132. Mother and Daughter Clash, the Fisherman Profits

Chen Xuan was already feeling anxious and conflicted, and this vague question with an unclear intention only added to her inner turmoil, layering her anxiety to new heights.

Clearly, Chen Xuan had missed the optimal moment to tell a lie; in the very first second, a simple denial would have sufficed.

Just like when Wei Sanwan asked Li An if he was seeing anyone, Li An replied without missing a beat and without changing his expression that he was not.

Sometimes, in the face of certain questions, silence itself is an answer.

In reality, Song Lian was merely testing the waters with that casual remark.

She had noticed some subtle anomalies ever since Chen Xuan returned home this time.

First, the matter of the mobile phone. In the past, Chen Xuan never clung to her phone so much when she was at home.

Upon her return this time, however, the phone never seemed to leave her hand. Sometimes she would type away while smiling softly to herself.

Looking utterly foolish.

Second, her attire. Her mother had always complained that her daughter dressed like a tomboy, yet this time around, the girl actually returned wearing an unmistakably feminine, long dress.

Judging by these two occurrences, Song Lian deduced that there was a high probability her child had met someone special out there.

Therefore, taking advantage of the old man’s absence tonight, she intended to probe the situation in advance.

Being parents is truly a difficult task; they worry when children of fifteen or sixteen get into relationships, and they worry even more when children of twenty-five or twenty-six do not.

The fact that Chen Xuan had stubbornly refused to look for a partner ever since graduating from university had genuinely caused her and old Chen a great deal of anxiety. Every time they mentioned setting her up with someone, Chen Xuan would bristle like a little lion with its fur on end.

As this went on, Song Lian even began to worry if there might be some other underlying issue.

Seeing her daughter's tacit admission, she gently said, "Why don't you tell mom about it? Let me hear what kind of boy he is."

As she uttered the word "boy," her casual gaze was actually fixed intently on her daughter's eyes, not straying an inch.

When she caught that fleeting flash of bashful shyness in the younger woman's expression, she set at least half of her worries to rest.

Regardless of everything else, the general direction was correct.

Upon hearing her mother's lighthearted, peer-like tone of banter, Chen Xuan was surprised, but even more so, she felt a wave of joy.

Falling in love at twenty-five was the most normal thing in the world.

Perhaps still harboring some psychological shadows from her middle school days, she had always intensely disliked discussing such topics with her parents.

Yet, who wouldn't want to share the feeling of happiness with their mom and dad?

Gradually, her inner turmoil began to subside.

However, as she gathered her thoughts, she encountered a new problem.

There were only two or three girls in her generation of the family—herself, her cousin, and a younger female cousin still in high school.

The younger cousin was still a child and needn't be mentioned.

As for whether her older cousin had secretly dated anyone during her university years without the family knowing, she had no idea, because she had never once heard her cousin bring up the subject of romance at home.

Thus, she had no reference point for how to broach the topic with her mother.

Guessing what was going on in her daughter's mind, Song Lian took the initiative to break the ice.

"He's a local from Rongcheng, right?"

Chen Xuan answered, "No."

"Not a local?" Song Lian asked in surprise.

Chen Xuan nodded, "He went to university in Rongcheng and then stayed there to work."

-

There were no overly dramatic ups and downs to the story, just the ordinary trivialities of daily life and work.

Chen Xuan selectively withheld certain details, focusing primarily on painting a picture of Li An as an exemplary, well-behaved young man with a regular lifestyle, no bad habits, a strong drive to succeed, and a willingness to endure hardship, while placing special emphasis on how much his students adored him.

Listening attentively while observing her daughter, Song Lian could sense that Chen Xuan genuinely cared a great deal for this young man named Li An.

As Chen Xuan described him, a rough outline gradually took shape in Song Lian's mind, yet many crucial questions remained unanswered.

For instance: "What do his parents do for a living?"

Feeling a brief pang of guilt, Chen Xuan answered honestly, "His father is a worker, and his mother doesn't work."

Song Lian let out an "oh," prompting Chen Xuan to hastily add, "But he works very hard. Aside from his regular job, he takes on part-time work and works tirelessly every day."

Song Lian asked, "What kind of part-time work?"

Chen Xuan replied, "He plays the piano at a western restaurant, four times a week, and he also has his own private students."

She continued to elaborate, "He makes around ten thousand yuan a month now."

Song Lian asked, "How long have you two been together?"

Hesitating slightly, Chen Xuan said, "Actually, we aren't officially together yet. We're just moving toward that stage... it should be soon, I suppose."

Song Lian now had a fairly clear grasp of her daughter's current state.

At the same time, she congratulated herself on having brought this up in advance.

During the months Chen Xuan had been away, the couple had discussed her future endlessly. Since Chen Xuan no longer wanted to take the civil service exams, they decided she didn't have to take them at all.

Didn't she love teaching children? If she could teach thousands of miles away, why couldn't she teach back home?

The two of them had planned to arrange a decent job for Chen Xuan locally, keep her here first, and figure out the rest step by step.

Yet now that her daughter's heart was tethered elsewhere, the situation became far more complicated.

What troubled her even more was that her daughter's relationship was considerably more complex than she had initially imagined.

At that moment, she debated whether she should proactively sever this budding romance between the two of them.

Perhaps once it was cut off and her daughter gave up hope, she would no longer think about leaving again.

Doing so might seem a bit cruel, but this thought was built upon a certain premise.

To be fair, speaking as someone with more life experience, she felt that the chances of success between her daughter and that young man were practically zero.

First of all, Chen Xuan's father and that side of the family would definitely never agree to it.

From a certain perspective, she herself belonged to that opposing camp.

The gap between their two families was simply too vast.

It was evident that her daughter cared deeply for the young man, already starting to speak up in his defense before they were even officially together.

Yet what good was a salary of ten thousand yuan earned through sweat and toil?

When young people fall in love, they always feel that money doesn't matter as long as they have each other's love.

However, love changes, and life only moves forward.

The importance of matching family backgrounds and social status will only become increasingly prominent in future life.

Young people never seem to consider what the financially disadvantaged side would use to sustain the relationship if emotional friction were to arise in the future due to the financial disparity.

Song Lian sighed inwardly; she had heard of such cases, and she had witnessed them with her own eyes.

She was willing to believe he was a good kid.

Yet the cold facts laid out before her were:

An undergraduate degree, a single-income family.

Mediocre educational background, no family financial support, and a career as a music teacher with virtually no upward mobility.

He couldn't even be considered a potential stock.

Taking a step back—

Even if the boy were a potential stock, what was the actual success rate of potential stocks in this day and age?

Three years? Five years? How long was Chen Xuan supposed to wait?

She did not want to see her daughter get hurt when the time came, nor did she wish to see someone else's child get hurt.

Rather than waiting for that inevitable outcome—

Song Lian felt she ought to say something right then and there.

Testing the waters once more, a pleading tone crept into her voice:

"Xiaoxuan, don't go back this time, okay? Listen to your mother just once more."

"Will you?"

"No."

Chen Xuan shook her head with absolute finality. Song Lian was momentarily stunned; from childhood until now, Chen Xuan had never refused her with such an attitude.

"Mom, I can handle my own affairs."

Chen Xuan could tell that these words weren't merely an attempt to make her stay; they were an effort to tear her and Li An apart.

No matter what considerations her mother had in mind, she could not accept this.

As their eyes met, looking at the resolute determination in her daughter's gaze, Song Lian ultimately conceded defeat.

Then, a deep wave of worry welled up in the depths of her eyes. She hadn't expected her daughter to be this deeply emotionally entangled.

After a long silence.

Fine.

She temporarily compromised.

It seemed her daughter couldn't be kept here this time around.

She did not want a repeat of the shouting match and bitter departure that had happened half a year ago.

At least upon returning this trip, Chen Xuan's overall state of mind was quite good.

Since the girl was bent on making her own choice, then as a mother—though she still looked unfavorably upon this romance—there were things she had to say in advance.

After a moment, she uttered a single word: alright.

"Then I want to ask, have you two considered the future?"

Chen Xuan was taken aback for a second, and Song Lian gave her no time to ponder further.

"You said you're about to get together, but what comes after that?"

"You've both been out of university for nearly three years. Since he chose to stay in Rongcheng and wants to be with you, does he have any plans to buy a house?"

"How will the house be bought? In which neighborhood? How much can his family help? Is it a full payment or a down payment, and what is the down payment ratio?"

This time, it was Chen Xuan's turn to be stunned. These were questions that had only occasionally flashed through her mind, but she had never seriously or meticulously thought them through, assuming they weren't really problems at all.

"Do you feel that in the face of romance, these trivial matters are insignificant?"

Song Lian knew her daughter too well; though strictly disciplined at home since childhood, the girl had never suffered the slightest grievance in terms of material comfort.

Didn't they buy her a two-hundred-thousand-yuan set of instrument accessories without a second thought back then?

Having never tasted hardship, she couldn't comprehend the difficulties of life.

Song Lian was not a materialistic person, but she trusted tangible realities all the more.

Therefore, she had to remind her daughter that life was no fairy tale, nor could it be viewed through the lens of playing house.

Romance and marriage are often two separate matters most of the time, but the moment they merge into one, they directly involve all sorts of complex issues between two families.

"Let me pose another possibility."

"What if he suddenly decides to return to his hometown halfway through? What will you do?"

"Can you bear for your mom and dad to agree to let you live in some small county town for the rest of your life?"

"Xiaoxuan, if you are going to face this relationship squarely, then carefully consider these questions."

"Don't wait until later to regret it, ruining your own future while wasting his time as well."

"I won't tell your dad about this, but I can tell you clearly: if your dad knew, he would never agree."

A moment passed.

"Mom, are you looking down on him just because he has no money?"

Song Lian remained silent.

"Mom, when you chose Dad back then, did he have money?"

Song Lian opened her mouth to speak, but—

"Back then, Dad's job was secured through connections Grandpa pulled, wasn't it?"

Song Lian shook her head. "Times are different."

Chen Xuan smiled faintly. "Mom, let's watch TV."

She turned on the television, switching it to the program Song Lian had been watching the previous night. After a short while, she answered the question that had been posed at the very beginning:

"Mom, I love you both. I will never abandon you, and I hope you can love me just as much as I love you."

Song Lian's heart trembled.

-

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of that evening.

Despite Chen Xuan's sharp retorts at the end, her mother's words regarding "buying a house" and "down payments" had struck a chord deep within her.

It forced her to pull back half her mind from the sweet world of romance and start contemplating reality.

After giving it thorough consideration, she felt that it did indeed make sense.

Once two people establish a relationship, what is the next step?

They had truly passed the age where romance could be treated as a game.

Yet she believed in Li An, and she believed in her own feelings even more.

So wouldn't the next step naturally lead to...

Thus, on that very night—before they had even officially defined their relationship—she secretly made up her mind: so what if they needed to buy a house? They would just work hard together for it.

With this resolution made, she felt a surge of boundless strength coursing through her body.

She wished she could return to work and start earning money tomorrow, vowing never to buy bubble tea or expensive clothes again, saving every penny.

No, rather than saving, it should be called building a life.

And by the way, she would capture Li An and tell him: from today onward, be my boyfriend.

Song Lian could never have imagined that a single probing question of hers would cause Chen Xuan—who had originally intended to give them both some breathing room—to completely revise her mindset.

This was probably what one might call the supportive intervention of a family.

Li An failed to update his progress that night; by the time he returned home from the dinner banquet, he was practically swaying on his feet, collapsed onto the bed, sent Chen Xuan a voice message telling her he had arrived safely, and then fell soundly asleep clutching his phone.

When he woke up early the next morning, he found that Chen Xuan had sent him a pink, adorable photograph the night before.

She looked no more than three years old in it.

Without a second thought, he set it as his phone wallpaper.

Ba Wanyi: Good morning, little beauty Mi.

Mi: Ignoring you.

Ba Wanyi: ??

Mi: You didn't tell me a bedtime story last night.

-

The five-day holiday flashed by in the blink of an eye, leaving only the final day.

For the past couple of days, Teacher Li An had been practicing the piano while designing his competition repertoire.

Regarding the upcoming Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition, even if Wei Sanwan hadn't brought it up to him, he would have sought out a competition to enter once he completely resolved his finger technique issues through the Czerny etudes.

On one hand, it would test his own abilities; on the other, it would provide an opportunity to learn.

He looked up the competition online, and its procedures and scale were largely identical to that of the national competition he had once prepared for.

The competition was divided into six categories.

If he were to enter, he could only participate in the Young Professional Division.

In the words of Elder Wei, by the final two rounds, the Young Professional Division essentially boiled down to a contest among the piano departments of the nation's top nine music conservatories.

According to the regulations of the previous competition, the event spanned three rounds.

The first round was a nationwide video preliminary screening, requiring one etude and one piece.

The second round was the regional selection contest, requiring one etude and the allegro movement from a Classical-era sonata, with the top three contestants from each division advancing to Beijing for the third round.

The third round, the semi-finals, narrowed the field to the top eight, requiring a complete Classical-era piano sonata.

The fourth round, the finals, required the designated piano concerto of the competition.

Matching the specifications and systems of international competitions, contemporary domestic contests were by no means inferior.

However, from the perspective of prestige—setting aside promotional hype—Li An could only say that even the winner of the Young Professional Division wouldn't dare claim to have reached the ranks of a concert pianist.

Whereas participating in several major international piano competitions essentially served as the starting threshold for a young concert artist.

Thus, a gap undoubtedly existed between the two, but it was undeniable that a considerable number of Chinese pianists currently active on the world stage had won major awards at the Xinghai Cup.

Li An didn't dare entertain winning prizes; simply advancing to the second round in the professional division would be his goal for this year.

There were still two months left before the preliminary registration deadline.

He needed to make thorough preparations during these two months.

At eight in the evening, Li An took a bus to the airport.

At nine-thirty, he picked up Chen Xuan.

"Where is your flute?"

Seeing that Chen Xuan was only carrying a backpack and the flute was nowhere in sight, Li An wondered if she had left it behind on the airplane.

Noticing Li An's anxious expression, Chen Xuan smiled. "I left it at home."

"Then what are you going to use?"

"I have another one, you know."

Before Li An could figure out why she would leave her golden flute unused, and just as he was about to hail a taxi as they stepped outside, Chen Xuan stopped him with a firm tug.

"We're taking the shuttle bus."

With that, she naturally looped her arm through Li An's and walked toward the airport shuttle ticket counter.

As they walked, feeling the occasional soft brush against his elbow, a strange, swirling sensation washed over Li An's heart.

Something wasn't right.

What had gotten into Chen Xuan?

"Are you alright?"

"I am."

"What's wrong?"

"A big deal."

Li An stopped in his tracks. "Spit it out."

Chen Xuan stopped as well, looking at Li An earnestly for a moment.

"Make me your girlfriend."