Chapter Sixty-Seven: How Far Have You Two Gone?

Oh dear...

My foot hurts!

This is really like dropping a stone on my own foot.

Su Zitan felt like crying, and while Wang Ru was distracted, she stealthily reached for Lin Ze’s bowl.

Lin Ze calmly caught her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers, hiding their joined hands beneath the table.

Li Qingping tugged Su Zhenguo back to the table. Su Zhenguo looked as absent-minded as a child being dragged home by his parents while still wanting to play.

“Come on, let’s eat,” Li Qingping called out to everyone.

Lin Ze held Su Zitan’s left hand with his right, leaving himself with no free hand to pick up his chopsticks. When he tried to let go, Su Zitan held on tighter.

“If you don’t let go, I’m going to call you ‘godmother,’” Lin Ze whispered, leaning in.

Su Zitan gave a little snort and shook off Lin Ze’s hand.

Li Qingping noticed their little exchange, smiling broadly. “These two are so sweet together.”

“Yes, yes, the more I look, the more perfect they seem,” Wang Ru added, giving them an auntie’s approving smile.

“I said long ago they should get married, but these two kids are still shy about it,” Su Zhenguo said, shoveling rice into his mouth.

Lin Ze’s cooking was different from Li Qingping’s, and the change in flavor suddenly made everyone’s appetite soar.

“Can you please have a little respect for the law?” Lin Yuanchuan shot Su Zhenguo a glare. “When you said that, Lin Ze was only eighteen.”

“Was he?” Su Zhenguo scratched his head. “We could just have the wedding first, it’s all the same.”

“When are you two planning to get married?” Li Qingping asked.

“When are you going to have children?” Wang Ru chimed in.

The four adults spoke one after another, the family atmosphere harmonious and warm.

Under their collective gaze, Lin Ze picked up some food and placed it in Su Zitan’s bowl. “Eat more, fill up.”

“Mm...” Su Zitan nodded, her cheeks flushed red.

“Oh, she’s shy now,” Li Qingping laughed. “Little Lin really knows how to take care of people.”

Su Zhenguo paused as he picked up a piece of braised pork, then placed it into Li Qingping’s bowl.

“What are you doing?” Li Qingping glared at him. “Don’t you know I’m dieting and eating vegetarian at night?”

“...Just try a piece, it’s made by Little Lin.”

“I made this dish!”

From the side, Lin Yuanchuan burst into laughter at Su Zhenguo’s sheepish expression. “Hahaha...”

“What are you laughing at? Eat!” Wang Ru picked up some vegetables and put them in Lin Yuanchuan’s bowl.

“Oh…”

Lin Ze kept picking food for Su Zitan, and each time she glared at him.

But what Lin Ze had just done under the table couldn’t exactly be spoken aloud.

She finally managed to finish her bowl of rice, already nearly stuffed.

“All done! Zitan, let me get you another bowl,” Lin Ze stood up.

“No! I’m full!” Su Zitan quickly shielded her bowl.

“Zitan, it’s okay, you’re still growing. Eat a bit more, it won’t hurt,” Wang Ru said.

“That’s right, why are you shy about eating with Little Lin? Back at home, you always had two or three bowls of rice,” Li Qingping added.

“Little Lin grew up with you, he knows exactly how much you eat—nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Lin Ze nodded in agreement, barely suppressing his smile.

Su Zitan’s mouth twitched, and she touched her stomach. With a determined sigh, she stood up. “I’ll serve myself!”

She dashed to the kitchen and returned with two mouthfuls of rice in her bowl.

Li Qingping sighed, snatched Su Zitan’s bowl, and went to the kitchen herself, returning with a bowl piled high with rice.

“Oh, at first, when I went to your dad’s house, I was just like this—too shy to eat at the table, but then I was so hungry at midnight I couldn’t sleep, while your dad slept like a log,” she reminisced.

Su Zhenguo was happily eating until he was mentioned, then looked a bit aggrieved.

“That was ages ago! We’d only been together three months, and every time you ate with me outside, you barely touched your food. I thought that was all you ever ate.”

“You two moved in together after just three months?” Su Zitan blinked.

“Your mom and I were at the same school, old flames rekindled—of course things moved fast,” Su Zhenguo chuckled.

“What are you saying in front of the kids?” Li Qingping placed the bowl in front of Su Zitan, a bit embarrassed herself.

Su Zitan stared at the mountain of rice, troubled.

She’d really dropped a stone on her own foot—twice...

Lin Ze deliberately put on a caring expression, adding more food to her bowl. “Eat up, so you’ll grow tall~”

Grow tall, my foot!

Su Zitan pinched Lin Ze.

After eating half the bowl, Su Zitan couldn’t force herself to eat any more.

The rest was handed to Lin Ze.

After the meal, Lin Ze was about to wash the dishes, but Li Qingping stopped him.

“From now on, one of you cooks and the other washes dishes. Don’t do everything yourself or you’ll spoil her,” she said, dragging the overstuffed Su Zitan to the kitchen.

“No, no, Mom, let me rest a bit. I’m so full I could throw up, can’t even bend over,” Su Zitan protested, standing stiffly for fear of vomiting.

Li Qingping rolled up her sleeves and turned on the faucet, using the running water as cover.

“How far have you and Little Lin gotten?”

“Huh?” Su Zitan blushed.

“What do you mean, huh?” Li Qingping glanced at her. “Don’t play dumb, spill it.”

“We…” Su Zitan opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

How could she say it out loud?

“We... haven’t done that yet.”

“How come not!” Li Qingping sounded a bit anxious.

“We’ve only been together a week—isn’t that a bit fast...?”

“It’s not fast,” Li Qingping shook water off her hands and stepped closer.

“Listen, I’m not really rushing you to have children, but about having kids…”

“The earlier you have them, the better your body recovers. If you wait till you’re older, your body won’t bounce back as easily, and you might get stretch marks and such.”

Su Zitan listened, half understanding. “Is that so...?”

“Yes, think about it—not every woman stays youthful and beautiful at fifty like your mom.”

Su Zitan looked at Li Qingping, silent for a moment.

“If you want children, have them sooner. If you don’t, then don’t bother at all. Otherwise, when you’re ready to enjoy life, you won’t even dare wear a swimsuit at the beach,” Li Qingping said seriously. “I’m not old-fashioned. Just the other day, your dad, Lin’s dad, and Wang’s mom all talked about it. If you two don’t want children, we won’t pressure you.”

“We only have you two kids. Your happiness is what matters most.”

Hearing her mother speak, Su Zitan was deeply moved, but then she thought for a moment.

“Maybe we should have a child after all. With our genes, the kid’s bound to be stunning…”