Ye Zhi walked over to me, and I handed her the gift she had bought, saying, "You should give this to them. They'll like it better if you give it to them directly."
Is this a kind of ritual?
"That's right..."
Just as Ye Zhi and I were talking, the window on the third floor suddenly opened, and then I heard my mother's voice. She stretched her neck out of the window and said to me with undisguised joy, "Son, I've been waiting for you to come back. Do you have a lot of luggage?... Mom will go down and help you with it."
"It's not much. You stay up there, we'll go up ourselves."
Ye Zhi seemed a little flustered, clearly unsure how to make herself stand out. I could understand her; if I were facing her family, I probably wouldn't just be nervous... In fact, deep down, I felt a sense of dread towards her unknown family members.
This fear cannot be traced back to its root cause, but it does affect some of my ideas about the future...
Looking back, I realize I was quite a coward. That time in Sanya, I clearly had the opportunity to meet Ye Zhi's father, but I made an excuse and ran away. Compared to Ye Zhi, who dared to face my family, I definitely lacked that quality.
...
Despite telling my mother not to come down, she still ran down the stairs. She didn't pay attention to me, but instead observed Ye Zhi very carefully...
Ye Zhi looked even more helpless, and then cast a pleading look at me.
I quickly said to my mom, "Mom, let me formally introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Ye Zhi, from Shanghai."
Ye Zhi then exchanged a glance with my mother and said, "Auntie, this is your first time visiting our home, so I brought you and Uncle some small gifts. I hope you like them."
My mom took it from Ye Zhi and then exclaimed to me, "This girl is so beautiful! She's even more beautiful in person than she was in the video last time!"
"That's right, you should see who picked it."
My mother's voice was a little choked up: "After worrying about you for so many years, you've finally put my mind at ease..." After a short pause, she said to me and Ye Zhi, "Don't stand here, hurry up and go inside. The heating is on... Your dad is heating up your food, you can eat soon."
Have you eaten yet?
"We've been waiting for you all... Your two aunts and uncles are here too, saying they want to see Xiao Ye."
"Look at all this fuss!"
As I spoke, I slung my luggage over my shoulder and then took Ye Zhi's hand, trying to give her some necessary sense of security... I knew she was a quiet person, and having so many people at home would only make her feel more overwhelmed.
...
Entering the house, it was almost exactly the same as it had been two years ago: old furniture, old appliances, and even the television was still the old-fashioned, boxy kind. It was completely out of touch with the times, giving one the illusion of being in the 1990s. But the house was very clean, and everything was neatly arranged. My mother is a housewife who spends all her time in this 80-square-meter house, so no matter what, she always keeps everything in the house in perfect order.
My two aunts were also in the kitchen helping Lao Mi, while my two uncles were sitting on the sofa chatting.
To be honest, I'm not very close to my two uncles. The reason is quite practical: they don't think much of Lao Mi, believing that he's only ever been a working-class person, so his son won't amount to much either. They, one a teacher and the other a doctor, probably because these professions are more likely to earn respect and recognition in society, always approach our family with a strange sense of superiority, criticizing Lao Mi for not raising me well.
In my eyes, Old Mi is much better than them; at least he doesn't pander to popular tastes or curry favor with the powerful.
Despite my dislike for her, I still showed the respect due to my elders... I first offered a cigarette to my uncle, who has a smoking habit, and then introduced Ye Zhi to them.
Ye Zhi's temperament was innate. The two of them stood up together, nodded and greeted Ye Zhi, but in the end, they left me standing aside.
...
At the dinner table, Ye Zhi and I sat together. My mother and I were overjoyed and kept putting food on Ye Zhi's plate. My two aunts were also busy. My younger aunt asked Ye Zhi, "Little Ye, how old are you this year?"
"Born in the Year of the Horse."
“Oh, our Michael was born in the Year of the Dragon. A Dragon man and a Horse woman is a top-tier match... If you two get married, you will definitely bring him good fortune.”
Ye Zhi gave a polite smile and then said nothing more.
The eldest aunt then asked, "Xiao Ye, I heard that Michael's aunt's child works at your company. What exactly does your company do?"
"We are involved in hotels, commercial real estate, and investments."
"Your company must be quite large."
Ye Zhi was a little embarrassed, so much so that she paused for a moment before replying, "Uh... compared to others who are doing well, we still have a gap to close."
"You're being too modest... I just met Michael's aunt a while ago, and she said that Dai Qiang is already earning over ten thousand a month at your place... He's only been out of school for a short time. If he weren't from a big corporation, how could he have the guts to offer such a high salary!"
“Dai Qiang is very capable. Our group has always respected talent, so the salary we offer will definitely match his abilities.”
My eldest aunt was about to speak, but to avoid bothering Ye Zhi, I quickly stood up, raised my glass, and then turned my attention to my two uncles, saying, "Uncle, Uncle, it's been almost two years since I last saw you. Let me toast you to thank you for taking care of this family... If it weren't for your help, I really wouldn't be able to focus on my career outside..."
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