Love in the Fast Lane - Chapter 62 - Pure and Beneficial for Survival

Tang Ning rolled his eyes at Mo Zihan, who looked naturally naive, and said exasperatedly, “Come on, I don’t get it. Were you the one who grew up here or was it me?”

Mo Zihan asked curiously, “What do you mean? Oh come on, tell me, what’s the deal here? I’ve only ever heard that adults should give red packets to the younger generation. When did we start giving red packets to elders? Oh, don’t tell me that tonight we’ll have younger relatives visiting. That’s impossible. If you’re preparing in advance for that, it’s way too early!”

Tang Ning gritted his teeth in frustration. He recently discovered that Mo Zihan loved to debate with him over trivial matters.

Tang Ning flicked Mo Zihan’s straight nose and said, “My dear, around here, elders give red packets to the younger ones usually on the first morning of the Spring Festival. But on the night of Chuxi, during the reunion dinner – or more precisely, before we start eating – if you’re a newly arrived son-in-law like me, and your wife’s family has two generations of elders, you need to prepare red packets for each generation. If there’s only one generation of elders, meaning just your wife’s parents, then you only need to prepare one red packet. This is considered as a token of making amends for taking their daughter away. Now, do you get it?”

Mo Zihan huffed, “When did this become a trend? How come I haven’t heard about it?”

Tang Ning was amused by her expression. Holding her shoulders, he planted a hard kiss on her cheek before saying, “You really are oblivious to everything. It’s the custom here. If you don’t believe me, go and ask your mother pretending you don’t know, or call one of your elementary school friends, or better yet, ask a familiar elder who won’t spill the beans.”

Over the past few days, Mo Zihan realized she was increasingly at risk of falling for Tang Ning. Occasionally, a light kiss between them was no longer a big deal, although she still hadn’t given away her first adult kiss.

Feigning guilt, Mo Zihan wiped her face with a towel, feeling no shame at all. Nonsense, if I knew everything, what would I need you for? These things are clearly your responsibility to know!

Picking up the phone, Tang Ning couldn’t tell who Mo Zihan was calling. After chatting away for quite a while, she finally hung up and gave him a thumbs-up, “You’re lucky this is real. So, how about fifty yuan per red packet?”

Tang Ning’s legs nearly gave out, and he collapsed onto the bedside, almost scared to death by her suggestion. Meanwhile, Mo Zihan looked adorably exasperated, counting on her fingers like a little housekeeper.

“Come on, can we be serious? No matter what, we have to follow the rules. Let’s do it this way, I’ll take charge of this. Now, put those tools away in the storage room.” Seeing her smug expression, Tang Ning felt helpless. He snatched the four red packets from her and handed her the broom and trash can.

Mo Zihan warned, “Don’t pretend to be a big spender. We’re over there counting every penny for meals, you still need to buy a house for the family, and we’ve only just managed to save up enough for the down payment. Be frugal. Grandpa and Grandma are retired workers, my parents have been working for most of their lives as well. Fifty yuan or five thousand yuan, the gesture is the same. We should spend little to achieve great results!”

Tang Ning lunged at her again, but this time he didn’t stop at her lips. Mo Zihan initially resisted a little, but her strength weakened. When Tang Ning finally let her go, she playfully hit his back a few times and teased, “Are you crazy or something?”

Holding her tightly by the waist, Tang Ning was moved and said, “You’ve touched me deeply. Just tell me what to do.”

Mo Zihan was puzzled, “What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything earth-shattering!”

Tang Ning didn’t go into detail but stood firm on the red packet issue, “We might not have a lot, but we need to save face. I secretly brought extra money with me because I had already heard about this custom.”

Mo Zihan hummed, “Alright, but let’s agree on this: the money we spend on this has to come out of your cigarette fund. I’ll lift the ban only when I feel like it, no objections, got it?”

Tang Ning responded, “No problem. You’re the boss on this. I’ll follow your lead, no mistakes guaranteed.”

Mo Zihan bit him and then glanced at the bedsheet hanging in the corridor, blushing as she said, “Now you understand why I get up early every few days at home to throw the bedsheets into the washing machine, right?”

Tang Ning’s eyes widened, “Not really. I still don’t get it. Besides, it’s Chuxi tonight, and you threw the bedsheet into the sink first thing in the morning. Are we not going to sleep tonight? What’s the deal?”

Mo Zihan raised an eyebrow, “Oh? You really don’t know why?”

That was a sarcastic laugh, so don’t mistake it for a genuine question. At any other time, Tang Ning would’ve probably bolted, either finding a place to negotiate with Mo Zihan or diving into a crowd for cover. But now, he stood his ground, not even half an inch away from her, wearing a clueless expression. His puzzled look made Mo Zihan wonder if he really was that… naive?

It didn’t make sense. In today’s world, information abounds in the virtual universe. Even elementary school kids know that innocence turns into explicitness and violence. How could Tang Ning not understand?

Through all their interactions, dating, and even pretending to live together, Mo Zihan had truly come to re-evaluate this oddball, Tang Ning.

He had a secret crush in college, but beyond that, no record of romantic relationships or interactions with women. If other men stayed out all night, they were likely out having romantic escapades. But if Tang Ning stayed out all night, it could only mean one of two things: he got lost, or he was out walking under the moonlight to clear his mind, whether he was upset or overjoyed.

However, none of this should be an excuse for his ignorance about the basics of male-female relationships. This guy wasn’t dumb; in fact, he was very smart and connected to the world. With plenty of information channels and a writing job that would inevitably expose him to such topics, how could he still not understand?

“Why don’t you look it up online yourself? I’m going to take these things downstairs,” Mo Zihan said, giving Tang Ning a conflicted look for a full five minutes. Meanwhile, Tang Ning just stared back at her with a perplexed expression, making Mo Zihan feel embarrassed and awkward, as if she was the one who had done something wrong. Annoyed, she grabbed the mop and broom and hurried downstairs.

Tang Ning chuckled to himself. While he lacked experience, it didn’t mean he was completely clueless. He had been pretending earlier because, first, he wasn’t entirely sure if what he had read online was true, and second, he was on her turf-it’s better to act innocently than risk getting into trouble!

In the end, they filled four red packets with a total of four thousand yuan. It wasn’t a lot, but for them, it was almost a month’s hard-earned salary for Mo Zihan. Mo Zihan held the red packets with a pained expression, stroking them repeatedly before resolutely declaring, “No way, we have to get up early tomorrow and make back double this amount. It’s just too heart-wrenching!”

Tang Ning laughed, prompting Mo Zihan to threaten him, “Keep laughing! You don’t understand how hard it is for us nine-to-fivers, do you? In the morning, the bed is so warm, but we have to get up for work. In the evening, the internet is buzzing with activity, but we have to crawl back into bed. Hmph! If you keep laughing, when we get back, I’m taking your salary card, and I’ll get you a nine-to-five job. Better yet, why not take the civil servant exam?”

The color drained from Tang Ning’s face, and he bolted, not daring to utter a single word in protest.

As a result, on the first day after the Spring Festival, after giving the proper New Year’s greetings and receiving Tang Ning’s red packet, Mo Zihan went upstairs, opened it, and immediately lit up with excitement. She rushed back to drag Tang Ning upstairs, her eyes gleaming like gold coins. “Tang Ning, we’ve struck it rich!”

Tang Ning was puzzled, “Did you buy a lottery ticket online?”

Mo Zihan huffed, “Be serious, I’m talking business here!”

She pulled two neatly folded red packets from under her pillow and dumped a stack of red bills onto the bed. Lying on the bed, she flailed her arms and legs in excitement. “Look at this! We put in four thousand, and overnight it doubled and then doubled again! Hahaha, we’ve hit the jackpot! Count it, it’s more than three times what we gave out.”

Tang Ning wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “This is from your grandparents and parents; it’s not like we earned it through a business deal. Why are you so excited? It’s like you think a golden pie just fell from the sky.”

Seeing that he wasn’t as thrilled, Mo Zihan pouted, gathered all the money from the red packets, hugged it to her chest, and sat on the bed like a small child. Stretching and curling her snow-white toes, she glared at him, “Let me tell you, you are not going to give this money back to them. It’s ours now, ours! Yours and mine! Got it?”

Her little miser act made Tang Ning both laugh and find her more adorable. He couldn’t resist going over, wrapping his arms around her waist, and reassuring her with a smile, “Alright, alright, it’s all yours. Whatever you decide to do with it is fine. Happy now? But seriously, let’s put away the greedy act. We have a lot to do today, and tomorrow we start visiting all those relatives. By the time we finish, it’ll be time to head back to work.”

At the mention of work, Mo Zihan immediately deflated and said sulkily, “Yeah, why does time fly so fast? We just got back and it already feels like we have to think about work again. Wouldn’t it be great if our winter vacation lasted three or five months?”

Tang Ning chuckled, “You don’t need anyone to give you a vacation. If you just stay at home, it’s basically like giving yourself a break.”

Mo Zihan tilted her head. “But where would the money for food come from? What if I want to buy something nice to eat and have no money?”

Tang Ning replied, “I’ll take care of you. As long as we work hard, we can make it happen.”

Mo Zihan’s gaze softened, and she looked at him tenderly. Suddenly, she kissed him on the cheek and giggled, “No way, if I stay at home, I’ll gain weight and turn into a chubby girl. If you ever dumped me, I wouldn’t even have the basic means to support myself. So, for safety’s sake, and to keep some pressure on you, I have to keep earning money. Understand?”

Then she asked with a mischievous smile, “By the way, what are your thoughts on the past few days?”

Tang Ning pondered for a long time before saying, “People should stay pure. Purity is beneficial for health and survival.”

Mo Zihan’s eyes widened. What did he mean by that? She didn’t understand at all!