As Pu Li Ming started putting away his things, he paused for a second and turned to Zhou Fi Hai, “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
(A/N: ‘Would you like to stay forever?’)
Zhou Fi Hai raised an eyebrow, “Your mother won’t mind?”
“No, I don’t think she would.” Pu Li Ming said, “Take it as my thank you?”
“Please, I did it of my own accord. You know that, Pu Li Ming.” Zhou Fi Hai says.
“Let me anyways?” Pu Li Ming says, looking into Zhou Fi Hai’s eyes with his own lychee eyes, “Please?”
Zhou Fi Hai can only sigh in response.
The older man doesn’t say a single word, but Pu Li Ming grins triumphantly.
After a moment of silence, Pu Li Ming speaks up, “I liked the way you helped me with my task.”
Zhou Fi Hai nodded, raising an eyebrow as a silent question.
“Would you… be able to help me with anything else?” The younger tentatively asked.
Turning the question around in his head, Zhou Fi Hai eventually answered, “I can think of a few, but I don’t want to overdo it. So I’d rather that you tell me about what you think you need more help with. What do you think?
Pu Li Ming’s eyes widened as the question was turned back to him. “En. It makes sense. I’m not really sure what though.”
“Take your time.” Zhou Fi Hai said, “You can just name a few for now, we can add more later when you and I think of something and discuss it together.”
The other nods slowly, trying to think of an answer, “Maybe continuing on with my other tasks? Like with my schoolwork and chores?”
Zhou Fi Hai looks up, taking note of it, before gesturing with his hand to continue.
“Uhm, and also some help with organizing and keeping track of my things? I always have trouble with that.”
Zhou Fi Hai nods before continuing the gesture.
Pu Li Ming was running out of ideas though, “Maybe about day-to-day life things as well? Like what chores I should be doing and keeping track of hydration or something?”
Zhou Fi Hai hummed, “Those are great ideas, Li Ming. Good job.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Ca Ue Ol Zlcu’r rlifcmf jcv ibbx, Itbe Ml Ljl’r fsfr rboafcfv jr tf qijmfv j tjcv bc atf batfg’r rtbeivfg.
“Po sbe vbc’a ilxf jcs bo la, jcv sbe mjc’a vb la, bg vbc’a atlcx la kbeiv tfiq sbe, kf mjc rabq. Dea P’v ilxf la lo sbe ujnf la j mtjcmf jcv ags la bea, jigluta? Po P ulnf sbe atbrf geifr, atfc atlr kbeiv tfiq sbe. Xlnf la j kffx ab ags bea. Po sbe ja jii vbeya atja la tfiqfv fnfc j yla, atfc kf’ii rabq. Gb sbe ecvfgrajcv?”
Pu Li Ming’s look slowly faded before he nodded.
“Can you answer me verbally?” Zhou Fi Hai asked.
The younger man nodded again, “…En.”
Soon enough, Mother Pu arrived back home.
“Oh!” She exclaimed when the two men greeted her upon her arrival. “You didn’t tell me you have someone over, Dear Heart.” She said as she placed her shoes on the rack and went further inside.
“Yes Mom, this is Zhou Fi Hai!” Pu Li Ming explained, “Remember that car you saw pulling away from the driveway that one time? When I said they were someone who had helped me get back home?” He continued as they followed his mother going inside and placing her things on a table.
The woman paused slightly, maybe pondering at the name or on the description.
“Ahh, that one!” She exclaims and turns to Zhou Fi Hai to give him a small bow of her head in thanks, “Thank you so much for helping our Li Ming.”
Zhou Fi Hai waved a hand in dismissal, “It was no problem at all, Ma’am. I couldn’t just leave him under the rain like that.”
Mother Pu smiled and placed a hand on her chest, “How very kind of you!”
Pu Li Ming almost groaned and face-palmed in embarrassment at his mom practically gushing over Zhou Fi Hai already. They barely even talked!
“Though what brings you around today?” She asked as she placed a small bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.
Zhou Fi Hai answered as he leaned against the kitchen island while Pu Li Ming went to help her put things in their proper places, “Pu Li Ming mentioned an assignment he needed to work on, so I came with him to help him out. I was going to leave right afterward, but he wanted me to stay for dinner as thanks.”
“Of course,” She said immediately, “You’re welcome at our table. When you say helping him out, like a mentor of some sort?”
Zhou Fi Hai nodded, “You could say that, yes.”
She then asked while she prepared the things she needed for dinner, “Ooh, what did you guys do for today?”
“I helped him make a plan and organize a routine he can do to better focus on a task mostly.” He answered.
“And it worked?” Mother Pu’s eyes widened just a fraction as she paused to look at the other.
“It worked wonders, Ma’am.” Zhou Fi Hai assured her, “Pu Li Ming’s intelligence just shined and he finished his assignment way earlier than his estimated time frame of finishing it.”
Mother Pu was already melting, “Pu Li Ming had always been smart! People just refuse to see it and just think of him as a dull clumsy boy, but they’re wrong.”
Zhou Fi Hai hummed, “I agree.”
Pu Li Ming couldn’t keep in the groan any more, “Guys! Dinner? Hello?” He gestured almost aggressively at the preparation being done on the counter.
Mother Pu just laughed and ruffled his hair then patted Zhou Fi Hai’s shoulder, “I’ll go work on the food, you two help with preparations and setting the table, yes?”
“Sure, no problem, Ma’am.”
“Such a polite young man.” She remarked with a smile, although it didn’t quite stretch as wide as it should’ve.
But the two had already left to set the table.
Pu Li Ming went around and showed Zhou Fi Hai where everything was located and what was in their different cabinets as they went about grabbing plates, utensils, glasses, and placemats.
“Your mother seems very… welcoming.” Zhou Fo Hai remarked as he placed the placemats on the table in front of the chairs.
Pu Li Ming winced making Zhou Fi Hai smile in amusement, “Sorry about her, she can be a bit too… enthusiastic.” He tells him as he places the plates in the middle of the mats.
“Yes, I would describe her as ‘enthusiastic’.” Zhou Fi Hai says in amusement, putting down the utensils on the right side of the plates.
“I don’t know, it’s probably because it’s the first time I’ve befriended someone out of school? Or that I was willing to have you stay for dinner? I guess I don’t usually do that, even with my best friends.” Pu Li Ming tries to explain, though he isn’t really sure he explained it well, having finished placing the glasses on the left side of the plates.
Zhou Fi Hai finds his words odd and is going to ask him something before Mother Pu comes in carrying a bowl of sweet and sour pork to join the plate of chow mein on the table.
“Can one of you serve out the rice? Then we can start eating.” Mother Pu said, placing the large bowl in the middle of the table.
“I’ll get it!” Pu Li Ming said and hurried to the kitchen.
“You can sit down while we wait, Zhou Fi Hai.” Mother Pu said.
Zhou Fi Hai sat on the seat beside the empty one so he and Pu Li Ming will be sitting beside each other.
“What do you do for a living?” Mother Pu asked.
“I own a garage and aside from running the business side of things, I also like to get my hands dirty working as one of the mechanics. Since I majored in Mechanical Engineering in college.”
“That’s amazing having your own business at such a young age! However did you manage to start it up? Did your parents help you with financing in the beginning? What do they do?” Question after question went through Mother Pu’s mouth.
“Ahh yes, I did ask for some help from my family. Though I had asked my Uncle, not really my parents. My parents are also business owners. I’m not quite that close with them anymore, however.” Zhou Fi Hai tried to answer as best as he could.
“Why ever not? You seem like a nice and respectable young man.” Mother Pu said in surprise.
“We had… a disagreement about their work. I went to live on my own as soon as college started after that. Only contacting family through my uncle.” Zhou Fi Hai said.
Mother Pu opened her mouth, but she was cut off when Pu Li Ming went inside with a steaming hot platter of rice.
(A/N: Like mother like son lmao)
And with that, dinner started picking up.
“Your cooking is delicious, Mother Pu.” Zhou Fi Hai said.
“Yeah, it really is Mom.” Pu Li Ming grinned at her.
Mother Pu only raised an eyebrow at her only son, “Don’t try lying to me, young man. You
haven’t taken as much as a nibble on your food.”
Pu Li Ming huffed and dropped his smile, resolutely slicing off a small portion of pork before putting it in his mouth.
Then he gives her a look that just says— There! Happy now?
And almost like she completely knew what he meant, she nodded and continued eating.
Zhou Fi Hai could only chuckle, this mother-and-son duo is a riot.
This author has something to say:
Yes surprise! This chapter is posted on a Wednesday!
My schedule had been really hectic recently and it has finally calmed down somewhat, and I’ve found that doing this works better for me on Wednesdays now instead of the previous Saturday
With that, the official update release schedules will be moved to Wednesdays at the same time!
Thank you for the chapter!
I wonder what’s up with the mom?