Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
After skimming over the topic of Erzi, Qi Fang returned to the main topic. Both perturbed and full of curiosity, she asked,
“Cheng, when you go visit Zheke’s house, how much money in the red envelope did you receive from her parents?”
I need to go to the bank tomorrow and get this prepared!
Hearing this, Cheng smiled and said, “10,001 yuan.”
That time when it was the unofficial visit with his mother and father-in-law, he didn’t bring any corresponding gifts. He was waiting until they went to Jiangnan and then he could go for a “leisurely stroll” with the elder member of the Ji family (no, he should call him “Grandpa”), and then he could give them a large sum of money.
Actually, in regards to the Ji and Yan Families, 10,001 yuan really wasn’t that much. Only when you considered the Lou family’s situation as well as the fact that Lou Cheng was still studying did it carry a significant meaning in actuality.
“10,001… that’s good, good.” Qi Fang sighed with relief, her smile coming back again.
Two months ago, she would have been worried about the issue of giving presents to her future daughter-in-law, because she had spent almost all her savings on buying a new house and its refurbishing. But now things were getting better. Lou Cheng’s father, Lou Zhisheng, had gotten promoted with some shares and a corresponding bonus. Thus the families finances slowly but surely became enough for them to manage, so that they could take out 10,000 yuan without any issues.
As for the two young ones to be married, it was still early! They still had at least three years. When the time came, the family would certainly be well off!
Lou Cheng could sense his mother relaxing, and he couldn’t help but grin.
“Mom, there’s no need for you to go to the bank tomorrow, I’ve got nearly 10,000 in cash right here. You can just scrape up a little bit and that will be enough.”
“The gift for your wife… ” Qi Fang made a slip of the tongue, then laughed and said, “It’s the homecoming gift for your girlfriend, how can I use your money?”
Lou Cheng calmly and gently said, “But if I give my own parents money due to filial piety, is that not the proper thing to do?”
Mom, you’re not wrong. She is my wife, I’ve got the certificate…
“Absolutely not. This is a gift from your father and I for Zheke.” Qi Fang waved her hands as she refused. “At this point, our family can handle this. Keep your cash for yourself to spend, don’t make her feel wronged.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Lou Cheng didn’t persist. Anyway, in two days, he’d find another opportunity to give his mother the money.
At this moment, Lou Zhisheng came out of the shower, and the three family members talked at length about Yan Zheke’s visit and meeting the in-laws as a television program played in the background. At last, Qi Fang clapped her hands together, deciding that tomorrow after she was done with the housekeeping, she would escort her husband to go buy a few nice items of clothing in order to avoid embarrassing her son.
The stars were sparse and the moon was bright. As the night gradually became darker, Lou Cheng finished washing up and lied on his bed, sharing with Yan Zheke all of the topics they had discussed, along with other amusing anecdotes, perfectly acting out the role of an enemy within his own family.
After talking about this, he could feel the isolation and silence all around him. He sighed and smiled as he pressed the keyboard and said,
“This night is endless. I can’t sleep alone!”
Yan Zheke snickered in response. “That’s too bad. I have Empress Dowager accompanying me, and we have talked with each other throughout the night, so I don’t understand what this ‘loneliness’ you’re talking about is.”
After talking, she sent an emoji symbolizing “You think I’ll sympathize with you? I can barely keep from laughing”.
Afterwards, she added, “Alright, alright, Big Sister will dote on you tomorrow. Be a good boy and go to sleep.”
Knowing from experience his dear wife’s subtle fluctuations and changes in mood, the corner of Lou Cheng’s mouth rose, and he said with a wicked smile, “How will you dote on me?”
“How will I dote on you? In broad daylight, in a crowded public place right in front of everyone. What kind of doting would you like?!” Yan Zheke said with fake anger.
“I just wanted you to take me to eat breakfast. Where do you want to go? Classmate Ke, you’ve got a bit of a dirty mind lately!” Lou Cheng replied mischievously.
“I…” Yan Zheke face became red. She gritted her teeth for a moment and then sent an emoji slapping someone’s head and said, “It’s because you’re so perverted, it makes me think dirty things! I blame you for everything! Quick, say ‘I’m wrong’!”
“Yes, yes, yes, Coach Yan, I’m wrong.” Lou Cheng held in a laugh as he typed, and at the same time felt a strange sense of longing.
Seeing his response, Yan Zheke was quiet for a few seconds and then said,
“Cheng… ”
“What?” Lou Cheng replied suspiciously.
“I miss you a little…” Yan Zheke took her phone and lied down, and her eyes softened.
Even though they’d only been apart for four hours…
“Me too.” Seeing these words, Lou Cheng’s mood settled and his heart became tranquil like the moonlit scenery outside the window.
This was the opposite of fiery passion, and he felt it was another kind of beauty.
…
Early the next morning, Lou Cheng got out of bed early and washed quickly. After doing some warm-ups before his physical training, he put on the navy blue Longhu Club martial arts suit and ran towards the villa estate at Back Water Lake.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the neighborhood, he sent a message. He didn’t have to wait long before he saw Yan Zheke running out, her raven black hair tied up. Her whole body was white as silk, and she looked both smart and beautiful.
“What a coincidence!” Lou Cheng laughed as he opened his mouth.
Classmate Ke was wearing a women’s Longhu Club martial arts suit. Along with him, it really seemed as if they were wearing coordinating couple’s outfits, and they hadn’t even discussed it beforehand!
“Very coincidental!” Yan Zheke’s dimples appeared as she smiled sweetly.
Girls always liked it when coincidences like this happened, as it made them feel like both sides’ hearts and minds were interconnected.
Without many words, the two of them stared deeply into each other’s eyes, and with a smile on their faces, they headed towards the path of Back Water Lake.
Daybreak came early in summer, so those who exercised in the morning also had to adapt themselves and do so earlier. Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke went through three places and then found a relatively hidden and remote place to practice.
After a tender-hearted kiss, the two of them separated. Lou Cheng adopted his stance and loosened his joints, causing cracks and pops to emit from inside his body.
After doing this, he couldn’t help but lean his head and looked towards his wife. All he could see was Yan Zheke’s rosy cheeks as she prepared to practice her still stance.
“You, practice your stance. What you are looking at!?” Sensing Lou Cheng’s gaze, she playfully protested with a fluid glance, flowing with charm.
“I’m looking at the power of your training style,” Lou Cheng responded playfully as he began training, his posture fierce as a tiger.
They then concentrated on their own training, every once in a while looking at one another. The two of them felt that the time passed very quickly, and in the blink of eye, the early morning exercises came to an end.
“Ke, what plans do you have today?” Lou Cheng asked with a smile as they slowly jogged back to eat breakfast.
Yan Zheke turned her eyes and said, “I shall chat with my mom and dad and help them cook dishes. There is one more thing: I have to buy a gift for your family…. And you?”
“If you’d have said you didn’t have any plans, we would have just fooled around.” Lou Cheng laughed mischievously.
“Fool around with yourself!” Yan Zheke said angrily, but laughing as she glared at him.
What kind of phrasing was this?!
Lou Cheng laughed, turned, and said, “Now that you’re going to spend the day in domestic bliss with Father-in-law and Empress Dowager, I’ll go back home and help my mom do a big clean-up.”
At the moment, he still wasn’t overly familiar with his in-laws, so if he went and inserted himself into their daily affairs, it would be quite awkward and might destroy both the atmosphere and feeling.
“After doing the big clean-up, I’ll go to the Gushan Martial Arts School and borrow their Strength Training Gymnasium to train for another two hours so that I can try and attain the Inhuman stage earlier. Then I’ll look for Qin Rui and Fatty Jiang and get together with them…” He described his plans.
“Alright.” Yan Zheke nodded her head up and down.
As they jogged, the two of them slowed their pace, grabbed each other’s hands, and then resumed their quicker pace.
After they had eaten rice dumpling outside of their former middle school and he’d escorted his fairy to the neighborhood entrance, Lou Cheng went through the day according to his plan.
…
The afternoon was intense. The scorching sun hung in an empty sky, and it was as if steam was rising up from the ground like heatwaves.
Lou Cheng, Jiang Fei, and Qin Rui hid in a row underneath the shade of a tree and sat on top of a railing. They leisurely looked at the entrance of the middle school, at the growing young boys and girls entering together.
“Cheng, if you weren’t wearing glasses, a huge group would surely come and surround you,” Fatty Jiang said as he turned around and looked at his pal’s glasses.
“Yeah, Cheng’s a big celebrity now in Xiushan. For all of the new recruits in the martial arts schools, there’s no need to say much. All you have to do is mention that he did some part-time work here as a coach, and the number of people who sign up explodes.” Qin Rui followed up with a laugh.
After he’d achieved meditation, his strength had increased quickly. After he had received the physical training of the preliminaries, he was nearly at the level of a Ninth Pin, and he had quickly overtaken Dai Linfeng.
Lou Cheng laughed lowly and said, “But I got here by fighting tooth and nail, so the both of you aren’t jealous. Right, how is it that Old Cheng hasn’t come again? Usually, when I try and find him on QQ to talk, he takes a long time to respond.”
He reckoned he hadn’t seen Cheng Qili in nearly a year.
“It’s the same when I look for him. Gah, maybe it’s that he’s made a lot of new friends in university and he’s busy with other things. Doesn’t have time to meet up with his old classmates.” Jiang Fei sighed. “I always thought that as time went on, the amount of classmates we would keep in touch with would drecrease, but the three of us and our friendship would be preserved for a long time. Agh, the next time that Old Cheng will think of us will probably be when he sends his wedding invitations…”
I don’t know whether I will or won’t send him my own wedding invitation… Lou Cheng silently judged him, and was quite disappointed. When it came to friendship, if one person dropped contact, then they would quickly become like strangers.
“There’s not many other classmates who behave like this,” Qin Rui joked.
“I’m just making an analogy, merely wallowing in my anguish at Old Cheng losing touch.” Jiang Fei pointed at the entrance of the middle school. “I miss those years. Me, Cheng, and Old Cheng would sit over there from time to time and stare at the entrance to see which pretty girls were worth appreciating. When it was almost time to get to class, we’d go inside. There was one time when we saw Yan Zheke, her long hair flowing…”
Talking till now, he remembered that goddess’ final destination, and grievously looked at Lou Cheng as he said, “Forget it, I won’t say anything. This really is a tragic story.”
“Haha.” Lou Cheng laughed with his whole body.
Qin Rui followed him by laughing. “I’ve heard that they’ve recently switched educational directors, and they’ve demanded that girls shall not keep their hair long… ”
“Damn, what a pervert!” Jiang Fei cursed in agitation.
While talking and laughing while telling stories about school, Qin Rui smugly said, “Cheng, what do you think the chance is of me entering a Professional Ninth Pin Ranking Event?”
He had looked for Lou Cheng in the morning to ask for advice.
“If you bear down and train hard for three months, the chances are high for the October Ranking Event,” Lou Cheng answered without flattering or disparaging him.
“Alright!” Qin Rui clasped the railing, his smile difficult to conceal.
Jiang Fei heard all of this and then let out a sigh. “I feel like the two of you and I are in different worlds. I’ve just enrolled in school and still want to become a successful person. My dream is just to study for two years, follow the straight and narrow, and find a job where I won’t be working hard until I’m old after graduating.”
“After two more years, your requirements will be even lower,” Lou Cheng teased, “Just having a job will be enough!”
“Maybe… no, I need to pull myself together!” Jiang Fei seemed as if he’d gotten a shot of adrenaline.
He had once wanted to lose weight and persist in training, but after winter break, he didn’t have many results, and eventually it became once a week. Usually, he’d just goof off, and he kept his original body shape. As a result, as before, he didn’t have a girlfriend.
While Jiang Fei was muttering to himself, Lou Cheng’s cell phone went off. He had a call coming in.
“Hello, Master?” He saw that it was comrade Shi Jianguo and quickly accepted the call.
“Hey, you little brat, your visa to America is under handling.” Geezer Shi coughed. “Are you busy today?”
Lou Cheng responded in confusion, “No, I’ve got nothing going on.”
Why is Master asking about this?
“Good. I’ve got that small thing for you to do. At most it’ll be half a day of work.” Geezer Shi snickered.
A small thing? Lou Cheng said to himself in shock.
