"Ouch!" Ye Jie slapped the back of Ye Jun's head.
"Nothing happened last night." Before Ye Jun could open his mouth, Ye Jie added, "Xu Mey was helping me clean up the wound and a small shard in my hand hurt her. Okay?" Ye Jie had to think of a lie in a hurry and that was the only thing that came to his mind.
But the lie he told to save Xu Mey from trouble made her feel even more guilty. "Oh... Mom, Dad, what brought you to my place?" Suddenly remembering, Ye Jie asked.
"We thought we should spend the Sunday with our son. And we'd also have lunch prepared by our daughter-in-law." Mother Ye replied as she looked at Xu Mey standing at the side with her head down.
"But mom, Xu Mey hurt her hand. So-" Before he could avoid the impending task of cooking, his mother interrupted him.
"It's only a few small cuts. If she can't even handle that much, how is she going to take over the Ye Family in the future?" For everyone, her words were reasonable but Xu Mey could feel the dislike in her voice.
"Mom..." Ye Jie was about to argue but Xu Mey held his hand as he looked at her, she shook her head. So, Ye Jie stayed quiet.
"I'll cook. Mother-in-law is right. It's my responsibility to cook for them." Xu Mey's soft, polite voice took both Mother and Father Ye by surprise. It felt like cherry blossoms were falling in April.
Xu Mey ascended the stairs back to freshen up before coming down to enter the kitchen. The moment she picked her cellphone, she saw two text messages. One was from Ye Jie and the other from Ye Jun. Both brothers wrote the same thing: 'Do you need help?'
Xu Mey: 'Nope.'
Both replied at the same time with the same words again: 'Should I order food and say that you cooked it?'
Xu Mey laughed at their synchronization. But her heart felt warm. She replied: 'It's alright.'
Then only Ye Jie sent a message: 'I'm sorry!' Xu Mey frowned.
'For What?' She sent but no reply came.
Ye Jie knew that she could cook western food but his parents wanted Chinese traditional food. He was worried about two things; first that she didn't know how to cook and second that she was emotionally exhausted. 'What if she fell sicker? I can't even argue with mom.' Ye Jie loved and respected his mother the most. There was no way that he would allow even himself to be rude to her.
Xu Mey took a deep breath and decided to call Auntie Li Man before she starts panicking again. Li Man, Li Qiao's mother picked the call within seconds. "Oh my little Mey, how are you?" Her voice was not the usual stern one but instead, it was warm brimming with love.
"Auntie Li, I'm fine. I needed your help with something." She replied straightforwardly.
"Auntie will help little Mey with anything she wants." Xu Mey knew that'd be her reply. Her Auntie Li never said no to her. Being a famous researcher herself, she was always busy but she still found time to call Xu Mey every other day. Even Li Qiao had to complain that his mother loved Xu Mey more than her only son.
"Before I start panicking again, tell me what should I cook for my in-laws?" She heard Auntie Li's amused chuckle making her purse her lips.
"First tell me, what's the deal with 'panicking again'?" She asked with amusement.
Knowing that Auntie Li won't let it go. Xu Mmey described the scenario of her dinner date making Auntie Li laugh. "Dinner or dinner date? Aren't both the same thing, darling?"
"Well, apparently, they are not. Sun Ju told me once that on dinner dates, there is dinner, then holding hands, then leaving with a goodnight kiss and if the relationship is old then it ends with rolling on the bed." Auntie Li loved Xu Mey for her honest-to-goodness behavior.
"Do you know what rolling on the bed means darling?" Auntie Li asked.
Xu Mey scowled. "Doesn't it literally mean rolling on the bed?" Her innocent reply received a loud cheery laugh at the other end. But she felt someone else was there as well. "Where are you, Auntie?"
"I'm in Country A, little Mey. I came here to see my sister-in-law and she is amused by you. She justs said that she would love to meet you."
"Auntie say hello to her. But doesn't rolling on the bed literally means rolling on the bed?" She asked cautiously.
This time Auntie replied with seriousness. "Let's forget that little Mey. Next time, just don't listen to Sun Ju at all."
"Okay... What about the food?"
"Mmm... Let me think... It's your first time cooking for your in-laws... You have to impress them... What do you think, Xiao Qian? What should little Mey prepare?" She heard her voice probably talking to her sister-in-law for the suggestion. The other woman's voice was faint but it still felt pleasing to hear. It took about 5 minutes before deciding on the list of what to prepare.
Mother Ye didn't allow anyone to help her which left Xu Mey alone to make all the food by herself. Cooking for Ye Jie and his parents were both totally different things. Xu Mey said 'Fighting!' to herself and started out with the food.
Ye Jie was accompanying his parents in the back garden when he noticed that Ye Jun was not around. He came back inside to look for him and found him staring at the phone screen with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Jun! Why do you have my phone with you?" Ye Jun looked up at his brother in a daze.
"Bro, this..." Ye Jun turned the screen to show the video which he received last night. Ye Jie's face lost it's color before he briskly came and snatched his phone from Jun.
"Who told you to check my phone without my permission?" Ye Jie's voice was louder and evasive.
"Bro, we never had any secrets between us... And that video... It actually concerns our whole family." Ye Jun replied with a stern face which was rare for him.
"It doesn't concern anyone. She's my wife and it only concerns me." Ye Jie's voice was definite.
"Bro, but if what is in that video is true than sis-in-law-" Ye Jie interrupted him.
"The video only showed one side of the story. It doesn't even have audio. Because of that 'if' I almost lost my wife last night." Ye Jie ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I won't be able to forgive myself for doubting her for just a second. Saying sorry for a lifetime is not enough. And you're asking me to believe in that video. She's with me. She's real. That video. I wasn't there. So, I won't judge my wife for that clip." His firmness and self-repentance startled Ye Jun.