Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1005: My Sister-in-Law?

As soon as you enter the gate, a wave of heat hits you. The heating in room 606 is indeed strong; sometimes you even have to open the windows to let in some fresh air, otherwise it's unbearably hot. The air in Northeast China is extremely dry in winter.

When Xiaowei's mother saw him, she asked, "How are your sister-in-law and the child?"

Xiao Wei said, "Great! Why not? You didn't ask Xiao Hui when he came back, are you just waiting to ask me now?"

Xiaowei's mother said, "Xiaohui is back? I didn't see him."

Xiaobing walked in carrying a schoolbag, saying as he changed his shoes, "Second brother, could you take me with you next time you go to eldest brother's? I feel like I'm being forgotten in this family. I don't get to do anything. All I do all day is go to school, school, school, like a puppet. It's so boring."

Xiao Wei said, "You'll know if you're a puppet when you do badly on your exam and your butt gets swollen."

Xiaowei's mom said, "What does the puppet eat every day? It can't do without meat and it needs fruit all the time. From now on, you can just drink some engine oil, which will save you money."

Xiaobing turned to Xiaowei and said, "Second Brother, I want to eat lychees, but my mom won't buy them for me. Don't you think she's stingy?"

Xiao Wei's mom laughed and said, "Yes, your mom is a little stingy. Then don't ask for pocket money anymore. I'll be stingy to the extreme."

Xiaowei's dad brought the groceries out of the kitchen and asked, "Xiaohong isn't back yet?"

Xiaowei's mother glanced at the time and said, "It's almost time, it's getting dark. They never go shopping, why do you care? Let the three of them go shopping."

Xiao Wei: "...A mother and her two children? Who are they?"

Xiaowei's mother said with a smile, "Have you met your sister-in-law before? She came over today."

The soldier said, "I saw her! She's incredibly beautiful, much prettier than my sister Xiao Hong. Really."

Xiao Wei's mother raised her hand and smacked him with a sticky firewood spoon: "What do you know, you little brat? You're everywhere. Go do your homework."

The little soldier raised his right hand high at Xiaowei's mother and shouted, "Long live the proletariat! Down with the French!" Then he shrank back, grabbed his schoolbag, and ran away.

Xiaowei's mother said, "Let's see how you eat your watery rice tonight."

Xiao Wei asked, "Who is it? Where did this aunt come from?" Xiao Hong only has two uncles, and her family consists entirely of sons.

Uncle Wang walked in, briefcase in hand: "Xiao Wei's back! How's it going over there? How are Xiao Jun's family?"

Xiao Wei turned to Uncle Wang and asked, "Uncle, where did I get a sister-in-law?"

Uncle Wang was taken aback: "Your sister-in-law? You don't even have a sister-in-law, so where did this sister-in-law come from?"

Xiao Wei said, "My mom said my sister-in-law came, and she went shopping with Xiao Hong and my aunt."

Uncle Wang stroked his chin: "No. I haven't made any mistakes."

Xiao Wei's parents burst into laughter, leaving Uncle Wang and Xiao Wei completely bewildered.

After dinner was almost ready, we started clearing the table when Xiaohong drove back in her Ferrari. The back seat of the Ferrari can be used, but it's a bit cramped and uncomfortable; you can't stretch your legs.

The car drove right up to the main building entrance, and the three people got out.

Aunt Wang had a new haircut, which made her look much younger. As soon as she got out of the car, she said, "This car is too small. It's so cramped. It's not worth the money. Driving so close to the ground, I don't feel safe at all."

Xiao Hong pouted: "So old-fashioned."

The three people went inside to change their shoes. Xiaowei and Uncle Wang were there. Xiaowei's dad was sitting on the sofa watching TV and turned his head to look over.

Xiao Hong was pleasantly surprised: "You're back! When did you arrive?"

Xiao Wei walked over and said, "At noon, I went to the construction site for a walk. What did you buy?"

Xiao Hong changed her shoes and rushed over to hug Xiao Wei: "I went to Zhongjie to buy some clothes and a pair of shoes for you. They're in the car."

Aunt Wang said, "Go get your things out and park the car in the garage. Is it okay to leave it outside like this?"

Xiao Wei looked behind Aunt Wang: "Sister Xuemei?"

Xiao Hong ran over and hugged Yang Xuemei: "Ta-da! Your sister-in-law is fresh off the press! She's my sister now, my mom is my godmother, and you're my brother-in-law!"

Yang Xuemei blushed slightly and called out, "Xiao Wei."

Xiao Wei said, "I thought we'd have to wait a few more days. It's good that you're out now; this is your home from now on. I was away on a business trip and couldn't pick you up."

Yang Xuemei said, "It's alright, Xiaohong went to pick her up. That's fine, that's good enough." After thinking for a moment, she bowed and said, "Thank you."

Xiao Wei said, "Don't be so polite, we're family from now on. Is the house all tidied up?" he asked Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong said, "It's all packed. I packed it yesterday. I picked up the person at noon today. Sister, come on, let's go upstairs and see if you need anything. Unpack your things from the car." She handed the car keys to Xiao Wei.

Xiaowei's mother said, "Wash your hands before eating, and then stop all the fuss."

Uncle Wang and Xiaowei's father walked over, and Xiaohong pointed at Uncle Wang and said to Yang Xuemei, "This is my dad, your godfather."

Aunt Wang said, "What's with all this 'dry dad' and 'wet dad' stuff? Just call him Dad. From now on, call him Dad and Mom, wet or dry. Come on, Xuemei, let's eat."

Yang Xuemei blushed, unsure of what to do. It was their first meeting, and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Uncle Wang said, "Come and eat, take your time, there's plenty of time. I'm determined to have this daughter, she's such a wonderful girl. Wang Xiaohong, you're retiring from the front lines now, always talking nonsense."

Xiao Hong said, "Huh? My daughter can retire to a less demanding role? What will I be then?"

Uncle Wang said, "From now on, you'll be Xiaowei's wife. Just call him Uncle and Auntie."

Everyone laughed, and Yang Xuemei laughed too. In that instant, a hundred flowers bloomed.

Xiao Wei's mother said, "This girl is so beautiful. Sigh. Xiao Wei, you have to protect your sister from now on. If she suffers any more harm, I'll... I'll beat you to death."

Xiao Wei nodded, took out his phone, and said, "Of course, who would dare bully my sister?"

Xiao Hong asked, "Who are you going to call when it's time to eat?"

Xiao Wei dialed the number and said, "Chen Hui is sleeping upstairs. Has he come back and seen Sister Xuemei yet?"

Xiao Hong shook her head. Xiao Wei's mother said, "Show-off! Can't you go up and shout? Phone calls don't cost money, do they?"

Xiao Hong said, "Now there's no such thing as a 'second-generation' machine. There's been a long line outside the post office every day these past few days. So many people are buying them. I saw that machine, it's about the same size as yours."

Xiaowei uses the 9800X, which was the smallest mobile phone at the time. Not many people used it because it was hard to buy and there was a severe shortage.

In the early 90s, when mobile phones were introduced, only China Telecom was involved, operating on a single, exclusive model. Due to a severe underestimation of the domestic market, mobile phones were extremely scarce, and the only available model was the old 8000.

Back then, a phone cost 22,000 yuan. Even after buying it, you couldn't use it; you had to queue up to get a number. The bandwidth was too narrow, so you had to wait for the number to be released and pay another 6,000 yuan. After getting the number, the phone bill would still be 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month.

In 1989, Motorola launched the 9800X, which immediately became a hit because it was much lighter and thinner than the older 8000 and still had a flip phone design. However, the 9800X was out of stock in China until 1995, and its price once reached 50,000 yuan.

The second mobile phone is actually called Tianditong. The model is similar to the 9800X, or even a little smaller. However, it is not a true mobile phone. It can only be considered a high-power cordless phone. It has no number and cannot be called. It can only make calls. Moreover, it cannot move between base stations. It can only stand in one place and finish the call.

The Tianditong mobile phone appeared in 92 and withdrew from the market in 99, which can be considered to have fulfilled the "big brother" dream of some people.

The domestic mobile phone market experienced a leap forward between 95 and 97, with the emergence of digital phones, or true mobile phones. The Motorola 328 handheld phone became a sensation, while pagers, early mobile phones, and later mobile phones were also in service.

In 98, China Telecom separated from China Post and Telecommunications, and in the same year, China Unicom launched the 130 number segment, which led to a fierce battle between Ericsson, Nokia, and Motorola.

……

Xiao Wei said, "Is it easy to use? If you like it, go buy one, it's convenient. Hey, pigs, are you eating?"

Aunt Wang said, "Why buy anything? They're ridiculously expensive. A pager is much more convenient, and there are public telephones everywhere."

(End of this chapter)