"Who gets this clingy when they're drunk?"
"Wow, Dr. Meng, you look so husband-material in that apron."
Meng Shang's hand paused as he was taking off the apron. The words sounded familiar, and he was about to say something, but then he saw Jiang Ruoqi crossing her arms over her chest with a thoughtful expression.
Meng Shang put the apron down, crossed his arms in imitation, and waited to see what trick she was about to pull.
"I think I've said that to you before." Jiang Ruoqi rubbed her chin, looking down in contemplation.
The living room light cast shadows under her eyelashes, and her long, slightly tousled hair fell over her shoulders, making her look utterly harmless.
Yes, she had said it before, and it did sound familiar to Meng Shang.
Jiang Ruoqi continued airily, "Can't remember though."
"But it doesn't matter. Before, you were pre-made husband material; now, you're the finished product. Comparatively, the current Dr. Meng is definitely more husband-like."
Meng Shang couldn't help but press his forehead. He was almost forgetting what the word "husband" even meant.
"Wash your hands and come eat."
Meng Shang had learned to give up on digging deeper at the right time. In any exchange between them, Jiang Ruoqi was never the one to lose. Experience told him it was better to keep his mouth shut early.
He took the apron and turned back into the kitchen. In the gap between the sliding door and the fridge, there was a plastic hook stuck to the tile.
Meng Shang reached up to hang the apron. His loose home clothes rode up with the movement, exposing the firm muscles around his waist and abdomen.
As a busy surgeon who stayed in shape, Meng Shang had a good physique—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and tight side contours. Jiang Ruoqi didn't get a clear look at whether he had abs, but based on the arm muscles she'd actually touched, she could imagine six-pack abs under his shirt.
But she didn't say anything out loud. From experience, dealing with someone like Meng Shang required direct shots, but too much could backfire. Pushing too hard might annoy him, which wouldn't help their progress.
Anyway, there was plenty of time; Jiang Ruoqi wasn't in a hurry.
"The soup needs to simmer a bit longer. Let's eat first." Meng Shang fetched bowls and chopsticks, gesturing for Jiang Ruoqi to sit.
Time had been tight, so he'd only managed three dishes and a soup, and there was still a pot of pork rib soup simmering on the stove.
Jiang Ruoqi pretended to be highly appreciative, but in reality, she was just pecking at her food without much appetite.
"Something on your mind?" Meng Shang noticed.
Jiang Ruoqi brushed it off. "No, what could be on my mind while eating?"
Liar.
Meng Shang had seen plenty of patients who didn't tell the truth during clinic hours. He had his own way of discerning truth from lies. Even though Jiang Ruoqi put on a good front, he still caught the clues.
But clearly, she didn't want to talk about it.
Or in other words, he wasn't someone she felt she could confide in.
Suddenly, Meng Shang lost his appetite too.
Jiang Ruoqi picked at a chopstickful of rice and chewed slowly, the sweetness of the grain spreading in her mouth. The next moment, her barely touched bowl was covered by a large hand.
She looked up to see Meng Shang exchanging her rice bowl for a soup bowl.
"The stomach is an emotional organ. A person's mood directly affects their appetite." Meng Shang's expression was as impassive as when he was consulting. "Don't force yourself to eat if you can't. Have some soup."
"Is it that obvious?" Jiang Ruoqi took the bowl. "What if I'm on a diet?"
"Do you want my professional opinion as a doctor, or something else?" Meng Shang countered.
Jiang Ruoqi chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not a fan of hearing what doctors say. But since it's Dr. Meng, I'll reluctantly listen to both."
Meng Shang: "..."
She was just buttering him up. Meng Shang could barely keep a straight face.
"It's not that I'm purposely keeping things from you. It's just that this is something I need to handle myself." Jiang Ruoqi's smile turned a bit bitter.
"That was my mom on the phone. She heard I got the marriage license and wants to come see her son-in-law."
"Auntie..." Meng Shang caught himself mid-sentence, realizing the address was wrong. He wasn't used to the new term yet, so he fudged it. "I mean, we can pick a time to go back. No need to trouble the elders to travel all the way here."
Meng Shang knew that Jiang Ruoqi's mother now lived in Huajin City, Su Province, not far from Xinhai. Since he had become Jiang Ruoqi's husband and had married her daughter so "without sincerity," how could he let the elder come to Xinhai?
But Jiang Ruoqi thought otherwise. "Let's wait a while. Everyone's busy lately. Let's focus on Grandma's side first."
Seeing Meng Shang frown again, Jiang Ruoqi quickly explained, afraid he might misunderstand. "It's my issue. I haven't seen my mom in a long time. Whether she comes here or we go back, besides her, I'll have to see her boyfriend. I... I've never really gotten used to meeting him."
The last time Jiang Ruoqi saw Jiang Yun was a year ago, if she thought back.
When Jiang Ruoqi first arrived in Xinhai, she suggested meeting up, but Jiang Yun said she was traveling in southwest China and they'd meet another time. Last Spring Festival, Jiang Ruoqi wanted to go back to see her, but Jiang Yun was spending the holiday at her current partner's place and wanted Jiang Ruoqi to join. Afraid of the awkwardness, Jiang Ruoqi stayed in Gangcheng.
They could still video call anyway. Not meeting was more comfortable for everyone, so why bother?
In Meng Shang's eyes, Jiang Ruoqi was still smiling, but her expression was noticeably dimmer compared to when she was teasing him.
He tried to comfort her. "Having someone with you will ease the awkwardness. I'll go with you."
Jiang Ruoqi said nothing, just lowered her head and drank her soup. The pork rib soup was simmered with goji berries and corn; Meng Shang thought it wasn't done yet, but Jiang Ruoqi couldn't tell.
The warm, sweet broth went down, easing the melancholy she couldn't put into words.
At her age, and perhaps having been burned in this area before, Jiang Ruoqi thought she had learned not to let negative emotions show outwardly.
But the back-to-back calls from her parents today made her realize she was still trapped by family ties, far from being as free-spirited as she imagined.