Chapter Thirty-Two: A Heart-to-Heart Talk

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Sunday, September 18.

A week had passed since military training began, and Lu You’s high school life had finally settled into a normal rhythm.

At the class meeting on Monday afternoon after returning, he had successfully shed his temporary position as class monitor. He did not run for any other class office either, and returned to the freedom of ordinary student life.

Then, before the major cleanup on Thursday afternoon, their homeroom teacher, Teacher Zeng, rearranged their seats.

Lu You was assigned to the middle seat of the fourth row, the very center of the classroom. The teacher believed that placing a quiet, handsome young man there would raise the class’s overall presence. As for the reason, nobody knew.

Yuan Wenliang, the health-conscious, easygoing young man, took Meng Yi’s place and became Lu You’s new deskmate. He was also a well-behaved person who rarely spoke.

Lu You spent his days immersed in examination papers and academic articles, while Yuan Wenliang liked reading historical records. The two of them barely spoke when seated together. The calm and peaceful atmosphere of their study made those around them feel as though not studying would somehow be letting them down.

Over in Class Two, the heaven-defying boy unsurprisingly lost his position as class monitor and was replaced by another perfectly ordinary male student. The seats in that class were rearranged as well.

Li Yu’s deskmate remained the same. Tang Wan and Xu Nian were not separated either, though they became front-and-back desk partners and were moved beside the windowsill. Li Yu happened to sit directly behind Xu Nian.

During that week, Tang Wan and Lu You barely encountered each other. When Lu You went to find Li Yu at lunchtime or in the evening, Tang Wan had already gone to the cafeteria. And in the cafeteria, with so many people around, they still never managed to see each other.

At two in the afternoon, the non-rocket classes had half a day off.

Today was a somewhat special day. It was the anniversary of the suffering endured by Lu You’s mother in this world. Put plainly, it was his birthday.

Shen Yuyin, Lu You’s mother, was dressed in house clothes, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She sat at the dining table with one hand propping up her cheek, watching her son bustle about in the kitchen.

Mr. Lu was upstairs coaxing his daughter to sleep, while Little Bao lay sprawled across the living-room sofa, squinting lazily as he basked in the sunlight.

“Son, why are you making your own birthday cake? Couldn’t we just order one from a shop?” Shen Yuyin could not understand her son’s behavior.

“I know how to make one, and I happened to be in the mood. So I decided to do it myself.” As he spoke, Lu You took two bunches of grapes from the refrigerator.

He placed them in two separate glass bowls, plucked off every grape, submerged them in clean water, added a spoonful of flour, and washed them one by one.

“What are you making today? A fruit cake?”

“Something like that. I think I’ll make a mousse instead. Mousse has such a smooth texture, and I like it. But I’ll make it a little more complicated this time and add some fruit jelly.”

As he spoke, Lu You took one bowl of washed grapes, peeled them one by one, cut them in half, removed the seeds, and placed them in another stainless-steel bowl.

Shen Yuyin wanted to help and asked, “Son, do you need your mother’s help?”

“No.” Lu You continued with his work, head lowered. “You can watch two episodes of your show. I’ll probably be finished by then.”

“All right.”

Shen Yuyin took out her tablet and began watching her drama.

Lu You quickly peeled and seeded the entire bowl of grapes, then set them aside. He took the other bowl of unprocessed grapes and cut them all in half. He placed them in a pot, added enough water to cover them, threw in a large chunk of rock sugar, and turned on the heat.

The water in the pot gradually turned red and began to boil. Lu You skimmed off the foam, then squeezed in a little lemon juice. Once the red liquid began to thicken, he used a wooden spatula to crush all the grapes. Finally, he turned off the heat, removed the pot, and strained out the pulp.

The grape juice was ready.

Next came the plain mousse. Lu You took gelatin sheets, yogurt, milk, and light cream from the refrigerator. He softened the gelatin sheets first, then melted them with hot water using a double-boiler method and mixed them with the milk. He poured the mixture into the yogurt and stirred until smooth.

He added an appropriate amount of sugar to the light cream, took out an electric whisk, and whipped it until it reached the consistency of thick yogurt. Then he poured in the yogurt mixture from before and stirred everything together.

The plain mousse base was complete.

The main work was finished. All that remained was assembly.

…

After bustling about for more than an hour, Lu You placed ten cups of cake in the refrigerator, bringing the task to an end.

He cleaned the kitchen and walked out.

Hearing the movement, Shen Yuyin raised her head and saw that her son had already gone to the living room and was sitting there drinking water.

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“You finished already?”

Lu You moved Little Bao from the sofa onto his lap and stroked the fur along its back. “It wasn’t that fast. It took more than an hour.”

“It’s your birthday. Is there anything you want?”

“No. Whatever I want, I can buy myself.”

Shen Yuyin froze. “That’s true, I suppose.”

Lu You suddenly remembered the stirrings in his heart during military training and said, “Why don’t you tell me how you and Dad met and eventually got married?”

Shen Yuyin raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, “Hmm? What made you think of asking that?”

After hesitating for a moment, Lu You decided to answer honestly. “Some time ago, I developed a slight fondness for a girl. I wanted to learn from someone with experience.”

Shen Yuyin’s spirits soared. She did not even bother taking her tablet with her, but hurried over to the sofa beside Lu You and sat down cross-legged.

“No way! You’ve only been in high school for less than half a month, and you’re already awakening to love? What’s the girl’s name? What does she look like? What’s her personality like?”

The barrage of questions left Lu You struggling to cope. “Tell me about you and Dad first. Then I’ll tell you about me.”

“There’s nothing much to tell about the two of us. Our families arranged a blind date, we spent two or three years getting to know each other, and then we got married.”

“Nothing dramatic at all?” Lu You found it far too uneventful. “No rebellion against your families? No running away from home?”

“What are you talking about? If there had been any of that, would you be sitting here now?” Shen Yuyin picked up a cushion and threw it at him.

Lu You caught it easily. “Tell me in more detail. If that’s all you have, I can’t help suspecting that you’re brushing me off.”

Shen Yuyin leaned back against the sofa and gazed up at the ceiling, sinking into her memories.

“That’s basically the whole story. When I was eighteen, your grandmother said she wanted me to meet someone. If I didn’t dislike him, I could try seeing where things went. I didn’t have anyone I liked at the time, and I figured there was no harm in meeting him, so I agreed.”

“I was attracted to your father the first time I saw him. You’ve seen what he looked like when he was young, haven’t you?”

Lu You nodded. “He was indeed handsome. Almost as handsome as I am now.”

“Oh, please.” Shen Yuyin scoffed. “With your height, you dare compare yourself to my husband? He was well over six feet tall back then. What exactly are you comparing?”

That hit a little too close to home.

“After we developed feelings for each other, we went on a few dates. We quickly started seeing each other, and then, when I was twenty, we had you. We simply got married afterward.”

“Would that count as getting married because of the pregnancy?”

“More or less. Your father said he had already planned to propose, but your arrival moved the date forward. Whether you had come or not, he would have proposed that year. It only changed things by a few months.”

Lu You was disappointed that there was no juicy gossip. “I thought there would be some story about a rich heiress falling for a poor boy, their families trying to separate them, and her reluctantly marrying into wealth. And the result is just this?”

“All right, that’s enough!” Shen Yuyin’s mood darkened. “For one thing, there was no one like that in my social circle. For another, do you really think an ordinary man could compare with your father without any emotional foundation? You know perfectly well how your grandfather and great-grandfather raised the younger generations.”

Lu You recalled his childhood in the old family home. His education there had covered morality, intellect, and physical development in equal measure. The older members of the Lu family never relied on corporal punishment. They believed in teaching by example. At the age when children were best at imitation, the elders held themselves to strict standards, and the younger generation was naturally influenced by them.

“Don’t you think a relationship like that is too ordinary?”

“Isn’t ordinary a good thing?” Shen Yuyin countered. “A love that cuts to the bone implies a process that breaks the heart. For me, the most beautiful thing is an ordinary companionship and care that quietly nourishes you, like rain sinking into the earth.”

“All right, I’ve finished talking about myself. Now it’s your turn. Name, appearance, personality. Quickly.”

Lu You knew he could not escape. He could only take a deep breath before slowly saying, “Her name is Tang Wan. I find it difficult to describe her appearance in words. I don’t know her personality very well yet. I’m still getting to know her.”

“So you only told me her name. You didn’t tell me anything else.” Shen Yuyin looked displeased. “And what do you mean, you find her appearance difficult to describe in words?”

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“It means that every beautiful word I can think of could be used to describe her.”

“Hahaha…” Shen Yuyin laughed so hard she nearly collapsed. “You like her that much already?”

The corner of Lu You’s mouth twitched as he defended himself. “I’m merely stating my personal impression.”

Shen Yuyin wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, gathered herself, and asked, “How far have things progressed between you?”

“What progress could there be? We’re in different classes. I’m only fond of her; it hasn’t reached the level of liking her yet.”

“I see. Then just let things develop naturally. When your fondness turns into genuine affection, you can think about the rest.” In Shen Yuyin’s eyes, fondness was too fragile a thing. It could easily fade away.

Lu You changed the question. “When did your feelings for Dad change from fondness into love?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Shen Yuyin was drawn into her memories. “After going out with your father a few times, his image gradually appeared in my heart. I began thinking about him day and night, imagining the times we might spend together and what our future would look like.”

She then turned to Lu You and said, “If one day you find yourself smiling unconsciously whenever you think of that person, and you think about her every day, then you’ll know that you like her.”

Lu You stroked Little Bao and thought for a while before asking, “Mom, what do you think about me dating while I’m still in high school?”

“That depends on your attitude toward the relationship. If it’s merely a passing whim and you only want to play around, I’ll withdraw you from school immediately and send you back to your grandfather. My son doesn’t have to excel academically, but he absolutely cannot become a rotten person.”

Shen Yuyin’s gaze sharpened, and her expression grew extraordinarily serious. Lu You felt a chill run down his back.

“Of course, if you’re serious and want to stay with her until the end, if you’re prepared to take part in her future life, then I’ll support you.”

Lu You was astonished. He had not expected her to use the word support.

“Are you surprised that I said I’d support you?” Shen Yuyin asked with a smile.

Lu You nodded firmly.

“Parents oppose teenage relationships because high school students have the college entrance examination ahead of them. On top of that, most high school students have never faced the weight of real life and have no clear understanding of things such as family responsibilities. Under those circumstances, relationships usually end badly.”

“But our family is different. For you, the college entrance examination is merely the icing on the cake. Regardless of whether your grades are good or bad, the Lu family and your maternal grandfather’s family can guarantee you a worry-free future. The only condition is that you must not become a rotten person. So the most important thing for you is learning how to be a decent human being. If you have a sense of responsibility, know how to shoulder burdens, and understand how to love someone, then of course I’ll support you.”

Lu You lowered his gaze and fell into thought.

Watching her son deliberate, Shen Yuyin knew that what he felt for that girl, Tang Wan, was certainly more than simple fondness. He simply could not see it clearly himself.

Back in junior high, she had forbidden him from spending too much time with the students at that school. Although she had done so partly to protect him from being led astray, it had also left him unfamiliar with relationships among his peers. To this day, Li Yu was his only close friend.

Shen Yuyin stood and walked over to Lu You’s side, then ran a hand through his hair.

“If you like her, try taking the first step. If neither of you moves, all that will remain is regret.”

“Wouldn’t that offend her?”

Shen Yuyin smiled gently, glad that her son was not a rotten person. She said softly, “Don’t mistake a reasonable request for an offense. It’s presumptuous thoughts disguised as concern for someone else that constitute the greatest offense.”

“What if she rejects me?” Lu You’s usual confidence in mathematics seemed to have vanished without a trace.

“If you don’t even try, how could you possibly know the result?” After saying this, Shen Yuyin slapped him on the back. “Come on, lift your spirits. Your looks and your bearing are your most effective weapons. Go forward bravely, young man!”

Although Lu You knew his mother was trying to encourage him, he still found the words rather embarrassing.

“All right, you should go upstairs and check on Little Shu.”

“Ah, the lovestruck young man. Let yourself bloom and enjoy your youth to the fullest.”

With that, Shen Yuyin disappeared at the staircase, walking with cheerful steps.

Lu You took several deep breaths to ease his embarrassment. Once he had regained his composure, he played with the cat while thinking about what he should do next.