In the end, they made it home, and the shop manager gave up trying to talk about romance with these two.
Because after she asked her second question, she saw the face of her dear brother break into a silly grin, like the fool son of a landlord who just had a bride drop from the sky.
Meanwhile, Zhu Niao slipped her hand into Gou Yu’s pocket, beginning to search for his phone.
The warm aroma of freshly cooked food filled the restaurant before their footsteps even reached inside. Sitting around the dining table were Gou Yu’s parents, and the servant who had just placed the last dish on the table.
Unlike Zhu Niao’s stereotypical image of wealthy families, the dining table at Gou Yu’s house, though large, wasn’t loaded with dishes like in a drama. Instead, the whole family sat together on one side of the table.
So now Zhu Niao didn’t quite understand why such a long table was placed in the dining room; she guessed the other half of it would remain unused until it finally broke.
Seeming to notice the doubt in Zhu Niao’s eyes, Gou Yu leaned in slightly and whispered into her ear, “Originally, we used the other side of this long table for meals. Only those who had made mistakes, after being judged by the family tribunal and confirmed guilty, would have to eat alone on this side.”
Zhu Niao felt she somewhat understood now. It was probably like—someone made a mistake, but the rest of the family couldn’t bear the distance, so the rule was abolished, letting the whole family happily sit and eat together.
If that were true, what a warm and normal family it should be.
But Gou Yu added the second half, “Then my parents and I always sat on the ‘mistake’ side to eat. The only person on the ‘no-mistake’ side was my sister, and she couldn’t reach any dishes, so eventually, we all just switched to sitting together.”
After hearing this, Zhu Niao closed her eyes painfully and cast a sympathetic glance at the shop manager who had just entered the restaurant smiling.
The red-brown-haired girl only found it inexplicable.
On the other side, when Gou Yu’s parents saw Zhu Niao and Gou Yu walk in, they stood up warmly to greet them.
Then they noticed that their dear son was wearing his pants backwards.
Gou Yu’s mother’s expression stiffened. She covered Zhu Niao’s eyes and pulled her aside, seating her next to the dining table.
Meanwhile, Gou Yu’s father circled around his son, then straightened his face, patted Gou Yu’s shoulder, and gave a thumbs-up.
Gou Yu responded with a cheerful thumbs-up.
The two of them then linked arms and headed toward the dining table.
The red-brown-haired girl’s eyelids twitched as usual, but she suppressed her feelings and treated it like any other normal day.
Gou Yu’s father sat at the head of the table, while Gou Yu and Zhu Niao sat opposite each other.
“Dear, tell Mom, do you prefer vegetarian or meat dishes?” Gou Yu’s mother asked Zhu Niao, who was sitting beside her.
It seemed that the very first time they met, when Zhu Niao called Gou Yu’s parents a too-intimate title, it had immediately cemented Zhu Niao’s status as a daughter-in-law, and even changed how Gou Yu’s mother addressed her.
“Uh, Auntie…”
Zhu Niao’s sudden use of the title drew a dangerously sharp look from Gou Yu’s mother.
“Hmm?” Though it sounded like a question, Zhu Niao clearly felt it was a warning.
“Mom, Mom.”
“Mm~” The noble lady seemed quite pleased by Zhu Niao’s address. “Still haven’t answered yet—do you prefer meat or vegetables?”
Zhu Niao felt this question didn’t even require thought and blurted out without hesitation, “Meat.”
Then she saw the noble lady stand up, lift the plate of lettuce in front of Zhu Niao, and place it in front of Gou Yu.
At the same time, she took the plate of large prawns in front of Gou Yu and set it before Zhu Niao.
Only Gou Yu and Zhu Niao remained stunned.
“Eat up. The family chef’s skills are trustworthy,” the noble lady said, “Because the chefs who weren’t trustworthy have already been fired.”
Suddenly, Zhu Niao felt the plate of large prawns in front of her was a bit too heavy, as if it carried the desperate hopes of someone clinging to their job.
She looked up and saw Gou Yu staring pitifully at her, then he picked up some green lettuce in front of him and wore a bitter expression.
After a moment’s thought, Zhu Niao spoke again, “Mom, actually, I quite like vegetarian food too.”
“Sigh, why didn’t you say so earlier?” The noble lady sighed, stood up once more, and reached for the bowl of green lettuce in front of Gou Yu.
She brought the bowl over but didn’t take back the plate of prawns in front of Zhu Niao.
Gou Yu looked at his empty spot, instinctively glanced at his father beside him, and immediately saw his father’s bowl of congee soaked with ginseng and wolfberries.
Well, forget it.
At that moment, his good little sister helped by picking up two slices of pork kidney for him.
So why were these still on the dining table? Were they leftovers from last time?
“Dear, what’s that on your hand?”
The noble lady pointed at Zhu Niao’s left wrist, where a red string was tied. At the bottom hung a small carved pendant with a fish engraved on it.
“This? It’s a souvenir from a trip I took before,” Zhu Niao glanced at it but didn’t take it off. Instead, she held her left hand out in front of Gou Yu’s mother.
As if afraid that taking it off might mean she couldn’t put it back on.
She intended to wear it from now on and always remember that one late summer, when she sat on the back of Gou Yu’s delivery scooter and went to the amusement park.
Of course, Gou Yu’s mother recognized what it was but was more curious about how she got it.
Because she saw her dear son also wore a similar red string on his left wrist with a little pendant.
She had even grabbed her son’s arm to take a closer look; his pendant was engraved with a little bird.
“When I got this, I was pretty clever,” Zhu Niao started chattering away, no longer shy.
“It was a couple’s ticket. The staff said you had to kiss to get the little gift. I thought kissing on the cheek counted as a kiss, and sure enough, they accepted it. He has one too—it’s something we earned together.”
“If kissing on the cheek didn’t count, it probably would have required real couples.”
If Zhu Niao had a tail, it would be wagging all the way to the ceiling by now.
The noble lady quietly listened to Zhu Niao’s entire story, then asked, “Have you ever thought about trying to become a real couple?”
Zhu Niao froze.
Even though she was ready to complete that so-called love mission.
Even though her initial purpose in coming to Gou Yu’s house was to pretend to be his partner.
Had she truly decided to complete that love mission?
Was her obsession with regaining her male body really more important than her current life?
“I…” Zhu Niao lowered her head, took a couple of bites of rice, and mumbled, “I haven’t planned for that yet.”
Beside her, the noble lady’s eyes held a meaningful look, as if she understood something more.