My Wife is a Workaholic

Chapter 16 – Meeting His Parents

Two days later.

Zu Jin followed Yan Lin and stood in front of the Yan family’s big door.

After pressing the doorbell, Zu Jin suddenly turned her head and nervously asked, “By the way, what should I call your parents? Shushu and Ayi?”

Yan Lin held her hand and squeezed it a little hard. “I think it’s more appropriate to call them Bofu and Bomu1.”

“Whatever you say.” Zu Jin took another deep breath.

It was killing her.

She had practiced to the point where she was not even nervous about talking about billions of projects, but now she felt like her brain was blank and she couldn’t even speak.

Yan Lin’s parents lived in a house that looked like an old foreign styled house2 that was a combination of Chinese and Western houses from the last century. There were many vibrant lush green trees planted in the front yard.

After the servant opened the door for them, Father Yan and Mother Yan quickly welcomed them in.

From a distance, Father Yan was simply an older version of Yan Lin. He was silent and gentle, but he had a temperament that was neither angry nor arrogant that probably came from always being in a high position.

Mother Yan was much more cheerful, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans. She smiled and gave Zu Jin a hug first. After letting go, she looked at her carefully.

“So beautiful. You two are a good match when you stand next to each other!”

“Thank you, aunt.”

Zu Jin was not a sweet talker, so she could only try to be gentle at this moment.

After greeting them, they went into the living room.

Yan Lin handed the gift in his hand to his mother. “This is a gift from Zu Jin for the both of you. Open it and see if you like it.”

These gifts were actually bought by Yan Lin.

Zu Jin felt that she was going to blush out of guilt.

They chatted for a while, and it was soon lunchtime.

After they sat down, Mother Yan looked at Zu Jin and her son sitting together. The unconcealed tacit understanding and affection between them made her smile again.

“Looking at you reminds me of when I was young. Yan Lin’s father and I were like you two. The reason why we lasted a long time as husband and wife is because the most important thing we learned is to be tolerant.”

Zu Jin had a feeling that there was something hidden in Mother Yan’s words, so she smiled and nodded. She waited for her to go on.

As expected, Mother Yan’s next words became entirely different. “After you get married, you can’t just let one side put up with it all the time. Xiao Jin, if you continue to work after marriage, you will have to properly manage the affairs of your family at the same time. For women, only when she knows that she is considerate of the man’s needs will the relationship between husband and wife be stable. Despite Yan Lin’s good temper, men are actually all the same!”

This remark really had a bit of a point at the mulberry tree and curse at the locust tree3 meaning.

Zu Jin secretly looked at Father Yan, but he did not have a gloomy face. It seemed like the couple could act like they were together for the sake of their son.

Yan Lin squeezed her hand under the table, as if to calm her, and then he wanted to speak up to be a mediator.

However, Zu Jin spoke up first.

“Uncle and aunt, I understand your trouble. No matter what the relationship is, you have to tolerate each other for a long time, especially when it comes to being husband and wife. That’s why when Yan Lin wanted to have a family, we clicked. This is fate. But after marriage, if he, as an idle man, is forced to work and then I, as a busy woman, is asked to take care of the family, isn’t that purely trying to make our feelings suffer?”

As she said that, Zu Jin took a sip of wine and looked directly at Father Yan, who was sitting across from her with a displeased look on his face.

Zu Jin was not actually angry, but Mother Yan’s words really stepped on her nerves.

“Uncle, do you think I’m right?”

Father Yan stared at her without any expressions. “Yan Lin only has a few words to say, but you have a sharp mouth.”

“Then don’t we just complement each other? Otherwise, how can the marriage survive if we both have nothing to say? I also don’t want Yan Lin’s assets.”

“…”

After dinner, they sat for a while. Then, Zu Jin and Yan Lin left.

When they got into the car and before their seat belts were fastened, Yan Lin suddenly leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Zu Jin was startled. “What are you doing?”

Yan Lin smiled and said, “What you said was really good.”

Zu Jin couldn’t help but laugh in spite of herself. After, her tone became worried. “Your parents don’t seem to like me. I just criticized them. I don’t know…”

Yan Lin comforted her and said, “Don’t worry, they won’t do anything to you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it will be fine as long as I like you.”

Zu Jin nodded, but with mixed feelings. Even though Father Yan and Mother Yan appeared harmonious under disagreement, Yan Lin was a big tree with deep roots4. They couldn’t do anything to her no matter how they didn’t like her as a daughter-in-law because of Yan Lin.

She knew from the beginning that it would end up like this, but she still felt a little regretful in her heart when she experienced it.

Yet, they both felt much more relaxed after accomplishing such an important event.

“Don’t think too much about it. Marriage is about us and no one else is important.”

Zu Jin took his arm. “You’re right, but then again…”

Yan Lin turned to look at her. “What?”

“You said that you like my sense of reason and whatnot, but it turns out that I was tense in the moment.”

“Always being rational would make you a robot. I’m actually very nervous right now.”

Zu Jin smiled. “What are you nervous about?”

“It’s time to see your mother next. Can the son-in-law not be nervous when he goes through the door?”

As they talked and laughed, they came across a little girl in a dress with a basket full of flowers.

“Bobo5, why don’t you buy flowers for auntie?”

The smile on Zu Jin’s face froze in an instant.

It’s fine to be called auntie by a child who looks about ten years old.

However, Yan Lin was called uncle, which made her feel like her boyfriend was an old man.

“Little girl, he’s my boyfriend. You have to call him shushu6. If you call him that then I’ll buy your flowers.”

Yan Lin laughed when he heard her. He still held her hand and pulled her gently behind him.

But Zu Jin still had no intention of backing down.

The little girl looked at Zu Jin and then at Yan Lin. It was probably Yan Lin’s gentle temperament that made her less anxious.

Then, she held her breath and said, “Shushu.”

Zu Jin smiled and praised, “What a good little girl!”

Then she opened the bag, pulled out a brand-new red banknote and handed it to the little girl. After that, she took a bunch of blue cornflowers from her basket.

“Thank you. Keep the change.”

After the little girl walked away, Zu Jin looked at Yan Lin.

“What’s the matter?”

Zu Jin said, “Bobo is used to address a middle-aged man, isn’t it? You are two years older than me. Don’t answer any more to children who call you that.”

“I’m almost forty. I’m already a middle-aged man,” Yan Lin said seriously.

A river breeze came and blew on Zu Jin’s heart to cool it.