Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 1008 Family Banquet
After arriving in Kunming, Bian Lang and Guo Sichu did not rush to record songs, but instead took Guo Sichu home for dinner.

Although Bian Lang's whole family already knew about this, Bian Lang hadn't officially brought Guo Sichu home for dinner yet. Naturally, Bian Lang's mother, Luo Suping, wouldn't pressure him. While she felt Guo Sichu was far better than Dong Youbian, she was still in the entertainment industry, and she was afraid Bian Lang would get hurt again and completely lose interest in relationships.

So she felt it wasn't too late to see how things went before pressuring for marriage and children. According to her logic, if Guo Sichu really wanted to get married and have children, she would be more anxious than Bian Lang. If she didn't want to, rushing things wouldn't help; she could only rely on Bian Lang's patient and persistent approach.

But Bian Lan, as the older sister, was different. She and Guo Sichu had a personal relationship, and she knew that meeting the parents wasn't just a test for the woman, but also a reflection of how much the man valued her. Moreover, she knew about Dong Youbian's pregnancy; she was 100% certain that neither Bian Lang nor Luo Suping would give up on the child. What Guo Sichu would choose and do then was a question she dared not even think about.

Of course, she hoped that her younger brother could end up with someone like Guo Sichu, who was more mature and could help Bian Lang in his career. So she hoped that the two of them could have more bonds, so that when they faced the child and Dong Youbian in the future, they wouldn't end up with the result she least wanted to see.

So it was she, as the older sister, who kept urging Bian Lang to do this...

Bian Lang readily agreed, and considering the upcoming tour and other matters, he set the date for today. Although it was just after the National Day holiday, it was perfectly normal for it to be postponed until next year. Since he wasn't just looking for a casual relationship, and it couldn't possibly be just for fun, it was naturally better to take her back to meet his family as soon as possible.

So, both Guo Sichu and the Bian family started preparing once the date was set. Guo Sichu's situation was simpler; after asking the family about their preferences, she just bought what was most suitable.

But the Bian family was in a dilemma: "Old Hai, according to custom, a young lady should be given three pieces of jewelry on her first visit, but what would be appropriate for Guo Sichu's status?" Luo Suping wasn't worried that the two wouldn't end up together, and that she would feel bad about giving the gifts. She was just afraid that if the gifts weren't chosen well, it would embarrass Bian Lang and her own family.

"I think a normal gift is fine; it's just a token of your appreciation. She's a pop diva; she has all sorts of nice things. Your friends suggesting luxury gifts is just a joke!"

"Then let's find a set from the pile of old things that Bian Lang's grandma gave me, since they'll all end up being left to Bian Lang anyway..."

"Alright! You're the head of the family, so you handle it!" Bian Hai naturally had his own thoughts. Of course, he wouldn't give Guo Sichu another copy in front of her, but he would definitely give it to Bian Lang to pass on.

As for Bian Lan, the older sister, sending a small gift to express her feelings is enough. She'll show her true sincerity later when the two get married and engaged. For now, the matriarch of the family can handle things. But dressing up carefully is a must, and not only for herself, but also for her daughter Zhang Qin and husband Zhang Fan.

The appointment was for dinner, but Bian Lan's family came to help after lunch.

Zhang Fan couldn't help much in the kitchen, so she took her daughter to the pond in the community to catch fish and shrimp. They played until about 4:30 in the afternoon when Bian Lang finally appeared, carrying large bags and small packages with Guo Sichu.

Upon spotting her uncle whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Zhang Qin immediately lost interest in the net she had been fighting with her friends over. She threw it to the ground and pounced on Bian Langfei, shouting, "Uncle!"

When Bian Lang saw the little girl who had grown taller, he quickly put down what he was holding, half-squatted down, opened his arms, and picked her up in one scoop: "Qinqin, did you miss your uncle?"

"I've thought about it! But Mom said Uncle is very busy right now... This older sister is so pretty, she is..." Zhang Qin's acting was absolutely top-notch, making Guo Sichu extremely happy.

"Oh my, Qinqin, you have such a sweet tongue. Look what gift your older sister brought you." As she spoke, Guo Sichu took out a co-branded doll from a well-known international brand from her bag and handed it to Zhang Qin.

The little girl only knew it was a doll of her favorite cartoon character, so she happily caught it, saying, "Thank you, big sister!"

"You're welcome! Right, Uncle?" The second half of the sentence was obviously directed at Bian Lang, leaving Bian Lang speechless.

"Trying to look young, huh? Then your uncle will pamper you tonight!" With the child around, Bian Lang could only mutter a few words to himself, but of course, he wouldn't neglect his actions.

Zhang Qin is too young to know, but Zhang Fan, who can now be considered an "entertainment law expert," probably doesn't know anything about these trendy toys. The doll Zhang Qin has is worth at least five figures. This made him click his tongue inwardly: "There's really no comparison!"

He certainly wouldn't say something like it was too valuable and make his daughter return it, which would be a disappointment. After all, it was a gift from his future aunt, Guo Sichu. It wouldn't be appropriate to refuse, but he would definitely find a way to explain the difference between trendy toys and ordinary plush toys to his daughter when they got home!

"Qinqin, remember to keep it safe, your aunt will check it every time she comes to the house!" Zhang Fan and Guo Sichu had a lot of contact at work, so their conversation was naturally informal and polite.

"Ugh, Dad, aren't you annoying? It's my sister!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Sichu wished she could take the little girl from Bian Lang's arms and hold her in her arms. However, she had no experience with this, so she could only have Bian Lang put Zhang Qin down and walk while she held her hand. Then Zhang Qin pulled Guo Sichu like lightning and rushed towards her grandmother's house.

Bian Lang looked at Zhang Fan in disbelief: "Brother-in-law, my sister taught you that?"

"I don't know about that. I'm so busy with your company's affairs that I don't have time to go home all day. My dad and your dad take turns looking after Zhang Qin. Your sister only came back from Shanghai last night..." Seeing the two of them go upstairs, Zhang Fan took out a cigarette and offered one to Bian Lang.

"I'm afraid I should follow her; it's Chuchu's first time visiting our home..."

“Your sister is upstairs, it’s not like we don’t know each other…” After saying that, Zhang Fan handed Bian Lang a torch and lit his cigarette.

“These things have really been tough on you lately. I heard yesterday that you still risked going on stage, and your sister and I were really worried for you. But I’ve been keeping an eye on things all day, and we haven’t seen anything unusual happening up there…”

Although Bian Lang didn't know why, he felt that someone must have been handling things behind the scenes for him and Rolling Stones. Anyway, someone was in charge of these matters now, so he would stay out of it if he could.

"I had no choice, I couldn't resist! So many fans traveled from afar to come, what would you do if you were in their shoes? It's impossible not to go to the show, that would disappoint the fans even more... I feel sorry for you guys!"

Zhang Fan exhaled a smoke ring and joked irritably, "If it weren't for the fact that we're family, I really wouldn't want to earn this money. With this kind of workload, even the young people Lao Zhuang brought are complaining that they can't handle it!"

Bian Lang knew it was a joke, so he changed the subject and asked, "How is Qinqin's grandma doing lately?" "She's becoming more and more confused. Sometimes she acts like a child and even tries to compete with Qinqin for attention. She's completely dependent on someone. We've had to hire a live-in caregiver to help look after her. Her grandpa also has to take care of Qinqin, so there are bound to be times when he can't keep an eye on her..."

Bian Lang could only offer a few words of comfort and couldn't really help much. In his two lifetimes, the only person he had really met with who had Alzheimer's disease was Zhang Fan's mother: "When I come back from my tour, Qinqin can come with me during the winter vacation. Anyway, I can't go on stage now, so I have time to take her with me."

"Take him away, take him away!" Zhang Fan said casually, and seemed eager to send him away as soon as possible. But if Bian Lang really took him away for a few days, he would probably be unable to sleep thinking about it.

After finishing their cigarettes, the two quickly carried their things upstairs. Upon entering, they saw four women, from the oldest to the youngest, chatting in the living room. Only after the two men came up did Mother Bian speak up, saying, "Second son, you really have some skills. It's Chu Chu's first time visiting, and you had Qin Qin bring her up?"

Bian Lang mentally berated his brother-in-law Zhang Fan, then made up an excuse: "How could my brother-in-law and I possibly keep up with Qinqin's speed, carrying so many things? Come on, Mom, these are things Chuchu bought for you..."

Having said that, Bian's mother naturally couldn't hold onto the matter any longer. Guo Sichu, however, felt even more favorably disposed towards this woman who might become her future mother-in-law after hearing their conversation. If Bian's mother only knew how to protect her son and wouldn't tolerate a single criticism, then she would definitely have to carefully consider the future of both her extended family and her own.

However, if Bian's mother's behavior of not siding with her son is not a deliberate act, then if they really get married in the future, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will likely be bad.

"Auntie, this is a set of skincare products I've chosen for you. It's the brand I endorse. This set isn't available in China yet..." Guo Sichu quickly got up and started chatting with Bian's mother.

Seeing his mother immediately put on a smiling face and start discussing with Guo Sichu, Bian Lang felt that his future status in this family would probably only be slightly higher than his father, Bian Hai!

Since it's skincare products, Bian Lan's share is naturally included, just in a different set. Bian Lang didn't understand, but judging from his sister's genuinely delighted expression, he knew Guo Sichu's gift-giving skills were top-notch.

Seeing that there was nothing for him to do here, he went to the kitchen to help Bian Hai.

Upon entering and seeing the variety and quantity of ingredients, Bian Lang scratched his head: "Dad, I don't usually get this kind of treatment when I eat at home. I haven't even had a few bites of this dried mushroom this year!"

"If you really marry this woman, then you two can come home and eat here every day, and I'll cook for you every day!"

Bian Lang, holding a small winnowing basket, rubbed the dried mushrooms with rice water and said irritably, "You really know how to behave. Even if we were married, with this kind of work intensity, how many times a year could we even come home?"

"That's settled then, hurry up and get on with it, stop talking nonsense! By the way, did Guo Sichu tell you to meet her parents?"

That's true: "Her parents live in Beijing. They're transiting through Beijing on this tour, so if we arrive a couple of days early, we'll definitely go visit them..."

"Yes, yes, yes, let's find out the two elders' preferences beforehand so we can prepare things for you. Families like theirs certainly don't lack good things, so we'll prepare some local specialties that are hard to find around here... His parents should be retired, right? What did they do for a living before?"

"Her mother is a retired engineer, specializing in railway design. Her father is a professor in the Chinese Literature Department at Peking University..."

Upon hearing this, Bian Hai felt a little uneasy. Po Yu's hands trembled involuntarily, and he almost hurt himself.

Neither of them had a high level of education, but in his understanding, Guo Sichu's parents were undoubtedly from a highly educated family. Neither of the two children was particularly outstanding, but he was worried that Guo's parents would look down on their family for being in business. The rumors about older Beijing residents looking down on outsiders weren't entirely unfounded, so…

Seeing that Bian Hai remained silent, Bian Lang guessed what was going on and comforted him, "Dad, this matter is only half-finished. Don't keep thinking about these things and make yourself upset."

“Hey! Before, we worried that you'd just drift along like that, and how you'd build a family and make a living in the future. We always thought about saving up for you, thinking that being a leisurely person wasn't so bad. But now that you've become successful, your mother and I feel like no matter how hard we try, we can't help you, and we just feel…”

Bian Lang couldn't stand this kind of talk, so he quickly interrupted his father, saying, "You gave me life and raised me, that's the most precious thing you've ever given me, don't say things like that..."

"Okay, okay, you're getting annoyed if I keep talking..."

Bian Lang himself wasn't a skilled cook, but he had helped Luo Suping run the restaurant since he was a child, so his skills as an assistant were quite good. The father and son worked for almost two hours, and the Yunnan family feast with seven dishes and a soup was served.

There were three kinds of mushrooms: stir-fried dried mushrooms, Boletus edulis, and braised pork with green-headed mushrooms. Guo Sichu had eaten the first two at Nanfeiyan's small restaurant, but she had only heard Bian Lang talk about the last one and had never been able to taste it herself.

The entire family of seven, young and old, ate and drank to their hearts' content. Guo Sichu flattered Bian Hai without any reservations, saying, "Uncle Bian, after eating this meal of yours, I feel like I'll be worrying about what to eat every day for the foreseeable future!"

Bian Hai couldn't stop smiling after hearing this: "Then come often when you have time. Just give your family a call in advance, and I'll cook whatever you like for you!"

Luo Suping chimed in, "Your uncle's skills are better than mine in the catering business. Before we opened the brewery, all the hats in our shop were made by your uncle... Back then, Bian Lang was such a small guy, always running around and never home. Sometimes when your uncle and I were busy, we were afraid he'd run away, so we'd even chain him to the shop with a dog leash..."

If this photo of Bian Lang were posted online now, his parents would probably be condemned by the entire internet! But how could outsiders know how much heartache his parents endured behind this?

"The old tree in front of the door sprouts new buds, the withered tree in the yard blooms again, half a lifetime has passed and so many words are hidden in my full head of white hair..."

The little feet in my memory, the chubby little mouth, I gave him all my love in my life, just for that one word, "Mom and Dad..."

Bian Lang got up to get his instrument, eager to sing the song immediately, not wanting to wait even a minute longer!
(End of this chapter)