Being urged to get married during the Chinese New Year has become a staple program for modern Chinese youth.
Compared to the older generation who often settled for someone just to pair up when they reached a certain age, young men and women today have their own ideas, and it's common to see many still single at 30.
Watching their children get older, parents, who are set in their own ways of life, can't help but worry. Finding their own lectures insufficient, they enlist aunts and uncles to join the chorus, making young people feel like Sun Wukong with a tightening headband—miserable and unable to escape.
"That does sound rough." Lin Lan smacked her lips, giving him a rather sympathetic look. "Hang in there, it's just for that short period. You'll get through it."
The gloomy-faced Xu Xiangfei couldn't help but glance at her. "Young Landlady, you don't seem to have this worry."
Strictly speaking, this daughter of the landlord was only a few years younger than him. When he first moved into this building, she was still working in Shanghai, and they'd barely see each other all year. It was only this year, after she stopped working away from home, that they ran into each other more often, turning their few past encounters into a casual acquaintance.
Looking so relaxed, could it be she already found someone in Shanghai?
"I did date someone, but we broke up before I came back." Lin Lan waved her hand, openly admitting it. "My family is small, and my parents and relatives are quite open-minded. They don't really care about these things, no one is in a hurry to push me."
"You're kidding, right? What middle-aged or elderly person doesn't care about this stuff?" Xu Xiangfei looked utterly disbelieving, his eyes wide as he leaned back to scrutinize her expression, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the husky he was holding on a leash.
"Isn't it obvious?" Lin Lan replied with an equally matter-of-fact expression. "With my conditions, finding someone to marry would be a piece of cake. There's no worry about not having marriage prospects at all."
The young and beautiful girl stood there, with a six-story building behind her. Xu Xiangfei felt a sharp pang in his chest.
Right, why would a young landlady like her worry about marriage? Just by putting the word out, even families from the neighborhood across the street would have a bunch of eligible men eagerly lining up!
"Young Landlady, has anyone ever told you you're a bit narcissistic?" The heavily wounded Xu Xiangfei clutched his chest, glaring at her in accusation.
"Nonsense, I'm not." Lin Lan refuted her tenant with a straight face. "After all, every point I made is a fact."
Another stab to the heart. The poor single dog about to face the army of marriage-pressure relatives deeply regretted bringing this up.
"I admit defeat, farewell!" Xu Xiangfei hung his head, made a fist-and-palm salute towards her, turned, and walked away. "Young Landlady, until we meet again!"
"Woof! Woof!" The husky, pulled along by its owner's leash, also barked at her twice from behind.
"Take care, take care." Lin Lan smiled and waved at the departing man and dog. Unlike other tenants rushing to the bus station, this one, because of the big dog, hired a private car home every year. He certainly lived a carefree life. "See you next year, Xu Xiangfei, and Cola too!"
As the tenants of the building had mostly left, New Year's Eve arrived as scheduled.
By this time, the Cheng family had long left West City and had been staying in their remote hometown for two or three days.
No shopping malls, no internet cafes, no amusement parks. There was only the internet connection installed in recent years, the renovated old family house, and the cable TV that wouldn't let you skip or fast-forward programs at will.
In the spacious rural house, Cheng Fengyang lay sprawled on the sofa like a dried salted fish. His gaze seemed fixed on the opera channel the elders were enjoying on TV, but his mind was actually wandering far away.
Outside, several kids were playing, running, and having snowball fights in the large snow-covered courtyard, accompanied by a Border Collie and a big yellow dog.
The Border Collie was, of course, Xingxing, whom Cheng Fengyang had brought back. The whole family had returned to their hometown and had a private car, so of course they wouldn't leave the dog alone at home. The big yellow dog was raised by Great-grandpa Cheng, not only an excellent guard but sometimes even stealing the rural cats' job by meddling and catching a few rats.
Unlike the Lin family, whose relatives were all local to West City, the Cheng family was more extensive. In his youth, Grandpa Cheng had three sons, including Cheng Fengyang's grandfather. Later, these three sons left home to seek their fortunes. Cheng Fengyang's grandfather put down roots in West City, struggling alongside his wife. They managed to secure a plot of land in what was then a very underdeveloped West City and built a courtyard house.
Grandpa Cheng didn't have the luck of Grandpa Lin, who made a fortune in business and bought a building. The house was built entirely through the hard work of him and his wife. Perhaps they pushed themselves too hard when they were young, as both fell ill and passed away before reaching seventy, leaving only Cheng Fengyang's father's family to keep the courtyard house and continue their modest, neither poor nor rich life. It wasn't until later when the government planned the urban area that their luck turned and the family prospered. The other two brothers were still alive, but at an advanced age, they were also plagued by illnesses.
In contrast, Great-grandpa Cheng and Great-grandma Cheng, who had stayed in the rural hometown, enjoyed long lives. Despite being in their nineties, they were remarkably healthy and spry, able to carry loads and walk around the fields several times without getting winded.
With the eldest family elders in good health, the entire Cheng family naturally returned to the rural hometown for Chinese New Year every year.
Every year at this time, the increasingly spacious and bright rural courtyard was bustling with activity, with kids big and small running around inside and out.
"Uncle Fengyang! Uncle Fengyang!"
Just as Cheng Fengyang was feeling utterly despondent, the kids who had been having snowball fights in the yard all ran over. The leader, a seven-year-old boy, crashed into the young man sprawled on the sofa like a firecracker. The impact, like a little bull, caught the unprepared Cheng Fengyang off guard, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
"Cheng Xiaozhuang, what are you doing!" The boy's mother was also present and immediately scolded him. "Don't you know your Uncle Fengyang just sprained his foot two days ago and it still hurts, and you crash into him! Apologize right now!"
Scolded by his mom, the overexcited little boy shrunk his neck, pouted, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Fengyang, I hurt you."
"It's okay, it's okay." Cheng Fengyang, still grimacing, waved a hand to smooth things over. "He's just a kid, it's normal to not know his own strength. Sis-in-law, don't scold Zhuangzhuang anymore."
"Fengyang, stop indulging them." Xiaozhuang's mom wasn't about to make excuses for her son. She was often driven mad by the mischievous kids at home. "Didn't you sprain your foot because of these little rascals? They never settle down even during New Year, they need to be reined in!"
The kids, who had just been having a blast playing wildly in the yard, instantly all shrunk their necks together, looking pitifully either at Cheng Fengyang or at Xiaozhuang's mom.
Mentioning the sprained foot, Cheng Fengyang sighed inwardly about his own bad luck. First, hot pot oil injured his eye just before returning to his hometown. After finally resting at home for a few days to recover, on the second day back in his hometown, he ended up spraining his foot because of the mischievous kids.
Is this just a streak of bad luck?
His heart was crying inside, but he had to maintain a smile befitting an elder on his face: "It's fine, it's fine, sister-in-law, don't be angry. They already know they were wrong. Look, they haven't dared to run wild in the ditches in the fields these past few days, isn't that improvement? Alright, Xiaozhuang, and Mingming and Tongtong, what did you need me for?" Weren't they just having a blast with Gouzi a moment ago?
Little friend Xiaozhuang and little friend Mingming immediately rushed to speak first: "Uncle Fengyang, Xiaozhuang said you brought a PAD back! We want to watch cartoons, can you set it up for us?"
Oh, tired of playing in the snow and now remembering cartoons.
"Alright, I'll go get it for you." Cheng Fengyang's bag was on the side cabinet console table in the living room, not too far but not too close either. It would have been easy to grab if he weren't injured, but now it was a bit difficult.
"Let me get it, Fengyang, you sit!" Xiaozhuang's mom quickly stopped him when she saw he intended to get it himself.
"No need, no need. Staying completely still makes my bones ache. Sister-in-law, just let me move around a bit." Cheng Fengyang waved his hand dismissively, already rising from the sofa. One injured leg hung slightly, and he hopped on the other foot towards the wall.
Finally hopping on one leg to the side cabinet, just as Cheng Fengyang reached out to grab his bag, he heard a series of children's laughter behind him, mixed with Cheng Xiaozhuang's completely undisguised shout, "Grandpa, Mom, look at Xingxing and Dahuang! They're copying Uncle Fengyang!" Instantly understanding the reason, he whirled his head around.
He saw the Border Collie and the big yellow dog that had followed the kids in earlier, both trailing right behind him. Each dog had lifted one front paw, hopping along just like him.
"Hey! You two rascals!" Furious, Cheng Fengyang raised his hand as if to hit them. The two dogs immediately turned and ran, but even as they fled, they still held up one paw, pretending to be lame as they scampered away into the distance.
Instantly, the living room erupted in a burst of hearty laughter from young and old alike.
It was infuriating. Even the dogs were mocking him for his injury!
"This just proves that both Xingxing and Dahuang really like you, Fengyang," Great-grandpa Cheng said with a laugh, soothing his fuming great-grandson. "They wouldn't imitate someone they weren't close to."
"Let's not have this kind of closeness, Great-grandpa," the great-grandson replied, mentally exhausted, slumping back onto the sofa with a look of utter despair. "Right now, I'm a tiger at bay being bullied by dogs."
His demeanor only elicited more laughter from the elders.
"Yangyang is twenty-six this year, right? Turning twenty-seven after tonight," Grandma Cheng said, looking at her great-grandson with a face full of affectionate laughter. Among the great-grandchildren, he was the best-looking, yet still didn't have a girlfriend. "You can't delay any longer, child. Next year, it's time to find a wife."
"Exactly," chimed in Xiaozhuang's mom, who had just finished setting up the cartoons for the kids, joining the conversation on this interesting topic. "Among your cousins, except for Xiaohui and Pingping who are still studying, which one isn't either dating or already married? You'll be pushing thirty in a few years; you really can't delay anymore."
"Yangyang, is there a girl you like?" Great-grandpa Cheng also expressed his concern.
Of course there was one, but she didn't like him back yet. Cheng Fengyang thought to himself, but his words were different.
"Great-grandpa, Great-grandma, don't worry. Finding a wife is easy for me," he said deliberately, straightening his spine. His New Year's clothes made the young man's features appear even more handsome. He pretended to be suave, brushing his bangs. "Look at me, I'm so handsome, and my conditions are so good. Getting a wife would be a matter of minutes! Just wait, I'll definitely bring back a beautiful wife for you elders!"
"Eww! Uncle Fengyang is so vain!" Cheng Xiaozhuang, who was watching cartoons, suddenly turned his head and made a face at his uncle. "Shameless!"
"Brat, keep talking and I'll confiscate the tablet!"
The lively living room immediately filled with laughter once more.
"It's getting late, Second Grandpa Cheng's family should be arriving soon," Xiaozhuang's mom said at this moment, looking at the sky outside. "Great-grandma, I'll go to the kitchen to start the fire and cook dinner."
"Have your mom, Fengyang's mom, and Mingming's mom go with you. More hands will make the work faster," Great-grandma instructed. "Remember to clean out all three stove hearths before lighting the fire, and chase out any cats sleeping inside."
"Alright!"
As night fell, Second Grandpa Cheng's large family arrived in a grand procession at the old family home, just in time for dinner. This time, the entire Cheng family was gathered together.
Elders and youngsters gathered, and this reunion dinner required three round tables. Relatives sat together, eating dishes and chatting, with the background music being the already-started Spring Festival Gala broadcast.
Even though many people no longer enjoyed watching the Gala, they still liked to turn the TV to that channel, finding joy even in just the sounds.
Among the crowd of peers, Cheng Fengyang, as an unmarried junior, naturally couldn't squeeze into the most important table with Great-grandpa and Great-grandma. Moreover, being a single dog once again, and due to insufficient numbers in his 'category,' he was excluded from the table of his married siblings and cousins, relegated to the treatment of sharing a table with a bunch of half-grown kids.
Pitiful?
No, not pitiful.
He had escaped the various 'find a wife' topics from the elders and married peers.
Cheng Fengyang expressed that he was enjoying the New Year's Eve dinner very much. This bunch of little brats wouldn't bring up those annoying topics, right?
As it turned out, he had celebrated too soon.
"Uncle Fengyang, when are you getting a wife?" a fifteen-year-old cousin's son asked, holding his rice bowl and blinking at him. "My mom said you'll be 27 after tonight, which is really old. Haven't you managed to get a wife yet?"
Cheng Fengyang suddenly felt the chicken leg in his hand lose its flavor. He sternly reprimanded his nephew, "Kids shouldn't meddle in adults' business."
"Uncle Fengyang, you're so lame!" The nephew, already in his third year of junior high, burst out laughing. "Being 27 and still not having a wife is so lame! My dad was your age when I was already 3!"
Cheng Fengyang silently looked at this cousin's son, who was right in the middle of his rebellious phase. He put down his chopsticks. The brat who had just been mocking his uncle for being a single dog instantly looked wary, ready to run at any moment when he saw him stand up. But he soon realized this uncle wasn't coming to hit him. Instead, he turned and left the table: "I'm going to the bathroom."
The young man, leaning on his crutch, walked nonchalantly through the dining area towards the living room door.
The moment he stepped outside, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, found the number of his university classmate who worked at the Experimental Middle School in his contacts, and pressed dial.
A few seconds later.
"Hey, is that Junzi? Happy New Year!... Hey hey, your buddy's been doing alright this year... How could I compare to you? You're already a gold medal teacher, your social status is enviable... Sure, sure, we'll get together when we have time... By the way, there's a small thing I'd like to ask of you..."
Time flew, and two days had passed.
The nephew who had mocked his uncle for being single on New Year's Eve had long forgotten the incident. That was until, right before his uncle's departure, a discreetly delivered SF Express package arrived at their hometown home. From it, the uncle pulled out a thick stack of exam papers and exercises from a top-tier municipal experimental middle school and handed them over to the nephew's parents. The shocked and indignant teenager, in the throes of his rebellious phase, finally realized the severity of the consequences.
Why did he have to run his mouth and provoke a single man without a wife? The world truly is a merciless place!
