Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 257 - 252: Cannot Remain Indifferent

"I just called my mom and arranged to visit my grandparents first to pay my respects for the New Year," Yan Yan said. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"You can’t be so domineering and stop me from collecting my grandparents’ red envelopes.

I can send you a voice message now, but you should calm your mom down before listening to it.

After I visit my grandparents, I should have room to eat the Wenzhou Big Buns that you love so much.

It was wrong of me to just leave after you went through the trouble of buying them and not wait for you to come back.

But, the pork buns you brought back definitely won’t taste as good as freshly made ones on site.

You know, I’ve always been a picky foodie.

When I head out to Wuma Street later, I’ll let you know.

How about you come and take me for some Wenzhou Big Buns; would that be okay?" Yan Yan tried to appease Qi Yi, not wanting him to worry too much.

"Then let’s have dinner together tonight," Qi Yi said, feeling somewhat relieved knowing that Yan Yan had no intention to vanish.

"Tonight won’t work, I have to go to my uncle’s house. Do you want to come along?" Yan Yan asked Qi Yi.

That was Yan Yan’s original plan, to meet Qi Yi’s mother and then invite Qi Yi to have dinner at her uncle’s house.

Qi Yi and her uncle’s family were old acquaintances, and there was no need for any special, formal first-time meeting with the parents.

Now with everything turning out this way, with even the semblance of peace hard to maintain, Yan Yan didn’t know how to answer her uncle and aunt’s questions about how the parental meet-and-greet went at noon today.

.........

After meeting up on Wuma Street, Yan Yan asked Qi Yi, "Did you calm your mom down?"

"No," Qi Yi answered.

"Ah? Really? It seems I’ve caused a big problem today," Yan Yan had anticipated this outcome.

"Not at all. My mom just said that you told her to persuade me to break up with you, then I was utterly devastated and wouldn’t listen to anything. I was just fixated on calling you," Qi Yi explained.

"Doesn’t that still mean I’ve caused trouble?" Yan Yan was surprised.

"I kept saying I was going to find you, and you kept refusing; in the end, I didn’t leave the house immediately. I think my mom’s mood must be pretty good," Qi Yi replied to Yan Yan with a smile.

"Uh, that works? Isn’t something wrong here? You can run for a while, but you can’t escape forever. What’s there to be happy about?" Yan Yan was completely baffled by Qi Yi’s expression at the moment.

"When I heard you talking to my mom, it felt like I was back at the high school debate tournaments. First, second, then furthermore, your clarity is really getting better," Qi Yi started praising his girlfriend.

"What’s the use of that? Xiao Qizi, seriously, before when my family or Bao Bao talked to me about the issues with the original family or a boyfriend’s mom, I thought they were very far off.

But today, after meeting your mom, I feel like the level of the ’Old Buddha’ in your family has reached a state of perfection.

And you must have heard, I’m not the type to be submissive or to suffer in silence.

After today, your mom will probably have an even worse impression of me.

Originally just shameless, now I have to add two more labels: lacking in respect for rank and failing to understand proper manners.

You know, I’m not afraid of people targeting me with words, as my speaking skills are quite strong, and it’s pretty difficult to take me down.

But, the person who doesn’t like me now is your mother.

What’s the use of winning or losing just for the moment?

I’ve always tried very hard to convince myself that handling your mom is your job.

But it seems I can’t completely stay out of it," Yan Yan was candid.

This was not the outcome she wanted from the meeting with the parents.

"You gave me a revelation today," Qi Yi said, holding Yan Yan’s hand and leading her to buy buns.

"What revelation?" Yan Yan looked up and asked Qi Yi.

"It’s that I should communicate with my mom with strong logic and clear reasoning, just like in a debate tournament," Qi Yi also looked at Yan Yan and even stroked her hair.

"Uh, can you not mess up my freshly done hair, please? And besides, you’ve been communicating with your mom for so long without any results. Xiao Qizi, are we what they call ’ill-fated with a bleak future’?" Yan Yan spoke her concerns.

"Did our Waiwai get hurt today?" Qi Yi pulled Yan Yan close.

"I’m extremely allergic to the words ’our family’ today; you’d better not use them," Yan Yan stepped back two paces.

What Yan Yan heard most today was "our family’s Qi Yi." Even though it was all in praise of Qi Yi, it was the first time Yan Yan felt that praising Qi Yi could also be quite uncomfortable.

"Fine, I won’t say it. But did Waiwai get hurt today or not?" Qi Yi asked again.

"That’s not the case; didn’t you hear how I went all out today? I already told you to stay home and comfort your mom," Yan Yan couldn’t quite define her current mood.

"Of course, I first needed to comfort my girlfriend who might dump me at any moment, right? My mom can’t dump me anyway," Qi Yi retorted with Yan Yan’s words.

"Could dump Qi Yi the Great at any moment, huh? Which family’s impressive girl might that be?" Yan Yan felt the atmosphere was a bit off and needed to shift it slightly.

"Of course, it’s the Miss of the Yan Family," Qi Yi immediately caught Yan Yan’s rhythm.

"Misses often have bad tempers; haven’t you thought about following your mom’s instructions to break up with the Miss of the Yan Family and find a true lady instead?" Yan Yan self-deprecatingly joked while laughing.

"Since when does Waiwai have a bad temper?" Qi Yi carefully arranged a freshly steamed bun in a bag and handed it to Yan Yan.

"With all guns blazing, and still a good temperament?" Yan Yan gave Qi Yi a look, and then at the bun, deciding to take a bite first to taste what Qi Yi’s favorite flavor was like.

On New Year’s Day, to still sell buns, Yan Yan, visiting for the first time, didn’t know whether this year was a special case or if it was always like this.

"If Waiwai wasn’t hurt, why would she go all out?" Qi Yi knew Yan Yan definitely wasn’t as indifferent as she portrayed herself.

"A girlfriend can be replaced, but a mother cannot. It’s a small matter if I occasionally get hurt, but it’s a big deal if you get hurt every day. Honestly... hey, this bun really is quite tasty, but why make it so big?" Yan Yan asked Qi Yi.

"If it’s big, just eat it slowly. No one is competing with you," Qi Yi watched Yan Yan biting into the oversized bun and felt a bit amused.

Yan Yan finally managed to swallow the mouthful of bun and said, "You don’t understand, do you? When you eat buns, if you don’t get meat in the first bite, then you let down the soul that the pastry chef put into making the bun."