Chapter 51: Meeting the Parents

Chapter 51: Meeting the Parents

Lin Zhijin wasn't the only one caught off guard — even Gu Yan was shocked. His mother had always been busy, and they rarely even met in the capital. So why would she come all the way down to Nancheng this time?

"She's probably here on business and figured she'd swing by to meet her future daughter-in-law. Don't be nervous." Gu Yan held Lin Zhijin's hand.

She shot him a look, knowing he was trying to reassure her, but the way he said it made it sound like her future mother-in-law didn't give a damn about her.

Gu Yan clearly realized he'd put his foot in his mouth and quickly backtracked. "I didn't mean anything else, Xiao Jin. I just wanted to tell you not to be nervous. My mother and I... we rarely see each other. She can't make decisions for me, and she doesn't have the right to, either. Xiao Jin, we're a family now. You can't hold me responsible for whatever she says. I'm my own person, and she's hers — got it?"

Gu Yan didn't think his mother would say anything bad, but what if she did? He knew Zhijin's personality — she'd punish him by association. He had to nip that in the bud before his mother dragged him down with her.

Lin Zhijin couldn't help but laugh, though it also made her a little nervous. Would his mother really say something nasty?

So far, she'd met the mothers of two guys she'd dated — one Mrs. Sheng, one Teacher Wang — but she hadn't cared about either one and had snapped back whenever she felt like it. But this one was her actual future mother-in-law.

"Let me make one thing clear: if your mom says anything too harsh, I'm pushing back." Lin Zhijin stated upfront.

"Don't worry, babe. You won't have to — if my mom says anything out of line, I'll shut it down for you." Gu Yan tightened his grip on Lin Zhijin's hand. This was the woman he'd chosen to marry, and no one was going to come between them.

With that, they arrived at the restaurant they'd agreed on. As soon as they walked in, Lin Zhijin's eyes landed on a woman sitting by the window. She was wearing a sharp dark suit with neat short hair, looking both capable and elegant.

Gu Yan stepped forward and said respectfully, "Mom."

Gu's mother looked up, glanced at Gu Yan, then turned her gaze to Lin Zhijin, a faint smile on her face. "So you're Zhijin. You really are a pretty girl."

Lin Zhijin was a little taken aback — she hadn't expected Gu's mother to be so warm. Her nerves relaxed a bit, and she responded with a polite smile, "Hello, Auntie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Once the three of them sat down, the waiter started bringing out the food. Gu's mother first chatted with Gu Yan about his work in Nancheng, then turned to Lin Zhijin. "Zhijin, I heard you work at the Women's Federation. That must be tough work, huh?"

Lin Zhijin smiled. "It's not bad. The bosses and coworkers have been really good to me, and I've learned a lot."

Gu's mother nodded. "Hardworking, ambitious, and eager to learn — Secretary Zhang's told me about you. You're a good girl. A Yan told me about your engagement, but I was too busy with work to get away at the time. It's taken me until now to come see you. You don't hold it against me, do you, Xiao Jin?"

Lin Zhijin quickly shook her head. "Of course not. Gu Yan told me how busy you are, so I get it. Sometimes we're out on business trips for days at a time ourselves."

Gu's mother looked at the poised, graceful Lin Zhijin and nodded approvingly.

Before coming, she'd had Lin Zhijin checked out. Honestly, at first she'd been a bit unhappy about it. Putting aside her son's family background, he was handsome, a college graduate, and a deputy factory director at such a young age. Why would he pick an uneducated country girl? She worried Gu Yan had been charmed by the girl's looks and would regret it later.

But the deeper she dug — especially after seeing how Lin Zhijin handled her biological parents — the more she admired this eighteen-year-old girl. Young, but very level-headed.

Most importantly, she'd donated her biggest inheritance to the state. That kind of vision and foresight — she really didn't seem like an uneducated country girl at all.

"Zhijin, I don't have much time off — I'm leaving tomorrow — so I'll keep this short." Gu's mother pulled an exquisite wooden box out of her bag, opened it, and slid it across the table to Lin Zhijin. "First, I owe you an apology — I had you looked into before I came. Second, I genuinely like you. This jade bracelet has been passed down to the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family. I'm giving it to you now, hoping you and A Yan will have a happy life together."

Lin Zhijin stared at the white jade bracelet, a little surprised. Gu Yan's mother was just accepting her like that?

As for the investigation — that was only natural. If her son or daughter were picking a partner, she'd have someone look into them too.

Lin Zhijin picked up the white jade bracelet. It felt warm to the touch, the jade as fine and smooth as cream, glowing softly under the restaurant's gentle lighting.

She pressed her lips together. "Auntie, you're too kind. If it were me, I'd want to know more about the person too if my kid were dating. This... is too precious. Maybe save it for later?"

Gu's mother chuckled softly. "Take it. You're already engaged — this bracelet will be yours sooner or later anyway."

She herself came from an ordinary family, just luckier than Lin Zhijin — she had a few years of schooling before joining the organization and becoming a revolutionary. As for a daughter-in-law, Gu Yan was the only one left in the Gu family. As long as he was happy and the person had good character, nothing else mattered.

She looked at Lin Zhijin with growing affection. "Xiao Jin, A Yan's father passed away early, and I've always been busy. He's been alone all this time. Now he has you. I hope you two will have a good life together. If any problems come up, don't be strangers — you can always talk to the family."

Lin Zhijin nodded. "Auntie, don't worry. I will definitely have a good life with Gu Yan."

Gu's mother slipped the bracelet onto Lin Zhijin's wrist and also handed her a red envelope as a meeting gift. It felt thick — possibly several million.

After the meal, Gu Yan and Lin Zhijin saw Gu's mother back to the guesthouse. At the entrance, she reminded them again, "It's getting late — you two head back now. Be careful on the road."

Lin Zhijin nodded in response. "Okay, Auntie. You get some rest too."

"I'll see you off tomorrow. Let's go." Gu Yan waved and led Lin Zhijin away.

Moonlight spilled over them, casting long shadows. Lin Zhijin let out a small sigh of relief. "Your mother is easy to get along with."

Even though they didn't live together and Gu Yan had said she didn't need to care too much about his mother's opinion, having an easygoing mother-in-law was still more pleasant.

"Feeling relieved?" Gu Yan asked with a light laugh.

"Mm." Lin Zhijin jingled the bracelet on her wrist, then pulled out the red envelope from her pocket and opened it. "Wow, nine million. Gu Yan, that's way too much. You should give it back to your mother."

A wedding these days cost around three to four hundred thousand, with betrothal gifts around five hundred thousand. Gu's mother's meeting gift alone was nine million — that was incredibly generous.

"Keep it. She works all day and has nowhere to spend her money. Who else would she give it to if not us kids?" Gu Yan glanced at it and said casually.

"By the way, you never told me about your stepfather's side of the family." Even if they weren't close, she should at least know the situation.

"On my stepfather's side — his surname is Zhang. He had a son and a daughter with his first wife, adopted two daughters left behind by fallen comrades, and after marrying my mother, they had a son and a daughter together. The older one is a boy, fourteen this year; the younger is a girl, only ten." Gu Yan briefly explained.

Surname Zhang? Lin Zhijin thought hard but couldn't recall any prominent figure named Zhang. Still, he really had a lot of children — first wife's kids, adopted kids, and kids from the new marriage — six in total. It sounded like a very complicated family.

Gu Yan could read her thoughts at a glance and smirked slightly. "The older Zhang siblings are all working already — some in the military, some in politics. My younger half-siblings from my mother are a bit mischievous, but you'll see — none of them are hard to get along with."

Before they knew it, they were home. Gu Yan leaned down and quickly kissed Lin Zhijin's forehead. "Go on in. I'll head back too."

"Wait — what time is Auntie's train tomorrow? I'll see her off too." Since her future mother-in-law was easygoing, Lin Zhijin was willing to be a good daughter-in-law. You treat me well, I treat you well — that's how lasting relationships work.

"Eight in the morning. No need — I'll see her off." Gu Yan shook his head.

Lin Zhijin gave him a look. "Alright, don't come pick me up tomorrow. I'll go straight to the guesthouse and wait for Auntie, then we'll head to the train station together."

Back home, Lin Zhijin took out the jade bracelet again and examined it carefully for a long while. Though it wasn't as fine as the one she'd gotten from the Chen family, she found it beautiful nonetheless. She stored it away carefully — she needed to work and couldn't wear it. If it got chipped or scratched, she'd be heartbroken.

The next morning, Lin Zhijin got up early, boiled several eggs, and baked some preserved vegetable and pork flatbreads — these were for Gu's mother to eat on the road.

Seeing Lin Zhijin, Gu's mother beamed. "I was just telling A Yan that he could see me off alone — why did you take time off work to come too?"

When she saw what Lin Zhijin had brought, she was deeply touched. "You got up early to make all this, didn't you? You didn't need to work so hard. I could've just bought something at a breakfast shop. I'm not picky."

That said, having her daughter-in-law prepare food for her early in the morning filled Gu's mother with joy. She once again marveled at Gu Yan's good judgment — not only was Lin Zhijin beautiful, but she was also so proper and gracious. As for her education, she had already heard from Secretary Zhang and Gu Yan that Lin Zhijin had earned her elementary school certificate in just one year. She would surely graduate primary school soon, then middle school, and even high school.

"Alright, this is far enough. A Yan, Xiao Jin, I'm off. A Yan, take good care of Xiao Jin — don't bully her, understood?" After her parting words, Gu's mother turned and walked away quickly.

Gu's mother's visit was like a small interlude — after that, their days went on as usual.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was year-end again. Lin Zhijin had been busy all day and had just soaked her feet and gotten into bed when she heard a commotion outside, with shouts about someone going into labor.

The only pregnant woman in the whole courtyard was Li Yue, so the one giving birth could only be her.

She shot up in bed, threw on her clothes, and rushed outside. There she saw Wang Chunhua and the others had arrived, spreading a quilt over a cart. He Yang was helping a pale-faced Li Yue walk outside.

"Sister Li Yue is going into labor?"

Seeing Lin Zhijin, Wang Chunhua replied while bustling about, "Right, why are you out here? Go back inside, we've got this covered."

"No, I have to go along." How could Lin Zhijin sleep at all knowing Li Yue was about to give birth?

"Go on, go on. You're an unmarried young girl, what are you butting in for? Go back to bed, we'll tell you when the baby's born." Wang Chunhua waved her off, not letting her follow.

The other women who'd had children also tried to stop her—she had no experience and wouldn't be much help, and they were afraid it might scare her.

Lin Zhijin was beside herself with worry—she just couldn't stop fretting over Li Yue. Watching them lift Li Yue onto the cart and seeing He Yang, his face tight with anxiety, about to pull the cart toward the hospital, Lin Zhijin had a sudden idea and called out loudly, "I can help with the running around."

Wang Chunhua knew she'd be even more anxious if she didn't let her go, so after a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Fine, come along then. If you get scared, just say so—don't tough it out."

Lin Zhijin quickly agreed and trotted along with the group to the hospital.

Before they even reached the hospital, He Yang was already shouting, "Doctor, my wife's about to give birth! Doctor!"

Li Yue was wheeled into the delivery room, and He Yang paced outside, his face full of worry and anxiety.

Lin Zhijin was anxious too. Listening to the painful groans, she said, not sure if she was saying it for his sake or to comfort herself, "Brother-in-law, don't worry. Sister Yue is strong—she'll be fine."

He Yang nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the delivery room door, not daring to look away for even a moment.

The wait felt endless. Every so often, Li Yue's agonized cries came from inside. Seeing the fear on Lin Zhijin's face, Wang Chunhua took her to the ward to check the baby's things, to see if anything had been forgotten.

"Don't be scared. This is how it is for all women in labor—it'll be over soon." Wang Chunhua tried to comfort Lin Zhijin, afraid she might be left with a lasting impression of fear.

Around three in the morning, a clear baby's cry came from the delivery room. He Yang dashed to the delivery room door in one bound, and moments later, a nurse emerged holding the baby, smiling as she said, "Congratulations, it's a big, healthy baby boy. Mother and child are both fine."

The weight lifted from He Yang's heart, and a beaming, overjoyed smile spread across his face.

Lin Zhijin breathed a sigh of relief too. When she saw Li Yue wheeled out, pale but still alert, she walked over as the others crowded around the baby. "That was rough—was it really painful?"

Li Yue smiled with the tender love of a new mother. "Not at all. The moment I saw the baby arrive safe and sound, all the pain was worth it."

Everyone went with Li Yue and the baby to the ward. He Yang looked after his wife, and Wang Chunhua, being experienced, took care of the baby.

After all the commotion, it was already past five in the morning. Seeing the sky starting to lighten outside, Wang Chunhua said to Lin Zhijin, "Xiao Jin, you've been up all night—go home and rest. We've got things covered here."

Lin Zhijin nodded. She was indeed hungry and exhausted, and she figured Wang Chunhua and the others were too. "Let me go get you all some breakfast first."

"Oh, Li Yue, you must be starving. What do you want to eat? I'll go home and make it for you. Zhi Jin, don't buy anything—I'll cook," Aunt Bai said to Li Yue.

"Sorry to trouble you, Auntie. Here's the key to our place. The eggs and brown sugar are in the cupboard. I'll slaughter the chicken when I get back—I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to cook that too. My cooking really isn't up to par," He Yang said apologetically.

Lin Zhijin didn't say anything to that. She had to work during the day and simply didn't have time to cook for Li Yue. Better to leave it to Aunt Bai, who had more time and more experience.

Back home, she washed up quickly and dozed off for a bit. Around seven, still half-asleep, Lin Zhijin saw Gu Yan in a daze.

"A Yan?" Ever since meeting Gu's mother, Lin Zhijin had started calling him A Yan too.

"Awake? You went to the hospital last night too? Weren't you scared?" Gu Yan helped her sit up and gently tousled her hair, giving her goosebumps all over.

"Don't touch my head." The back of her head was a sensitive spot—every time Gu Yan touched it, she'd get goosebumps. And once he discovered that, he made a point of touching it all the time.

Medical resources were tight back then, so Li Yue was discharged after just one day and went home. Lin Zhijin would head straight to her place after work, watching the baby change a little more every day.

"Have you named him yet?" Lin Zhijin shook a rattle to amuse the baby.

"His nickname is Shitou. His formal name isn't decided yet—his dad said he'd ask the child's grandfather." Li Yue gazed at the baby with a blissful expression.

"Shitou, little Shitou, you're so adorable. How can you be this cute?" Lin Zhijin unconsciously slipped into a cutesy baby voice.

"If you like him so much, hurry up and have one of your own." Now that Li Yue had a child, she loved pushing others to have kids.

"I'm not even at the legal marriage age yet—don't rush me." Lin Zhijin squeezed Shitou's little hand and quickly headed home, knowing Wang Chunhua would give her the same nudge when she came.

Li Yue spent the New Year while still in her postpartum month. Wang Chunhua went to spend the holiday with her husband this year, and Sister Li and Aunt Zhang had their own plans, so this year it was just Lin Zhijin and Gu Yan for the New Year.

Watching Gu Yan paste up the couplets, Lin Zhijin couldn't help recalling the scene of Zhang Jinxiu writing them last year. "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, I'm already nineteen."

Gu Yan wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Feels slow to me. When will you turn twenty? Xiao Jin, I can't wait to marry you and bring you home."

Lin Zhijin turned to glare at him. "You just wait."

The baby changed day by day—rolling over in spring, sitting up in summer, and by autumn he was crawling, and fast at that.

Neighborly relations were really good back then. Li Yue worked during the day, and whoever was free in the courtyard would help watch the baby. The child was tough too, rarely sick or fussy.

With the first snow of '53 came good news from Lin Shishu. After her last miscarriage, she'd been nursing her health back, and her perseverance finally paid off—she was pregnant again. This time, she waited a full three months before announcing it, being extremely careful.

Then Wang Xiaofen also got pregnant, her baby due a month after Lin Shishu's. According to Wang Xiaoyao, her mother had brought things over, but Wang Xiaofen still refused to accept them.

"Why is she so stubborn?" Wang Xiaoyao couldn't understand.

Lin Zhijin shrugged. She couldn't understand it either, but everyone had their own reasons, and she didn't feel it was her place to say much.

In early '54, they first attended Wang Xiaoyao's wedding banquet. Lin Zhijin had dined with the groom a few times and considered him an acquaintance—a courteous, handsome man with a scholarly air, what later generations would call a literary youth.

Wang Xiaoyao was outgoing, lively, and restless by nature. Their personalities were polar opposites, and they didn't click in conversation or actions. They never argued, but Lin Zhijin could see they were both holding back. The day one of them couldn't take it anymore, they'd likely part ways.

On that point, Lin Zhijin didn't understand—why stay together when you know you're not suited, just because of matching family status?

Then she thought of her mother's marriage, and it started to make sense.

Her older sister Wang Xiaofen had watched their mother abandon a hard life with her and their father to remarry into a family of equal standing, so she was afraid of finding someone too well-off, fearing a wealthy man would abandon her just like her mother had. She settled for a husband of modest means and plain looks.

Her younger sister Wang Xiaoyao had seen their mother suffer in a marriage below her station, only finding happiness by marrying into a family of equal status, so she didn't believe in love and insisted that only matching family backgrounds could lead to a good life. Even though she didn't love her current husband, she insisted on marrying him anyway.

Thinking about it that way was truly frightening—the influence parents have on their children is immense.

"What are you thinking about?" Gu Yan waved a hand in front of Lin Zhijin's face and picked up a piece of meat to her lips. "Try this."

"Mmm, delicious." Lin Zhijin nodded, then, thinking of Wang Xiaoyao, couldn't help asking, "Do you think Xiaoyao and her husband will last?"

"That depends on how long she can hold out." Gu Yan picked up another piece of meat and fed it to her.

Lin Zhijin's eyes lit up. "You noticed it too."

"Of course." Gu Yan served her rice. "Wash your hands and eat. If Zhang Shensi can't take it anymore, they'll end it just the same."

"Who do you think will crack first?" Lin Zhijin tilted her head and asked.

"Wang Xiaoyao." Gu Yan put a bite of vegetables on her plate. "Zhang Shensi is a very patient man."

He'd dined with Xiaoyao and her husband alongside Xiao Jin and had a few conversations, so he had a rough sense of Zhang Shensi's character.

One thing he didn't say: if Wang Xiaoyao's maternal grandparents' family ever fell from prominence, their marriage would come to an end just the same.

"No thanks, I'm full." Lin Zhijin raised her bowl to dodge the food Gu Yan offered. "What have you been so busy with lately? So mysterious about it?"

They had been dating for two years, and aside from going all the way, they'd done everything there was to do—they already felt like an old married couple.

"What's with all the secrecy? The factory's just too busy; once this busy stretch is over, it'll be fine." Gu Yan scraped the leftover dishes into his own bowl. "Xiao Jin, once the weather warms up a bit, come with me to the capital."

Lin Zhijin had some guesses in her mind but didn't voice them. "Sure, after Auntie came to Nancheng to visit me last time, she's been sending me things every couple of days. I've been wanting to go to the capital to visit Auntie anyway."

Gu Yan stood up to clear the dishes, then suddenly bent down and kissed Lin Zhijin's forehead. "Go rest; I'll take care of the cleanup."

When a man's willing to help out, you can't crush his enthusiasm, but you also can't take it for granted. Lin Zhijin trailed after him into the kitchen like a little shadow, praising him in a sweet voice, "Whose fiancé is this amazing? Not only does he cook delicious meals, but he also does the dishes. There's no one else like him in all of Nancheng. I'm so lucky."

"You're always buttering me up." Despite saying that, Gu Yan couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips. After a moment, he couldn't help but say, "If you know I'm good, then you should stay with me every day, or else someone's going to steal me away."

"That won't happen. Our A Yan likes me the most; no matter how good others are, he won't run off, right?" Lin Zhijin leaned in close to Gu Yan, blinking her eyes as she asked.

Gu Yan took the opportunity to kiss her red lips. "And what about you?"

"Of course I like A Yan the most too. What do I care how good others are? My eyes can only see A Yan." Lin Zhijin fed Gu Yan another bowl of sweet talk.

Once Gu Yan left, Lin Zhijin immediately went to find Li Yue. "Sister Yue, tell me the truth, what has Gu Yan been up to lately?"

"He's busy with work; what else could he be busy with? The machinery factory is now a factory with ten thousand workers, and he's just a deputy director—it's normal for him to be busy. What, are you worried he's cheating on you?" Li Yue naturally knew what Gu Yan was up to, but she had promised to keep it a secret and couldn't reveal it, so she simply changed the subject.

As the deputy director of a ten-thousand-person factory, Gu Yan was indeed very busy, but what mainly bothered her was that he seemed a bit mysterious lately. Forget it, she'd go home and sleep; she'd find out soon enough.

Author's note:

None