Not long after Mei Fang and his team saw Xia Xun and Liang Meijuan off, Mei Lijun drove back in a hurry.
"Where's Yuanyuan? Where's Youxi? Have they both gone home? They wouldn't have gone home as soon as I got here... Oh, then I'm really unlucky—"
Mei Lijun walked into the house complaining and saw Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi watching TV with Xiang Xiaoxia. Upon seeing Uncle Mei coming, the two children hurriedly stood up and greeted Mei Lijun:
"Uncle Mei, long time no see!"
"… "
Mei Lijun was slow to react when he saw Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi. He hesitated for a long time and couldn't call out their names. It was not until the filial daughter beside him hit him hard on the thigh that Mei Lijun finally reacted and looked carefully at the two people who might be candidates for his future daughter-in-law:
"I saw you two last year, but why do I feel like you two have completely different temperaments..."
"Is there such a difference? I just think the two sisters are prettier!"
Mei Ya grabbed her father's clothes and said, "Also, Dad, why are you back so late today? I want to help Mom check if you have been drinking."
"Oh, I didn't drink! I drove back here, how could I have drunk alcohol?"
Mei Ya, a filial daughter and a dramatic actress, slapped Mei Lijun's thigh again and said, "Comrade Mei Lijun! Please be proactive and cooperate with my actions. This is a routine inspection!"
"Alright, alright... I get it." Mei Lijun squatted down and muttered in a low voice, "Since your sister Yuanyuan and sister Xi are here, can't you give your father a little face?"
"It is the ancestral motto of our Mei family not to drink and cause trouble. This is also to let Sister Youxi and Sister Yuanyuan learn the procedures in advance. They will definitely need them in the future."
Xiang Xiaoxia heard her daughter assisting and felt angry and amused at the same time. "Xiaoya, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Meiya made a face at her mother, "I'm not talking nonsense!"
"You are such a talkative girl... You are just like your father and brother! I will teach you a lesson!"
"I'm not being stubborn!"
"Aunt Xiang, Aunt Xiang, it's okay... It's okay!"
Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi pulled Xiang Xiaoxia to stop. The whole family was making a lot of noise in the living room. Mei Fang came downstairs to meet everyone after taking a shower and was almost hit in the face by a flying slipper.
Mei Fang's house had a guest room. Xiang Xiaoxia specially vacated it during the day for Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan to clean up, and then led the girls to the room, "You will temporarily live in this room for the time being. If you need anything, feel free to say hello to your aunt. Just treat this as your own home, don't be polite!"
"Yeah, we know!"
Xia Yuan smiled and nodded at Xiang Xiaoxia. At this time, Lin Youxi also said, "Don't bother Auntie. We will take care of Ah Fang if there is anything."
"Right, right... You can just go find Ah Fang directly."
Xiang Xiaoxia glanced at Xia Yuan, then her eyes fell on Lin Youxi. After looking for a while, she turned and left, returning to her bedroom. Mei Lijun was sitting on the bed happily watching TV. Seeing his wife coming, he hurriedly made room for Xiang Xiaoxia to lie down.
"Hey, honey, don't you think so? It's only been a year since we last met, but I feel like Yuanyuan and Youxi are completely grown-ups now, totally different from when they were little."
"Girls change a lot when they grow up. This is normal."
Mei Lijun slapped his thigh and sighed, "I have to say that the boys haven't changed much. For example, our Mei Fang still looks silly and stupid."
"Is your son stupid? Your son is very smart."
Xiang Xiaoxia rolled her eyes at him in anger, "If your son wasn't smart, how could these two girls follow him so devotedly and not even go home for the New Year?"
"That makes sense..."
Mei Lijun thought for a moment and said, "But do you think Youxi is really dating our son? I observed her a little today, but I didn't see how special Ah Fang was to her. She's about the same as she is to Yuanyuan."
"I can't say for sure... Anyway, let's wait and see."
Xiang Xiaoxia thought for a moment and said, "Yuanyuan has a pretty good relationship with them right now, so I guess the window paper hasn't been broken yet... Anyway, we parents shouldn't get involved for now."
Mei Fang and Lin Youxi were dating. This was the conclusion Xiang Xiaoxia came to last year after observing the two of them - after all, the two of them had secretly slept together, so it was almost impossible to say that they didn't have that kind of relationship.
But does Xiang Xiaoxia really know her son well enough? She is afraid that her son will become that kind of person.
After a tiring day's drive, the three of them said good night to each other and went to bed early.
The next day, Mei Fang woke up from a beautiful morning with birds singing. He stretched himself and looked at the bright sunshine outside the window. He immediately felt very relaxed and comfortable.
The small apartment in Jiangcheng is okay to use as a dormitory, but the quality of life is far worse than that at home. Now it is 2013, and the housing prices have not reached an outrageous level. It is a good idea to buy some real estate now.
Mei Fang had just gotten up and put on her pajamas when she heard a knock on the door.
Before he could open the door, it was opened by someone outside. The person who opened the door was his own sister Meiya.
"Brother, brother, hurry up and get up. Sister Youxi has made breakfast for us. Let's eat together!"
"I know, I know..."
"I'll only give you ten minutes. You have to hurry up, or Sister Youxi will be unhappy."
"… When did you become her little follower?"
"The mung bean soup cooked by Sister Youxi is delicious!" Mei Ya drank two large bowls in one breath.
"As long as you like it... Come, try this."
Lin Youxi picked up a spring roll and put it into Mei Ya's bowl. She picked up the small spring roll hesitantly and put it down slowly.
"Why... don't you like it?"
"It's not that, it's because..."
Mei Ya bared her teeth to Lin Youxi, then reached out and shook one of the teeth in front of the door, "This tooth has been shaking recently, and it feels like it's going to fall out."
"Is it the replacement of baby teeth? Let me take a look..."
Xia Yuan came closer to Meiya and carefully observed her little milk teeth.
"It's shaking badly..."
“But it never fell off.”
Xia Yuan warned: "Xiao Ya, please don't lick it... My mother said that if you lick it like this, the teeth that grow out will turn outwards, and then it won't be cute."
Meiya nodded seriously, but then revealed a distressed look, "But, no matter how hard I try, I can't get it down. It's really uncomfortable..."
Seeing Mei Ya's baby teeth shaking constantly, Mei Fang, who was eating breakfast and drinking soup, couldn't help but look at his father Mei Lijun. Coincidentally, Mei Lijun was also looking at his old son Mei Fang at this time.
The father and son suddenly reached some strange tacit understanding through eye contact, and then Mei Fang took the initiative to approach his depressed sister Mei Ya, "Xiao Ya, you are already 10 years old. If your baby teeth are not replaced, it will affect the appearance of your permanent teeth in the future. You should pull them out now."
"Pull out the teeth?"
Mei Ya covered her mouth in pain when she heard it. "I... don't want to have a tooth pulled. It must be painful, right? I don't want to go to the hospital. I hope to save money for my family."
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all. Pulling out baby teeth doesn't hurt at all. You don't have to go to the hospital. Let me and dad help you pull them out. I guarantee it won't hurt at all."
“Is this true or false?”
Xia Yuan was half-believing and half-doubting, and Mei Lijun took the initiative to step forward and guaranteed, "You can't lie about this. I tell you, when Ah Fang was a child, several of his baby teeth were pulled out by me, his father, myself."
Seeing her brother and father's promise, Maya licked her baby teeth which were shaking and itchy, and finally nodded.
"Then... let's give it a try?"
Mei Lijun asked Xia Yuan to ask Xiang Xiaoxia to get a thin thread, and then tied the thin thread to Mei Ya's baby teeth.
Watching the Mei family enthusiastically making preparations, Xia Yuan felt as if they were in pain and she unconsciously covered her cheeks.
Lin Youxi watched with great interest, "This method of extracting baby teeth is indeed very classic."
"Wow... No way, has Youxi ever had her baby teeth pulled out like this before?"
"That's not the case," Lin Youxi smiled at Xia Yuan, "but I was there when Uncle Mei pulled out Ah Fang's baby teeth."
“Will this hurt... Or maybe just forget it..." Meiya is a little scared now.
"It's okay, it will be done soon, we can just sing a song and then we'll be done."
Mei Fang and Mei Lijun were in good sync, then he leaned down, patted his sister's shoulder and said:
"Sing with my brother, 'A flock of ducks swam by under the bridge in front of the door.'"
[Rue rue ra, swimming past...]
"Come on, come on and count, two, four, six, seven, eight."
Mei Fang intentionally sang out of tune, and Mei Ya couldn't help laughing after hearing it.
At this moment, Mei Fang and Mei Lijun exerted force almost at the same time. One gently pushed the sister's forehead, causing her to lean back directly; the other also pulled directly. Before Mei Ya could react, when she raised her head again, a tooth was missing in her mouth.
"Woo..."
The tooth extraction was completed in almost an instant, and Maya seemed to have no reaction to the pain. It was only later that her face was distorted with pain.
She covered her mouth with her hands, looking aggrieved, and punched and kicked her brother and father who were happily studying her baby teeth.
“Puhahahahahahaha—”
"Make you laugh, make you laugh!"
Thus, an annual drama of a loving father and a filial daughter, and a friendly brother and a respectful sister was staged in front of Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi who were visiting the Mei family.
It was fun playing mahjong yesterday. I will update later tonight.
(End of this chapter)