Shen Xuyue returned and told Zhao Mingyue that she was going to his house for dinner this Sunday. Zhao Mingyue asked him, "Didn't your parents object?"
Shen Xuyue said, "No." After thinking for a moment, he added, "But my mother might say things that are not pleasant to hear, so don't take it to heart."
Zhao Mingyue gave a wry smile: "I haven't even stepped inside yet, and your mother's attitude is already like this. I'm a little worried about our future."
Shen Xuyue gripped Zhao Mingyue's hand tightly: "I know my mom is a bit narrow-minded, so don't take it to heart. If we can get her blessing, that would be the best. If she has any complaints, just ignore her. It's me you're with, not her. Anyway, we definitely won't be living with her in the future."
Zhao Mingyue naturally understood this principle. In truth, as long as Shen's mother wasn't hysterical or unreasonable, life wouldn't be too difficult. If you don't like me, I don't need to fawn over you. If you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with even greater respect, and we can live in peace. Besides, Zhao Mingyue never expected to gain anything from Shen Xuyue's family. Generally speaking, as long as there's no conflict of interest, the family gets along quite well, and conflicts disappear.
Mao Jianlan came in from outside, holding a letter in her hand: "Xiao Zhao, there's a letter for you."
Zhao Mingyue took it and smiled, "It's from Yu Youqing. He finally wrote a letter. It looks like he's here to share good news."
Shen Xuyue tensed up; Yu Youqing had been keeping in touch with Mingyue all along: "What did you write?"
Zhao Mingyue opened the letter, read two lines, and was overjoyed: "Youqing said he got into Beijing Normal University, the same school as me, to study physics."
Shen Xuyue felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; this Yu Youqing was truly persistent.
Zhao Mingyue said excitedly with her head down, "This is such a surprise! It's amazing! His grades are actually good enough to get into Tsinghua University. He's the top student in our county. I never expected him to apply to the Normal University. This is great! Now I have another fellow villager. I'll have company when I go home, hehe."
Shen Xuyue's face immediately darkened; Sima Zhao's intentions were crystal clear.
Mao Jianlan asked, "Who got into our school?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "He's my classmate from our village. He took the exam with us last year and did quite well, but his family's political background wasn't good, so he wasn't admitted. He got in this year, and I think he's really amazing." Zhao Mingyue was beaming with joy, happy for Yu Youqing, and didn't notice Shen Xuyue's expression.
Seeing Zhao Mingyue so happy, Mao Jianlan turned to look at Shen Xuyue and noticed that his expression wasn't very good. She then smiled and said, "Mingyue, your classmate must be a guy, right? You're so happy, even your husband Shen is jealous."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue and smiled, "Xuyue wouldn't do that. He knows Youqing too. Yu Youqing and I were classmates, and I've always treated him like a younger brother."
Mao Jianlan asked, "Is he younger than you?"
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment: "I didn't pay attention to that. Anyway, psychologically speaking, I feel like I'm his older sister." In her memory, Yu Youqing had always been a young boy, and subconsciously she felt that he was a child and not her age.
Upon hearing Zhao Mingyue's words, Shen Xuyue's mood brightened immediately: "He should be younger than Mingyue; I feel like he's still a child." Women all like mature and stable men, and someone like Yu Youqing can evoke a woman's maternal instincts. However, Yu Youqing does indeed like Mingyue. With him here, she has another potential rival, so she has to be on her guard. Moreover, that kid actually got into Beijing Normal University; he's really in a good position. Unfortunately, his wife is Mingyue, which isn't a good omen.
Zhao Mingyue was unaware of Shen Xuyue's thoughts. Her current worry was how to meet Shen Xuyue's parents in a few days. To be honest, knowing they didn't like her, she hadn't shamelessly fawned over them in years. The only time she'd done so was in her previous life when her career was just starting out; she'd always been the one asking for favors. If it weren't for Shen Xuyue's sake, she really wouldn't bother trying to win the old lady's favor.
By the end of the month, Zhao Mingyue had settled all the shop's accounts, paid the rent to the landlord, returned all the borrowed items, taken down the shop sign, packed her things, and rode back to school on the back of Shen Xuyue's bicycle. Mao Jianlan, meanwhile, carried some things to catch the bus.
This summer, Zhao Mingyue ran her shop for over a month and, after deducting costs, earned more than 160 yuan. This is more than the average office worker earns, almost equivalent to her family's total annual income. If her mother knew, she would be utterly astonished.
The next day was Sunday, the last day of the month and also the last day of summer vacation. Before school started, Zhao Mingyue had one more battle to fight: she had to go to Shen Xuyue's house.
The journey was too far, and Zhao Mingyue was worried about getting covered in dust from the long bike ride, so she told Shen Xuyue she wouldn't ride her bike and would take the bus instead. Shen Xuyue came to pick her up early in the morning. The weather was a little chilly, and Zhao Mingyue was wearing a shirt and trousers, not a skirt. She figured Shen's mother probably wouldn't approve of her dressing too fashionably; being too fashionable would offend her, so it was better to be simple. Compared to the generally loose and baggy styles of the time, her clothes were more fitted and had a unique charm.
Shen Xuyue was wearing the round-hem shirt that Zhao Mingyue had made for him, but the hem was tucked into his waistband. The pants were also newly made for him by Zhao Mingyue.
Looking at his clothes, all of which she had made herself, Zhao Mingyue smiled contentedly: "I didn't know what your parents liked, so I bought your dad a pack of tea. Does he drink tea? I bought your mom some snacks." Since Shen's mother didn't like her, she didn't really want to try to figure out her preferences and thoughts. Anyway, even if she guessed correctly, she would probably still find fault with her.
Shen Xuyue said, "No need to be so particular. In my opinion, just buy a few apples and take them over."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Let's not be too careless, lest your mother say I'm impolite again. Okay, let's go."
She even made an outfit for Shen Xuyue's older sister's child, hoping to gain the mother's favor—all she had to do was be nice to her child. Unfortunately, this tactic didn't work on Shen Xuyue's mother.
Shen Xuyue's parents and eldest sister were both home, seemingly waiting specifically for Zhao Mingyue's arrival. Zhao Mingyue entered the house, greeted them politely, and placed the gifts she had brought on the coffee table. Chinese people don't usually unwrap gifts in front of guests; it's customary to wait until they leave. Shen's eldest sister brought tea and snacks, and casually put Zhao Mingyue's gifts away on the high and low cabinets.
Mrs. Shen remained seated on the sofa, leaning back and reading the newspaper, while Mr. Shen moved closer and chatted with Zhao Mingyue: "What is Xiao Zhao's major?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "History."
“This is a good major. By studying history, we can understand the rise and fall of dynasties,” said Mr. Shen.
Zhao Mingyue smiled and nodded: "Yes."
Shen's father added, "Xiao Zhao's hometown is in Jinnan, where tea is produced in abundance."
“Yes, Uncle, do you usually drink tea? What kind of tea do you drink? If you like green tea, I’ll bring you some good tea from my hometown,” Zhao Mingyue said.
Father Shen laughed and said, "I drink too, but I'm not picky. I drink whatever is available. It's fine whether it's light or strong."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Our hometown produces green tea, which is suitable for drinking in summer and autumn. It helps to reduce internal heat, and green tea can also fight oxidation, prevent aging, and reduce wrinkles. Auntie can also drink some. I will bring more tea to Uncle and Auntie later."
Although Chen's mother was reading the newspaper, she had actually been eavesdropping on their conversation. Upon hearing Zhao Mingyue's words, she put down the newspaper and said, "Is it really that amazing? Or is it just an exaggeration?"
Mr. Shen said, "Tea has many benefits, and this is a token of the child's good intentions."
Mother Shen held the newspaper in front of her face again and stopped talking, clearly showing that she didn't like Zhao Mingyue. Zhao Mingyue had expected this, so she wasn't disappointed.
After chatting with Shen's father for a while, Zhao Mingyue was taken by Shen Xuyue to visit his home. There were several pots of newly moved chrysanthemums in the yard, which were about to bloom. In addition, there were two large vats with two camellia plants. Zhao Mingyue asked, "Do we have to move the camellias indoors in the winter?"
Shen Xuyue said, "We should. It's too cold here in winter, and the camellias probably can't withstand such low temperatures."
While they were wandering around outside, Shen's mother went into the kitchen. When Shen Xuyue saw his mother enter the kitchen, he couldn't help but laugh. Zhao Mingyue asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Shen Xuyue shook his head: "It's nothing, my mom went to cook."
Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, "What's so great about your mom cooking? Did she not originally plan to cook for me?"
After a while, Chen's mother called from the kitchen: "Fuyu, Fuyu, come here for a moment."
Shen Fuyu ran over: "What's wrong?"
Mother Shen asked, "Who bought this fish?"
"I bought it."
"Then you do it."
Shen Fuyu looked at her mother: "Mom, you don't cook fish either? I don't know how."
Mother Shen said unhappily, "Why did you buy fish? When have you ever seen me cook fish?" In the north, water is scarce and freshwater fish are rare, so they rarely eat freshwater fish, and they don't really like to eat fish, always finding it fishy.
"Mom, I thought you could cook. I went grocery shopping today and saw that the fish looked very fresh, so I bought one. Jingjing's dad cooks fish especially well." When Shen Fuyu was in Northeast China, she didn't actually cook much; her husband cooked for her, which is extremely rare among men in Northeast China, showing how good her husband was to her.
Mother Shen said, "If you want to eat, cook it yourself. I don't cook fish, and I don't even know how to kill fish."
Zhao Mingyue glanced at Shen Xuyue: "I'll go help your mother."
Shen Xuyue asked, "Can you?"
"I can." When Zhao Mingyue was a girl at home, she mostly helped out and never cooked herself. She learned to cook after she got married in her previous life.
Shen Xuyue said loudly, "Mom, Mingyue can cook fish, she'll help you."
Zhao Mingyue rolled up her sleeves: "Auntie, let me do it."
Chen's mother looked at Zhao Mingyue without saying a word and handed the cutting board to her.
Shen Xuyue looked at it and quickly found an apron for her to tie on. It was a grass carp, and it was still alive; he didn't know where it came from. Zhao Mingyue took the fish out of the water, first stunning it with the back of a knife, then washing it, scraping off the scales, and gutting it.
Mother Shen and Sister Shen watched quietly from the side. Zhao Mingyue asked, "Sister, how would you like to eat this?"
Sister Shen asked, "Do you know how to make that kind of boiled fish with thinly sliced fish?"
Zhao Mingyue nodded, "Okay." Boiled fish requires quite a bit of knife skill, but since it's not a restaurant and she's making it at home, Zhao Mingyue didn't pay too much attention to the details and just tried to slice it as thinly as possible. She deftly sliced the fish, marinated it, and boiled it.
The three women worked together to prepare a large table of dishes, with Zhao Mingyue's large pot of boiled fish as the centerpiece, while the plates and small bowls on the side were made by Chen's mother, giving the impression of being surrounded by stars.
Shen Xuyue excitedly ladled fish soup for everyone: "This is the first time I've tasted Mingyue's cooking. Everyone, please try it and see if it's good."
Zhao Mingyue smiled shyly and said, "I haven't made this in a long time, so my skills might be a little rusty. Please forgive me if it doesn't taste good."
Mr. Shen was very satisfied with Zhao Mingyue's cooking skills: "Not bad, not bad. She is capable in both the living room and the kitchen. This is how a modern woman should be."
Shen Fuyu took a bite of the fish: "Hmm, it's similar to what Jingjing's dad makes, smooth and tender, quite delicious. Xiaoxu is so lucky, Mingyue is so capable."
Zhao Mingyue was in a good mood as she listened to what Shen's father and eldest sister said. At least for now, it seemed that Shen's father and eldest sister had already switched sides to her side, leaving only Shen's mother as the tough nut to crack.
Shen's mother moved the bowl of fish soup that Shen Xuyue had ladled for her to her husband in front of him: "I don't like to eat fish, I find it fishy."
For a moment, everyone fell silent. Finally, Shen Fuyu said, "Mom, this fish isn't fishy. People from the north don't eat much fish, and they're not very good at cooking it. They always think freshwater fish have a fishy smell, but if you handle it properly, it won't. Try it if you don't believe me."
Mr. Shen took a sip of the fish soup: "Hmm, it tastes good, I don't think it's fishy at all. Peijun, Xiaoxu served you the soup, and you're not even giving him face?"
Shen Xuyue looked at Zhao Mingyue, smiled apologetically, and placed a piece of fish on her plate: "We don't think it's fishy, we think it's fresh. Eat more, Mingyue. I also really like eating fish. I've been back for more than half a year and haven't had any fish yet. Back in Moon Bay, we used to go fishing in the river from time to time to treat ourselves. I really miss it. When are we going back to fish again?"
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Okay."
Shen Fuyu said, "You have a river where you live. When we were on the farm, there was no river, but there was a big pond with lots of fish. In the summer, the men would go down to the river to catch fish, and in the winter, they would drill holes in the ice in the pond to catch fish. Every time this happened, it was like the New Year, and every household would get some fish. My Jingjing also loves to eat fish."
Shen Xuyue also started telling Zhao Mingyue about some interesting experiences at Moon Bay. Shen's father chimed in occasionally, making the table lively. Only Shen's mother ate in silence. Zhao Mingyue watched as Shen's mother quietly pushed the bowl of fish soup to Shen's father in the end, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
As they were leaving, Shen Fuyu saw them to the door. Zhao Mingyue said, "Big sister, I made a set of clothes for Jingjing. I don't know how tall he is, I just guessed. See if it fits. If it does, I'll send it to him."
Shen Fuyu said happily, "Thank you so much. It's kind of you to go to all this trouble. Come visit us often when you have time. My mom might not necessarily have a prejudice against you. The main reason is because of me. I married Jingjing's father, who is from the countryside. Now our family is separated by thousands of miles, and we don't know if we'll ever be able to reunite. My mom is probably worried that you might end up in the same situation as me. So please give her some time, and she will gradually accept you."
Zhao Mingyue thought that Sister Shen was a smart person, taking all the responsibility upon herself. She nodded, "Yes, thank you, Sister. I'm leaving now, goodbye!"
It was Zhao Mingyue's first time visiting Shen Xuyue's home, and apart from Shen's mother, everyone else was quite easy to talk to, so she was in a good mood. Seeing that her expression was also relaxed, Shen Xuyue breathed a sigh of relief: "Mingyue, my dad and sister are pretty nice people, aren't they?"
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes, it's fine."
“My mom is quite stubborn, but she’s not completely unreasonable, so don’t worry, she’ll come to her senses eventually.”
"Hmm." She ultimately didn't drink the fish soup, which showed that her attitude hadn't softened so quickly. Regardless of her, school was about to start, and Yu Youqing would be coming from home soon, so she would hear a lot of news from home again. Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyue's mood became cheerful.
The new school year has begun, and everything is busy. The girls in the dorm have all returned, chatting excitedly about their experiences. Tang Weihua is still the same as always. Li Chunmei's boyfriend didn't get into a university in Beijing but was accepted into a local vocational college in Chongqing, which everyone finds quite regrettable. Gao Dongfang went on a trip during the summer vacation and talked about his experiences with great enthusiasm, making his dorm sisters extremely envious. Zhao Mingyue thought that she would definitely go on a trip with Shen Xuyue sometime.
When everyone heard that Mao Jianlan was hospitalized, they all expressed their sympathy and advised her that she couldn't be so frugal anymore and must eat properly. Later, several of her friends pooled their money to buy Mao Jianlan some nutritional supplements.
Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue still met on weekends and kept in touch by letter during the week. Shen Xuyue's letters were getting longer and longer, and the contents were extremely affectionate. Zhao Mingyue sometimes blushed as she read them, feeling that this man was becoming increasingly bold. Little did she know that Shen Xuyue felt he was surrounded by danger. His mother was losing favor with him, and his childhood sweetheart Yu Youqing was about to steal her away, making him very uneasy. Therefore, he wanted to weave a tender web to firmly bind Zhao Mingyue within it.
The new semester started in mid-September, and Zhao Mingyue, as a senior student, was assigned to welcome the new students. Zhao Mingyue and Mao Jianlan sat at the history department's desk, registering and guiding the new students. Mao Jianlan whispered in Zhao Mingyue's ear, "Little Zhao, haven't you noticed that there are a lot more people here?"
"Really?" Zhao Mingyue looked up and saw a boy carrying a rolled-up quilt standing in front of her. She blushed slightly and asked, "Excuse me, where is the Department of Political Science and Law?"
Zhao Mingyue pointed towards Bian Hongyu: "It's just behind you, turn around and look." Bian Hongyu was looking in their direction with a bored expression.
The boy turned around and, sure enough, saw the large sign for the Department of Political Science and Law: "Thank you, classmate." He was probably nervous and almost blurted out the word "comrade." Hongyu, seeing the boy walk past, glared at Zhao Mingyue again.
Mao Jianlan burst out laughing: "Aren't I right? How many people from other departments have come here now? There's a big sign in front of every table, but they can't read it themselves, so they insist on asking you. This is truly an open secret."
Zhao Mingyue said, "There aren't that many Sima Zhaos. People are coming, let's hurry up and receive them." Zhao Mingyue took the initiative to take on the task of receiving them, actually hoping to see Yu Youqing as soon as possible.
Yu Youqing arrived on the last day, by which time most of the new students had already arrived. Yu Youqing was still as thin as ever, like a bean sprout, carrying a large floral cotton quilt roll on his back, a duffel bag in one hand, and a high-speed rail bucket and a net bag containing a washbasin in the other. He also wore black-rimmed glasses. Zhao Mingyue almost didn't recognize him. Yu Youqing, however, spotted her almost immediately, then grinned foolishly at her, revealing his pearly white teeth.
When Zhao Mingyue saw him, she quickly came out from behind the table: "Youqing, why are you only arriving now?"
Yu Youqing looked at Zhao Mingyue, his eyes welling up with tears. He blinked hard and said, "I missed the train when I arrived in the provincial capital and left the next day, so I was a day late."
"Let's go, let's go register. I was worried you wouldn't come." Zhao Mingyue took the luggage bag from his hand.
Yu Youqing handed her the bucket and net: "You carry this, make sure it's light. How could I not come?"
“Yes, I knew it. Your department is over there. I’ll go say hello to my classmate first.” Zhao Mingyue led Yu Youqing to her department’s side and said to Mao Jianlan, “Jianlan, I’m taking my classmate to register. Is it alright for you to stay here and watch over things?”
"It's nothing. This is your classmate?" Mao Jianlan looked at Yu Youqing. He was such a shy boy. No wonder Zhao Mingyue called him a little brother.
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes. This is my classmate from elementary and junior high school, Yu Youqing. Youqing, this is my roommate, Mao Jianlan."
Mao Jianlan extended her hand to Yu Youqing in greeting: "Hello!"
Yu Youqing blushed shyly and uttered two indistinct words: "Hello!" He was still quite embarrassed when speaking Mandarin.
Zhao Mingyue led Yu Youqing forward and said bluntly, "Youqing, why are you still like this? Be a little bolder. Why are you nearsighted?"
Yu Youqing blushed and adjusted her glasses with her hand: "Yes, I was a little nearsighted before. My sister got me new glasses after I got into university."
Zhao Mingyue paused for a moment: "Is Sister Fen alright?"
"I'm not quite sure either. She doesn't tell us about her affairs, but I feel like she's not very happy." Yu Youqing was focused on studying for the college entrance exam and had no idea what was happening around him. Suddenly one day, he heard that his sister was getting married, which shocked him. It was a happy occasion, but no one in the family was happy. Yu Youqing knew that something must have happened, but no one told him what was going on, for fear of distracting him. They only told him the truth after he finished the exam. He was furious, but the deed was done.
Seeing that the occasion wasn't suitable for delving into this topic, Zhao Mingyue asked, "Is everything alright at home?"
Yu Youqing hummed in agreement: "Everything's fine. Your parents are in good health; they even asked me to bring you some things."
"Really? It's so far, it must be so heavy for you to carry. I originally planned to go back for a few days during the summer vacation, but I've been so busy that I didn't finish until the end of the summer vacation, so I didn't have time to go back." Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyue still felt a little regretful.
Yu Youqing said, "They're not heavy, they're all very light. I'll give them to you now."
Zhao Mingyue said, "No need for now. After you register, I'll take you to your dorm, and you can give it to me then." It's a bit difficult for boys to enter girls' dorms, but it's much easier for girls to enter boys' dorms. Besides, it's the start of the semester, and everything hasn't been set up yet, so it's still quite convenient to come and go.
"Is everything alright at home?" Zhao Mingyue asked.
Yu Youqing smiled and said, "That's great, my older brother has finally found a wife." After he was admitted to university, people immediately came to his house to arrange a marriage for his older brother.
"Really? That's great news! Your parents can finally rest easy." Zhao Mingyue felt that their family's fortunes had finally turned around, although Yu Youfen was still a bit of a disappointment. "Youqing, we're here. This is your department. Go register."
The physics department has always had more men than women, so when they saw Zhao Mingyue accompanying Yu Youqing, their eyes lit up and they said happily, "Are you also from our department, female student?"
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "No, I came with a friend. I'm not a freshman."
Which department are you in?
Zhao Mingyue smiled but remained silent. So many men had approached her to chat these past few days; if she couldn't figure out why, she'd be incredibly foolish. She just thought that this era was already quite conservative, so why were there still so many proactive men? Actually, men pursuing women, regardless of the era, their enthusiasm remains as fervent as ever.
After Yu Youqing finished her stammering conversation with the other party, a boy offered, "Let me take you to register. Here, let me help you carry your things."
Just as Yu Youqing was about to say "Thank you, no need," he noticed that the other person had already taken the bucket from Zhao Mingyue's hand. Zhao Mingyue smiled at him and shook her head, clearly somewhat helpless at the other person's enthusiasm. Yu Youqing looked at Zhao Mingyue; he hadn't seen her for half a year, and she had become even more beautiful. Now she was completely like a city person—generous and confident—truly enviable and admirable.
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