Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

Chapter 489: I won’t let the cooked duck fly away

The pork rib soup Zhang Ma had just cooked bubbling in the casserole, mingling with the faint smell of disinfectant in the living room, creating a strange harmony. Pei Luonan was walking slowly on the treadmill. The doctor said he had recovered much better than expected and that he would be able to completely stop rehabilitation training in ten days.

Pei Luonan walked to the sofa and sat down, flipping through the documents casually, "By the way, has the B&B in Yang County been renovated?"

"It's almost done. As you requested, we've left a room with a terrace, offering a panoramic view of the ruins." Kong Haoyu smiled mischievously. "Even the kitchen has been modified to suit Miss Gu's preferences. It's open-plan, and the cabinet height is five centimeters lower than the standard size."

Pei Luonan didn't respond, but tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the document.

Although he seems to be free these days, he has actually been making a lot of preparations for his trip to Yang County - contacting partners at the site, finalizing the list of experts, and even asking Zhang Ma to copy down the recipes of several home-cooked dishes that Gu Fanxing likes, intending to "show off" his skills when the time comes.

Just as he was talking, the doorbell rang.

Before Aunt Zhang opened the door, she heard a strong female voice coming from outside, with a bit of suppressed anger: "Is that bastard Pei Luonan home?"

Pei Luonan curled the corners of his mouth helplessly.

His mother's momentum probably brought out all her worries about the old lady and her concern for him, which turned into anger.

When the door opened, Pei's mother appeared, wearing a Xiangyunsha cheongsam and holding a thermos bucket in her hand, followed by Pei's father and Pei Luochuan.

As soon as Pei Luochuan entered the door, he shouted "I'm starving". His eyes swept around the apartment and finally fell on Pei Luonan's legs.

"Brother, your leg looks okay?" He threw himself on the sofa. "My dad and I are out of town and mom keeps urging us to come back. She says if you become disabled, the Pei family will have to rely on me to support them—"

"Shut up." Pei Luonan glanced at him.

Pei's mother placed the thermos in her hand on the entrance cabinet and scanned the apartment with her eyes like a radar.

The men's slippers in the living room were neatly arranged, there were no extra tableware on the dining table, and the balcony was filled with Pei Luonan's shirts - there was not a single thing belonging to a woman.

Her face instantly darkened.

"Where's Xingxing?" Mother Pei put her hands on her hips, her calves exposed by the slit of her cheongsam trembling slightly. "I'm telling you, Luonan, when you brought that girl home, I thought you were reliable! But you're so different. I haven't had my period for only half a month, and where's she? Did you make her run away?"

Pei's father quickly tried to smooth things over: "Calm down first and listen to Luo Nan..."

Pei Luochuan shrank his neck and quietly hid behind Pei's father.

His mother usually looks gentle, but when she gets angry, she is more powerful than the strong woman who slams the table at the company's shareholders' meeting, especially when it comes to Pei Luonan's lifelong affairs - after all, Pei Luonan is the eldest son of the Pei family, and he is in his twenties and doesn't even have a partner. How can she not be anxious?

Pei Luonan seemed calm. He winked at Zhang Ma to serve tea, and then he said calmly, "Mom, please have a drink first."

"I won't drink!" Mother Pei raised her hand to slap him, but when she saw the scar on his leg, she pulled it back abruptly, her eyes reddening. "Look at you, everything has been smooth sailing for you since you were little, but why are you so useless when it comes to relationships? Fanxing is such a good girl, sensible and capable, and you can't even keep her. I think you might as well just bang your head against the wall and die, so I don't have to worry about you!"

Although these words were heavy, they were filled with genuine anxiety.

Pei's mother really likes Gu Fanxing. At the last family dinner, she saw the natural look on her face when she peeled shrimp for Pei Luonan, and the light in her eyes when she talked about archaeology with the old lady. She knew that this girl was not after the Pei family's money, but really cared about Pei Luonan.

"Mom, do you think I'm the kind of person who would let a cooked duck fly away?" Pei Luonan picked up the folder on the coffee table, pulled out a few photos and handed them over, "Take a look for yourself."

In the photo, there's Gu Fanxing in work clothes squatting by the stall, his face smeared with mud, but he's smiling brightly; there's Gu Fanxing looking at porcelain pieces in front of a tent at night, holding a small table lamp...

"Where... where is this?" Pei's mother calmed down a bit and pointed at the loess slope in the photo. "Why did she go to a place like this? It must be so miserable!"

"This is her job." Pei Luonan took back the photo, "Mom, Fanxing is not the kind of girl who can be confined at home. She has her own career, and I have to respect her."

"Respect is respect, but you can't let her run so far!" Mother Pei was still worried. "Is the signal good in the mountains? Are they used to the food? What if she gets wronged?"

A series of questions came at him, and Pei Luonan smiled: "I have arranged all these. People from the branch office will send her fresh ingredients every day. As for the grievances..."

He paused, his fingertips swiping across the news of Long Group's delisting on the phone screen, his tone colder: "Anyone who dares to make her suffer has no right to breathe now."

Father Pei spoke at this time: "Luonan, it's good that you know what's going on. Fanxing is a good girl, don't make her wait too long." He knew his son well, and since he said he had made arrangements, he must be sure of it.

Pei Luochuan suddenly came over and said, "Brother, are you planning a romantic proposal? At an archaeological site, using a thousand-year-old porcelain fragment as a ring?"

Pei Luonan kicked him and said, "Watch less idol dramas."

Pei's mother, however, understood what was going on and stared at Pei Luonan: "Do you have any plans?"

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything is ready, we just need the right time."

He pointed to the cooperation agreement on the table. "The cooperation between the Pei family and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has been approved. Next month, I will go to Yang County to attend a heritage site protection meeting. When I go, I promise to bring your daughter-in-law to you."

Mother Pei was amused by him. "If you can't bring her back by then, your father and I will move into your apartment and recite the spell to tighten your headband every day!"

At lunch, the pork rib soup in the casserole was stewed until it was tender. Pei's mother kept picking up pork ribs for Pei Luonan, saying that he wanted to nourish his legs.

Pei Luonan looked at the scene in front of him, and his heart suddenly felt warm.

He had been exposed to the world of business since he was little, and was used to calculating and gambling. But the feeling of family sitting around a table for a meal was so reassuring. And he wanted to share this reassurance with Gu Fanxing.

After dinner, before the Pei family left, Pei's mother took Pei Luonan by the hand and gave him a long lecture: "Remember, be gentle to the girl, don't always put on your CEO airs!" She straightened Pei Luonan's collar, "Fanxing looks strong, but she must have her own thoughts. You have to talk to her and clear up the misunderstanding..."

"Got it, old man?" Pei Luonan let her do whatever she wanted, with a smile in his eyes, "Don't worry, I know my limits."

After seeing the family off, the apartment returned to silence.

Pei Luonan walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the ring he had carved himself. The word "stars" cast a fine light, like a handful of stars.

When Kong Haoyu came back, Pei Luonan put the ring back into the box and said, "Give me the 'gift' I asked you to get."

That "gift" was a rare copy that he had someone photographed from abroad. It was a research monograph on Song Dynasty celadon porcelain, and the title page had the signature of the archaeologist that Gu Fanxing admired most.

Seeing his confident look, Kong Haoyu couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Pei, are you so sure that Miss Gu will come back with you?"

"She will."

He said firmly, "Because the place I want to go is not just her workplace, but also her inner world."

He wanted to tell her there that he understood her love for archaeology, her desire for freedom, and even more so, the softness hidden under her hard shell.

He would not let her make a choice between career and love, because he wanted to be the one standing by her side, looking up at the stars and touching history with her.

Wait for him to pass by, fill all the cracks with tenderness, hold her hand, and tell her that he will accompany her for the rest of her life, no matter it is rainy or sunny.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and Pei Luonan knew that the east wind that belonged to him was about to arrive.