After the old lady Wei, Wei Jin and Wei Xin washed up, the whole family came back for dinner. It was the first time for Wei Yu and Xue Huai to eat this authentic Beijing snack. Except for the soy milk, which he couldn't drink at all, Wei Yu liked tofu brain very much. Xue Huai said that the noodle tea was delicious. Even the usually elegant and gentle Wei Hong ate several fried dough sticks and told his mother that the fried dough sticks tasted different from the American fried dough sticks. This one was loose and soft. Xue Jia nodded in agreement.
Wei Shi said happily, "I often see people who study abroad speak Mandarin in a mess after returning home, always with a few foreign words in between, and even some of them can't get used to the food in China. But it's not the case with you."
Wei Nian said, "It's impossible to forget your hometown accent. Even in the United States, we eat Chinese food more often and speak Beijing dialect at home. How can you forget your hometown dialect after being away for a few years?"
"That's good." Wei Shi didn't object to studying abroad, but he didn't like those who became fake foreigners after staying abroad for three or two years. Now his brother's family still had the old Beijing style, Wei Shi was very happy, and said to Wei Nian, "Come to the shop later. Manager Li and Manager Zhao heard that you were coming back, and they have been talking about it for many days."
"We just got back, so we have to get together. The shop is busy with business, and going there will only delay the business. Brother, why don't I host a party at Dongxing Tower in the evening and invite the families of Shopkeeper Zhao and Shopkeeper Li to get together." Wei Nian always liked to entertain guests in restaurants to avoid the trouble of having cups, bowls, and dishes at home.
"I just came back, so I don't know the current situation in the city." Wei Shi smiled and sighed, "You just left a few years ago. During the Japanese occupation, Dongxinglou closed down."
Wei Nian was slightly surprised and said, "We have dealt with foreigners a lot over the years, but I hate the Japanese the most. After the Nanjing Incident, even in the United States, I never interacted with the Japanese."
Wei Shi said angrily, "Who said it wasn't true? When Japan surrendered last year, I was saying that they really didn't throw enough bombs. Why didn't they kill the emperor?"
Wei Nian asked, "During the Japanese occupation, I was always worried about my older brother and sister. I'm afraid they didn't have an easy time during those years."
"We are fine. After all, we have two businesses to support us, and the children have no worries about food and clothing. Even my eldest sister has had some strawberries in the past few years, but not many. I think it's not as good as hers. Her business is not bad. After all, we are a family with some assets, so we can get by. Some poor people have a hard time. The Japanese are first-class people, and we Chinese have become second-class people." Wei Shi said briefly, "Fortunately, the Japanese devils have finally been driven away, and there is peace for the time being."
Wei Nian nodded, "It's good that everyone at home is fine." He added, "Don't Ajie and Aming both work in the hospital? Let the children go to work. We won't be back for a while, and we need to stay somewhere."
"We'll let them go in a while, and then we'll ask them to apply for leave in advance when we go back to our hometown to worship our ancestors."
As the two brothers were talking, they returned home and saw that the old lady had gotten up. They both laughed and said, "Mom, why are you up so early? I thought you were so tired from the journey that I didn't call you."
Old Mrs. Wei said, "I'm not tired. You guys went to eat in groups without calling the three of us. You also locked the outer door so we couldn't get out. Why did you lock the door? Are you afraid that your mother might get lost?"
Wei Nian smiled and said, "Of course not. If you are such a fashionable old lady and you are not on guard and someone snatches you away, we two brothers will have no place to cry."
Old Mrs. Wei laughed and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense! Now that you are back, the three of us will go eat."
Wei Shi said, "Let Ajie buy it for you and mom. Don't go out."
"It's not far, so it has to be eaten while it's hot. It won't be delicious if you buy it back." Mrs. Wei changed into a gray dress with small floral patterns, still wearing a pearl necklace, her hair was neatly combed, and she put on lipstick. She looked energetic and stylish. How could the old lady not go out to eat after dressing up like this
Wei Jin also said, "It's okay, I'm here. I'll accompany mother and the little girl out, you guys can talk at home." As she said that, she put on the small round-rimmed sunglasses borrowed from the old lady, and helped the old lady to get up. Wei Xin was wearing a rose-red silk jacket with a dark green long skirt today. Such bright red and green colors would really be an eye-catching sight if worn by others. Fortunately, although Wei Xin had thin eyebrows and eyes, she inherited her father's skin that would not get tanned no matter how much sun exposure it had. She didn't look dark when standing with those foreign classmates. As the old saying goes, whiteness can cover up ugliness. Wei Xin's appearance was average compared to her brothers and sisters, but she was not ugly. She was born thin and now she was growing taller, like a bamboo pole. Taking advantage of the girl's youthful and lively spirit, this outfit was not ugly at all. She also hung two long pearl necklaces around her neck. In fact, they were all fake pearls, but she was still very vain.
The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren insisted on going out to eat, so no one stopped them. After all, they were at home and could do whatever they wanted.
Wei Jie's wife, Wang, was very smart. She hurried over to help the old lady and said, "I'll help grandma over."
"No, no, you have to go to work, right? Go to work." Mrs. Wei did not ask her granddaughter-in-law to serve her. To be honest, if it were twenty years ago, Mrs. Wei would not have been like this. Now, perhaps because the family is doing well and she feels that she has seen the world abroad, she has become more tolerant of her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. Mrs. Wei also said, "Those who should go to work should go to work, don't delay work."
The children all agreed.
The children all have jobs. Wei Jie and Wei Ming are both studying in medical schools. Free love is popular now, so they both found female classmates in college. Wang and Wei Ming's fiancée also work in hospitals, and Wei Yun teaches in a middle school. According to today's standards, these are all very good jobs.
Mrs. Wei had talked to her daughter last night about her two grandchildren. They both graduated from college and now have jobs, one in a law firm and the other in the railway. They are both respectable jobs.
When Old Lady Wei and Sun went out to eat breakfast, they looked so fashionable. Especially when the owner of the breakfast stall saw Wei Jin, he said, "Oh, Sister Wei, this mirror is so trendy. If you didn't take it off, I wouldn't recognize you."
Wei Jin helped the old lady sit down and said with a smile, "This is called sunglasses. Wear it when the sun is strong and it won't hurt your eyes." He then asked the old lady and eldest niece what they had eaten.
Old Mrs. Wei ate tofu pudding, and Wei Xin also ordered tofu pudding with fried cakes. She also ordered two kinds of fried cakes, one with sugar and one without sugar. The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren had similar tastes, and Wei Jin also ordered this. Wei Xin stirred the tofu pudding in the bowl, took a bite and nodded, "This is the taste. Tofu pudding is not difficult to make. My eldest sister can make it. It's just this topping. I don't know how it's made. It's really delicious." Wei Xin was a talkative person, so she chattered and asked the boss about it.
The boss was a man in his thirties with a dark red square face. He smiled and said, "Girls, if you like, just come and support me more often."
Old Madam Wei said, "How can I tell you about this? This is a family craftsmanship with a secret recipe. I can tell you about it."
"I think it's delicious." Wei Xin has a very good memory. She said, "I remember when I was a child, my aunt often took me to eat wontons. The wontons there were also very delicious."
"It's sold in the Dong'an Market. We often go there for lunch. The wonton seller has changed now. But the wontons taste good. Let's go and eat them when we have time." Wei Jin tore the sweet pancake in half, gave half to his mother and the other half to his niece. "Wontons are only delicious if the soup is good."
"Yes." Wei Xin nodded.
Wei Jin said, "How old were you at that time, and you still remember me taking you to eat wontons?"
"How could I forget that!" Wei Xin thought, "When I was a kid, you would pick me up in the morning, and we would pick up some strawberries and then go out to eat. Sometimes we would eat wontons, sometimes steamed buns, and sometimes sesame seed cakes. I still remember the screw-shaped oil-fried sesame seed cakes sold at the entrance of your alley. They were so delicious and crispy."
"Oh, you still remember it so clearly." She said to her mother, "No wonder our little girl is so smart in studying. She has a good memory."
Old Mrs. Wei nodded, "This is like me."
“Like me, too.”
The three of them were eating breakfast while Wei Jie, Wei Ming, Wei Yun and Wang went out to work. Wang was very considerate and paid the breakfast money for her elders. Old Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "Let's all go to work." After they left, she praised Wang for her good eyesight.
Wei Jin whispered, "Not only does she have good eyesight, she's like a smart bean, but she's a little ugly." Don't even mention Wang's appearance. Old Mrs. Wei, Wei Jin and Wei Xin are so average that they are considered ugly in the Wei family. Wang's appearance is even worse than average. Her face shape is not good, her eyebrows are not good, and her nose and mouth are all rustic. However, she has good eyesight and speaks well. Wei Jin told the old lady, "She is Ajie's classmate. She is the monitor of the class at school. She is responsible for making trouble and has been chasing our Ajie for four years."
Old Madam Wei said, "I was wondering why you said such an ugly daughter-in-law, it turns out that it was Ajie who pursued her."
Wei Xin said, "Grandma, didn't you hear my aunt say that my sister-in-law used to be the monitor in the class?"
"He's a good candidate for an official position." Old Mrs. Wei nodded.
"She's very smart, unlike Ajie's mother." Wei Xin introduced her niece's wife to her mother. Old Mrs. Wei had a different opinion. "When you are the head of the family, you have to be smart. I always say your sister-in-law is soft."
"Now I'm not soft anymore, Mom. Don't think my sister-in-law doesn't talk much, she's good at doing business. She runs her own shop, and I heard that her business is not worse than that of the old shop run by Ah Shi."
Old Mrs. Wei said happily, "That's good." Then she said to her daughter, "It's different now than before. Women couldn't go out to earn money before, but now it's the same. Men and women are equal, so women have to know how to make money so they can stand up straight." She asked her daughter how the strawberry business was going.
Wei Jin said, "It's not as good as before, but it's still okay."
Old Mrs. Wei said, "When you get out, find another way. I think you can make money."
"That's right!" Wei Jin was also very confident in himself.
While they were having breakfast, Zhao Feng and Zhao Yu came over with their wives. They were also going to work, so they came to visit their grandmother, uncle and aunt before going to work. Zhao Feng also said that he wanted to settle the breakfast bill, but Wang had already paid it. Wei Jin said, "Okay, go and greet your uncle and aunt, and you guys go to work too. Come over for dinner in the evening."
Zhao Feng said, "Mom, my dad said that grandpa has booked a table at Chunhualou tonight and invited my grandmother, my uncle, my second uncle, and my second aunt to have dinner there."
Wei Jin thought about it and knew, "Okay, why do we need to use your grandfather's name? It's just to get money from our family. With so many people, we need at least four tables. Go to our counter and tell your father later, don't order less."
Zhao Feng agreed, said goodbye to his grandmother and little cousin, and went to his uncle's house to discuss dinner in the evening.
Old Mrs. Wei said to her daughter, "Don't always blame the old people in front of the children. The children are all grown up now."
"It's the same even if I'm not a faction." Wei Jin said, "I'll suffocate if I don't talk about it. Mom, you don't know how partial that old woman is. Our Fengge's daughter-in-law and Yuge's daughter-in-law are both granddaughters-in-law of the old Zhao family. Their two children are also college students and work in newspapers. You can tell how respectable they are. As for the second wife Zhuzi, because she married the niece of her mother's family, Fengge's daughter-in-law and Yuge's daughter-in-law were given an old silver hairpin as a gift when they entered the family. I don't care if there is anyone wearing this thing now, anyway, she gave it out of her heart, but in the end, the ones given to my family are silver, and the ones given to Zhuzi's daughter-in-law are gold. It makes me angry."
When Mrs. Wei heard this, she was also angry and couldn't help but mutter, "This damn old woman."
Wei Xin advised them, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I think both sisters-in-law are gentle people. Otherwise, you, the eldest aunt, would marry such a good daughter-in-law. This is a blessing for you, the eldest aunt."
Wei Jin was so happy to coax his niece that she smiled happily. He said to her, "I'm not bragging. Although your sisters-in-law don't have a master's or doctoral degree, they are all pretty good. Even Ming'er's wife, who hasn't married yet, has a diploma from a decent medical school."
Wei thought, "It would be better if I could get a PhD."
"That's true." Wei Jin used to not care about studying, but now his view has really changed a lot. Wei Jin said, "In the past, my old idea was that if the family has a business, we can all work in our own shop in the future, but nowadays, business in a shop is not so good. What's more, do all the children and grandchildren in the family rely on the shop for a living? If they graduate from high school, the jobs will be much different. They are all college graduates, and it is easiest for Ajie and Aming to find jobs. The hospital hired them when they were in school, and the salary is not bad. Although Afeng and Ayu found jobs after graduation, it was not difficult to find them. The jobs they do are all polite, and it is very decent to talk about them. It also saves them from squeezing into the same pot of rice at home. If they can go out, let them get a doctorate first, so that they can always go further. If you want to be a teacher in a university now, it is best to have a background of studying abroad."
Wei Xin was puzzled, "Aunt, do you want Brother Feng and Brother Yu to become university teachers?"
"Silly girl, how can you not think about this? Let me tell you, even though your four brothers' jobs seem respectable to outsiders, none of them plus your four sisters-in-law can earn as much as Sister Yun. Sister Yun teaches foreign languages in a high school and makes 100 yuan a month." Wei Jin was extremely envious of his niece's job. "If we talk about future prospects, Sister Yun is the most promising."
Old Mrs. Wei said, "That's a lot. High school teachers have that many."
"Of course not. An average high school teacher earns 60 or 70 yuan. Sister Yun works at a good school, so teachers get paid well." Wei Jin said, "Mom, you can see how capable our Sister Yun is. If she could teach at a university, those senior professors would earn 200 to 300 yuan a month, which is both respectable and affordable."
The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren chatted and had breakfast, then went home to rest.
Yesterday, when I went home for the first time, I was busy. Today, I had nothing to do at home, so the whole family sorted out the gifts to bring back to Beijing, and everyone got a share. Li said, "How can we buy so many things? How much money does it cost?"
Chen Xuan patted her sister-in-law's hand and said, "Sister-in-law, these are all used at home."
Li was no longer polite.
The women divided the gifts they brought, and the two brothers went to the study to talk. Because the children had been studying in the past few years, a separate study was set up. Wei Nian returned to China this time, in addition to coming back to sweep his father's grave after not returning for many years, he also wanted to discuss something with his eldest brother. He now has a small foundation abroad. After Wei Nian came back, he saw that the children had not wasted their time in these years and all went to college. Wei Nian benefited from reading all his life, so he wanted to ask his eldest brother if he had any intention of letting the children study abroad. Of course, according to Wei Nian's heart, his eldest brother's current career is not a safe thing. He can gain a foothold abroad. If his eldest brother is interested, it would be good for the whole family to go out for a while. On the one hand, the children can continue their studies, and on the other hand, they can return to China when the country is peaceful.
The author has something to say: ps: Happy birthday to Yanan.
Here I want to explain the difference between the family system in the Republic of China and the current family system. In fact, everyone should be able to feel that in recent years, from the late Qing Dynasty to the present, my country's family system has been changing from a large family to a small family. In the Republic of China, there were many ethics that no longer exist. For example, Li's mother died of illness when she was young, and she grew up in her uncle's house. In that era, the uncle's family was a very close relative. The old saying goes that seeing the uncle is like seeing the mother. Similarly, all the behaviors of subsidizing the mother's family, such as the "brother-supporting demon", which are criticized now, also come from women's attachment to their mother's family. Like Wei Jin, she always felt that her mother's family was a backer. Especially in the north, the word "aunt" is specifically used for married daughters, and northerners also pay special attention to married daughters.
Maybe after writing this, everyone will say that Wei Nian is too saintly, you should send your eldest brother and his family abroad. When I write, I will put myself into the text and think about it. I am thinking, if I were Wei Nian, I would have a certain economic foundation, and the country was in such a war-torn era. I would be abroad, watching the country being occupied by the Japanese and the Nanjing Massacre. Fortunately, Beijing did not experience the massacre, but during the Japanese occupation, all Chinese people became second-class citizens. Now that I have this ability, would I want my relatives to go out and hide, and return to China when the world is peaceful.
Good night everyone.