Fu Nanzhi covered her mouth and laughed, her dimples faintly visible on her cheeks.
If Shen Yi hadn't reminded her, she might really have forgotten. Of course, she wouldn't admit it verbally—she was never one to back down from a challenge.
"Hehe, you being smart is the best."
Shen Yi shook his head and chuckled. He knew her well—whenever he was around, her brain seemed to go on hold, rarely thinking much for herself. She was adorably naive.
"By the way, what are all these bags you're carrying?"
Seeing Shen Yi ask, Fu Nanzhi responded calmly:
"Nothing much, just some clothes for us to change into, and a few gifts for your parents."
"For our first visit, we can't go empty-handed, right?"
Shen Yi glanced at the rearview mirror before switching lanes, saying casually,
"It's like _you're_ the one meeting the in-laws. What kind of gifts did you bring?"
"Oh... some tobacco, liquor, and tea for your dad, and a makeup kit for your mom."
Fu Nanzhi grinned and replied nonchalantly.
"Don't go overboard with the quality. Just pick something similar to what we got last time."
Shen Yi reminded her.
It wasn't that he was nitpicking, but if the gifts were too extravagant, his parents might feel reluctant to use them and could end up asking too many questions.
Last time, the gifts were prepared by Shen Yi himself, without letting Fu Nanzhi get involved.
Meeting the parents of the bride wasn't usually a big deal—it was more about the intention than the gifts themselves.
To his surprise, Fu Nanzhi seemed quite proud of herself and thumped her chest confidently, saying,
"It's already bought, so you can't take it back now. Don't worry, they didn't cost anything."
Then she counted them off on her fingers,
"Look, the tobacco was 'borrowed' from my dad, the wine came from the family cellar."
"The tea was a gift from Uncle Cheng to my dad, and the makeup kit was taken from my mom."
"Not a single thing cost any money. How about that, am I amazing or what?"
As she spoke, she tilted her head, casting a playful glance at Shen Yi, clearly seeking praise.
Shen Yi's mouth hung open for a moment before he managed to snap it shut, eventually managing to stutter out,
"That's why you're the champion of thrift."
"You're like an ant moving house, everything's stolen from home. If our dad sees this, he'll flip."
Fu Nanzhi waved it off nonchalantly,
"Don't worry, the tobacco and alcohol are always given as gifts anyway. One box more or less won't catch his eye."
"As for my mom's cosmetics, she has way too many—they're just sitting there, and they might expire. It's better if I help her use some of them."
Shen Yi glanced at her sideways, barely holding back his laughter,
"You really are your parents' little sweetheart."
Fu Nanzhi huffed and turned her head to look out the window, muttering,
"Don't talk nonsense. I did this for who, huh?"
Shen Yi quickly soothed her,
"Alright, alright, our Nanzhi is the best."
"This way, we won't give the tobacco—it's not good for health anyway. We can leave the tea and wine for him to drink, and as for the makeup, my mom probably won't recognize the brands my mom uses, so she won't know the difference. If she uses them, so be it."
Shen Yi made arrangements for the gifts she had brought.
The two chatted and laughed for a while before the car fell silent. Fu Nanzhi gradually leaned against the side, dozing off.
She had been quite excited last night and had woken up early, so she hadn't had much sleep.
With the car smoothly cruising on the highway, she soon fell asleep.
Shen Yi quietly turned down the music inside the car and continued to drive attentively.
About two and a half hours later, Fu Nanzhi woke up from her nap, straightened up, stretched, and let out a cute little murmur.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked,
"Honey, how long did I sleep? How much longer until we get home?"
Shen Yi glanced at the navigation and replied,
"You slept for about two and a half hours. We're almost there—about thirty kilometers left before we exit the highway."
"I slept that long? I didn't feel it at all—I thought I only dozed off for a little while."
Fu Nanzhi quickly opened her eyes and swiped at her phone, finding that it was already ten o'clock.
Seeing that the time was right, Shen Yi pressed a button on the steering wheel,
"You stay quiet for now, I'm calling home."
"Oh..."
...
The phone connected.
"Hello? Mom."
"Hmm? Why are you calling at this time?"
"I'll be home in less than an hour, so make some food for me at noon—I'm hungry."
"Why did you suddenly decide to come back? On vacation?"
"Yeah, just coming back to see you."
"Oh... Should I have your dad pick you up at the station?"
"No need, I can come back by myself."
"Okay, what do you want for lunch? Mom will cook it for you."
"The usual, I'll eat whatever you make."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
The brief call ended, as Shen Yi's way of communicating with his parents had always been straightforward.
Fu Nanzhi, who had been listening to Shen's Mother's voice, also felt a sense of familiarity. Seeing him hang up, she quickly asked,
"Why didn't you mention me? You should've said that Nanzhi is also coming to see them."
Shen Yi would've loved to flick her forehead if he weren't occupied with driving.
"Dummy, my parents don't even know you yet."
"Besides, it's meant to be a surprise—if we'd told them in advance, it would've turned into chaos unnecessarily."
Fu Nanzhi thought about it seriously and nodded thoughtfully,
"Oh, right."
In their previous life, because they had informed Shen's Mother in advance, she had left the house at the crack of dawn to rush to the market to grab all kinds of ingredients. She fussed over cooking and cleaning the house, exhausting herself in an effort to welcome the unknown daughter-in-law.
Their low education level and simple nature meant they could only go to great lengths to host her properly, which was heart-wrenching to witness.
Now, however, these formalities were unnecessary. There was no need to put his parents through all that work again.
Linjiang County wasn't big and development was relatively slow, classifying it as a small town in the fourth or fifth tier.
The family had a house in the county, initially intended for Shen Yi's engagement. However, Shen's Father and Shen's Mother usually lived in a rural residence.
Not stopping in the county, Shen Yi drove all the way to the town.
Fu Nanzhi looked out at the familiar scenery and felt her memories slowly coming alive.
Turning onto the smaller road and entering the town, the first house on the east side of the street belonged to Shen Yi's family.
Back in those days, most rural homes were self-built houses. Instead of Shen Yi's family, they had a white wall, red roof, and a courtyard, offering a comfortable living space.
Parking the car, Shen Yi and Fu Nanzhi got out, each carrying bags as they walked toward the courtyard.
As they approached the gate, Shen Yi called out,
"Old Man Liu, busy?"
Neighbor Old Man Liu, a bamboo craftsman, was weaving a basket. Hearing the commotion, he turned his head and said,
"Oh, little Shen's back, I didn't even notice. I've already eaten."
As he spoke, he noticed Fu Nanzhi behind Shen Yi, and his wrinkled face lit up with surprise, asking,
"Who's this?"
"Oh... this is my girlfriend."
Shen Yi replied with a smile, at which point Fu Nanzhi stepped forward to greet him,
"Hello, Old Man Liu."
"Hello! Good, good. Little Shen's doing great, bringing his girlfriend home—I always knew you had it in you."
Old Man Liu reached out and gave Shen Yi a thumbs-up.
Shen Yi modestly laughed,
"Well, you keep busy, we'll go in first."
"Sure, go ahead."
Old Man Liu watched the couple enter the house's gate, his expression thoughtful. After a while, he nodded to himself, returning to his work as he muttered,
"Good, good."
In the meantime, Shen Yi led Fu Nanzhi through the door and into the courtyard, calling out,
"Mom! I'm back!"
"Come back if you want, why are you shouting like you're calling a ghost?"
In the kitchen, Shen's Mother's irritable voice echoed out.