You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Yu Luying's smile took on a mischievous glint: "You mean, you want me to ask your brother Bo to handle it?"

Xiao Yao shuddered: "Then let's forget about it."

“Now, my uncle is basically in charge of Beihong District,” Yu Luying told Xiao Yao. “If we go to a chapel in another district, it’s not much closer than going to Fangbing—besides, my mom wants to go, so isn’t that perfect?”

“That’s not wrong,” Xiao Yao said.

"Besides," Yu Luying added, "it's rare to get out of the house, so wouldn't it be nice to walk around and explore more places with you?"

Xiao Yao was pleased with these words: "That's true, I've never been to Fangbing in my life."

Yu Luying's gaze drifted wistfully out the window again.

"Hey, if I go there too, can I get one too?" Xiao Yao made conversation.

"Can you recall what we taught in class?"

Xiao Yao thought for a moment: "It seems like that won't work. We have to wait until after the baptism, right?"

“Hmm,” Yu Luying nodded, “However, the fact that you have this wish itself shows that you have a repentant heart, right?”

“Of course,” Xiao Yao quickly replied, “I’m so regretful.”

"Didn't you just say that the responsibility was mine?"

"Ah, this..." Xiao Yao thought for a while and really didn't want to say something like "It's all my fault" against his conscience, so he said, "Everyone should find their own responsibility. Don't always pick on other people's mistakes."

“That’s right.” Yu Luying nodded in agreement.

Then came another period of stop-and-go traffic and silence.

……

Yu Luying leaned against Xiao Yao.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yao looked at her.

“Actually, I’m not angry with you at all; I’m angry with myself,” Yu Luying said earnestly.

This statement wasn't entirely true, but since she said it now, it represented a gesture of goodwill.

"How so?" Xiao Yao asked.

“I, I…” Yu Luying stretched out her hands, palms up, her eyes fixed on them: “I don’t quite recognize who I am anymore.”

"Like the song 'Who am I' sung by Jean Valjean in the musical 'Les Misérables'?" Xiao Yao asked her.

The girl's eyes lit up: "Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say!"

Xiao Yao nodded slightly, waiting for her to continue.

“Me,” Yu Luying continued, looking at her palms, her small, pink hands gleaming in the sunlight, “I’ve always been quite conflicted. On one hand, I feel constrained and want to pursue freedom; on the other hand, I have a sense of superiority as a ‘good child’—isn’t that ridiculous?”

"No, I completely understand," Xiao Yao said confidently.

"Just like before I met and got to know Shen Jie, I always disliked her and thought she was an 'improper' woman, do you remember?" Yu Luying asked Xiao Yao.

"I remember," Xiao Yao nodded.

"You might think I'm just jealous," Yu Luying said with a smile.

“No, I don’t think so,” Xiao Yao quickly said. “At least, not entirely.”

“Hmm,” Yu Luying nodded, “Actually, it’s also my subconscious sense of superiority that’s causing this. If I had a temple, could it actually be inhabited by the spirit of arrogance?”

“This…” Xiao Yao said, “Everyone has a bit of arrogance to some extent.”

“I came to Dongrulai with you this time,” Yu Luying said slowly, “I was determined to have some fun. I don’t actually like your friends, whether they are boys or girls, but I want to prove to myself that I can do it and have fun with different kinds of people.”

“Like this…” Xiao Yao said.

“I can drink, but I won’t let it interfere with my work; I can smoke, but I won’t get addicted; I can be intimate with you, like a couple, but I won’t cross the line,” Yu Luying said.

"What do you mean by acting like a couple? We are a couple."

"Yes, you know what I mean."

"I know."

“I was scared by what happened last night,” Yu Luying said, looking up at the roof of the car a little embarrassed. She added, afraid that Xiao Yao would get angry again, “I mean, it was my own loss of control.”

"Hmm... I lost control too, I'm guilty too."

"I thought I could play with fire without getting burned, and walk along the river without getting my shoes wet, but I'm no different from those 'bad kids.' Doing such bad things only takes a moment."

"..." This kid is really stubborn, Xiao Yao thought.

"Actually, I'm no different from them. Shen Jie, Ouyang, Zhao Xiaomei, Tang Xuewei... I'm not as 'effortless' as I thought, nor as 'steadfast in my principles' as I thought. In fact, I can slip up in an instant."

Hearing Yu Luying label so many people as "bad women" in one breath, Xiao Yao felt a little strange, but he didn't say anything.

“Sometimes I couldn’t help but think,” Yu Luying said, “How could my mother, such a devout and kind woman, do such a disgraceful thing with my father—with that man—to the point that she became a disgrace to the family and was kicked out.”

“You shouldn’t think of your mother like that,” Xiao Yao advised.

“Sometimes when she’s trying so hard to control me, lecturing me, and telling me what to do and what not to do,” Yu Luying said, “I would secretly think to myself, what kind of good example are you setting? What right do you have to talk to me like that and control me?”

"..." Xiao Yao didn't say anything more, but just squeezed Yu Luying's hand.

He realized that Yu Luying didn't actually need to listen to his opinion; she just wanted to speak—and all he needed to do was be the best listener.

“But I don’t think that way anymore,” Yu Luying smiled and said, “I’ve discovered that my mother is actually very great and amazing.”

“That’s right.” Xiao Yao sincerely agreed.

“Although she sometimes goes a bit too far, she’s right most of the time, and I shouldn’t always try to go against her.” The girl’s gaze fell on the back of her mother in the front seat of the car, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Xiao Yao had some doubts about this, so he chose to remain silent.

"Saint Mary Magdalene was once a courtesan; who would dare look down on her because of that? Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future."

"No, big sister," Xiao Yao whispered, trying to persuade her, "we just drank too much, were young and impulsive, almost caused trouble but didn't. Did you really have to bring a prostitute?"

"Fang Bing, Fang Bing has arrived, Fang Bing is getting off the bus!" At this moment, the driver turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The three got out of the car and, asking for directions along the way, walked towards Fangbing Catholic Church.

Xiao Yao believed that since he and Yu Luying had basically reached an understanding, he shouldn't keep ignoring his mother-in-law and keep sticking to himself with Yu Luying.

That would be so immature.

So he quickened his pace and walked alongside Yu Lihua, chatting with her, while Yu Luying followed behind them at a distance of five meters.

Yu Lihua was both surprised and pleased to see Xiao Yao come up to her.

They walked along the streets of the town, a gentle breeze bringing a refreshing feeling. The summer sky was covered by fluffy clouds, and sunlight filtered through them, casting a soft glow and casting a light shadow over the entire town of Fangbing.

Along both sides of the road, tall, lush trees form a dense, impenetrable green barrier. Their canopies are thick, and the leaves sway gently in the breeze, casting dappled shadows.

"You two had a fight last night, didn't you?" Yu Lihua said gently. "You were still bickering this morning, weren't you?"

Xiao Yao was startled and was about to speak when Yu Lihua interrupted him again.

“Don’t lie to your mother,” Yu Lihua said with a smile. “We experienced people can see through everything you children do.”

Oh, really? So you saw perfectly well why they were arguing?

"Auntie, you have a good eye," Xiao Yao said with an embarrassed smile. "But we've already made up, it's all right now."

Xiao Yao was worried that Yu Lihua would immediately ask him what they were arguing about, so he nervously made up a story in his mind. However, Yu Lihua did not seem to care at all: "Yingying is actually quite easy to handle."

"Huh?" Xiao Yao said.

“Since she’s set her mind on you,” Yu Lihua explained, “she’s the kind of person who’s easy to please.”

"Ha... Oh."

“Yingying,” Yu Lihua continued, “is an introverted girl, just like me.”

"You're introverted?" Xiao Yao's mouth dropped open.

“Don’t look at me like this now, it’s all because of the pressures of society,” Yu Lihua sighed. “When I was a child, I was just like her. Introverted, not talkative, obedient, but with a rebellious streak in my bones.”

“Like this…” Xiao Yao said.

“Actually, Yingying is usually very easy to talk to, but sometimes she gets stubborn and sullen,” Yu Lihua told Xiao Yao. “Don’t force her at times like this. Just let her be and she’ll get better on her own after a while.”

“I understand,” Xiao Yao said, “but is it really okay for you to give outsiders advice on how to deal with your own daughter?”

“What outsider?” Yu Lihua laughed. “A son-in-law is like half a son. Didn’t I tell you before? I’ve always considered you as half a son. You don’t have a mother, so from now on, Auntie will be your mother.”

This wasn't the first time Yu Lihua had said these words to Xiao Yao, but Xiao Yao had always found them strange, stressful, emotionally manipulative, and wanting to escape. But now, he was inexplicably moved, and even felt a lump in his throat.

It's so weird.

Neither Yu Lihua's expression nor her tone revealed any insincerity.

“I’m not helping you deal with your own daughter,” Yu Lihua continued earnestly, “The most gratifying thing for us elders is for the two of you to be well and peaceful. I don’t care who wins or loses, and you shouldn’t care either. There are no winners or losers or right or wrongs in relationships, only wins and losses, just like your symbiotic relationship.”

The two of them started chatting enthusiastically.

Yu Luying followed behind them and was surprised to find that Xiao Yao had taken his mother's arm.

Isn't this a bit...?

The girl raised her right hand and touched her forehead.

Xiao Yao and Yu Lihua began by introducing the local customs and culture of Dongru, and then talked about their itinerary and experiences in Dongru over the past two days with Yu Luying—of course, they omitted some parts that they thought Yu Lihua should not know.