1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 190: Apprenticeship Banquet and Name
After getting off work this afternoon, Xu Yuxiu returned home early to prepare dinner.

She had just returned home, changed her clothes and was about to start cooking when two people came outside, a woman older than her and an old man with a white beard.

He looks unfamiliar, but has an extraordinary temperament.

It was easy for Xu Yuxiu to guess that these two people might be related to her son, after all, he had many friends outside.

Just like the editor-in-chief and editor of "People's Literature" came to Cheng Kaiyan before, these two were no exception.

However, Xu Yuxiu's idea was soon overturned as the two introduced themselves. These two people were not editors of any magazine, nor were they friends.

"You are Cheng Kaiyan's mother, right? I am Ye Shengtao."

Hearing the old man's name, Xu Yuxiu was stunned for a moment, and soon felt surprised.

Ye Shengtao? Could it be that literary master?
Xu Yuxiu was quite familiar with this name, as it often appeared in her Chinese textbooks in elementary school.

In addition, the two words "yuwen" (Chinese language) in the Chinese textbook were coined by this old man and named by him.

But why did this old man come to see our Kaiyan? It must be something important.

Xu Yuxiu did not delay and quickly invited the two of them into the main room, then hurried to boil water to make tea.

"Please come in quickly. I'm Kaiyan's mother. Come in and sit down. I'll go pour tea for you two."

After a while, the three of them sat on the stools and started talking.

After the explanation by Mr. Ye Shengtao, and the experience of how Cheng Kaiyan and he got to know each other and become familiar with each other.

Xu Yuxiu finally understood that this literary master came here to congratulate her son on the paper. "I see. But you don't have to come all the way here. You can just let Kaiyan go."

"It's not far. Xiao Xu, you have raised an excellent son."

Ye Shengtao shook his head and praised with a smile.

"Sister Yuxiu doesn't look like she comes from an ordinary family. Her appearance and temperament are even more noble than those noble ladies."

Yao Cheng sat next to Xu Yuxiu, put his hand on Xu Yuxiu's shoulder, and sighed.

After seeing Xu Yuxiu's appearance just now, Yao Cheng almost subconsciously compared her with Cheng Kaiyan in his mind.

The mother and son look at least 50% similar, especially their eyes and noses, which look like they were carved from the same mold.

It's easy to see the relationship between these two people.

"Sister Yao, you're joking. How can we compare to those noble ladies? They have never touched women..."

Xu Yuxiu chuckled and shook her head.

"Isn't that modest..."

Yao Cheng smiled, then got to the point, "Since our old man met Kaiyan at the beginning of the year, he has helped him a lot, and the two of them get along very well.

The "Submarine at Night" he wrote was also the first review that the old man wrote specifically for him, and the "Fragrant Grass" was also annotated by the old man for him page by page...

After a few interactions, the two have known each other for more than half a year.

He did a good job in terms of character, knowledge, and interpersonal skills. The old man admired him very much, especially his talent and deep understanding of children's literature.

The paper he wrote this time was even more amazing.

The two of us came here to fulfill an agreement between Kaiyan and the old man."

"Agreement? What agreement?"

Xu Yuxiu's curious eyes swept over Yao Cheng and Ye Shengtao.

After Yao Cheng's introduction, she already knew that her son and Mr. Ye had a good relationship, and this agreement was definitely not a bad thing.

"Well... I'll have to wait for Kaiyan from your family to come back and tell you."

Yao Cheng smiled mysteriously and didn't say much.

Ye Shengtao, who was standing aside, was also drinking tea by himself.

In fact, given his status and position, coming in person to invite us this time is already a great initiative and honor.

It would be so embarrassing for him to take the initiative to mention accepting students.

Therefore, this matter had to be brought up by Cheng Kaiyan herself.

Although Xu Yuxiu didn't know the twists and turns, she didn't think much about it when she saw the two of them were so mysterious. She asked enthusiastically, "Then you two should wait for him to come back. Let's have dinner here tonight. I'll go cook."

Yao Cheng looked at Ye Shengtao, who nodded in agreement. She then responded, "Thank you very much."

……

Half an hour later, Xu Yuxiu had finished steaming the rice and the dishes were almost ready.

Just after sitting in the main room for a while, a bell rang in the yard. Cheng Kaiyan had returned.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw three people in the room: "Why are you here, old man?"

"I came specially to congratulate you. The paper you wrote this time is very good. Chen Bochui, Ms. Xie and other people in the children's literature circle highly praised this paper."

Ye Shengtao pushed his glasses and spoke in a serious tone.

"Thank you for coming all the way here. I was planning to visit you in a couple of days."

Cheng Kaiyan was never humble, but nodded in agreement. He spent a lot of effort on this paper and he deserved this honor.

"Uh-huh……"

Ye Shengtao nodded and looked at him meaningfully, as if waiting for him to take the initiative to do something.

But Cheng Kaiyan picked up the water bottle and poured a glass of boiled water, gulped it down, then wiped her mouth and said with a smile, "You watch TV for a while, I'll go help my mother cook, and we'll eat here later."

"Hey!"

Ye Shengtao was stunned for a moment and quickly waved his hand to call him, but Cheng Kaiyan turned and left the main room, angrily saying: "This kid did it on purpose, which family would not accompany guests when they have guests?"

"I think Kaiyan doesn't treat you as a guest. He is just more casual. Dad, you have known this for a long time."

Aunt Yao Cheng smiled and didn't take it seriously at all.

"That's not what I meant. I meant the agreement."

Ye Shengtao shook his head. Although it was understandable for Cheng Kaiyan to help with cooking, he felt that Cheng Kaiyan deliberately did not mention the agreement.

It would be too shameful for him to ask on his own initiative. After all, he is over 80 years old and a renowned literary figure. How could he take the initiative, or even beg to accept a student?

He was not bragging. If the news of Ye Shengtao's plan to recruit students spread out, within a day or a few hours, all the big and small families in the capital would hear of it and take action.

This is the background of contemporary literary masters and those with long experience in officialdom.

"Ha ha……"

Aunt Yao Cheng couldn't help laughing out loud. The old man was really being controlled by Kaiyan.

Don't know what the reason is.

Maybe it has something to do with the eldest grandson Yonghe who died young?

Calculating the time, the ages of these two people are indeed not much different.

Thinking of this, Yao Cheng pursed his lips, "No wonder."

Cheng Kaiyan was helping in the kitchen, so she had no idea that she was being "looked at like you", but she wouldn't care even if she knew.

There were guests today, so Xu Yuxiu took out all the dishes from home.

After a while, Aunt Yao Cheng also came in to help. With the cooperation of the three of them, four dishes and a soup were soon ready and served on the table.

Everyone sat down in the main room to eat, and the TV opposite was on.

Every time Ye Shengtao picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, he would glance at Cheng Kaiyan. However, Cheng Kaiyan was eating so happily that his "seductive eyes" were like playing the lute to a deaf ear.

"Cough cough."

"what happened?"

Cheng Kaiyan asked casually.

"This dish is good. It reminds me of the dish your little lover made that day."

Ye Shengtao sighed calmly.

"If it's delicious, you can eat more. But that day... Sister Xiaoli seemed to have only helped a little. She didn't cook."

Cheng Kaiyan touched his chin and recalled.

"..."

Ye Shengtao's tone paused, and he was speechless.

I thought, am I asking you to recall this?
I want you to remember the promise!

Promise! Do you understand?
“I really didn’t cook.”

Aunt Yao Cheng nodded.

On the other side, Xu Yuxiu also looked at her son in surprise, "I didn't expect Kaiyan that you took Xiaoli to Mr. Ye's house? And had dinner with him?"

"Yes, sister Yuxiu, the house was bustling the whole afternoon that day, and the old man was very happy. He saw the two of them being so affectionate, just like he was watching his grandson and his granddaughter-in-law."

Yao Cheng probably couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he said something meaningful.

One is too concerned about his reputation, and the other is usually smart, but now he is stupid and dazed.

Without Yao Cheng, this family would really fall apart.

"That's it."

Xu Yuxiu blinked her beautiful eyes, and suddenly an idea popped up in her mind. She raised the cup and said with a smile: "Thanks to Mr. Ye's support, our Kaiyan is now what he is today. I will offer you a glass of tea instead of wine." "Okay, okay, it's all his own fault."

Ye Shengtao stroked his beard.

"I have an unwelcome request, I wonder if you can agree to it?"

Xu Yuxiu asked tentatively.

"Tell me! I will definitely try my best to satisfy you."

When Ye Shengtao heard this, his voice suddenly became a little louder.

Good, good, there is a smart person in this family.

But next second.

"If not, let Kaiyan recognize you as his godfather?"

When Xu Yuxiu said this, Ye Shengtao was stunned.

You said you were going to be a student, how come you became a grandfather?
“Pfft…hahahaha.”

Yao Cheng burst out laughing, and everyone looked at her at once, before she quickly covered her mouth.

Cheng Kaiyan, who was sitting opposite, was confused and said hurriedly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:
"Mom, what are you talking about? What grandfather? They should be teacher and student.

In fact, we had made a verbal agreement some time ago that if my paper was published, the old man would accept me as his student. "

"So that's it."

After listening to her son's explanation, Xu Yuxiu finally understood and smiled awkwardly for a moment.

"Ahem... So are you ready?"

Ye Shengtao coughed lightly and said seriously.

"Ah."

"That's good. You and your son will come to my house in two days. I will set up a banquet to welcome you as my teacher and invite all relatives and friends to witness the relationship between you and me as teacher and student."

Ye Shengtao looked at the young man who was listening attentively not far away with gentle eyes. The figure of Cheng Kaiyan in his sight gradually overlapped with the one in his memory.

"I understand, teacher."

"it is good!"

When Ye Shengtao heard this name, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.

I didn’t expect that I would have my first formal student in my life when I was eighty years old.

Eighty years old.
-
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already July 12th.

Early in the morning of that day, Cheng Kaiyan got up early, changed into clean clothes, a clean and tidy shirt, trousers, and leather shoes, looking very formal and handsome.

After getting up and going to her mother's room, Xu Yuxiu was sitting in front of the dressing table, fixing her appearance.

Today is the day that Cheng Kaiyan becomes an apprentice. She usually wears no makeup, but today she puts on light makeup, which is rare. Her look is fresh and elegant.

She changed into a chiffon skirt, looking elegant and intellectual.

"Kaiyan, help mom put on this necklace."

Hearing the noise behind her, Xu Yuxiu took out a pearl necklace from her jewelry box. Each pearl was full and sparkled brightly in the sunlight.

"We still have this at home?"

Cheng Kaiyan took it, looked at it, and asked curiously.

"It's a long time ago. It was left by your grandma."

After putting the necklace on their mother, the two of them tidied themselves up and finally went out.

More than ten minutes later, the two finally arrived at Mr. Ye's house.

Today, big red lanterns were hung outside the courtyard, and two firecrackers were thrown at the door but have not been set off yet.

The courtyard, which was not small to begin with, was now packed with people.

Mr. Ye has been in Beijing for decades and is highly respected both in the literary and political circles.

But this time, he did not make a big fuss about the apprenticeship banquet, and only invited a few guests, only about ten or twenty people.

They were mainly long-time friends, such as Ms. Xie, Chen Bochui, Mr. Mao Dun, and even Mr. Ba Jin who was attending a meeting in Beijing. There were also younger people such as Zhang Guangnian and Wang Meng.

Cheng Kaiyan and her son came hand in hand, and they were considered the protagonists.

Everyone in the group looked up.

Wang Meng, who was familiar with her, immediately smiled and waved his hand, "The protagonist is here, Kaiyan, come quickly."

"coming."

Cheng Kaiyan responded and walked in front of the crowd with her mother.

"What a handsome man! Old Ye really found such an outstanding student."

Chen Bochui looked him up and down and sighed.

There was a hint of sourness in his tone, considering that he had been planning to intercept.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Chen."

The group started chatting. Cheng Kaiyan was worried that his mother would not be able to adapt, but it was obvious that he was overthinking it.

After all, Xu Yuxiu was born into a wealthy family and had a high level of education. She handled such a situation with ease and did everything flawlessly. Her every word and action revealed her extraordinary qualities.

Ms. Xie looked at her with particular admiration, and the two of them looked like close friends regardless of age.

When talking about Cheng Kaiyan's childhood education, Xu Yuxiu's eloquent talk touched Ms. Xie, who said frankly: "No wonder Cheng Kaiyan is not only talented in writing, but also has an outstanding temperament. It's because of Xiao Xu's good training and parenting. I'm not as good as you."

Ms. Xie also has several children, but she is so busy with work that her children are not well taken care of.

Cheng Kaiyan was listening at the side, thinking that this might be the cycle of cause and effect. Your son Wu Ping had committed a sin long ago, and your grandson Wu Shan had to pay for it.

These great men in the literary world, who could cause a stir just by stomping their feet, sat in this small courtyard, some drinking tea, some chatting, some playing chess, all looking very happy.

In their words, attending the banquet today is much better than working, and it is a rare opportunity to relax.

Cheng Kaiyan was moving back and forth among the crowd, serving tea and water. Although he looked like a servant, he was actually half the master of the house.

The lunch was not prepared at home, but ordered by Aunt Yao Cheng from the restaurant. After all, she was too busy to handle it alone.

Old Master Ye was not in the yard. Cheng Kaiyan went to take a look and saw the old man was looking through a dictionary.

"What are you doing?"

"Give you a name, which of these do you think is good?"

Ye Shengtao stood in front of the desk holding a brush and asked,

There were several names written on the red paper.

Cheng Kaiyan looked down and saw a large red paper used for writing couplets on the table with a few words written on it.

"Le Guang?"

"Well, it echoes your name. The so-called 'enjoying the beautiful scenery and dreaming in the morning' is a yearning and praise for a better life."

"Let me see the next one... Le Shu? Why do they all start with Le?"

"Who told you to be named Kaiyan? It means to smile. You can just use a name that is close to the meaning. Look at Tang Yin, whose name is Bohu..."

"Also, Le Tong Le. I know you are knowledgeable about music, so this name is the most appropriate."

Ye Shengtao explained with a smile.

"It depends on your mood, then Le Guang?"

Cheng Kaiyan waved his hand. Who still uses courtesy names these days? He didn’t care anyway.

"Cheng Leguang..."

Ye Shengtao pondered for a moment, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

As a human being, it’s enough to live happily.

They started drinking and eating at noon. Cheng Kaiyan was toasted by everyone. Although she was drunk, she received many gifts.

Some are brushes, some are inkstones and the like. They all look extremely exquisite and are very valuable.

It was not until the afternoon that the apprenticeship banquet finally ended.

The streets of Beijing were sprinkled with water and the heat was rising.

The sky was filled with layers of fiery clouds that were exceptionally gorgeous, and a breeze blew across the streets from time to time.

The mother and son were walking on the way home, chatting calmly and warmly.

"What name did the old gentleman give you?"

"Le Guang."

"Le or Yue?"

"It will be all right."

"Indeed... happiness and music both account for it."

There was a hint of tenderness in Xu Yuxiu's eyes as she looked at Cheng Kaiyan, and upon thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true.

(End of this chapter)