Film and television started from Yan Jiecheng in the Siheyuan

"Dad, do you have any plans today?"

Seeing that Mark was dressed neatly on the weekend and had changed into a new suit, Mary asked Mark.

"Um...yeah, I have to go out."

It has been decided to go to Wang Xiaomi to meet Wang Lanfang. This should be done as soon as possible. If you go early, at least you can have a good attitude.

Taking advantage of the weekend when he had nothing to do, Mark decided to go over and show up to see how Wang Lanfang felt about him.

"It's almost noon now. What should I do if you leave?"

"Aren't you going out with your classmates today?"

"How can I go out every weekend? I have an old father like you at home."

Mali was going to stay at home on the weekend, and the previous cold war was completely over.

"Then you just wait for me to come back. I will do my best. But even if I come as soon as possible, I won't be back for lunch. You can go to your grandmother's house for lunch. Didn't she miss you?"

"Are you going on another date? Wang Xiaomi doesn't have to go to work today?"

"I'll tell you in detail when I come back."

It would take Mark quite a while to get there, so he didn't want to waste any more time, so he just went out.

"Drip."

After arriving at Wang Xiaomi's neighborhood, Wang Xiaomi was already waiting for Mark at the intersection.

Although Mark had sent Wang Xiaomi home many times, he had never gone upstairs.

"Uncle, where did you get a new car? You said you were here, so I kept looking at the cars passing by, but I didn't see any. I was about to send you a message, but I didn't expect you had a new car."

In order to appease Mary, Mark had resumed commuting by bicycle, and after driving the Cayenne home, it had been gathering dust in the garage.

I came to meet my mother-in-law today, and in order not to embarrass Wang Xiaomi, this car finally came in handy.

"I'll explain the car matter to you when I have time. Please help me get my things."

After Mark gets off the car, he needs to take out the gifts first.

Wang Xiaomi's family has no men, so it's not easy to give her cigarettes and alcohol. Ordinary gifts are not valuable and don't seem to have much sincerity, so Mark can only buy her some more supplements.

"Come on, you bought so many things."

It filled up Wang Xiaomi and Mark’s four hands, just enough to take all the gifts.

"The more courtesy you give, the less blame you will get. I just want your mother to be more polite."

Mark explained that he should take more things because Wang Lanfang might not give him a bad face as soon as she entered the door.

"Xiaomi, is this your friend?"

Wang Xiaomi's house has a staircase. Before she reached her house, an old man coming down the stairs greeted her.

"Uncle Zhang, this is my boyfriend. I'll introduce him to you when I have time. Let's go back to see my mother first."

Wang Xiaomi was obviously very familiar with this old man and responded warmly.

The neighborhood relationship in a walk-up apartment is inherently more familiar than that in an elevator apartment.

Consider that Wang Xiaomi’s family is native to Beijing.

The community is also a resettlement housing area, with quite a few relocated households.

Before living in the community, these neighbors had been neighbors for many years.

Neighbors are familiar with each other, so it is normal for them to visit each other frequently.

"Is this Dr. Zhang's uncle?"

After he could no longer see anyone, Mark asked Wang Xiaomi.

"It's him." Wang Xiaomi's face darkened when he mentioned this.

Helping Dai Anfen, but settling the score actually didn't achieve anything.

After Dr. Zhang was exposed, he went to the United States with his fiancée.

Of course, it is also possible that he did not go. In any case, he did not dare to show up in the capital and could not be found.

"Hey, this old man couldn't have just come out of your house?"

"He just came out of our house. When I went downstairs to pick you up, he was still at my house."

"This old man looks okay, how come he has such a nephew?"

Even Dr. Zhang is not only the old man’s nephew, but also his adopted son, a child raised by the old man.

Mark was willing to say that the old man was nice because the old man was the same type of person as Mark.

The old man's hair has turned gray, and he looks to be over 60, which is the age for retirement.

He is still thinking about Wang Lanfang, who is in her forties. Just like Mark is thinking about Wang Xiaomi, there seems to be no difference between them as they are only a dozen years apart in age.

If the old man can handle Wang Xiaomi’s mother.

This is undoubtedly helpful for Wang Xiaomi's mother to accept the age difference between Mark and Wang Xiaomi.

"We're here." Due to the limitation of the stairs, the house could not be very tall. Wang Xiaomi's house had six floors in total, and she lived on the third floor. It only took a few steps and a few words to reach Wang Xiaomi's house.

"Then let's go in." Looking at the hesitant Wang Xiaomi, Mark encouraged.

"Mom, we are here."

Wang Xiaomi opened the door, poked her head out and shouted.

"That's good that you're here. Come in." Then Mark heard the voice of a middle-aged woman that sounded quite enthusiastic.

"Hello auntie."

After Mark went in, he shouted to the woman.

If this woman was not Wang Xiaomi's mother, Mark would definitely call her "big sister" because the two of them are less than ten years older than each other.

"Hello." After seeing Mark's face, Wang Lanfang was stunned for two seconds before she came back to her senses.

Mark's face is handsome, but it has nothing to do with youth.

Even Mark has been paying attention to skin care recently and his skin is in good condition.

But no one would think he was under thirty, at least over thirty-five.

It's obvious that there's at least a decade of difference between him and Wang Xiaomi.
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, not a token of my respect."

"Just put it there." After seeing Mark's age, Wang Lanfang's enthusiasm disappeared instantly, and she just said politely, "Sit down."

Leaving Mark sitting in the living room, Wang Lanfang pulled Wang Xiaomi into the kitchen, and the mother and daughter began to whisper.

After waiting for a few minutes, the two of them came out of the kitchen together.

She invited Mark to dinner, and after a brief conversation between the two, Wang Lanfang reluctantly accepted the issue of Mark's age.

"Mark, right?"

"Yes."

"I heard from Xiaomi that you are a teacher?"

Wang Lanfang's attitude towards this question is okay. The profession of teacher is always a plus.

The lower line is not low, the upper line is quite high, and the social status is not low.

Of course, the upper and lower lines are directly related to the level of the school.

"Middle school physical education teacher."

To avoid Wang Lanfang having any unrealistic expectations, Mark said directly.

Wang Lanfang is also a traditional person. When her daughter's boyfriend comes to visit, the first thing that is inevitable is to adjust the household registration.

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-five and sixty months."

"How big is this?" Wang Lanfang, as a pork stall owner, was very good at math and quickly realized, "Isn't that forty?"

"Yes, you are right. You are really good at math." Mark smiled.

"You're already forty and still not married?"

"Divorced." Mark said directly. Divorced is better than not getting married because others think there is something wrong with you.

"Divorced?" Surprised, Wang Lanfang glared at Wang Xiaomi, expressing her dissatisfaction. She didn't explode directly, proving that Wang Lanfang was well-mannered. She continued to ask, "Then why did you get divorced?"

"Emotional discord."

Mark could only say this in general terms, and it was difficult to come up with other reasons.

"If there is a disagreement in the relationship, then you will get divorced. Then if you and Xiaomi have a disagreement in the future or have some quarrels or something awkward, will you also get divorced?" Wang Lanfang asked.

"Mom, can you please think of something good for us? We haven't even started yet, why do you think we're not getting along? It's impossible for us to not get along."

Seeing that Wang Lanfang became more and more embarrassed the more she asked, Wang Xiaomi interrupted.

"Shut up, this is not a small matter. In life, we only want good things, not bad things. What if bad things happen? Do you have anywhere to cry?"

Wang Lanfang scolded Wang Xiaomi.

The more questions he asked, the angrier he became. Mark was a stranger, so Wang Lanfang was still able to exercise some restraint. She had no scruples at all towards Wang Xiaomi.

"How can you decide a relationship in one word? You have to spend time together to know if it's right for you. If the relationship can't be sustained, it's definitely better for the two of you to separate than to torture each other together."

Mark stopped Wang Xiaomi with his eyes and expressed his own views on love to Wang Lanfang.

"Do you have a kid?"

"Both sons and daughters."

After hearing this, Wang Lanfang became even angrier. No one wants their daughter to become someone else's stepmother: "Mark... Teacher Ma, you also have a daughter. If your daughter grows up and finds a boyfriend like you, would you agree?"

"I won't agree to that."

Mark replied without hesitation, he could just hit the man's leg and break it.

Wang Xiaomi is a single parent, which is an advantage at this time. A mother can handle it alone. If his father were still alive, Mark would have a harder time.

"If you don't agree, do you think I will agree?"

"No," Mark replied.

This was something that was expected before coming here, so for Mark, it was not a disappointment at all.

No surprises, but pretty much in line with expectations.

"Whether you agree or not, it's okay as long as I'm willing." Wang Xiaomi expressed his support to Mark, which touched Mark a little.

"What do you want? You are stupid. I don't know what sin I committed in my previous life to give birth to a stupid child like you." After scolding Wang Xiaomi, Wang Lanfang started to chase Mark away:
"Teacher Ma, you already know my attitude. I won't keep this meal for you. Just go back to where you came from."

Wang Lanfang had already started to chase people away, so it was impossible for Mark to stay there.

Just come here and meet him, and it means the mission is accomplished.

Compared with Ling Mingyu's attitude, Mark felt that Wang Lanfang's attitude was nothing.

It is within the scope of normal human logic and can be understood by Mark.

"Uncle, uncle, I'm sorry, I really didn't know my mother would be like this."

After Mark came out, Wang Xiaomi was afraid that Mark would be angry, so she followed him out.

"You don't need to apologize to me. The most important thing for you now is to please your mother."

Mark is actually fine, but Wang Xiaomi will definitely suffer a lot and be taught a lesson by Wang Lanfang.

"She's already like this, should I still coax her?"

Wang Xiaomi also seemed to be very angry.

"Why are you so angry? You asked me to come here, and it would be fine if it just pissed off your mother, but why are you angry too?"

"How can I not be angry when she treats you like this? I will settle the score with her when I get back."

Wang Xiaomi has never been a good girl who listens to her mother.

Although it is not Wang Xiaomi's normal practice to argue with me, it is also not something he would not do.

"You should also understand your mother. There is indeed such a big age gap between me and you. You need to give her time to accept it."

Mark advised Wang Xiaomi not to confront Wang Lanfang.

The biggest difference between the two mothers is that Wang Lanfang really cares about Wang Xiaomi and there is no need to talk back.

"I can give her time, but if she still can't accept it, what should we do?"

"Be prepared for a protracted war. Once she sees our true feelings, there will be a day when she will understand us."

To put it nicely is understanding; to put it bluntly is compromise.

Mark was not in a hurry. He was enjoying the process of falling in love and had time to wait for Wang Lanfang to slowly accept it.

Of course, if he really can't wait, Mark won't be stubborn.

When Mark wanted to take the relationship to the next level, Wang Lanfang had to accept it even if she didn't want to.

"Uncle, I can't come to see you?" Wang Xiaomi sent a message to Mark.

"what happened?"

"My mother won't let me go out."

"Then you should rest at home. You should rest at home on the weekend."

Mark had always been against working on weekends.

When you rest and watch others work, you will feel extremely happy.

But when others are resting and I am working, the feeling of loss will double.

The situation is a bit worse with the pet shop, which had already fired its salesperson Anfen.

Wang Xiaomi was also locked up at home by Wang Lanfang and was not allowed to go out.

The boss Han Jinlong has to do it himself.

Because Mark was going to Wang Xiaomi's house, it was reasonable for Wang Xiaomi to have a day off.

But locking them up at home and not allowing them to go out or go to work is very innocent.

"Lily, is there anything you want to play? Daddy has time to play with you."

After replying to Wang Xiaomi, Mark said to Mary.

With Wang Lanfang holding them back, Mark and Wang Xiaomi will definitely have less time to date.

The free time is just right for Mark and Mary to reconnect.

"Why didn't you go on a date with Wang Xiaomi today? Did you two have a fight?"

For Mary, it was also very unusual that Mark wanted to take her out to play.

Especially on weekends, even if Wang Xiaomi has to go to work, Mark will usually go to the pet shop to accompany her.

"How could the two of us quarrel? I went to Wang Xiaomi's house yesterday, and now Wang Xiaomi is quarreling with her mother."

"You and Wang Xiaomi went to meet her parents, but her mother didn't agree?"

Mali was in the mood to gossip like a little girl.

"..." Mark spread his hands, expressing helplessness and affirmation.

"So that's it for you two, right?"

Judging from Mali's excitement, it seems that she sincerely hopes so.

"Wang Xiaomi and her mother quarreled, how could the two of us be finished? Am I such a weak person as your father? When your grandmother opposed it, did you see me give up?"

Mark also needs to let Mary see his decision.

If Mark hadn't been more determined, Mary would never have wanted to have a stepmother.

Not to mention that Wang Xiaomi and Ma Li have not yet completely reconciled.

"Dad, you are very persistent now. But why didn't I see you persist in sticking with my mom before?" Mary teased Mark.

"Who are you disrespecting? I'm just telling you about this, but I don't expect you to follow my example. It's not right for a child to go against his parents."

Although Mark wanted to teach Mary some good things through words and deeds, sometimes, he couldn't do it. (End of this chapter)