Chapter 28: Pan Family Visits
“Alright, help me cook the fish soup and the meatballs,” Mother Sheng instructed.
“Old Sheng! Take out the white flour and start kneading the dough for the buns.”
Hearing his wife’s orders, Father Sheng hurried into the kitchen to grab his ingredients and then retreated to the living room to diligently knead the dough.
With the three of them working together, and Grandma Sheng helping to wash the vegetables on the side, the ingredients were prepped in no time.
Mother Sheng was taking the lead as the head chef today. She knew full well that Wanyan was actually the better cook, but today of all days, she wanted to personally show her sincerity to the future in-laws. Secondly, she wanted to demonstrate that the Sheng family cherished their daughter and didn’t just relegate her to the role of a kitchen servant. As a mother, she was always thinking several steps ahead for her children’s sake.
With Sheng Wanyan playing sous-chef, Mother Sheng cooked with incredible speed. Within two hours, all ten auspicious dishes were completed.
However, the rich, heavy scent of braised meat drifting down the halls of the tube building was driving the neighbors mad with jealousy. No matter how much they resented the Sheng family’s prosperity, there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
Everyone knew the Sheng family’s future in-laws were arriving today to formalize an engagement. Sheng Wanze was a highly capable battalion commander, and seeing the massive duffel bags he had hauled back earlier, the neighbors assumed he had brought back endless rare provisions. It was normal for his family to eat meat on such an important occasion.
But smelling meat roasting every other day was enough to push anyone to the brink.
“Grandma! I want to eat meat!”
“Me too! I want meat!”
Unable to endure the mouthwatering smells anymore, the children in the building began throwing tantrums, latching onto their grandmothers’ pant legs and wailing.
In the Li household—who were already deeply at odds with the Sheng family—the smell of the cooking meat felt like claws ripping at their hearts.
Mother Li scoffed bitterly. The Sheng family was so stupid, putting on such a lavish spread just to welcome some backwater daughter-in-law from the village.
But when she looked down and saw her most precious eldest grandson crying for meat, her heart softened.
“My dear grandson, don’t cry. Grandma will take you to buy meat buns tomorrow, I promise!”
Goudan, who was ten years old, was entirely unsatisfied with that answer. Finding out he wouldn’t get to eat until tomorrow only made him wail louder.
“No! I want it now! I want it now!”
Annoyed and worn down by her precious grandson’s screaming, Mother Li eventually relented. She went into the kitchen and boiled a single egg just for him.
Seeing this, the other grandsons began to whine enviously. Showing uncharacteristic leniency, Mother Li boiled a second egg, cutting it in half so the remaining two boys could share it.
Mother Li blatantly favored her eldest grandson, fully believing he would be the one to support her in her old age. The girls of the household received no such treatment; they could only stand in the background, swallowing their saliva as they watched their brothers eat.
“What are you staring at?” Mother Li snapped, catching her granddaughter’s eye. “What right does a worthless girl have to eat eggs? Have you finished washing the clothes yet?!”
Terrified, the little girl flinched and scurried back to the washboard to continue scrubbing.
Outside the compound, Sheng Wanze drove a dark green military jeep right up to the entrance of the tube-shaped building.
The moment the engine rumbled into the courtyard, the women inside the building sprinted out of their apartments. The ears of these neighborhood aunties were sharper than radar; they never missed a single detail.
When they crowded onto the communal balconies and saw an official military vehicle, they were vibrating with excitement.
“Oh my heavens! The Sheng family’s future daughter-in-law arrived in a military jeep!”
“Look at them! Are those two girls wearing skirts made of genuine Dacron?”
“There’s a tall, high-ranking officer standing right next to them, and the older woman doesn’t have a single patch on her clothes! They are definitely not ordinary people.”
Pan Yue, her parents, and her older sister stepped out of the jeep. The very moment their feet hit the ground, they were greeted by dozens of heads poking out from the corridors above, all staring and whispering loudly.
Hearing the aunties openly discussing them, Pan Yue could only manage an awkward, polite smile.
“Uncle, Auntie, Elder Sister, Xiaoyue, let’s head upstairs,” Sheng Wanze said smoothly, drawing their attention away from the gawkers.
“Alright,” Mother Pan said, moving toward the trunk to retrieve their gifts. Her two daughters hurried over to assist.
Pan Xing, the eldest sister, was currently three months pregnant. She was on leave from work and had traveled to Chengdu specifically to accompany Pan Yue. Having her older sister by her side greatly eased Pan Yue’s nerves, giving her someone to lean on.
“Let’s head inside quickly,” Mother Pan murmured. Seeing the crowd treating them like a circus attraction, she already had a clear picture of the neighborhood’s dynamic. In this era, any slight deviation from the norm drew intense, unblinking curiosity.
Sheng Wanze immediately stepped forward and took the heavy bags from Pan Yue and Pan Xing. One was pregnant and shouldn’t be doing heavy lifting, and the other was his future wife.
Walking behind them, Father Pan watched Sheng Wanze’s natural attentiveness and nodded in silent approval. As his direct superior, Father Pan already knew Sheng Wanze’s capabilities inside and out. Seeing him act so thoughtfully off the clock made him feel entirely at ease entrusting his daughter to him.
Relieved of her bags, Pan Yue blushed softly, lowering her head as she carefully helped her pregnant sister up the concrete stairs.
When they finally reached the Sheng family’s door, Pan Yue’s nerves flared. She gripped Pan Xing’s hand tightly. Pan Xing patted her hand soothingly in return.
“Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, little sister! We’re here!” Sheng Wanze’s deep voice boomed through the door.
His shout immediately drew the next-door neighbors out to watch the spectacle. Inside, Mother Sheng, who had just finished changing into a clean outfit, practically sprinted to the door and threw it open.
There, standing in the hallway, were the four members of the Pan family. Mother Sheng’s eyes immediately fell on Pan Yue. Seeing the girl’s slightly flushed cheeks and the nervous, respectful way she carried herself, Mother Sheng knew instantly which one was her future daughter-in-law.
As for why she didn’t mistake Pan Xing for the bride—as an experienced woman who had raised a family, she could easily tell the difference in posture and aura between an unmarried girl and a married, expectant mother.
“Come in, come in! Welcome, in-laws, please come inside!” Mother Sheng greeted them with overwhelming warmth.
Mother Pan stepped forward enthusiastically, offering the gifts they had brought from the capital. “We traveled here in such a rush, please forgive us if these gifts are a bit simple. I hope you don’t mind.”
Mother Pan was highly socially adept, speaking with flawless, polite modesty.
“Oh, please! We are all family now, there’s no need to be so formal,” Mother Sheng smiled, waving her hands. “Take these back for the young ones to eat.”
“These are formal visiting gifts. Our old patriarch specifically instructed us to bring them to show our respect,” Mother Pan insisted gently.
Hearing that the Pan family elders had specifically prepared the gifts, Mother Sheng knew it would be pretentious and rude to refuse any further.
“Alright, alright, thank you so much. But truly, you must not bring anything the next time you visit!” Mother Sheng accepted the packages with a gracious smile.
Mother Pan nodded, her own smile widening. The Sheng family matriarch was warm, sensible, and completely lacking the underlying bitterness or inferiority she had half-expected. This household was far better than she had imagined.
Father Pan greeted Grandpa and Grandma Sheng with deep, formal respect. Having learned that Grandpa Sheng was a veteran who had fought in the resistance wars, his respect for the old man was profound and genuine.
“Mom, Dad, this is my partner, Pan Yue. And this is her older sister, Pan Xing,” Sheng Wanze introduced. He turned to the Pan family. “Xiaoyue, these are my parents, my grandparents, and my little sister, Yan’er.”
Pan Yue blushed a deep, pretty red. She smiled warmly and bowed slightly. “Hello, Grandpa Sheng, Grandma Sheng, Uncle, Auntie, and Sister Yan’er.”
Mother Sheng observed her closely and was immediately satisfied. The girl was quiet, polite, well-mannered, and clearly very sensible.
Grandpa and Father Sheng smiled and nodded warmly in greeting, while Grandma and Mother Sheng each took one of Pan Yue’s hands, looking at her with undisguised affection.
“Alright, alright, you all must be starving. How about we sit down and eat first?” Grandma Sheng suggested.
“Yes, absolutely. After riding that train for so long, you must need a good meal to recover your strength,” Mother Sheng agreed.
Grandma Sheng guided them to the table. When the Pan family saw the massive, lavish spread of ten meat-heavy dishes, they were genuinely moved. This level of preparation proved exactly how deeply the Sheng family valued their daughter.
“Please, have a seat,” Mother Sheng gestured toward the chairs.
Father and Mother Pan sat on the right side of Grandpa Sheng, while Father and Mother Sheng took the left side, naturally allowing the two sets of parents to face each other for easy conversation. Sheng Wanze sat directly across from Pan Yue, while Sheng Wanyan found herself seated opposite Pan Xing.
“Come on, let’s eat. Don’t stand on ceremony. Auntie spent all morning preparing this,” Grandma Sheng smiled, using her chopsticks to place a plump, braised meatball directly into Pan Yue’s bowl, worried the girl would be too shy to reach for the food herself.
“Thank you, Grandma Sheng. Thank you, Auntie,” Pan Yue said softly.
Mother Sheng smiled and scooped a rich bowl of bone broth for her. “Consider this your own home. You don’t need to be overly polite here. You must be exhausted from the journey, so eat up and nourish your body.”
Pan Yue nodded, feeling the tight knot of anxiety in her chest finally begin to unravel.
