The battle of wits between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law (Part 2)
There are 200 million women in China. Now the people are impoverished and the nation has lost its sovereignty. It is lamentable that they can only stay at home, unable to save themselves, let alone talk about saving the country. Qingcheng believes that this is the greatest loss to the Chinese revolution.
She was first and foremost a Party member, and only secondly a woman. Even if it took her a lifetime, she was determined to eliminate arranged marriages and achieve class equality. Of course, Qingcheng realized that going against the tide was somewhat difficult, and she wouldn't rely on brute force anymore.
The steam from the teapot couldn't hide the old man's dark face, and his breath was almost coming out of his nose: "Miss He, your logic is clear, and I would be very willing to work with you. However, when it comes to marriage, a girl who is too assertive is not necessarily a good thing. You have learned your lesson once. Don't think that just because you don't admit it, you can pretend it never happened."
Instead of being angry at Master Gao's veiled sarcasm, Qingcheng laughed: "Indeed, by the same token, how can one reap without sowing? Back then, my master defied all conventions to marry my big-footed master, becoming a laughingstock and considered insane by others. But now that women are unbinding their feet, who's really the fool? Uncle Gao, only when all flowers bloom can spring be truly beautiful. Civilized marriage not only liberates me, but also liberates Zexiu."
The first person to pave the way goes the furthest, but it is easy for others to follow. She wants to learn from her master, to challenge feudal dross by testing the law herself, to liberate herself first, and then to rescue other sisters and compatriots.
“My son is far inferior to my junior brother. You are indeed of the same ilk as Thirteen Sister.” After sizing up Qingcheng, Master Gao finally cut to the chase and asked, “Miss He is so intelligent, she clearly has better options. I just want to know, what do you see in my son?”
"Tolerance!" Qingcheng blurted out.
A mountain does not refuse even a tiny bit of soil, thus it can become high; a sea does not refuse even a drop of water, thus it can become deep. Ze Xiu's several capable subordinates were all once others' subordinates, but now they follow him wholeheartedly, precisely because he has the capacity to tolerate others.
To be honest, as beneficiaries of the existing system, men's ideological liberation is more precious than women's, and Kiyosumi is very fortunate that Noriyuki is a progressive man with an open mind.
In front of Zexiu, she could laugh when she wanted to laugh, cry when she wanted to cry, do what she liked, and offer her opinions at any time.
Although Zexiu doesn't agree with everything she does, and the two sometimes argue, in the end he respects her choices.
She thought that if Zexiu had such a magnanimous character, it must be because his family had a righteous tradition and that his elders had taught him moral values in a subtle and pervasive way.
"Hmph, Miss He, you're only now flattering me? Isn't it a bit late?" Master Gao glanced warily at Qingcheng.
Qingcheng looked directly at Master Gao and replied frankly, "It's not too late. Qingcheng believes that elders who can raise virtuous and gentlemen must be people of high moral character. Moreover, Qingcheng is not denying all traditions. Confucius said, 'When serving one's parents, one should remonstrate with them gently. If they do not accept one's advice, one should still respect them and not disobey them. One should labor without resentment.'"
“It’s okay if you disagree with my views today. As children, we will still respect our elders and offer our advice when you are in a better mood. This is true filial piety, not blind obedience that leads our parents into an unjust situation.”
Master Gao seemed quite satisfied with this explanation. He shifted into a more comfortable sitting position and asked with a half-smile, "Then what can you do for my son?"
Qingcheng calmly replied, "You are Zexiu's father, so you should know that he has a high opinion of himself and is very proud. Therefore, he is easily discouraged and depressed when he encounters setbacks. I can always spur him on and not allow him to give up. I can also be Zexiu's confidante and give him advice. Is there anyone more reliable than his wife for him? I will not let Zexiu bear the weight of the revolution alone."
There was no sound from inside. Old Master Gao propped his head up, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, he smiled with relief: "My son loves to cheat and be cunning. You mustn't spoil him in the future. When he needs a good talking to, give him a good scolding. I'll ask you one last time, are you willing to marry my son?"
A seemingly innocuous question stirred up Qingcheng's emotions; she also hoped that her marriage would receive her parents' blessings and approval.
Just as Qingcheng nodded, blushing, Gao Junxiao's loud voice came through the door as it opened: "Dad, I really couldn't find any loquats, so I bought a bowl of lung-clearing pear syrup tea. It has dried loquats in it, so please make do with it."
Old Master Gao immediately rolled his eyes and retorted, "Why don't you settle for less? Look at your character. If you weren't destined to have a wife, with your unruly behavior, you'd be in big trouble."
Gao Junxiao, who had just put down the sweet soup, immediately grasped the key point and rushed over to hug Old Master Gao: "I have a wife now, thank you, Dad."
Old Master Gao put on a stern face to resist Gao Junxiao's affection, but he couldn't resist his silly son's strength. The old man's face turned red, but Gao Junxiao was still muttering: "Dad, we have to arrange things slowly. First, we should get engaged, then we should get married. We can't skip any of the three letters and six rites."
In fact, Qingcheng didn't want to make it so complicated. Recently, civilized weddings are popular. Like Lao Wang and Rui Rui, it's enough to just have a meal and a banquet. Holding a wedding is too extravagant and wasteful, which doesn't fit her self-identity as a Bolshevik.
However, getting engaged first has one advantage: her engagement banquet with Ah Xiao will be attended by many military and political dignitaries, and in a few days it will be the day she meets with Wang Renyong. She can report her plans to Old Wang in advance.
She needed to sort out Ah Xiao's interpersonal relationships, and then cooperate with Comrade Li Sheng to integrate into their circle and identify potential partners.
Ah—Gao Junxiao's scream interrupted Qingcheng's thoughts. She saw Master Gao grab Gao Junxiao's ear and force him to kneel down: "You brat, you've got some nerve, haven't you? I didn't want to teach you a lesson in front of Miss He, but you've really gone too far!"
Gao Junxiao knelt on the ground and repeatedly begged for mercy: "Father, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again, please let go."
Oh dear, he's already in his thirties and still gets scolded by his father, how pitiful, hahaha. He's usually quite smart, how come he turns into a simpleton when he's with his own father? No wonder Uncle Gao calls him the silly young master.
Despite the laughter, Qingcheng couldn't stand idly by. She had a sudden inspiration and respectfully picked up the warm lung-cleansing tea, saying to Master Gao, "Uncle Gao, please stop scolding and have some lung-cleansing tea to soothe your throat."
Master Gao remained silent and did not take the bowl. Gao Junxiao seemed to understand something and immediately tugged at Qingcheng's sleeve, making her kneel down and serve tea according to traditional customs.
Reminded by her boyfriend, Qingcheng knelt before Master Gao and raised her teacup high, saying, "Uncle Gao, please have some tea."
But Master Gao still didn't accept it. Gao Junxiao nudged Qingcheng with his elbow, and Qingcheng immediately changed his mind: "Father, please have some tea!"
This time, Master Gao straightened his posture and accepted the teacup, his face revealing a dignified expression: "Miss He, no matter how modern you are, once you drink this tea, you are a member of the Gao family. The foundation of a family lies in its women. Only with virtuous women can there be virtuous mothers. Only with virtuous mothers can the family prosper and the nation be built, uniting the four hundred million people of China into one great group to compete with the great powers."
Qingcheng smiled and nodded. The old man was still progressive and patriotic at heart, but he was limited by the times. How could she not agree?
Just as Master Gao was about to touch the lung-clearing tea, he put the bowl away, cleared his throat, and said, "There's one more thing: once sold, this silly young master is non-refundable and non-exchangeable, and there's no after-sales service. When you no longer care for it, you can decide whether to keep it or not."
"Dad, are you having a clearance sale?" Gao Junxiao complained, frowning.
Mr. Gao retorted, "What else did you expect? I'm so happy to set off firecrackers for three days straight now that I can finally get rid of these unsold, bottom-of-the-box goods."
Haha, Qingcheng noticed that the old man had a touch of humor when he was being sarcastic. After finishing his tea, the old man took out a sandalwood box from his pocket and said, "A little gift for meeting you. Wear it and play with it, daughter-in-law."
"Thank you, Dad." Qingcheng smiled and took the box, glancing subconsciously at her boyfriend beside her. Encouraged by him, Qingcheng boldly opened the box. Inside was a ruby ring wider than her thumb, its bright pigeon-blood red color was unmistakable.
Gao Junxiao casually slipped the ring onto her finger: "Thank you, Father. This is a tribute from Gongbang Kingdom, right? I remember it was a pair."
They weren't even officially engaged yet, and he was already giving her such an expensive gift. Qingcheng felt a sense of guilt, like she was wearing a luxury car on her wrist.
"Yes, the imperial green jadeite ring has been given to your sister-in-law," Master Gao replied.
"Hehe, Dad, it's a good thing you only had two sons, otherwise there wouldn't be enough family heirlooms to go around." Gao Junxiao started to speak without restraint again when he was happy.
"Then you won't get a share! You've already gotten a great deal, go and enjoy it while you can, and you still dare to talk nonsense." Old Master Gao said with a double meaning. If looks could kill, Gao Junxiao beside him would have been torn to pieces.
“If there’s any flaw, it’s all thanks to your son’s discerning eye. I told you long ago that our family’s old graves are emitting auspicious smoke, but you didn’t believe me.” Gao Junxiao continued his banter without any fear.
"Oh dear, it's been so long since you've been back. Which ancestor still remembers you, you little brat?" Old Master Gao said, tapping his son's head.
"Well, I didn't have a wife before, so I was too embarrassed to pay respects to my ancestors. I'll definitely go back this year." Qingcheng smiled as she listened to the father and son chatting. Gao Junxiao sat down next to Qingcheng and naturally took her hand under the table, as warm as ever.
"It's good that you know you're being shameful. Quickly finish up your work and get me my wedding leave in advance. Don't cause any trouble. I'll have your mother go to the He family to propose marriage tomorrow," said Master Gao.
"Tomorrow? My mother wouldn't already be in Hankou, waiting for your orders, would she?" Gao Junxiao asked with surprise, which shocked Qingcheng as well. Wasn't her future mother-in-law taking care of her grandson in her hometown? How did she end up blocking her doorstep?
The old man nodded with a stern face: "Your mother is impatient. She's afraid that the daughter-in-law she's about to marry will slip away. She won't let me say anything. It wasn't me who sent her to Hankou."
But the old man tacitly agreed, not wasting a single moment. Qingcheng smiled to herself and didn't reply. It turned out that the person who was most anxious was the old man. He had already made his decision, but he had been beating around the bush with her, trying to suppress her arrogance.
"Hey, Dad, what's this?" Gao Junxiao pulled out a brand new key from the box. "Oh, and a land deed too."
"Why are you so greedy! Put it back. That's a gift for my daughter-in-law, not for you. I won't let my daughter-in-law sleep on the streets." Old Master Gao pretended to pull Gao Junxiao's ear again, but Gao Junxiao nimbly dodged it.
"Father, you're so unfair! You gave me a house after the jewels; now my betrothal gifts are nothing!" Gao Junxiao's words left Qingcheng bewildered. Huh? There were other gifts too? A house? Why were they giving away a house?
"Hey, is that all? I told you before, don't bring out your meager savings to embarrass yourself. Keep it to yourself."
But Gao Junxiao seemed to be deliberately arguing with the old man. He quickly ran to the bedroom and took out a very ordinary tin biscuit box.
The moment the lid was lifted, the other two people's eyes were drawn to the light inside the box. Inside the cookie box, twelve large, glittering yellow croakers were neatly arranged.
Qingcheng's vision went white from the glint of the gold bars. One large yellow croaker was worth ten small yellow croakers. Who knew how long Ah Xiao had saved up and how much blood he had shed to acquire such a mundane item?
Gao Junxiao was quite honest; he stuffed the box full of gold bars into Qingcheng's arms and told her to take it and make jewelry.
"Wow, not bad!" Old Master Gao looked at the large yellow croaker in the box and asked with interest, "You brat, you didn't embezzle it, did you?"
"Don't worry, it's all your son's hard-earned money. I'm not one to squander money, so with some reasonable investments, I've saved quite a bit." Gao Jun closed the lid as if guarding against a thief, not letting the old man see it again.
“Daughter-in-law, take it. You won’t lose anything. Don’t worry, my dowry will never be less than my son’s.” Old Master Gao glanced at Gao Junxiao unintentionally.
Not to be outdone, Gao Junxiao said, "Wife, I still have some house deeds and land deeds with my mother. I'll transfer them all to you when she comes."
"What, trying to break someone's heart by digging out their secrets? You're still too green, kid. Want to compare the thickness of our land deeds and house deeds?" Old Master Gao revealed a mocking smile.
Faced with the facts before him, Gao Junxiao was unwilling to back down verbally: "No matter how much betrothal gifts you offer, Qingcheng only accepts them because of me."
Qingcheng, sandwiched between the father and son, couldn't get a word in edgewise. "Can't you two go back and stop your wealth-contesting?" she thought. "Otherwise, she's about to lose control of her socialist hammer; believe me, she'll use it all to pay her party dues!"
Perhaps sensing Qingcheng's dissatisfaction, Gao Junxiao immediately changed the subject. He had finished suppressing the bandits, and the bandit suppression office was going to be abolished. However, Commander Xiong promised to give him a sinecure so that he could stay in Shanghai until the 13th Army was transferred to another location.
No wonder he had so much free time that he picked her up from work every day, but Commander Xiong was reluctant to waste her talent. Then she remembered Mr. Hai: "Are you sure you've finished the extermination? I remember there's still a Mr. Hai."
Gao Junxiao admitted that such a person did exist, but since Gao Junxiao started the bandit suppression campaign, he was too scared to show his face. If he still did not show his face by the end of the year, the bandit suppression office would have "truly" accomplished its mission.
"I don't care what Mr. Hai or Mr. Hu you have, your main task next year is to get married." Master Gao's tone was authoritative and left no room for refusal.
Gao Junxiao immediately looked at Qingcheng and said that he would go forward without hesitation wherever his heart led him.
After they saw Mr. Gao into the car, the two of them went upstairs hand in hand. Qingcheng was curious about the old man's previous work: "I always felt that when he looked at me, it was as if he was looking at a dangerous person who would go astray if he was not careful, with a bit of pity in his scrutiny."
“Yes, yes, thank goodness you’re a writer, haha, I’ve been being watched for thirty years and I still can’t describe that feeling.” Gao Junxiao laughed loudly. “The old man studied law; he was a lawyer first and then a judge. He only believes the evidence he sees and doesn’t believe what others say.”
"Huh? Does that mean I have to be careful with my words and actions from now on, and not break the law?" Kiyosumi thought in surprise, no wonder she was able to help him clear his criminal record.
"Not only should we not break the law, but we should also refrain from trying to outsmart him in the future, unless we develop exceptional counter-surveillance skills like I have since childhood," Gao Junxiao said proudly.
"What's with the arrogance!" Qingcheng immediately exposed his past, mentioning how he skipped school to fight cocks and was dragged back by the old man.
Gao Junxiao said with delight in front of the door, "My chicken is a reincarnation of a killing god. It fought in nine alleys without ever being defeated. However, it is completely black, so I named it Heiqi (Black Qi)."
"Tch, this is probably the worst Bai Qi has ever been portrayed." Qingcheng asked, "Did your mother kill your pet so you wouldn't dare skip school anymore?"
"Naive, my mother is much harsher than you. It's all my brother's fault. Why did he have to go to the Eight Great Hutongs? He's so young and doesn't learn anything good, causing my Heiqi to suffer." Gao Junxiao said aggrievedly.
Qingcheng rolled his eyes. What right did this truant brat have to complain about his older brother? It was just the pot calling the kettle black.
Gao Junxiao was furious when he talked about this. He and his brother had never gotten along since they were children, and after this incident, the two brothers became even more irreconcilable.
It turned out that his mother had bought ten hens to raise with Hei Qi, and punished Gao's eldest brother by making him feed the chickens and clean the chicken coop.
Then, just when Hei Qi was feeling incredibly glamorous with his harem, he was castrated. It was Gao's mother who had Gao's eldest brother do it. Gao Junxiao's objections were in vain, and he could only watch helplessly as Hei Qi gave up on himself and grew fatter and fatter until he became a mushy chicken that would wobble when he walked.
Wow, that's a bit of a blatant attempt to flatter her sons! Hahaha, it's a real "kill the chicken to scare the monkey." Qingcheng thinks her future mother-in-law is a bit unethical, but she did manage to teach her two sons a lesson, so she's not bad. Hmm, she'll try to avoid contact with her as much as possible in the future.
"According to you, your mother rubbed salt into your wounds and sent Hei Qi into your belly, right?" Qingcheng asked with a cold smile.
"No, why are you always talking about killing it? It's a life too. Even though Heiqi is disabled, it won't stop me from taking good care of it. Have you never had a pet before?" Gao Junxiao's eyes showed a hint of sympathy.
Shaking her head, Qingcheng thought of her mother's hatred for furry animals, which naturally prevented her and her sisters from touching them. Her second sister's secretly kept puppy was beaten to death by the servants, as her mother was afraid of it getting lice or other dirty things.
So in Qingcheng's mind, pets were just dirty and worthless objects, not as substantial as calligraphy and paintings. Is it really that fun?
"It's a pity, your childhood was missing out on a lot of fun." Gao Junxiao's eyes were filled with sincerity. "But our children can have a complete childhood. You can raise whatever you want in the future."
"Can I keep a chameleon as a pet? I love watching it change color." Qingcheng looked at Gao Junxiao expectantly.
"Uh... can we get another one? It's too small. If it runs away, you won't be able to find it. You can raise some fluffy, bigger things." Gao Junxiao tried to inspire Qingcheng, his lips moving as if he was about to announce his goal.
"Oh, how about a hairy tarantula? I've seen pictures of it. It's about the size of a man's palm, covered in hair, has four pairs of eyes, and eight legs. You can feed it to cockroaches. Most importantly, it's not very venomous, so it's perfect for playing with."
“Poison... not very venomous, it’s a spider, and it’s only the size of my palm.” Gao Junxiao glanced at his palm with a troubled expression. “No, that thing is too ugly. What if the child becomes ugly after seeing it?”
"Why do you think ugly is ugly? Can you represent everyone? Spiders are clearly cute. You don't know what you're talking about." Qingcheng thought of her bedroom windowsill, where a small white jumping spider would visit every day. When she got tired of studying, she would watch it eat mosquitoes, daydream for a while, and occasionally let it jump around on her hand, which was ticklish and fun. Actually, the little jumping spider could be considered a pet.
Gao Junxiao clearly thought he was being argumentative, and said seriously, "I'm sorry, I was wrong."
"Are you sick? Why are you apologizing for nothing? You're not afraid of spiders, are you?" Qingcheng secretly rejoiced as she watched Gao Junxiao's Adam's apple bob. The kid is so nervous, hehe, I can test him with a toy spider later.
"What a joke! How could I be afraid of spiders? Otherwise, how could I fight in the wild?" Gao Junxiao's voice suddenly rose. "Wife, can you accept my betrothal gifts first? I won't be able to sleep tonight if you don't."
“My mother will accept the betrothal gifts, what’s the rush?”
“That was prepared by my father, the betrothal gift from the Gao family to the He family, not my betrothal gift to you. Take what’s in the box quickly, don’t complain that it’s not enough.”
"How could I dare complain about the amount? The combined dowry from you and your father could bury me."
"Don't be so formal. What do you mean 'your dad'? He's our dad. Take it if you want. If you really don't want it, just return it to him. We'll buy the house ourselves. But you can keep the ring as a token. It's a family heirloom from the Gao family, it has a special history."
This gift is too much, we can't accept it. Qingcheng was still considering how to ask Uncle Gao to return the house to her, but Gao Junxiao very sensibly made the decision for her.
"Let's do it this way." Kiyosumi nodded in agreement.
"I understand you so well, shouldn't you show your appreciation?" Gao Junxiao leaned in, wanting a goodnight kiss.
But Qingcheng pushed her face away, telling Gao Junxiao to write down his social connections that night so she could finalize the guest list.
“I can’t remember so many names. Unless…” Gao Junxiao tapped his lips.
However, Qingcheng rolled her eyes at him and went upstairs without looking back. She didn't care whether he wrote it or not. He was really giving her too much face. Humph!
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