50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 704 The First Contact Between the In-Laws

It was late afternoon, almost sunset, when Tong Jiajia and Yang Guihua returned carrying a bunch of things in large baskets and small net bags.

When entertaining guests, the dishes on the table must be a good mix of meat and vegetables.

He looked at the ingredients Tong Jiajia and the others had bought today, and then calculated the stock in the refrigerator and cellar. It was enough to prepare a table of twelve dishes.

If you were hosting a dinner party at an old restaurant in the old days, the restaurant would be very particular about preparing the dishes, ensuring that the food included things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, and swim in the water.
A good meal should also include a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, cold dishes and soups, and a variety of flavors including sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. Nowadays, family banquets can't take all that into account; as long as there's more meat than vegetables, it's considered a good meal.

It's only because it's almost Chinese New Year now that the supply of bargain-priced goods in the market has become more abundant in the past two years; otherwise, it would be really difficult for them to buy all the vegetables they need if they go to buy them on short notice.

We're having a banquet tomorrow, and the Xiao family will probably be over in the morning. He and Tong Jiajia will both have to entertain the guests, so Yang Guihua will be the only one in the kitchen and definitely won't be able to manage.

Therefore, they must have washed most of the ingredients in advance tonight.

Seeing that there was too much stuff, Sun Zhiwei quickly came to help and spent a long time washing it by the well in the yard.

Even though the well water was warmer to the touch, the January weather almost froze his hands.

Before going to bed at night, they left the frozen meat and seafood in the kitchen to thaw naturally.

Considering how busy tomorrow would be, Sun Zhiwei also told Yang Guihua to bring her two daughters home for a nice meal first thing tomorrow morning.

It's rare to have so many delicious dishes tomorrow; we definitely won't be able to finish them all in one meal. Let's have the two girls come over and help us finish some.

After all, they're going to Qingdao in a few days, and it would be such a waste to leave the leftovers at home uneaten.

The next morning, the whole family got up very early. Yang Guihua also brought her two children over. After having breakfast together, they busied themselves with preparations.

The stew was started immediately, and the stir-fried vegetables were chopped and plated. The six of us were busy until almost 9 o'clock before we finished.

Then, they quickly tidied themselves up.

Tong Jiajia was wearing a sweater, a wool coat, straight-leg trousers, and leather shoes, while Sun Zhiwei was wearing a newly changed Type 85 winter uniform for army officers.

However, he did not wear a winter fur hat, but a wide-brimmed hat.

This was the first time he had worn this new military uniform. It had four pockets and five brass buttons. The military green uniform, with the top button fastened, looked very stylish on his tall figure.

The only regret is that the awarding of ranks has not yet begun, so there is only a five-pointed star on the shoulder and collar insignia, making it impossible to tell the rank.

But on the other hand, this is also a good thing. His military rank is higher than Xiao's father's, so if he revealed it, wouldn't that put him in a superior position?

However, since he held a nominal position, his rank overshadowed those with real positions, which was clearly inappropriate. It would be better to have no distinction between ranks as things are now.

His current workplace is directly under the Second Military Medical Corps and is also under the dual jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so he holds a military rank.

Last year, the entire army changed its uniforms, and he was naturally issued a new uniform as well. At that time, he was not in the country, and Sun Hongying helped him get it back from Xu Yimin.

Today we're meeting the in-laws. Except for Xiao Qihang, the entire Xiao family are soldiers, so he'll wear his uniform so we can all have something in common.

Last night he had a good talk with Tong Jiajia about how to receive his in-laws today. Once they arrive, they will put into practice the plan they discussed last night.

The house was spotless, seats were set out in the living room, and tea leaves were in cups, ready to be brewed later. They had all helped this morning, and the ingredients were now all prepared. Yang Guihua was waiting in the kitchen; she could start cooking as soon as it was almost time.

Just as it was 10 o'clock, the doorbell rang. The door had been open since early morning, and the doorbell was to let them know that they had arrived.

Sun Hongying, dressed in new clothes, went out to greet them. Soon after, she returned with a group of people, and Sun Zhiwei and his wife went to the courtyard gate to welcome them.

There's a proper etiquette to this. It's definitely inappropriate to greet them at the front door, as that would be too overly eager. But retreating to the living room is also inappropriate, as it would be somewhat disrespectful to the in-laws.

Let the daughter go out to greet them, and then they can come out of the living room and meet at the gate of the yard, which will be just right.

Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia walked through the courtyard and ran into the Xiao family at the gate.

The entire Xiao family was out today: Xiao Qihang's parents and four children. Except for Xiao Qihang, everyone else was dressed in Type 85 military uniforms.

They were all taken aback when they saw that Sun Zhiwei was also in military uniform.

Sun Zhiwei greeted him with a smile, but instead of acting arrogantly, he took the initiative to give a military salute first.

Xiao Qihang's father, Xiao Yifeng, was three years older than Sun Zhiwei and had enlisted in the army before him. Regardless of rank, it was perfectly reasonable for him to salute first.

The rest of the Xiao family were stunned for a moment, but when they saw Sun Zhiwei salute, they quickly raised their hands to return the salute.

Then Sun Zhiwei took the initiative to step forward, grasped Xiao Yifeng's hand, shook it twice and said, "Brother Xiao, sister-in-law, hello! You have really raised a group of good children."

"Hahaha, Brother Sun, your Hongying is a great teacher! We've come here today to ask for help for my son."

"Come on, let's go inside and talk." After that, Tong Jiajia also stepped forward to talk to Sister-in-law Xiao, and the two politely declined each other's invitations as they entered the living room.

After everyone was seated, Sun Hongying was in charge of receiving Xiao Qihang and his older brother and sister, while Sun Zhiwei and his wife were in charge of receiving Xiao Yifeng and his wife.

Once the tea was brewed, the underfloor heating and fireplace in the living room showed their power; within just a few minutes, everyone in the Xiao family felt they were wearing too many clothes.

Knowing that it was hot in the living room, Sun Zhiwei took the lead in taking off his military cap, and the rest of the Xiao family followed suit.

Xiao Yifeng had done some research on the Sun family, but he only knew that Sun Zhiwei worked in the diplomatic corps. But today he actually saw Sun Zhiwei wearing a new military uniform, which was quite a different story.

The Type 85 military uniform was only recently introduced, and it's impossible for anyone who isn't currently in active duty to get one. Therefore, he was particularly curious about Sun Zhiwei's current position.

"Brother Sun, do you hold a military rank?" Xiao Yifeng asked, pointing to Sun Zhiwei's military uniform.

"Yes, to be honest, although my workplace is in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, my military rank is still under the Second Staff Department."

As soon as Sun Zhiwei mentioned his unit, Xiao Yifeng immediately understood. Although he was also wearing an army officer's uniform, he was not actually in the army.

But this did not diminish his respect for Sun Zhiwei. Those who could work in such a secretive department were in far greater danger than those in the active-duty army.

At the same time, their work also places greater emphasis on keeping their identities confidential, which explains why he couldn't find out any information about Sun Zhiwei's military rank from other people.

(End of this chapter)