Chen Ruo Yu felt her face stiffen and she looked towards Meng Gu for help. Meng Mother was very happy to join them at their table.
"How come you are here?" Meng Gu refused to meet Chen Ruo Yu's eyes and acting normally, he only chatted with his mother.
"I came out with my friends."
"Where are your friends?"
"They had left."
"Then why are you still here?"
"Actually, I was about to leave but before that, I went to the toilet. I saw Xiao Yu making a phone call in the toilet and she called the person on the phone, Dr. Meng. I felt very close to her since she also knows a doctor by the name of Dr. Meng. She called out the names Dr. Meng Gu and Lord Meng Gu and I thought this doctor's name is also Meng Gu just like my son's name. So I decided to stay back."
It can be said that she deliberately stay back to listen to gossip.
His mother had also referred to her as Xiao Yu. Oh, God! She really wanted to drill a hole in the ground and sneak away through the hole. Meng Mother must have overheard the live broadcast of everything regarding her blind-date.
"Ai……I was not sure whether the person you were seeking help from is really my son. If I had known it is really him, I would have sat by your side and spoke up for you."
Chen Ruo Yu shook her stiff frozen head. In her heart, she lamented…….Auntie, did you think that the situation just now was not chaotic enough?
At this time, Meng Mother bumped Meng Gu's shoulders and said. "Son, are you not going to introduce us?"
After having listened to the live broadcast then what is the purpose of an introduction?
"This is my mother…….this is Chen Ruo Yu." Meng Gu's face was expressionless and did not have the slightest inkling of Chen Ruo Yu's heartfelt thoughts.
"How are you, Xiao Yu?" Meng Mother said kindly.
"Auntie, nice to meet you." Chen Ruo Yu felt nervous. This Auntie will not be asking her a bunch of questions, will she? She really cannot withstand any more torture today.
"Do you really have an Elder phobia, Xiao Yu?"
It's coming, it's coming and she is starting to ask questions. And the first thing she does is…… she is going to ridicule me and make me the butt of her joke.
The next thing Chen Ruo Yu did, was to look at Meng Gu again and before he had time to speak, Meng Mother said again. "It is normal to feel nervous when you are with elders but it is not necessary when you are with me since I am so young." After Meng Mother had finished speaking, she put her hands to her face and gestured to emphasize her point.
Chen Ruo Yu stared blankly and said. "Did you give birth to Dr. Meng in your teens?"
Meng Mother laughed out loudly and Meng Gu said with displeasure. "Chen Ruo Yu, stop your flattery."
Chen Ruo Yu looked innocently at Meng Mother. She was not flattering. His mother does really look so young.
"Ignore him. I like this type of genuine and sincere flattery." Meng Mother smiled with her eyes in slits and she was full of vitality and energy. "Meng Gu is my biological son and he is not picked up from somewhere."
"Mom, will you pay more attention to your image as an elderly?"
"I did. Son, how did you meet Xiao Yu?"
"She is a good friend of Yin Ze's girlfriend."
"Does Yin Ze have a girlfriend? Aiya…..I have not seen that child for a long time. Tell him to invite me for dinner and the point is that I want to meet his girlfriend."
"If you say it this way, Yin Ze will definitely not agree."
"Then you can change the way of speaking. In any case, I want to have a look at his girlfriend."
"If I tell him using my way of speaking, he will be more reluctant."
"Then it is you who is not good at speaking. You have to be more tactful and clever in your speech."
Chen Rou Yu who was sitting upright and still in her seat, carefully looked at both mother and son. She noticed that they were gossiping about Yin Ze and quickly took the opportunity to intervene. "That……Dr. Meng, Auntie…..you can carry on with your chat. I'll not bother you, I'll take my leave first."
Meng Gu nodded his head and Meng Mother also nodded. Chen Ruo Yu heaved a sigh of relief and was about to get up when Meng Mother said. "We are also leaving. Let's leave together."
Chen Ruo Yu glanced at Meng Gu and saw there was no response from him. It seems he is very obedient to his mother. This type of behavior from him really surprised Chen Ruo Yu.
"Xiao Yu, just now it was rude of Meng Gu to say those words. I'm really sorry. I apologize on his behalf."
"It's nothing, I'm alright." Chen Ruo Yu fiercely waved her hand. "That is Dr. Meng's style."
Style? She felt a bit embarrassed. This time, she felt like she was really dispensing flattery.
Fortunately, Meng Mother was smiling and it seems she did not think much of her words.
"Meng Gu's father will be arranging a blind-date for him later. Why don’t you also come and take revenge on him?"
Chen Ruo Yu shook her head and fiercely waved her hand. "No. No." Oh God! This type of elderly whom one is unable to guess what is their next course of action, is even scarier.
"It doesn't matter. You don’t have to flip the table. You can do as he did today, just walk over halfway through and say something interesting."
Is saying she is mentally-ill considered as something interesting?
"This trick cannot be used on Dr. Meng. If I were to ask why he did not go to the psychiatric department, other people will think he is going there to perform surgery only and the desired effect will not happen." And also why should she go and disrupt his blind-date appointment? He will think she is still terribly in love with him and intends to wrestle for his love.
It was alright if he just misunderstood this but what she feared most was his revenge later. She knows she cannot win over him.
"Of course, we must change and use a different excuse. If you use the same excuse, then there is nothing fresh about it. I'll help you think about this. Ah, yes…..you can say….. Meng Gu, I finally found the brand of haemorrhoid cream that you frequently use and bought it for you."
Pu……. Chen Ruo Yu choked on her own saliva.
Is this really Dr. Meng Gu's biological mother?
"You also think this is a good trick, right?"
"Auntie, Auntie……you are really humorous."
"Fortunately, Meng Gu's bad temper and impatience are inherited from his dad. His handsome features and sense of humor is inherited from me." In short, all the good points came from her and all the bad points were from Meng Gu's father.
Chen Ruo Yu looked at her smiling eyes and suddenly felt a bit envious of Meng Gu. If she has such a lovely mother, she will be very willing to move back to C-city.
Meng Gu drove the car over and said to Chen Ruo Yu. "I will send my mother home and I still have to return to the hospital. So I will not send you."
Chen Ruo Yu nodded and felt Meng Gu is really filial. At least in front of his mother, he behaved like a human being. Meng Mother did not display any politeness, waved her hands at Chen Ruo Yu and said goodbye.
Chen Ruo Yu watched as their car turned onto the driveway, then she turned around and slowly walked down the street. She thought to herself……what exactly did she inherit? She thought for a long time…….well, her pettiness is inherited from her mother and her timidity is inherited from her father.
This very night, Chen Ruo Yu talked to Zhao Xia on the phone and she told Zhao Xia what happened at the meeting today with Tang Jin Cai and his mother. Zhao Xi said loudly that Tang Mother was a bit over exaggerating and told Chen Ruo Yu not to be affected by this. She also assured Chen Ruo Yu that she knew what she will tell the Tang Family if they do call her later.
When Chen Ruo Yu hung up the call, suddenly she missed her mother and she wondered whether her mother was still angry with her. Her mother is extremely stubborn and once she decides on something, it is difficult to change her mind. How is she going to communicate with her family to tell them about her decision that she does not want to make a living back home?
In comparison, Meng Gu has a warm, caring mother and a stern father, his family condition was good, he has a successful career and his future is bright. He also has firm childhood friends like Yin Ze and Lei Feng. But she does not have many friends, her salary is not high and her future is uncertain…….
Chen Ruo Yu sighed. She really feels envious of Meng Gu……
She surfed the internet and accidentally saw an ancient drawing. In the peach blossom forest among lush foliage and flying flower petals, a man in white robes stood with his hands clasped behind his back displaying confidence and at ease without inhibitions.
Chen Ruo Yu looked and did not know why she thought this drawing looked similar to Meng Gu. She saved the picture then sent it to her cell phone and set it as the screensaver on her phone.
After completing the screensaver, she held up the phone to look left and right and was very satisfied with her work. Meng Gu said he was dumped three times and she was really curious to find out what actually had happened. She wondered whether she will get to know this in the future.
On the same night, as Chen Ruo Yu closed her eyes to sleep, the image of the tall and slender figure standing in the Peach Blossom Forest lingered in her mind.
For the next few days, nothing special happened.
Tang Jin Cai did not look for Chen Ruo Yu and neither did he look for Zhao Xia regarding the matter with Chen Ruo Yu. These few days, there was nothing from Meng Gu, no calls or text messages. She looked at the picture of Mr. Peach Blossom Forrest. This is normal for even if they are friends, they cannot always be talking on the phone and in addition, there is nothing between them. If she suddenly looks for him, then that is definitely looking for trouble and so it is better not to look for him.
This day, Chen Ruo Yu called home and enquired about the health of her parents. Recently, every time she calls home, she will feel nervous but she cannot avoid calling her parents.
Chen Mother again asked when she will be returning home and she answered again that she did not want to go home. This time, her mother did not bang down her phone but instead said unhappily that she did not know what her daughter was thinking. Her mother said that since young, Chen Ruo Yu's health has not been good and to take care of her was the most difficult task. In the end, she is now less filial compared to her brother and it was a mistake to raise her.
Chen Ruo Yu did not answer but in her heart, she felt very sad. When she was a child, her health was not good and was always sick. For a sickly child like her, her mother had made a lot of effort to take care of her. But when she was at home, she did all the household chores, like buying food, cooking, washing dishes and cleaning. She had always taken the initiative to do all of these chores while her brother had never helped in the house. She helped to run errands, buy medicine for her parents, collect water for cooking and all these chores were done by her while her younger brother usually goes out to play or stay at home to play games.
When she joined the workforce, no matter how much she earned she would send money home to subsidize her family. She wanted her parents to eat better and not to work so hard. She knew her mother wanted face and she also wanted her mother to be able to lift up her head with pride in front of their relatives and friends. Whenever these elderly people gathered together, they love to enquire about the income everyone's children and how much money they send home to their respective families. So she gritted her teeth, lived frugally and tried to send money home.
As to her younger brother who was still studying in the university, even part of his tuition fees was paid by her. Her mother did not find it too difficult to take care of her brother because from young she had helped her mother to take care of her brother. She had also contributed a lot to the family.
But in the end, she only received the comment that she is not as filial as her brother.
Chen Ruo Yu did not speak but Chen Mother continued to talk. She asked how insurance was sold. Did Chen Ruo Yu have to nod her head and bow down from the waist begging everyone to buy with a smiling face? The way her mother said that was unpleasant to the ear and Chen Ruo Yu did not even have the strength to explain to her.
The call finally ended when Chen Ruo Yu gave the excuse that she was very tired and needed to rest.
After hanging up the call, Chen Ruo Yu sat on the bed distractedly. She felt very sad but she did not cry. She always felt that once she gets used to crying, it would be hard to control. The more a person cries, the weaker the person becomes and so she tries not to cry.
In fact, she has always been thinking about how to make her family feel happy and satisfied. But she had thought for a long time and still cannot think of a solution. She does not like some of the ways her parents do things and she is not acceptable to the way her parents want her to live her life. But if she cannot meet their requirements then she will be forced to return home and live the life they planned for her. But living a life like they are living now, is one thing she cannot accept.
Suddenly Chen Ruo Yu missed Meng Gu. She missed his nonchalant expression, she missed his poisonous tongue and missed the way he seriously reprimanded her.
If he is here, she will not feel so sad. Although he always makes her angry, she will get over it and will eventually fall into a good mood.
She misses him.
Has he gone on his blind-date yet? How does his blind-date look like? Is she the daughter of the Dean? Ah…….then their child should be named as Dean Meng. Chen Rou Yu laughed to herself when she thought of this. If not, he can still be called Dr. Meng since they are a family of doctors.
She looked at the cell phone in her hand. Mr. Peach Blossom Forrest was still standing in the screen with confidence and at ease. She missed him but did not want to call him. She did not have anything to talk to him about, how to call him? In case he says again…… Chen Ruo Yu, don’t you have nothing to do and now want to quarrel with me again, do you want to die?
Chen Ruo Yu could imagine his voice tone and smile to herself.
She hopes the Dean's daughter will shout at him……Meng Gu! You still haven't wash your child's diapers, do you want to die?!
She put the phone aside and lay down on the bed with her arms folded.
He will have a happy life and she will also have one too. She cannot be pessimistic and negative, she must not feel sad. She is still young and she still has a long life ahead.
Although her mother's mouth is unforgiving, her mother still feels distressed for her. Although her father did not dare to voice out any opinion against her mother's decision, he still supports her. Although her brother is a bit naughty, he is still good to her.
Therefore, she should cheer up and be more vigorous in life.
She felt her mood had improved a lot. The last thought in her mind before she fell asleep was to give Gao Yu Lan a call tomorrow to enquire how she and Yin Ze were getting along recently. Maybe she could find a chance to join them for a gathering and perhaps Meng Gu will also be there.
She really did that but Meng Gu did not turn up. On the day of their gathering, Meng Gu was on duty. She was embarrassed to ask whether they should postpone the gathering and wait for Meng Gu to be free to attend before they gather again. So she passed a lively evening but without Meng Gu's presence and she felt a bit lost.
The next day, she took out her phone from time to time and was in a dilemma. She wondered whether she should call Meng Gu to tell him that a few of them had had a gathering yesterday but he did not come and at the same time enquire how he was doing……..will this be okay? But it seems this is too deliberate.
She thought again and again…….hesitated and hesitated…..her work was neglected.
As she was thinking over and over again, she received a call. It was from Tang Jin Cai.
The first thing he did was to apologize for his mother's actions that day. He said that his mother's actions were not meant to be malicious but it is due to her character. She loves to be in charge of everything, constantly feel anxious and wants everything to be settled quickly.
She replied courteously and was afraid he would not give up on her, this mentally ill woman.
Tang Jin Cai did not mention anything about blind-dating and after he said some polite words, then he said something that was unexpected. He said his uncle had suffered an emotional blow and has been in depression for some time. His uncle had consulted a lot of doctors but he did not seem to show any improvement. The most famous psychiatrist in this city is Director Liu of a certain hospital and he asked whether Chen Ruo Yu's doctor with whom she had an appointment on that day, is the same doctor he just mentioned.
Chen Ruo Yu was in a daze. She did not have any appointment with the doctor before, so how would she know? However, the hospital he mentioned is the hospital where Meng Gu is working, that she is very sure.
"Director Liu is very famous throughout the country. It is also very difficult to get an appointment to see him. Two days ago, my aunt came to my house and talked about this. She said she had tried for several months and still could not make an appointment then my mother suddenly thought about your appointment with him. Is your friend who came to fetch you that day acquainted with Director Liu? He also said that Director Liu told him you had made an appointment but you did not turn up.
"Oh, then they should know each other."
"Then can you please help me and get your friend to make an appointment for us? Our whole family is very worried about my uncle's illness. So if you need any reward, it is not a problem."
At that moment, Chen Ruo Yu felt she was not kind at all. The first thought she had was not sympathy for the patient but she now has a legitimate reason to call Meng Gu.