Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 64 - 61: The Third Party Who Ruins Relationships (Extra for @Lust Emperor’s Dad, the Second Alliance Hierarch)

Chapter 64: Chapter 61: The Third Party Who Ruins Relationships (Extra for @Lust Emperor’s Dad, the Second Alliance Hierarch)

"Dad, have you and Mom arrived at the hotel yet?" Yan Yan called Yan Dabang.

"Not yet." Yan Dabang released his wife’s hand, holding the phone with one hand and answering the call with the other.

Yan Dabang had promised to call Yan Yan as soon as they got back to the hotel, but she had been waiting for a long time without the phone ringing.

"Ah? Are you guys lost? Where are you now? Are there any landmarks around? I’ll come find you right away," Yan Yan asked, quite worried.

"How could we get lost just walking around? Your dad’s sense of direction is good, you know. Your mom and I are just taking a leisurely walk before heading back," Yan Dabang felt that Yan Yan was just fretting over nothing.

"Oh, I see, then take your time walking. Bao Bao said there are houses to look at in Hawthorn and Toorak tomorrow. Should we make an appointment to see the houses first tomorrow, or should we go play in the areas around Melbourne?" Yan Yan quickly asked about the next day’s plans for her mom and dad.

When Yan Yan first came to Melbourne to study, she didn’t rent a place of her own but did a homestay with an Australian architect couple.

Living in a homestay naturally isn’t as free as renting your own place, but it does have many benefits.

For one thing, it allows you to integrate into the local life faster, and for another, it prevents you from feeling completely alienated in a foreign country, which is common for kids studying abroad alone.

The first time Yan Yan returned from Melbourne to her home country, she told Yan Dabang that her Homestay Father said many Australian families and churches hold the idea that children are the "third party" between parents.

Yan Dabang thought it was quite funny when he heard that.

However, the timing of Yan Yan’s call just now made him understand what it meant to be the "third party" that can disrupt a couple’s relationship.

But the number of domestic couples who truly understand this saying, especially among the older generation, is very few.

Most parents have only one concept—everything for the child.

"Your daughter is asking whether we should go sightseeing nearby tomorrow or go house-hunting first?" Yan Dabang asked Lu Bingran for her opinion.

As Yan Dabang spoke, he took his now-free hand and affectionately took his wife’s hand again.

"Tell Yan Yan to ask her classmate Bao Bao when it’s convenient to take us to see the houses. It doesn’t matter to us whether we go sooner or later," Lu Bingran could have spoken directly to Yan Yan.

But at this moment, she wanted her husband to be the one to convey her message.

"Your mom says..." Yan Dabang was more than willing to be his wife’s mouthpiece.

"I’ve already heard what Mom said. Haven’t you two been walking a bit too long? You’re grown up; how can you still be so thoughtless? The temperature difference between day and night in Melbourne is significant. Don’t just wander around outside with my mom," Yan Yan felt the transmission Yan Dabang was about to make was completely unnecessary.

"Okay, boss, I understand," Yan Dabang cooperated with Yan Yan’s slightly "parental" manner of speaking.

"Mm, good you know," Yan Yan confirmed her dad’s response and then continued, "Bao Bao is probably free tomorrow, so let’s go house-hunting first. You two should head back early and get some sleep, be good, got it?"

"Alright, your mom and I will wait for your call tomorrow." Since arriving in Melbourne, Yan Dabang was quite accustomed to his daughter’s inverted way of addressing elders.

...............

"Your parents have a really good relationship," Shen Xi said without a hint of sarcasm while talking with Yan Yan.

"They have a good relationship? They’re always picking on each other; they could argue endlessly even over trivial matters.

My mom complains that my dad only knows about technology, and my dad grumbles that my mom only cares about dressing up.

The two of them act younger and younger, like kids that haven’t grown up, making one utterly speechless," Yan Yan didn’t quite agree with Shen Xi’s comment.

"Arguing over trifles is called the spice of life. Real troubles in a relationship come from those who never argue over little things, and never agree on the big ones. They look harmonious on the surface, but in reality, they’re emotionally estranged," Shen Xi shared her perspective.

"Shen Xi, you’re speaking strangely today, almost like you’ve become an expert on family issues," Yan Yan sat down next to Shen Xi.

Bao Bao was taking a shower right now; otherwise, Bao Bao would have noticed something was off with Shen Xi even earlier.

"It’s the New Year, can’t I get a little sentimental?" Shen Xi said, sounding somewhat forlorn.

"Have you called your parents yet?" Yan Yan asked Shen Xi.

"I did, but they didn’t answer," Shen Xi replied, noticeably lacking her usual carefree demeanor.

"What about your brother and your sister? Did they not answer either?" Yan Yan continued to inquire.

"We’re not allowed to bring mobile phones to the dinner table for the New Year’s Eve meal, so I only called the home phone," Shen Xi said, looking down at her own mobile phone.

"So, you haven’t managed to get in touch with your family at all today?" Yan Yan regretted her words as soon as she spoke them, feeling like she was bringing up exactly the wrong thing.

"No," Shen Xi lifted her head and put her phone to the side.

"Come here, give me a hug," Yan Yan opened her arms, intending to give Shen Xi a comforting hug.

"Don’t bother, I don’t need your hug. If I hadn’t seen the feast you and your parents made, I might not have even remembered it’s the New Year," Shen Xi retorted with some stubbornness, though her tone had lightened somewhat.

"My parents are quite rare; if everyone were like the two of them, who knows what the world would be like," Yan Yan tried to reassure Shen Xi.

"Maybe," Shen Xi’s mood showed no signs of improving.

Yan Yan didn’t know how to comfort Shen Xi, who seemed a little different from usual, but fortunately, Bao Bao finished showering and came out from the room at that moment.

Yan Yan returned to her own room, picked up her phone, and sent a message to Bao Bao: If you’re going to call home later, it’s best not to do it in front of Shen Xi. I’m afraid it might upset that silly girl.

Between love and affection, freedom and obedience, there are too many issues that can’t seem to find a perfect solution.

.........

note 1:

Homestay means living (Stay) in someone else’s home (Home).

The male host of the house is the Homestay Father, and the female host is the Homestay Mother.

Students under eighteen years of age must stay in a Homestay when traveling to Australia alone, as it provides a local guardian.

A Homestay is the fastest way for a student to integrate into the local culture, and families offering Homestays vary in level.

In terms of price, it’s typically more expensive than living in school dormitories.

If one is not proficient in English and the main goal is to learn the language,

it’s best to find a family with a six- or seven-year-old child for a Homestay.

Children of this age don’t have a large vocabulary, but they can use their limited words to express everything around them.

With such a child as a "tutor," one’s English speaking skills can improve by leaps and bounds.