Chapter 107

Although Xi Junjie and Zhenzhen had yet to set a wedding date because of the proposal, both families had already begun preparations in full swing. Ling Xiulan, who often liked to drop by the Li household when she had free time, would frequently sit and chat with Zhenzhen when she was home. Seeing that Zhenzhen had a preference for classical-style furniture, Ling Xiulan specially commissioned someone to buy a full set of Ming dynasty huanghuali furniture. The set was in excellent condition, without a single nick or scratch.

She had all the walls repainted. The house had five bays in width; the central bay was furnished with tables and chairs to serve as the living room. On either side were secondary and corner rooms. Ling Xiulan had the left secondary and corner rooms opened up and converted into a study for the couple, not forgetting to prepare a large desk for painting, along with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for Zhenzhen. The eastern secondary room was designated as their bedroom. The innermost corner was fitted with plumbing and waterproofing to become a glass-walled bathroom. The large bathtub inside had been specially shipped from abroad by a friend of Ling Xiulan’s—it was big enough for two people. Outside the glass door were a flush toilet and washbasin, and the outermost area had a storage rack and washing machine.

The side wings of the house were also refurbished. Ling Xiulan moved out all the items she previously used and stored them in an empty house. After repainting, the wings were turned into children’s rooms, prepared in advance for future grandchildren.

Ling Xiulan had been busy with these arrangements since the New Year. By the time everything was finally ready, it was already June. After instructing the housekeeper to clean the house thoroughly, Ling Xiulan took a basket of fresh fruit next door to invite Grandma Li and Wang Sufen over to see the new home.

Grandma Li and Wang Sufen were watching TV at home. The old black-and-white TV that Li Muwen had gifted them years ago had long been retired. What they now had was a color television that Zhenzhen had bought for Grandma Li. Ever since she got the color TV, Grandma Li would turn it on first thing in the morning. After a quick stroll in the garden, she would sit glued to it for the rest of the day, much to Wang Sufen’s concern—she feared Grandma Li’s eyesight would deteriorate from watching too much television.

Ling Xiulan, very familiar with the house, walked in with the fruit and greeted them with a smile the moment she entered: “Auntie, watching TV again?”

Grandma Li put her sunflower seeds aside and stood up, smiling so broadly her eyes squinted: “It’s so good! They even show old movies and opera!”

Wang Sufen poured a cup of tea and placed a plate of cherries next to Ling Xiulan: “These came from the cherry tree in our garden. They’re big and sweet—try some.”

Ling Xiulan sat down, popped a cherry into her mouth, and the moment her teeth bit through the skin, sweet juice burst out. She squinted her eyes with delight and praised, “So sweet! Auntie, I’ve noticed that no matter what fruit your family grows, it’s always especially delicious.”

Grandma Li chuckled and nodded. “That’s true. To be honest with you, our Zhenzhen has a real knack for growing things. She doesn’t seem to do much, but her fruits always taste better than others’.”

“Zhenzhen’s flowers are amazing too,” Ling Xiulan added with a smile. “I’ve got tons of flowers at my place, and they usually look just so-so. But whenever Zhenzhen waters them, by the next day they’re all lush and vibrant, like she’s watering them with some magical elixir.”

Grandma Li laughed heartily. “Once Zhenzhen marries over, I guarantee your flowers will bloom all year round without ever withering.”

“That would make me the happiest woman alive,” Ling Xiulan clapped with joy. “Oh right, I almost forgot why I came. I’ve finished setting up Junjie and Zhenzhen’s new home. I wanted to invite you both to come take a look.”

Grandma Li stood up immediately, then hesitated, feeling a bit awkward, as if checking on it would imply distrust. She chuckled sheepishly, “Would it be alright for us to see it? As long as it’s done, it’s fine.”

Ling Xiulan couldn’t help but laugh. She stepped forward and took Grandma Li’s arm. “Come on, Auntie, we’re like family. Come take a look with me.”

Grandma Li broke into a grin. “Then I’m really going?”

“Really! Stay for lunch too,” Ling Xiulan said, taking Grandma Li’s arm with one hand and pulling Wang Sufen with the other. “Let’s go! You should both take a break today.”

Wang Sufen glanced at her casual house shirt and hesitated. “Maybe I should change. This is a bit too informal.”

“It’s fine! We’re not strangers. However you dress at home, it’s fine at my place too. Just relax. Besides, Lao Xi isn’t home today—it’s just us girls.” Without waiting for objections, Ling Xiulan dragged the two women out the door.

As they stepped into the courtyard, they ran into Li Muwu. Wang Sufen smiled and said, “We’re going to the in-laws’ for lunch. You can eat out today.”

“Great!” Li Muwu looked delighted. “I’ve been craving meat. I’ll treat myself to a barbecue lunch.”

“Such a spendthrift,” Wang Sufen teased. “Aren’t you worried about getting heatstroke in this summer weather?”

As the three women walked out of the courtyard, Li Muwu hurried back inside to grab some cash, then locked the front door and called out to a few fishermen by the water: “My wife’s not home today—let’s go to Barbecue Ji for lunch!”

“You only dare eat out when your wife’s not home,” someone laughed. “Alright, let’s treat ourselves today.”

“Then hurry up!” Li Muwu urged. “Go stash your fishing poles—I’m buying!”

**

Ling Xiulan led Grandma Li and Wang Sufen to Xi Junjie’s courtyard. The moment Grandma Li saw that even the window frames and doors had been freshly painted, she broke into a wide grin. “You’ve really gone all out—even the outside looks brand new.”

“Oh, that was just a quick job. Wait until you see the inside.” Ling Xiulan pushed open the door. Inside was a bright, spacious hall. Grandma Li walked in and touched a chair, clicking her tongue. “This furniture looks real nice.”

“It’s huanghuali from the Ming dynasty,” Ling Xiulan said with a smile. “I know Zhenzhen likes antiques, so I hunted down a whole set.”

“Ming dynasty…” Grandma Li looked a little dizzy. “That’s, what, a hundred or two hundred years old?”

“At least three to four hundred,” Ling Xiulan said, laughing behind her hand.

“Three or four hundred!” Grandma Li and Wang Sufen widened their eyes and circled the chair in amazement. “Goodness, to be preserved this well after all that time—it’s definitely the real deal.”

Glancing toward the study, Grandma Li and Wang Sufen were instead drawn toward the bedroom. The furniture inside had been custom-made by Zhenzhen’s factory, under the Feihuang brand of solid wood. The bed had the latest model Tengda mattress. A vanity, wardrobe, and loveseat completed the room. Seeing the wardrobe that spanned the whole wall, Grandma Li couldn’t help stepping forward to touch it. “This is the biggest wardrobe I’ve ever seen.”

“There’s lots of room inside too,” Ling Xiulan explained. “The top shelf is for bedding, the middle section for hanging clothes, and the big drawers at the bottom are for folded clothes.”

Grandma Li couldn’t resist opening it. Inside, clothes were neatly arranged in two rows—men’s on the right, from sweaters to dress shirts, and women’s on the left, with dresses, wool coats, and trench coats, all clearly from high-end brands.

“Oh wow, there are clothes in here too,” said Wang Sufen. She and Grandma Li exchanged a surprised glance.

Ling Xiulan chuckled. “I prepared those for Zhenzhen. Last month I went abroad to visit an old friend and saw some gorgeous new season collections. I’m too old to wear such bold styles, but our Zhenzhen is in her prime—she’ll look stunning in them. I bought everything I liked and brought it back for her.”

Grandma Li, spotting the foreign labels, gave Ling Xiulan a light slap on the hand. “You’re spoiling her too much! She hasn’t even given you any clothes yet, and you’ve already bought her so many!”

“She’s like my own daughter—I don’t care about formalities,” Ling Xiulan said, covering her mouth with a laugh. “When I was young, I used to admire those beautiful foreign dolls. I always dreamed that if I had a daughter, I’d dress her even prettier than them. But after I had Junjie, I never had another child. I’ve waited all these years, and now I finally have such a beautiful daughter-in-law—I just want to fulfill that old dream of mine.”

Grandma Li and Wang Sufen beamed with joy. Zhenzhen was the first girl in their family, cherished like a treasure. Even though she wasn’t marrying far, once she was someone else’s daughter-in-law, they couldn’t help but worry. Seeing how thoughtful Ling Xiulan had been, even preparing clothes for every season after marriage, their hearts were much more at ease.

Ling Xiulan brought over a stool and took down a bright red four-piece bedding set from the top of the wardrobe. Older women like Grandma Li paid great attention to red bedding, so she eagerly reached out to feel it. “What’s the pattern?”

Ling Xiulan spread the sheet out on the bed. “Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix. I had a master from Suzhou hand-embroider every stitch.”

Grandma Li and Wang Sufen helped open the duvet cover, admiring the exquisite embroidery, almost afraid to touch it. “This kind of beautiful work must take forever to complete.”

“About a year,” Ling Xiulan replied. “I ordered it last year—it just arrived.”

Wang Sufen couldn’t help but thank her. “You’ve thought of everything for them.”

Ling Xiulan sighed, “He’s our only child, and marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime joyous event. Of course we have to make proper arrangements for them.”

Granny Li folded the scattered duvet cover neatly, and Ling Xiulan placed it back. Granny Li glanced at the top layer—there were not only quilts and blankets, but also wool throws, summer comforters, and seven or eight sets of sheets and covers—and couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ve already prepared all the bedding. What are we supposed to prepare?”

“People, of course,” Ling Xiulan said with a smile. “Send your eldest girl to my house all dressed up and pretty.”

Granny Li clutched her chest dramatically. “Oh no, my heart hurts. I can’t do it—I can’t bear to part with her.”

Ling Xiulan laughed so hard she doubled over. “Too late to not bear it now. I’m just waiting for the wedding day.”

After their laughter subsided, Ling Xiulan continued showing the house. She pushed open the bathroom door and invited Granny Li and Wang Sufen in. “I had an indoor bathroom installed for them—come take a look.”

“A bathroom?” Granny Li wasn’t familiar with such a fancy term. As soon as she stepped inside, her eyes were drawn to the washing machine. “What’s this thing?”

“A washing machine,” Ling Xiulan explained. “You toss dirty clothes in, and they come out completely clean in no time—not even a drop of water left. Just hang them outside for a bit and they’re dry.”

“Oh, so this is a washing machine.” Granny Li lifted the lid and peeked inside. “Zhenzhen was talking about buying one for the house the other day, but her mom wouldn’t allow it.”

“With all the clothes we have nowadays, you have to wash them after wearing just once or twice—it’s not even a hassle,” Wang Sufen said with a simple smile. “But young people are different from us. They’re so busy they barely get enough sleep. Having a machine to help with laundry is great.”

Granny Li stepped past the large sliding glass door and looked at the big bathtub inside. She couldn’t help turning back to Ling Xiulan. “What’s this big tub for?”

“For bathing,” Ling Xiulan replied, turning on the tap. Hot water flowed out. “You fill it with hot water and soak—it’s so relaxing. And if you don’t want to take a bath, you can just stand and use the showerhead above.”

“Oh my, this is just too luxurious,” Granny Li said enviously. “So many ways to bathe—it must feel amazing.”

Ling Xiulan immediately offered, “If you want, I’ll get the worker to do one for you too.”

Granny Li’s four sons and several grandsons gave her quite a bit of money every year. She had more than enough clothes for every season, and Zhenzhen was even more generous—always giving a thousand or two at a time. Granny Li’s private savings had grown over the years, but she had few places to spend. They rarely needed to buy vegetables since the garden provided enough during spring, summer, and fall, and in winter, they had a greenhouse with even more variety than the market. They raised their own chickens and ducks, and the pond was full of fish, shrimp, and crabs. They only went to the market now and then for meat or ribs—everything else cost next to nothing.

Granny Li wasn’t stingy, especially now that she was older and appreciated comfort more. She circled the bathroom again, pressed the flush on the toilet, and nodded. “Alright. You tell that worker to come by our house too and make a bathroom like this.”

Ling Xiulan agreed right away. “Don’t worry—I’ll have him over tomorrow.”

“Oh right,” Granny Li said seriously, “besides the bathroom guy, do you know anyone who can knock down walls?”

Ling Xiulan was puzzled. “Which wall are you planning to knock down?”

“The extra walls we added later between our two courtyards,” Granny Li gestured. “We’re living in Zhenzhen’s house, and once she marries Junjie, we’ll be one family. We might as well open it up—it’ll make talking to each other easier.”

Ling Xiulan was stunned. “Are your grandsons okay with that?”

“What’s there to mind? The house was bought under Zhenzhen’s name from the start,” Granny Li said. “Right now it’s just Zhenzhen’s fourth brother Mingbei, his wife, and their two kids living with us. But they’re house-hunting too. They’ve got their eye on a small courtyard—five rooms in front and a garden in the back. Once they graduate, they’ll move.”

Wang Sufen chimed in with a smile, “Technically we should go live with our eldest son, but we’re used to living here. We’re not planning to move. As long as you don’t mind having us around.”

“What are you saying? If you move away, I’ll be the one crying,” Ling Xiulan said with a smile. “Our house is big, and we’ve got so many empty rooms. It’s only lively when there are more people. Besides, when I’m home alone, it’s boring without you.”

Granny Li grinned. “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow we’ll get someone to knock down the wall.”

While the house was buzzing with discussion, at school, Xi Junjie and Zhenzhen weren’t thinking much about the wedding. After graduation exams, they had started focusing on work arrangements.

They were part of the first batch of university graduates since the resumption of the college entrance exams—far more valuable than the old Worker-Peasant-Soldier universities. Back when they enrolled, government departments had already reserved positions for them. Now that they’d graduated, official job assignment letters had arrived. Xi Junjie was assigned to the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Zhenzhen received her posting from Huaguo News Agency.

The furniture factory under Zhenzhen’s name had already become the top furniture brand in the country. But since it stabilized, she rarely got involved in daily operations—even the design work now had a dedicated workshop. To motivate the workers, she gave out annual bonuses worth 10% of the profits and allocated 40% as Sun Rende’s salary. Grateful for Zhenzhen’s early support and driven by his passion for business management, Sun Rende practically lived at the factory, throwing himself into work with all he had.

When Zhenzhen submitted her personal information before graduation, she also reported her ownership of the factory. But the Huaguo News Agency didn’t seem to mind and still sent her the appointment letter. She’d always wanted to work as a journalist there for a few years—to broaden her horizons, build connections, and pave the way for her dream.

They carried their belongings home in bags and boxes, with about a week to rest before reporting to their jobs. When Granny Li heard this, she was distraught. “Why the rush? Can’t you get married before starting work?”

Zhenzhen laughed and tugged at her arm. “Grandma, no need to hurry. I’m still waiting for Junjie to propose.”

“Propose?” Granny Li was confused. “You mean like making an official proposal to the family? Oh come on, what era are we in? You’re still fussing over that?”

Wang Sufen added, “We already knocked down the wall between our homes—what’s left to propose? Just pick a day. Your third and fourth uncles have to come from Heilongjiang, so we’ll need to call them early.”

Zhenzhen pursed her lips and smiled. “Got it. We’ll decide in the next few days. Don’t worry.”

In truth, Xi Junjie had been secretly planning the proposal for days. To keep it a surprise, Zhenzhen had even consciously withdrawn her awareness and refused to peek.

As the week of vacation neared its end, on the very last morning, Xi Junjie blushingly circled the garden and knocked on Zhenzhen’s door. Since she had retracted her awareness, she didn’t sense his approach and was a little surprised when she opened the door, yawning. “So early—what’s up?”

Seeing her in pajamas, Xi Junjie didn’t know where to look and quickly averted his eyes. He blurted out, “Can you come out with me for a bit today?”

“For what?” Zhenzhen saw the blush flash across his face and immediately widened her eyes. “Are you about to propose?”