Chapter 278 A Family Photo Thirty Years Late

Jiang Si originally wanted to go to the kitchen to help, but as soon as she entered the kitchen, she was kicked out by Huo's mother.

"We've got this covered, there's no need for you juniors to help."

Aunt Huo smiled and said, "Yes, it's rare for you to have a holiday. Go and rest in the living room for a while."

Having said that, Jiang Si no longer refused.

Just then, Huo Tingzhou arrived.

"What's wrong? Have the two little ones woken up?" Jiang Si asked.

"No, I just checked, she's still asleep."

Huo Tingzhou said, "It was Tinghuai who contacted you. He wants to schedule an interview with you."

Jiang Si felt quite embarrassed after hearing this.

This interview was originally supposed to be completed last month, but she was busy with design drafts at the time, so she postponed it for a while.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you so long." Once she met the person, Jiang Si explained the matter to them.

"Sister-in-law, you're too kind."

Huo Tinghuai never expected that his cousin-in-law would be involved in the design of the hotel for foreign guests.

It's quite a coincidence that their newspaper received an interview assignment just yesterday.

The task was assigned by the Ministry of Construction, and the interviewee was none other than Comrade Shen Dong, the chief designer of this foreign-related hotel!

It is said that this interview was even published as the front page headline.

It's easy to see how much importance the higher authorities attach to this project.

But now is not the time to talk about this. Huo Tinghuai pushed up his glasses.

"Sister-in-law, this is our interview schedule for this week. See which day you're free so I can prepare in advance."

Jiang Si took it and glanced at it, "How about tomorrow?"

This matter has been dragging on for a month already, and if it drags on any longer, Jiang Si herself will feel embarrassed.

Huo Tinghuai didn't say anything after hearing this, but subconsciously looked at his cousin.

Huo Tingzhou seemed unable to make up his mind for the time being.

And so, a brief silence fell over the room.

Seeing the difficulty on the other person's face, Jiang Si didn't ask any further questions.

He simply said, "If tomorrow is inconvenient, we can reschedule for the day after tomorrow."

"No, not at all." Huo Tinghuai hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Then let's do it tomorrow."

Next, the two discussed some details of the interview.

As is customary, the newspaper will ask some questions.

"Sister-in-law, these are some of the questions you might be asked. You can prepare in advance."

"In addition, the interview time is 10:00 AM tomorrow."

"When the time comes, you and your cousin go directly to the west gate of the newspaper office. I'll be waiting for you there."

Jiang Si was somewhat surprised, "He can come in too?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Finally, Huo Tinghuai added a reminder, "It's best to wear a dark-colored Lenin suit on the day of the interview, and a casual hairstyle is fine."

"Okay, I understand." Jiang Si nodded.

They exchanged a few more words until they heard that Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao had woken up, at which point they ended their conversation.

What were you doing just now?

Back in the room, Jiang Si chuckled and teased, "You two were exchanging glances right in front of me, were you trying to stun me?"

How can this be called flirting?

Huo Tingzhou was helpless, but Jiang Si didn't care.

"What happened?" she asked.

Meeting his daughter-in-law's probing gaze, Huo Tingzhou could only honestly confess, "Their newspaper has another exclusive interview tomorrow morning."

"There's one more?" Jiang Si didn't react for a moment.

Until Huo Tingzhou said, "The interviewee is the chief designer of the international hotel."

"Just interview him."

Jiang Si looked over with amusement, "I already told you, I don't care about these things."

I know you don't care about these things.

Huo Tingzhou wrapped his arms around her from behind, gently stroking the pad of her index finger with his large hand.

He just felt a little sorry for him.

Although Huo Tingzhou didn't say a word, Jiang Si still guessed what he was thinking.

"What can we do then? We can't just steal someone else's design and put my name on it, can we?"

After saying that, Jiang Si patted his hand, "This matter is over, and you are not allowed to mention it again!"

"Let's think about what clothes to wear when we take the family photo this afternoon."

This is the first time their family of four has taken such a formal family photo.

The photo taken on Qiongzhou Island doesn't count; that was just a casual group photo.

"What should I wear?" Jiang Si looked at the closet full of clothes and suddenly felt a little worried.

"Wear this outfit."

Huo Tingzhou picked out a red turtleneck sweater from among the many clothes, chose a long black cashmere coat over it, and a fitted plaid cashmere skirt for the bottom.

The clothes were beautiful and of good quality, but Jiang Si hesitated.

"Would it be inappropriate to wear this?"

"It's okay, I'll just take pictures of myself wearing it at home, nobody will care."

After Huo Tingzhou finished speaking, he took out a red scarf from the cabinet.

And a pair of black Mary Jane shoes.

My wife has only worn this outfit once since we bought it, when we were in Shanghai.

He wanted her to wear it when they got married last year.

But his wife, concerned about the impact, refrained from wearing it.

Thinking of this, Huo Tingzhou's eyes were tempting: "Wife, why don't you give it a try?"

Jiang Si was at the age where she loved beauty, so she couldn't resist such temptation and immediately changed into the new outfit.

Perhaps because of having given birth, apart from being slightly tight around the chest, everything else felt just right.

"It looks great," Huo Tingzhou said sincerely. "Wear this outfit."

"Hmm." Jiang Si was also very satisfied with this set.

Since she could wear it, she stopped worrying about it.

After ordering his own clothes, Huo Tingzhou's clothes were quickly finalized as well.

On formal occasions, she still prefers him to wear a Zhongshan suit or similar clothing.

Of course, with his physique and frame, he looks good in anything.

The two little ones changed into red cotton-padded jackets that their father had bought for them; the style of the jackets was somewhat similar to Tang suits.

The matching tiger-head hats made the two little ones look incredibly cute.

When the family of four came downstairs, the once noisy living room instantly fell silent.

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it, their eyes filled with amazement.

Just now, everyone was chattering about what clothes to wear when taking the family photo later.

That's great, there's no need to discuss it anymore.

The old man made the final decision, "Alright, I think we shouldn't worry about it anymore. Let's just dress like the third son's family."

Grandma Huo smiled and nodded, "I think it's a good idea."

After a lively lunch of hot pot in the old Beijing style, everyone went back to their rooms to rummage through their belongings.

When the photographer from the state-run photography studio arrived, the room was filled with men, women, and children, all dressed smartly and beaming with joy.

Next up is time for photos.

The driver came up and arranged a seat for everyone.

The old man and his wife sat in the middle.

She held Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao in her arms.

Mr. Huo, Mrs. Huo, and Uncle Huo and his wife lived on opposite sides.

The younger generation sat cross-legged in front.

The remaining rooms were arranged in the last two rows.

With a click, this reunion and happiness, more than thirty years overdue, was finally captured in time.

The Huo family home was bustling with activity all afternoon.

After taking several family photos in different styles, it was time for individual photos of each room.

Aside from the Huo family, the happiest person at the entire event was undoubtedly the photographer.

The photo studio was then managed by a state-owned catering service company, although its performance had nothing to do with its employees.

However, in addition to rent, the photo studio also has to pay a certain percentage of taxes every month.

In addition, there's the monthly wear and tear on the film.

This also means that they must guarantee a certain level of revenue in order to maintain operations.

In any case, since their "People's Photo Studio" opened, they have never seen such a generous customer.

Taking color photos is expensive to begin with, and the old man wanted to enlarge them and have them reprinted.

Photography prices in 1964

Photography prices in 1975

The photographer was somewhat frightened when he saw the final calculated number.

Fortunately, before he could even speak, Mr. Huo paid the bill on his own initiative.

There's nothing we can do about it; he got a promotion and a raise this year.

Even without a promotion or a raise, Mr. Huo was still happy to spend the money.

At his age, nothing makes him happier than being reunited with his family.

Jiang Si also felt very happy, and of course, she would be even happier if someone didn't put in so much effort at night.

Fortunately, the important matter wasn't neglected.

The next morning, Huo Tingzhou promptly dropped her off at the west gate of the National Daily News building.

It's hard to say whether it's fate or bad luck, but as soon as Jiang Si got out of the car, she saw the group of people she least wanted to see—