Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 45 Friends Everywhere

When he returned home in the evening, Lin Chaoyang found that Tao's father was talking to someone. He knew the man opposite him and almost blurted out "Lao Deng".

After the game of chess was over and it was almost time for dinner, Tao's father introduced Lin Chaoyang to the old man.

"Brother Guangqian, this is Yushu's husband. His name is Lin Chaoyang and he works in the library."

"Hello, Professor Zhu!" Lin Chaoyang called respectfully.

Zhu Guangqian smiled, with a lot of wrinkles on his face, like an old fox.

"I ran into him the other day when I went to the library. What a fate. Calling him professor would be a bit too formal. Call him uncle."

"Hello, Uncle Zhu!" Lin Chaoyang called again.

The old man nodded in satisfaction, "He is plain-looking, and indeed not a good match for Yu Shu."

Lao Deng, you have such a sharp tongue. Why are you nodding when I say “average appearance” again?

"But he has a good eye. He was able to marry Yushu, a good material for studying aesthetics!"

This sounds like a human saying!

But he thought about it and felt that something was not right. Lao Deng was just giving a sweet date after giving him a beating, and he must not be fooled.

Lin Chaoyang called Lao Deng in his heart, but he still looked well-behaved on his face.

Who made the guy in front of me a mountain pioneer?

The founder of Chinese aesthetic education!
This title alone can kill more than 99% of the intellectuals in China in seconds.

This time, Lin Chaoyang finally understood why the old man went to the library to entertain himself that day. It turned out that he was a close friend of Tao's father.

Because of Zhu Guangqian's arrival, the Tao family's dinner today was particularly sumptuous. Before the meal, Tao Yumo stared at the sumptuous dishes with green eyes.

"Drink some, drink some."

As soon as Zhu Guangqian sat down, he urged Tao's father, but Tao's father said, "I made a promise to your family before you came."

"They're not here."

"Do you think they can't smell it after drinking?" Tao's father asked again.

"Make yourself a pot of tea before you go. You won't drink much."

It seems that the old man is a habitual offender and his method of committing crimes is very sophisticated.

Tao's father couldn't persuade him, so he brought two small wine cups, one cup costing three coins, and said, "Three cups, that's it!"

"Yushu, you have to keep a close eye on your dad in the next few years and don't let him drink secretly."

Zhu Guangqian confided his dissatisfaction with Tao Yushu's father to him. Tao Yushu laughed and said, "Uncle Zhu, my father's alcohol addiction is not as severe as yours!"

"This girl is really not as cute as she was when she was a child."

After dinner, Zhu Guangqian really drank a pot of tea. Before leaving, he put his hands in front of his mouth and blew on it to make sure there was no smell of alcohol before leaving.

Lin Chaoyang thought of the previous "braised pork" incident and wondered if the Tao Yushu sisters had learned it from him since childhood.

The old saying is true: those who are close to red will become red.

Zhu Guangqian's family lived in Yannan Garden, which was some distance away from Langrun Garden. Tao's father asked his elder brother-in-law to send him back home.

After returning home in the evening, Lin Chaoyang handed the movie tickets he bought from Liu Zhenyun to Tao Yushu.

"Where are you from?" Tao Yushu asked.

Lin Chaoyang then told Liu Zhenyun and other Chinese major students about their work-study programs. "These are all internal movies. My parents should be interested as well."

"Are you starting to flatter me now?"

"My brother-in-law gave me the inspiration. What is flattery? This is called enriching spare time and strengthening spiritual civilization. Your awareness still needs to be improved."

"Hmph!" Tao Yushu wrinkled his nose at him and happily accepted the movie ticket.

Inviting family members to watch movies may seem a bit too idealistic in later generations. However, the entertainment activities of ordinary people are really too scarce these days, and watching movies is almost the most popular form of entertainment.

In the coming year of 1979, the Chinese film industry set a world record of 293 billion moviegoers.

This is not only a record unprecedented and unparalleled, but also the most significant achievement in the history of world cinema.

Based on China's population of 79 million in 9.75, every Chinese watched a movie an average of 30 times that year. This was the true peak moment of the Chinese film market.

Lin Chaoyang got a few movie tickets for his family, which really was a good entertainment activity for everyone.

After Tao Yushu gave the movie tickets to his family, Lin Chaoyang could clearly feel that the atmosphere at home had become cheerful.

Especially my sister-in-law Tao Yumo, a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old who loves to play. Watching a movie made her so happy that she secretly found Tao Yushu and asked if she could get another ticket. She wanted to invite her classmates to watch the movie together.

Tao Yushu's first reaction was: "Male or female?"

"Sister~ what are you talking about?" Tao Yumo's face was full of shyness, "Of course it's a female classmate."

"Why are you feeling guilty? I'm just asking."

“Who’s guilty?”

Tao Yumo begged for a long time and got two movie tickets from her sister.

After she left, Lin Chaoyang said proudly: "Now this house is full of friends."

Tao Yushu said sarcastically: "My mother is worth ten people."

"Your mother's fighting ability is strong, but she has no comrades, so she can't support the army alone. Make more friends and fewer enemies, this is the secret of victory."

"Nonsense! Don't go out and say that."

Two days later, the New Year's Eve was approaching.

Lin Chaoyang received a package sent by his parents from his hometown in Northeast China. It contained mountain products, at least ten kilograms, all dried, enough for the Tao family to eat for half a year. There was also a letter along with the package.

The old couple and Tao Yushu thought the same thing, and said in the letter that Tao Yushu had only come back in mid-August, so the interval was short and he didn't need to go back for the New Year, so that the young couple could save some travel expenses.

These mountain products sent by mail are for my relatives. It's New Year's Eve, so I want to add some dishes to the family. Please write to me if you like to eat anything. There is nothing else in Northeast China except mountain products.

That night, Tao Yushu showed a large bag of mountain products to the Tao family.

Nowadays, people's living conditions and material levels are far less abundant than in later generations, even in Yanjing. A large bag of mountain products from the mountains of Northeast China spread on the table attracted the attention of the Tao family.

"This bag must be worth at least sixty or seventy yuan, right?" said my brother-in-law.

Northeastern mountain products may sound rustic, but they are really not cheap, especially in this era when artificial cultivation is not yet possible.

And because they are all air-dried and sun-dried, the actual amount is much more than what you see.

Tao Yucheng and Tao Yumo, brother and sister, looked at the mountain products with sparkling eyes. This big bag of mountain products included not only black fungus, hericium erinaceus, hazel mushroom, but also two dried pheasants.

How delicious it would be if this were cooked into a dish!
Tao Yushu conveyed the instructions from the two elders of the Lin family in the letter to Tao's father, his expression full of pride.

"We feel embarrassed to have let our father-in-law and mother-in-law spend so much money." Father Tao said to Lin Chaoyang.

"Dad, we are all family. You are too polite."

Whether it was Tao's father, Lin Chaoyang, or the Tao family, they all understood that Lin Erchun and his wife sent these things not only as a gift to their in-laws, but also to express their gratitude to the Tao family for taking care of and tolerating their son.

Giving gifts normally seems too deliberate, but now that the New Year is coming, this gift seems thoughtful and considerate.

"Please thank your parents for our family when you reply." Father Tao looked thoughtful and said, "Since you are not going back to your hometown this year, then stay home and celebrate the New Year. You two have been married for almost a year, but you haven't held a wedding, and the two families haven't even met. This is not right. Let's find a time next year and go to the Northeast."

After hearing this, Lin Chaoyang was slightly surprised, Tao Yushu was delighted, but Tao's mother, who had been silent the whole time, immediately turned pale.

But no matter how unwilling she was, Father Tao was the one in charge of the family after all, and she would not oppose him outright.

Lin Chaoyang secretly glanced at Tao's mother's reaction. Don't be afraid of offending people in the workplace. The key is to follow the right people.

Even if his mother-in-law dislikes him, doesn't she still have to go to the Northeast?

(End of this chapter)