Chapter 57: When Are You Having Children?

As soon as we went downstairs, I saw a middle-aged man and woman sitting on the living room sofa, watching us. The man looked to be around fifty, with sharp features, a slightly thin face, and a hooked nose that gave off a shrewd, calculating impression. Dressed in a black suit, he certainly had an eye-catching charm—it was clear he must have been quite handsome in his youth. This was definitely Shuyan’s father, Shuke Tanaka.

Seated beside him was a woman in her forties. Her facial features carried faint traces of Shuyan, making it obvious at a glance that she was Shuyan’s mother, Shulin Tanaka. This legendary "mother-in-law" wore a professional suit, looking sharp and capable. Even though she had a daughter as old as Shuyan, she was remarkably well-preserved—at a quick glance, she looked to be only in her early thirties. It seemed Shuyan had inherited her good looks from her mother; though I had no idea whose fiery temper she had picked up.

The moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shuyan ran over to the attractive middle-aged woman like a little child, taking her arm and shaking it playfully. "Mom, why did you and Dad only just get back?"

Holding Shuyan’s hand with a smile, the woman replied, "We usually get back even later than this and I don’t hear you saying anything. Were you just in a hurry to introduce this young man to your mother?" As she spoke, a pair of sharp phoenix eyes turned toward me, sizing me up closely.

Realizing it was time to step forward and greet them, I walked over with a polite smile. "Hello, Mrs. Tanaka. My name is Fuitsu. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Shuyan added from the side, "Fuitsu, this is my father. Dad, this is Fuitsu!"

I quickly greeted the middle-aged man as well. Shuyan’s father merely offered a faint nod, showing little warmth. I had already anticipated this—there’s truth to the saying that a father-in-law never gives a prospective son-in-law a warm face. After all, when a father works so hard to raise a daughter only for someone to sweep her off her feet, there’s bound to be a bit of reluctance or discontent!

Shuyan’s mother, on the other hand, seemed very interested in me. She smiled and said, "Ah, what a good boy. Come, sit down! How is your college life?"

"The university has provided great living conditions, and I’m not a picky eater, so everything has been wonderful. Thank you for asking, Mrs. Tanaka!" For some reason, seeing Shuyan’s mother made me nervous. It was probably because Shuyan had described her as so formidable beforehand, leaving me utterly without confidence!

At that moment, Professor Shuji spoke up like an excited child, calling out to us, "Shulin, you stay here and chat with Fuitsu. Shuke, come up to the study with me—I have a magnificent treasure to show you that will definitely blow your mind!" With that, he pulled Shuyan’s father by the arm and led him back upstairs.

Shuyan’s mother watched Professor Shuji in confusion and asked Shuyan, "What’s gotten into your grandfather today? He’s never usually like this!"

Shuyan covered a smile and said, "Mom, don’t worry about Grandfather. Fuitsu gave him a gift today that he loves to death, so now he’s dragging Dad up to show it off!" With that, Shuyan pulled the set of cosmetics I had bought out of a nearby bag and handed it to her mother. "Mom, Fuitsu bought this for you. He wishes you to stay forever young!"

Taking the cosmetics with a smile, Shuyan’s mother said to me, "You polite child, coming over as a guest is enough! Why did you spend money buying gifts? Don’t do it again, alright?" Though she feigned a mild scolding, it was clear she was very pleased with the present.

I smiled modestly and replied, "You’re far too kind, Mrs. Tanaka. As a junior, it’s only right for me to show my respect. Otherwise, if my parents found out, they’d scold me for lacking manners!"

At the mention of my parents, Shuyan’s mother opened up the conversation: "What do your parents do for a living? Are they in good health?"

"My parents are ordinary workers. They’re in great health—so much so that if they go a single day without working, they feel restless!"

"Ah, children raised in ordinary families are always mature and reliable. Back then, I only married Mimi’s father because I saw how honest and dependable he was. Once our lives improved, we had this precious girl, and we never let her suffer any hardships—which is precisely how she developed this tyrannical, bratty temper of hers! Fuitsu, you’ll have to yield to her a bit in the future." Shuyan’s mother looked at Shuyan with doting affection.

"Mom! Why do you always talk bad about me in front of outsiders? When have I ever been a tyrannical brat? If anything, Fuitsu is always the one picking on me!" Shuyan shook her mother’s arm, whining in protest.

"I gave birth to you, do you think I don’t know you? When have you ever let anyone pick on you? Fuitsu looks so honest and well-behaved, how could he possibly pick on you? Fuitsu, if she ever picks on you in the future, just tell me and I’ll handle her!" Shuyan’s mother flicked Shuyan gently on the nose.

For a moment, I was at a complete loss for words and could only stand there awkwardly.

"Fuitsu, I heard people say you were this year’s top scorer in the National Exam? That’s truly impressive! So you’re currently placed in Mimi’s class, right?" Shuyan’s mother asked.

"Yes. The President mentioned testing out a new educational model on me, allowing me to major in four disciplines during my undergraduate studies with a direct path to postgraduate research. So for now, I’m in Shu... Mimi’s class!" Calling her "Mimi" felt so terribly awkward.

Shuyan’s mother nodded in satisfaction and smiled warmly. "Fuitsu is truly capable, calling her Mimi so naturally! It seems your relationship is developing quite well. Have you two kissed yet?"

That single question made both of us turn bright red. Talk about "like parent, like child"—the daughter was wild, but the mother wasn’t one to play around either! I truly hadn’t expected a mother to ask her daughter’s boyfriend a question like that.

Shuyan immediately revolted, crying out in embarrassment, "Mom! How can you ask something like that? I’m only twenty-three! Isn’t that totally embarrassing?"

Ignoring Shuyan entirely, her mother turned back to me with a smile. "Fuitsu, how old are you this year?"

Shuyan frantically flashed two fingers at me from behind her mother’s back, signaling me to say I was twenty. I froze for a moment, not wanting to stay tangled up in this lie. If her mother disapproved of me due to an age gap, that would actually be my ticket out! With that thought in mind, I pretended not to see Shuyan’s hand signals and answered truthfully, "I’m eighteen this year, turning nineteen soon."

Sure enough, upon hearing my age, Shuyan’s mother instantly knitted her brows, while Shuyan glared at me venomously before turning back to look nervously at her mother.

I chuckled inwardly: I agreed to come meet your mother, but if she looks down on me, there’s nothing I can do about it. That won’t count as breaking my promise!

However, her mother’s next words caught me completely off guard and left me between laughter and tears: "You are a bit young, but as long as you two genuinely like each other, Mimi’s father and I won’t oppose you. College students are allowed to get married nowadays anyway, and your situation is different from ordinary students. In another two or three years, we can use some connections to adjust your registered age so you can get married. Then I’ll finally get to hold a grandson!"

I nearly bit my tongue off. You can do that?! This mother is even more intense than the daughter!

Shuyan jumped up in a panic, shouting, "Mom! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?! Getting married and having kids? How could you even think of that! Me, having his kids? That is absolutely out of the question!"

Damn it, as if I’d want that either! I thought bitterly to myself.

Shuyan’s mother remained completely calm and unhurried. "A woman is meant to become a mother eventually. Ever since you graduated, I’ve been longing to hold a grandchild. But you’ve grown accustomed to running wild outside, never properly dating a boyfriend. When I set you up on blind dates, you called them tacky and refused to go! Now that someone is finally willing to take you off my hands, of course I’m anxious! Your Fifth Aunt’s daughter already has a child who can walk, yet you’re not even worried!"

"Mom! She’s twenty-five, of course she should be having kids! I’m only twenty-three!" Shuyan said, rolling her eyes.

"Didn’t she get married at twenty-three too? And didn’t I marry your father when I was twenty-two? I’ve seen the man she picked—he’s decent-looking, but anyone can tell he’s just a pretty boy with no substance. Fuitsu here is miles better than him! Plus, my Mimi is so pretty, any child you two have will definitely look better than theirs. Every time I see your Fifth Aunt parading that child around in front of me, I get annoyed! When the time comes, we definitely have to outshine them!" Shuyan’s mother stated matter-of-factly.

Listening to this, cold sweat broke out all over me. My heart really couldn’t take much more of this!