Chapter 36 They're still a good match, complementary...
Shen Zhimin was slapped in the face by Yan Ruyi, but he comforted himself, saying that Yan Ruyi was still angry with him and that she would calm down after a while.
But I was really depressed; I felt like everything had gone wrong ever since I graduated.
He returned home in a bad mood. As soon as he entered the house, Wang Lanying said to him, "I noticed you hadn't come back, so I went out to look for you. And guess what? I ran into Yan Ruyi and Commander Song as soon as I stepped out of the compound gate. I don't know where they came from, but they were riding their bikes side by side, laughing as they went. I told you they were dating, but you didn't believe me."
Shen Zhimin subconsciously retorted, "I just asked Yan Ruyi, and she said herself that she is not dating Commander Song; they are just acquaintances."
Wang Lanying asked warily, "You just ran into Ruyi and even talked to her?"
“We’ve never had a grudge against each other, so why can’t we talk? Mom, stop nagging about me all the time. Instead of wasting your time, you should think about how to avoid moving out.”
Wang Lanying said, "No need to think about it, we'll just stay here and not leave. Your grandfather is one of their old employees, after all. I don't believe that if we really don't leave, they can throw our things out. If they really do throw them out, I'll just carry my bedding and move into Director Fang's house."
Shen Zhimin knew that this was the only feasible solution at the moment.
He was just assigned to the Cultural Relics Bureau, and his first impression with the bureau leaders was not good. Not to mention now, even in the future, it will probably be difficult for him to get a house.
His only hope now is his father's workplace.
The art museum had allocated a house to his father before, but the house was not as big as this one, and it was a tenement building.
If I move there, I'll have to give up the apartment here.
After discussing it, the family decided not to take the house from the art museum and continued to live in the fertilizer factory's residential compound.
They were living there just fine, but who would have thought that because his mother was being nosy, the fertilizer factory wouldn't let them stay anymore?
Shen Zhimin thought he should remind his father to apply for housing with the leaders of the art museum.
Although, as his mother said, the fertilizer plant wouldn't throw their stuff away, they still had to be prepared for both possibilities.
He looked around but didn't see his father, so he asked Wang Lanying, "Where's my dad?"
Wang Lanying said, "He's resting inside. I don't know if your dad has encountered something these past two days, but he's been very irritable. He explodes whenever I talk to him. He doesn't go out anymore and just stays at home after work. I don't dare to ask him anything."
In the past, every few days, Shen Zhimin's father, Shen Defang, would bring money home, saying it was money he earned doing odd jobs for others.
Wang Lanying didn't ask him what kind of side job it was.
Shen Defang has no other skills except painting, and most of his side jobs are related to painting.
Wang Lanying didn't ask any questions; as long as the money was brought home, that was fine.
During this time, Shen Defang stopped doing odd jobs and stopped bringing money home. Wang Lanying couldn't even ask him about it, because he would get angry and tell her to mind her own business and not worry about anything else.
Wang Lanying dared not ask any more questions, and at most she would grumble a few words to her son.
Wang Lanying remembered something else and said to Shen Zhimin, "I found out about what you asked me to inquire about last time. Yan Ruyi's money is probably from looking after antiques for people. Those two overseas Chinese last time were probably looking after antiques for her. She's a state cadre, looking after antiques for foreigners. Do you think that's illegal? If it gets out, will the police arrest her?"
It wouldn't be considered a crime.
In fact, not only Yan Ruyi, but as far as Shen Zhimin knew, apart from Jiang Dongming, other people at the appraisal center would occasionally take on antique appraisal jobs privately.
Of course, they all charge money. These days, who doesn't like having money in their hands?
Not only the cultural relics bureau, but also other factories and units, as long as it doesn't take up working hours, anyone with the ability will do private work. His father even used his painting skills to earn money by painting for others.
The leaders all know this, but they turn a blind eye, since it's something that happens outside of working hours, and they don't want to meddle.
Moreover, he wanted to win Yan Ruyi back and didn't want to completely break ties with her at this time.
He then instructed his mother, "I understand. Don't tell anyone about this. I'm going back to the archaeological team tomorrow, so you'd better keep your mouth shut."
Wang Lanying: "Okay, Mom will listen to you, alright?"
Song Yiping arranged to meet Yan Ruyi at 9 o'clock at the Tea Joy Tea House.
Yan Ruyi thought to herself, "Why bother going to a teahouse when it's just a tank made from an empty bullet casing? Just deliver it to the door."
Despite my grumbling, I still went when the time came.
Chayue lived not far from the family compound, so she didn't ride her bike; she just strolled over there.
When she arrived, Song Yiping was already waiting for her at the entrance of the teahouse.
She was also carrying a travel bag, which looked quite heavy.
Are they going on a long trip?
When Song Yiping saw her arrive, a smile appeared on his face. "Come in first."
Yan Ruyi was still angry, but she said in a businesslike manner, "No need, just give it to me here."
I have something for you.
"Can't I give it to you here?"
Song Yiping said very sincerely, "It's not very convenient."
Yan Ruyi's curiosity was piqued, so she followed Song Yiping into the teahouse.
Song Yiping had already reserved a private room on the second floor and led Yan Ruyi directly to the room.
The waiter came over to serve tea, Yan Ruyi's favorite jasmine tea, filling the room with the fragrance of jasmine.
It must have been Song Yiping who asked for it earlier.
Considering that he still remembered her preferences, Yan Ruyi felt she could forgive him for the time being.
After the waiter left, Song Yiping closed the door, opened his travel bag, and took out the items one by one.
The objects were all wrapped in black velvet cloth, and they were all different shapes, so it was impossible to tell what they were.
After all the items were taken out, Song Yiping unfolded the velvet cloth on each one.
Song Dynasty black gold tea cup, blue and white porcelain jar with plum blossom design, Ming Dynasty plate with lotus scroll design, gold-painted purple clay square teapot, doucai scholar cup, black gold tea cup...
Half a table was set up with various sizes of items.
Any one of them is priceless.
Yan Ruyi's eyes were almost dazzled.
Yesterday, she was still showing off in front of Song Yiping, saying that they had acquired a set of early Qing Dynasty black gold teacups at an antique appraisal event, and how precious that set of black gold teacups was.
Little did they know that the set they had collected yesterday was nothing compared to the set of black gold teacups that Song Yiping had brought.
Yan Ruyi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Song Yiping: "We still have some at home, but some are too big to carry."
He then took out a small notebook and pushed it in front of Yan Ruyi. "This is my savings book. My current monthly salary is 260 yuan. With other subsidies, I can get about 300 yuan a month. The clothes I wear and daily necessities are basically provided by the army. I don't spend much money myself. I deposit my monthly salary into this savings book. I calculated it last night, and it totals 35,800 yuan."
He coughed, a little embarrassed, "I can't save that much from my own salary; the extra money comes from my grandfather's New Year's money."
He's already 26, but his grandfather still gives him lucky money every year.
He refused, but the old man was unhappy, so he had no choice but to accept it. Since he had nowhere else to spend the money, he saved it all.
Yesterday, Yan Ruyi said she loves spending money, and he was actually quite happy to hear that.
He doesn't like spending money. The army provides everything he needs, including clothes and food. His grandparents and parents don't use his money either. He doesn't spend money anywhere else. His monthly allowance is at most a few yuan.
Sometimes I don't spend a single penny for a whole month.
But there always has to be someone in the family who loves to spend money and knows how to spend it; otherwise, if you just save money without spending it, it's just a pile of waste paper.
From this perspective, he and Yan Ruyi are quite a good match, complementing each other.
Yan Ruyi's mouth was wide open, big enough to swallow a goose egg, and it took her a long time to finally come back to her senses.
Yesterday she told Song Yiping that she liked antiques, and today Song Yiping brought them to her.
She said she loved spending money, so Song Yiping gave her the savings book.
Thirty-five thousand eight hundred, and I gave it to her just like that!
And these antiques, does he even know that any one of them is priceless? He just brazenly handed them over to her!
She narcissistically thought that if she liked stars, would Song Yiping try to pluck them down for her?
But now is not the time to think about that. She quickly wrapped the antiques in velvet cloth. "Put these away first, then we can talk about other things."
These are all priceless treasures, and they're all in such good condition. She would be heartbroken if any of them got scratched or damaged.
Song Yiping didn't accept it, but stared intently at her, clearly waiting for her to answer the question he had asked her yesterday.
Yan Ruyi looked at him, "Why don't you ask again?"
Song Yiping looked at her earnestly, "Comrade Xiao Yan, can you accept my pursuit, date me, and get married in the future?"
Yan Ruyi said, "Giving it a try isn't out of the question... Let me think about it for another hour."
After saying that, he felt that an hour was too long, so he changed his mind and said, "10 minutes."
Song Yiping smiled and said gently, "Okay."
"Put these antiques away first, and also this bankbook, keep them safe."
Song Yiping carefully wrapped the antique again, put it back in his travel bag, and placed it in front of Yan Ruyi along with the bankbook. "Once something is given away, it can't be taken back."
Yan Ruyi blushed slightly. "I can't accept it now. Keep it with you for now, and you can give it to me after we get married."
If she really takes these things home and tells her mother that they are priceless antiques, her mother will probably be so scared that she can't sleep at night.
If she didn't tell her mother the truth, her mother might just grab a plate with vines and serve her stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.
Song Yiping thought for a moment, "Okay, then I'll keep it for you for now."
He put the passbook away, glanced at his watch, and reminded Yan Ruyi, "Time's up. What's your decision, Comrade Yan?"
Yan Ruyi said reservedly, "I've thought it over. We can be a couple, but I'm very strict with my partners. I need to continue to observe them."
Song Yiping said earnestly, "Okay, I will try my best to learn how to be a good partner and a good husband in the future."
Yan Ruyi's face turned red again. "Oh dear, the marriage is only just beginning, why do you keep bringing it up?"
"Okay, I won't talk about marriage anymore. So now, Comrade Xiao Yan, can we go on a date today?"
Yan Ruyi glanced at the travel bag containing the antiques, and Song Yiping immediately understood, "I drove here, I'll put it in the car later, it won't affect our date."
Yan Ruyi immediately imagined the car window being smashed and the priceless antiques being looted by thieves. She shuddered and firmly disagreed, "No, it's not safe to leave them in the car. You should take them home first."
His new girlfriend was worried that the antique might be stolen, so she asked him to take it home first. Song Yiping naturally agreed, "Then come with me. I'll put the things back, and then we'll go on our date."
Yan Ruyi said hesitantly, "Going to your house now is too early."
"My parents weren't home when I left."
This was a matter of principle, and Yan Ruyi firmly refused, saying, "That won't do either."
Song Yiping thought for a moment, "I'll drop you off at the entrance of the military compound, and you can wait for me there?"
Yan Ruyi thought it was feasible and waved her hand, "Approved."
The tea they ordered had gone cold, so the two drank it and left the teahouse.
Song Yiping drove back to the military compound. Yan Ruyi sat in the passenger seat, clutching her travel bag full of antiques tightly, and kept telling Song Yiping, "Commander Song, please drive slowly."
Song Yiping: "Call me Yiping."
Since they've started dating, calling him Commander Song would feel a bit distant.
Yan Ruyi hesitated and changed her words, "Yiping, drive slower."
She felt it necessary to settle accounts from yesterday: "Last night, there were no tigers chasing you, so why did you run so fast?"
Song Yiping patiently explained to her, "The antiques are all locked in the warehouse. I couldn't remember where I put the key for a moment. I was in a hurry to go back and find the key. Besides, these antiques still need to be sorted out and packed up."
He apologized to Yan Ruyi again, saying that he was in a hurry to go back and hadn't explained things clearly to her.
Yan Ruyi generously said, "I forgive you."
They quickly arrived at the military family compound. The guards at the gate saw that it was Song Yiping and let him in without checking his identification.
Song Yiping drove the car in and parked it in a shady spot by the roadside. He then asked Yan Ruyi again, "Are you sure you're not going in?"
Yan Ruyi nodded firmly.
"Then you can cool off here for a while, I'll be right there."
Yan Ruyi said, "Go ahead, I'm not in a hurry, you don't need to drive so fast."
Yan Ruyi got out of the car, and Song Yiping drove away.
It was Yan Ruyi's first time visiting the military compound, and she looked around with some curiosity.
The military compound has excellent landscaping, with lush trees lining both sides of the road, and flowers planted between the trees.
Yan Ruyi didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but she thought they were blooming in a riot of colors and looked very lively.
Faintly, you can still hear birds chirping.
Further away, there are rows of small buildings with red walls and gray tiles, nestled among the green trees.
Quiet and solemn.
Yan Ruyi wondered if she and Song Yiping would live here after they got married, and she wondered which building Song Yiping's family lived in.
A black sedan drove in, and Yan Ruyi moved aside.
After the car had passed, Fang Yuru, who was sitting in the car, exclaimed "Huh?" and said to the driver, "Xiao Sun, drive slower."
Xiao Sun slowed down the car as instructed. Fang Yuru turned around and looked again, then said to Song Manli sitting next to her, "That girl standing by the roadside looks like the girl I introduced to Yiping not long ago."
She turned her head and looked more closely, then recognized her. "It's her! What's she doing here?"
During their last blind date, she asked Song Yiping if they had gotten along well. Song Yiping's answer was vague, so she guessed that they probably hadn't.
And it's highly likely that the girl didn't like Song Yiping.
After all, Song Yiping had put in a lot of effort to groom himself before the blind date, and it was clear that he really liked the girl.
It's rare for someone to fall for a girl, but it turns out she doesn't reciprocate his feelings. That must be quite a blow.
Fang Yuru didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Seeing Yan Ruyi out of the blue, I wonder if Song Yiping brought her in.
She wanted to go down and ask, but was afraid of scaring the person, so she didn't dare let Xiao Sun stop the car.
Upon hearing Fang Yuru's words, Song Manli turned her head to look as well, her brows furrowing immediately. "Who introduced this person to Yiping? Why did they introduce someone like this? It's so petty."
Fang Yuru was very satisfied with Yan Ruyi, but after hearing Song Manli's words, she became unhappy. "What do you mean by being petty? I think she's great. Besides, she's a college student and works at the Cultural Relics Bureau. She's very ambitious."
Song Manli said disdainfully, "Look at her standing there looking around, she has no manners at all, she looks like she's never seen the world before. She looks like she comes from a poor family. Even if she has been to school for a few years, she can't hide her petty nature. True nobility is accumulated over generations, it can't be cultivated in just one or two generations."
The Song family was a prominent family in the past. Song Manli's father and Song Chengren's father, who was also Song Yiping's grandfather, Song Yiming, were cousins. They were about the same age and grew up together.
Later, Mr. Song joined the army and rose through the ranks based on his solid military achievements.
Song Manli's father was a businessman. He founded the first textile factory in Beijing. Later, it became a state-owned textile factory after the public-private partnership. He continued to serve as the factory director and was later transferred to the Municipal Planning Commission to take charge of the economy. He retired from the position of vice mayor.
Song Manli's family, including her daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, all come from good backgrounds and work in government departments.
This also led Song Manli to look down on ordinary families with small social standing, especially when it came to marriage alliances with ordinary families, which was absolutely unacceptable to her.
Fang Yuru's parents were ordinary teachers at an ordinary school. Fang Yuru was admitted to military medical university on her own merit. After graduation, she was assigned to a military hospital. Song Chengren went to the hospital for treatment and fell in love with Fang Yuru. Fang Yuru also found him quite pleasing to the eye. The two got married after dating for a while.
By Song Manli's standards, the Fang family would also be considered a small, unsavory family.
Whether Song Manli said this intentionally or unintentionally, it was a veiled way of saying that Fang Yuru was not good enough for Song Chengren.
Since Song Manli rarely came to visit, Fang Yuru didn't want to argue with her in front of Xiao Sun, so she didn't respond to her.
Song Manli, however, didn't know when to stop and continued, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but you still need to be more careful about who Yiping marries. You can't just look at how she looks; you also need to see if she can become an asset to Yiping in the future."
Besides, ordinary families have many mundane matters and many poor relatives. After you get married, all sorts of aunts and uncles will come knocking on your door, one asking you to arrange a job, another asking to borrow money. Do you help or not? Do you lend the money or not? If you help, there's no end to it, and you can forget about getting the money back. These are all problems. If you ask me, the one I introduced to Yiping last time was much better, not as suitable as this one..."
Fang Yuru glanced at her sideways and said, "Where is it suitable? Is your face suitable?"
Xiao Sun almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
Song Manli herself has a large face, and she can't stand anyone saying that she has a large face.
"A large face is a sign of good fortune, prosperity, and nobility. Isn't it better than that small-headed, small-faced guy from before?"
Fang Yuru: "Is it your family looking for a daughter-in-law, or my family looking for a daughter-in-law?"
Song Manli said, "You're looking at your own home, I'm just giving you a suggestion."
"Since it's my family who's looking for it, then it should be done according to my family's standards."
What are your family's standards?
"My family's standard is that there is no standard."
Song Manli's son, Yang Shiyuan, fell in love with a nurse. The two got along very well, but Song Manli refused to agree and forced them to break up.
That girl was also spoiled at home. Her parents found out that Song Manli was too domineering, and they were afraid that their daughter's life wouldn't be easy after she married into the family.
The girl also thought of this, so she took the initiative to break up with Yang Shiyuan.
Later, Yang Shiyuan married a girl that Song Manli had her eye on. The couple's current relationship, to put it nicely, is one of mutual respect, but in reality, they are just making do and living together.
Apart from Song Manli being relatively satisfied with Yang Shiyuan's marriage, Fang Yuru really couldn't see what was so good about the rest.
"There aren't that many standards. As long as the girl is ambitious, the parents are reasonable, and no one in the family has done anything illegal, that's fine. Having many relatives is good, it's lively. The most important thing is that Yiping likes her. If he doesn't like her, you can't force him to marry her. It's a lifelong commitment. The current situation is that the girl you don't like, Yiping likes, I like, and Chengren is satisfied. That's fine."
Song Manli was momentarily speechless at Fang Yuru's words.
"What about your father-in-law? Is he satisfied too?"
Fang Yuru really didn't know the old man's opinion, because she hadn't told the old man about it yet.
Grandpa Song didn't live with them. After retiring from his position, he somehow became fascinated with growing fruits and vegetables, so he moved to the countryside. He built a small courtyard there, where he grew vegetables, fished, and played chess with the villagers, enjoying himself immensely. He rarely came back.
Originally, I was thinking of telling the old man after Song Yiping and the girl were officially dating, but since the girl didn't like Song Yiping, there was no need to tell the old man about it anymore.
Fang Yuru was pondering how to reply to Song Manli when Xiao Sun suddenly honked the horn.
Fang Yuru, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Sun said, "Commander Song drove by just now. I honked the horn, but he didn't react. He probably didn't notice that it was his family's car."
Fang Yuru recognized the Jeep that Song Yi usually drove. She turned her head to take a look, but the car sped past in a flash.
It was indeed the Jeep that Song Yi usually drove, but he was driving it in a very hurried manner, as if he were rushing to put out a fire.
Fang Yuru was now certain that Miss Yan was indeed waiting for Song Yiping.
Are they really dating? They haven't let a word slip, not even their own mothers.
He must be in such a hurry to see that girl that he can't even see his own car.
The car turned a corner and we arrived home.
Fang Yuru saw a car parked in front of her house, and the old man's driver, Xiao Xu, was wiping the car with a rag.
Fang Yuru said to Song Manli, "The old man is here."
Song Manli said, "He probably heard about Yiping's girlfriend and came to ask you. The old man dotes on Yiping the most. It would be strange if the old man liked that girl just now."
Fang Yuru: "Whether you like it or not is not up to you."
Song Manli said, "Then let's go in and hear what the old man has to say."
-----------------------
Author's note: I also need someone who only knows how to make money but not how to spend it...
Happy weekend everyone! Just hang in there for a few more days and we'll have a happy mini-holiday.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
