That evening, dark clouds covered the sky, and heavy snowflakes were falling.
The heavy snow kept falling, covering the sky and the ground. The lights of thousands of houses melted into the cold night. Lin Zhixia stared at the scene outside the window in a trance, muttering to herself, "I haven't been home for a long time."
The steaming food filled the dining table. Mom poured Lin Zhixia a bowl of soup and said with emotion, "Your dad talks about you every two days, worried that you're suffering out there. In the next two years, whenever Xia Xia wants to go home, just tell us and we'll pay for your plane ticket."
Lin Zhixia held the soup bowl and said, "Mom, I can buy my own ticket."
"How much money is there in Xia Xia's piggy bank?" Dad asked.
Lin Zhixia said frankly: "My annual salary as a postdoctoral fellow is $100,000."
The entire living room fell into silence.
After several seconds, Dad asked, "One hundred thousand dollars? Can Xia Xia earn one hundred thousand dollars a year?"
Based on the foreign exchange rate in January 2014, US$100,000 is approximately equal to RMB 610,000.
Lin Zhixia just turned 19 and was able to earn an annual salary of more than 600,000 yuan, which shocked her parents and brother. Her plan was also very clear: "I will graduate with a Ph.D. in the second half of this year and go to MIT to do a postdoctoral fellowship for a year. I will return to China in October next year. I can use the money I save to buy a new house. I want to live near the university town."
"Housing prices have gone up in recent years. The area in University Town is a school district house," Dad opened a bottle of white wine, "and the price is very expensive. One square meter costs more than 30,000 yuan."
Lin Zhixia said excitedly: "I can pay the down payment first and then take out a loan. When I get a teaching position, the school will also give me a settlement allowance. I want to buy a large house of more than 200 square meters for our whole family to live in."
"Buying a big house" is also Lin Zeqiu's goal.
Lin Zeqiu took two mouthfuls of rice absentmindedly.
Dad tilted his head back and gulped down half a glass of white wine. Mom pulled his sleeve and said, "Drink less. You are not young anymore. You need to pay attention to your health."
"I'm so happy. I'm so happy in my heart," Dad's eyes were red and his voice was getting higher and higher, "Our Xia Xia is so promising."
Intoxicated, Dad held chopsticks and babbled, "When Dad was young, he worked in the village farming. He could only study when he had free time. There was no table at home, so Dad had to lie on the earthen bed to do his homework... At that time, Dad thought that he would move to the city in his lifetime. How could he dare to think that his daughter could go to Peking University or Cambridge, or buy a big house of more than 200 square meters..."
Lin Zhixia shyly reminded her father: "I haven't bought a house yet, I just have a plan."
Dad woke up from his dream: "If you buy a house next year, your parents will give you some money."
The mother passed a chicken drumstick to Lin Zhixia and said, "The down payment for a big house is also quite a lot of money. Let's buy a small one first and let Xia Xia live there. She can come back a few times a week to have a meal and sleep. Mom and Dad can also take care of you."
Lin Zhixia said firmly: "No, no, no, I want to buy a big set. I can afford it."
Lin Zeqiu reminded her: "You can't become rich overnight. A big house also brings a lot of pressure."
The north wind howled, the falling snow rustled, and Lin Zhixia felt much more relaxed in her warm home. She picked up a piece of tender beef, dipped it in the soup carefully, and put it into Lin Zeqiu's bowl: "Brother, eat beef."
Lin Zeqiu's favorite dish is stir-fried beef with green peppers. He never gets tired of this dish.
He took a bite of beef, and Lin Zhixia revealed: "I have a senior schoolmate who was selected for the 'Thousand Youth Talents Plan'."
"Is it Qingqian?" Lin Zeqiu asked.
Lin Zhixia began to talk about the treatment of "Qingqian" talents: "Yes, the state provides a one-time subsidy of 500,000 yuan to "Qingqian" talents, and our city's universities will also provide an additional reward of 1 million yuan, which is tax-free. Moreover, Qingqian professors generally receive an annual salary, which starts at about 300,000 yuan, and the research funding also starts at several million yuan. I don't have to worry about the research funding problem. I can recruit graduate students and train them to become a new generation of talents... I am very happy."
Mom sat next to Lin Zhixia. She raised her hand and touched Lin Zhixia's head, and Lin Zhixia said coquettishly: "Mom, I miss you so much when I'm abroad."
The mother replied: "Mom misses Xia Xia too."
But my father asked blankly: "Xia Xia, what you just said, is it true?"
Lin Zhixia nodded: "Of course it's true."
Dad pulled out a tissue and wiped his face.
His face flushed.
He had some white hair, which shone brightly under the light.
He ran his palm back along his forehead, smoothed his temples, and kept muttering, "That's great, Xia Xia. Hey, Daddy will have two more glasses of wine. Don't let your mom hold me back. Daddy feels so good. Xia Xia is a talent, and you can also cultivate talents. Mom and Dad are proud of you."
My mother also said, "Mom and Dad have saved some money over the years. We will give you all our savings. Do you think it is enough for the down payment on a big house?"
Lin Zhixia declined her mother's kindness.
In front of her family, Lin Zhixia calculated openly, "I made over 300,000 yuan as an undergraduate. During the two years of my doctoral studies, I received scholarships and worked as a teaching assistant, saving 140,000 yuan. I will save another 400,000 yuan next year. Add in the various subsidies from the Youth Thousand Talents Program, and I will have about 2.4 million yuan in cash, which is enough for my down payment."
The series of astronomical figures that Lin Zhixia reported made Lin Zeqiu forget to chew the rice in his mouth.
After hearing about Lin Zhixia's income, Lin Zeqiu inevitably thought of Jiang Yubai.
On the way home, Dad told Lin Zeqiu that Xia Xia was an adult and had seen more of the world than them. As a father, he couldn't show his worries and had to support Xia Xia and Xiao Jiang as much as possible, and couldn't let Xia Xia be embarrassed to be caught between her family and Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zeqiu took these words to heart.
Lin Zeqiu slammed the railing at the airport exit with all his strength. Now, several hours later, Lin Zeqiu's palm still hurts. He was furious when he thought of Jiang Yubai tricking Lin Zhixia into living together and teaching her to lie.
His sister had finally come back, and Lin Zeqiu didn't want to criticize her harshly and ruin the atmosphere at home, so he simply stopped mentioning Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zeqiu deliberately avoided mentioning the name "Jiang Yubai", but Lin Zhixia took the initiative to say, "By the way, Jiang Yubai will help me run the 'Quantum Technology Laboratory' under the name of an Internet company, so I can focus on scientific research."
Strangely, the family's response was not enthusiastic.
The silence in the living room lengthened.
Snow flakes fell in the vast night sky, and a layer of white snow accumulated on the windowsill. Dad glanced out the window and came up with an excuse: "Mom and Dad don't know anything about the Internet or the laboratory. Xia Xia, make your own decision. Be more careful. If there is anything, tell Mom and Dad. We can find a solution together as a family."
Lin Zhixia was eating shrimp dumplings. The vinegar in her bowl was gone, so her mother poured some vinegar for her and asked, "How does Xiao Jiang treat you? I don't know him, but he seems to have a good temper."
Lin Zhixia seized the opportunity to praise Jiang Yubai: "Jiang Yubai has a very good temper and is very gentle. He has never lost his temper and is calm and composed. He is neither arrogant nor impatient and has a stable personality. He thinks quickly and has strong reaction ability. I like chatting with him... We have been chatting for ten years and often exchange diaries and notes. His writing style is as interesting as he is. He is devoted to me..."
Lin Zhixia almost said, "He is reserved and chaste."
Fortunately, she stopped in time.
Afterwards, she suddenly realized that she rarely mentioned Jiang Yubai in front of her parents.
Jiang Yubai had given her so much emotional support, but she kept it all as a secret in her heart.
Now, Lin Zhixia is frank: "I used to be very timid, and Jiang Yubai often encouraged me..."
Her voice gradually lowered: "From childhood to adulthood, he always said that you are excellent and you should be brave and move forward."
"Xiao Jiang is a good kid." Dad commented while being a little drunk.
Mom's attitude was still unclear: "Is Xiao Jiang free? Let him come to our house again. Mom and Dad can chat with him. It's not convenient to talk too much at the airport today."
Lin Zeqiu sneered.
He hasn't told his parents yet that Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai are already living together.
Lin Zhixia suddenly looked at him.
Her eyes were clear and pure, like the melting ice and snow on the mountains. In the end, he couldn't bear to let her be stuck in a deadlock, so he helped her hide the fact of living together.
Then, more severe challenges came.
Lin Zeqiu had to take on the responsibilities of both father and mother.
He must explain to Lin Zhixia clearly the risks of a girl living with a man.
He spent a long time preparing himself mentally.
It was past ten o'clock in the evening and the light in Lin Zhixia's room was still on.
Lin Zeqiu made up his mind, knocked on his sister's door, and strode into the room. His sister looked at him with confusion. He moved a chair and wanted to have a long talk with his sister.
Lin Zeqiu thought about it carefully. Jiang Yubai attracted Lin Zhixia with his "gentle and calm" personality. If Lin Zeqiu continued to blame his sister, he would only push her further away.
Therefore, Lin Zeqiu changed his previous fierce and stern attitude, and even managed to squeeze out a slight arc at the corner of his lips. He said: "There is something you must know."
Lin Zhixia stared at his expression and shuddered: "I just got home, don't scold me."
Lin Zeqiu frowned slightly: "I really don't want to scold you."
Lin Zhixia asked quietly: "Aren't you just going to talk to me about living together?"
Lin Zeqiu's composure suddenly failed. He put on a stern face again.
Lin Zhixia is drawing.
Her paintings depict blue sky, clear water, flying fish and seabirds.
She was in a good mood and said softly, "Are you going to tell me to be careful? Don't worry, I won't let you become an uncle at such a young age. Jiang Yubai and I haven't reached that stage yet."
Lin Zeqiu stood up, holding on to the table.
"What's wrong, brother?" Lin Zhixia asked him.
"I'm leaving." Lin Zeqiu said this coldly and hurriedly left Lin Zhixia's bedroom.
His sister was indeed very smart. He thought to himself, maybe he didn't need to worry about her at all.
On the 28th of February, Jiang Yubai got up very early.
He received an invitation from Lin Zhixia and will visit Lin Zhixia's parents today.
Jiang Yubai told his family about this.
My uncle immediately said, "Xiao Jiang, this is very important. You must behave well in front of your future parents-in-law."
Auntie reminded: "Don't forget to bring a gift. Don't go empty-handed when you come to visit officially."
The uncle put his arm around the aunt's shoulders and said, "My wife is so thoughtful. If we have any good things at home, ask the housekeeper to prepare a few more. Your uncle and aunt will help you choose. When I first went to your aunt's house, nothing went wrong..."
Compared to the enthusiasm of his uncle and aunt, his parents were more calm. His father asked Jiang Yubai to be polite at his girlfriend's house, and his mother asked him to come back early in the evening because there was a dinner party at home.
Jiang Yubai said, "I will have dinner at their house tonight."
Mom put down her teacup and said gently, "Well, it would be good for you to spend more time with their family."
That morning, Jiang Yubai took a bath, burned incense, changed into a new set of clothes and new shoes, carried several bags of expensive gifts, and personally drove a Rolls-Royce Phantom to the Ancheng community where Lin Zhixia lived.
Jiang Yubai parked his Rolls-Royce not far from Lin Zhixia's building.
He picked up a pile of paper bags, carrying his uncle and aunt's earnest expectations, and slowly walked towards Lin Zhixia's door.
In the past two years, the driveway in Ancheng Community has been renovated, and the road surface is straight and clean, but the snow on both sides of the road has not melted. Lin Zhixia ran out in a pair of rubber shoes and greeted enthusiastically: "You are here, I have been waiting for you for a long time, please come in with me, I made lychee mousse cake."
Before Lin Zhixia finished her words, another Lexus sedan drove by.
The moment the car door opened, Lin Zhixia frowned slightly.
Lin Zhixia stood there, not saying a word.
Jiang Yubai was just wondering what was wrong with Lin Zhixia when he heard her say emotionlessly, "Uncle, aunt, and cousin, good morning."
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