Chen Xuan didn't recover until she returned to Beijing.
She accepted the entrustment of Wang's eldest aunt and fourth aunt with a smile. The granddaughter of the eldest aunt and the granddaughter of the fourth aunt who went to the United States with Chen Xuan and the others this time were both young, only fifteen or sixteen years old, and they had not had time to get married. The older sisters were either engaged or already married. The Wang family valued loyalty and integrity. Although they wanted the girls in the family to go to the United States with Wei's family to broaden their horizons, they could not cancel the marriage just for this. So, they chose from the girls who were not married. Because there were many people in the family, there was naturally more than one child of the right age. Uncle Wang had a good idea. After discussing with his younger brothers, he first chose a girl who was diligent, honest and steady, and then asked a few girls to draw lots. Whoever drew the lot would go, so as to avoid complaints from the families.
This is fair.
In the end, the granddaughters of the eldest and fourth uncles were caught, and the Wang family decided to let the two girls go to work. Anyway, they had the eldest sister as their aunt, and the Wei family was also a kind family, so they had nothing to worry about.
This is how it is for children of this era. Children from ordinary families, like the Wang family, are already a well-off family in the village, but they still have to work hard. For example, when Old Master Wei was a teenager, he would go out to be an apprentice and sign a contract with his employer. From then on, his death, escape, and injury had nothing to do with his family.
In comparison, letting children go to relatives' homes to help with housework is actually much easier than farming at home.
In the past few days, the two children have been repeatedly told by their parents to be obedient, work hard, grow up and have a promising future. Chen Xuan also likes the two children, but she thinks they are too young, just like little girls. Chen Xuan also privately told the old lady to see if there is an older one, even if it is the eldest sister who has some difficulties in marriage. Chen Xuan does not dislike other people's children, but feels that the children are too young and can't bear to let them go.
Old Mrs. Wei didn't have such a "reluctant" thought, and said to Chen Xuan, "Why are you so stupid? My eldest sister didn't have a smooth marriage, so she came to work in our house. Now we are going to the United States, and the in-laws have picked the best in the family. It's easier to take care of the children when they are young. It's okay, I'm here, why worry." Old Mrs. Wei didn't think there was anything wrong with using the children of relatives. Old Mrs. Wei thought it was normal. Of course, relatives should be considered first when there is something good. The Wang family is a very good in-law, and Old Mrs. Wei is willing to take the two Wang children out. It's more reassuring to have her own family use them.
Old Mrs. Wei also said to the eldest and fourth aunts, "The round trip ticket is very expensive. If you go out this time, I'm afraid it will take several years to come back. If there is a child out there who is suitable for the two girls, I will make the decision."
The eldest aunt and the fourth aunt were so happy that they laughed, "The old lady's vision couldn't be wrong. Then we will entrust the children to her." They entrusted the two children to Chen Xuan again. The two aunts admired Chen Xuan's abilities and character.
Chen Xuan has always been honest. She said, "When we get to Beijing, I will ask my eldest sister to teach my nieces some foreign languages. They will learn slowly first because there is still some time before we return to the United States. After arriving in the United States, I will let them adapt to the environment first. As long as the two children are self-reliant and their aunt can take care of themselves, I will not treat them badly."
The two aunts were extremely happy and felt that Chen Xuan was indeed a very reliable person.
The two aunts also repeatedly asked Chen Xuan to strictly discipline the children, and said sincerely, "If they do something wrong, don't tolerate it. It's for their own good to teach them a lesson."
Chen Xuan also nodded in response.
In fact, the Wang family only picked children with steady temperaments. Besides, rural girls these days all do housework since childhood. The two children were named Taohua and Guihua, both of which were named after the Chinese character for flower. They were quiet, steady and perceptive. They helped to load the gifts onto the car, and also brought enough water bottles, fruits and some dry food to eat on the road. It was inevitable that they felt sad when they were separated from their family. Fortunately, their eldest sister Li was their aunt, and the Wei family was also a real relative, so the two said goodbye to their parents and left their hometown with the Wei family.
My eldest sister started teaching her two nieces foreign languages on the way. They started with simple words. They didn't need to learn too many words every day. Just one or two sentences, as long as they remembered them well, they had learned more than ten sentences by the time they arrived in Beijing. It's okay to learn slowly, as little by little it adds up to a lot.
Chen Xuan has been busy since she returned to Beijing. She has been doing postdoctoral research at a top university. In Boston over the years, Chen Xuan has also made many friends. Many of her friends have returned home to teach after obtaining diplomas abroad, or to do research in their respective industries. Now that Chen Xuan is back in Beijing, she naturally wants to contact her friends.
For a while, the Wei family, a family of businessmen, had some ideas of talking and laughing with great scholars and dealing with common people. Not to mention Wei Jie, Wei Ming and Wei Yun of the Wei family, who were originally children of the Wei family, even the two young couples Zhao Feng and Zhao Yu would come here often, after all, there were some leading figures in the academic world that they could not see often. Now, such people have become equals with Chen Xuan, and they talked about the current science, not involving economics or politics, but the charm of science alone was enough to make the younger generations admire them.
The most interesting person is Wei Jie's wife, Wang. Wang is a very clever child. She often goes to her grandmother, Old Lady Wei, to show her respect. Because she has good taste and a good mouth, she flatters Old Lady Wei so much that she is dizzy and gives her many good things in private. Wang is very proud of this. As a result, Wang finds that her taste is still poor. She thought her grandmother was already amazing, but now it seems that she is just rich, while this second aunt has "power".
So, in addition to being filial to her great-grandmother as always, Wang also used all kinds of clever tricks to flatter Chen Xuan and was very considerate and caring about her.
Chen Xuan often saw Wang talking to her, so she thought Wang was having problems. When Chen Xuan told An Nian about this, she said, "I wanted to ask her if she had problems, but I was afraid that she would be embarrassed because she was young and shy."
Aniange's answer was concise and to the point, "She just wants to flatter you, nothing else."
"What's the point of this? We're all family, why do you have to curry favor with someone else?"
Wei Nian thought of his niece-in-law and found it funny. He said, "Let her be a smooth person. Ah Jie is a bit honest. It's good to have such a wife. The couple complement each other."
Since everything was fine, Chen Xuan didn't worry about Wang anymore. Professor Chu sent a message to invite the couple to attend. When Wei Yin heard that it was Professor Chu's message, he had to go together.
Since Mr. Wen left Beijing, the salon of Professor Chu has become the most popular salon in Beijing's cultural circles. Wei Xin also wants to go with him because she has heard her mother and aunt talk about this elegant university professor.
Chen Xuan was also willing to take her daughter to participate, thinking that children can broaden their horizons by participating in such cultural salons. She originally wanted to take Wei Yu and Wei Hong with her, but Wei Yu and Wei Hong had other things to do and were not very interested in the salon. Chen Xuan did not force her, and said to Wei Xin, "I often took you there when you were a child, and there was also Mr. Wen's salon, which was also very famous in Beijing back then. Maybe you don't remember it very well."
Wei Xin's most vivid memories are of her childhood when she and her aunt tended the strawberry garden, while her aunt tended the garden and she picked small strawberries to eat. She also remembers eating wontons with her aunt, and her impression of salons is very shallow. However, there are also various gatherings in Boston, and Wei Xin is not unfamiliar with them. Wei Xin said, "Maybe I'll remember it once we meet."
*********
Chen Xuan usually wears suit pants and a blouse, but because it was Mr. Chu's salon, she changed into a water blue cheongsam with dark patterns, and her jewelry was still a set of pearls. Chen Xuan always believed that nothing could be more suitable for the temperament of cheongsam than pearls.
Wei Yin was dressed in a Western-style long skirt, and Alice Wei always wore a Chinese-style long-sleeved silk jacket with a long skirt. This child especially liked bright red, green, yellow, and blue since she was young, and this aesthetic taste is probably hard to change in a lifetime. Chen Xuan sometimes went out with Alice Wei, and people would mistake Wei Xin for a movie star. It wasn't that Alice Wei was so beautiful, but that people who wore such exaggerated clothes were usually in the entertainment industry.
Alice Wei, however, has never been afraid of being watched. With her personality, she wishes more people would pay attention to her.
Professor Chu is a man of letters, so naturally, his salon is mostly populated by writers. As soon as Alice Wei arrived, she immediately became the focus. Professor Chu looked at her a few more times because of her exaggerated dress. Chen Xuan and others greeted Professor Chu and introduced Alice Wei to him. This girl held Professor Chu's hand and praised him for more than five minutes, and said very seriously, "I used to hear my parents and my aunt talk about you, Uncle Chu. My parents often told me that your graceful demeanor is unmatched. It was only when I met you that I understood the meaning of this sentence. Uncle Chu, do you have any secrets or tricks to your good temperament?"
Professor Chu laughed out loud because of her teasing. Professor Chu was about forty years old and was very pleased to be complimented and admired by the little girl. He said to Alice Wei, "The secret of the trick can't be passed on lightly." He even teased the little girl.
Alice Wei and Professor Chu were just like old friends who had not seen each other for many years. They chatted for about five minutes before Alice Wei went to chat with Mrs. Chu.
Professor Chu smiled, "I remember the last time I saw this child she was still a little girl, and in the blink of an eye she has grown into a big girl."
Wei Nian said modestly, "Very noisy, chattering all day long."
"Children are cute only when they are lively." Professor Chu really enjoys the little girl's admiration.
Chen Xuan and Wei Yin both sat down to talk with Professor Chu. Wei Yin also said, "You are so unkind. You only sent invitations to my second brother and his wife, but not to me."
Professor Chu smiled and said, "This is my fault for not being well-informed. I only heard that Mr. Wei and Mrs. Wei had returned to China. If I had known that Miss Wei was also returning, I should have gone to visit her in person."
When Professor Chu spoke, he would always give women enough face. Wei Yin was in a very good mood to see Professor Chu again, with a smile on his face, "Even if you didn't invite me, I would still come. But I'm not here to see you, I'm here to see Sister-in-law Chu."
After not seeing each other for many years, many old faces in Professor Chu's salon were gone, replaced by some new faces. Professor Chu introduced many friends to the three members of the Wei family, some of whom were actually their mutual friends. Because Professor Chu himself was a famous person who had studied abroad, most of the people gathered in his salon were scholars who had studied abroad.
The three members of the Wei family have not given up their studies over the years, especially Chen Xuan who is still doing research at the university. However, apart from Alice Wei who has the lowest academic qualifications, the most popular one is Wei Yin who studies art. People always judge people by appearance. Although Chen Xuan has good looks and temperament, she is still slightly inferior to Wei Yin's dazzling beauty. A beautiful woman like Wei Yin is rare, not to mention that Wei Yin is not only beautiful, but also knowledgeable, which is even rarer.
Of course, the Wei family members are all superior in appearance and temperament.
Mrs. Chu was also very happy to see the Wei family. Whether they talked about the old days or the changes over the years, they were very interesting. They had lunch at Professor Chu's place until the evening, when the Wei family said goodbye and left.
Professor Chu also arranged a speech with Chen Xuan at Peking University. Chen Xuan was a little surprised. It was not because of the speech. Chen Xuan had already given two classes to students at the College of Agriculture of Peking University. However, Chen Xuan's major was agronomy, and Professor Chu was the dean of the College of Arts. In Chen Xuan's opinion, these were two completely different majors. She had no idea what to say when she was asked to give a speech to the students of the College of Arts.
Professor Chu said sincerely, "Mrs. Wei's learning experience is worth learning for all those who want to learn."
Chen Xuan worked as an assistant professor when she was studying for her doctorate, so she was not worried about teaching or giving speeches. Chen Xuan needed a few days to prepare, and Professor Chu readily agreed. Chen Xuan was the kind of person who was very serious about everything she did. That night, after the children went to bed, she wrote the speech manuscript on the small kang table, revising it for half the night.
After Chen Xuan turned off the lights and lay down to sleep, Wei Nian asked her, "Have you finished writing?"
Chen Xuan was startled, "Brother Anian, you haven't slept yet." She thought Brother Anian was already asleep.
"No." Wei Nian was very happy. During the days when he returned home, his wife's mood had not been very good. Wei Nian still liked to see her busy and energetic. Wei Nian put a thin blanket on her and said, "Let me know when the date is set."
"Brother Anian, you have to go too."
"Of course it was, such a glorious moment."
Chen Xuan was always a bit shy, so she said awkwardly, "Then I'll tell you, Brother Anian, after I've confirmed it with Professor Chu."
The night was beautiful. It was the 15th night of the lunar calendar. Moonlight shone through the curtains. Chen Xuan looked at him with sparkling eyes. Wei Nian curled his lips and leaned over to kiss Chen Xuan lightly on the lips. Chen Xuan was about to say something when Sibao, whose head was nearly crushed by his parents, woke up with a hum. He stood up dazedly and said softly, "Daddy, pee."
Wei Nian sighed, "Children are just light bulbs." He was just about to be romantic with his wife.
Chen Xuan chuckled, stood up and turned on the light. Sibaoer stood on the kang with his eyes closed. Wei Nian went down to get the urinal, then held the urinal in one hand and pointed it at his son with the other hand to prevent him from peeing outside. After Sibaoer finished peeing, he fell asleep with his eyes closed, not even noticing that his father had moved him to his second sister Wei Hong's side.
In the small courtyard, there was a full moon hanging high in the sky and summer insects chirping. The couple said nothing else and fell asleep comfortably on the kang at home.
The author has something to say: ps: I finished writing too late yesterday, so I'd better update in the morning~~~~Good morning everyone, two updates today~~~~Calling for Mid-Autumn Festival poems during the holiday~~Mid-Autumn Festival Poetry Contest
Event time: September 20th - October 20th
How to participate: When you leave a comment, write "Mid-Autumn Poetry Contest" in the first line, and then write your poem. Poems and lyrics are fine, and they must be relevant to "The First Wife".
Selection method: The author will select his own work and win the first, second and third prizes, a total of six people. The website will select all the works and win the first, second and third prizes, a total of nine people.
Prizes and Awards:
First Prize (1 person) Prize: 5,000 Jinjiang Coins
Second Prize (2 winners) Prize: 3,000 Jinjiang Coins
Third Prize (3 winners) Prize: 1,000 Jinjiang Coins
Website Awards:
First Prize (1 person) Prize: 10,000 Jinjiang Coins
Second Prize (3 winners) Prize: 5,000 Jinjiang Coins
Third Prize (5 winners) Prize: 2,000 Jinjiang Coins
Event address details: https://wap./wapactivities/index
Everyone, please participate actively. Those of you who have the talent to write poetry, please don't be modest~~