Chapter 26: Sister-in-Law

It was nearly four o'clock when Liu Weidong finally left the Third Department Store after his conversation with Manager Wang. By the time he departed, he could sense that the manager’s interest had been piqued.

In the East Market area, many of the properties Liu Weidong wanted to purchase were private residences, which was the key factor in his investment strategy. Walking back and forth along Changsha Street, he could clearly envision the future layout: where the grand East Department Store would stand in a few years, where the Jinlong Commercial Building would be erected. To his eyes, the dilapidated bungalows and shacks lining the street were all prime storefronts waiting to be realized.

He bought two plates of steamed dumplings at the Xichun Restaurant, but instead of eating them himself, he packed them up and waited at the entrance of No. 1 High School for his wife to finish classes. Through his tutoring over the past two days, he had identified her weak point: she struggled with science subjects. Therefore, he decided to have Lou Yanru aim for Jiangnan Normal College. This would allow her to fulfill her dream of attending university while pursuing a career she enjoyed. Although teachers' salaries were low at the moment, money was not an issue for Liu Weidong, and besides, graduating from a normal college did not necessarily mean one had to become a teacher.

Of course, this plan required the approval of his mother-in-law, Song Qian, who was adamant about Lou Yanru becoming a doctor. Why not let the younger sister, Lou Yanhua, fulfill that medical dream instead?

Lost in these thoughts, time slipped by until nine o'clock. Seeing the school gates open, Liu Weidong quickly pushed his bicycle forward to meet his wife. She wasn't accompanied by that persistent pest, Chen Hao, but was instead walking with a young woman who was chatting and laughing with her. To his surprise, the girl was wearing the lake-blue dress he had bought for his wife.

Noticing Liu Weidong’s confused expression, Lou Yanru nudged the girl beside her. "Yanhua, this is Liu Weidong. Hurry up and call him brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law..."

Lou Yanhua’s greeting was reluctant; she barely even looked at him.

"So this is Yanhua? You're here for tutoring, too? Since it's our first time meeting, let me treat you to dinner." Liu Weidong didn't mind her cold attitude. What did a young girl know? With his mother-in-law already pressuring him to divorce Lou Yanru, what good things could she possibly have said about him to her sister?

"I'm not going. If I get home too late, my mother will worry. Sister, are you not going home tonight? Mom misses you."

Lou Yanru looked helplessly at Liu Weidong and held onto Lou Yanhua’s handlebars. "Your brother-in-law has been helping me study until midnight every day. The teachers said my progress has been rapid, and I really don't want to interrupt my studies before the college entrance exam. Let’s have dinner with him first, and then you can go home; it will save Mom the trouble of cooking."

Lou Yanhua scoffed. "He’s helping you study? Sister, are you joking? You can't just use studying as an excuse not to come home."

Just as Lou Yanru was about to explain, Liu Weidong glanced at the accordion on Lou Yanhua’s back and said, "Yanhua, are you planning to apply as an art student? If you're practicing music, you should be at the Normal College’s music department. Why are you here at No. 1 High School for tutoring?"

Lou Yanhua was stunned. "My academic scores are too poor; if I don't get tutoring, I'll fall too far behind in the college entrance exam. How did you even know that one has to go to the Normal College for professional courses?"

Liu Weidong smiled without answering, instead reaching out to take the schoolbag from Lou Yanru’s shoulder and placing it in his bike basket.

The three of them walked to the state-run restaurant. Liu Weidong went inside to have the waiter reheat the dumplings. Meanwhile, the two sisters ordered bowls of wontons, and Lou Yanru ordered a bowl of ge-lu noodles for Liu Weidong. When he returned to the table with the dumplings, Lou Yanhua’s gaze toward him had clearly shifted—likely because Lou Yanru had told her something.

"Brother-in-law, are you really helping my sister study? My sister said you even solved a technical problem for the oil refinery? Aren't you just a farmer? How do you know so much?"

Liu Weidong smiled. "Little sister, a diploma and real knowledge are two different things. Your sister went to the countryside in her second year of high school and has forgotten most of her curriculum. I’ve been tutoring her for a month; it would be a stretch to say she’ll get into Peking University or Tsinghua, but I guarantee she’ll get into Jiangnan Normal College."

"Really?" Lou Yanhua asked, clearly incredulous.

Liu Weidong answered firmly, "Of course. I will definitely help your sister realize her dream of attending university."

Although her mother had filled Lou Yanhua’s head with negative images of Liu Weidong, the man she saw before her was quite different from the one her mother described. By the time the dumplings were finished, her disdain had been completely replaced by curiosity.

"Brother-in-law, I want you to help me with my studies, too."

Liu Weidong grimaced. "Yanhua, that might be difficult. You should go home and ask your mother first, because I tutor your sister until midnight every night. You can't be out that late, and you have your music practice to worry about."

Lou Yanru also urged her sister, "Yanhua, you really need to discuss this with Mom. I truly hope you can get into the Provincial Art Academy, or at least the art department of the Normal College, but staying out this late every night is too much for Mom to handle."

After dinner, Liu Weidong and his wife dropped Lou Yanhua off at her building before heading back to their hotel.

"Yanru, I’m serious about you applying to the Normal College. Your science scores are weak; rather than struggling to pull them up, it’s better to focus your energy on the liberal arts. But if you choose the Normal College instead of medical school, can you handle your mother?"

Lou Yanru gave a bitter smile. "If you hadn't helped me secure the position as a private teacher, and if you weren't tutoring me, I wouldn't even dare to dream of college. Getting into the Normal College would be a miracle; what could my mother possibly object to?"

"Yanru, I’ve asked Manager Wang at the Third Department Store to help me buy a house. I’m trying to close the deal before the entrance exam so that when you get into university, you can register your household residency directly at our own home."

"You want to buy a house? Why didn't you discuss such a big decision with me?" Lou Yanru frowned.

"Wife, there are some things I could tell you, but you might not believe them. In five years, the East Market area will undergo massive demolition. When that happens, our house will be converted into prime retail space, and the value will skyrocket. It’s an investment."

Lou Yanru stared at him, speechless. This wasn't the first time Liu Weidong had done something shocking, and she really couldn't refute him.

"I helped the Second Team sell some firewood, so we don't need to dip into our savings for grain for a while. The agricultural research institute even gave us free fertilizer and pesticides for the test plots, so we’ve saved quite a bit of money. You don't need to worry about the house or your tuition."

"I’m not worried about that. I’m just curious—how do you know what will happen in five years? Did you hear it on the radio or read it in some materials?"

"What if I told you I dreamt of an old man with a white beard last night..."

"Get out of here..."

The couple tumbled onto the bed, laughing and wrestling.

"If my mother agrees to let you tutor my sister, what then? We won't be able to be as carefree as we are now."

"Then I’ll firmly refuse to tutor her! Why should I let anyone deprive me of our happy time? You have no idea how hard-won this happiness is."

"You are so bad..."

Lou Yanru’s face flushed slightly, and her voice grew softer. Soon, only the sound of rapid breathing remained in the room as Liu Weidong reached out and switched off the light.