Mo looked at him with his eyes widened, his face innocent, and gave him a small nod.

When Xu Xiran looked back at the doorway again, Mr. Fang was smiling at him. 

“If so, the bathroom is that way and you can place your things there. If needed, we have new ones at home. You can ask me or your auntie, we’ll help you get what you need.” 

Xu Xiran nodded like a garlic being pounded: “Okay! I got it!”

Mr. Fang nodded and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he turned around and said, “Your auntie and I will usually definitely knock on the door when we enter your room.”

“Ah?” Xu Xiran was dazed for half a second before he began to nod, “Oh, oh, okay, okay. Uncle, you are really too polite.” 

Mr. Fang smiled while shaking his head, and left. 

Xu Xiran finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and looked at Fang Mo who was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

“That scared me to death,” he patted his chest twice, “It was a good thing your dad didn’t notice. My heart was about to jump out.”

Fang Mo looked at him with his face red and his lips pursed and did not make a sound.

“No, this won’t do, we have to behave,” Xu Xiran shook his head, “Stop always seducing me, you understand?”

Fang Mo smiled at him, stood up, tiptoed to the door, and carefully closed the door. 

He turned around and beckoned with his finger at Xu Xiran: “Didn’t my dad say that they would knock before coming in?” 

Xu Xiran sighed again. With such parents like his, how could they let their child be educated so insincerely?

~

At dinner time, Xu Xiran, who came to the living room with Fang Mo, was shocked by the table. There was still more than a week before Chinese New Year, but the abundance of this meal was comparable to a New Year’s Eve dinner.

Fang Mo’s parents said that they didn’t know what Xu Xiran liked to eat, so they made a bit more. Xu Xiran was simply overwhelmed with such an unexpected favor. Ordinary parents, even if they were very hospitable, would rarely pay this level of attention to their son’s classmates. This made Xu Xiran involuntarily have the illusion that he was a son-in-law who came to see his parents.

Fang Mo said that his parents had a good temperament, and were not difficult at all to deal with. Having interacted with them for a few hours now, Xu Xiran felt that what Fang Mo said was an understatement and that he completely didn’t explain the good qualities of his parents at all. Fang Mo’s father seemed serious on the outside, but he was actually quite a witty and easy-going person.

In front of Xu Xiran, he used to call Fang Mo’s mother “your auntie”, but after chatting for a while, he subconsciously began calling his wife Su Laoshi.

Seeing that Xu Xiran was curious, Mr. Fang explained to him with a smile. The two of them used to work in the same school, and Fang Mo’s mother was an art teacher for the lower grades of the school. When they first met, they called each other “Fang Laoshi” and “Su Laoshi”. Then later on, when they fell in love, Fang Mo’s mother changed the way she called him, but Fang Mo’s father was reserved and shy, and has called her that to this day.

“Back when your auntie was young, in how you people say it these days, she was our school’s goddess. It wasn’t easy for me to win her heart.”

Xu Xiran praised with excessive flattery: “Uncle, you are so classy now, you must have also been the school’s male god back then. I can just see that you and Auntie are a perfect match for each other!”

Beside him, Fang Mo happily joined in on the fun: “That’s right, otherwise, how could you have made such a handsome son like me?”

The table fell silent for a few seconds, but the atmosphere remained cheerful and warm.

~

After dinner, Xu Xiran contemplated for a while and felt that it was necessary for him to wash the dishes.

“We have a dishwasher,” Fang Mo stopped him with a smile, “You don’t need to trouble yourself, and you don’t know how to operate it anyway.”

After saying this, he proactively began tidying up his things and bringing them to the kitchen. Seeing this, Xu Xiran quickly followed him.

“If you teach me, then I’ll know!” He said.

Even if there was a dishwasher, kitchen leftovers and scraps still needed to be tidied by hand. Although Fang Mo seemed like he lived a pampered life¹The idiom here literally translates to “a person whose ten fingers have not touched Yangchun water”, he was quite skilled at these tasks. Judging from his parents’ natural attitude just now, it was evident that Fang Mo must have always done this job at home.

Having learned from his past mistake, Xu Xiran followed into the kitchen and immediately closed the door. Fang Mo was busy at the sink, and Xu Xiran watched for a while before slowly moving closer behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Fang Mo’s shoulder.

“Wow, so virtuous,” he said to Fang Mo.

Fang Mo smiled: “It’s nothing.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned rosy, and Xu Xiran felt that he and Fang Mo were almost like a newlywed couple, experiencing the sweet daily moments of married life.

He felt happy in his heart and turned his head to give Fang Mo a kiss on the cheek.

Fang Mo also turned his head and slightly pouted his lips, saying, “Here, here.”

Xu Xiran naturally could never refuse. He smiled and leaned in, and their lips were about to meet when suddenly, there was a “click” sound from behind.

“Momo, you forgot the soy sauce di…” 

Xu Xiran quickly jumped back, and raised his hands like an eagle spreading its wings, trying his best to distance himself from Fang Mo.

“…Forgot the soy sauce dish,” Fang Mo’s mother finished the sentence after an awkward pause.

Author’s note:

*Fang Mo: …I’m so sorry²Also has the meaning of “I feel so embarrassed”.

*Xu Xiran: …I’m so sorry.

*Mr. Fang and Su Laoshi: …I’m so sorry.

• 1
  The idiom here literally translates to “a person whose ten fingers have not touched Yangchun water”
• 2
  Also has the meaning of “I feel so embarrassed”