Han Xuehua was stunned upon hearing this. Fang Hongda had just told her to go to Rongcheng, but now her son wanted to go there himself. She lowered her head, pondered for a moment, and changed the subject, saying:
"Yangyang, why don't you offer incense to your father first? He hasn't been back for half a year!"
"Oh! Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Yang immediately stood up, walked to the offering table, took out three incense sticks, lit them, and respectfully placed them in the incense burner in front of the portrait.
"Dad! I've come back to see you!" Chen Yang said, staring at the young face in the portrait. "Mom has suffered a lot these past years taking care of me. Now it's my turn to take care of her! Don't worry! Your son has grown up and will definitely take good care of Mom!"
Han Xuehua's tears flowed uncontrollably again upon hearing Chen Yang's words. Her son had truly become sensible! He had never said such things before. It seemed her third brother was right; Yangyang was indeed much more outstanding than before. After offering incense, Chen Yang turned and looked at Han Xuehua, deeply moved. In his memory, Han Xuehua should only be in her forties, but her face already showed signs of aging. Years of hard work had prematurely robbed her of her beauty. Chen Yang felt a pang of sorrow and said,
"Mom! It's too hard for you to live alone in Nanpu! This time you must come with me to Rongcheng. Trust me! I can definitely support us!"
"Yangyang, you're just a student, where will you get the money?" Han Xuehua said hesitantly. "Don't talk nonsense! I raise vegetables and pigs, earning ten or twenty thousand a year. Now that you're in university, you need money!"
"Mom! I really have earned a lot of money!" Chen Yang said anxiously, seeing his mother's disbelief.
He then briefly recounted his recent experiences, omitting some details. He explained that he'd stumbled upon the Shoushan stone he bought as a gift for his teacher, and to reassure Han Xuehua, he simply mentioned helping the airline handle a dangerous situation and receiving a generous reward. He naturally omitted the story of the secondhand house he bought that was about to be demolished.
Fang Hongda had already mentioned these things a few minutes earlier, but hearing them from Chen Yang himself still surprised Han Xuehua. Along with the surprise came a surge of pride. Her son, still in university, already owned a house, a car, and millions in savings. Most importantly, her son seemed changed. Previously timid and quiet, he was now brimming with energy. As a mother, what could be more gratifying?
After finishing, Chen Yang gazed intently at Han Xuehua, waiting for her to speak. Han Xuehua hesitated for a long time before changing the subject:
"Yangyang, you must be very tired. Go back to your room and rest! Get some sleep, and Mom will call you for dinner!"
"Mom... what about going to Rongcheng..." Chen Yang couldn't help but ask anxiously when he saw Han Xuehua avoiding the question again.
"Let Mom think about it some more!" Han Xuehua's face showed a troubled expression. "This is a big deal, how can it be decided so easily! There are still a lot of things to do at home! It's not like you can just leave whenever you want! Yangyang, listen to Mom, go and rest!"
Han Xuehua pushed a helpless-looking Chen Yang into the south-facing room. Chen Yang had lived in this room before going to university. Now, after being away from home for half a year, the room's furnishings were exactly the same as when he left home for the Spring Festival; everything was spotless, showing that Han Xuehua kept it clean and tidy.
Chen Yang sat on the bed for a while, sighing, before falling into a deep sleep. Chen Yang had gone to bed very late last night, and although he took a nap this morning, he still felt drowsy after lunch and quickly fell asleep.
It wasn't until six o'clock in the evening that Han Xuehua came in and woke Chen Yang; he had slept for more than three hours.
On the simple square table in the main room, a table full of dishes was laid out. There was Nanpu's famous mudfish and taro casserole, the Southeast Province's famous dish, swallow's nest, and Han Xuehua's specialty, braised pork belly. The water spinach and green beans were all grown by Han Xuehua herself, picked from the vegetable garden outside, their vibrant green color making them incredibly appetizing.
Normally, Han Xuehua wouldn't even eat pork belly herself, but today, with Chen Yang back, she was very happy and specially walked to the farmers' market in the west of the city to buy a pound of pork belly. Seeing her son eating with gusto, Han Xuehua's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.
Chen Yang shoveled rice into his mouth, glanced up at Han Xuehua, put down his chopsticks, and said,
"Mom! You eat too!"
"Oh! Okay! Mom will eat too!" Han Xuehua picked up her chopsticks, but then added another piece of braised pork to Chen Yang's bowl.
"Mom! I've had enough, you eat more too!" Chen Yang quickly said, then picked up his spoon and ladled some soup for Han Xuehua.
"Oh! Okay, okay! Mom will do it herself!" Han Xuehua felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey, feeling that her son had really grown up, even making soup for her; he had never been so considerate before.
After taking a couple of sips of soup, Han Xuehua asked,
"Yangyang, how many days are you coming back this time?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow. Mom, I'm still working part-time, isn't it bad to take too long off?" Chen Yang said, his words slightly muffled, while still engrossed in finishing his food. "Oh, is that so..." Han Xuehua's eyes revealed barely suppressed disappointment. She had finally seen her son, and now he was leaving again the next day. She felt a pang of reluctance. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Don't you have quite a bit of money now? Why are you still working? Yangyang, enough money is enough. Don't overwork yourself!"
Chen Yang had actually been working sporadically lately, but thankfully Zhou Weiqiang was kind enough to approve his leave requests without hesitation. If it weren't for Su He and Ning Qiaoqian both working at the bar, Chen Yang would have quit long ago. He had plenty of other things to do; there was no need to waste his time at a bar for a meager income.
"I just got my bonus, didn't I?" Chen Yang explained. "You can't just quit like that! It takes time for the boss to hire someone else. I can't just quit like that! You have to be considerate, and besides, the boss has always been pretty good to me."
"Yangyang is right. That's how you should be, always thinking of others," Han Xuehua nodded in agreement, then asked, "So what did you come back for this time? It wasn't just to come home and see your mother, was it?"
Chen Yang chuckled sheepishly and said,
"Mom, a classmate of mine had some family trouble, so I came back to help… It's all settled now. I'm not going anywhere today; I'll just stay home and keep you company!"
"Oh! Yangyang's been so sweet lately!" Han Xuehua beamed, smiling as she asked, "Yangyang, what kind of classmate could make you drop everything and come all the way back to Nanpu? Is it a female classmate?"
When children reach a certain age, it's natural for parents to care about their personal lives. Chen Yang used to be quiet, and Han Xuehua had always secretly worried he wouldn't find a wife! This time, she noticed a huge change in him, so she couldn't help but tease him half-jokingly.
"Yeah! She's the school beauty!" Chen Yang replied casually, seemingly unconcerned.
Han Xuehua's eyes lit up. She even forgot to eat, putting down her chopsticks and grabbing Chen Yang's hand, asking:
"Really! Yangyang, you're not lying to me, are you? Is that girl also from Nanpu? Is she pretty?"
Faced with his mother's barrage of questions, Chen Yang was a little exasperated. He said helplessly:
"Mom… is it really necessary? You get so nervous just mentioning female classmates, making your son seem like a loser… Don't worry! I won't have trouble finding a wife in the future!"
"You child… Mom was just asking!" Han Xuehua wasn't going to let her son off the hook so easily, continuing, "Tell Mom quickly, is that girl your girlfriend?"
"More or less!" Chen Yang said vaguely, "Anyway, she's kind of…" "That means..."
"Yangyang, you're something else! Keeping such a big thing from your mom!" Han Xuehua's eyes narrowed with excitement as she exclaimed, "Well... bring her home tomorrow so Mom can meet her! The girl our Yangyang has his eye on must be exceptional! Where does she live? Should I visit her?"
Chen Yang, startled, quickly said:
"No! Mom, please don't be impulsive! Don't scare her! Didn't I say we're just friends now? When it's time for you to approve, I'll bring her home. Don't make decisions on your own!"
Seeing Han Xuehua's eagerness, Chen Yang inwardly scoffed. How bad must his ex have been to make Han Xuehua so worried about his love life? He's only a junior in college!
At the same time, Chen Yang wondered what Han Xuehua's expression would be if he brought several female friends home together in the future. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Han Xuehua finally stopped asking about her girlfriend, though she still wore a beaming expression. Mother and son ate and chatted for over an hour, the atmosphere warm and harmonious. After dinner, Chen Yang even helped Han Xuehua wash the dishes and clear the table, bringing tears to Han Xuehua's eyes again; her son had truly become so much more sensible!
After dinner, mother and son sat in the main room chatting about everyday things. Although it was all trivial matters, Han Xuehua was very happy. Chen Yang hadn't felt the warmth of family in a long time, and listening to Han Xuehua's ramblings, a warm feeling welled up inside him. They chatted casually until after nine o'clock before going to their respective rooms to rest.
Back in his room, Chen Yang couldn't fall asleep. He had slept in late that morning and then slept for several hours in the afternoon, so he wasn't sleepy at all. Chen Yang simply sat up, put on his shoes, and prepared to go to the main room to get a glass of water.
Chen Yang tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Han Xuehua. He knew that older people were generally light sleepers and would wake up at the slightest noise.
But as Chen Yang passed his mother's room, he faintly heard a suppressed sob…