Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Parents‘ opinions
Mei Qiuping and Huang Jingping were cooking in the kitchen, but Feng Yiping knew that it was certainly not just cooking. Mei Qiuping would definitely take this opportunity to examine this girl that Feng Yiping liked, such as how good her cooking was.
In the past, there was a term for one's daughter-in-law in the old country, 'the one inside the door'. It was similar in meaning to the way some people would introduce their wives in the old society by saying 'my wife'.
Perhaps women in the new era would be very unhappy with such a term, but at least in the hearts of Mei Qiuping and the others, a qualified daughter-in-law should be able to take on all the responsibilities of the family. Even if Feng Yiping relies on her, if Feng Yiping were to find a girl who knows nothing about housework, they would definitely have a serious talk with their son.
However, as the eldest of the two daughters, Huang Jingping is quite proficient in the kitchen, especially when it comes to cutting vegetables. Mei Qiuping can tell at a glance that this young girl has helped out a lot at home, and she is quite satisfied.
At the moment, Huang Jingping is teaching her how to use the oven, as they plan to bake a fish for dinner.
Outside, there is no sun, and Feng Yiping and his father are playing chess in the study.
He remembered when he was young, his father still had the time and mood to play chess with Feng Weidong and Feng Jiasheng. For this reason, he specially made a chess box out of wood, which contained the chess pieces and could be opened to form a chessboard again.
In the summer, when they were cooling off, if he felt like it, he would shake his head and play the erhu. Feng Yiping can't remember what tune it was, but he can remember that the family was quite happy at that time.
However, Feng Yiping always kept his distance from the erhu because it was covered in snake skin.
Later, when he had some free time, his father would just sit on the chair smoking. Just sitting there made people feel like a mountain was weighing on his head, and he couldn't relax. At most, during the Spring Festival, he would play cards with some old friends on the hill while basking in the sun.
As for chess and the erhu, gradually, they could no longer be found.
My mother was the same. She used to like watching movies. During the first month of the lunar year, in the then-unmerged Fushan Township, movies would be shown in the warehouse of the supply and marketing cooperative. She would also make up her mind to spend a few cents to buy a ticket, but she would definitely bring her sister and herself in. Several times, she even got into an argument with the ticket inspectors about whether her sister should buy a ticket.
On ordinary days, even if there was an outdoor movie showing in a village miles away because of a happy occasion, she would still take her sister and herself, walking all night to watch it. At that time, a family only needed one flashlight, and it was only used when the road was not easy to walk on. Often, everyone would make a torch, without an open flame, and use the light of the charcoal fire to illuminate the road.
When they arrived, sometimes they couldn't borrow a stool in the village where the movie was being shown, so she would stand the whole time, hugging herself most of the time while holding her sister's hand with the other.
Every time they went back to her grandfather's house, if they got a magazine, every night before going to bed, she would read it to herself and her sister under the dim oil lamp.
Later, these were no longer considered pastimes and she gave them up. The only entertainment she had was watching TV after finishing her daily chores and eating dinner. She often didn't even turn on the lights to save electricity.
This later period actually refers to the few years after Feng Yiping's family moved into their newly built house. To put it another way, at that time, my mother was under 40 years old and my father was under 50 years old. It was from then on that they were constantly worried about money, and had no time, energy or mood for anything else. They gave up all their hobbies.
It was also from then on that their life, not to be called living, could only be called surviving.
It wasn't until Feng Yiping finally made something of himself and took them in that things began to improve. But by then, they had given up all their hobbies.
So now, when Feng Yiping heard that his father still had time to practice calligraphy and saw that he had picked up chess again, he was truly happy and relieved. He would do anything to make his parents' lives feel like a life.
He had been thinking about these things so much that he didn't hear Feng Zhenchang ask him, 'It's your turn to go,'
'Oh,' Feng Yiping came back to his senses, 'I was just thinking about something,'
'How's your studies?' Feng Zhenchang asked, 'I see that not many of the books on your bookshelf are textbooks,'
'Dad, it's different now from before. It's not just the subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry. For specialised and general education courses, you have to read a lot of books that aren't textbooks. Look, the pile on the cabinet is the book list that the teacher gave us this month,'
Feng Zhenchang looked at those large tomes with some awe. 'That's good, since the teacher told you to read them, they're not extracurricular books, so you must read them carefully.' Since Feng Yiping entered the fifth grade of primary school, they have been unable to help with his homework. There is only one principle: whatever the teacher tells you to do, you must do it well.
'Yes, I know.'
'You guys, this is pretty good, isn't it?' he asked another general question.
'Yes, Jingping, you've met her too. She's a very nice girl. She agrees with me on everything and always thinks ahead for me. We're doing pretty well.'
'Then live well. You have good taste. Jingping is a good girl and a capable homemaker.
Judging from the past year or two, her parents are not meddlesome people. In many other families, they would have already been knocking on the door. Her parents are nice. I heard that when you asked Jingping to send money home before, her parents refused, which is rare.
This way, you will have peace of mind in the future. But you have to know how to behave. Doesn't she have a younger sister? It's not easy to support a college student these days. When she goes to college, you will have to pay the tuition.'
'I remember, Dad,'
'In theory, you are still studying, and you may want to do a master's degree or study abroad in the future. Your mother and I both feel that these things are best not discussed too early. But since you and Jingping are getting along so well now, I'll ask you about your attitude. Although nowadays many young people are like this, it's not a problem for you to just live together like this. Isn't it better to take advantage of the fact that her parents are here this time to have an open discussion between our two families, and to settle this matter now before marriage and other things? Otherwise, when we interact in the future, I don't know how to get along with her parents.'
Thinking about Zhang Yan, Feng Yiping's heart was half fire and half sea. However, this matter has naturally come to this point, so of course there must be a clear attitude. 'I have no objection,'
'Okay, I understand,' Feng Zhenchang looked at his son's somewhat serious expression and thought he didn't want to make up his mind so early. 'Don't compare this mountain to that mountain, always thinking that you will meet someone better later. The right one is the best. Besides, it's better to make up your mind early, so that you will have a burden. When you do things, you will think more carefully and be more stable.'
'Yes, I know,' Feng Yiping would dare to say at this point, "Dad, I still want to find one," Feng Zhenchang would definitely pick up his slippers and slap him.
Soon after the lights came on, Mei Qiuping shouted downstairs, 'The two lazybones upstairs, dinner is ready, come down and eat,'
The meal was of course very rich and full of the flavours of home.
Xiangtong fried an omelette, and the boiled bamboo shoots were stir-fried in oil. The smell was wonderful, as was the stir-fried garlic chives with the preserved pork they had brought with them, the soup made from a whole chicken, the grass carp topped with onions and enoki mushrooms, the dish of peanuts they had also brought with them, and the tofu with minced pork.
Feng Yiping sniffed the smell and said, 'It's still mom's cooking that smells good,'
'I didn't cook much, it was all Jingping who did it, she cooks better than me,'
'No way, it's still auntie who cooks well,'
Although it looked like it, before Huang Jingping and her mother, they were quite polite, but this was a good start.
Good food of course needs to be paired with wine, Feng Zhenchang shook his head when he saw Feng Yiping bring red wine, 'I can't drink this, is there no white wine?'
Of course there is. Feng Yiping has bought a few bottles of Maotai, and he and his father will each drink a small cup, just to show that they care. The good thing is that Feng Zhenchang has really changed a lot of his habits now, and is not as fond of drinking as he used to be.
Mei Qiuping and Huang Jingping drink heated corn juice. 'Not to mention anything else, this oven, when the renovation is done, we must install one. After hearing Jingping say that with this, we can cook a lot of dishes.'
As a housewife, Mei Qiuping is still very concerned about these things in the kitchen.
'Install it, or else install a dishwasher?' Feng Zhenchang is very happy, as it is not the time to worry about buying a TV.
'Dad, mum, where do you want to go for fun tomorrow?' Feng Yiping asks.
'Just go about your business, don't miss any classes. We went to all the places we were supposed to go last year. Let Jingping show us around the company, then just hang out. We'll hang out again the day after tomorrow when her parents come.'
'That's fine, uncle and auntie. There are actually many places in the capital that we haven't been to. I bought a few travel guides, and we'll take a good look at them later.'
Feng Zhanchang said to casually look around, but Huang Jingping, who was intent on behaving well, did not dare to be casual.