The entire journey was silent.
Their home was not far from Gu’s parents’ place, about a 40-minute drive.
Gu Yanzheng had once offered to buy a new house for his parents, but they were nostalgic and unwilling to leave the home they’d lived in for twenty years, which was conveniently located in the school compound. Under their insistence, Gu Yanzheng had stopped pushing the matter.
Since they had called ahead, Gu’s parents were waiting at home. When they opened the door and handed over their things, Gu’s mother was surprised, “It’s not the weekend. Why aren’t you both working today?”
“Mom, we’ve been too busy recently and haven’t come to see you. I hope you don’t blame us!” Song Yunhua affectionately put her arm around the older woman’s shoulders. “We came today to accompany you!”
“We know you’re busy, we don’t blame you!” Gu’s mother was overjoyed. Their son and daughter-in-law were rarely seen, and their visits were always in a rush. Today, they unexpectedly came together, so how could the parents not be happy?
The three chatted in the living room, while Gu’s father sat alone working on a chess setup, looking happy despite pretending to be nonchalant.
Yanzheng smiled and walked over, “Dad, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? I’m playing chess,” the old man said without looking up.
Yanzheng sat down, “It’s not fun playing alone. How about I join you for a game?”
“You?” Gu’s father looked at him over his reading glasses, “You’re not my match!
“Ahem,” Yanzheng pursed his lips, “Don’t discourage the enthusiasm of the people! Haven’t you heard the saying ‘look at someone with new eyes after not seeing them for just three days’?”
The old man suddenly became interested, “Okay, I’ll play a game with my son!”
The two men began to set up the chess board. Gu’s mother began to inquire about their recent situation, and Song Yunhua answered without revealing any hint of abnormality in their marriage.
Suddenly, Gu Yunzhi declared “Checkmate!”, bringing the game to an end. “Hey, you little rascal!” The old man was stunned, “How did you checkmate me?”
Yunzhi chuckled, “Dad, how was that? Your son isn’t bad, right?”
