Chapter 46: Do you want to come up and sit for a while?

After Xie Li finished exchanging pleasantries, Tang Man quickly pulled him upstairs. Standing behind Xie Li, she could feel the gazes of those aunties constantly shooting towards her.

Because the residential building here was a bit old and not very tall, no elevator was installed. However, Xie Li’s parents lived on the third floor, not too high or too low, convenient for going up and down. It didn’t have much impact on the elderly.

The stairwell was a bit narrow. Tang Man walked behind, and Xie Li would glance at her from time to time. In fact, he was more uneasy than her.

On the third floor, two households lived here, door to door, considered neighbors. The two families interacted quite a bit. Xie Li would usually ask the opposite neighbors to help look after his parents.

After ringing the doorbell, Tang Man stood next to Xie Li. Suddenly, in the silence after the doorbell, she felt a sense of restraint. In that instant, she had the urge to run away, a strong impulse that was hard to resist.

At this moment, the door was suddenly opened from the inside. A man in his fifties stood at the doorway, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with some gray hair, but looking hale and hearty. There was a resemblance between his eyebrows and eyes and Xie Li’s, clearly showing they were father and son.

Xie Li called out “Dad,” and Tang Man followed behind, politely greeting, “Hello, Uncle.”

The man nodded, and then a person wearing an apron came out, looking like she was in the middle of cooking, with traces of water on her hands. She should have come out from the kitchen. Tang Man quickly and politely greeted, “Hello, Auntie.” After handing over the gifts in her hands, the group exchanged a few courteous words, and then she was welcomed into the house.

“You’re here quite early. I haven’t finished cooking yet. Sit in the living room for a bit first.” Xie Li’s mother glanced at Tang Man and said with a smile.

Tang Man nodded and followed Xie Li into the living room. This apartment was a little over a hundred square meters, not small but not big either. It was a bit empty for two people. Xie Li would also come and stay for a few nights from time to time.

The TV was on in the living room. Tang Man found that Xie Li’s father was also a very reticent person. Sitting together, he didn’t know what to say. He only poured her a cup of tea and sat politely to the side, occasionally saying a few words to Xie Li and taking care of her by asking about the situation of her parents.

Perhaps Xie Li had mentioned some things about her family before. Xie Li’s father avoided some sensitive topics and didn’t bring them up.

After a while, Xie Li’s mother came out, took off her apron, and said that the dishes were all set, asking them to go eat together.

For Chinese people, the dining table is a place to discuss matters. When they were almost done eating, the topics of conversation increased, mainly with Xie Li’s mother asking her questions.

At this time, she could feel that although Xie Li had mentioned matters related to her family, he probably didn’t go into details.

At least these two elders didn’t know that her mother, Madam Yang Qing, was now a pregnant woman of advanced maternal age expecting a second child, nor did they know about Madam Yang Qing’s character. The two elders somehow learned that Madam Yang was an artistic and cultured woman, perhaps due to some issues with Xie Li’s recount, creating this misconception.

However, Tang Man still felt a bit uncomfortable sitting at this table. The overly ordinary family atmosphere made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. Some of Xie Li’s mother’s questions made her feel a bit offended.

Xie Li’s father’s silence was like the role of a father in every ordinary family. These warm and ordinary feelings made her very uncomfortable, as if she had stepped into another world, feeling like she was being forcibly stuffed into a mold.

However, Tang Man still restrained herself and sat until the end.

After the meal, Xie Li’s mother and father cleared the dishes and didn’t let Tang Man help, very politely asking Xie Li to take her to sit in the room for a while.

Xie Li readily agreed and held Tang Man’s hand, walking inside.

His family didn’t live here before. It was only a few years after his graduation that they bought a house here. However, their previous home was very close, just a few alleys away. Buying here was because his parents had always lived in this area and had social interactions here. They were familiar with the environment here. If they suddenly moved to a new place, they might not be able to adapt.

His room’s layout was similar to before, just a bit bigger. The elders were fond of old things and moved some old items from before, especially things from Xie Li’s childhood, none of which were discarded.

As soon as she entered the room, Tang Man saw a row of bookshelves not far in front of the bed. Sunlight poured in from outside, mostly falling on the bookshelves.

The bookshelves were already filled with books, most of which had yellowed pages. On the very top were two rows of award certificates, framed in large frames. Some trophies were also placed in the cabinet to the side.

She glanced at Xie Li and walked closer, only to find that the earliest of these award certificates were even from the early 2000s. From left to right, one could almost see a growth trajectory of Xie Li.

Tang Man once again clearly realized that Xie Li was probably the “good kid” in the eyes of other parents.

She couldn’t help but look at Xie Li several times, then couldn’t resist smiling. She didn’t know what her smile looked like, but Xie Li looked a bit embarrassed and slightly tilted his head.

“My mother thinks these award certificates have great commemorative value and has always kept them. A few years ago when we moved, a few were damaged. She felt it was a pity, so she specifically had them framed.”

Tang Man nodded noncommittally, pulled out a book from the bookshelf, and casually said to Xie Li, “They do have quite a commemorative value.”

Indeed, they had quite a commemorative value. Tang Man sometimes thought that if Madam Yang was also this kind of parent, she might have developed a different temperament. But she rarely made such assumptions. From the moment she could understand, she seemed to find it very difficult to condemn either of her parents and very difficult to yearn for maternal or paternal love.

In fact, she seemed to have never sought love from others, including the love of Tang Zhengfeng and Yang Qing. Perhaps she was born with the temperament of autumn winds and winter frost.

She smiled and sighed to Xie Li, “Your parents must love you very much.”

Parents who dote on their sons a lot would often be overly critical of their son’s other half in the future. Although Xie Li’s parents currently performed well and didn’t show such tendencies, Tang Man still sensed some of Xie Li’s parents’ views on his life after marriage.