Chapter 58 — It Would Be a Problem Without It
Years of Heartflutter · Page 1 of 3
By Chinese tradition, a young couple should spend New Year's Eve at the husband's family home, "keeping vigil" and sharing the reunion dinner with his relatives. Yet as more and more families are formed by only-children, facing four aging parents, the question of whose home to go to on New Year's Eve has become one of the most headache-inducing dilemmas for young couples today.
In the early eighties, with the vigorous implementation of the family planning policy, what had been a campaign for healthier births turned into a rule of one little emperor or princess per household. As these post-eighties and post-nineties children gradually grew up and came of age, reaching the age to marry and have children, the problem arrived.
In the old days, it was nothing much for the wife to spend the New Year at the husband's home—after all, a family had more than one child, so if the daughter left, the son remained. But things were different now. If the daughter left, there was no one left at all.
So Mother Yang was quite worried about this too. The Chen family had only that one daughter; if she weren't home for the New Year, how could that possibly be acceptable?
"Then I'll go ask in a bit." Chen Shutang did feel that abandoning her parents to spend New Year at Yang Juehuan's home was a bit improper, but from another angle, it was also a good thing—at least it proved her standing in the Yang family. It also proved that Yang Juehuan's parents approved of her. So Chen Shutang very much wanted to go.
"All right, I'll stop talking to you and go call Daming for you." Mother Yang smiled as she spoke, deciding to leave the space to the two young people.
"Okay," Chen Shutang said, a little shyly.
"Daming, come answer the phone!" Mother Yang called toward Yang Juehuan's room.
"For me?" Yang Ce came out of his room. "Mom, who's calling?"
"Mengyan. I told her to come to our house as a guest on New Year's Eve. You two talk it over properly and see exactly what to do—I'm afraid her parents won't agree," Mother Yang said.
"Mengyan." Yang Ce was slightly taken aback. Chen Shutang had actually taken the initiative to call him—if she hadn't, he would have called her anyway. After all, they'd been in a cold war for several days, and the New Year was almost here; one way or another he had to wish Uncle Chen a happy New Year.
"Okay, I know." Yang Ce quickly regained his composure, nodded, and picked up the phone. "Hello, wifey."
"Uh—" Chen Shutang was thrown into a bit of embarrassment by Yang Ce. She knew Yang Juehuan's mother must be right beside the phone, and Yang Ce had actually called her "wifey" so shamelessly. Chen Shutang was so flustered her face was about to drip.
"What's wrong?" Yang Hengye said. "Weren't you chatting quite happily with my mom just now?"
"I was not!" Chen Shutang protested.
"Oh? Could it be you chatted unhappily and are very angry?" Yang Ce said deliberately.
"Go on, stop talking nonsense—if your mother hears, she'll get ideas, and aren't you just making trouble for me?" Chen Shutang scolded coquettishly.
"Hehe, my mom's watching TV right now, it's fine." Yang Minlan shot his mother a meaningful glance.
To his surprise, his mother said loudly, "That's right, I'm watching TV!"
"Ah!" Chen Shutang was stunned, badly startled. "Quick, give the phone to your mother—let me explain to her!"
"Haha, I'm joking—how could my mom believe that?" Yang Ce shook his head. "You're so nervous. Why do you care so much about what my mom thinks?"
"Obviously!" Chen Shutang snorted. "You're setting traps to get me in trouble."
"Haha, let's not talk about that. My mom says you're coming to my house for New Year's Eve," Yang Yanchuan said.
"Well, do you want me to come?" Chen Shutang didn't answer, but asked in return.
"Haha, of course I—" Here Yang Ce deliberately paused, and he could hear Chen Shutang's breathing on the other end turn rapid.