Old Woman

"Knock knock knock" Someone was knocking on Lin Yao's door.

"Is Sister Lin in there?" Li Shulan asked outside her door. "Sister Lin, how about eating with us later."

Lin Yao got up and opened the door, smiled at her, then said, "No thank you, you eat. I'm just about to go out." This was just an excuse. If the excuse didn't work, she really did plan on going out.

"We've already finished cooking, so wouldn't it be wasteful if Sister Lin didn't eat any of it at all?" Li Shulan stared at her with pleading eyes, and she begged, "Sister Lin, the food will be ready soon, it won't take that much time, so please just eat with us ~. Besides, you've been taking care of me for so long."

Taking care of her was definitely an overstatement. Lin Yao knew very well that, ever since Li Shulan had moved in with her, she herself had been the one being taken care of.

Besides, how inappropriate would it be for an outsider like her to be there while the family sat and chatted together during dinner?

Lin Yao was about to refuse, but she saw Li Shulan tug at her sleeves and shake it with a pleading look in her eyes. "Sister~Lin~, let's eat~together~"

Lin Yao suddenly found herself unable to say the excuse at the tip of her tongue. She suddenly had the feeling that the person in front of her was Jiang Mingshu instead of Li Shulan.

She didn't know whether it was because Jiang Mingshu was influenced by her roommate from Hujian, or by idol dramas (Hong Kong and Taiwan dubbing), but she spoke with a coquettish voice, so even when she wasn't being flirty she sounded flirty.

Li Shulan was a born and raised Hujian girl. Although she spoke Mandarin well and didn't have a heavy Hujian accent, she spoke just like Jiang Mingshu.

Lin Yao didn't know how boys felt when they heard it, but she herself couldn't refuse her. "Well then, shall I get another free meal?"

"Great!" Li Shulan was overjoyed. "Then it's a promise!"

******

When Lin Yao walked out of the room, she saw that Li Shulan and her family were already sitting around the small dining table.

She walked over with a smile and said to them, "Greetings uncle, greetings auntie!"

Li Shulan patted the empty chair and greeted her enthusiastically, "Sit here Sister Lin. This bowl of soup is for you. Finish the soup first, and then start the meal."

"Thank you Shulan!" Lin Yao obediently sat down and asked nonchalantly, "Why isn't your husband here?"

Li Shulan's face fell immediately, and she poked the rice in the bowl with the chopsticks in her hands. "He went back to his company after picking my parents up. His company is very annoying~ and they're always making him work overtime. It never stops!"

There was suddenly a despondent vibe at the table.

At that moment, Lin Yao suddenly remembered that Li Shulan's husband was rarely at home, even on weekends, so perhaps she had touched on a delicate topic?

"Well, I…" She didn't know what to say for a while, but then she said in self-mockery, "I'm probably still half-sleep and don't know what I'm saying…"

Li Shulan raised her head and appeared a little ill at ease as she smiled. "Ah, Sister Lin doesn't have to worry. Besides, I'm usually the only one at home, so I've gotten used to it by now."

Li Shulan's husband wasn't the only one who was always working overtime. Lin Yao also rarely went home early. Every day, the 18-year-old Li Shulan went grocery shopping alone, cooked alone, ate alone, and cleaned up after dinner alone...

Lin Yao suddenly understood. No wonder Li Shulan always appeared so overjoyed every time she returned home.

Li Shulan's parents had a worried look on their faces.

Upon seeing this, Li Shulan quickly changed the subject. "The soup my mother stewed is delicious. Sister Lin should try it!"

Lin Yao tasted it, and found that it was indeed just as delicious as promised!

Home-cooked food was different from the dishes in restaurants. Restaurants usually paid more attention to taste and appearance, but home-cooked food was more carefully made.

Li Shulan's mother stewed the bones until they were tender. The soup was rich, and the meat was overflowing with juicy flavor... In winter, what is more irresistible than a hot bowl of flavorful bone soup?

For Lin Yao, there was nothing better!

She couldn't help but stick up her thumb and profusely praise, "Delicious! Too delicious! Auntie's culinary skills are really out of the ordinary!"

Li Shulan smiled heartily, "Yes, my mother's soup is hard to beat."

Upon being praised, Li Shulan's mother couldn't help but chuckle. "Eat~some~more~, both of you are too thin, eat~some~more~!"

The little dining room was filled with laughter, and the sounds of their laughter were warm, as if it could dispel the chill of winter.

******

After dinner, Li Shulan was sent back to her room to lie down because of her pregnancy.

Li Shulan's father sat idly with his legs crossed.

Lin Yao took the initiative to help Li Shulan's mother clean up the mess.

Li Shulan's parents were very young and appeared to be in their 40s. It was possible that perhaps they weren't even that old yet.

Lin Yao thought that it was unbelievable. Two people so young were soon to be a grandfather and grandmother!

Li Shulan's mother was a little chubby, and her smile was just like Li Shulan's, very endearing. "Miss Lin~ How old are you?" The accent was also familiar.

Lin Yao passed the bowl in her hand and replied, "Twenty-one."

"Oh!!" Li Shulan's mother exclaimed, "You're already twenty-one years old? I really can't~ tell~at all".

It wasn't flattery. Lin Yao appeared younger than her actual age, and Li Shulan looked more mature than her actual age, so the 21-year-old Lin Yao did look younger than the 18-year-old Li Shulan.

Li Shulan's mother seemed a little hesitant, but nonetheless she opened her mouth and asked tentatively, "Miss Lin~why aren't you~married~yet?", her countenance was exactly the same as Li Shulan's.

"Mom...￥%￥——*%…*•…"

Li Shulan shouted from the room. She spoke a dialect, so Lin Yao couldn't understand her, but from her tone, she sounded like she was explaining why Lin Yao wasn't married yet.

The expression on Li Shulan's mother's face changed after listening to her daughter's words. It was an expression of pity, or perhaps sympathy.

"Yeah, not yet." Lin Yao smiled nonchalantly. "I just graduated from school last year and I've only been in the workforce for a year, so I haven't found a partner yet at such an early stage."

Li Shulan's mother widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Why does a girl need~so~much education~?"

Lin Yao was stunned. Did she mean that boys should get more education, and girls shouldn't?

And she only had an associate's degree, how could she be someone with "too much education"?

But, Li Shulan got married as a teenager, and it was very likely that she didn't finish high school or even go to high school at all.

Compared to Li Shulan, Lin Yao was someone with "much education"...so she uttered "uh-huh".

Li Shulan murmured from the room, "Mom...#•~%**——*~...#*!" From her tone she sounded very displeased, as if she was complaining that her mother shouldn't have said this.

Only then did Lin Yao realize that every girl was self-willed in front of her mother, and Li Shulan was no exception.

Li Shulan's father apparently didn't want to see his wife bullied by his daughter, so he took the lead in protesting, "&**^$~~^0@~~!"

Li Shulan's mother also shouted a few words, "%$^~•—*~~$~~," and seemed to be feebly defending herself.

Lin Yao didn't want to see their family arguing about her business, so she tried to ease the situation. "Shulan, auntie and I were just having a casual conversation, it's okay."

"Yes~~~, we were just talking casually~, it's no big deal~" Li Shulan's mother smiled again, but she was still most concerned about Lin Yao's marriage. "Miss Lin, why hasn't your family arranged a partner~for~you~?"

Lin Yao felt a little helpless. "My family isn't in a hurry. I've only turned twenty-one years old this year. Many people my age are still in school."

It was a fact that all those who could attend undergraduate school were still studying.

Li Shulan's father and mother glanced at each other. They obviously didn't believe her, and the two of them started whispering together.

Lin Yao was about to go back to her room when Li Shulan's mother spoke again, "Where we're from~everyone gets married in their teens~... By the age of 20, they're regarded as old~woman~, you are already twenty-one~, why hasn't your family helped you arrange~yet~?"

Lin Yao's body grew stiff, and there was a look of disbelief on her face.

Old woman?

Who was she calling an old woman?