Chapter 229: A Private Talk
Mrs. Mu gestured for Mu Tangfeng to take Shi Lan to wash up.
After they washed their hands, he eagerly pulled out a chair for Shi Lan at the dining table. "Lanlan, sit here."
Shi Lan felt a little awkward, noticing that Mr. and Mrs. Mu hadn’t taken their seats yet. As if sensing her hesitation, Mrs. Mu pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.
Shi Lan finally took a seat. Mu Tangfeng sat beside her, with Mr. Mu across from him.
Meeting his parents for the first time, Shi Lan was naturally a bit nervous. But over dinner, Mrs. Mu made a point of telling lots of amusing stories to help her relax.
"Our Feng’er has been a little rascal since he was a boy. He used to climb all over his father, make him change into his beast form, and then pluck his dad’s precious feathers."
"Oh, and that’s not all. Every single one of my Beast Husbands has suffered at his hands. That boy... if anyone ever crossed him, he’d stay up all night just to secretly get his revenge..."
"Mom! Ahem, you don’t have to tell her *everything*."
Mu Tangfeng shot her a displeased look, then used his chopsticks to put several of her favorite dishes onto Shi Lan’s plate. "Lanlan, just eat. Don’t listen to my mom, she’s talking nonsense. I’m not a petty person."
Mrs. Mu was just getting warmed up and didn’t stop. She gestured to the many vases around the room. "Lanlan, you see these vases?"
"You know, we didn’t used to keep many vases in the house. We had no choice! When Feng’er was little, he loved to play hide-and-seek by hiding inside them. The first time, we were terrified when we couldn’t find him anywhere. But then he flew right out of a vase, triumphantly declaring himself the winner."
"His favorite was a vintage blue one. He hid in that one the most..."
"Was it the one that’s about half a meter tall? The one he specifically brought to Black Star?"
It suddenly clicked for Shi Lan, and she remembered.
Mrs. Mu nodded eagerly. "Yes, that’s the one! Have you seen it too, Lanlan?"
"Mom, a little dignity, please?"
Mu Tangfeng’s face flushed red. ’Lanlan knows about that childish side of me now.’
’Besides, I was just a kid back then, right?’
’It’s perfectly normal for kids to play hide-and-seek.’
"All right, all right, Mom won’t say any more."
Seeing that Mu Tangfeng was genuinely embarrassed this time, Mrs. Mu laughed uncontrollably and finally stopped teasing her son.
As Shi Lan continued to eat, she found herself relaxing without even realizing it.
After dinner, Mrs. Mu offered Shi Lan some fruit, then said, "Lanlan, could I have a word with you?"
Shi Lan nodded. "Of course, Auntie."
Mu Tangfeng’s brow furrowed slightly. He leaned in conspiratorially. "Mom, is there something you can’t say in front of me? You’re not going to pull a wicked mother-in-law act from one of those TV dramas and scare Shi Lan away, are you?"
Mrs. Mu’s expression was hard to read. She glared at Mr. Mu. "Have you been watching those ridiculous TV dramas with Feng’er again?"
"Ah, no, of course not..."
Mr. Mu shook his head, looking guilty. He hadn’t said a thing. It was Feng’er who had asked him for advice on how to propose, so he’d simply recommended a few good shows for him to learn from.
Shi Lan blinked in confusion. She thought about the popular dramas on the Star Network and stole a glance at Mr. Mu’s tall frame. ’I can’t believe he’s into that sort of thing.’
Mrs. Mu sighed and pushed Mu Tangfeng away. Seeing his defensive expression, her brow twitched in irritation. "What kind of person do you take your mother for?"
Mu Tangfeng sullenly averted his gaze. ’It’s not my fault for being suspicious. After all, they really were against me marrying Shi Lan before.’
Mrs. Mu never knew what to do with her son. Saying no more, she led Shi Lan upstairs to a private balcony.
This was where she liked to relax in her spare time. She could brew tea by the stove, read a book, or enjoy some pastries. A housekeeping robot had already laid out everything she needed.
Though it was called a balcony, when Shi Lan stepped inside, it felt more like a large garden. It was filled with beautifully tended flowers, with clusters of lovely wisteria cascading down one corner.
"It’s so beautiful."
Shi Lan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
"It is, isn’t it? I’m very fond of it. I spend most of my free time relaxing here."
Mrs. Mu gestured for Shi Lan to sit, then began to skillfully prepare tea. She was brewing a type of herbal wellness tea.
Shi Lan sat primly across from her.
Once everything was ready, Mrs. Mu finally spoke. "Lanlan, you’ve probably already learned a bit about our family. Feng’er is our only child. And even though he’s a male, we don’t subscribe to the notion of valuing females over males. So naturally, he’s been doted on since he was born."
Shi Lan nodded. "Yes, I know."
"Of course, that’s not to say I disapprove of you and Feng’er being together."
"You probably don’t know this, but a couple of days ago, Feng’er was worried we would disapprove of your relationship, so he spent a great deal of time at home trying to win us over."
’A couple of days ago?’ A guess formed in Shi Lan’s mind. ’That must have been the day I went for my check-up. No wonder Mu Tangfeng didn’t come looking for me.’
She lowered her gaze quietly, listening intently.
"Feng’er... that boy may seem ill-tempered and thoughtless on the surface, but he’s actually very sentimental. You’re the first female he’s ever truly liked."
"I even tried arranging matchmaking dates for him in the past, but he wouldn’t even agree to meet the females. What’s more, back when his collapse value was rising, we arranged for a doctor to treat him. The doctor didn’t even get to touch him before he got angry, transformed into his beast form, and flew off."
"Even on Black Star... do you think we, as his parents, didn’t try to send doctors to check on him over the years? But he and the others just ended up cursing out every medical team we sent. After that happened a few times, no female was willing to help anymore."
That’s not something money can solve.
Virtually any female with decent spiritual power isn’t lacking for money.
Take you, for instance. You earned several million in just over a month treating those few in the prison. On top of that, females who work as doctors receive a national subsidy of several hundred thousand every month.
They never have to worry about money.
"I see."
’So that’s why,’ Shi Lan thought. She had already gathered that Mu Tangfeng was particularly repulsed by other females from watching Doctor Zheng and her team try to treat him last time.
Mrs. Mu spoke for a while longer before continuing, "Tang Feng told me a lot about your time as the Prison Director on Black Star. I’m truly grateful for how you took care of him."
"He has a bad temper, though, so you must have had a rough time at the beginning. If he upset you in any way, I’ll apologize to you on his behalf, as his mother. I hope you won’t hold it against him."
"No, not at all, you’re too kind. Mu Tangfeng is wonderful. He never mistreated me."
Shi Lan quickly shook her head. Sure, he’d made her unhappy at first, but she had given as good as she got.
So, she truly hadn’t been wronged in any way. In fact, her time on Black Star had been a great help to her.
"I’m so glad I met him. He’s a good person with a tough exterior but a soft heart."
Shi Lan said with genuine praise.
Outside on the balcony, Mu Tangfeng, who had been secretly eavesdropping, blushed slightly. He glanced at his father beside him, a smug look spreading across his face.
’Hmph. My Lanlan praised me!’
Mr. Mu was speechless. He just kept his ears pricked.
Father and son struck the exact same pose.