Page 94 of He Is My Bride

“It’s not the flight, Kai commented, “the first thing Li Ying decided to do after returning was to go and get wasted.”

“Hey, it was New Year’s Eve!” Li Ying jabbed back and went to hug his grandmother, then Uncle Qian.

Uncle Qian held him for a while and Li Ying hugged him back very, very hard.

“Welcome back,” Uncle Qian said. “Tell us about your time in Shanghai?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it, but how were your holidays? And you gotta open your presents!” Li Ying picked up the bags and brought them under the Christmas tree that was still up in the corner near the fireplace. There were a few presents there.

“Those are for you,” Amy said.

Together they started unloading all the prezzies, and Li Ying curiously weighed his late haul in his hands, gently shaking, trying to guess what it was.

“Stop being greedy little children, come eat first,” Mrs. Qian said.

They sat around the long table in the dining hall, where Amy and Grandma had set the table. Li Ying began what he’d premeditated he could tell the Qians: he focused on telling which sights he and Anne had visited, describing the city and the vibe in the French Concession at length.

“We went there with some cousins of Hanjun’s, they were super nice.”

“Did you and Anne meet Wu Hanjun’s other family?” Qian Hong asked.

“Yeah. Not for Christmas dinner though, since they were all at work. We were at a mall for the entire Christmas, a mall!At that point I wished I had been here with you guys, but you know, it was an experience.”

“Li Ying is going to go back for Lunar New Year,” Kai said.

“Really?” Amy was surprised.

“Uh, yeah,” Li Ying admitted. “Hanjun offered. I thought why not. You know, I bet the New Year is an awesome affair in Shanghai and I’d like to see it.” Li Ying could tell his whole family was surprised.

“Are you going to attend the Wu reunion dinner as well?” Mrs. Qian asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. “It’s not a good look, going to another person’s family dinner on a special day like that. You ought to be with your own.”

Why am I suddenly ‘your own’ to you, after making me feel like an impostor my whole life?Li Ying thought bitterly. “I thought it would have been rude to refuse.”

“No, youshouldhave refused,” Mrs. Qian said. “Wu Hanjun was probably just being polite when he invited you.”

“That’s what I said,” spoke Kai.

“Well,” Li Ying spoke firmly, “I already said I’m going, and I’m not going back on my word.”

“Being stubborn is not a good trait to have,” Mrs. Qian scolded.

“Li Ying seems to have decided to go,” Qian Hong intervened in his gentle but firm manner. “If Wu Hanjun did invite him, then it shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Maybe someday we could all go to China together,” Amy said hopefully. “Maybe visit the town grandmother is from?”

They talked about grandmother’s old hometown, letting her reminisce as Amy and Li Ying asked her questions about it. After a while, Qian Hong asked Li Ying:

“How is Anne? What was her family name again?”

“Lü, she goes by Anne Lü.”

“So, how are you two doing?”

Li Ying held his hand over his mouth to hold back a laugh, because his mouth was full of soup and he didn’t want to spew everywhere. “What? Uncle, we are just friends! If that’s what you were asking?”

“Hm, I see.” Qian Hong smiled.

“Don’t believe me? Just ask her and she will tell you straight. It’s not like that between us.”