After Alice Wei and Lilith Wei (Mrs. Wei's foreign name) had finished shopping and packing their gifts, the day of departure arrived. Unlike the last time they came to the United States, when they spent a month on the sea, they sailed again after a ten-year absence. Ocean-going technology has also made great progress. This time, it only took half a month to reach Shanghai Port. The Wen family had sent people to meet them at the port. Logically, since they had arrived in Shanghai, they should have gone to Nanjing to pay respects to their father-in-law and mother-in-law first. However, the Wei family had not been home for many years, and Mrs. Wei was eager to go home, so she told Mrs. Wen in advance that when they returned to China, they would definitely visit their in-laws when they went south.
Mrs. Wen's intentions were the same as Mrs. Wei's. Both old ladies were old, so Mrs. Wen did not force them to stay. Instead, she asked the driver to buy tickets and send the Wei family to the train station. The grandparents and grandchildren naturally took a bus back to Nanjing. So, the two families separated at the port. In fact, after these years, the relationship between Mrs. Wen and Mrs. Wei has improved a lot.
The Wei family was in a hurry to return to Beijing, but the train was not due until the evening, so they stayed in a hotel near the train station for half a day, eating and resting, so as to save time at the train station. So the driver sent them back first.
The main reason was that there were a lot of gifts and children, so the women only had to take care of the children and carry the gifts themselves. As for the other large items, Wei Nian hired a few porters to help carry them.
Old Mrs. Wei sighed, "There are still more cars in the United States." Because she just got her driver's license, Old Mrs. Wei is addicted to driving. She takes her son Sibao, who is not yet in school, out for a ride every morning and afternoon. Although Sibao has just been weaned, he is also a little friend who goes out frequently.
Wei Nian said, "Shanghai seems not as prosperous as when we left. I wonder what Beijing is like now?"
"It's not much better." Old Mrs. Wei said, "Beijing has never been as good as Shanghai, but fortunately there is no war in Beijing."
This was the only thing that made the Wei family feel at ease. During the previous Anti-Japanese War, Nanjing suffered a great disaster. The Wei family was thankful that Beijing had not fought a war in these years. As long as there was no war, they could survive no matter how difficult the days were. After lunch, everyone took a short break in the hotel, and when it was time for the evening train, they boarded the train to Beijing. Wei Yu, Wei Hong, Xue Huai, and Xue Jia were all born in the United States. This was the first time they returned to China, so everything was new to them. For the whole half day, Alice Wei's mouth was busy, introducing things about Beijing to her brothers and sisters. In Alice Wei's words, "It's very good, very big. Our family also has the No. 1 Silk and Satin Shop, and the shop is very close to the palace. When we get home tomorrow, I'll take you to visit the palace. There is no palace in Boston."
Xue Huai said, "I've been to the Palace of Versailles in France."
"Completely different! European palaces are all made of stone, with murals painted on the walls and ceilings. Our palaces are decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, and are particularly elegant and magnificent!" Wei Xin pointed at the four children and said, "The clothes you are wearing now are actually inappropriate. I told you to make some silk clothes for you to wear when you return home. They have to be in the style of Beijingers! When you arrive in Beijing, you must change into the silk clothes I told you to make."
Xue Huai said very reasonably, "Sister Xinxin, when we got off the boat, I saw that Shanghai people also dressed very fashionably. When we got on the train, many people in the carriage were dressed very nicely, but you, Xinxin, were the only one wearing a small silk jacket and long skirt. It's not like what you said, Xinxin, that everyone was wearing something like you, and you were the only one wearing something like this."
"That's right!" the three little ones echoed.
"That's what it is!" Wei Xin patted her dress and said, "What do you know? This is my tradition. People nowadays have forgotten tradition. What do they know? I teach you with good intentions, so you have to listen. You know, if you don't listen to the old people, you will suffer in the end!"
Wei Yu said, "Big sister, you are not old now, you are still young."
"That's right!" Several younger ones continued to echo.
Wei Xin took a sip of the orange juice he bought from the carriage, and continued to reason with his careless and ignorant brothers and sisters, "What do you know? When we go to the palace, such an ancient and quaint place, you will all be wearing suits and dresses, which are particularly mismatched. Besides, these suits and dresses are not good-looking. Are your clothes as good as mine?"
Wei Yu said seriously, "Sister, fashion is all-encompassing. Yours is not ugly, but you can't say that what we wear is not good-looking, right?"
“That’s right!”
Wei Xin waved his hand and said, "This only proves one thing, you still don't understand the principle of adapting to local customs." Then he continued to sell his own aesthetics.
Anyway, the adults in the private room could hear the children chirping loudly in the next room. Fortunately, there were three private rooms and the children were in the middle one, otherwise they would have annoyed the neighbors to death. Now that the neighbors are all family members, they just let the children do what they want.
It took three days to get to Beijing by train. Before arriving in Beijing, Wei Xin told her younger brothers and sisters to change into silk clothes like an elder sister. So, Wei Huai and Wei Yu wore a blue silk long gown and a sky blue long gown and a long skirt, and Wei Hong and Xue Jia wore the same silk gown and a long skirt as Wei Xin. Wei Xin also gave each of the two younger ones a small pearl necklace, combed their hair, wiped their faces, and applied lotion, making them all look beautiful. Wei Yu and Xue Huai had never worn a long gown and a long gown, let alone the buttons on the gown. It took them a long time to tie them up. Wei Xin stretched and tugged them to make them neat, and also gave each of them a small black melon-shaped hat to wear, and then nodded with satisfaction.
Wei Nian even felt that his daughter might have been the reincarnation of an old man in her previous life.
Well, the children insisted on dressing like this. America advocates liberal education, and the Wei family has always been rough in the way they dress their children, so they just let them do what they want. Even many passengers in the same compartment were surprised, thinking that this family was dressed in Western style when they got on the train, and when they got off the train, the adults were still normal, but the children were a little too rustic, and the old and the young wouldn't dress like this now.
What a hard-to-understand family!
Wei Xin arranged for his younger siblings to return to tradition.
The family had already known that Wei Nian and Wei Yin were coming back, and they had been looking forward to it. After receiving the call from Shanghai, Wei Jin went to the train station early with her servant to ask when the train would arrive. She went to Wei Shi's house after breakfast early in the morning, and when she saw Wei Jie's wife Wang, she said, "No, no, niece, don't wear cheongsam. Your mother-in-law and I are old-fashioned people, so wearing cheongsam is fine. Now your second uncle and second aunt have returned from abroad, and foreigners are in fashion wearing Western clothes. Ajie and Ming have changed into suits, and niece and sister Yun have changed into those Western dresses to look good."
Wei Jin asked his two sons and daughters-in-law to dress up in dresses early in the morning before coming. Even his eldest grandson had a small suit made specially for him to wear, and he looked very smart in it.
Wei Jin was used to bossing around at her mother's house, and as soon as they met, she asked her nephews, nieces, and nieces-in-law to change their clothes. Wei Shi didn't care much about this, and Li was a good-natured woman, so she followed Wei Jin's instructions. Wei Jin asked again, "What about dinner?"
Li poured a cup of warm tea for her elder sister-in-law and said, "Master said to invite the guests to Taifenglou."
Wei Jin thought again, "I wonder if they can still get used to the food at home after all these years in the United States. How about we go to the Beijing Hotel for Western food?"
"Okay, after studying abroad for a few years, can you not even get used to the food at home? This is a bit too weird." Wei Shi asked Wei Jin, "Sister, why are you here so early? Have you had breakfast?"
"I've eaten. Our mother and An Nian are coming back today, so I came here early to wait for them. They will definitely come to see you when they come back." Wei Jin was busy chattering. After having lunch at his brother's place, he arranged for the whole family to go to the train station to pick up people.
Oh my god, it will be so lively when we meet.
Both the Wei Jin and Wei Shi families were dressed like returned overseas Chinese. In Wei Nian and Wei Yin's house, the adults were dressed normally, but the children, from the eldest Wei Xin to Sibaoer in her mother's arms, did not look like they had just returned from America. Instead, they looked like they had returned from the Qing Dynasty.
Wei Yu, Xue Huai and other older children who went home for the first time were all confused. This, this was completely different from what their eldest sister said!
Also confused were Wang and several other daughters-in-law who were meeting their husband’s elders for the first time. This was quite different from what the aunt (mother-in-law) said!
The author has something to say: ps: Nice to meet you, hahaha~~~~~~~~Are there any poems for Mid-Autumn Festival~~~~~~~~~~