Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 290 The In-Laws Meet and Subtly Compare Their Status
Mr. and Mrs. Zhu sat on the sofa, and it took them a long time to process the fact that Liu Yimin now owned three houses.

Two courtyard houses and one apartment in an overseas Chinese apartment complex—either one of them is worth more than the old couple has saved up for several years.

"Yimin, have you been living in a courtyard house near the Beijing People's Art Theatre?" Zhu's mother suddenly asked.

Zhu Lin quickly replied, "No, Professor Liu always lives in the dormitory. He doesn't usually go to the courtyard house, since he has to teach at Yenching University!"

Liu Yimin patted Zhu Lin's hand, which was tantamount to admitting his guilt without being asked!
Liu Yimin coughed and said, "I usually stay at the Overseas Chinese Apartments, the conditions there are better!"

Zhu's father belatedly realized what was happening and secretly began to investigate the two of them.

"Hey, it doesn't matter where you live. Where do you plan to live after you get married?" Zhu's mother asked, changing the subject.

Zhu Lin said, "Mom, we're planning to stay at the Overseas Chinese Apartment. The conditions there are much better. You wouldn't believe it, the apartments there have separate shower rooms and toilets, unlike us where we have to run to the washroom at night."

"Is that so?" Zhu's mother asked.

Mr. Zhu chimed in, "That's true. There are also foreign teachers living there at the university. I went there once. The toilet is inside the house, and importantly, the house doesn't smell bad. There's hot water for showering, and they use gas for cooking, not a coal stove."

With heating in winter, it's truly a treat inside!

Zhu's mother thought about it for a while, but couldn't imagine that scene at all, and suggested that she go and take a look sometime.

Zhu Lin said with a smile, "After the house is properly cleaned up in a few days, I'd like you to come and take a look!"

Zhu's father said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, when your parents arrive, your aunt and I will go with you to pick them up. We don't have anything to do anyway, and we can take the day off!"

"Then it's settled, we'll go together!"

Before Liu Yimin could speak, Zhu's mother immediately finalized the matter.

After dinner, Zhu Lin drove Liu Yimin home and told him to pack up his belongings in the yard and apartment: "My parents might come at any time, so we don't want them to find out!"

“I think your parents have already found out, but they’re pretending not to know!” Liu Yimin said.

"Impossible! I'm a professional actor!"

Liu Yimin chuckled but didn't say anything. However, he still listened to Zhu Lin's suggestion and packed up her things, putting them in an inconspicuous place.

That evening, Zhu's father and mother whispered to each other in their room, but they both spoke very subtly.

You mean our Linlin?

"No way!"

"Hey, young people are like dry wood and a raging fire, who can say for sure!"

"Don't overthink it. Our Linlin is usually very well-behaved. I think you're overthinking it!"

"I hope I'm just overthinking it!"

Zhu's mother was a doctor, and sometimes she could discern the truth. In the middle of the night, still awake, she turned over and sighed helplessly, "Anyway, she's getting married soon, so there's nothing we can do about it!"

Mr. Zhu mumbled a response, still half-asleep.

For the rest of the time, Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin continued filming on set as usual.

On the 13th, Liu Yimin and Zhu's parents arrived together on the platform of Yanjing Station and waited for Liu's parents.

Mr. Zhu was dressed in a white shirt, looking like a professor. Mrs. Zhu wore a plain patterned shirt and blue trousers, looking dignified but not particularly eye-catching.

The two anxiously checked their watches on the platform while discussing their wedding date with Liu Yimin.

“Yimin, your aunt and I have discussed it, and it’s better to get married sooner rather than later. After all, you’ll be going to southern Xinjiang to film a movie soon, so you must get married before you leave.”

After Mr. Zhu finished speaking, Mrs. Zhu immediately chimed in, "We're all from the new era and don't pay much attention to the almanac, but we still need to discuss it with your parents, since it's a matter for both families!"

"Uncle, Auntie, my parents will definitely agree!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

On the train, Liu Fuqing, Yang Xiuyun, Liu Yiguo, and his sister-in-law Gu Ping were in hard sleeper berths. When they saw the train station, the four of them started packing their luggage.

As the announcement "We have arrived at the great capital, Yanjing" was broadcast, Liu Fuqing unconsciously straightened his clothes, his expression solemn, and touched the badge on his chest.

Nowadays, very few people wear badges with images of leaders, but when he arrived, Liu Fuqing still stubbornly wore the badge on his chest.

The four of them followed the crowd off the train. Stepping out of the car, Liu Yiguo took a deep breath of the air in Yanjing and said with ease, "The air in Yanjing is truly authentic!"

The four of them stretched their bodies before starting to look for Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin searched for a long time before he finally found them. All four of them were wearing newly made clothes; the colors weren't bright, but they were very new and clean.

Liu Yiguo was also wearing a white shirt and the leather shoes that Zhu Lin had given him for the Lunar New Year.

Liu Fuqing wore a gray-blue Zhongshan suit with a shirt and a Liberation cap, with the top button fastened tightly despite the sweltering heat.

It looked somewhat comical among the crowd, but Liu Fuqing felt that this showed his respect for his in-laws and that he wouldn't appear timid.

Liu Fuqing knew that Zhu's father was a professor and Zhu's mother was a doctor, and he was afraid that he would make Liu Yimin feel inferior in front of his parents-in-law.

Yang Xiuyun and her sister-in-law Gu Ping also dressed up carefully. Yang Xiuyun cut her hair short, and Gu Ping wore a red hair clip.

This is probably the most presentable way they could think of to dress up.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law!" Liu Yimin waved his arms and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Yi Min!"

"Yi Min!"

"Yi Min!" Apart from his sister-in-law Gu Ping, the three of them shouted "Yi Min" and quickly walked towards him.

"Yimin, isn't Linlin here?" Yang Xiuyun craned her neck and looked left and right, but couldn't see Zhu Lin, so she asked anxiously.

"Linlin has to film today and won't be back until tonight. Linlin's parents are here; look, they're waiting for us over there!" Liu Yimin said.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhu waved and walked over with smiles. They were both a little nervous, as it was their first time meeting their future in-laws.

This was theoretically the first time for Liu's parents as well, since their sister-in-law, Gu Ping, had lost her parents long ago. Furthermore, the difference in social status between city dwellers and rural residents made them quite apprehensive.

Liu Fuqing straightened up and walked towards Zhu's parents, extending his hand first and saying, "Hello, comrade-in-law!"

Mr. Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "You must be tired from the train journey. Let's go, let's go back first!"

Zhu's mother walked to Yang Xiuyun's side, supported her arm, and whispered something like, "You've worked hard."

Our first meeting was very cordial and friendly.

The group arrived at the courtyard house behind the Beijing People's Art Theatre. As soon as Liu Fuqing saw the house, he was about to say that it was really big, comparable to the Han family landlord in the village.

Then, remembering that this was in front of his in-laws, and hearing Mr. and Mrs. Zhu discussing how nice the house was, he smiled and said, "This house is alright, alright!"

Once everyone was in the living room, they turned on the two fans, and the living room immediately cooled down considerably.

The two families exchanged pleasantries, and the most frequent phrases heard were "okay, okay, okay."

Awkward yet polite!
Aunt Liang came by again in the middle of the event. Seeing so many people, she chatted with them in a friendly manner, which made the atmosphere much more lively.

However, she almost let it slip several times, and it was only when Aunt Liang's son shouted from outside the yard that she was called away.

At noon, Liu Yimin took everyone to a state-run restaurant outside. Zhu's parents wanted to eat at a large restaurant, such as Quanjude.

Unfortunately, there were too many people, and it would take a long time to walk there, so we had to give up.

However, we still found a relatively large restaurant nearby, wanting to show hospitality. Of course, there was also a sense of competition involved.

At Zhu's father's invitation, a table full of dishes was served.

“My dear in-laws, you must be hungry after your long journey. Please have a taste!” Mr. Zhu said with a smile.

“Keep talking, keep talking!” Liu Fuqing said.

Zhu's mother and father didn't understand the Henan dialect, so Liu Yimin chimed in, "Uncle, Aunt, Father, Mother, don't be shy, let's eat!"

So the group started eating. Although Liu Fuqing, Yang Xiuyun, Liu Yiguo, and Gu Ping were very hungry, they ate with great restraint, showing no signs of hunger or naivety.

When they had almost finished eating, Zhu's father spoke first: "My dear in-laws, Yimin has also graduated and stayed on as a teacher at the university. His household registration is now in Yanjing. We're thinking, should we let the two of them get married?"

“We’re going to get married! I’ve been saying for a long time that the two children should get married!” Yang Xiuyun quickly replied.

Liu Fuqing coughed and said, "Our whole family likes Linlin. We'll all be at ease if she gets married sooner. When do your in-laws plan to arrange the wedding?"

Mr. Zhu explained his reasons and said, "May 20th is quite suitable!"

Liu Fuqing thought about it and realized that this was a good day; after the wedding, he could still harvest the wheat.

But it doesn't matter if it's late. I've already told Li Dashan that if I really can't get back, I'll ask him to help me find a few people to take care of me.

“Okay, let’s go with this date, but isn’t it too rushed?” Liu Fuqing said.

"No rush. Let the two children get married in Yanjing. Yimin and Linlin have many friends in Yanjing. If they really get married in their hometown, it's too far away, and many people won't be able to come!"

When Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun came, they didn't want Liu Yimin to get married in Yanjing, but they had no choice but to accept it.

When we get back to our hometown, we'll prepare a simple meal to entertain the villagers.

So the two families agreed on a wedding date, and Yang Xiuyun asked if they wanted the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese wedding favor).

"In-laws, as long as the two children are happy, that's all that matters. Besides, they have everything they need in their yard, so let's not bother with that!" Mother Zhu said with a smile.

Hearing this, Yang Xiuyun nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, but we still need to buy what we need!"

That evening, Zhu Lin rode her bicycle back from the film set, still wearing her makeup.

Yang Xiuyun smiled and held Zhu Lin's hand, complaining, "Just come back slowly. Look how fast you rode, you're all sweaty. Go cool off by the fan!"

"Auntie, I'm not hot!" Zhu Lin said warmly, holding Yang Xiuyun's hand.

Because of Zhu Lin's arrival, the two families, who were strangers yet warm-hearted, lost some of their unfamiliarity and gained more warmth.

In the days that followed, Liu Yimin made invitations and personally delivered them one by one.

With so many acquaintances, deciding who to send a gift to and who not to send one becomes a problem. The banquet will be held in a courtyard house, as the large house can accommodate many people.

Liu Yimin bought a refrigerator and a TV for the bedroom in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, spending two or three thousand yuan. He originally wanted to buy an air conditioner, but after seeing the price, he decided against it, as the price of an air conditioner was more expensive than the refrigerator and TV combined.

The first printing of "Triumphant at Midnight" and the basic royalties totaled more than seven thousand yuan. Adding his previous savings, Liu Yimin earned a little over ten thousand yuan.

If he buys the air conditioner, all the money will be gone. He plans to use the remaining money to buy a motorcycle for the wedding procession.

Although time is a bit tight, the house doesn't need renovation and we don't need to buy too much furniture, so there's still enough time.

The most time-consuming part was sending out invitations, one by one. Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun couldn't help much, so Liu Yimin had Li Lanyong take them around Beijing, visiting places like Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

P.S. My friend's book, "1983: A Literary Giant Who Abandoned Art for Literature"

(End of this chapter)