An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 371 Yao, Chang'an, Chang Le

It wasn't until December that Panzhou City began to resemble winter.

Sitting in the living room, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the balcony, the sky presents a pure blue tone with a cool feel.

Huo Qingshan had some business to attend to in the morning and needed to go to the power company. He wouldn't be back until noon. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Meng Youyou secretly cooked snail rice noodles for him.

The smell in the room wouldn't dissipate quickly, and Meng Youyou knew she couldn't escape his keen sense of smell, so she decided to take the initiative and see how she could get away with it.

Always keeping her ears perked up, as soon as she heard the sound of the keypad lock unlocking at the door, Meng Youyou jumped up from the carpet and ran to the door to greet the person warmly.

Before the man could even properly place the two bags he was carrying on the entryway cabinet, Meng Youyou pounced on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked up to kiss him. Huo Qingshan smelled a strong, fermented bamboo shoot odor emanating from her, and instinctively frowned and turned his head away, leaning back in a defensive posture. He couldn't stand the smell.

Meng Youyou turned the other man's face around with her hand and complained, "You jerk! You don't recognize me after we get out of bed! You weren't like this last night!"

Huo Qingshan lowered his eyes, his gaze scrutinizing, and asked in a low voice, "You ate stinky soup noodles again?" He called that stuff stinky soup noodles.

Meng Youyou chuckled, "The last time I ate it was last month." The implication was that she had been very good, and that making an exception once in a while was no big deal, and that Meng Youyou shouldn't be so unreasonable.

"You went downstairs?" Huo Qingshan asked, his gaze sweeping over Meng Youyou from head to toe. She was still wearing her pajamas; if she really went downstairs to the convenience store, wouldn't she have changed back into her pajamas when she came back? She wasn't that quick to change. Then, the man concluded, "Where did you hide your things?"

Since she didn't go downstairs to buy it, it couldn't have just fallen from the sky, right? The two lived under the same roof, sharing most of their chests and cabinets. Of course, they each had some private storage space, but because Huo Qingshan had a habit of regularly cleaning and tidying, he knew exactly where everything in the house was stored. Huo Qingshan had always known she would secretly hide some "contraband," but he had never actually investigated where her "hideout" was.

Meng Youyou feigned ignorance and acted cute: "What are you talking about?" As she spoke, she grabbed the man's earlobes with both hands and rubbed them, trying to change the subject: "Aren't we going to the hospital to visit our colleague this afternoon? Are these two bags gifts you bought? What did you buy?"

Huo Qingshan was not swayed by her crude and overused tricks. The man gazed quietly at the person in front of him and corrected her earlier statement: "It wasn't the last time you ate it or last month, it was the last time I caught you sneaking some food last month."

"You've been cheating on me a bit too often this month," Huo Qingshan bluntly called her out.

She would occasionally sneak in some junk food behind his back, and Huo Qingshan usually turned a blind eye. Everyone has their little hobbies, and as long as they didn't seriously affect her health, Huo Qingshan wouldn't usually be too strict. But recently, based on the various clues he had discovered, it could be summed up as "the frequency of her crimes has become increasingly rampant"—she thought she was foolproof and could get away with it, and thus kept pushing her luck by adding more food to her diet.

She has a sensitive stomach, and when her dietary restrictions seem to work, she easily becomes overconfident and thinks she's back to normal. Then, one day she "overspends" and goes back to square one, having to strictly follow doctor's orders and not eat anything, and she'll be wearing a miserable face all day, as if the whole world has wronged her.

We can't just let her eat and drink whatever she wants without restraint; we still need to intervene appropriately.

After much deliberation, Huo Qingshan realized that he knew the kitchen best, where everything was stored, and hiding in the kitchen would pose a high risk of exposure. Given her cunning, she wouldn't be so reckless. The layout of the walk-in closet was immediately apparent, with only a few large wardrobes mounted against the walls. As for the living room, that was even less likely. After eliminating several impossible options, Huo Qingshan finally narrowed it down to: "In the bedroom?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou's eyes darted around nervously, but she stubbornly denied it, saying, "The house is so small, and it's all right under your nose. Where would I possibly hide?"

"Is it hidden in the bedroom?" Huo Qingshan asked again, adding, "If you hand it over voluntarily, you might get lenient treatment and perhaps even be spared. But if it's found during a raid, then you'll have to hand it all over for confiscation."

"What? Does Battalion Commander Huo expect bad guys to confess everything on their own when he's working?" Meng Youyou released her arms from his embrace, her previous obsequious attitude completely gone. Her expression changed faster than flipping through a book. She turned and walked into the living room, plopped back down on the carpet, shrugged at the man, and adopted a stubborn look that refused to budge. "If you can find it on your own merit, then you're something else."

Huo Qingshan took a few steps closer, casually crossed his arms, leaned his shoulders against the wall, looked around carefully, and finally confirmed that it could only be a bedroom.

He strode toward the bedroom door, glancing at someone sitting cross-legged on the carpet before closing it—the person was pretending to be playing on their phone, seemingly carefree and oblivious to the world around them, but in reality, they were feigning composure to try and mislead their enemy. However, their skills were lacking, and they gave themselves away far too often.

Huo Qingshan didn't intend to tell her that whenever someone felt guilty, their right index finger would unconsciously pick at something—it could be the nail of their other hand, their scalp, the hem of their clothes, or even the phone case that was currently suffering the consequences.

In Huo Qingshan's eyes, this appearance was just like a "frizzy kitten" whose tail had been precisely stepped on, yet it tried its best to hide its anxiety and act as relaxed as possible.

The two are used to their daily battles of wits and courage, and they understand each other far better than the other thinks. Those subtle, habitual little actions and expressions that even they themselves are unaware of become obvious signs of their relationship in the other's eyes.

Huo Qingshan had a wicked idea; he didn't close the door completely, deliberately leaving a crack.

The bedroom was actually quite large, but there wasn't much furniture, so there weren't many places to hide things. Standing in the room, the man recalled that last week when he took out the trash, the trash bag had been ripped open halfway through, and a Coke can had fallen out from the bottom of the bag. Therefore, Huo Qingshan ruled out the bedside table on her side as a suspect—the drawer was too shallow; she usually used it to store documents and valuables, and things already in it rarely moved, so there wasn't much room for food or drinks.

The man's gaze swept around the room, but he just stood there, motionless. Meng Youyou sat on the floor, staring at his unmoving back. It seemed he wasn't planning on making a move. She thought to herself, "This man is really pretentious. Does he think he's Sherlock Holmes? How can he see anything from this distance? Does he have X-ray vision?"

Before long, Huo Qingshan focused his suspicions on the stool in front of the dressing mirror. It was a square cuboid, with each side covered in leather and wheels underneath for easy movement. She had bought it last month, saying that the previous stool's cushion was too hard and uncomfortable, so she bought a new one online. He had even brought it back from the post station for her.

The man stepped closer, leaned down slightly, and the moment his right fingertips touched the seat, a furious shout came from behind him: "Huo Qingshan! You dare to move!"

...

After visiting their injured colleague who was hospitalized, the two walked out of the hospital building side by side, it was already past five o'clock in the afternoon.

For dinner, Huo Qingshan was definitely not going to let her eat takeout or junk food again. The two left the hospital, and across the street was a large chain supermarket. Huo Qingshan suggested they go grocery shopping to buy some groceries to cook at home, and also replenish the yogurt, eggs, and fruit in the refrigerator. Meng Youyou had no objections.

It was close to the peak time for school and get off work dismissal, and the supermarket was quite crowded. Huo Qingshan pushed the cart, and the two of them walked past the crowded household goods section toward the fresh produce section.

Standing in front of rows of lush green vegetables, he asked her what she wanted for dinner. It seemed like a very free and democratic choice, but in reality, it contained oppression and hegemony. She had to make a reluctant choice from the pile of green plants that she was not interested in.

Meng Youyou thought for a moment, and with the mindset of choosing the best among the worst, said, "Then let's make spinach."

"Okay." The next second after he said that, the man put a bunch of fresh spinach from the shelf into his shopping cart.

After buying the ingredients needed for dinner, the two pushed their half-full shopping cart to the refrigerated section. The yogurts on the shelves were arranged by brand and packaging style—yogurts of the same brand were placed in one area, bagged yogurts were in the first row, eight-cup yogurts were in the second row, and bottled yogurts were in the third row.

Following the clues, Meng Youyou found the product label for her usual brand of blueberry-flavored bottled yogurt, but upon closer inspection, the corresponding shelf was empty. Good heavens, is this yogurt selling so well? It's not even 5:30 yet, and it's already sold out?

Meng Youyou spotted a supermarket sales assistant in uniform not far away, carrying a tray with small paper cups for tasting. Because an unattended shopping cart was parked in the middle of the aisle, blocking most of the passage, she handed the cart to Huo Qingshan and then walked over alone to ask the sales assistant if they still had that particular brand of yogurt in stock. The staff member patiently told her that the yogurt was basically stocked daily, and if it was out of stock on the shelves, it was sold out for the day.

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou said with a hint of regret, "Okay, thank you."

Unexpectedly, just as she was about to turn back, a man's hand suddenly appeared beside her, along with half of a black leather jacket sleeve, holding two bottles of blueberry yogurt. "Is this what you're looking for?" Meng Youyou turned her head in the direction of the voice, and the first thing that caught her eye was the shopping cart in front of the voice's owner, which was full of blue yogurt bottles. She was a little surprised—was he here to buy supplies from the supermarket?

As their eyes met, the man in black seemed to read her mind and explained, "I'm sorry, I've taken them all. My wife and family all like this yogurt, so I took a lot."

"Are two bottles enough? If not, I..."

Meng Youyou quickly reached out and took the bottles, sincerely thanking them: "Thank you, that's enough, I only need two bottles."

...

Yao Chang'an, carrying a bulging bag of supermarket shopping, received a call from his sister while waiting for the elevator. "Hello?"

"Brother, where are you now? If you're still at the supermarket, bring up a baby nail clipper. I remember my sister-in-law prepared one before, but I can't find it in my maternity kit."

After hearing the instructions, Yao Chang'an turned around and left the elevator lobby on the first floor. He went to the small supermarket inside the hospital and bought a pair of baby nail clippers.

Unlike the somber or sorrowful atmosphere on other floors, the wards on the obstetrics and gynecology floor are filled with cheerful expressions whenever you encounter a patient's family member in the corridor, regardless of age.

Before Yao Chang'an even reached the ward door, he heard a cacophony of voices inside—men and women, young and old—with his younger sister Jiang Ying being the loudest: "Chang Le, Xiao Yue, let me tell you two, you can't listen to your dad when it comes to naming your daughter. Your grandma and I disagreed with the name he gave Chang Le back then..."

Yao Chang'an pushed open the door and entered, naturally asking, "What's wrong with the name Chang Le? Is there something wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with you?" Jiang Ying looked over at the sound of his voice, glared at the man, and immediately retorted, "What father and son in the world sound like they're from the same generation? Your name is Yao Chang'an, and your son's name is Yao Changle. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were brothers. Is that even fair?"

"Besides, the name doesn't sound very nice either. Chang Le is a boy, so it's one thing." As she spoke, Jiang Ying gently shook the little girl in her arms. "But this is a girl, and she's so pretty. If you were to give your granddaughter a name like this, I, as her great-aunt, would be the first to object."

Yao Chang'an placed the bag he was carrying on the single sofa and stopped arguing with his sister.

But the son stepped forward and asked his father for advice: "The doctor just came by and said it would be best to get the baby's birth certificate ready before we are discharged tomorrow. My aunt and I are discussing the baby's name. Xiaoyue and I would like to hear what good suggestions Mom and Dad have."

Sitting on the hospital bed, Ji Yue chimed in, "Yes, Dad, have you and Mom thought of any names?"

Yao Changle has idolized his father since childhood, from his youthful ambition to attend police academy to his hard work in the special police force after graduation. Every step of his life has been deeply influenced by his father. He has always valued his father's ideas, a fact that his wife, Ji Yue, is aware of.

When the two were still dating, Ji Yue often heard him say that, as far back as he could remember, although his parents were both very busy with work, they had a very good relationship, so good that sometimes he felt a little superfluous.

He once told her the origin of his name: "My mother's name is a single character, Yao, so my father named me Yao Changle, meaning that he hoped Yao would always be happy."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yue couldn't help but exclaim, "Your parents are really destined for each other! The last character of your mother's name happens to be the same as your father's surname!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Changle's expression immediately turned serious. Ji Yue noticed this and felt a little puzzled. She hesitated whether to ask for the reason, and then she heard him say to her very seriously: "Yue'er, my father did a very dangerous job when he was young and offended a group of extremely dangerous people. He changed his name because of his work. Our family is still at risk of safety, and there may be no end in sight."

This is something I have to tell you. As your boyfriend, as a man who wants to marry you, I can't hide it from you, but there's more I can't say.

“If we get married and you become my family, you might be…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but he knew she would understand. “Yue’er, this is a major life event. It’s not just about happiness, but also about some unpredictable risks. You must think it over carefully and tell me when you’ve thought it through. I’ll be waiting for your answer.”

It was Ji Yue who initially pursued Yao Changle. She worked very hard to win him over, and they dated for three years. He treated her very well. Shortly before this conversation, Ji Yue had hinted at something to him, saying that her family was pressuring her to get married when she went home for the Chinese New Year, and she didn't know how to respond.

Ji Yue felt that since she had said all that, the man must have understood what she meant, yet he didn't immediately express his opinion. It would be a lie to say that Ji Yue wasn't disappointed.

Oh, so that's what he was worried about. So, he's finally willing to give an answer.

Ji Yue still remembers how she replied at the time: "Hey, don't underestimate a girl who dares to date a SWAT officer, okay?"

After getting married and spending more time with her in-laws, she became increasingly able to understand what her husband meant by "her parents have a good relationship."

Yao Changle respected his parents, but he also had a playful and mischievous side. For example, he often secretly teased his parents with his wife, referring to them as "Officer Yao" and "Dr. Chu," which gradually became familiar to Ji Yue. One Valentine's Day, she would text her husband: "Officer Yao gave Dr. Chu chocolates today, so what about Officer Yao?"

Regardless of age, Officer Yao would call his wife "Yao'er" in front of strangers and even younger relatives, as if no one else was around. Ji Yue heard this for the first time when she first visited, and she was quite surprised—after all, the older couples around her who were about the same age rarely interacted in this way. Her parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins ​​usually addressed their spouses by their full names when they were out in public.

However, this was not the most surprising thing for Ji Yue, because Ji Yue soon discovered that Officer Yao had been calling her that regardless of the occasion for so many years. Dr. Chu had advised him for so many years not to call her that in front of elders when he was young, and not to call her that in front of younger generations and children when he was old, but Officer Yao just wouldn't change.

Whenever Officer Yao affectionately calls her "Yao'er" in public, Ji Yue can always catch a glimpse of shyness on Dr. Chu's usually indifferent face.

Yao Changle didn't talk much about Officer Yao's affairs with Ji Yue, and he probably didn't know much about it himself. As for Dr. Chu, Yao Changle often talked about it. He said his mother had a tough time when she was young, that his maternal grandparents treated her badly, and that his mother was very capable. She had been to the battlefield, saved many people, and earned merits. She used her military merits to earn a place in university for her undergraduate studies, and because of her excellent grades, she continued to pursue a master's degree. She was very hardworking and meticulous in her profession. Her colleagues all said that his mother was a strong woman, a superwoman. But his father had told him since he was a child: "Mom is a beautiful piece of jade. She looks very hard on the outside, but she is also very fragile. We must protect Mom together."

There are many similar small, harmonious moments between her in-laws that inspire envy in onlookers. Ji Yue genuinely admires their lifestyle and educational philosophy. It's clear from their son, Yao Changle, that he grew up in a loving, tolerant, and open environment, yet with a degree of strictness. Therefore, Ji Yue is very willing to consider her in-laws' ideas in many matters.

Seeing that his son and daughter-in-law had asked sincerely, Yao Chang'an pondered for a while before slowly saying, "What do you think of the name Yao Suisui?"

May you live a long and healthy life, year after year.

Jiang Ying almost immediately showed a hint of disdain: "Brother, you're really getting on in years, yet you insist on carrying out your principle of showing off your love to the very end!" However, she was also somewhat relieved that they hadn't given birth to a girl, and naming her Yao Changshou was already enough to thank God. As the great-aunt, she had fulfilled her duty.

After choosing a name, Yao Chang'an glanced at his watch, then bent down and took a bottle of yogurt from a plastic bag on the sofa. He said, "I was just saying. I have no problem choosing my son's name, but you two will have to decide on your daughter's name in the end. It's almost time, I'm going to the outpatient building."

Everyone in the room understood immediately; they were going to pick up their wives from get off work again. Even though the two places were only a building apart, just one building away from the next.

He has maintained the habit of picking up Dr. Chu from get off work whenever he has time, a habit he has maintained for over thirty years since the day he received his ID card under the name Yao Chang'an.

The "Mr. Yao" line has been buried for too long (I guess you've all forgotten where he appeared, right?). It wasn't forgotten; it was really designed to be filled in here from the very beginning, really, really.

Just a heads up, the next chapter/two chapters will be the grand finale.