Chapter Thirty-One: The Fine Points
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Yu’s father stood nearby, carefully wiping the television with a cloth as he chimed in, “That’s right. Yuzhu really is capable. A television like this isn’t easy to get.”
At the side, Yu Haitang poured tea for He Yuzhu while explaining to her parents how hard-won the television had been. “Dad, Mom, you have no idea how difficult it was to buy this television. Yuzhu had to find the ration coupons and pay for it himself, and on top of that, he’s been so generous to our family.”
Yu Haitang was positively glowing inside. She felt incredibly proud to have found someone like He Yuzhu, especially in front of her parents.
As for He Yuzhu, though he listened to the Yu family’s praise, his heart was filled with conflicting emotions. After all, aside from him and Yan Xiecheng, no one knew the television’s true origins.
At dinnertime, the Yu family prepared an especially sumptuous meal to thank He Yuzhu.
There were four dishes and a soup on the table, with meat and vegetables perfectly balanced. Everything looked, smelled, and tasted delicious—enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
“Yuzhu, try these dishes your uncle made. How do they taste?”
He Yuzhu picked up a piece of fish and savored it carefully before praising it without restraint. “This is truly a delicacy fit for the gods. This stewed fish in particular is wonderfully fragrant and leaves an unforgettable aftertaste.”
Yu’s father instantly brightened, as though he had finally found someone who understood him. “Ha! I knew you knew your food.
“This stewed fish is my specialty.
“And there’s quite a bit of technique to making it. You have to fry the fish first. That way, the soup comes out rich and milky white, and it tastes absolutely wonderful.
“Then, just before serving, you sprinkle on a handful of chopped green onions. Oh, the flavor is simply…”
Just as Yu’s father was enthusiastically sharing his culinary wisdom, Yu’s mother gently nudged his arm, her eyes carrying a hint of displeasure and urging him to stop.
Only then did Yu’s father realize that he might have said too much. He gave an awkward laugh and hurriedly changed the subject. “Ahem. We can talk about cooking another time. Actually, there’s something important I’d like to discuss with you today.”
At that, Yu’s father’s expression turned solemn. He glanced at his wife, then at He Yuzhu, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Strictly speaking, it isn’t quite proper for the woman’s parents to bring this up.
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“But you and Haitang have been together for some time now, and your aunt and I are quite satisfied with you.
“So I’ll put aside my pride and ask you…”
When He Yuzhu heard this, he immediately grew uneasy. He had no idea what Yu’s father was about to say and could only wait in silence.
At that moment, Yu’s mother took over and asked bluntly, “Yuzhu, you and Haitang have been seeing each other for a while now. We’d like to know—have you thought about when you two might make things official?”
Her question caught He Yuzhu completely off guard. Before he could answer, Yu Haitang hurriedly spoke up. “Dad, Mom, how can you suddenly ask something like that? You never discussed it with me beforehand!”
There was a trace of resentment and displeasure in her voice. Her cheeks flushed faintly, making her look both embarrassed and bashful.
Before this, Yu Haitang’s parents had often reminded her to find a suitable opportunity to ask He Yuzhu about his plans for their future, especially where marriage was concerned.
Yet whenever she imagined bringing up such a subject herself, her cheeks grew hot and her heart began to race. She simply could not bring herself to say it.
She was afraid that taking the initiative would catch He Yuzhu off guard, and she also worried that asking such a question might disrupt the relaxed, natural atmosphere between them.
Thus, despite her parents’ repeated urging, Yu Haitang always found one excuse or another to delay, never giving them a definite answer.
What she had never expected, however, was that her parents would go around her and ask He Yuzhu directly.
She was utterly unhappy with the arrangement made by the elders in her family. She felt as though she were some piece of merchandise being hurriedly sold off. And when they asked whether she was willing to marry Yuzhu, her displeasure became even more obvious.
“Why can’t we ask?” Yu’s mother said calmly, entirely unruffled by her daughter’s challenge. “Or are you saying you don’t want to marry Yuzhu at all?”
At those words, Yu Haitang’s cheeks instantly turned scarlet, like ripe apples. Stammering, she replied, “I… I didn’t mean that, Mom. How can you put it that way?”
The room fell utterly silent. Everyone waited for the other crucial person—He Yuzhu—to say something.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment. The only sound was the steady tick-tock of the clock on the wall, reminding them that the seconds were passing.
At last, He Yuzhu broke the silence. “Haitang, we’ve been together for quite some time now. There’s nothing wrong with asking about this.”
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Hearing that, Yu Haitang’s heart began pounding like a rabbit was trapped inside her chest. But what He Yuzhu said next left her stunned.
“Haitang and I are still only at the stage of getting to know each other. If we were to make things official now, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”
The moment those words were spoken, the smiles vanished from the faces of everyone in the Yu family, and the atmosphere became distinctly awkward.
Sensing that something was wrong, He Yuzhu felt deeply unsettled. He could neither sit comfortably nor stand with ease.
Yu Haitang stared intently at him, her voice carrying both accusation and confusion. “What exactly do you mean by that? We’ve been together for so long. Is ‘we still don’t know each other well enough’ really the only assessment you can give of our relationship?”
At that moment, Yu Haitang seemed strangely unfamiliar to He Yuzhu. Her face was tense, and her eyes appeared to be covered in a layer of ice, sending a chill through him.
He Yuzhu was sweating profusely. He knew her question was difficult to answer, and that the slightest misstep could plunge them into an even more awkward situation.
Just as he was at a loss for what to do, Yu’s father and mother stepped in to ease the tension.
“There’s no harm in getting to know each other better. Let’s set this matter aside for now and discuss it another time,” Yu’s father said with a smile. He gestured for the two of them to continue eating. “Haitang, Yuzhu, come on, eat. The food is getting cold.”
Yet to He Yuzhu, the sumptuous dinner tasted like wax. His heart was a tangled mess, and he suspected that Yu Haitang felt the same way.
By the time dinner ended, their bowls were still piled high with food. Clearly, neither of them had much of an appetite.
After the meal, He Yuzhu volunteered to wash the dishes before bidding farewell to Yu’s parents.
Yu Haitang was half pushed and half persuaded out the door by her parents to see him off.
He Yuzhu secretly thought that if the elderly couple of the Yu family could have foreseen what was about to happen, they would probably never have asked Yu Haitang to accompany him outside.
But the ways of the world were impossible to predict. The moment the two of them stepped out through the Yu family’s front door, a fierce argument erupted.
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