It wasn’t just Ye Youyou. Even Li Jinnan was shocked. At the exact same moment, both of them stiffened.

  Ye Youyou pushed him off her immediately before scrambling out to bed to put on some clothes. Li Jinnan was a lot calmer and steadier.

  He saw how panicked Ye Youyou looked and said, “Don’t panic. It might not be my mom.”


  Ye Youyou was rummaging through her clothes and didn’t bother to look back as she asked, “Why are you still talking and not opening the door?”


  Li Jinnan lazily crawled out of bed. He found a random house garment and put it on before leisurely ambling to the door.

  The doorbell was still ringing successively. As Li Jinnan made his way over slowly, he called out, “Coming! Who’s there?”


  Qin Shuhua had been kept waiting at the door for some time, so her annoyance was growing. She looked at the time and suppressed her displeasure as she replied, “Rascal! Hurry up and open the door!”


  When Li Jinnan opened the door, he looked like he was still half asleep. Especially when he saw Qin Shuhua, he looked as if he had been taken by surprise.

  “Mom, why are you here so early?” he asked.

  Qin Shuhua saw his demeanor and quietly pulled him aside to ask, “Where is the lady? Is she with you?”


  “Yeah.” Li Jinnan yawned a few times. “You’re here way too early. You told me you were coming today, but you didn’t tell me what time.”


  That was what Qin Shuhua had planned to do all along. Since the lady was living together with her son, any prior warning would render her mission useless. If she wanted to see the real face of her future daughter-in-law, she had no choice but to carry out a surprise spot-check.

  Qin Shuhua looked in and asked, “Where is she? Where did she go? Is she still asleep?”


  “Yeah. It’s so early, and it’s not like we have to farm or chop firewood. If we’d woken up this early, we’d be lazing around. We might as well sleep in instead.” Li Jinnan headed to the kitchen to wash his hands. He poured Qin Shuhua a glass of warm water and asked, “You came alone?”


  “Of course! Did you actually think your father would come?” Qin Shuhua looked as if he had just asked a ridiculous question. She took the glass of water from Li Jinnan’s hand and asked, “Did the lady know that I was coming?”


  “I didn’t tell her.” Li Jinnan lied without batting an eyelid. “I wanted to give her a surprise, but you spoiled it by coming so early and turning the surprise into a shock.”


  When Qin Shuhua heard that, she looked at her son accusatorily and replied, “How could you not say anything beforehand? That’s so unbecoming of you!”


  “You aren’t doing too badly yourself.” Li Jinnan nudged her toward the couch. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. Give me a moment, Mom. Let me wash up.”


  “Hurry up!” Qin Shuhua smiled until her eyes became slits. Her happiness was evident, “So, you’re now living together? How long as it been?”


  “Not too long,” Li Jinnan replied. “I’ll tell you more later!”


  “Alright. Alright!” Qin Shuhua watched him as he disappeared inside.

  She quickly got up to take a look around. The surroundings had been decorated according to the Li Jinnan’s tastes. It was extremely simple. However, there seemed to be a few additions that hinted of a feminine influence. Li Jinnan would never have displayed such décor on his own.

  For example, there was a decorative doll on the bookshelf by the wall. Additionally, there was a beautiful photo frame on the display cabinet and an oil painting hanging on the wall. Most importantly, the surroundings were clean and spotless.

  Qin Shuhua looked inside and decided that it would be some time before Li Jinnan re-emerged. She walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was the best gauge in determining if a woman was virtuous and clean or not.

  Li Jinnan couldn’t cook. That meant the cooking chores would fall into the hands of his woman.