余生， 请多指教 - Please Guide Me for the Rest of My Life (English Translation)

Chapter 5: Constant Disturbances

Able to give trust, even more able to withstand the waves

July 2010 was a watershed moment* for Gu Wei and me. The previous days had been like the first twenty seconds on a rollercoaster, slowly crawling up the hill and later on, the wind and turmoil coming on repeatedly.

*an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend.

On the third day I was staying at Gu Wei's, it was a weekend and he got called over by Dr. Chen to look for some information, leaving me alone in the apartment, experimenting on my newly learned Chinese yam and pork soup. Just as I was peeling the skin off the Chinese yams with my hands covered in sticky liquid, the doorbell rang. Thinking that I would be Gu Wei, I went to open the door without any preparation.

"....."

"...."

The other person smiled, "Lin Zhixiao right? I'm Gu Wei's mom."

"Hi Auntie."

I felt as if my mind was like the water in the pot, boiling over....

Why was my hair disheveled? Why was I wearing Gu Wei's t-shirt? Why are my hands covered in sticky liquid? Why did I not receive any notice about this?

Gu Wei's mom said, "His dad had some business to do in this area, so I just came here to take a look. What soup are you making?"

"Chinese yam, tomato, diced pork. Drinking it during the summer helps to increase one's appetite."

Gu Wei's mom smiled and nodded. Then she pulled out items from the shopping bag one at a time, and put them away neatly. My hand went into my pocket. After I quickly hit Gu Wei's speed dial, I forced myself to continue peeling the Chinese yam calmly.

After half an hour, Gu Wei opened the door and said, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Gu Wei's mom said, "You really came back on the dot for dinner."

Gu Wei smiled, "Ah, Xiaoxiao is here."

"Tsk," Gu Wei's mom lightly tapped his shoulder, turned around and smiled at me saying, "Xiaoxiao, don't spoil him."

I replied, "I won't...."

Gu Wei changed into slippers, and lifted the lid of the rice cooker, "Mom, are you having lunch with us at noon?"

"No, your dad and I have something to do back home." Gu Wei's mom turned to me, "Xiaoxiao, you should come over to our place whenever you're free."

Gu Wei squeezed my hand. I obediently nodded my head.

After the door closed, I leaned against the wall and let out a deep breath. Gu Wei reached out and nestled his face close to mine and asked, "Nervous?"

"I already stopped being nervous....."

While eating, I asked Gu Wei about his parents' careers.

"My dad is also a doctor. My mom is a teacher."

"A teacher?" I was quite surprised at this. "My grandma is also a teacher, how come her style is so different from your mom?"

The old lady was rather sharp, however, Gu Wei's mom was obviously more gentle.

"They taught different materials I guess. What does your grandma teach?"

"WeiJin North and South Period literature."

"Oh. My mom teaches clinical anesthesiology."

"....." I put my hand on my forehead, "You can really just tell me straightforwardly that your family are all doctors!"