Li Yuan pulled Zhong Tingyue into his arms, a mischievous grin on his face. "Heh, Little Moon, do you really think you can get away?"

Zhong Tingyue giggled, retorting proudly, "That’s not a given!"

"If you ever stop loving me, I’ll leave!"

"Then I guess you won’t get the chance," Li Yuan said, holding her small hand and gazing affectionately at her cheek. "Because I’ll love you forever and never give you the chance to leave."

...

「At the bus station exit in Modu.」

Li Yuan held Zhong Tingyue’s hand. Her palm was already slick with nervous sweat, her body was rigid, and she felt extremely anxious.

Li Yuan smiled, his gaze turning toward the exit.

Soon, the figure of his mother, Xia Qin, appeared before the platform exit.

He flashed a smile at Zhong Tingyue. "Little Moon, my mom’s here. Let’s go over."

"Ah, Auntie’s here? Where?"

Zhong Tingyue’s heart leaped, her pulse accelerating to a rate rivaled only by the nervousness she had felt during her first time with Li Yuan.

"Follow me!" Li Yuan said, taking her hand and leading her forward.

...

Xia Qin carried a plain canvas bag. On the way, Li Yuan had called to say he would pick her up at the station and that a surprise awaited her.

The station was bustling with people. Xia Qin stood looking around, searching for Li Yuan in the crowd. Suddenly, a voice reached her ears.

"Mom, we’re over here!"

Following the sound, Xia Qin quickly turned and saw her wonderful son approaching, hand-in-hand with a girl who looked as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Xia Qin stared blankly at Zhong Tingyue, her body trembling slightly as she instinctively asked, "Yuan, who is this?"

Before Li Yuan could speak, Zhong Tingyue greeted her shyly, "Auntie, I... my name is Zhong Tingyue. I’m Li Yuan’s girlfriend!"

Xia Qin never expected that the girl before her, more beautiful than any movie star, was her son’s girlfriend. It’s said that a bride dreads meeting her in-laws, but a mother-in-law dreads meeting her daughter-in-law just as much—especially a beautiful one.

Xia Qin saw Zhong Tingyue’s delicate hands. They were as white and flawless as snow, with long, slender fingers—the most beautiful hands she had ever seen. They were hands that had clearly never seen a day of hard labor.

"Ah, my dear girl, you’re so... exquisite!" Xia Qin complimented her with a broad smile.

Feeling a little self-conscious, she extended her own hand. Years of living in the Northeast, exposed to the wind and sun, had left her skin wrinkled and calloused. She nervously shook Zhong Tingyue’s hand.

Li Yuan coughed gently and leaned in to explain to Zhong Tingyue. "That’s a compliment from our hometown. My mom is saying you’re incredibly beautiful."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Zhong Tingyue replied with a sweet smile. Her palms continued to sweat as she looked at Xia Qin’s face and hands, and she instantly understood what Li Yuan had meant before. These really are the hands of a working person.

Zhong Tingyue glanced at the bag Xia Qin was carrying and quickly stepped forward to help. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Auntie, let me help you with your luggage!"

Xia Qin hurriedly shook her head, clutching her bag tightly. She said uneasily, "Er, no need, no need. I can carry it myself."

"Ahem! Mom, give it to me," Li Yuan said, coughing once more as he reached out, took the bag from his mother’s hand, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Mom, Tingyue, let’s not stand around here. Let’s go get something to eat."

Xia Qin paused. "Yuan, you two haven’t eaten yet?"

Li Yuan chuckled. "No, Tingyue insisted on waiting to eat with you."

Xia Qin glanced at Zhong Tingyue, a look of even greater satisfaction in her eyes. Her smile widened.

"Tingyue, you didn’t have to wait for me. I brought snacks and fruit in my bag and ate on the way. You two should go eat now, don’t go hungry."

Zhong Tingyue glanced shyly at Li Yuan and quickly replied, "Auntie, it’s okay, I’m not hungry!"

Listening to their exchange, Li Yuan could feel the palpable awkwardness. One was his mother, the other his girlfriend, and this was their first meeting. It would have been stranger if things weren’t awkward.

"Mom, Tingyue, it’s past two in the afternoon! My stomach is already growling, and I’m starving. Let’s hurry and get some food!"

Xia Qin snapped back to reality and replied quickly, "Oh, right, okay! Okay!"

"Alright, dear, let’s go eat!"

"Okay, Auntie!" Zhong Tingyue’s heart was racing. Unsure of what else to say, she actively searched for a new topic. "Auntie, did Uncle not come back with you?"

Xia Qin smiled. "His father is at home building a house, so he has to stay there a while longer. It’s all Yuan’s fault, tearing down a perfectly good house just to build a new one for the sake of appearances. He’s so young, I don’t know who he learned it from, always trying to play the big spender..."

Li Yuan’s face fell, and he muttered, "Mom, can’t you compliment your son for once?"

Xia Qin spoke with a Northern Anhui accent, but Zhong Tingyue could still understand most of what she said. Listening to her future mother-in-law roast her boyfriend live, Zhong Tingyue found it incredibly amusing. She snuck a peek at Li Yuan, her eyes curving into crescents. Finally, someone’s here who dares to put you in your place.

The thought of the house that had been torn down after only being built three or four years ago made Xia Qin quite distressed. She glared at her son, who was now a minor celebrity in their village, and huffed, "Am I wrong? You’re just like your father.

"That house was only built a few years ago, and you don’t even come home to live in it. Why tear it down? It’s a complete waste. You can’t just start throwing money around now that you’ve earned a little. In the future, you’ll need it to get married, take a wife, have children... Doesn’t all of that cost money...?"