50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 237 Visiting the Father-in-Law

When Xiang Yi saw him easily lift the package with one hand, his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

However, Sun Zhiwei didn't explain to him, but instead asked him directly, "Comrade Xiang Yi, which way should we go?"

"Oh, turn left inside." Xiang Yi quickly picked up the wine jar and led the way.

The two walked through the passageway on the left and followed the shady cement road forward for quite a while before reaching the back gate of the residential area.

There was another guard here. The guards nodded to Xiang Yi and let him pass.

The two arrived at the cadre building, an expert building modeled after the Soviet-style Khrushchev building, where the father-in-law's family lived in room 202.

Xiang Yi, carrying a wine jar, called out as he went upstairs, "Aunt Wei, open the door quickly."

Sun Zhiwei followed behind and slowly went upstairs. When the door opened, he saw his mother-in-law talking to Xiang Yi: "Xiao Xiang, where did you get this jar?"

Before Xiang Yi could reply, she saw Sun Zhiwei coming up the stairs, carrying two large packages, one on top of the other, smiling at her.

"Oh, Zhiwei, what brings you here? You two come in quickly." She said, gesturing for the two to come in, but her eyes were fixed on the stairs behind Sun Zhiwei.

"Mom, I'm all alone."

"Oh, come in quickly." The mother-in-law let the two in, a little disappointed.

"What are you carrying? These two packages are so big."

"I don't know either. Jiajia packed them all. You can check it yourself when you have time."

"That brat! We have everything we need, why does she have to send all this stuff back to her parents' house like she's moving house?" The mother-in-law complained, but she was still very happy with her daughter and son-in-law's thoughtfulness.

"Xiao Xiang, did Lao Tong say what time he'll be back today?"

"Aunt Wei, the commander said he'll be back after the meeting."

"Okay, Xiao Xiang, you can stay for lunch too."

"No, Aunt Wei, my boss is waiting for me to get back. I've dropped him off, so I'll be going now."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhiwei put down the package and followed it to the door.

After Xiang Yi came downstairs, his mother-in-law closed the door and asked Sun Zhiwei to sit down while she went to make tea.

When Sun Zhiwei arrived at his father-in-law's house, he acted as if he were at home, and he certainly wouldn't let his mother-in-law serve him: "Mom, I can do it myself."

"Okay, okay, you do it yourself. I'll watch the stove. The water bottle is next to the sofa, and the tea is in the glass cabinet between the tall and short cabinets."

My mother-in-law was preparing lunch, and the stove was still on. Now she needs to hurry and check on the fire.

Sun Zhiwei made himself a cup of tea as instructed, and then sat on the sofa in the living room, carefully looking around the house.

This is a model of Khrushchev's apartment building, with two households per floor, each with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom—a typical high-ranking cadre residence.

The room is characterized by its small size, with interior decoration consisting only of green painted walls about 1 meter off the ground and a cement floor. The room is furnished on all four sides, with almost no empty walls in sight.

The living room is rectangular, with a reception area at the entrance. A sofa is placed against the wall, and behind the sofa hangs a framed painting of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

Opposite the sofa is a cabinet with different heights. In the middle of the cabinet is a television, at the taller end is a vase, and at the shorter end is a wooden radio.

Inside the living room is a square table and chairs, presumably for dining, and a row of cabinets along the wall.

Almost every piece of furniture was covered with a white, printed dust cover.

This is also the current custom in people's homes; all valuable furniture and appliances are well protected.

Most of these dust covers were made at home; they are both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

Furniture for cadres' families is basically provided, but most of them have to pay rent to their work unit.

If you buy new furniture yourself, the price will be high. Furniture of this size for a whole room would probably cost over a thousand yuan.

The rental is very cheap, costing only a few dollars a month. And when the housing reform comes in the future, all of this furniture will be given to each household. It's really great.

He hadn't even taken a couple of sips of tea when his mother-in-law had already ladled the food from the pot onto the table, covered it with a dishcloth, and then came over to chat with Sun Zhiwei. Wei Hongxia looked Sun Zhiwei over carefully and was pleased to see that he looked healthy, but she found it a little strange that he was wearing a military uniform.

"Zhiwei, I remember Jiajia wrote to say that you became the principal of a kindergarten. Why are you wearing a military uniform now?"

"Mom, I've been transferred to a different job. I'm now in the Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this trip is also on official business."

"I won't interfere with your work, but this time you're staying at home, don't even think about staying in a hotel."

"Okay, Mom, then I'll stay at home."

"I'm here on official business to visit our military region, so I'll probably be staying for a while."

"That's great. Lao Tong is the one who can make decisions about work matters. Let him handle it for you, and don't be polite with him."

"At home, you have to listen to me. I'll cook delicious food for you every day."

"Thanks mom, I understand."

"How's everything at home? Why didn't Jiajia and the kids come with you this time?"

"Jiajia is very busy now. The old principal is training her to be the new principal, so she's busy from morning till night."

"What about the child? Are we just going to abandon him?"

"My godfather and godmother live at home. They'll take care of the child, so it's sure to be good."

"That's good. Your godfather and godmother are both educated people, so I can rest assured with them looking after the child."

The two sat and chatted for a while, and soon it was time to get off work.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Wei Hongxia stood up and said, "Old Tong is back."

When she opened the door, Tong Guodong had indeed arrived at her doorstep.

"Dad." Sun Zhiwei stood up to greet him, and then made Tong Guodong a cup of tea.

"Yes, Zhiwei, I was in a meeting just now and couldn't come to greet you."

“I know, Xiao Xiang told me.”

"Please sit down. Are you here on personal or business?"

"Convenient for both public and private use."

"Then let's get down to business."

“Okay.” Sun Zhiwei was about to bring up the training when Wei Hongxia came over and interrupted their conversation.

"Let's not talk about business now. Let's eat first, and we can discuss business after we finish eating."

"Haha, okay, okay, I'll listen to you at home. Come on, Zhiwei, the boss has spoken, let's eat first."

The three of them sat down to eat, but they didn't stop talking. Wei Hongxia mainly asked about the child's condition, while Tong Guodong occasionally chimed in.

Even so, a meal only took 20 minutes to finish, mainly because Tong Guodong was used to eating quickly, and Wei Hongxia and Sun Zhiwei had to speed up to keep up.

After finishing their meal, Sun Zhiwei brewed a pot of tea and followed Tong Guodong into the study. The dining table was left for his mother-in-law to clean up. Sun Zhiwei wanted to help, but she chased him away.

"So, you still enlisted?"

"Yes, I never thought that after twenty years of twists and turns, I would still end up enlisting in the army."

"It's good that you've enlisted; that way we'll have more in common."

"What brings you here this time?"

"Dad, take a look at this." Sun Zhiwei took out the notice of the establishment and selection of the 'Special Forces' and then talked about the reasons for the establishment of this unit.

(End of this chapter)