I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

Friday night.

Chen Dapeng dialed his home phone.

He put his phone on the table, put it on speakerphone, and then sat on the sofa to wait.

It rang twice before being answered.

My mother's voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Dapeng? Why are you calling at this hour?"

"Mom, is Dad home?"

"Yes, I just finished eating. Please wait a moment."

I heard my mother calling for help on the other end of the phone.

"Old Chen, your son is calling."

Then came the sound of footsteps, followed by the father's voice:

"Son, what's wrong?"

Chen Dapeng held his phone, paused for a moment, and then spoke:

"Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you. I have a girlfriend."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

The mother spoke first, her tone tinged with surprise:

"You have a girlfriend? When did that happen? Where is she from?"

"We've been talking for a while now," Chen Dapeng smiled. "Her name is He Ying, and she works in Qingshun County."

"Qingshun County? You're currently on temporary assignment in the provincial capital, and she's in Qingshun County. Aren't you two quite far apart?"

The mother asked with concern.

"It's alright, it's only a two-hour drive, so we can meet on the weekend."

The mother then asked, "How old is she? What does she do for a living?"

Chen Dapeng didn't hesitate: "He's six years older than me. He's the county magistrate of Qingshun County."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

This time it was quiet for even longer.

Chen Dapeng could hear his father breathing on the other end of the phone; it was steady but a little heavier than before.

A few seconds later, the father's voice came through:

"Six years older than you? County magistrate?"

"Yes."

The father didn't ask any more questions, and remained silent for a while before speaking:

"How is she?"

"She's a very good person." Chen Dapeng smiled again. "She's capable at work, has a stable personality, and is good to me."

There was another silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Dapeng didn't urge him; he waited.

After a while, her mother's voice came through, a little softer than before:

"He's six years older than you... Have you thought this through?"

"I've thought it through." Chen Dapeng was certain. "Dad, Mom, I want to bring her home for dinner this Saturday so you can meet her."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the father said, "Then let's do it on Saturday."

Chen Dapeng responded, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, he sat on the sofa for a while.

He sent a message to He Ying:

"Sister Ying, I've told Mom and Dad that I'll take you home on Saturday."

He Ying quickly replied, "Are you nervous?"

"A little."

Chen Dapeng replied.

He Ying sent a smiley face: "I'm more nervous than you."

……

Saturday morning.

Chen Dapeng drove to the provincial capital's high-speed rail station to pick up He Ying.

Today she wore a light gray sweater with a dark coat over it, her hair was naturally down, and she wore light makeup, looking simple and appropriate.

Chen Dapeng watched her get into the car, and after a few seconds, he spoke:

"Sister Ying, you look beautiful today."

He Ying fastened her seatbelt and glared at him:

"Doesn't it look good normally?"

"You look good usually, but you look especially good today."

He Ying didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

An hour later.

Chen Dapeng drove to Yongchuan County, a county under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital.

My parents live in the county town.

After parking the car in the residential area, Chen Dapeng turned off the engine but didn't get out immediately. He glanced at He Ying.

"Sister Ying, are you nervous?"

He Ying unbuckled her seatbelt: "A little, but it's okay."

Chen Dapeng got out of the car, and He Ying followed him out.

The two went upstairs one after the other. When they reached the door, Chen Dapeng stopped, took out his keys, and glanced back at He Ying.

He Ying stood behind him, took a deep breath, and nodded at him.

Chen Dapeng pushed open the door and stepped aside to let He Ying go in first.

He Ying changed her shoes and walked into the living room, where she saw Chen's father sitting on the sofa watching TV, and Chen's mother peeking out from the kitchen.

He Ying stopped and smiled, "Hello, Uncle, hello, Aunt."

Chen's mother wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen. She looked He Ying up and down and smiled.

"You're here? Please have a seat."

Mr. Chen also stood up and nodded:

"Please sit down."

He Ying sat down on the sofa, not sitting still like a typical guest.

She turned to the side and took the initiative to ask Mr. Chen:

"Uncle, I heard from Dapeng that you teach Chinese?"

Mr. Chen glanced at her and said, "Yes, the No. 1 High School in the provincial capital."

"That truly means having students all over the world."

He Ying smiled.

"My high school Chinese teacher was also a retired teacher from the No. 1 High School in the provincial capital. His surname was Zheng. Do you know him?"

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen asked, "Zheng Guoping?"

"Yes, that's him. He likes to talk about classical Chinese in class, and his handwriting on the blackboard is exceptionally good."

Mr. Chen's expression gradually relaxed:

"Teacher Zheng teaches well and has a solid foundation. He has been retired for many years."

"Yes, he still teaches calligraphy in the community for free after he retired. I saw him once when I went back to the provincial capital last time."

The two chatted about Zheng Guoping and old stories from the provincial capital's No. 1 High School, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Chen's mother stood at the kitchen door for a while, then turned around and went back to continue cooking.

When lunch was served, there were six dishes on the table.

He Ying sat down at the table, and Chen's mother set out the bowls and chopsticks, then placed a piece of braised pork rib into He Ying's bowl:

"Try Auntie's cooking, I don't know if it suits your taste."

He Ying bowed her head and said "Thank you, Auntie," picked up a piece, took a bite, and chewed it a few times.

"It's delicious, it tastes a bit like my grandma's cooking."

Chen's mother smiled and said, "Then eat more."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was better than Chen Dapeng had expected.

He Ying spoke slowly and deliberately, occasionally putting a piece of food on Chen's mother's plate, and occasionally responding to Chen's father's words, as if she were eating at her own home.

Chen Dapeng sat to the side without saying much.

He just ate his meal quietly, occasionally adding half a bowl of soup for He Ying.

After the meal, He Ying stood up to take the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen, but Chen's mother stopped her.

"No need, no need, please sit down."

He Ying smiled and said, "Auntie, I'll help you tidy up, it's no trouble at all."

Chen's mother glanced at her but did not stop her.

He Ying went into the kitchen, where Chen's mother was washing dishes by the sink.

He Ying wiped the dishes dry and put them back in the cupboard.

The two people stood with their backs to the living room, exchanging casual words.

In the living room, Chen Dapeng sat on the sofa, and his father also sat down.

Chen Dapeng thought his father was going to say something, but his father just picked up the remote and changed the channel, as if he didn't have anything special to say.

After a while, Chen's mother came out of the kitchen and gave Chen Dapeng a wink.

Chen Dapeng followed his mother into the bedroom.

Mother lowered her voice:

"Dapeng, Mom isn't against you dating. But you need to think it through. Isn't there a big age gap between you two, with a county magistrate who's six years older than you? She's so busy with work, how will you two get along?"

Chen Dapeng lowered his voice as well: "Mom, I'm on secondment to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and am also preparing for the selection process. The gap will gradually narrow. She's busy with work, and so am I, but when two people are together, it's not about who's busier, but about whether they can understand each other. She's very good to me, and I like her too."

His mother looked at him for a while, then said nothing more.

She turned and walked out of the room.

When He Ying put the last bowl into the cupboard, dried her hands, and came out...

Mr. Chen stood up from the sofa and glanced at Chen Dapeng:

"Dapeng, come to my study for a moment."

Chen Dapeng followed his father into the study.

Chen's father sat down at the desk and looked at Chen Dapeng:

"Did your mom say something to you just now?"

Chen Dapeng nodded: "Mm."

The father paused for a moment:

"No matter what, you know the person you chose. Dad only has one question—have you thought it through?"

Chen Dapeng didn't hesitate: "I've thought it through."

The father asked again, "She's six years older than you, and her job started at a higher level than yours in the county. Have you considered all of this?"

"I've thought about all of that."

The father was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"That's fine then."

The two walked out of the study together.

He Ying was standing in the living room waiting.

Chen's mother came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of sliced ​​fruit, and placed it on the coffee table.

"Sit a little longer, there's no rush."

He Ying smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie. I'll stay a little longer before I leave."

Around 4 o'clock, He Ying stood up and said it was time to leave.

Chen's mother saw her to the door, and Chen's father also stood up and nodded: "Come again when you have time."

He Ying said "okay," then changed her shoes, and Chen Dapeng followed her out the door.

Neither of them spoke as they went downstairs.

When she reached the car, He Ying opened the door but did not get in immediately.

She stood there, glanced up at Chen Dapeng's window, then turned back to look at Chen Dapeng:

"Your dad is easier to talk to than I thought."

"That's because you did well. My dad visibly relaxed when you talked about Teacher Zheng."

"I thought of several topics on my way here, and finally chose to talk about your dad's school. When your mom put food on my plate, I almost forgot to say thank you."

"It's okay, I noticed."

He Ying opened the car door and got in, and Chen Dapeng also got in the car.

After starting the engine and driving out of the residential area, He Ying leaned back in her seat, looked out the window, and spoke after a while:

"When your mom talked to me, she asked me a few questions—how many people are in my family, what my parents do, and how busy they are at work."

She didn't ask many questions, but it was clear that something was still on her mind.

"She's just a worrier," Chen Dapeng explained, "but she genuinely accepts you."

He Ying didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

……

at the same time.

After He Ying left, Chen's mother took the fruit plate from the coffee table into the kitchen, and while wiping the table, she said to Chen's father in the living room:

"That girl seems quite nice, and she speaks well too."

Mr. Chen was watching the news and didn't even turn his head.

"Didn't you complain that she was six years older than you?"

Chen's mother paused for a moment: "She doesn't look thirty years old, and she's the county magistrate. It's Da Peng's good fortune that she's interested in him."

Mr. Chen did not respond, but a faint smile played on his lips.