Electronic Nezha

Chapter 157 Confession Bureau
I hesitated before getting on the elevator, still feeling uneasy. When an elderly person of this age calls you home without giving a reason, it's natural for children to overthink—is they seriously ill? Did they fall victim to a telecom fraud and lose their retirement savings? At the very least, maybe they left a tap running and flooded the apartment below…

The moment I took out my keys and opened the door, I smelled chicken stewing in the kitchen, and I finally felt a little more at ease.

My dad was sitting on the sofa constantly changing channels, while my mom was busy in the kitchen. When she saw me come in, my dad turned off the TV, sat up straight, and pointed to the chair in the living room, saying, "You sit there." My mom came out of the kitchen and stood in the doorway.

Even though I was at my parents' house, I suddenly felt like I was being blocked by two top experts, with no way out...

"What's the matter?"

"You sit first."

I sat in the "confession chair," and my dad said slowly, "There's something you have to tell us the truth today."

My mom seemed a little reluctant and said, "How about... we talk while we eat?"

My dad waved his hand and said, "Don't get involved, ask first."

I said, "Okay, you two talk."

My dad was taken aback: "What did we say?"

"Why did you two have to make such a big fuss and hold this confession session? Did you find me somewhere?"

"Stop joking!" my dad snapped at me, his face serious. "I'm asking you, do you have a woman?"

Before I could say anything, I heard a "pfft" laugh through my earpiece.

Ma Chaoran said, "Old Liu, think carefully before you answer. Usually, the older generation has a backup plan for you in these situations."

How could I not know? I guessed it was about this the moment I walked in and smelled the chicken stewing in the pot.

"Why are you all worrying about this? Liu Zhenhua will be in his final year of junior high in the second half of the year, which is a crucial time..."

My dad said, "Don't try to fool your mom and me with this. If you're so focused on the college entrance exam tomorrow, you can't let it interfere with finding a partner today. Just tell me, do you have one or not?"

I was puzzled. In the past year or two, my parents seemed to support me finding another partner, but today they sounded a bit accusatory. Logically speaking, Liu Zhenhua is past the stage of being terrified of stepmothers, but the two of them changed their attitude because they were afraid it would affect the child's high school entrance exam. Should I have a stepmother or not?

Ma Chaoran said, "Use some ambiguous words to try and get the old man and woman's meaning out of them."

I said, "There are one or two people I like, but I don't know what they think." I looked at Gulnazar and Dilraba with my eyes wide open, not knowing what they thought, and I wasn't lying.

The old man said, "Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me, have you ever gone that far with anyone?"

Which step? It's all about things that are unsuitable for children.

At this point, my mother said, "Why don't I go first?"

My dad nodded.

My mom said, "It's like this, there's a young woman at your second aunt's workplace who heard about your situation and is quite satisfied with your conditions. Your dad and I are thinking of arranging for you two to meet."

"Hey, is that all? I can't meet with you, I don't have time for that."

My dad glared at me and said, "What do you have to be busy with?"

I said, "The main problem is that it's unreliable. Have you forgotten how Han Shiya and I met?"

My mom said, "This time it's different. Your second aunt's workplace is so good, it's a public institution job."

Sure enough, in the eyes of the older generation, no matter how much money you earn, it's not as good as having a "public sector job." I actually know what my second aunt's job is; it seems she monitors TV signals. She has a dormitory on the mountain, and her job is basically to stay in the dormitory and watch TV. If there's any area with a weak signal, she reports it for repair. If I didn't tell you, few of you would know that such a job exists, right? I scratched my head and said, "Wait a minute, what's with the 'young girl'? What young girl would be 'quite satisfied' with my conditions?"

“I have photos here.” My dad showed me his phone.

On the screen was a picture of an unremarkable middle-aged woman; if I'm not mistaken, she was probably older than me…

"Who spread the rumor that I like older women—" I said through gritted teeth—this is a young girl!

My mom said, "In your second aunt's eyes, she's just a little girl."

No problem. My second aunt has been retired for several years, and she would definitely have used the term "young man" when introducing me to the other party.

My dad said, "At your age, you shouldn't complain about anyone else. Zhenhua will go to university in another city in three or four years. What will you do if you're all alone? A young couple is meant to be companions in old age. When you're old and bedridden, there won't be anyone to bring you a drink of water."

I haven't done anything wrong, so why is my old age so miserable?
My mom said, "That's why your dad and I want you to go and meet her. Whether it works out or not, don't let your second aunt's good intentions go to waste."

My dad said, "Yes, you should book the tickets now and have Zhenhua come over this weekend. You take care of it."

I asked in surprise, "Booking tickets?"

My mom said, "Your second aunt works at their company, so you have to book tickets, right?"

It then dawned on me that although my second aunt was from the same province as us, it would take three or four hours to drive there, and even by high-speed train it would take an hour and a half. Once we arrived, we would have to find another way to get to the mountain to see this old maid who made her living by watching television.

I said speechlessly, "Even if we fall head over heels in love the moment we meet, what am I supposed to do?"

A series of "hohohohoho" laughs came through the headset.

My dad said, "I didn't say you two should get married right away. If it's a good match, you can date for a while. Once Zhenhua goes to university, you can move in. As for the house, I'm not so old that I can't move. I'll show you!"

Liu Zhenhua is a seemingly preoccupied high school student preparing for his entrance exams, but in reality, he's a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) who wants to save the world. I've taken his place as the savior, and now two aliens are eyeing me with predatory intent. At this critical juncture, I'm ignoring all of this to start a long-distance relationship with a stranger. The price for my successful mission is that my aging father has to return to his job. How surreal is this? Putting everything else aside, just going to the Sixth Division out of town would drive me crazy!

I couldn't hold back any longer and slumped into a chair, saying, "I'll tell you, I confess—I have a woman, so please don't make me go on a marriage alliance."

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, and my father said calmly, "Let us meet."

"What?"

"Call your woman over here so I and your mother can meet her."

"She...is not available."

My dad said, "What's inconvenient about it? Can't she come out of the nursing home? I don't care. Either you don't let her show up, or you book the tickets right now. This matter has to be resolved today."

My mother said, "Your father and I are getting old, and this is the only thing we can worry about. I heard from your father that you found an old man, is that true?" At this point, my mother was on the verge of tears and said, "An old man is fine, as long as you have someone who can love you, we can leave in peace."

The last time I had a similar conversation was in a dream. Aren't dreams supposed to be the opposite of reality? Why didn't they ever think that I had found a younger man?
The three of us looked at each other, and for a moment we were frozen in place.

Just then, Ma Chaoran said, "I'm up here!"

I was still wondering what she could possibly be upstairs for when the knocking started.

My mom stood guard by the door and opened it. Ma Chaoran rushed in and greeted us first: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt, I'm Liu Chuanfeng's girlfriend. He keeps preventing me from seeing you. I have to get an explanation from him today—Old Liu, what have I done to embarrass you that you won't let me up here?"

My mom looked on in astonishment, while my dad glanced at Ma Chaoran and immediately questioned me, "How much did you pay to hire her?"

(End of this chapter)