If you were to ask what Mrs. Tang feared most in this world, cops would definitely be on the list.
When she saw Lin Huanzhu cracking her knuckles and baring her white teeth, Mrs. Tang was so terrified she wet herself on the spot.
"A cop?" Mrs. Tang would have never dreamed that the person she had just been interrogating, the one she’d been silently judging, was actually a cop.
After crying out in alarm, she was so frightened that she fell right out of her wheelchair.
Yes, so frightened she fell right out of her wheelchair.
"Mom." Tang Yuanxiao already knew what Lin Huanzhu did for a living, so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Women can be just as capable as men. He had many outstanding female colleagues in his department, and they all excelled in every respect.
Over the years, Tang Yuanxiao had grown accustomed to seeing such capable women. Although the notion that women were fragile and needed protection was ingrained in him, he had long ago come to accept that they could be truly outstanding.
Take Lin Huanzhu, for example. He had been a little surprised when he first met her today, but he quickly and naturally accepted who she was.
He had even teamed up with her to save someone’s life.
Based on past experience, he had figured that when his mother learned of Lin Huanzhu’s profession, she might be a little impressed. He never expected her reaction to be so extreme.
So scared she’d actually fallen out of her wheelchair.
Tang Yuanxiao rushed to help her up, but Mrs. Tang had gone completely limp as a puddle trickled out from under her.
Tang Yuanxiao struggled to lift his mother. The sight of the puddle on the floor and the sharp stench of urine made him feel a mix of distress, pity, and helplessness.
"What happened? Are you alright?"
Lin Huanzhu rushed over to help.
She had only meant to stop Mrs. Tang’s nagging, as she really couldn’t be bothered to deal with her. She never thought she’d scare the woman so badly that she’d wet herself and fall out of her wheelchair.
In that moment, Tang Yuanxiao and his mother stopped her in perfect, unspoken unison.
"We’re fine. You should go eat."
Tang Yuanxiao refused. Most people would be disgusted by his mother’s current state; he couldn’t possibly let a young woman like Lin Huanzhu help.
He was her son, so he had no choice. A son is never ashamed of his mother, and he certainly couldn’t be disgusted by her. But there was no reason for Lin Huanzhu to endure it.
"Don’t! Don’t touch me! Stay away!"
Mrs. Tang’s refusal was far more forceful and effective than her son’s; she simply shrieked at Huanzhu to stay away.
’Cops! I don’t want to see another one for the rest of my life, much less have one touch me!’
’No wonder that Lin Huanzhu is so strange! With her short hair, she’s not feminine at all. Still unmarried at twenty-six... so this is why! It’s because of her job!’
’Who would dare marry a she-devil like her?!’
With the hand she could still move, Mrs. Tang clutched Tang Yuanxiao tightly, partly for protection and partly out of an subconscious desire to keep him away from Lin Huanzhu.
’Getting close to a creature like that she-devil is just too terrifying.’
’Even if Tangyuan never gets married, he can’t bring home a she-devil like that! I have to watch Tangyuan more closely from now on!’
’No, no, I take that back... I can’t say Tangyuan will never get married. Tangyuan will get married very soon.’
Mrs. Tang’s inner monologue was a whirlwind of drama, but thankfully, neither Tang Yuanxiao nor Lin Huanzhu could hear it.
Tang Yuanxiao lifted his mother back onto the wheelchair, carefully steadying her so she wouldn’t fall out again.
Since both mother and son had rejected her offer, Lin Huanzhu didn’t press the issue and simply stood awkwardly to one side.
"Get out." Mrs. Tang glanced at Lin Huanzhu, her expression one of pure terror. Realizing she had blurted out her true feelings, she paled and hastily corrected herself.
"You haven’t eaten, have you? Go on, go eat. Don’t worry about me. I’m used to falling."
’Just get this she-devil out of here!’
Lin Huanzhu could practically feel Mrs. Tang’s silent prayer. Without another word, she gave Tang Yuanxiao a nod and promptly left.
Her steps were rather cheerful.
After all, she had done it on purpose.
Still, scaring someone so badly they wet themselves and fell out of their wheelchair was a first for her.
After Lin Huanzhu left, Mrs. Tang let out a huge sigh of relief.
"She’s gone, she’s gone. Finally gone. That was terrifying."
Once her bout of fear passed, she started complaining to Tang Yuanxiao. "How could you know a she-devil like that? And you didn’t even warn me! I was asking her all those questions... what if she got angry and decided to hit me?"
"...She wouldn’t," Tang Yuanxiao said.
’What is she even talking about?’
His words only made Mrs. Tang angrier. "Just because you say she wouldn’t, that makes it true? How can you be so sure? You’ll be the death of me! You should have told me from the start, then I wouldn’t have asked so many questions."
Tang Yuanxiao took a deep breath. "...Mom, I tried to stop you several times!"
’How many times did I try to stop her? But she just kept on asking.’
"You tried to stop me, but you were just wasting your breath! You should have just told me she was a she-devil from the get-go!"
Mrs. Tang clutched her chest. "Didn’t you see the way she smiled? It looked like she was about to eat me alive! A she-devil... how on earth did you meet a she-devil?"
Tang Yuanxiao closed the door. "We just happened to meet today while saving someone. Mom, let me help you change your pants."
But Mrs. Tang was in no mood to worry about her pants. "Listen to me, Tangyuan, you must not, under any circumstances, fall for her! I would rather die than allow a she-devil like that to be my daughter-in-law!"
"...Mom, you’re overthinking things," Tang Yuanxiao said. "It’s not even a remote possibility. There’s nothing going on, so please stop making things up."
’Does my mom think I’m some great prize? A guy like me, married twice, with so much baggage... who would want me?’
’My career and position are nothing special, and on top of all my past troubles, I come with a mother-in-law like her. No girl would ever want to marry me.’
Tang Yuanxiao felt helpless, and ironically, so did his mother.
"What do you mean, ’making things up’? I’m not making anything up! That girl went out of her way to bring you tangyuan. Isn’t it obvious she’s interested in you? That she’s taken a liking to you?"
Mrs. Tang slapped her knee. "Oh, Tangyuan, you can’t let her bewitch you! Our family would never dare to let a she-devil like that through our doors."
Tang Yuanxiao sighed, giving up on the argument. "Mom, let me get you changed, and then you should get some rest."
Mrs. Tang blocked his hand. "No, you don’t have to change me. I’ll just have the caregiver do it. I can call them. You should go..."
She glanced at the steaming bowl of tangyuan on the table. "It’s so late and you still haven’t eaten. Go on, go eat."
Mrs. Tang wouldn’t let him change her pants and ended up calling a caregiver. In the end, Tang Yuanxiao was kicked out of the room.
He left with the enamel bowl in his hand.
Despite the delay, the tangyuan were still steaming, giving off an enticing aroma.
Tang Yuanxiao was starving, so he went out to the main hall, sat down, and prepared to eat.
The temperature of the tangyuan was perfect—not too hot and not too cold.
He took a bite of a plump, soft, white dumpling, and his mouth filled with the sweet fragrance of sesame.
It was fragrant and sweet—absolutely delicious.
Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t help but let out a sigh of satisfaction.
On a cold night like this, when he was tired and hungry, a bowl of tangyuan was a wonderful thing to have.