A Battle of Wits Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law (Part 1)
After the living room lights came on, the old man asked again who cooked the braised pork on the table. Who else could it be but himself? He had planned to wait for Qingcheng to wake up so they could enjoy the feast together, but after a short delay, the situation changed.
"This silly young master who never lifts a finger can actually cook! He even knows how to caramelize sugar! Go heat it up, I have to try it." Old Master Gao sat down and sat down, stroking the wine bottle and teasing, "Heh, who are you trying to get drunk with this little bit of wine?"
"Dad, it's nothing. I didn't cook it well. How about I take you out to eat at the newly opened Cantonese restaurant?" Gao Junxiao wanted to ask his father to leave so that Qingcheng would have a chance to escape. However, he caught a glimpse of Qingcheng's leather shoes, and alarm bells went off in his mind.
"Heh, I want to eat authentic Cantonese food, why would I come here?" Old Master Gao seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.
Huaiyang cuisine?
"Too few."
"Hangzhou cuisine?"
"Too bland."
"My favorite?"
"Too sweet."
"Sichuan cuisine?" Gao Junxiao had already moved to the doorway while they were talking.
"Too spicy. Don't you say you can't eat spicy food?" Old Master Gao suddenly turned around, and Gao Junxiao immediately froze. The two seemed to be playing a game of "Red Light, Green Light".
"No, that won't work. At Beijing restaurants, lamb hot pot is the most nourishing dish this season." Gao Junxiao secretly hid Qingcheng's leather shoes behind his back while the old man wasn't looking.
“Who would travel thousands of miles, take a train for three days and three nights, to Jiangnan just to eat a bite of hometown food? Do I look like I’m just wasting my time?” Master Gao said without room for argument. “I’ll eat here today. Go and stir-fry some vegetables, hurry up.”
As the old man turned around to pour wine, Gao Junxiao quickly hid the shoes in the cabinet. Oh dear, and her coat too: "Dad, how about I have Qingcheng cook for you next time? She cooks much better than me."
“I’ll eat Miss He’s cooking later. Today I just want to eat my son’s cooking. Why do you think I’m not good enough?” Old Master Gao turned around and scolded.
"Of course you deserve it. If you don't deserve it, who in the world does?" Gao Junxiao plopped down on the sofa and silently pushed his coat behind the cushion. "You sit here and have a drink. I'll go and get ready."
"Wait a minute, go and invite Miss He upstairs to eat with us. She's catching up on sleep from her night shift, so she probably won't be cooking dinner." The old man suddenly wanted to invite Qingcheng, which stumped Gao Junxiao.
"She...may...not necessarily...is here," Gao Junxiao stammered, feeling uneasy. "She's in my bedroom right now."
Seemingly having confirmed something, Master Gao sneered, "Hmph, I'll give you a chance to invite her down, or I'll personally go to your room to invite her."
“Father, even if you’re anxious about my marriage, you can’t just say things like that.” Gao Junxiao firmly denied it. “Our feelings are genuine, but we’ve kept them within the bounds of propriety.”
"I pretended I didn't see the watch on your bedside table," Mr. Gao said meaningfully. "It seems you've been favoring more delicate styles lately."
Gao Junxiao was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized it was Qingcheng's expression: "Dad, you have a good eye. You only know that your wife is impatient, but you don't know that my wife likes to lose things. Luckily, I live downstairs from her, and I have helped her pick things up several times."
"Oh," Old Master Gao replied perfunctorily, but his face was full of disbelief. He suddenly got up and turned toward the bedroom, with Gao Junxiao following closely behind, his legs numb.
The old man didn't take him seriously at all. He pushed open the door and went to open the wardrobe. Gao Junxiao felt a chill in his heart. He stood alone to block the wardrobe door and begged his father for some privacy.
Dodo—
The knocking came just as the two were at an impasse. Under his father's gaze, he went to open the door with a wry smile.
However, the person outside the door surprised Gao Junxiao so much that he couldn't close his mouth. Qingcheng draped the wide scarf from his bedroom over her body as an overcoat, showing that she was quite good at improvising.
However, she was still wearing her family slippers. Gao Junxiao didn't have time to ask her any questions. He blocked the old man's view with his body and loudly told Qingcheng to change her shoes so she could have dinner with her father that evening.
At the doorway, Qingcheng blinked knowingly and peeked out to greet Master Gao: "Oh dear, what a coincidence, Uncle Gao, I'm sorry to bother you today."
"Miss He, please have a seat. What happened to your chin?" Mr. Gao asked suspiciously.
Gao Junxiao quickly replied, "She was feeling drowsy and lightheaded while working overtime, and she tripped and fell on her way back, but it's nothing serious."
After the explanation, Mr. Gao didn't press the matter further. Gao Junxiao coughed twice at Qingcheng, gesturing for her to come into the kitchen with him. Qingcheng didn't want to face the old man alone either, so she nodded to him and went to the kitchen.
"Why are you at the door?" Gao Junxiao lit the stove and poured oil into the pot.
"You climbed out, of course. It was the balcony of your bedroom, the small balcony that leads to the hallway. Anyway, you're only on the second floor. At worst, you'd break your leg. You've climbed before, haven't you?" Qingcheng said in the gentlest voice, stating the most gruesome consequence.
A handful of greens was thrown into the hot pan, sizzling loudly. Gao Junxiao glared at Qingcheng and warned, "You really want to copy me, huh? If you dare to break your leg, I'll break my own. If you get shot once, I'll shoot myself twice. You're welcome to try."
She froze, then said coquettishly, "No, then who will take care of me?"
"Whoever wants to take care of it can take care of it, I'm not going to serve you." Gao Junxiao frowned even more, violently stirred the food a few times on the blazing stove, then put the lid on and turned the heat down to low.
"Don't be angry." Qingcheng suddenly hugged the man watching the fire from behind. "Actually, I understand what you mean. From now on, I'll consider you first before doing anything, and you should consider me first when you charge into battle, okay?"
The broth in the pot was bubbling away, and Gao Junxiao's expression had softened considerably. He didn't answer, but picked up a piece of vegetable and held it to Qingcheng's lips: "Try it and see if it's cooked?"
Qingcheng took his attitude as a sign of agreement, ate the vegetables from his hand, and sincerely praised, "They're cooked perfectly; there's no earthy smell at all."
After a while, the food was heated up. The old man sat in the main seat, while Gao Junxiao and Qingcheng sat upright, waiting for the old man to pick up his chopsticks before they dared to eat. Qingcheng didn't even dare to touch the wine, trying her best to maintain her ladylike image.
Occasionally, when Qingcheng and Gao Junxiao made eye contact, she would act gracefully and elegantly, serving her boyfriend food with a gesture that was both attentive and polite.
The three dishes and soup on the table were quickly finished. Qingcheng then poured wine for the elders, and Grandpa Gao did not stand on ceremony. He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. Although no one spoke, the scene was one of harmony among the family.
It wasn't until Mr. Gao's face was slightly flushed that he pressed down on the rim of his glass, indicating with his actions that the dinner was over. In order to avoid an awkward silence, Gao Junxiao deliberately started a conversation: This apartment is rented, not bought, so how come his father has a key to his own room?
“Your landlord used to be my subordinate. I just made a phone call, and he brought me the keys,” Mr. Gao said without changing his expression.
"My dad has many friends and students," Gao Junxiao explained with an embarrassed smile, which made Qingcheng a little curious about what the old man did for a living before.
Then the old man sent Gao Junxiao downstairs to buy some hangover soup and loquats. Gao Junxiao said with difficulty, "Dad, the winter solstice is coming soon, where am I going to find loquats for you?"
Qingcheng sensed her boyfriend's reluctance and patted his hand under the table to reassure him. With the elders having spoken, Gao Junxiao's refusal to move was futile.
Actually, it wasn't a bad thing that the old man wanted to confront her directly. She had expected this day to come. She had the courage to marry Gao Junxiao and the confidence to leave him. She wasn't too flustered. She got up and brought a tea tray from the kitchen to serve tea to the old man.
After Gao Junxiao came downstairs, Mr. Gao asked bluntly, "May I ask how long Miss He and my son have known each other?"
"It's been over a year." Kiyosumi refilled the tea with a crisp and efficient motion.
"It's neither short nor long, just enough to get a general idea." Mr. Gao accepted the teacup somewhat perfunctorily. "But I haven't known Miss He for very long, so I don't know you very well yet."
The old man wanted to reveal his family background, and Qingcheng understood his thoughts, so he explained the family history in detail.
Her ancestral home was Changde, Hunan. Her father was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who ranked seventh in the second class during the Guangxu era and served as a Hanlin scholar. Her mother was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the prefect of Kaifeng.
After her father resigned from his official post, he was invited by her uncle to settle in Wuhan. He did business in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hubei for many years and his family was well-off. However, she was a gifted girl, and her father died young. She then went to Shanghai to be raised by her aunt.
"But I heard that you were once rejected in a marriage proposal. What was the reason?" Master Gao asked, staring at Qingcheng. Qingcheng pondered the old man's intentions while making tea.
The old man came prepared by asking such an embarrassing question right off the bat. He was testing her honesty earlier, and he must have already investigated the truth.
So Qingcheng generously replied, "For no reason."
After taking a sip of his tea, Master Gao was very curious. If a young lady were rejected without cause, it would be a great disgrace. Wouldn't her master stand up for Qingcheng?
“The other party is an old friend of my father’s. They may be ungrateful, but we cannot be unreasonable. Moreover, when I was young, I was focused on my studies and had no interest in marriage.” Qingcheng expressed his feelings tactfully.
"So, breaking off the engagement is exactly what you wanted?" Master Gao asked sharply.
The old man was more difficult than she had imagined. Qingcheng took a sip of tea and said bluntly, "Marriage is not a game, and Qingcheng dares not make any comments."
"A woman fears marrying the wrong man, and it's only natural that Miss He is cautious about marriage," Mr. Gao remarked. "People's needs in marriage are nothing more than consolidating assets, pursuing fame and fortune, and having children. But Miss He's delicate body is no less capable than a man's mind, and she doesn't need to rely on a man for support. Isn't it because you're getting older and your family is pressuring you?"
Qingcheng shook her head: "No, marriage is not a rigid requirement, but a choice of life. Our times are progressing, young people are pursuing progress, and the state of marriage should naturally progress as well. Since both men and women have the courage to pursue free love, they should also know how to build a new type of civilized marital relationship."
"Miss He, what is your idea of a civilized marriage? I'd like to learn more and hear your insights." Mr. Gao pushed the empty teacup towards Qingcheng, signaling her to continue.
"I dare not presume to offer such insightful opinions, but what Qingcheng is about to say may challenge your original ethical views. Please forgive any rudeness, Uncle Gao." Qingcheng recalled Gao Junxiao's reminder: his father was a feudal patriarch.
Mr. Gao across from her raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue. Qingcheng then began to explain her point of view in a gentle tone.
A marriage certificate is a contract. Our traditional marriage model is called "men plow and women weave," which sounds like a normal social division of labor.
However, given the exploitation and oppression of women by feudal dynasties, marriage, as a contractual relationship, was more of a constraint on the relationship between two families. For a long time, the husband occupied a privileged and dominant position that did not require special legal constraints.
Society also implicitly recognizes that wives are considered husbands' assets, human tools for procreation, and that marriage is an inherently unequal treaty for women, roughly equivalent to a contract of servitude.
Kiyosumi often edited the news, and she found that the social atmosphere was particularly bad. Selling or renting wives was rampant. In order to avoid being married and becoming slaves, girls either jumped into wells, hanged themselves, or chose the path of self-combing, which was a path of no return.
Did they want to die from birth? No, they wanted to live, but they wanted to live in the next life.
Therefore, Qingcheng was extremely resistant to marriage at first. Later, she realized that her perspective had been confined by her previous education in "obedience," and that she should not be passive in matters of marriage.
Whether it's choosing a partner, allocating assets, or having children, the decision-making power should be in your own hands!
In my opinion, the biggest difference in modern civilized marriage is that men do not marry and women do not marry; instead, men and women get to know each other and come together to form a new family based on their own wishes.
Both individuals are heads of their own households, with their own economic foundations. They do not need to prepare betrothal gifts or dowries, nor do they take the husband's or wife's surname. Neither can rely on the other, and they must fulfill their social obligations equally.
"It's not uncommon for men to not marry and women to not be married off. Some regions still retain the custom of walking marriage. However, these are barbarians who don't know etiquette. Miss He is from an official family. Why would she want to learn from the barbarians in the mountains?" Master Gao asked coldly.
“Uncle Gao, at least the barbarians you speak of don’t treat marriage as a business transaction, while those so-called social norms divide our people into different classes. Men and women are all given a price tag from birth, and people of the same price are randomly assigned to be husband and wife. Our marriage system ignores the human element,” Qingcheng said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"No matter how much you value people, marriage is essentially a contractual partnership. While matching social status isn't always the best approach, it has its significance. If it's just about fleeting romance, it's unlikely to last." Old Master Gao's eyes held a hint of disdain. He only drank half a cup of tea before pouring out the rest.
Seeing that Master Gao had poured half a cup of tea, Qingcheng was filled with mixed feelings. She knew that if she were not the daughter of an official, but a woman from a fallen family who had fallen into prostitution, Master Gao probably wouldn't even drink half a cup of her tea.
She acknowledged the biological differences between men and women, but argued that contradictions are divided into primary and secondary contradictions, with class contradictions being far greater than those between men and women.
For example, "The Butterfly Lovers" is superficially a love tragedy, but in essence it is a tragedy caused by class differences. Therefore, they must first resolve the gap between classes before addressing the issue of gender equality.
Faced with the living embodiment of feudal autocracy, Qingcheng's fighting spirit was also ignited by the old man: "If Uncle Gao thinks that we are blinded by love and do not know what life is, then he not only belittles Qingcheng, but also looks down on Zexiu, whom you personally raised."
“Of course I know my son’s situation. His job is dangerous and nomadic, and he lives on the edge of a knife. It’s alright when he’s alone, but when the two of you live together, or even when more people join the family, it’s inevitable that he will be neglected. Before marriage, everything is negotiable, but after marriage, you won’t have a choice.” Master Gao pressed on.
“Uncle Gao, people have limited energy. How to balance work and family is another issue. And why do you have to ask Qingcheng about this issue? Why not ask Zexiu how to balance it? Or have you already assumed that housework and children should be left to your wife or nanny, and that men can be hands-off?” Qingcheng calmly threw out a string of soft rebuttals.
In fact, Qingcheng regretted it as soon as he said it. The old man probably wasn't really feudal, otherwise he wouldn't be friends with his master.
But the words had already been spoken. Kiyosumi racked her brains for a compromise that both of them could accept. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she came up with a solution.
Some of these ideas are ingrained in them from childhood and cannot be changed immediately by a few words from a younger person like her. You can't rush things.
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