Ten minutes later, we reached his house.
He rang the bell, and I stood behind him, nervously.
His dad opened the door—just as his mom was yelling from the hall.
When his dad saw him, he whispered,
> "She's mad. She wants to marry you off—go calm her down.
I can't handle her."
Xiang chuckled, grabbed my hand, and pulled me forward.
> "Dad, this is Zhou Ye—my girlfriend."
His father saw us holding hands and instantly understood.
He gave Xiang a thumbs-up and welcomed us in.
From inside, his mother called out,
> "Did Xiang come or not?"
Her husband replied,
> "Honey, come see what Xiang has done."
She walked out with a towel in hand, ready to scold—
But when she saw Xiang holding my hand, she dropped the towel and covered her mouth in surprise.
Then she turned to her husband, eyes shining with joy.
She pointed at Xiang.
> "Is she your… girlfriend?"
Xiang nodded with a proud smile.
She rushed over, held my hands warmly, and looked at me as if seeing her long-lost daughter.
I placed my hand over hers and said,
> "Mother, I'm fine."
She smiled and patted my head, then led me to the dining table.
I sat across from Xiang, who smiled at me fondly.
> "Don't look at him," his mother said.
"I want to talk to you. What's your name?"
> "Zhou Ye, Mother," I replied.
She repeated my name sweetly.
> "Zhou Ye…"
Then, with a sly grin, she asked,
> "How on earth did he manage to win your heart?"
I laughed.
> "Actually, I was the one who had a crush on him.
Three years ago, he never noticed me.
And every time I saw him on his phone, I wanted to throw it out the window!"
She burst into laughter and gave me a high-five.
> "We have the same brain cells, Zhou Ye!"
From the kitchen, Xiang called out,
> "Mom, can you make dinner now?"
She waved him off.
> "Husband, go prepare the dishes.
Xiang, go buy her favorite food and snacks.
I need to talk to her alone!"
Xiang and his dad exchanged sighs—and obeyed.
---
While walking to the store, his dad said,
> "When I proposed to your mother, she was sweet like Zhou Ye.
After marriage, everything flipped."
Xiang laughed.
> "No, Father—you failed to manage her properly.
That's why she's always angry."
His dad stopped and pointed at him.
> "You'll understand one day."
Xiang smiled.
> "No, I'll treat her well.
She sacrificed so much for me. Now it's my turn."
His father patted his shoulder.
> "You've finally matured. I'm proud of you."
---
Later, while Xiang and his dad cooked, I stayed with his mother.
During dinner, she suddenly asked,
> "Ye, when are you going to marry him?"
His father nodded in agreement, while Xiang turned into a flustered puppy.
> "Mom, we just got together. It'll take some time."
I nearly choked.
> "Mother, Xiang's right.
When the time is right, we'll let you know."
Xiang lit up with relief.