Chapter 1301: Meeting the Parents (Part 1)
Before setting off, Lin Tian called home and only felt at ease after confirming they were all there.
He hadn’t mentioned to them that he’d be bringing Liou Qingcheng and Bai Shishi back; otherwise the two elders would definitely busy themselves for a long while, which didn’t seem appropriate. After all, they were his elders.
As for the rest of the house, there was no need to tidy much; Lin Tian’s mother, Zhang Nianping, usually kept everything inside and out clean and neat.
Since there were five of them, that blue Porsche would be a bit cramped, so Bai Shishi had someone from the company drive over an SUV with plenty of space.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Lin Tian suddenly zoned out, recalling that the last time he went home was last year’s May Day; it had already been more than a full year. Just thinking about going back, he actually kind of missed it.
Lin Tian’s home was still some distance from Kanyue City, a small town far less bustling than Kanyue City, but winning out in peace and quiet. If Kanyue City was a vast ocean, then the town where his home was located would be at most a clear, cool mountain spring.
The Porsche first parked beside Xintian Square; Bai Shishi and the others said they wanted to bring some gifts for Lin Tian’s parents.
The five of them stood in a row, Lin Tian in the very middle, with Bai Shishi and Liou Qingcheng on his left, and Mei Ruyan and Miaoqiu on his right.
Four stunning, eye-catching beauties with a handsome, fine-featured guy in the middle made for a sky-high head-turn rate among passersby. Some people walking behind them even sped up just to sneak a look at their faces. There were even people secretly taking photos with their phones, as if the five weren’t at the mall but walking a runway.
As for these kinds of looks from passersby, Bai Shishi was more or less immune by now. She didn’t care at all what outsiders thought; instead, she tugged Lin Tian’s sleeve with a conflicted expression and asked, "What do you think we should buy?"
Mei Ruyan and Miaoqiu also looked over; this was their first time visiting his home, so what they bought had to be somewhat particular.
Lin Tian smiled and said, "Honestly, the house really doesn’t lack anything; they basically have everything they’re supposed to. Just buy whatever you think is right, I really can’t give much in the way of suggestions. Just don’t buy cigarettes for my dad."
Liou Qingcheng nodded in agreement and said, "Asking him is a waste of time; let’s just pick ourselves. Buying more is never wrong."
Most women like shopping, and rich women even more so. Because they hardly need to look at the price when they buy things—who wouldn’t enjoy that kind of doing-whatever-you-want feeling?
Any guy who’s ever gone shopping with his girlfriend knows this is a seriously tough mission. A qualified boyfriend doesn’t just carry bags; he also has to keep thinking up new ways to compliment her—just be an outstanding simp and you’re good.
But when it came to shopping with four girlfriends... Lin Tian actually felt much more relaxed.
Because they were all chirping and chattering away among themselves, he couldn’t even get a word in. He just took out his phone, ordered a milk tea, found a sofa, and sat down to wait. He might even sneak in a quick nap.
Clearly, Lin Tian had made the right choice. About an hour later, the four finally returned fully loaded, each with so many bags in hand that they could barely carry them. Seeing this, Lin Tian quickly put away his phone, stepped forward and grabbed as many as he could. He couldn’t help complaining, "Why did you buy so much?"
"So much? I think it’s still not enough," Bai Shishi said.
Lin Tian said, half crying, half laughing, "It’s plenty; you’re practically emptying out the entire mall. What did you buy?"
"Nothing much, just some clothes, food, and daily necessities."
Nice, that’s a pretty complete set.
Clearly, driving this big SUV with lots of space was a very wise decision; almost all these things went into the trunk. If they’d used a smaller car, there really wouldn’t have been enough room.
The trip home took a little over two hours. Lin Tian turned on the car’s music; the volume wasn’t high and didn’t interfere with their chatting.
Inside the car, the conversation basically revolved around Lin Tian’s parents—their living habits, personalities and tastes, even how they’d gotten married back then, plus a bit about Lin Tian’s family connections.
Talking made time fly; before long, they had arrived at the town where Lin Tian’s home was.
Just as Lin Tian had said earlier, the town had about four to five thousand households but only one main road. His house was built near the riverside, a red-brick building constructed about three years ago, four stories high. In front of the house there was a small courtyard, with gourds hanging overhead and scallions, garlic, water spinach and other vegetables planted on both sides.
Compared with the big city, this place was quite peaceful.
Lin Tian parked the car in the yard, turned off the music and said, "We’re home, let’s get out."
With a nervous heart, Bai Shishi opened the car door and was the first to step out.
Woof!
As soon as she got out, she saw a yellow mutt only about thirty centimeters tall, ears drooping, barking at her in a fake-fierce, fake-cute way.
Lin Tian also got out then. Seeing the little dog, he muttered in puzzlement, "We didn’t used to have a dog at home..."
Just then, Zhang Nianping, who was inside, heard movement outside. Wearing an apron, she walked out. When she saw Lin Tian, her face immediately broke into a smile. Then, when she saw Liou Qingcheng, Bai Shishi and Mei Ruyan, her smile grew even brighter. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious inside—her son’s relationship with these three girls was clearly not shallow, and now he’d brought them all back together; could it be that...
In the end, Zhang Nianping’s gaze settled on Miaoqiu. This girl wasn’t bad-looking either, and her butt was quite round; in the old saying, that meant she could have sons.
Even though Miaoqiu carried a unique vibe, every little look and movement full of charm, Zhang Nianping knew that if her son had brought her here too, their relationship was definitely not ordinary. The more she looked, the more she liked her.
"No wonder you called me first thing this morning; turns out you were coming back," Zhang Nianping glared at Lin Tian and scolded, "Bringing your friends home and you didn’t tell me in advance? The house isn’t even tidied up and I haven’t prepared anything."
Liou Qingcheng smiled and said, "Auntie, we’re all family, why be so formal?"
Back at New Year, Liou Qingcheng had already changed how she addressed Zhang Nianping and started calling her Mom. But since Bai Shishi and the others hadn’t, in order not to highlight her special status, Liou Qingcheng still felt calling her Auntie was more appropriate now.
That "all family" line made Zhang Nianping so happy she was practically beaming from ear to ear. She quickly waved her hands and said, "Come on, come on, all of you, get inside. Who stands around in the yard to chat? Oh right, Lin Tian, hurry up and call your dad; he’s still in the orchard right now."
Suddenly seeing her son bring back four such beautiful girls, Zhang Nianping was so nervous and excited she didn’t even know what to do. She really wanted to grab their hands and ask a bunch of questions, but she could only usher them into the house first.
In truth, Bai Shishi, Mei Ruyan and Miaoqiu were even more nervous than Zhang Nianping, afraid they’d say something wrong.