novelraw Chapter 187
Chapter 187
Chapter 187: I’ve Already Decided on Her
“Creak…”
As the tetanus-prone metal door opened, Lucia, no longer feeling like an outsider, went straight up to greet them.
“Auntie, Happy New Year!”
The girl’s smile seemed to hold all the gentleness and sweetness in the world, melting hearts.
Fang Xia was still chattering with Xia Yuanjun behind her when she turned and saw Lucia opening the door. The expression on her face instantly changed.
“Little Lu, come, take this.”
Without a word, Fang Xia reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick red envelope.
Lucia, who had never seen such a grand gesture right off the bat, stood frozen, turning to look at Xia Li.
Having received them a few times already, Lucia knew there was money inside. And with this thickness…
It was big money!
“What are you looking at him for? Take it, take it.”
Fang Xia understood Lucia. The girl lacked assertiveness and now relied on Xia Li for everything, which was not good.
Their family always emphasized independence, and Xia Li, raised with this philosophy, was a decisive and resolute person.
But this personality wasn’t meant to make him chauvinistic, so Fang Xia immediately stopped it.
“Dad, Mom.”
Xia Li greeted them from behind the door, taking out two pairs of fluffy slippers from the shoe rack.
Fang Xia glanced at him, her eyes carrying a warning.
What the…
Xia Li laughed awkwardly.
He hadn’t said anything! Why was Mrs. Fang attacking him already!
“Where’s mine?”
After ushering his parents in, Xia Li shamelessly held out his hand.
It was a family rule, something Fang Xia herself had said.
As long as Xia Li wasn’t married, he would get New Year’s money every year. When Fang Xia first said this, Xia Li joked that he wouldn’t marry then, and Fang Xia even beat him up for it.
Fang Xia pulled Lucia’s hand and walked in sideways. Xia Yuanjun, following behind, entered the house slowly. Xia Li, seeing his hands full of groceries, helped him carry them.
“Here you go.”
Along with the twenty kilograms of vegetables and meat products, a red envelope was handed out.
“Thank you, Dad. Happy New Year.”
Receiving a big red envelope, Xia Li beamed.
He rarely asked his family for money, but New Year’s money was different. How could one celebrate the New Year without it? Xia Li hadn’t received any for the three years he was in another world, and he felt like he had aged considerably.
So thin.
Thinner than a dragon’s face.
Xia Li rubbed the red envelope in his hand and glanced at the thick stack in Lucia’s pocket.
Tsk, favoritism!
Carrying the bag of groceries into the kitchen, Fang Xia was putting on an apron. Lucia, beside her, was also trying to put one on, her small hands reaching behind her to tie a perfect bow.
The girl tied her high ponytail into a neat bun.
It seemed she was ready to work alongside Mrs. Fang.
Mrs. Fang, after all, had been a housewife for so many years and was adept at Sichuan cuisine, each dish catering to Xia Li’s taste. This, for Lucia, who was determined to win Xia Li’s heart, was a compulsory course.
She had long wanted to learn from the Brave Hero’s mother.
The online videos were too difficult to follow, and Xia Li’s average cooking skills couldn’t teach her much. She could only break through her bottleneck with the help of the Brave Hero’s mother.
“Need any help?”
Xia Li poked his head in from the kitchen doorway.
The housewife beating eggs and the girl picking vegetables turned their heads simultaneously, glancing at him.
Their eyes seemed to say, “Go cool off somewhere else.”
Xia Li left dejectedly, taking the kettle to refill Old Xia’s cup.
Old Xia was watching TV. In the past, he would have been lying on the sofa watching, but he felt something had changed about this house, making him feel restrained and uncomfortable.
The house was still the same, but things had changed.
Xia Yuanjun didn’t feel sentimental about it. It was just that his son had grown up.
In Fang Xia’s words, it was time for him to get married and have children—although Xia Yuanjun felt that was still far off.
Xia Yuanjun’s gaze swept across the living room. Xia Li had decorated the house with a festive atmosphere. From the Spring Festival couplets outside, the small lanterns inside, to the nut bowls filling the coffee table, everything was in place, showing his thoughtfulness.
Feeling a sense of pride, Xia Yuanjun’s gaze landed on an inconspicuous corner of the TV cabinet.
There was a mountain of books. Judging by the words on the spines, they were all related to veterinary medicine.
The last time he saw so many study materials was during Xia Li’s senior year of high school.
Xia Yuanjun remembered what Fang Xia had told him a while ago. She said their son was studying for the veterinary qualification exam, and she even praised him a few times, saying he was a man of action, never procrastinating, and destined for greatness.
“Dad, I’ve refilled your thermos. Be careful, it’s hot.”
Xia Li brought the water over and noticed Xia Yuanjun’s gaze fixed on the pile of books.
Old Xia had finally seen them.
He had placed them there on purpose.
Next to the TV cabinet, anyone who visited could see them, and being in the corner, it didn’t seem deliberate.
However, these were actually prepared for Fang Xia.
Last time, Fang Xia was unhappy about Xia Li finding a job for Lucia. To prove he wasn’t just idling around, he had set up this little trap.
“You…”
Xia Yuanjun wanted to say something, maybe “What are your plans?” “You’ve worked hard,” or “Do you really want to be a veterinarian?” but he stopped.
The old man wasn’t good at expressing mushy sentiments.
In their family, Fang Xia usually did the talking, and Xia Yuanjun nodded in agreement. They were two hearts beating as one.
As Xia Li had written in his childhood essays, this was the “taciturn old father.”
But in today’s terms, he was not only taciturn but also a tsundere in front of Xia Li.
Xia Li peeled a tangerine and gave half to Xia Yuanjun, eating the other half himself.
The father and son usually couldn’t hold a conversation. Xia Yuanjun awkwardly ate the tangerine, and after a while, he finally condensed his thoughts into a single sentence.
“Is your living allowance enough?”
“Yes, yes, it’s enough.”
Xia Li had guessed that this was all the old man would say.
But this sentence, in their current situation, was the essence after omitting all the unnecessary greetings and meaningless conversations.
“Since you’ve decided to study for the exam, study hard. Don’t feel pressured.” Xia Yuanjun added.
The implication: Tell me if you need money.
Xia Li wanted to say, “Dad, you’re truly my father. You usually don’t say much, but when you do, you get straight to the point.”
That’s what a manager in the system is like, huh?
“Mom must have told you, I’m also writing a book part-time. It generates income… Having some pressure motivates me. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for Lucia to be the only one working while I stay at home and eat soft rice.” Xia Li said.
Hearing this, Xia Yuanjun looked at him deeply and didn’t say anything more.
As long as his son had his own plans, that was enough. As a father, he was just worried about his son being too tired. But he wouldn’t say that out loud.
Feeling uncomfortable sitting on the sofa, Xia Yuanjun couldn’t stay put. He got up and went to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Habitually, he took out his cigarette pack from his pocket, thought about it, and put it back in.
Xia Yuanjun stared at a blue longsword leaning against the wall, hesitating whether to pick it up.
“This, this is a prop.”
Xia Li had just used the sword to let Lucia absorb magic yesterday and had left it there casually.
He hadn’t considered the possibility that his family would see it today.
There were so many other things on the balcony, but Old Xia was particularly interested in this. Well, it was understandable. Men were naturally drawn to guns and swords.
“Oh.” Xia Yuanjun took another look but couldn’t resist picking it up and feeling its weight.
Frowning, Xia Yuanjun found it surprisingly heavy.
“Quite solid.”
“Of course.” Xia Li’s expression was calm, but his heart was in his throat.
◈◈◈
He hoped the Demon Repelling Sword wouldn’t suddenly recognize his father as its new master, that would be hard to explain.
“After all, the material is quite special.”
Xia Li explained, his gaze fixed on the Demon Repelling Sword, not daring to move.
Xia Yuanjun tried to pull the hilt again, but despite several attempts, he couldn’t draw it. It seemed to be a fake sword.
“…”
Phew.
Xia Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“You and Little Lu seem to be getting along well.”
Xia Yuanjun placed the sword back against the wall and decided not to go back inside. He stood on the balcony, basking in the winter sun. The occasional sound of firecrackers from downstairs made him feel relaxed.
His sudden statement left Xia Li confused.
What was the old man thinking? …
Xia Li pondered for a moment. Was Old Xia “testing” him?
Old Xia wanted to ask how his relationship with Lucia was, whether he was truly sincere and loved her, but he couldn’t find an opening and couldn’t bring himself to ask directly, so he used an affirmative tone to question him.
“Since I’m willing to bring her to meet you,” Xia Li paused, his voice becoming firmer,
“I’ve definitely decided on her.”
Xia Yuanjun turned to look at him.
“Where is Little Lu from?”
“She’s… from a remote area.”
“There must be a specific address, right?” Xia Yuanjun asked again.
Xia Li fell silent.
He had thought about fabricating a perfect family background and address for Lucia before.
But in front of his parents, any “setting” he came up with would have loopholes.
After all, when Xia Yuanjun asked this question, it meant that his parents were already planning to visit Lucia’s hometown.
This question also connected with the previous one.
First, asking if Xia Li truly loved her, confirming his feelings, and then proceeding to the next step.
“Your mom asked me to ask.”
Xia Yuanjun pushed up his glasses. Obviously, he didn’t want to make things difficult for his son. Digging into the family background of a girlfriend he wasn’t optimistic about wasn’t something he wanted to do.
But it was a major life event after all, and as parents, asking a few more questions would give them peace of mind.
This hurdle had to be crossed.
“Dad…”
Xia Li didn’t want to lie to his parents.
“Is she really your college classmate?”
Xia Yuanjun looked at him, the gaze from behind his lenses made Xia Li feel apprehensive.
“… This one isn’t for your mom.” Xia Yuanjun explained.
“It’s just that you seem to have an age gap, and she doesn’t look like a college student. Also, Little Lu’s appearance is quite Eurasian, not like a local. So I’m curious where her family is from.”
Although Xia Yuanjun wasn’t as meticulous as Fang Xia, after spending most of his life in the system, his observation skills were still quite sharp.
His series of questions hit Xia Li’s weak spot.
Xia Li stood under the warm sunlight. The sun made him feel lazy, but the strong light also made him feel exposed.
“Lucia isn’t my classmate,” Xia Li took a deep breath and said.
“And her home is very, very far away, so far that you can’t even go there… Also, she’s the only one left in her family. She has no relatives or friends.”
Confessing all this, the weight on Xia Li’s heart finally lifted.
It was heavy, but he had to say it.
He couldn’t lie to his parents forever. He had envisioned a future with Lucia, marrying her, having children with her…
Including finding a way to use teleportation magic to get her a foreign identity. If he lied about her location now, it would be exposed later.
Instead of instinctively resorting to lies, Xia Li decided to be honest.
Moreover, what he said was conservative enough not to scare his parents during the New Year festivities.
“Very far… so far that we can’t even go there?” Xia Yuanjun pondered for a moment, finding Xia Li’s words intriguing.
“Yes.” Xia Li nodded.
“Abroad?”
“Not in China.”
“What’s her current identity?” Xia Yuanjun asked again.
Xia Li gasped again.
Old Xia usually kept quiet, but when he spoke, it was a bombshell.
Every sentence was a key question.
Xia Li didn’t want to be too definitive, but he had to be honest about this.
“She doesn’t have an ID card…”
Under Xia Yuanjun’s surprised gaze, Xia Li added,
“But I’ll take care of it.”
“…”
Xia Yuanjun looked at his son, who was now taller than him, and for a moment, he was speechless.
He didn’t know if he was surprised or if it was just too much information to process at once.
Xia Li stood there, waiting quietly.
The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen, Fang Xia’s voice saying, “You beat the eggs, I’ll chop the green onions,” could be heard through the door.
Fang Xia’s voice was cheerful, her words spoken with a smile.
Just listening to her gentle and doting tone, one could almost see the happiness and contentment on her face.
Fang Xia loved to smile, greeting everyone with a nod and a smile.
But that smile only reached her eyes. After having Lucia as her “daughter-in-law,” her smile had gained a new kind of happiness.
This happiness was a fervent anticipation for the future.
Similarly, Xia Li and Xia Yuanjun, basking in the sun on the balcony, shared the same feeling.
“Auntie, this egg… is so red!”
“Of course, these are the free-range eggs your grandma gave you last time. They’re delicious. Do you like chives and eggs or cucumber and eggs?”
“I, I love both!”
“Then let’s make both!”
“Dad,” listening to their conversation in the kitchen, Xia Li suddenly felt his nose tingle. He raised his hand and touched it.
“Do you think her identity matters?”
Xia Yuanjun looked into the distance.
As if touched by something, Old Xia’s contemplative expression softened, his deep eyes behind the lenses becoming gentler and brighter.
After a while, he slowly said,
“It doesn’t matter.”
Xia Yuanjun knew that although the information just now was overwhelming, it was just the tip of the iceberg.
Little Lu didn’t have a Chinese identity and wasn’t from here. All her parents, relatives, and friends were no longer in this world…
It was hard to imagine how Xia Li had faced and accepted all this.
Xia Li, standing before him, had truly grown up.
“I won’t tell your mom about this for now… The most important thing now is what you think.”
“Mmm…” Receiving his father’s supportive and affirmative response, the tension on Xia Li’s face eased.
“I’ve already decided on her.”