Mixed in 1980

Chapter 455 Six and a Half Jin of Vinegar

Seeing her husband's strange smile, Chen Yanxi patted his shoulder: "What are you thinking about?"

Sun Haoran flicked his cigarette ash and teased, "You know our dad, he hates it when people try to take advantage of his daughter. Do you think there'll be a good show to watch today?"

"It's hard to say!" Chen Yanxi frowned.

When my cousin Guan Xiaoyu started dating, my father was furious, thinking it was too sudden, and he made things difficult for my cousin's husband, Zhou Xu.

My aunt married my uncle, and it was quite a big deal back then. My dad chased her all the way from home to Beihai Park with a stick, and ended up at the police station.

Xiaoxi's dad didn't give her a good look when she started dating.

My father had a dark expression for a long time, and it wasn't until after the wedding that he became nicer to my cousin's husband and later gave him a lot of support.

As for myself, needless to say.

"Let's go in and take a look!" Sun Haoran stubbed out his cigarette.

Chen Yanxi gritted her teeth and slapped her husband: "I told you you insisted on taking the day off to come over today. I thought you were concerned about the fourth child, but it turns out you had no other intentions."

"Look at what you're saying. We all grew up together. I care about all my younger siblings. I just want to see what kind of expression Dad makes."

"Watch out, or he'll get you," Chen Yanxi scoffed.

Sun Haoran chuckled and said, "No way. He was all smiles before we got married, but after we got married, my father-in-law has been really nice to me."

The couple went to the lobby for tea.

Soon, Sun Haoran felt envious. The situation was not as he had imagined. His father-in-law was all smiles and gentle manner towards Lu You, without the slightest hint of displeasure.

Chen Yanxi believes this is normal.

Lu You came from an ordinary family. His marriage to the Chen family must have made him feel inferior, or at least lack confidence. If he put on a sour face, he might scare people away.

Sun Haoran was different. Both families were of similar background. Even if his father beat him up, he would still come over with a smug look on his face the next day, and his father-in-law would say, "It's okay, this kid can take a beating."

If Chen Fan beat up Lu You with a dark face, Lu's parents would only think, "They don't think much of our family, so maybe we should just let it go."

Differential treatment makes sense.

But Sun Haoran felt a pang of jealousy. From the time he could remember until he got married, he had been bullied by his father-in-law for over twenty years.

While the three mothers-in-law were chatting with Lu You, Sun Haoran sidled up to his father-in-law and said, "Dad, show some of your charisma!"

"What kind of aura?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.

Sun Haoran pouted: "How did you treat me back then? Now your little darling is about to be kidnapped, are you happy about that?"

"Lu You is not the same as you. Back then, I punished you not because your daughter was kidnapped, but because you deserved to be punished, understand?" Chen Fan mocked.

Sun Haoran was stunned: "You're just being biased!"

Chen Fan scoffed and said irritably, "With your shameless attitude, you're just like your father. I just want to punch you when I see you."

Sun Haoran was embarrassed and dared not speak.

The feud between their fathers was quite bizarre. They were clearly fellow disciples with a very good relationship, but their mouths... well, they were just too much.

Chen Fan rolled his eyes at his son-in-law and then said, "Your dad is retiring this year, right?"

“I’m 65. I have two months left before I retire when my term is up. We’ve already agreed that I’ll move to Ya’er Hutong at the end of the year to keep you company.”

"How rare!" Chen Fan curled his lip in disdain.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "It's good to move here. My daughter and grandson can live closer. Will your retirement have a big impact on you?"

People leave and things cool down; that's a very real situation.

Sun Haoran shook his head slightly: "There will definitely be some impact, but it's okay. Counting from my great-grandfather to my father, the network of connections accumulated over three generations is still quite good."

"You have so many old classmates here, you can contact them all, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"That's fine!" Chen Fan nodded slightly.

The eldest son-in-law is indeed capable. At 29 years old, he has been promoted to deputy director, which is considered very young in a large organization. He is no less capable than his father was back then.

This is due to his abilities, education, and connections with various parties, including the support he received from his own side, especially during his grassroots training in Xixia, where he invested a lot of resources.

After finishing their conversation, Lu You, despite the enthusiasm of his three mothers-in-law, took the opportunity to discuss having his parents come and propose marriage at a later time.

After lunch, the elders left first, leaving the young people to make their own fun. As expected, Lu You was drugged and made drowsy, and then carried to a guest room in the backyard.

He didn't wake up until evening. Chen Yanyin took him for a walk around the yard, and then went to the neighboring No. 17 yard: "This yard is mine, we'll live here from now on."

"This is too big!" Lu You exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Yanyin nodded and said, "It is indeed a bit empty. After the wedding, we will bring my uncle and aunt over. It will be more lively with more people, otherwise it will be cold and quiet."

"My eldest sister will move back to live here at the end of the year."

"Two more courtyards will be hers. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law will move in, and her uncles and aunts will come over. She won't have to worry about being alone. It will be very lively."

"And my second brother's father-in-law and mother-in-law live in Xiaoshibei Hutong, which is connected to our hutong and is only about 200 meters away."

After hearing what she said, Lu You's expression turned somewhat strange.

He touched his nose and after a while asked, "Yan Yin, many people nowadays don't want to live with their in-laws and prefer to live alone. Why are you doing the opposite?"

Chen Yanyin rolled her eyes at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? If you can't get along, you should live separately. If you can get along, you should live together. It's better to have a lively and bustling home."

"If we have children in the future, there will be someone to take care of them."

"Also, your parents will definitely have to rely on us for their old age. I'm not saying this to speak ill of your older brother and sister-in-law, but we really can't count on them."

Listening to her rambling on, Lu You felt a warmth in his heart.

I've really struck gold!
After visiting courtyard number 17, we went back to courtyard number 16 for dinner. The family thoughtfully prepared some stomach-soothing rice porridge for him, truly treating him like a son-in-law.

Only after nightfall were they arranged for someone to take him home.

Back in his dorm, Lu You took a quick shower, lay down on his bed, grinning foolishly. A moment later, his phone rang.

Slide the answer button, and Lu Yan's voice came through the receiver: "Xiao You, how did it go? What did Yan Yin's parents say?"

"Sister, everything's fine."

Lu You recounted the events of the day in general: "Aunt Zhao said that our family should find a time to propose marriage, and we can follow the customs of our hometown."

Lu Yan chuckled: "You idiot, they're just being polite, why are you taking it seriously? When you come to propose marriage, you have to follow the rules of the capital."

“If we follow our local customs, even if his family doesn’t object, his relatives and friends will gossip behind his back. You should ask Yan Yin what the customs are like in the capital.”

Lu You scratched his head and chuckled, "You're so thoughtful. I'll ask the teacher tomorrow. She's Yan Yin's aunt, so she must know about these things."

"Remember to find out the details," Lu Yan instructed.

Lu You nodded and said, "Don't worry. By the way, tell your parents to set a time first, so I can talk to Yan Yin's family."

"Go ask them first. They have certain customs here. It's not like we can just decide on a date. We have to choose the right day." Lu Yan said irritably, her younger brother had some bookish tendencies.

"Okay, I'll get back to you tomorrow."

The next day, Lu You went to inquire, and Chen Yi joked, "Now you're in a hurry? It wasn't like this when I introduced you to him."

Lu You, feeling embarrassed, forced a smile and said, "When have I ever been so ignorant? I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Since you know you're wrong, I'll give you some pointers today. You guys come and listen too; you'll all find them useful if you're looking for a girlfriend in Beijing."

Chen Yi coughed lightly and said, "People in the capital like to be particular. What are they particular about? Being generous and having face. That's just being pretentious and fussy. The Manchu bannermen are the most particular about this kind of nonsense."

"Besides that, what else is considered important?"

"They are meticulous, stubborn, and particular about etiquette. If they encounter old Beijingers and don't pay attention to etiquette, they are likely to suffer losses and setbacks."

"Whether these are good or bad, they are just customs."

"Getting back to the main topic, regarding the etiquette of proposing marriage, the first thing to do is to choose an auspicious date. Xiao Lu, please have your parents find someone to choose a good date, and then communicate with them here. Only in this way can the date be set."

"After setting the time, those from out of town need to come a day in advance and go to the woman's house the next day. It must be in the morning, and they must arrive before 11 o'clock."

"The number of people who come to propose marriage must be an even number, including the person themselves, their parents, and some relatives. If the number is odd, they will not be allowed to enter the door."

"Finally, the gifts are simple: a four-color gift set of cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and candy, along with a dessert box and a fruit box. They should also be in even numbers, to represent a pair."

"Did you write it all down?" Chen Yi asked.

Lu You nodded, afraid of misremembering, and kept his phone recording until noon before calling his older sister to pass on the message.

"Sister, Yan Yin specifically told me to remember to bring the two children next time you come to Beijing. She wants to take them to see the giant pandas."

(End of this chapter)