“Ruanruan, these are all the ingredients. Go ahead and start cooking. I need to go tell my parents that we’re leaving for Yunnan tomorrow.”
“Go ahead, Auntie. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Qin Ruan waved her off with a smile.
Shen Jianing headed into the living room, where she found everyone chatting and laughing together.
“Mom, Dad, Ruofeng—what are you all talking about?”
“Jianing, come sit down,” her mother said. “We were just talking with your mother-in-law and Ruofeng about Yunnan.”
Shen Jianing sat beside her mother.
“Mom, Dad, tomorrow Ruofeng and I are going back to Yunnan. We’ve been married for several years now, and I’ve never visited his hometown.”
“But you’re pregnant,” Feng Cui said worriedly, looking at her daughter’s stomach. “Will such a long journey be all right?”
Qin Ruofeng stepped forward.
“Mom, it’ll be fine. We’re traveling by train. We’re just going back to bring over the things from home. After that, my mother will stay here at the family compound, and we probably won’t be returning to our hometown for a very long time.”
“All right. As long as you can take good care of Jianing. I’m not worried about anything else—just the baby.”
Qin Ruofeng nodded.
“Jianing,” Shen Changfeng added, “be careful during the trip. Honestly, I didn’t want you to go because of the pregnancy, but you’ve been married for years and still haven’t visited your husband’s hometown. It wouldn’t be right if you never went. Just take good care of yourself.”
“I will, Dad.”
At that moment, Hu Yufen took a small box from inside her clothing and handed it to Shen Changfeng.
“My dear in-law, this is the betrothal gift our family prepared for Ruofeng’s marriage to Jianing. At the time, I wasn’t able to come in person, and these weren’t the sort of things that could be mailed. Since I’m finally here to pay you a visit, I’ve brought the betrothal gifts with me.”
Shen Changfeng accepted the box and opened it.
Inside were three gold bars.
His eyes widened instantly, and he quickly closed the lid again.
“My dear in-law, this is far too valuable.”
He immediately tried to hand the box back to Hu Yufen.
“No, no,” Hu Yufen replied, shaking her head. “These are Jianing’s betrothal gifts. They’re not too valuable at all. She’s worth every bit of it.”
Feng Cui shot her husband a look.
“If our in-law is giving it to us, then accept it. These are Jianing’s betrothal gifts.”
At that moment, Feng Cui had no idea the box contained three gold bars.
Had she known, she certainly would have refused them.
Hu Yufen hurriedly added,
“That’s right. They’re Jianing’s betrothal gifts. Your precious daughter married into our Qin family—we’ve already made her endure enough hardship.”
Shen Jianing quickly protested,
“Mom, it hasn’t been a hardship. Ruofeng and I truly love each other.”
Qin Ruofeng nodded.
“Mom, Dad, please accept them. They’re simply a small token of our Qin family’s sincerity.”
Hu Yufen continued,
“We should have formally delivered the betrothal gifts before the wedding. But our homes are so far apart, and we were never able to come. Besides, my husband had just passed away a couple of years ago, so it wasn’t appropriate for me to travel.”
“That’s perfectly understandable,” Shen Changfeng replied. “Everything was explained clearly back then. We agreed to the marriage because we thought Ruofeng was a good young man.”
“You can rest assured,” Hu Yufen said warmly. “Now that Jianing has married into our Qin family, I’ll treat her like my own daughter.”
Those weren’t merely polite words.
She truly had come to regard Shen Jianing as family.
The early death of her own daughter had left a deep wound in her heart.
Fortunately, she still had her granddaughter, Qin Ruan.
“Just hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”
Feng Cui smiled with relief and gently patted her chest.
The conversation continued, everyone talking over one another in a lively atmosphere.
Shen Changfeng finally accepted the box and placed it on a cabinet nearby.
His gaze then fell on the large pile of gifts covering the floor.
With a sigh, he returned to his seat.
“Ruofeng, why did you buy so many gifts?”
Qin Ruofeng answered honestly, without much thought.
“Ruanruan bought most of them.”
Hu Yufen quickly added,
“They’re just small tokens of our appreciation.”
Qin Ruofeng continued,
“Dad, don’t you like Yunnan tea? This time, when we go back, we’ll bring plenty with us. We still haven’t finished harvesting the tea from our tea mountain.”
“Has your leave been approved?”
“It’s all here, Ruanruan. You can start cooking. I need to go tell my parents that we’re leaving for Yunnan tomorrow,” Shen Jianning said.
“Go ahead, Auntie. I’ll be fine on my own,” Qin Ruan replied, waving her off.
Shen Jianning returned to the living room, where everyone was chatting and laughing.
“Mom, Dad, Ruofeng, what are you all talking about?”
“Jianning, come sit down. We’re talking with your mother-in-law and Ruofeng about Yunnan,” her mother said.
Shen Jianning sat beside her mother.
“Mom, Dad, Ruofeng and I are going back to Yunnan tomorrow. We’ve been married for over three years, and I’ve never been back to his hometown.”
“But you’re pregnant,” Feng Cui said worriedly, looking at her daughter’s belly. “Will such a long trip be all right?”
Qin Ruofeng stepped forward.
“Mom, it’ll be fine. We’ll be traveling by train. We’re only going back to bring our things here. After that, my mother will stay in the military family compound, and we probably won’t be returning to our hometown for a very long time.”
“All right. As long as you can take good care of Jianning. I’m not worried about anything else—only the baby.”
Ruofeng nodded.
“Jianning,” Shen Changfeng added, “be careful during the journey. I didn’t really want you to go, but you’ve been married for years. It wouldn’t be right if you never visited your husband’s hometown. Just take good care of yourself.”
“I will, Dad.”
Hu Yufen then took a small box from inside her clothes and handed it to Shen Changfeng.
“My dear in-law, this is the bride price our family prepared when Ruofeng married Jianning. Back then, it wasn’t convenient for me to come in person, and these items weren’t suitable for mailing. Since we’re finally visiting today, I’ve brought them with me.”
Shen Changfeng accepted the box and opened it.
Inside were three gold bars.
His eyes widened instantly, and he quickly closed the lid.
“My dear in-law, this is far too valuable.”
He immediately tried to hand the box back.
“No, no,” Hu Yufen shook her head. “This is the bride price. It’s not too valuable. Jianning deserves it.”
Feng Cui shot her husband a look.
“If our in-law is giving it, then accept it. It’s Jianning’s bride price.”
At that moment, Feng Cui didn’t know the box contained three gold bars. Had she known, she certainly wouldn’t have agreed to accept it.
Hu Yufen quickly added,
“That’s right. It’s Jianning’s bride price. Your precious daughter married into our Qin family. If anything, she’s the one who has made a sacrifice.”
Shen Jianning hurriedly said,
“Mom, it’s not a sacrifice. Ruofeng and I truly love each other.”
Qin Ruofeng nodded.
“Mom, Dad, please accept it. It’s just a small token of our family’s sincerity.”
“Yes,” Hu Yufen continued. “This should have been given during the formal engagement ceremony. Our home is simply too far away, so we never had the chance. Besides, my husband passed away a couple of years ago, and it wasn’t appropriate for me to travel.”
“It’s all right,” Shen Changfeng replied. “Everything was made clear at the time. We agreed because we knew Ruofeng was a good man.”
“You can rest assured,” Hu Yufen promised. “Now that Jianning has married into our family, I’ll treat her as if she were my own daughter.”
The loss of her own daughter had dealt Hu Yufen a heavy blow, though fortunately she still had her granddaughter, Qin Ruan.
“With those words from you, I feel much more at ease,” Feng Cui said, patting her chest with relief.
The conversation continued warmly. Shen Changfeng finally accepted the box and placed it on a nearby cabinet.
Looking at the pile of gifts on the floor, he sighed.
“Ruofeng, why did you buy so many gifts?”
Without thinking, Qin Ruofeng answered,
“Ruanruan bought all of them.”
Hu Yufen smiled.
“They’re only small tokens of our appreciation.”
Qin Ruofeng added,
“Dad, don’t you like Yunnan tea? This time when we go back, we’ll bring a lot more. There are still tea leaves left to harvest on the mountain.”
“Did your leave get approved?”
“It did.”
“Good. Once you’ve packed everything, come back safely. If the old house is going to be vacant for a long time, don’t forget to clean out the drainage ditch behind the foundation.”
(The drainage ditch refers to the trench behind the foundation of traditional rural houses, designed to carry away rainwater and prevent flooding. Many old homes have one.)
“Yes, Dad.”
Hu Yufen was very satisfied with the Shen family. These were the kind of in-laws who would never become a burden to their children.
After chatting for a while longer, Qin Ruan called from the kitchen,
“Lunch is ready!”
The conversations in the living room came to an end.
Feng Cui entered the kitchen and said to Qin Ruan,
“Oh dear, look at this. You’re our guest, yet you’re the one cooking for us.”
Qin Ruan smiled shyly.
“It’s all right, Grandma Feng. I’m a good cook. You and Grandpa Shen can give my cooking a try.”
Feng Cui nodded repeatedly.
“Just from the aroma, I can already tell it’ll be delicious.”
Qin Ruan smiled modestly.
“You’re too kind, Grandma.”
The two of them carried the dishes out together.
Using the ingredients available, Qin Ruan boiled some Chinese sausage and cured pork, slicing each onto separate plates.
She stir-fried lettuce stems with a little fatty cured pork.
Seeing there were two kinds of leafy greens and a sponge gourd, she made an egg and sponge gourd soup and stir-fried both vegetables.
Six dishes for five people—just the right amount.
As everyone ate, Shen Changfeng picked up a bite of the stir-fried lettuce stems with cured pork.
“So this is another way to cook it. Not bad at all.”
“Exactly,” Feng Cui agreed. “I always thought lettuce stems could only be served cold or stir-fried on their own. I never imagined they could be cooked with cured pork.”
Qin Ruan grinned.
“Anything can be stir-fried, and anything can be braised.”
Her comment made everyone at the table burst into laughter.
Shen Changfeng brought out the Moutai, and he and Qin Ruofeng began drinking together.
The four elders chatted about everyday life.
Feng Cui couldn’t help reminding her daughter again.
“Jianning, when you go to Yunnan this time, you must take good care of yourself. Everyone will be busy packing things, so they may not notice you all the time.”
Qin Ruan patted her chest confidently.
“Don’t worry, Grandma Feng. I’ll keep an eye on Auntie.”
Then she turned to Shen Jianning.
“Auntie, if you need anything, tell me right away.”
Shen Jianning smiled warmly.
“I will. We’re so close—if anything comes up, I’ll definitely tell you.”
“Exactly. Since we’re so close, don’t hide anything. Don’t make everyone worry.”
“I won’t. Now hurry up and eat.”
As she spoke, Shen Jianning picked up a slice of Chinese sausage and placed it into Qin Ruan’s bowl.
Qin Ruan lowered her head and ate happily.
Watching her daughter-in-law and granddaughter get along so well, Hu Yufen couldn’t have been happier.
The meal lasted a long time, mainly because Shen Changfeng and Qin Ruofeng lingered over their drinks.
Afterward, everyone moved to the sofa and continued chatting.
The conversation wandered from family gossip to neighborhood news.
Before long, Qin Ruan heard that Huo Tingchen had gone through several blind dates without success.
She smiled to herself.
A man as handsome as him naturally wouldn’t settle for just anyone. No wonder he ended up liking me.
It had to be said—Qin Ruan was quite confident in herself.