Exciting 1979!

Chapter 230 Good news: I have a daughter-in-law! Bad news: I have two!
As soon as her son left, Xu Shufen felt empty inside. It was boring to stay in Yanjing City. Fortunately, her daughter was there. Xiaohong was not a formal employee after all, so she could take leave more casually. Today, she took a special leave to take her mother and grandmother to visit the capital.

Before leaving, her eldest brother gave her 100 yuan for pocket money and some food coupons, asking her to take care of her parents and enjoy themselves.

Out of the two elders' simple respect for the great man, Xiaohong took them to visit the great man's former residence in Haizili (Fengzeyuan Juxiang Book House), which was open to the public on May 1 this year.

In fact, compared to sightseeing, Xu Shufen would rather stay at home so that she can help her son answer the phone.

There was no one at home, and no one would know if someone was looking for their son.

She especially likes to answer calls from young girls.

Even though Wei Ming is only 19 years old and she herself is not even 40 years old, she is already very eager to be a grandmother and hold her grandson.

In Wei Ming’s hometown of Gouzitun, several of his childhood classmates are already married and have children. So what if they don’t have a marriage certificate? They can just get one when they reach the age.

Xu Shufen had been to Oriental Plaza with her daughter and met the girls on the two posters, Gong Xing and Zhu Lin. She had seen them before!

They had met once before at the south gate of Peking University. They were prettier in person than in the posters. Gong Xing was gentle and Zhu Lin was generous. It’s just that their ages aren’t quite right. But if her son really likes them, she won’t have any objection.

We saw many child brides in the early years, and they know how to love people when they grow up.

In addition to her home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Xu Shufen’s favorite place to go is the courtyard house in Beichizi.

She wanted to help her son clean up the new home, and also wanted to buy some seeds to plant cabbage and radishes in the yard. Her son was so savvy about life that he even left a piece of land without paving it, specifically for growing things.

I heard that the vegetables in the city are all planned, and you have to rush to get them in winter, and sometimes you can’t even get them, so you have to prepare for a rainy day as early as possible.

The day after her son left, Xu Shufen bought some radish seeds and prepared to plant them for her son.

However, her daughter has a plan for travel, so she has to cooperate with Xiaohong to complete it first. She can only find time to go at noon after her mother and daughter have rested.

However, when she arrived at the courtyard, Xu Shufen found that the door lock was missing. She was shocked and wondered if the house had been robbed.
She pushed gently but it didn't open, so it must be locked from the inside.

Xu Shufen did not force the attack. She was just an ordinary rural woman and would not be a match for a thief if she really encountered one.

So she hid in the corner and observed secretly. She didn't wait too long before she saw the door open and a beautiful girl walked out. Xu Shufen recognized her at a glance. This was the girl from Shanghai named Gong Xing!

Xu Shufen certainly didn't think she was a thief. She locked the door very calmly and took out a key from it.

"She also has the key to this place!" Xu Shufen smiled. You little rascal, you actually hid such a big thing from me.

In her opinion, since her son gave the key to the house to Gong Xing, their relationship was definitely not just ordinary friendship.

After Gong Xing left in the opposite direction, Xu Shufen immediately entered the courtyard and did not see any obvious changes in the house.

In fact, Gong Xing came here only to leave a letter for Wei Ming, and placed it on the desk, under a book.

She knew that Wei Ming had left Beijing, and that the Shanghai Film Studio had also sent her a message, inviting her to return to the Magic City to audition for the supporting female role in a play called "July Fire".

She doesn't care about the female lead or the female supporting role. She is also a newcomer in acting, so she can just play any role. This time, she is trying out the role of a poor dancer, which is quite challenging.

So she specially wrote a letter to explain the situation and inform Wei Ming that she had returned to Shanghai, so that he wouldn't be worried if he couldn't find her after returning to Beijing.

But he didn't expect to be discovered by Aunt Shufen. Xu Shufen was afraid that her son only knew how to write to make money but ignored his personal problems. Now she was completely relieved. She hummed Sichuan and Chongqing folk songs happily while busying herself with growing vegetables, and then returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

After returning home, Xu Shufen couldn't sit still and started to clean up her son's room. Usually when Wei Ming was at home, she would not take the initiative to enter his bedroom and study in order not to disturb her son.

Wei Ming knew that his mother would enter his room, so he hid Sister Lin's clothes and towels at home.

Even the family planning supplies were placed in the deepest part of the closet. Unless I was deliberately looking for evidence of my crime, I would definitely not be able to see it.

But he forgot that there is a magical place in the house called "under the bed". Anything that cannot be found in the house can eventually be found there. It is a huge treasure trove and many surprises can be discovered as long as it is cleaned thoroughly.

It’s just that because it is difficult to clean, it is not taken care of once a year, but Xu Shufen is not afraid of difficulties.

She swept under the bed and found dirt, so she found a stick and tied it to the broom so that she could clean deeper.

Then a broom swept out a rubber product in an unopened package. Xu Shufen didn't recognize what it was at first. Although the rural women's director also distributed such things, it didn't have this outer packaging.

It wasn't until she opened it that Xu Shufen's eyes popped out. It was a very complicated feeling for a mother to find out for the first time that her son had a sex life.

There are both worries and joys. I am happy that my son has the ability and the mind to do this, but I am worried that how can I hug my grandson when he wears this thing!

The first person Xu Shufen thought of was Gong Xing. She would have to ask her daughter later how old Gong Xing was and how many years older he was than her son. Should she also consider having both sides meet their parents?

In fact, this little thing accidentally fell under the bed when Melinda came last time, and it had nothing to do with Gong Xing.

Xu Shufen worked even harder, and later she got an unexpected reward: she scanned out a work badge.

"Mom, are you awake?" Wei Hong finished her nap and saw her mother in a daze in her brother's room. "What did you take?"

"No, nothing!" Xu Shufen quickly put her work badge into her pocket. Her expression was very unnatural and she could only cover it up by saying that she was cleaning.

Although there is no photo on the work badge, it has the unit and the name, which is "Zhu Lin"!
So Xu Shufen decisively linked Zhu Lin to the family planning product again.

So does my son’s partner belong to that Yanjing girl named Zhu?
But what if Gong Xing has the key to the Siheyuan? Could it be that Zhu Lin also has the key here! ?

Or are they both...

After Xu Shufen thought of that possibility, she could no longer be happy. How could this child be so messed up? What would happen if others found out?

She still remembered that when she was a child, the landlord in her hometown married two wives. Later, the landlord was shot and the young wife was remarried to a poor peasant.

Xu Shufen is very confused now. Yesterday, they watched the news broadcast, which mentioned that the new marriage law is being revised. She hopes that the new marriage law can be more relaxed in this regard. Those who want to marry two wives can be allowed to marry two. At most, they can be fined more to subsidize those who cannot find wives.

But men over 37 years old are not allowed, because her husband Wei Jiefang is 38 years old.

A mother is infinitely tolerant of her son, but must be strict with her husband.

"Mom, stop working and let's go out and play." Wei Hong called Xu Shufen, and she and her grandmother put on their clothes.

"Playing again?" Xu Shufen sighed.

Wei Hong: "Let's go to Wangfujing for a stroll, and we can also visit my brother's courtyard house."

Xu Shufen thought to herself, I just came back from there, but my mother was also in high spirits, so she didn't spoil the fun.

"Okay, let's go." She swept under the bed, and then put Zhu Lin's work badge back to its original place under the bed. It was too hot to handle.

During this shopping trip, Wei Hong also used her own salary to buy her grandmother a suitable new set of old-age clothes, including shoes.

Because she will be meeting Mei Wenhua's parents soon. The Mei family has a good family background, and her grandmother cannot lose face.

Finally, they went to the courtyard. Wei Hong looked at the vegetable patch and asked in surprise, "Why is someone planting and watering the land?"

Xu Shufen joked: "Maybe it was done by the snail girl."

Or the old lady saw through it: "Shufen, this is you who did it."

Xu Shufen nodded.

"Ah, Mom, didn't you have a rest at noon?" Wei Hong felt distressed and said that she must go out to a restaurant today to reward her mother.

Xu Shufen poked her head and said, "Why are you like your brother, eating out all the time? Is your mother's cooking not as good as the ones in restaurants?"

Wei Hong took her mother's arm and said, "It's too late to go back and cook now. Let's just look for something nearby. We don't have to eat at a big restaurant. This should be fine. Besides, I've received my salary, so I'll treat you to a meal."

Then they walked and walked, passed Beiyanhe Street, and saw a small shop in Cuihua Hutong called "Yuebin Restaurant".

The restaurant is not big, with only four tables. There is a blackboard with the dishes and their prices written on it, which is quite affordable.

The proprietress greeted them with a smile: "We have just opened the store today. Please come in. Today's staple food is free. All you need is a food coupon."

She had seen the preferential policies of Oriental Plaza in the newspaper and thought of using this method to attract customers. However, it seemed that she had worried too much. Not long after Wei Hong and her friends sat down, the four tables were filled with guests who arrived one after another.

After hearing what she said, Wei Hong asked, "You just opened a shop? Aren't you a public business?" The proprietress Liu Guixian smiled and said, "No, we are an individual business, and this shop is also ours."

There was also a neighbor who knew the lady boss and said, "Aunt Liu's cooking skills are amazing. I've been waiting for you two to open a shop."

Wei Hong and her brother have eaten at many restaurants, but this was their first time eating at a self-employed restaurant. She found it quite novel, so she ordered the garlic pork elbow and pot-fried tofu, which the proprietress claimed were her specialties, and then a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs. In addition, they had three dishes and three bowls of rice.

According to his brother, if you don't go to a restaurant to eat meat, then why go there?

Wei Hong took a bite of the pot-fried tofu and compared it with what she had eaten at Peking University. The one at Peking University was already very delicious, but the one made by the proprietress was even better.

Xu Shufen was also convinced after eating the pork elbow in mashed garlic. It was the first time she had seen it processed in this way. The taste was indeed unique, no wonder it was sold at such a high price.

Originally, she thought that if others could open a restaurant, then could she do it too?
Xu Shufen feels that wherever her husband, son and daughter are, that is home.

Now it seems that both her son and daughter will definitely live in Yanjing. As for her husband Wei, it seems that he can't stay in his hometown, so she may have to follow the three of them to live in Yanjing.

And it is obvious that the quality of life in Yanjing is much better than that in her hometown. She also likes to have a TV to relieve boredom, a fan to cool down, and a refrigerator to store vegetables.

But she had to find something to do. After all, she was not yet forty years old and it was not the time for her to just eat and wait for death. So when she heard that this was a private shop, she had the idea of "I can do it too".

However, after eating the other party's three dishes, she felt that there was still a gap.

When the proprietress was less busy, Xu Shufen started chatting with her.

"Where did you learn this skill, sis?"

Sister Liu was very polite. She smiled and said, "I used to be a nanny and had to cook every day. I got the hang of it over the years."

"Nanny?" This word sounded strange to Xu Shufen. She thought it was a family cook. She asked again, "Can you cook this kind of meat dish often?"

"Yes, my employer's favorite dish is what I cook best."

Xu Shufen understood. In the past few years, she had never had the chance to eat meat. She only thought about how to make delicious meat dishes during the Chinese New Year. Naturally, she was not good at this aspect.

Even when cooking, she has to use caution when adding oil. Take this pot of fried tofu for example, she can also make it, but the difference is the amount of oil used.

But when it comes to making delicious vegetarian dishes using the least amount of oil, I have more say in this area.

After dinner, the three of them returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment and happened to see Xu Yunyun coming back on a bicycle, a small Fei Ge scooter.

Wei Hong asked excitedly: "Sister Yunyun, where did you get your bicycle? When did you learn to ride a bicycle? Why didn't Brother Wenhua give you a ride today?"

Grandma laughed and said, "You are a rapid-fire girl. How can you expect her to respond?"

Xu Yunyun said slowly, "Brother Wenhua had something to do today, so he let me come back by myself. This is his bicycle, and he let me ride it temporarily. He started teaching me yesterday."

As a child growing up in the mountains, Yunyun rarely had the opportunity to ride a bicycle, but Yunyun had a good talent and learned it in two days.

She quickly got off and let Wei Hong try it. Wei Hong already knew how to ride, but there was no car at home.

"My brother said he would give me a bicycle if I got into college, and I should make him do it before I leave."

Yunyun said, "Are you going to work tomorrow? I'll take you there on my bike."

Wei Hong: "Brother Wenhua won't send you off again? What is he busy with?"

Yunyun replied, "He wants to find a restaurant that can provide us with cheap and delicious employee meals on a stable basis. He's busy with that."

Hearing this, Xu Shufen's heart moved.

~
In a valley in the Yimeng Mountains, Linyi, Shandong.

Wei Ming arrived in Linyi yesterday, but most of the crew members have already gone into the mountains and set up a base there, where they live and eat, and have no plans to go down the mountain in the short term.

So he spent the whole night there, and the next day he went up the mountain to look for the crew accompanied by the remaining staff, and found them in the afternoon.

Wow, apart from the male lead Li Baotian who perfectly meets Wei Ming's imagination of a male lead, the other staff members are all the same, looking like local farmers during the war.

Wei Ming first met Zhang Yimou, and then he led him to the camp tent where he found Wei Jiefang who was resting.

Wei Jiefang is only useful when there are impressive scenes, and he can do whatever he wants at other times. Last night, he and Zhang Yimou chatted about family history all night. The next day, Zhang Yimou was still in high spirits, but old Wei was listless.

Zhang Yimou said, "Writer Wei, you continue chatting with Uncle Jiefang. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

With that he stepped out.

"What did you and Lao Zhang talk about? Why do you get along so well?"

Wei Jiefang chuckled and said, "I had a heart-to-heart talk with Xiao Zhang last night. I didn't expect that our life stories were so similar."

"You two have similar backgrounds?"

Wei Jiefang: "Yes, you may not know that he also has an uncle who went to Taiwan, while his father chose to stay and work for the new China. Moreover, his uncle was also from Huangpu, but he was a junior of the 12th batch of Huangpu. In addition, his second uncle was from the 15th batch."

"Oh?"

Wei Ming vaguely remembered that Zhang Yimou had an uncle in Taiwan, so his family background was not good, but he didn't know the details.

Since both Lao Wei and Lao Zhang joined the crew because of Wei Ming's relationship, the two are naturally close, but Zhang Yimou is too taciturn and just works hard.

Lao Wei also kept drinking with him and confessed some of his family situations. Only then did Lao Zhang open up to him. Then Lao Wei discovered: they were so similar.

Wei Jiefang added, "My grandfather was from the Baoding Army Academy, and Xiao Zhang's grandfather was from Yenching University, which can barely be considered Peking University. They are both famous schools. After his grandfather returned to his hometown, he wanted to suppress bandits, but failed, so he sent all three sons to the Whampoa Military Academy. It's similar to how my grandfather was devoted to serving the country and then trained your great grandfather to enter the Whampoa Military Academy."

Wei Ming: "But you didn't tell my grandfather that he is in Hong Kong now."

"I'm not stupid. I won't tell you even if you kill me." Old Wei lowered his voice.

Wei Ming nodded: "I recently received a letter from my grandfather, and I wrote him a reply, telling him that Xiaohong got the first place in the provincial science exam."

"Then did you say that I was invited to film as a special talent?" Lao Wei asked casually, then stood up and shouted.

"What did you say? What place did Xiaohong get in the exam?"

"No. 1 in the province," Wei Ming said seriously. "The admissions teachers from Tsinghua University and Peking University all came to our house to compete for her. The provincial newspapers and county leaders also came to visit us. People from the nearby villages gathered around our house to watch the fun."

Hearing Wei Ming's words, Wei Jiefang's face showed a burst of ecstasy, but as he laughed, he began to beat his chest and stamp his feet.

"Wu Tianming has misled me!" Wei Jiefang felt extremely regretful that he was not at home at such an important moment!
Wei Ming knew this was his reaction, so he comforted him, "It's okay. There's still a graduation banquet. We can organize it well and invite everyone in the village."

"When does Xiaohong start school?"

"At the end of August."

Wei Jiefang pounded the bed angrily: "This drama will be filmed until the end of September, I won't be able to make it to the graduation banquet!"

He clutched his chest, his heart aching.

It seemed to be true, Wei Ming was even happy: "Then how about we hold a graduation banquet during the Chinese New Year?"

Thinking that it would take half a year to install this, Lao Wei lost his appetite tonight. He just watched Wei Ming chatting and talking about drama with Wu Tianming, Li Baotian and others in silence.

Alas, I should have not taken this role. I am losing the big picture for the small one!

In the middle of the night, when all the staff had fallen asleep, Old Wei suddenly sat up and woke up his son beside him: "You said that Xiaohong's school will be closed on October 1st, how about we hold a graduation banquet then?!"

……

(Guaranteed 2-in-1, a little less today, will make up tomorrow)

(End of this chapter)