In the blink of an eye, Sunday arrived. Cen Bai and Su Xuezhen got up early and, after having lunch, both of them got to work. They tidied up the entire house from top to bottom. Once they were done, Cen Bai rode his bike out to buy groceries, while Su Xuezhen stayed home to prepare some fruit and snacks.
While washing apples in the kitchen, a childish voice suddenly called out from the window, “Sister-in-law! I’m here!”
A little girl with two pigtails, her cheeks flushed red from the sun, leaned against the window calling out to her.
Su Xuezhen quickly rinsed her hands and came out of the kitchen, just in time to run into the three members of the Cen family who had arrived. Leading the way was her mother-in-law, Lou Guilan, beside her was Cen Jianjun in his plain summer work clothes. Lou Guilan pulled her daughter back and said with concern, “This girl Xiaomei is such a little rascal, she insisted on being the first to arrive. She didn’t scare you, did she?”
Su Xuezhen shook her head. “Not at all.”
“Cen Bai went to buy groceries. The two of us thought you’d all be arriving in the afternoon, so we haven’t really prepared anything yet.”
“Sister-in-law, no need to prepare anything. Look what I brought!”
Cen Feng grinned broadly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth as he held up bags full of items.
“It’s hot outside, come in quickly,” said Su Xuezhen as she reached out to welcome everyone inside.
Once the ceiling fan was turned on, it whooshed and whirred, quickly cooling down the living room. Cen Feng, still holding the bags, didn’t step in right away and asked, “Sister-in-law, should I put these in the kitchen?”
“Just leave them there,” Su Xuezhen replied. Then she stood up, intending to bring out something to entertain the guests. “Mom, Dad, please have a seat first. I’ll go to the kitchen and cut up some fruit.”
“You sit down, let Xiaofeng do it,” said Lou Guilan, getting up to gently pull her back to her seat. She then walked with small steps to the kitchen to assign Cen Feng the task.
Su Xuezhen didn’t have much experience in dealing with in-laws and wasn’t sure whether she should follow, hesitating a bit. Cen Jianjun spoke up too, “It’s okay, Xuezhen, just sit.”
“We were actually planning to come in the afternoon, but your mom insisted you two didn’t have much experience hosting a big gathering, so she wanted to come early.”
Having been the deputy director of the lighting factory for more than ten years, Cen Jianjun had a keen sense for reading people. Realizing she couldn’t hide anything, Su Xuezhen admitted frankly, “That’s true. This is the first time the two of us are hosting a family gathering like this. There’s a lot we don’t know.”
Although Lou Guilan didn’t work, her husband had frequent social obligations and she had to take care of their daughter, so she was hardly ever free. The Su family was even busier—Su Xianguo was a doctor, and Zhang Guangxiang worked in a textile factory. Getting everyone together required careful planning. And preparing a home-cooked meal for such a large family took a lot of work—there was often simply not enough time.
So during holidays or special occasions, Cen Bai usually made a reservation at a state-run restaurant, where a big table fit everyone comfortably. Both families could eat well and bond with each other. But this was the first time they were hosting a meal at home.
Cen Mei carefully climbed up onto the long bench, pointed her small finger at Su Xuezhen’s belly, and asked, “Sister-in-law, is there a little baby in there?”
Su Xuezhen smiled and patted her head. “Yes. Next year, you’ll be an aunt, Xiaomei.”
“Hooray!”
Cen Mei shouted excitedly. She had two older brothers, both quite a bit older than her, and at home they all treated her like a little kid. Now, finally, there was going to be someone younger than her.
While they were chatting, Cen Feng brought out a plate of sliced watermelon and called out, “Everyone, come and eat.”
Su Xuezhen handed a slice to the little girl first, then took one for herself. The family finally settled down and began to chat.
Lou Guilan, not wanting Su Xuezhen to feel uncomfortable, didn’t deliberately sit too close to her and instead smiled, “I figured that with tonight’s dinner, Cen Bai would probably just buy a few things to get by. That wouldn’t be enough food, and it wouldn’t taste that great either. So today, I’ll cook.”
“Sister-in-law, don’t listen to my mom talking nonsense. Her cooking really isn’t as good as the restaurants.”
At the lighting factory residential compound, there was a dedicated cafeteria, so Lou Guilan rarely had the chance to cook. Truth be told, she wasn’t even as skilled as Cen Jianjun. She was just putting on airs in front of her daughter-in-law to avoid embarrassment, but Cen Feng immediately exposed her.
“You little brat, if my cooking’s no good, how did I manage to feed you till you got this big?”
Lou Guilan wasn’t the least bit embarrassed and retorted with a smile, “Look around at the neighbors—whose kid is as tall as mine?”
Su Xuezhen thought that was true. Cen Bai, standing at 183 cm, was tall even in a crowd. Cen Feng was even taller, probably over 185 cm. Both brothers were tall and well-built—they were clearly raised well.
The Cen family had a great atmosphere—both parents doted on their children. In fact, outsiders sometimes felt they spoiled them too much and worried the kids would walk all over their parents. But as the three siblings grew up, they turned out to be respectful and polite, which was one of the key reasons why Su Xianguo agreed to arrange the blind date between the two families.
Lou Guilan was annoyed at her second son and was thinking it was time for him to move out and get married. He was about the right age, too. Smiling, she asked, “Xuezhen, are there any girls of the right age at your hospital? Introduce one to Xiaofeng.”
Cen Feng’s face instantly turned red. “Sister-in-law, don’t listen to my mom. I’m not ready to think about marriage yet—I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
Su Xuezhen suddenly thought of someone. “Xiaofeng, how old are you this year?”
As soon as he heard she was actually considering someone, Cen Feng panicked. “Sister-in-law, don’t team up with my mom, please.”
Cen Mei, biting into her watermelon, shouted out, “Second brother is 19!”
Su Xuezhen was joking anyway. Cen Feng was still in the army, and his future was uncertain. Besides, the person she had in mind probably wasn’t interested in getting married.
Just then, Cen Bai returned with the groceries. As soon as he parked his bike, he heard laughter coming from the house, along with Cen Feng grumbling in protest. Carrying the bags, he walked inside and saw his younger brother’s face flushed red from being teased. He couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s going on here?”
Cen Mei jumped off the bench and ran to him to report, “We’re trying to find a wife for Second Brother!”
“Xiaomei, you’re joining in the chaos too?” Cen Feng was speechless. “If Second Brother gets married, he won’t take you out for ice pops anymore. You’d still be happy with that?”
Cen Mei tilted her little head and thought for a moment. “Then never mind. Don’t get married yet. Ice pops are more important.”
“To you, your brother’s lifelong happiness isn’t even worth one ice pop???”
Not wanting to marry now didn’t mean he’d never consider it, but hearing his little sister answer so decisively without a hint of hesitation, Cen Feng felt a bit heartbroken. He thought he’d doted on her in vain. The whole house burst into laughter.
Cen Bai took advantage of Lou Guilan not paying attention and quickly went to the kitchen to put down the groceries. Su Xuezhen followed him out quietly and asked softly, “What did you buy?”
“One fish, one chicken, and I also got some ribs.”
The fish was still alive. Cen Bai poured some water into a basin and put the fish in to keep it alive for now. They were struggling to carry out their lunch for the day — two bowls of shredded pork fried noodles. He rubbed his nose and said, “I thought they’d only come in the afternoon, so I only bought enough lunch for two.”
“What are we going to do now?”
