BXBX NOVEL Chapter 298 - Two-Hundred and Ninety-Eight: Mother and Son
Liang Han jumped up in shock. “Mom, you’re killing me here! I’m dying! I’m dying, okay? Mom, what’s going on in that head of yours every day? What’s this about me ‘coming out of the closet? Ye Kun has a girlfriend—no, scratch that— has a fiancée, you know! Whatever gave you such an idea? Oh, dear Heavens, Mom!” Liang Han felt like crying.
Kong Zhen’s eyes widened. “Oh? So you knew Ye Kun has a girlfriend, now fiancée?”
“Of course! I was the one who wrote that passionate love declaration of his—I‘ Liang Han replied before he stopped short, wishing he could go back in time and slap himself. He was too proud of his work and had unsuspectingly outed himself to his mother.
As expected, Kong Zhen threw the cushion beside her at her son and angrily roared, “You have the time and ability to help your buddy get a fiancée and still have the nerve to be single? You have the nerve to return home without a girlfriend! I now look bad, thanks to you!”
Liang Han hugged the cushion and swallowed the sigh that threatened to leave his mouth. Kong Zhen stood up and glared at her son with her hands on her waist. “I’ll leave Xi Cheng aside, as he has been betrothed to Lin Yu since he was young. That’s on me; I’m not an adequate mother, as I haven’t thought to prepare a bride for you since your childhood. Then what about Shi Nian?! Your best friend, who you hang around with every day, has quietly gotten himself a beautiful and capable wife. Look at how happy that made Xu Yun—she’s skipping everywhere in joy!”
She continued, “And now, even Ye Kun has a fiancée. Although rumors about her are going wild in the city, Lu Ying has already started to prepare betrothal gifts, which means that that girl is good wife material! Now, take a look at yourself! You’ve been gallivanting out there for so long and still have the nerve to come back to see me without a girlfriend? I didn’t fall behind the other madams when we four gave birth to you boys together back then, so why did you turn out so disappointing? How can I face the others during our gatherings?”
Still hugging the cushion, Liang Han raised his head to sheepishly say, “Mom, what’s there to compare? I, your son, am now a rich and eligible bachelor. I’m quite popular with the ladies! Shouldn’t you be proud?”
Kong Zhen twisted Liang Han’s ear and said through gritted teeth, “I wouldn’t care about you if you weren’t my son! But you ARE my son, and no son of mine can be so useless!”
Liang Han winced in pain, covered his ear, and begged mercy. “Mom! Mom, stop, let go! Let go, please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll listen to you. I’ll listen to you, alright?”
Kong Zhen loosened her hold on his ear before pinching it again. “Really?” she asked.
Liang Han hurriedly nodded. “I’ll listen! I’ll listen! So let go of my ear, Mom, let go!” Only then did Kong Zhen let go.
Liang Han hissed in pain as he covered his ears and said aggrievedly, “Mom! I’m almost in my thirties. Can you not scold and punish me like this? What’ll my future wife think if she sees this?”
Kong Zhen gave him a sideways glance. “You’ll have to marry one first!”
“All this is just to get me to go on blind dates, isn’t it?” Liang Han whined plaintively. “I’ll go, okay? You didn’t have to go through so much trouble. We’re mother and son, so let’s be more direct. Although I can’t compare to my three best buds in other aspects, I’m most certainly the most filial!”
Kong Zhen coldly snorted. “Who cares?!” Exasperated, Liang Han took the initiative and picked up the stack of photos on the table. He pointed at the girl in the topmost photo and commented, “Oh, this girl’s quite pretty. She’s a sight for sore eyes.”
“Who is it?” Kong Zhen immediately looked toward the photo. “Let me have a look. ”
Liang Han saw his opportunity and fanned out the photos. “Mom, you’ve met them in person, haven’t you? Is there any one of them you like in particular? Someone who, at first glance, made you think, ‘Yes, this is the daughter-in-law I’m looking for!’ Is there? Did you meet such a girl?”
Kong Zhen rolled her eyes at her son, but her tone had unknowingly softened as she answered, “No, I haven’t, but feelings grow through spending time together; love at first sight is mostly unreliable. Besides, you’re the one who’ll be spending the rest of your life with her, not me, so what does it matter if I like them or not?”
Liang Han speaks as well as he writes. He stated, “Of course it matters. The girl
I marry must, above all, be filial to my mother and pass her muster. Why would I marry her if my mother doesn’t like her? Besides, my taste was cultivated by you, Mom. If Mom likes her, I will, too, isn’t that right?”
Kong Zhen couldn’t help but smile at that. She was overjoyed but still kept her senses and inquired, “So, you agree to meet the girls I picked out?”
Liang Han unhesitatingly nodded. “Of course. I’m a filial son—the most filial— after all!”
For extra insurance, Kong Zhen asked, “You won’t deliberately leave a bad impression on the girls like before, will you?”
Liang Han sheepishly chuckled, “Of course not.. Why would I? I’ve never done such a thing before!”