Love in the Fast Lane - Chapter 61 - How to Give a Red Packet1
Last time it was Tang Ning’s mother asking this question, and now it was Mo Zihan’s mom’s turn.
Mo Zihan really wanted to snap back, “No, we’re planning to mess around and let nature take its course! Is that not okay?”
But the reality was, her face turned as red as the coals in a furnace. She drew circles on the ground with her foot, not sure who she was silently cursing in her mind, and mumbled, “Why do you keep pestering us with this question? We get it, we get it. I’m tired, okay? I’m going to rest now.”
Her mom responded sternly, “This is a very important issue. You two haven’t gotten your marriage certificate yet. Even though cohabiting is your right as young people, and no one in society can criticize you for it, and we’re not opposed to it either, you still need to take necessary precautions. We hope you can have children soon, but if something happens before you get married, people will gossip.”
Her mom was a teacher, and Mo Zihan understood her personality well. If her mom brought up this topic seriously, it meant she had thought it through and considered it a non-negotiable issue.
But, how was she supposed to respond? Should she say, “Today we didn’t have time, we’ll see tomorrow?”
“Um, I’m in my safe period these few days, so we’ll naturally be careful in a few days.” Left with no choice, Mo Zihan mustered all her courage and replied with a steady voice, “And we do take this matter very seriously. Last time when I was a few days late, we were terrified. We only calmed down after a hospital checkup confirmed everything was fine. Since then, we’ve been very cautious.”
If she didn’t emphasize how seriously she and Tang Ning were taking this issue, her mom would definitely keep bringing it up constantly. But this kind of matter, how could her mom possibly talk to Tang Ning about? It would only be her own ears suffering! To avoid any future troubles, Mo Zihan decided to lay it all out clearly this time, emphasizing how aware and cautious they were being, so that hopefully, this issue would never be brought up again.
Sure enough, hearing Mo Zihan say this, her mom seemed relieved, but she didn’t forget to warn her: “It sounds like you’ve taken the easy way out and maybe didn’t pay attention to this before. You need to be more careful in the future. Having a child nowadays is complicated and requires a lot of attention. When you do decide to have children, it has to be after you’re married. You also need to consult with me and Xiao Tang’s mom, understand?”
Mo Zihan, thoroughly worn out, could only surrender: “Understood, understood.”
Her mom walked a few steps towards the door, then turned back: “The safe period isn’t always safe. Tomorrow, if you’re free, take Xiao Tang out and make sure to buy some supplies. There’s nothing shameful about it, got it?”
Mo Zihan was practically on her knees: “Got it, got it. You should go and rest now. You’ve had a long day. We’ll be very careful about these things, so don’t worry!”
Upstairs, next to the restroom and shower, both of them had taken a shower before their midday nap. In the afternoon, Tang Ning had been working on the roof, and after coming back down, he took another shower. It was freezing cold at night, so there was no need to suffer through another shower.
Mo Zihan closed the door at the top of the stairs but didn’t lock it, then walked into the room to see Tang Ning lying properly on the bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. He was awake.
“Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you thinking about? Didn’t you have too much to drink?” Mo Zihan asked, pouring two glasses of water. The room was very warm because the electric heater was on. She changed into slippers, climbed onto the bed, and patted Tang Ning.
Tang Ning exhaled some Baijiu-laden breath and bitterly smiled: “Who said I didn’t drink too much? This time it was Baijiu. Look at that case of booze; I nearly finished two bottles by myself, over 1 jin. If I drank another couple of ounces, I’d have collapsed. But after a midday nap, you didn’t come upstairs, so I’m having trouble falling asleep.”
Mo Zihan sniffed and complained: “Who told you to drink that much? Can’t you pretend a bit and drink less? Drinking so much in this cold weather-see if you don’t catch a cold when you get up in the middle of the night.”
Tang Ning sighed, “Last time I drank with Third Uncle, it was only beer, but he’s an old alcoholic; he can pretty much gauge my drinking capacity. Besides, although some of today’s relatives have ulterior motives, and a few are not well-intentioned, if I didn’t drink, your dad would have to. His health isn’t as good as mine-how could I let him drink for me? I’m young, I can handle it. Your dad eventually noticed and didn’t let me drink more. When I started feeling dizzy, he asked you to take me upstairs to rest.”
Mo Zihan clumsily placed a damp towel on Tang Ning’s head.
Tang Ning chuckled, reached out from under the blanket to hold her hand gently, and said, “It’s okay. Since we’ve been living together, I’ve cut down on smoking. Drinking a bit more occasionally isn’t a big deal. Oh, don’t drink water yet. Mix some cold medicine for yourself; I think there’s some in the drawer.”
Mo Zihan scratched his palm with her fingers, confused and muttering, “I don’t have a cold, why should I drink that? Do you want it?”
Tang Ning replied, “This time, the weather is bad, and you haven’t been back in a couple of years. It’s hard to adapt quickly to the climate and environment. If you sleep through the night, you’ll definitely wake up with a sore throat. Cold medicine isn’t just for treating colds; it’s preventive. Listen to me, drink some now, and you won’t catch a cold tomorrow.”
Mo Zihan pouted, “You haven’t been back to the Southern region in years. Whatever habits you picked up in college are long gone, right? How about this: I’ll mix one dose, we’ll share it. If that’s not enough, one glass of water and two doses of medicine should do.”
Tang Ning rolled his eyes and tried to get up to mix the medicine himself. Given that he had drunk a lot, he felt dizzy the moment he got up. Mo Zihan hurriedly said, “Stop showing off. Fine, I’ll mix it. Satisfied?”
Meanwhile, downstairs in the side room, Mo Zihan’s parents were also talking about Tang Ning.
Mo Zihan’s dad took a sip of the light tea his wife had brewed and said, “Xiao Tang is sincerely a good guy. If I hadn’t intervened, he’d have kept drinking. Many of our relatives can’t stand to see others doing well. When they see Xiao Tang being honest, they just keep pouring drinks into him like it’s water. If you ask me, Xiao Tang should have pretended to be drunk after half a bottle. It wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
Mo Zihan’s mom chuckled, “He’s honest but not stupid; quite clever, in fact. Didn’t Xiaohan’s Third Uncle drink with Xiao Tang once? He mentioned that Xiao Tang’s drinking capacity is similar to his own. Xiao Tang remembers this well and worries that if he pretends not to handle his liquor, we might think he’s insincere. Starting tomorrow, we should try to reduce these relatives’ visits. It’s ridiculous! If they love drinking so much, why don’t they drag their own sons-in-law into it?”
Mo Zihan’s dad sighed, “This is just the beginning. Our cousin’s child is heading to college next year. His grades aren’t great, so they’ll probably come to us for help.”
Mo Zihan’s mom fumed, “What? They dare to make Xiao Tang drink and then have the nerve to ask for favors? Traditions or not, this is absurd! We’re not helping. Even if they come begging, we won’t help!”
If Tang Ning could hear this conversation, he might laugh out loud in his sleep. At this moment, he was still worried whether Mo Zihan’s parents might have issues with him not holding his own. Despite his sharp mind, which told him his parents-in-law were quite approving of him, there’s always that saying about finding flaws in even the best situations. What if he fell short in some way and left a bad impression?
Lying awake in the dark, Tang Ning pondered this and finally voiced his concern. Mo Zihan, also still awake on the other side of the bookshelf partition, let out a chuckle upon hearing him.
It seemed Tang Ning genuinely cared, otherwise why would he think about all this?
But, letting him worry a bit wasn’t bad. Otherwise, he might get too confident, thinking she couldn’t find anyone else and he was indispensable!
The days passed by with their frequent bickering, initiated by Mo Zihan. On the fifth day, Chuxi2, Tang Ning and Mo Zihan were symbolically cleaning the house. Tang Ning pulled out four red packets and, looking troubled, asked Mo Zihan, “How should we prepare these red packets for tonight?”
Huh? Aren’t we the younger generation? What’s with the red packets?
Mo Zihan was bewildered. Despite being from the town, she realized she still had a lot to learn about these customs from Tang Ning.
Footnote:
- Red Packet(红包): A traditional Chinese gift given for good luck and prosperity during celebrations like Lunar New Year, weddings, and birthdays. Typically, money is placed inside as a symbol of good fortune.
- Chuxi(除夕): This is the day before the Chinese Lunar New Year, a very important traditional holiday in China. It’s a time for family reunions, thorough house cleaning to sweep away ill-fortune, and preparing for the new year with activities such as giving red packets containing money, which symbolize good luck and warding off evil spirits.