Tang Su accompanied Su Ruoan in watching a variety show for a while, and Tang Shengyi finished cleaning up the kitchen, took the wontons out of the fridge, found a few dry ice packs, and placed two boxes of wontons and the ice packs together in an insulated bag.
"It's getting late, if you're not staying overnight, you should head home early," Tang Shengyi started to hustle people out, "Where's your car parked? Dad will help you carry the stuff downstairs."
"I didn't drive. I took a taxi here. Recently, Qingqing has been working late often, so I let her use the car for a few days," Tang Su said.
Both of them knew, these two kids had been close since they were little.
Latter on, Sun Qing followed her grandfather to the capital, and what they hadn't expected was that, after a few years, Sun Qing, missing Tang Su, made a special trip to Hua City to look for a job. Now the sisters were together again.
Whenever Sun Qing had time, she would also come over to their home for a meal and buy lots of tasty fruits and snacks for their couple.
"Then hurry up and call one, wait here, Dad will cut open a durian for you, take one back to eat. One is enough for your mom," he said.
"No need, Dad, you can give them both to Mom," Tang Su had never thought of taking one of the two durians they had bought back with her.
"Is my mouth that big? Are you trying to make me get a nosebleed?" Su Ruoan frowned in response.
That girl, running two shops and earning her hard-earned money, wasn't easy; durians were tasty but not suitable to eat in excess. Buying one and sharing it among the three of them was enough.
But this girl, spending lavishly, had bought two at once; which man would dare to live a life with someone like her?
She's about to get married and doesn't even know how to be frugal with money.
It's all good if she isn't married yet, but once she gets married, it will be strange if she doesn't get lectured.
"Fine, then thanks, Dad," seeing Su Ruoan insisted, Tang Su didn't say more.
"What's there to thank for, you bought it with your own money. Just you wait and don't call the taxi yet," he said.
"Okay."
Tang Shengyi was quite the sly old fox too, giving one of his wife's durians to his daughter, and the box of grapes he loved to eat, he didn't share even a single bunch; instead, he stored all of them in the fridge.
"Why did you suddenly think of applying such heavy makeup today?" Su Ruoan stared at Tang Su's powder-puffed white face, also brushed with rouge, which made her look as radiant as a blossoming peach or plum, but whether the skin under the foundation was really that rosy white was unclear.
"Well, I wanted to look pretty today," Tang Su cooed.
"Mom has told you since you were little that a girl's beauty is not created by makeup. Have you been taking that as wind passing by your ear?" Su Ruoan, being a doctor, saw no beauty greater than health in a doctor's eyes.
"Of course not, I've kept it firmly in mind. That's why you see me having my meals on time each day. Weren't you always fine with me wearing makeup? What's up today?"
"Since Mom allowed you to wear makeup to now, this is the first time you've come home with such heavy makeup. You usually wear a light makeup. How have you been eating and sleeping lately? Don't make me force you to remove it right now for a check," she warned.
Su Ruoan was a mother of both firmness and kindness. Whatever she said, she relied on evidence. Ever since Tang Su understood reason, their communication, mother and daughter, was based on words and evidence.
"My eating and sleeping have been quite good. Today I'm just in a good mood. If you don't like it, I won't wear such heavy makeup next time," Tang Su said, feeling somewhat guilty while pretending to be calm.
Su Ruoan glanced at her and decided not to question further.
After cutting the durian, Tang Shengyi left the largest piece of flesh for his wife and packed the rest in a preservation box for Tang Su to take away.
"Old Tang, I suddenly have a headache. You take our daughter to the door to wait for the taxi, and I'll go lie down for a bit," Su Ruoan told Tang Shengyi.
"Mom, are you okay?" Tang Su asked worryingly.
"It's nothing, just an old problem. I'll cover my head with the quilt, and it'll get better in a bit. Don't worry. Go home early and be safe on the road. I won't see you off," she said.
"Okay, Mom, don't worry about seeing me off. Dad, you stay with Mom. I'll go down and wait for the taxi by myself," Tang Su said.
After deliberating, Tang Shengyi, finding both his wife and daughter to be his treasures, finally decided, "Like this, I'll take you to the door. No matter whether the car comes or not, I'll have to hurry back. Go, go, go. Move it."
"..."
Tang Shengyi took Tang Su to the hospital gate's security room, put the things inside, told her to send a message after she got home, and then hurried back to his own house.
Less than a minute after Tang Shengyi left, the car Tang Su had called arrived. After getting in the car, Tang Su sent a message to Tang Shengyi, "Dad, if Mom is feeling very unwell, you have to tell me."
Tang Shengyi had no time to reply to her message.
When Tang Shengyi got home, he found Su Ruoan comfortably seated in the living room, enjoying the delicious taste of durian.
"Wife, didn't you say you had a headache? You got better so fast?"
"Mhm, durian cures all diseases," Su Ruoan said with a smile.
Tang Shengyi: "..."
Women really are such strange creatures.
Back when she was younger, Su Ruoan had a period when she especially loved buying handbags. In order to buy one, she often used poor excuses like headaches or stomachaches; once she got the handbag, Su Ruoan would miraculously recover.
At that time, she told him that 'handbags' cured all diseases.
He could tolerate being tricked in the past, but now, she was even fooling their daughter?
But why? What for?
"Old Tang, come over here, sit beside me," Su Ruoan, after finishing the piece of durian Tang Shengyi had left for her, gestured for him to come and sit beside her.
"What for?" Tang Shengyi asked, his tone unfriendly, holding back his frustration.
"Don't be angry," Su Ruoan extended her slender, delicate hand, lifting his chin with her fingertips, locking eyes with him. Su Ruoan wanted to laugh, but thinking of her daughter, she couldn't bring herself to.
"I just wanted to ensure our daughter got into the car safely. You tricked me into coming back, what exactly do you want to do?" Tang Shengyi asked helplessly.
"Nothing much, our Tang Bao is having relationship issues."
"Hmm? How come? Don't talk nonsense, the two of them are fine. Sichen didn't come today because he's on a business trip. Once he's back, they will…"
Tang Shengyi's words came to an abrupt halt as Su Ruoan played a short video she found on her phone right in front of his eyes.
The short video was edited from an audience perspective, beginning with Ye Sichen and Shen Tian dining together, followed by Sun Qing pulling Tang Su over. Then, Sun Qing called the police, and the officers came and took them all away.
The video ended there.
Although the specifics weren't clearly articulated, as one of the mothers involved, Su Ruoan had her own thoughts.
"No, wife, where did you find this?"
"Does where I found it matter? Shouldn't the focus be on the woman dining with your future son-in-law? Who exactly is she? And what exactly happened, serious enough to involve the police?"
Tang Shengyi nodded; his wife had a point.
"I'll call Tang Bao back and we can ask her directly."
"Come back," Su Ruoan commanded sternly, "If she wanted to tell us, she would have been upfront just now. Her silence means calling her back is pointless. You have a day off tomorrow, right? Go to the market early in the morning to buy some meat and dumpling wrappers, make a couple boxes of dumplings and take them to Sun Qing."
"Wife, you're incredible," Tang Shengyi said with admiration, giving Su Ruoan a thumbs-up.
"Scram——"