Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 625 My wife is just different.

That night before bed, Liu Yifei suddenly said, "Honey, how about we buy a house for Mom and Dad?"

The Li family currently owns three properties: one in a school staff housing building where they reside permanently, and two ordinary three-bedroom apartments.

"Why buy a house when everything's fine?"

"Buy a nice apartment for my parents to live in after they retire."

“My dad still has six or seven years before retirement, so buying it now would just leave it empty.” Actually, Li Qiutang knew what Liu Yifei was thinking. She had bought a retirement villa for her grandmother in Jiangcheng Overseas Chinese Town. Every time she and Liu Xiaoli returned to Jiangcheng, they would stay there. She probably didn’t want people to say that she only cared about her own elderly parents and not her in-laws.

"It's fine if it's empty," Liu Yifei said indifferently. "I can move in anytime I want."

He added, "Don't people from Northeast China like to go to Hainan Island? We'll buy them a place there so they can spend the winter there every year."

Li Qiutang said, "I've told them before, but they didn't want to. If you go and talk to them, it won't work if your son says it, but it might work if your daughter-in-law says it."

"What's the point of this?"

“The son’s filial piety is different from the daughter-in-law’s. Maybe they will agree if you tell them.”

The next day at noon, Liu Yifei told her about it. Her parents-in-law, of course, still said not to waste the money, since they wouldn't live there for more than a few days even if they bought it a year ago.

However, Liu Yifei insisted on buying a vacation villa for her parents-in-law on Hainan Island, saying that the weather on Hainan Island is nice in winter, while the winters in Northeast China and Beijing are too cold. She said that the whole family would go to Hainan Island to spend the winter every year, which would be very comfortable.

“We’re satisfied with your intention, Yifei. There’s no rush to buy a house,” said Li’s mother. “Your father won’t retire for another six or seven years, and he won’t be able to leave the Northeast for the next few years. We’ll talk about it then.”

However, as Li Qiutang said, a daughter-in-law's filial piety is different from a son's. It's clear that Li's mother is very satisfied with Liu Yifei's words.

“Mom, you’re so biased,” Li Qiutang said, taking the opportunity to cause trouble. “I also said I would buy you two a house a couple of years ago, but you scolded me and said I was greedy for money.”

"My wife is different."

“How is it different for my wife? We’re the ones who pay for everything.”

“My wife is just different.” Li’s mother stopped her son from babbling on. “If you have nothing to do, go and wash the dishes.”

"I'll go," Liu Yifei said, making a move to get up.

"No, you sit down," Li Qiutang pressed his wife down, "I'll go instead. People say that once you marry a wife, you forget your mother. In our family, it's the opposite; once you get married, the mother forgets her son. Am I your own son?"

"Stop being so glib and go wash the dishes."

Li Qiutang had just finished washing the dishes when two guests arrived at the door.

Huang Xiaoming and Qin Lan, a married couple.

Liu Yifei was startled. She knew that Qin Lan's due date was next month, so she really had to be careful when she came to visit.

Liu Yifei quickly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "You're already like this, so don't come."

When Li Qiutang saw the two of them arrive, she said, "Why are you at home? You didn't even say anything. We should have come to see you."

"Don't come in." Qin Lan, supporting her back, slowly walked in. "I finally found a chance to go out. I'm so bored at home."

Taking the opportunity, Liu Yifei rebuked Huang Xiaoming: "You won't even let people leave the house?"

Huang Xiaoming said to Qin Lan, "Don't frame me. When did I ever stop you from going out? I just said not to go far. Where can you go with such a big belly?"

Welcoming the two in.

Qin Lan was originally recuperating in Yanjing, but after the New Year she couldn't stay any longer and wanted to go back to Fengtian for a couple of days. Huang Xiaoming finished filming "Nirvana in Fire 2" last week, so he packed his bags and came over with her.

"Then we stopped work," Huang Xiaoming said, "so I could focus on being with her after she gave birth."

Li's mother stayed with Qin Lan, asking her all sorts of questions, like how many months had passed and how her preparations were going. She also taught Qin Lan a lot about prenatal and postnatal care and how to feed a baby.

Qin Lan complained that giving birth at 38 was a terrible ordeal. Huang Xiaoming remained silent, obeying everything Qin Lan said.

It was learned that Huang Xiaoming turned down an offer to star in a Hollywood movie in order to be with his wife during childbirth.

"Working with Sylvester Stallone on Escape Plan 2." It's a bit of a shame, really.

On the surface, this film does seem like a promising project. But Li Qiutang knew that it was a speculative work from beginning to end.

The director is known for producing mass-produced, poorly made action films; what good stuff can he possibly make?

Ultimately, it was downgraded by the North American distributor and released directly on DVD and streaming in North America, while in China it was allowed to openly enter theaters and rake in money.

Xiao Ming was lucky to be unable to act in this movie because he was accompanying his wife during childbirth.

Since she's not going to act anymore, Li Qiutang has nothing to say.

Qin Lan, on the other hand, said she would go back to acting right after finishing her postpartum confinement period, and she had already found a production crew.

Huang Xiaoming himself is not against it, but his family is. However, Qin Lan will not listen to them.

Qin Lan's commercial value can't compare to Yang Ying's, but she has one advantage: she's not as ambitious as Yang Ying. She takes on variety shows and film/television roles, and she's even willing to play supporting characters. So, she has a lot of work throughout the year, but it's not as tiring as playing the lead role, and her income is just as good.

According to her own words, being a second-tier star is fine; first-tier stars are hated by many.

Liu Yifei deeply agrees with this.

What kind of role did you take?

"Yu Zheng's drama has a funny name. It's clearly a Qing Dynasty drama, but it's called 'Story of Yanxi Palace'. I play the Empress."

Yu Zheng + Qing Dynasty drama = huge success.

This film is well-received.

Perhaps because she hadn't acted in a long time, Qin Lan was very happy about the role she was about to take on. She spoke happily about "Story of Yanxi Palace": "The empress in 'My Fair Princess' was the second empress, and I played the first one."

The two sat at Li Qiutang's place for a while, chatted for a bit, and then left. They agreed to have dinner together that evening, and Li Qiutang accepted.

At the family dinner that evening, Li Qiutang, on behalf of her uncle who works in Shanghai, toasted Huang Xiaoming to thank him for taking care of her younger sister who is studying and working in Qingdao.

This younger sister was Liu Yifei's bridesmaid back then. She studied at Ocean University and is now a junior staff member at the procuratorate.

It's strange, but it seems like no one in the Li family is destined to take the civil service exam. Of Li Qiutang's generation, only his younger sister passed.

To put it bluntly, Li Qiutang also wanted to help this younger sister out, to see if she could achieve something and become a leader or something.

This younger sister has lived in Qingdao for many years. Huang Xiaoming is very good at handling things and, in return, has always taken good care of her.

Qin Lan said she would be returning to Yanjing in a few days, and that she was bored at home alone. She welcomed Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei to visit her home and keep her company.

After a satisfying meal, everyone went home.

After staying at home for three more days, Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei returned to Yanjing.

On the flight back, reflecting on his experiences at home these past few days, Li Qiutang told his wife, "If there are any things to do back in our hometown, whether it's road repairs or building something else, I'll definitely contribute money without hesitation. But I definitely won't do anything about attracting investment."

These past few days, many departments have come to Li Qiutang to ask for favors.

"I'm in the film industry, what kind of business would I hire? Even if I were in the manufacturing industry, I wouldn't build a factory in Northeast China." As a native of Northeast China, Li Qiutang really couldn't say anything good about the region.

We chatted idly all the way to Beijing.

(End of this chapter)