Teacher Mu was not a sociable hostess. In the past when their home was filled with guests, she would always hide in the study, completely detached from whatever was happening outside.
But today, with the in-laws visiting and no housekeeper at home, she had no choice but to take charge herself. The candies had been bought yesterday. Nowadays, she wasn’t particular about tea or tea sets—whether drinking Lapsang Souchong, Da Hong Pao, or Biluochun, she used the same enamel mug. After moving recently, when guests came over, she would simply prepare a set of glass cups and serve them green tea. But today, she deliberately prepared two types of tea and even bought a special tea set just for the Da Hong Pao.
Fei Ni took over the task of brewing tea, and Teacher Mu didn’t stand on ceremony, passing on her usual brewing method to her.
Teacher Mu asked Fang Muyang to take a bus to pick up the fruit cake she had ordered yesterday. Perhaps worried her son might forget the address, she suddenly added, "The one your grandmother loved most during her lifetime."
The name had changed, and the people making the cakes had changed too, but whenever buying a cake, she would still immediately think of that shop.
Fang Muyang wondered if he had misheard. In his memory, his mother and grandmother did not have a good relationship—they had almost openly broken ties, though it was his mother who had unilaterally severed the connection.
But he quickly collected himself and replied, "Alright."
Before her younger son was born, Teacher Mu had publicly cut off contact with her mother, even though society still treated her mother favorably at the time. However, she did not forbid her younger son from visiting his grandmother. With her older brother far away in a foreign country, her son was her mother’s only comfort. Besides, outsiders knew her son was quite unruly—despite their strict discipline, he never listened to the family.
Her habitual caution made her careful with her words around the children. When she herself encountered trouble, she naturally assumed her children would break ties with her, and she believed they should. If the children wanted a bright future, they at least needed to formally distance themselves from her. Before the storm broke, she had subtly advised her children that when forced to choose between what was right and their parents, they should strive to stand on the side of what was right. That way, even if something happened to her, she would have no worries. But her younger son failed to grasp the stakes and couldn’t even be bothered to pay lip service to distancing himself, which became a lasting regret for her and stirred a guilt she had never felt before.
Only after Fang Muyang got married and found a stable job did she finally feel completely at ease. Even though her son worked as a waiter, she had no complaints.
She was deeply grateful to Fei Ni, who was willing to marry Fang Muyang and guide him back to a normal path.
When the cake was brought back, Teacher Mu cut it, and Fei Ni naturally stepped forward to serve it.
With no housekeeper at home, the responsibility of hosting the guests fell to Fang Muyang.
After all, his job was as a waiter, wasn’t it?
Old Fei praised the calligraphy hanging on the wall, which pleased Old Fang greatly, as he was the one who had written it.
Very politely, Old Fang offered that if his in-laws liked it, he could write a piece for them.
Throughout the visit, the Fang parents remained exceptionally courteous. This made Old Fei wonder how such good people could have needed "reform" for so many years.
During the conversation, Old Fang brought up the idea of having his son and daughter-in-law move in with them.
If the young couple came to live with them, he would have a reason to hire a housekeeper.Old Fang was well aware of his inadequacy in household management. Though he had undergone years of re-education, living in just one small cabin during that time meant there was little to manage, so he never developed the skills. He was quite dissatisfied with the wooden floorboards covering the entire room—if it were cement, a simple sweep would suffice, but now he had to mop. Lately, he had been considering hiring a housekeeper, mainly to clean the house and cook for him, though he could handle laundry himself. Most residents in this building had housekeepers, albeit under different titles. Some had recommended helpers to him, but feeling unemployed and physically capable, he politely declined. If his son and daughter-in-law moved in, hiring a domestic helper for a family of four would be somewhat justifiable.
Moreover, he had a reason to buy a television set, refrigerator, and radio cassette player. His son had given him a record player and some records, so the room wasn't lacking in sound, but a single record player was far from enough for him. The original appliances hadn't been returned, yet he deemed them necessary. When he asked his wife, Teacher Mu, if they should buy a TV for news or a record player for music, she always said, "You decide." Because of this, he kept postponing the purchases, as if he were the only one enjoying them, even though many in the building indulged. He felt he needed a better excuse. If his son and daughter-in-law came, acquiring these appliances would be natural.
Additionally, with his son living there, he could supervise and educate him.
In short, he greatly needed them to move in with him.
Fang Muyang agreed readily, "What do you think about us moving in next week?"
Old Fang hadn't expected his son to agree so quickly, thinking that after all these years apart, he must still miss him, and he happily said yes.
"Your room's furniture isn't fully set up yet."
"We'll bring the furniture we're using now."
The Fei family, seeing their in-laws so amiable and reasonable, and impressed by the nice house, also approved of Fei Ni moving in. Thus, the housing exchange was agreed upon.
Fei Ni and her family went to see the other house and were very satisfied—it indeed had two bedrooms and a private bathroom. However, the other party found faults with the Fei family's house, as theirs had an extra bathroom's worth of space, even though it couldn't be used for showers, and felt shortchanged. Fei Ni offered two hundred yuan as compensation but was firm: take it or leave it, and we'll each find another option. The other party, in a hurry to marry, had to accept despite dissatisfaction, as there were no better alternatives.
The day before moving, Fei Ni went with Fang Muyang to see the future house. Inside a moon gate were three small rooms, with a peach tree and a pagoda tree in the yard, plus a later-built small kitchen.
Fei Ni asked the landlord about the price.
"Is it just these three rooms?"
Fei Ni said yes.
The landlord quoted a figure, exactly matching what Fang Muyang had said.
Fei Ni was surprised the house was really that cheap.
The landlord had never met anyone like Fang Muyang, who insisted on calculating the house and yard separately and drawing up separate contracts. But the total amount was the same, and they deferred to Fang Muyang on the formality.
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