Shen Xuyue didn't arrive in person, but the letter did, mostly a reply to the contents of Zhao Mingyue's letter. Upon receiving it, Zhao Mingyue immediately wrote a reply. Clearly, they preferred this method of communication; correspondence was clearer and more expressive than face-to-face conversation. Moreover, some embarrassing things that couldn't be said in person could be expressed in writing.
Shen Xuyue had been busy for a week, and by the time he arrived at Zhao Mingyue's place, it was already late August. School was about to start, and Zhao Mingyue was putting the finishing touches on things. She couldn't take the clothes back to the school to be made, nor could she indefinitely delay the customers; she had to finish before the holidays ended. With summer drawing to a close, fewer people were coming to have dresses made, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"Mingyue, do you want to go home and visit your family?"
When Shen Xuyue asked her a question, Zhao Mingyue was busy at her sewing machine. She looked up and sighed, "I originally planned to go home for a week, but now I'm probably too busy to go back until the start of the new semester. I'll go back during the winter break."
“Then I’ll go back with you,” Shen Xuyue said.
Zhao Mingyue looked at him in surprise: "Aren't you staying in Beijing for the New Year?"
Shen Xuyue said, "Let's see. Maybe I'll come back around the Lunar New Year. It's been many years since my family has reunited. It might not be good for me to be absent this time. Actually, I'd like you to join our gathering."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Let's talk about it later."
Shen Xuyue didn't insist, knowing it was too early to say anything. He said, "Come visit my house before school starts."
Zhao Mingyue looked at him: "Your parents both agree to let me go?"
Shen Xuyue said, "I haven't been back yet. I'll go back tomorrow and tell them."
Zhao Mingyue didn't mince words: "If they agree, I'll go."
Shen Xuyue looked at Zhao Mingyue, unsure of what to say. He hadn't spoken to his parents about this issue privately, and he didn't know their attitude. However, compared to the attitude Zhao Mingyue's family had towards him, the difference was stark. He felt somewhat guilty towards her.
Zhao Mingyue was well aware of the pressure Shen Xuyue was under, but this was a problem he had to handle himself, and he needed to make his stance clear; otherwise, their relationship wouldn't work out. She didn't care about other people's opinions, but if Shen Xuyue himself was wavering, then there was no point in continuing the relationship. Although Shen Xuyue was her dream, not all dreams come true, right?
The next day, Shen Xuyue went to her father's workplace and learned where her new home was. Both her parents had returned to work, and the government had allocated them a courtyard house. The house had been prepared, and they had officially moved in. The house was located in a hutong on Xisi South Street, a very good location. Shen's father took Shen Xuyue home and then returned to his workplace. Her mother was also at work, and only her eldest sister, Shen Fuyu, was at home.
When Shen Xuyue returned home, he couldn't feel at all at home. The place was too unfamiliar; he felt like a guest. Shen Fuyu looked at her younger brother: "You're all back. What are you doing standing in the yard? Come inside. There are two rooms in the east wing; they're for you and Qixue. Choose one yourself." Shen Qixue was Shen Xuyue's older brother.
Shen Xuyue didn't even look at the room, and followed Shen Fuyu into the house: "Any room is fine with me. Big sister, when did you come back? Did you come back to Beijing to work?"
Shen Fuyu said, "I arrived in Beijing around mid-August, two days earlier than you. Uncle Song arranged a receiving unit for me, and I'll be starting work in a couple of days."
"Still teaching?" Shen Xuyue knew that his older sister had later become a private teacher at the school affiliated with their farm.
Shen Fuyu smiled helplessly: "Yeah, what else can we do?"
Shen Xuyue asked, "Big sister, why didn't you take the college entrance exam?"
"I took the exam, but I didn't pass. I'll try to pursue further studies later."
Shen Xuyue said, "Why didn't you bring my nephew back? Where's my brother-in-law? He hasn't come back either?" Shen Fuyu married a local farmer. After she went to the Great Northern Wilderness, life there was very hard. In winter, green vegetables were especially scarce, and Shen Fuyu developed night blindness. Once it got dark, she couldn't see anything. A local young man brought her carrots that he had stored up in the fall, and she gradually recovered from her night blindness. Later, Shen Fuyu married him, probably not expecting to have the opportunity to return.
Shen Fuyu sniffed: "I want to too, but his dad won't allow it. Your brother-in-law isn't from Beijing, so he can't go back to the city. But that place is too harsh; I don't want to stay there for the rest of my life." She covered her face with her hands in anguish.
Shen Xuyue looked at his older sister: "Then you and my brother-in-law—"
"We're not divorced yet, just like this. Let's see how it goes, and we'll talk about it later." Shen Fuyu said, wiping away a tear.
Shen Xuyue sighed: "Jingjing should be in school by now, right?" Jingjing is his nephew, Shen Fuyu's son.
Shen Fuyu said, "It'll be soon, it'll be five years old this year."
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to bring them all over later," Shen Xuyue comforted his sister.
Shen Fuyu lowered her head and remained silent.
Shen Xuyue said, "Big sister, you've suffered over there."
Shen Fuyu gave a bitter smile: "Who knew that I would be gone for so many years? I thought I would be stuck there for the rest of my life and never have a chance to come back. But just when I had settled down, I had another chance to go back to the city. Isn't this just torturing me? I've wasted my youth and settled down in the countryside for more than ten years, and I never thought that I would end up being separated from my family. These days, I feel so choked up when I think of your brother-in-law and son. What kind of mess is this? What's the point of living like this?"
Shen Xuyue comforted his sister, "Sister, don't think like that. Things will get better. Come back first, and we'll figure out a solution later. Jingjing will come back too, and your husband will come too." Shen Xuyue didn't think his older sister was selfish. Compared to those who abandoned their wives and children to return to the city, his sister's actions weren't too excessive.
Shen Fuyu looked at her younger brother: "Xiao Xu, you're so lucky. You didn't get married in the countryside, so you don't have to deal with so many troubles."
Speaking of this, Shen Xuyue asked Shen Fuyu, "Big sister, what do our parents think of my boyfriend?"
Shen Fuyu glanced at her younger brother: "Mom has always been like that. How can anyone like her? Especially after I married your brother-in-law, she wished that our family would have nothing to do with the rural people anymore."
“What’s wrong with rural people? Rural people are simple and kind. Besides, Mingyue isn’t a rural person anymore; she’s a city dweller now,” Shen Xuyue said.
Shen Fuyu sighed and said, "Yes, at least your girlfriend has escaped rural life, so she has some confidence. But it will take some effort to get Mom to accept her. Your girlfriend is a pretty capable girl."
Shen Xuyue asked, "Big sister, how did you know she was so capable?"
Shen Fuyu said, "A girl from the countryside dared to open a shop and do business in Beijing. There aren't many city girls who are this bold."
"Big sister, you don't know Mingyue. She's amazing, very insightful, and incredibly capable." Shen Xuyue couldn't help but beam with joy when talking about Zhao Mingyue.
Shen Fuyu rolled her eyes at her younger brother: "Aren't you afraid that if you become too capable, you won't be able to control you in the future?"
“How is that called controlling? A wife is meant to be respected and loved. I don’t need to control her. We are all equal. We just need to respect each other and live in peace.” When Shen Xuyue talked about Zhao Mingyue, his expression became tender and gentle.
Shen Fuyu said, "There's quite a big age gap between you two. How could you fall for her? Is it because she's pretty?"
Shen Xuyue quickly said, "No, am I such a shallow person? I like her because she is smart, ambitious, opinionated, knowledgeable, kind, and capable."
Shen Fuyu was a little skeptical of her brother's praise of Zhao Mingyue. What kind of worldly experience could a country girl have? She was certainly bold, though. She glanced at her brother and said, "Isn't it entirely because she's pretty?"
Shen Xuyue laughed: "Of course that would be a plus for her. Big sister, you haven't met Mingyue yet. If you had, you would definitely like her."
Shen Fuyu said, "Sometimes it's not necessarily a good thing for a woman to be too capable. Take her clothing store, for example. She even takes men's measurements. You don't mind at all?"
Shen Xuyue looked at his older sister: "Sister, did you go to see her making clothes?" Zhao Mingyue hadn't mentioned this to him at all.
“That day, Wu Jie asked me to go to her shop and I happened to see her measuring a man’s waist,” Shen Fuyu said. “I didn’t dare tell my mother about it.”
Shen Xuyue said, "Sister, that's just her job. You're overthinking it."
Shen Fuyu said, "No matter what, if acquaintances or family members see this, it will have a bad impact."
Shen Xuyue thought for a moment and said, "Big sister, you should not associate with Wu Jie in the future. There is something wrong with that woman."
"What's the problem?"
Shen Xuyue said, "That's incredibly stupid, and his character is questionable too."
Shen Fuyu looked at him and said, "How is he stupid? He got into university this year, and he even got into a teachers' college." The teachers' college refers to Beijing Normal College.
Shen Xuyue said, "To say she's stupid is to say she doesn't know how to behave and is too self-righteous. She went to my boyfriend's school to cause trouble, claiming that she was my boyfriend and that she had deceived Mingyue into dating me while she was back in the city. Later, when she was exposed, she became angry and claimed that Mingyue was the third party. Can you believe she slandered people like that? I have never had any ambiguous relationship with her except for knowing her."
Shen Fuyu frowned and said, "It seems that Wu Jie does have some issues with how she handles things, but I guess she really likes you, that's why she's acting this way. She's very popular with our mother and has the old lady all smiles."
“Who she likes is her business, I can’t control that, but she can’t hurt others. You should just keep your distance from her,” Shen Xuyue said.
Shen Fuyu shook her head: "Anyway, I won't interfere in your affairs. You can handle it yourself. You'll have to appease the old lady yourself."
Shen Xuyue said, "I know. I'm thinking of having Mingyue come to our house to see our parents in a few days."
Shen Fuyu looked at him and said, "Isn't this a bit too hasty? Anyway, you two are still a long way from getting married. At least you should wait until you graduate from university."
Shen Xuyue said, "Both sides know of each other's existence. If we don't meet, it would be too disrespectful of us, and that definitely won't do. I'll wait for my parents to come back and talk to them myself."
At noon, Mr. and Mrs. Shen returned. With no outsiders present, the family gathered together for the first time, and everyone was happy. Mrs. Shen said while kneading the dough, "It would be great if Qixue came back too."
Shen Xuyue said, "Didn't my older brother say he could come back to visit relatives this year? Then we can all get together."
Mother Shen nodded: "Yes, that's great, our whole family is together again."
Shen Fuyu suddenly whispered, "I wish Jingjing could come back too."
Mother Shen said somewhat unhappily, "I told you not to marry into the countryside, because it would cause endless trouble later, but you insisted. Now look what's happened, we're separated from our family. It proves what I said. You just don't listen to your elders, and now you're suffering the consequences."
Shen Fuyu, fighting back tears welling in her eyes, said, “How could I have known it would turn out like this? The policies keep changing. Back then, I was all alone in Northeast China, what was I eating? All winter long, it was just sprouted potatoes. At night, I couldn't see anything at all; I thought I was going blind. I don't know where you are, I can't rely on any of you. He was the only one who was good to me. He gave me all the food he had stored for the New Year, and he did that for several years in a row. I thought I would be stuck there forever and never come back. Having someone who cared about me was better than being all alone. Besides, I'm already in my mid-twenties. If I don't get married, am I going to be an old maid for the rest of my life?” As she said this, tears were already streaming down her face.
Shen Xuyue quickly took out a handkerchief to comfort his sister.
The father sighed from behind: "To be honest, this is all about fate. Once I'm settled here, I'll find him a job and have him come over. It's always good for the family to be together. Since it's already a fait accompli, we can't continue down the wrong path. Although we've never met, we really should thank him for taking care of you all these years."
Shen Fuyu wiped the tears from her chin with a handkerchief: "Thank you, Dad."
Shen's mother looked at her daughter, then turned to Shen Xuyue: "Keep your eyes open when you're looking for a partner, or you'll regret it later."
Shen Xuyue looked at his mother and said, "Mom, don't worry. I will never regret it."
Mother Shen asked incredulously, "You, that country girl, what was her name again?"
Shen Xuyue quickly said, "Call her Zhao Mingyue."
Without looking up, Chen's mother said, "Country folks are no good. They have a lot of poor relatives, and you'll be busy with them. Just like your father, when he comes, there's a whole bunch of them. There's no room to sit in the house. It's like the Japanese invaders are coming into the village. Every time they come, the house is ransacked."
Father Shen said, "That's an exaggeration. They're my family. How can you compare them to the Japanese devils? You're underestimating them. Besides, they've never come to our house empty-handed. Every time they come, they bring big bags and small packages."
Mother Shen sneered: "Yes, we brought a bag of cabbages, garlic, and green onions from our hometown. We could eat them for a month and still not finish them. Nobody wanted them even if we gave them away."
"That's the thought that counts, it's a small gift but carries great meaning!" Father Shen snorted.
Seeing that her husband was about to lose his temper, Shen's mother said, "Fine, fine, that's affection."
“That’s true. Don’t look down on rural people; they are very kind and loyal. When you were locked up in the cowshed and sick, didn’t they bring you the eggs they had painstakingly saved up to visit you?” Father Chen said, banging on the table.
Shen Xuyue quickly said, "My dad is right. Although people in the countryside are poor, most of them are very loyal and affectionate."
Chen's mother glared at her son: "Are you absolutely determined?"
Shen Xuyue didn't avoid his mother's gaze: "Mom, school will start in a few days. I'll bring my girlfriend back for a visit on the weekend before school starts."
Mother Chen said with a stern face, "I don't have time to entertain you. Go and serve yourself."
Looking at his mother like this, Shen Xuyue turned to look at his father and asked, "Dad, do you think so too?"
Mr. Shen said, "This is your own business, I can't interfere. Just ask your mother for her opinion."
This is a typical henpecked husband; everything his wife says is right. Shen Xuyue said, "I've already told my girlfriend that my mother comes from a scholarly family, is well-educated, reasonable, and hospitable. I'll bring her back with me; you can decide how to entertain her."
A slight smile crept onto Shen's mother's lips as she listened to her son's compliments, but she immediately straightened her face and said, "Don't try to sweet-talk me. You're not going to get past me."
Seeing his mother's expression, Shen Xuyue said, "Mom, if I marry and have children in the countryside, will you still have to acknowledge it?"
"Then you should marry your country wife!" Mother Shen threw down the dough in her hand, turned around, and went into the inner room.
Shen Fuyu watched her mother go inside, shook her head at Shen Xuyue, and then went inside to persuade her mother. Shen Xuyue looked at the dough on the table, rolled up his sleeves, and said to his father, "Dad, I'll make you noodles."
Father Shen looked at his son in surprise: "Wow. You can make noodles now?"
“Yes, just wait and eat.” Shen Xuyue washed his hands and started kneading the noodles.
Looking at his son's skillful movements, Mr. Shen said with emotion, "Everyone has changed a lot over the years, and you've grown up too."
"Dad, I'm almost thirty. In the past, my kids would have been old enough to run errands by now." Shen Xuyue thought to himself that by the time he graduated, he would be thirty, but he hadn't established anything yet. The best years of his youth had been wasted.
Mr. Shen said, "Yes, when I was your age, I was already a regimental political commissar."
Shen Xuyue gave a wry smile: "Dad, I've wasted too much time, so I need to catch up quickly."
"It's enough if you understand this principle."
Shen Xuyue turned to his father and said, "Dad, are you really not going to help me persuade Mom? Mingyue is a very good girl. If I can marry her in this life, it will be my great fortune."
Seeing his son's animated expression as he spoke of Zhao Mingyue, Mr. Shen nodded and said, "Hmm, let's see how it goes."
Shen Xu jumped up excitedly: "Thank you, Dad!"
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