Chapter 25: Wife of Chaff from the 1950s (25)

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Wife of Chaff from the 1950s (25)

Mr. Liu, in particular, burst out laughing without reservation.

’Well, well, well. Everyone used to go on and on about how outstanding her second son was. Handsome, a university graduate, the top talent at the machinery factory—truly, you couldn’t find a more brilliant young man in the entire Capital City.’

’But alas, his standards were so high that no girl was good enough for him, and he just dawdled his way to the ripe old age of twenty-six.’

’And for what? To look down on my niece, the salesclerk?’

’And what happens? Her son turns right around and decides to get engaged to a chef!’

’Chef Zhu. Just from the name, you could tell how tough and greasy that woman must be.’

Mrs. Chu glanced at Mr. Liu. ’Honestly, she didn’t have much faith in her son’s taste in women.’ After all, the family had introduced him to so many. If the times were different, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had presented him with a veritable imperial selection of beauties, from the plump to the slender.

But her son was great at everything, except he was missing a screw; he had no interest whatsoever in getting married and having kids. Even when they coaxed and tricked him into going on a blind date, he would get there and immediately storm off.

It got to the point where their friends and relatives dreaded helping, lest the matchmaking fail and they end up making enemies instead.

She and Mr. Chu had basically thrown in the towel, adopting a "let him do as he pleases" attitude. If he himself wasn’t in a hurry, were they supposed to force him to get married and have children?

Who would have thought their second son would pull a stunt like this on her.

Mrs. Chu felt a little faint. She secretly gritted her teeth, holding on, and forced a perfect smile so no one could laugh at her. "Very good. The girl my son has chosen is surely no ordinary young woman."

"Is there anything we need to prepare for the engagement?"

"Our family is small. Your older sister and younger brother are married, so there’s no burden on the family. Your father and I have saved up a good amount for you to get married, we were just waiting for your wife to show up!"

When Chu Shenyu heard this, he couldn’t help but rub his nose, feeling extremely guilty.

He was the one who had stubbornly declared he would devote himself to the organization and refused to marry, come what may. And he was also the one now, being forced into an impossible situation, who had to take responsibility for a young woman.

He said sheepishly, "She really is no ordinary girl."

His words gave Mrs. Chu a little more confidence. After she hung up the phone, her perpetually serious face was wreathed in smiles. The expression she usually kept deliberately bland was now filled with the gentle warmth of blooming spring flowers.

"Oh, Mr. Liu, your niece is certainly a good girl, but she and my son just weren’t fated to be. You see, he went and found a worker from his own workplace."

"A chef isn’t bad either. The job is stable and not too tiring, and she can improve our family’s meals from time to time."

"As for me, I’m not hoping for anything else now. I just hope the young couple can give me a grandchild to hold soon. I’m at that age, you know. As soon as they have a child, I’ll take early retirement."

Hearing this, everyone was surprised again. "Director Chu, you don’t have anyone to take over your position. Why retire so early? After retirement, the salary is low, there are no bonuses or benefits. Wouldn’t it be better to just hire a nanny?"

Mrs. Chu just smiled and waved her hand. "The family isn’t short on my little bit of money. The children have long been hoping I’d retire and get some rest. If there are a few more grandchildren, my Mr. Chu will have to retire to help out too."

’Isn’t money a good thing? Who complains about having too much of it?’ The crowd was baffled, but the sour taste of jealousy was already bubbling and simmering.

***

Zhu Yun’s days passed in a regular routine. However, because of her intimate encounter with Chu Shenyu, he would stuff all sorts of little things into her hands every time he came to get his food.

The first was a jar of Pearl Vanishing Cream, followed by milk candies, chocolate, sponge cakes, pastries, and so on.

In the past, when Zhu Yun served Chu Shenyu, she would always heap his tray full and watch with a broad smile as he walked away. It was purely the mentality of a zookeeper feeding an animal.

’Now, she felt the roles had been reversed. She was the one being fed from inside the serving window. Did he really think she was a chimpanzee?’

Then again, Zhu Yun did enjoy these little treats, so her only recourse was to begrudgingly heap his tray full of food each time.

"Chef Zhu, did Aunt Zhao tell you? My parents are coming to see me on Sunday and would like to meet you. If all goes well, we’ll settle the engagement."

Chu Shenyu passed over his lunchbox and also pushed a large tin of malted milk powder toward her.

The people around them never got tired of watching the daily spectacle. Who would have thought Mr. Chu was into this type?

Zhu Yun uncomfortably took the malted milk, nodded, "Got it," and in return, shoved a tin box of homemade wild boar jerky at him.

The corners of Chu Shenyu’s lips tilted up slightly. That hint of a smile seemed magical, possessing the power to melt winter itself. It was truly heart-stopping.

Zhu Yun didn’t even have to ask; on Sunday, Sister-in-law Qian and Assistant Chef Xu patted their chests and promised they could hold down the fort.

Steamed buns for breakfast, noodles for lunch, and flatbreads for dinner. Zhu Yun had prepared all the fillings in advance.

Waking up early, Zhu Yun washed up and then looked in the mirror while applying vanishing cream.

The Pearl Vanishing Cream was supposed to whiten skin and fade spots. Applying it also improved her complexion, taking her another big step toward a wheat-colored skin tone!

She didn’t have much to get ready. She made herself some noodles, and after eating, changed into an olive-green suit. Seeing it was about time, she called for Sister-in-law Tan through the wall.

"Coming, coming," Sister-in-law Tan said, patting the dust off her clothes with a towel as she walked out smiling.

The two of them headed toward the Zhao Family’s house together.

The Zhao Family also lived in the employee family quarters, but with Director Zhao’s rank, they weren’t squeezed into the staff apartment buildings with the regular workers. Instead, they were assigned a two-story, red-brick house.

From a distance, it looked like several rows of two-story apartment blocks, but in reality, they were row houses sharing walls, each with two floors and a sizable yard in front. It was a much more space-efficient design than individual two-story houses.

Peeking through the fenced yard, she saw that the Zhao family had already set up a round table in the courtyard, laden with fruit, candy, and pastries. Aunt Zhao was smiling and chatting with a couple who both wore glasses—undoubtedly Mr. and Mrs. Chu.

When Zhu Yun reached the gate, it suddenly dawned on her: ’I’m the "homely daughter-in-law" about to meet the parents!’

Before she could hesitate, Aunt Zhao smilingly pushed open the gate and waved them in. From inside, Director Zhao and Chu Shenyu, who had been talking, also came out.

Mrs. Chu turned and saw a very spirited young woman with smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. If one were to ignore her dark, glossy skin, she was indeed a girl who had it all: a good figure, good height, and good looks.

’But she’d heard that Zhu Yun hadn’t even graduated from elementary school. In terms of education alone, the gap between her and her son was as wide as an ocean. Could the young couple really make a life together in the future?’

’What was even more vexing was that her own son had drunkenly taken advantage of the girl. As his mother, she felt guilty and had absolutely no grounds to find fault with her prospective daughter-in-law.’

’So much for "not hoping for anything else"! Now, her heart was in her throat, just hoping that her second son’s children wouldn’t all turn out to be little charcoal dolls. She’d heard a child’s skin tone takes after the mother...’

Her smile was so strained it looked like she was about to cry. "You must be Classmate Zhu?"

Aunt Zhao hurriedly made the introductions.

Zhu Yun smiled and greeted them. As she opened her mouth, her white teeth flashed in the sun, creating an even starker contrast.

Even Chu Shenyu couldn’t help but let his lip twitch. ’He suddenly had the strange feeling he’d gotten himself a foreign wife—a foreign wife with curly hair who could cook and speak Chinese...’