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Chapter 186: What Does Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Mean?
Chapter 186: What Does Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Mean?
After the discussion with Mei Lixiong and Mei Lijun, they came up with the final plan. Considering that their daughter, Mei Yue, had already started working and that Mei Lixiong and his wife had retired, it was time for them to return to their hometown in Baimei County to spend their later years. Mei Lixiong would inherit the compensation money from the demolition of their ancestral home.
As for Mei Lirong, their younger sister who was still in Xingcheng and couldn’t return home, the two brothers discussed and planned to provide her with some money later.
After the plans had been confirmed, the two brothers drove back to their hometown together with their families.
The journey from Baizhou to Baimei County took only two hours. Before Mei Fang arrived, he sent a message to the group chat, and soon after, he was back in his hometown of Baimei County, which he had missed so much.
Due to the approaching Lunar New Year, the traffic in the county was congested, and taxis were everywhere. Mei Ya bounced excitedly at the car window, prompting Mei Fang to pat her on the buttocks.
“Sit down properly.”
“Brother, aren’t you excited at all? We’ll be able to meet Sister Yuan Yuan and Sister Youxi soon.”
“What’s there to be excited about? It hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other.”
Mei Fang pulled his sister away from the car door.
Xiang Xiaoxia glanced at Mei Fang through the rearview mirror and said, “By the way, Ah Fang, since you’ve been taken care of by your Aunt Liang Meijuan all this time, have you ever called her ‘Mom’?”Mei Fang shook his head. “I still call her Aunt, but now it’s Aunt Meijuan. I feel it’s a bit closer this way.”
“Yeah…”
“After all, she’s not my real mom. It’s awkward to suddenly call her ‘Mom’, isn’t it?”
Mei Ya interjected from the side, “Um, if Mom were to pass away——”
(TN: Bruh, this kid. Lmao)
“Ah Fang!”
“Got it!”
With a command from Xiang Xiaoxia, Mei Fang immediately restrained his sister, holding her face and turning it towards their mother. Xiang Xiaoxia then slapped Mei Ya’s mouth.
“You dare talk nonsense during New Year! Watch me clean your mouth!”
“Huhuhu… Sorry, Mom… Mmm… I promise I won’t talk nonsense again!”
In the Mei family, there was no such thing as “children’s words are innocent,” especially during New Year when it was even more important to avoid saying anything out of line.
The Mei family arrived at the residential neighborhood of their old house. Mei Fang gently knocked on the door, which was promptly opened by Xia Yuan wearing an apron. When she met Mei Fang’s gaze, her eyes flickered for a moment.
However, she only smiled faintly at Mei Fang and quickly shifted her gaze to the adults behind him.
“Uncle Mei, Aunt Xiang, you’re back!”
“Mhm… We’re back.”
Xiang Xiaoxia hadn’t seen Xia Yuan for a long time, and upon seeing her, she was filled with joy. “It’s been half a year, Yuan Yuan, you’ve changed so much. You’re looking different every day.”
“Haha… I’ve been eating a lot this year, so I might have gained some weight.”
Xia Yuan scratched her head in embarrassment.
“You’re not fat. Girls should be a bit plump to look prettier!”
“Oh, by the way, Youxi and I cleaned the house yesterday, so it should be quite clean.”
“Aiyah… I’m sorry for bothering both of you to do such things. This kid Mei Fang is really something.”
“No, no, it was our own decision to do it! Please don’t blame Ah Fang.”
Mei Lijun stood by, satisfied as he looked at his bright and nostalgic little house, feeling a mix of emotions.
“It’s good, everything is good.”
Xia Yuan led the family inside, and as the others followed, Xia Yuan hesitated for a moment.
“Um… these two are Ah Fang’s uncle and aunt, right? Hi, Uncle (Shushu) and Auntie (Ayi)!”
“Yes, hello. And you are…”
Mei Lixiong and his wife did not expect that when Mei Lijun’s family returned, there would be an unknown girl to greet them.
Confused, both of them looked at each other, while Mei Yue had been eagerly looking forward to meeting Xia Yuan and immediately grabbed her hand upon entering the house.
“Hello, hello! You’re, um, you’re one of Xiaofangzi’s girlfriends, right?”
“No, no, no, that’s not it!”
Xia Yuan quickly blushed and denied, “I’m Ah Fang’s childhood sweetheart, just… Ah Fang’s good friend.”
Are good friends already at the level where they can entrust each other with house keys…
“Oh, what a good friend… What about the other one? Where is the other one? Let me meet her quickly.”
The sound of sizzling oil came from the kitchen. After entering the house, Mei Fang first went greeted Lin Youxi and then was caught by her to help with cooking. Lin Youxi then wiped her hands and came out to meet the Mei family.
“Uncle Mei, Aunt Xiang.” Lin Youxi nodded politely.
“Hello, Youxi… You seem to have grown taller again.”
Xiang Xiaoxia approached and tidied Lin Youxi’s hair. “You…what are you doing, cooking in someone else’s house during New Year? You really…”
Lin Youxi didn’t protest against Xiang Xiaoxia’s reproach. She just smiled at her and said, “It’s been a long time since we met, so I wanted Aunt Xiang to taste my cooking and see if I’ve improved.”
“The fragrance has already wafted out… You must have improved! Let me take over and cook. You can rest. By the way, these people are…”
“I know, hello, Uncle and Auntie.”
Lin Youxi directly addressed them as Uncle (Dabo) and Auntie (Daniang). It was a way of addressing relatives when there were large gatherings, or else it would be confusing to call everyone Uncle (Shushu) and Auntie (Ayi).[1]
In fact, even the most loving couples would feel a bit reluctant when meeting each other’s relatives and elders. After all, they are not necessarily familiar with them.
But Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan had a sense of competition between them, both actively trying to impress Mei Fang and his family, seeking to leave a good impression.
After Lin Youxi greeted Mei Yue’s parents, she then greeted Mei Yue, who was still holding Xia Yuan’s hand:
“Sister Yue Yue, right? You really are as beautiful as Ah Fang said.”
Mei Yue originally held Xia Yuan’s hand to show her allegiance to the Xia Yuan faction, but Lin Youxi left a very deep first impression on her. Overwhelmed with joy, she held onto both Lin Youxi’s and Xia Yuan’s hands:
“Oh my, Xiaofangzi actually praised me in front of others. I feel so embarrassed… But let me tell you, both of you will definitely be more beautiful when you grow up.”
Meanwhile, little Mei Ya, who couldn’t join the conversation, tugged on her brother’s hand, “Big brother, you’re really lucky…”
Mei Fang smiled and pinched his sister’s cheek. “You’re lucky too.”
Watching this scene in front of him, Mei Fang couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. After all, when he first met Lin Youxi, she was a strange girl who couldn’t even speak to adults. Now she could handle herself smoothly.
Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi seemed like hired waitresses and chefs. After chatting with the Mei family for a while, they said they would go home to eat and not disturb the Mei family’s reunion in Baimei County.
Xiang Xiaoxia forcefully gave Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan red envelopes and then instructed Mei Fang to escort the girls home.
Thus, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi earned themselves an opportunity to spend time alone with Mei Fang.
Mei Fang escorted Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi downstairs. In the elevator, the three of them suddenly fell into silence, as if in unspoken agreement.
Xia Yuan awkwardly adjusted her hair while looking at her reflection in the elevator, while Lin Youxi kept brushing her hand against Mei Fang’s back.
…They’re clearly hinting at me.
So Mei Fang spoke up, “Um, would you like to stay at the pavilion for a while and talk?”
“Sure!”
Xia Yuan immediately agreed.
The pavilion in the residential area was the place where Mei Fang and Xia Yuan routinely replenished their “super energy.” Spending some time in the pavilion was essentially the same as recharging their energy.
However, for Lin Youxi, it was her first time recharging her super energy at this location.
On the bright afternoon of the Lunar New Year holiday, vehicles came and went in the residential area. Fortunately, the pavilion was not very noticeable, so there was no real need to be discreet. Lin Youxi sat beside the pavilion, first watching Xia Yuan hug Mei Fang, and then going over to hug him herself. Only after the three of them did this were they fully satisfied.
“It feels like Ah Fang has an especially abundant amount of super energy today.”
“Maybe it’s because we haven’t recharged in so many days.”
“Speaking of this state, it’s like that… that saying… absence makes the heart grow fonder——”
Xia Yuan suddenly closed her mouth and stopped talking. She felt embarrassed.
“What does ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ mean?” Lin Youxi tilted her head and asked Xia Yuan.
“N-Nothing!”
Xia Yuan lowered her head and pushed Lin Youxi forward, then blushing, she said to Mei Fang, “I’m going home to eat! Ah Fang, please escort Youxi back.”
“Okay, sure.”
Translator's Notes:
— Uncle (Shushu) and Aunt (Ayi) are more flexible and can be used for non-relatives of the same generation as one’s parents.
— Uncle (Dabo) and Auntie (Daniang) are specific to one’s father’s elder brother and his wife, and are used to show respect within the family hierarchy. ↩︎
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