Harbin Railway Station. The platform.
Liu Xiaowei rubbed her hands and stamped her feet, then said to Liu Xiaojun beside her: “Brother, didn’t Sis say the train arrives at three this afternoon? It’s almost four. Why isn’t it here yet?”
“The train must be delayed. If you’re cold, Little Sister, go inside and warm up by the fire.”
“Come with me, then. Who knows when the train will… Oh, wait, I think it’s here! I hear it pulling in.”
No sooner had Liu Xiaowei spoken than a green-painted locomotive slowly appeared in Liu Xiaojun’s line of sight.
“Hopefully Xiaoli and the others are on this train.”
Before long, the arriving train screeched to a halt with a rumble of brakes.
Liu Xiaojun and Liu Xiaowei scanned the disembarking crowd with all their might. Finally, just as the passengers were nearly all off, the familiar figure from their memories came into view.
“Brother, Sis is over there!”
“I see her. Let’s go!”
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoli stood on the platform, taking in the familiar sight of the city she hadn’t seen in so long. Overcome with emotion, she gently stroked her belly and murmured, “Little one, Mommy has brought you to Harbin. This is Mommy’s hometown. In this beautiful city, there are Mommy’s loved ones, and so many of Mommy’s childhood memories…”
Just as she was conversing with the baby, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Sis.”
“Xiaoli.”
Liu Xiaoli looked up in surprise to find her brother and sister standing before her.
Seeing two beloved family members she hadn’t seen in ages, tears suddenly pricked at her eyes.
“Big Brother.”
“Xiaowei.”
The three siblings exchanged quick greetings. Then Liu Xiaoli introduced everyone to each other.
“Brother Sheng, Mom, Dad, Big Sis, this is my older brother, Liu Xiaojun… and my younger sister, Liu Xiaowei.”
Before anyone could exchange greetings, Liu Xiaoli turned and introduced the other side: “Big Brother, Xiaowei, this is my husband, Chen Fusheng… and these two are my parents-in-law. She is Fusheng’s sister.”
Once Liu Xiaoli finished the introductions, Liu Xiaojun was the first to speak up:
“Welcome, Brother-in-law, and your whole family to Harbin! You must be exhausted after such a long train ride. Our parents are at home preparing dinner, so we two came to pick you up!”
“Thank you, Big Brother. And thank you, Little Sister. Making you come out in this cold weather to pick us up, we really appreciate it.”
Everyone took turns exchanging pleasantries. Once the other passengers on the platform had mostly dispersed, they left the train station.
The Oriental Rose Community.
Liu Xiaoli’s parents and sister-in-law had been preparing the dinner since breakfast. By early afternoon, most of the cooking was done.
The rest of the time, they’d been waiting for the eldest son-in-law’s family to arrive.
They kept drifting to the balcony to peek at the community gate.
If the adults were like this, the two children were even more restless, running over every few minutes to ask, “Is Eldest Aunt here yet?”
“They’re here! Mom, Dad, they’re here!”
This time, Liu Xiaoli’s sister-in-law was standing at the window and finally spotted the familiar group walking through the community gate. She hurriedly called out to her in-laws.
“Finally. Which one is Xiaoli’s husband?”
“Should be the one next to her, but it’s too far to see clearly.”
“Oh my, why am I so nervous? Old man, check if I look all right.”
“You look wonderful. Very sharp. Come on, let’s go out and greet them.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Yuerong, bring the kids. Let’s go.”
The Liu family had lived here their entire lives. The neighbors around them were all old acquaintances.
Naturally, they had noticed the Liu family’s preparations over the past couple of days and had asked around. It was their eldest daughter’s husband who was coming.
So no sooner had the Liu family opened their door than the neighbors came out to join the spectacle.
“Old sister, I thought your eldest girl was still young. Married so early?”
“Not that young. Twenty.” Though Liu Xiaoli’s parents had initially opposed the marriage when they heard about it, what was done was done. Now they even had a baby on the way. Naturally, they had to protect the couple’s reputation in front of outsiders.
“Old Liu, where’s your son-in-law from?”
“Hubei.”
“That’s marrying quite far away. Visiting relatives won’t be easy.”
“As long as my daughter is happy.” Father Liu replied. That was also his wish as a father.
“What does your son-in-law do?” The neighbors kept asking.
Since everyone got along well on a daily basis, the Liu family couldn’t very well refuse to answer.
“He’s a university teacher.”
“Oh, a university teacher! That’s not bad!”
“I saw your eldest girl when she came back the year before last. Such a beauty. I was wondering which lucky young man would win her heart. I never imagined she’d find a university teacher.”
“But to be a university teacher, he must be pretty old, right?”
Mother Liu shot the person a look and said testily: “Born in ’57. Two years older than my daughter.”
“Young enough to be a university teacher already?”
The Liu family didn’t explain further, because the guests had arrived.
The same routine as at the train station. Liu Xiaoli first embraced her parents with emotion, then through her brief introductions, both sides exchanged formal greetings.
“In-laws, you should have just come. Why bring so many things? And such a long journey. How difficult for you.”
“We didn’t bring much, really. Besides, there’s the train. We didn’t have to carry everything on our backs.”
“…”
“In-laws, you look quite young. Is your health good?”
“My health is fine. But I’m nearly at retirement age. Not so young anymore. You look quite a bit younger than me, though?”
“Oh, not at all. I was born in ’25. Fifty-five this year.”
“See? I told you you’re younger than me. I’m fifty-eight.”
“…”
Seeing his wife launching into conversation right at the doorstep, Father Liu had no choice but to step in: “It’s freezing out here. Everyone, come inside. We’ve got the stove going. Come, come.”
The Liu family’s apartment was a three-bedroom. But with seven members of the Liu family and five from the Chen side, the living room filled up in an instant.
No sooner had Chen Fusheng sat down than, after exchanging a glance with his wife, he stood right back up.
They first handed out the individual gifts. Then Chen Fusheng, following a plan he’d made before the trip, needed to complete a formal tea ceremony with his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
“Mom, Dad, thank you both for raising Xiaoli to be such a wonderful person…”
At this moment, Chen Fusheng spoke nothing but pretty words, all prepared in advance.
He took a teacup from the side and knelt before his father-in-law: “Father, please have some tea.”
Father Liu accepted the cup from his son-in-law and said first:
“Sometimes Xiaoli can be a bit willful. Fusheng, as her husband, I hope you’ll be more tolerant of her.”
“Of course. Marriage is something both husband and wife must work at together. So this is also for you, Xiaoli. Be more understanding of your husband. Put yourself in each other’s shoes. Communicate more about things. Don’t fight… With that, Father wishes you a happy marriage and a lifetime of happiness together.”
“Thank you, Father.” Chen Fusheng and Liu Xiaoli both nodded solemnly.
Then Father Liu drank the tea his son-in-law offered.
Next, Chen Fusheng took another teacup and presented it to his mother-in-law: “Mother, please have some tea!”
“All right. I won’t say too much. I just hope you and Xiaoli will live well together. Happy and smooth-sailing for a lifetime, harmonious and beautiful… When the family is in harmony, all things prosper!”
“Thank you, Mother.”
