Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

"Okay, let's go check out the tea plantation then."

Chapter 70 Meeting the Parents (Part 3)

The mountainous area where Qijia Village is located used to be a notoriously poor and remote place.

With many mountains and little arable land, the soil is so barren that it seems to have been drained of its last bit of nutrients, and the crops planted always droop and the harvest is pitifully meager.

Young people can't stay; most pack their bags and go out to work, leaving only the elderly and children in the village, guarding a few acres of meager land and an increasingly dilapidated old house. They live a meager and gloomy life, and even the barking of dogs sounds weak and listless.

The turning point came a few years ago with the tea plantation that Qi Tongwei spearheaded.

After Qi Tongwei solved the problem of start-up capital, the entire Qijia Village was filled with determination and charged headlong up the mountain.

The villagers cherished those tender green tea seedlings more than their own eyes.

The old village chief, Qi Chunwang, practically lived on the tea mountain. If he didn't spend a few hours there every day, he felt empty inside.

Once, he caught a cold and had a fever, and he stayed in bed all day without going up the mountain. He couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning. Before dawn, he put on his clothes and trudged up the mountain, carefully inspecting the tea plantations from top to bottom to make sure that every plant was safe and sound. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, as if he had recovered halfway.

With everyone united, and the unique high-altitude, humid microclimate of Qijia Village, the once impoverished and harsh environment that hindered development has instead become a natural greenhouse for nurturing fine tea.

More importantly, Qi Tongwei helped open up sales channels, allowing the name "Qishan Yunwu Maojian" to gradually emerge from the mountains.

This tea plantation has truly become the "hen" that lays golden eggs for Qijia Village.

Nearby villages and towns were envious and wanted to follow suit, but the tea they grew was always inferior to that of Qijia Village in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

Qijia Village's unique geographical environment became an insurmountable "moat." Imitators tried to imitate it for a while, but seeing that the results were not good, they gradually gave up.

The village established a tea cooperative, unifying the planting, management, processing, and sales. Profits go to the collective, and villagers are paid work points based on their labor. Each year's surplus, after deducting necessary reserve funds and risk funds, is distributed in cash based on the work points earned.

Because their son was a "great contributor," Qi Tongwei's parents were given the easy task of weighing the harvested fresh leaves, and they even received the highest level of work points. No one in the village complained about this—everyone knew perfectly well that without Qi Tongwei, where would these "green banks" covering the mountains come from?

The two elders of the Qi family have long since shed the signs of hardship left by years of labor.

They lived a comfortable life with a stable income and were highly respected in the village. Over the years, the two of them had rosy complexions, gained some weight, and looked completely at ease.

The changes in the village have been earth-shattering.

A smooth cement road leads all the way to the village entrance, replacing the muddy and bumpy dirt road of my memory; on both sides of the road, many families have built brand-new two-story houses with shiny tiles and aluminum alloy windows that reflect the afternoon sun.

Even the old houses that have been preserved have had their exterior walls cleanly painted and their roofs replaced with new tiles.

---

At noon on the 30th, at the home of Qi Tonghua, Qi Tongwei's cousin.

Qi Tonghua got married last year to the daughter of the construction site canteen owner. This year, they had a big, healthy baby girl and just celebrated her one-month birthday.

Qi Tongwei's mother, Li Aihua, came to help, holding her adorable granddaughter, beaming with joy.

Qi Tonghua's mother, who is also Qi Tongwei's aunt, asked with a smile while picking vegetables, "Sister-in-law, is Tongwei dating anyone yet? Such a promising young man, he must have many girls in Beijing who like him, right? When will you be able to hold your grandson?"

It's not that my aunt is sexist; she dotes on this granddaughter too! But in that generation, everyone called their grandson or granddaughter "grandson."

Li Aihua's smile faded slightly, and she sighed, "Not yet. I'm so anxious! He's almost thirty, and he's not worried about his personal life at all."

"Why don't you arrange a blind date for him?" the aunt said enthusiastically. "There are many good girls in our village and town who are interested in Tongwei! I heard that a matchmaker even came to our door recently."

“That’s right, they’ve practically worn the doorstep down.” Li Aihua shook her head, her tone carrying a mix of maternal pride and helplessness. “But I think, Tongwei is all grown up now, successful, knowledgeable, and has seen far more of the world than us old folks. He has his own ideas about things. We can’t make all the decisions for him like we did when he was a kid.”

"Aihua—Aihua!" Suddenly, Qi Chunhai's slightly hurried shout came from outside, growing louder as he approached.

Li Aihua stood up, holding the child, and walked to the door: "What's wrong? Why are you calling so urgently?"

Qi Chunhai strode into the courtyard, his face a mixture of surprise, nervousness, and busyness, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead. "Quick! Hurry home! Tidy up our guest room properly!"

"Why are you cleaning the guest rooms? Are we having guests?" Li Aihua asked, puzzled.

"Tongwei just called home!" Qi Chunhai lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement. "He said... he's bringing a female classmate home tonight! To stay the night!"

Li Aihua didn't react for a moment and stood there stunned: "Huh? What female classmate?"

Qi Tonghua, who was standing next to him, chuckled and reminded her, "Auntie, don't you understand? My brother brought his future sister-in-law home!"

"Future...Sister-in-law?" Li Aihua suddenly snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening instantly. She nearly dropped her granddaughter, handing her to her aunt beside her. Her hands unconsciously rubbed her clothes, her face a mixture of immense joy and panic. "Oh dear! This...this child! Why didn't you say so sooner! Yes, yes, yes! Guest room! The guest room needs cleaning!"

She rushed towards her house, muttering as she ran, "I just fluffed some new cotton last month and sewed two new quilts, but I haven't been able to bear using them. Now I can put them on! I also need to clean the room thoroughly, and wipe the windows too..."

Qi Chunhai followed behind, both happy and complaining: "That kid, he's got people coming at night, but he only called at noon! If I go to the town market now, where can I buy good meat at this hour?"

The market in the town is different from that in the city. Butchers usually slaughter pigs in the early morning and transport the divided pork to the market stalls before dawn.

The quantity of certain cuts of meat is limited. If you arrive late, the good pork belly and foreleg meat will have been snapped up, leaving only scraps. The stall may even have closed down.

Upon hearing this, Li Aihua paused, turned around, and decisively said, "Don't go to the market! Go find Lao Si and slaughter the pigs in our pigsty!"

"Huh?" Qi Chunhai was taken aback. "How long has it been since we caught that pig? We've only been feeding it for less than two months. It weighs at most forty pounds and it's still a piglet!"

"Piglets it is! The meat is tender!" Li Aihua waved her hand. "Hurry up and go! We can buy another one later to make up for it! It's our first time visiting, we can't let the girl feel neglected!"

Qi Chunhai thought it made sense, and gritted his teeth: "Alright! I'll go find Lao Si right now!"

For the next few hours, the Qi family courtyard was bustling with activity.

Qi Chunhai invited the butcher Lao Si and two men to help him, and they set up a simple platform in a corner of the yard.

The half-grown pig grunted in dissatisfaction as it was dragged out.

Slaughtering a pig is a big deal and a skilled job. Bleeding, removing hair, gutting, cutting... the air is filled with a unique fishy smell and moisture.

Li Aihua was calculating beside her: this piece of pork ribs is for braising, that piece of pork belly is perfect for making braised pork, the pig liver and heart can be stir-fried, and the pork bones are the best for making soup...

Meanwhile, with the help of two neighbor women who rushed to help after hearing the news, a thorough cleaning also began.

The furniture in the guest room was spotless, the windows were so shiny they reflected light, and the newly fluffed cotton quilts were soft and fluffy, smelling of sunshine.

Every corner of the main room, kitchen, and courtyard was thoroughly inspected, and the dust and cobwebs that were usually unavoidable disappeared without a trace.

Even the few half-withered flowers in the corner of the yard were carefully pruned and watered, and they regained some vitality.

Even the fattest hen in the coop wasn't spared; Qi Chunhai swiftly slaughtered and plucked it, preparing to stew a pot of fragrant chicken soup.

The entire courtyard was filled with a busy and joyful hustle and bustle, as if it were almost Chinese New Year.

When Qi Tongwei brought He Xuan back to the village entrance, the sun was already setting.

He shamefully "left early" today.

Of course, he formally reported to County Magistrate Yi.

Yi Xuexi smiled and waved his hand to approve it.

As soon as the two entered the village, a sharp-eyed child ran off to inform the Qi family.

When Qi Tongwei led He Xuan to the gate of their own courtyard, this was the scene they saw: their parents, dressed in their neatest and most presentable clothes that they usually couldn't bear to wear, stood in the spotless courtyard, their faces showing undisguised excitement and unease.

There were still traces of water and faint smells of cooking fires in the courtyard, but everything was in good order.

Qi Tongwei swore that even during the New Year's cleaning, his house had never been this clean—even the firewood piled in the corner was neatly stacked with sharp edges.

He Xuan wore a simple and elegant dress today, with a light-colored knitted cardigan over it, and her long hair was softly draped over her shoulders.

Her beauty wasn't the aggressive kind, but rather a dignified and elegant beauty with a touch of ethereal charm. Her relaxed features and bright smile evoked a sense of peace and prosperity, the kind of appearance and temperament that elders often admired.

Sure enough, once Li Aihua's gaze fell on He Xuan, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The liking and satisfaction in his eyes were almost overflowing.

She strode forward, grabbed He Xian's hand, looked him up and down, and said repeatedly, "Good boy, you must be tired from your journey. Come in, come in and sit down!"

As for the son who I haven't seen in a long time? Well, he's been selectively ignored for now.

Qi Tongwei touched his nose, following behind with a mixture of helplessness and amusement.

He Xian clearly knows how to get along with elders; he's sweet-talking and considerate.

After sitting down inside, he quickly got into a lively conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Qi.

She listened attentively to Li Aihua's account of the changes in the village, praised Qi Chunhai for keeping the courtyard tidy, and said that she had long heard that Qijia Village's tea plantations and Yunwu Maojian tea were particularly famous and had always wanted to come and see them.

Her words were both generous and appropriate, yet also showed the obedience of a junior, which made the two elders beam with joy and relieved most of their tension.

As they were chatting, He Xian took out two exquisite boxes from his bag and handed them to Li Aihua and Qi Chunhai with both hands: "Auntie, Uncle, it's our first time meeting, and I didn't know what to bring, so I prepared some small gifts. I hope you won't mind."

The two elders were taken aback and quickly declined. Qi Chunhai was even more straightforward: "Girl, this won't do! According to our old customs, it's our first time visiting, so we should be the ones preparing a gift for you. How can we accept your things? Take them back!"

Li Aihua chimed in, "Yes, girl, we appreciate your kindness. These things don't look cheap. We're just old folks who work at home, we don't need them. Take them back for your parents."

He Xuan insisted, blinking her big eyes, her tone carrying just the right amount of grievance and seriousness: "Uncle and Aunt, this is a gift I carefully selected, representing my feelings. If you don't accept it, it means you think I have bad taste and that the gift I chose is not to your liking."

The two elders hurriedly explained, and Qi Tongwei also tried to persuade them.

After much persuasion, the elderly couple reluctantly and gratefully accepted the gift.

Upon opening the package, Li Aihua received a pair of exquisitely crafted pure gold earrings with a simple and elegant design; Qi Chunhai received a solid mechanical watch, the quality of which was clearly excellent.

The two gifts were indeed valuable, practical, and thoughtful, demonstrating the care put into them.

The two elders felt even more indebted to the generous gift, which further solidified their belief in the sincerity and importance of their future daughter-in-law.

Li Aihua held He Xian's hand even tighter, while Qi Chunhai rubbed his hands together, muttering "This is too much trouble," but his face beamed with joy.

As dusk approached, Li Aihua and Qi Chunhai plunged into the kitchen again to prepare dinner.

As dinner time approached, the two elderly people went into the kitchen to get busy again.

According to local custom, when a future daughter-in-law makes her first formal visit to the family, it is usually a meal with only family members, without inviting relatives or friends to accompany her, so as not to put too much pressure on the woman.

The neighbors were sensible enough to only glance at the girl from afar, whispering about how beautiful and elegant the young man from the Qi family had brought back, without coming over to disturb them.

But the children didn't have so many concerns. Hearing that a "very, very beautiful, fairy-like" older sister had come to the village, children of all ages curiously ran to the gate of the Qi family's courtyard, peeking inside through the door frame.

He Xian saw the children, smiled and waved them in, and took out a large box of beautifully packaged chocolates from his bag and distributed them to them.

Seeing this, Qi Tongwei quickly went back into the house and rummaged through his luggage to find the candy and snacks he had bought for his children.

A group of little kids, having received candy and chocolate, clung to He Xuan, their big, dark eyes fixed on her.

"Sister, you're so pretty!" a little girl with pigtails said in a childish voice.

"You're cute too." He Xian smiled and gave her another piece of chocolate.

"Sister, are you a fairy who stepped out of a painting?" a slightly older boy asked.

He Xian couldn't help but chuckle and handed over another piece.