Xiao Man mengikuti Lu Jianling ke rumah Keluarga Lu. Weiwei berlari keluar menyambut mereka. Begitu mendapat pesawat mainan baru, ia senang sekali sampai matanya melengkung seperti bulan sabit. Lu Jianguo dan Yang Liu'er berdiri di pintu sambil tersenyum melihatnya. Xiao Man sebelumnya tidak terlalu memikirkan itu, tetapi kini ia merasa keduanya semakin terlihat serasi.
Di dalam rumah, Paman Lu menyimpan pipa gioknya dan bertukar beberapa kata sambil tersenyum dengan Xiao Man. Setelah itu ia pergi, katanya hendak ke kamar mencari sebotol arak bagus untuk diminum bersama besan. Weiwei melirik ayahnya dan Yang Liu'er, lalu memperkenalkan nenek dari pihak ibunya, paman, bibi kedua, dan bibi termudanya kepada Xiao Man. Xiao Man tersenyum dan menyapa mereka satu per satu. Paman Weiwei masih berusia awal dua puluhan, berkulit putih dan berwajah rapi. Ia memakai kacamata dan punya wibawa seperti murid teladan, sama sekali tidak seperti orang dari kabupaten kecil. Tadinya ia duduk dengan tenang dan mantap, tetapi wajahnya tiba-tiba memerah saat melihat Xiao Man masuk. Ia diam-diam berdiri, berusaha sebaik mungkin menenangkan diri, lalu mulai memperkenalkan diri dengan sikap tenang dan percaya diri. Katanya namanya Shi Zhiquan dan ia mahasiswa tingkat dua, tetapi sebelum ia selesai, bibi kedua Weiwei menyela dan mendorong ke depan. Shi Zhiquan menyesuaikan kacamatanya dan minggir dengan pasrah.
Bibi kedua, sambil mengupas kuaci, dengan akrab bertanya kepada Xiao Man keluarganya bekerja apa, tinggal di mana, dan masih sekolah atau tidak. Weiwei menjawab untuk Xiao Man, katanya Kak Xiao Man kuliah di Perguruan Tinggi Kedokteran yang sangat terkenal dan nantinya akan menjadi dokter. Bibi kedua dan paman itu memandang Xiao Man dengan terkejut, mata mereka berbinar makin terang.
Bibi termuda tampak berusia sekitar delapan belas atau sembilan belas tahun. Wajahnya halus dan manis, tetapi ia sengaja memasang raut acuh. Ia tidak tersenyum atau bicara. Baru setelah mendengar Xiao Man menyapa, ia mengangguk sekadarnya, lalu membuang muka dengan dagu terangkat, menghindari kontak mata.
Lu Jianling sudah bercerita tentang orang-orang ini di perjalanan. Xiao Man tahu bibi termuda itu, Shi Juying, akan ikut ujian masuk perguruan tinggi musim panas mendatang. Kedatangan keluarga Shi terutama untuknya. Sebab, sebelum paman itu ikut ujian masuk perguruan tinggi, Lu Jianguo sudah minta orang mencarikan guru les untuk menguatkan pelajaran yang lemah. Kini giliran bibi termuda yang ikut ujian, jadi nenek membawanya ke sini selama libur musim dingin agar Lu Jianguo 'mengurusnya'. Intinya, bibi termuda itu wajib masuk universitas. Hanya boleh berhasil, tidak boleh gagal!
Xiao Man merasa Lu Jianguo sangat layak dijuluki 'Ipar Paling Teladan se-Negara'.
Dulu, saat ibu Weiwei meninggal karena persalinan yang sulit, ia berjanji kepada mertua yang sedang berduka bahwa ia akan menanggung paman dan bibi Weiwei sampai mereka selesai sekolah dan berhasil. Kalau orang lain, mungkin janji itu cuma diucapkan lalu dilupakan, atau paling banter hanya memberi biaya sekolah dan uang hidup setiap tahun, selesai perkara. Tapi Lu Jianguo orang yang memegang janji dan mau melihat hasilnya. Berkat dia, paman itu sudah kuliah dan dua tahun lagi akan lulus, menjadi pegawai negeri dengan 'mangkuk nasi besi'. Nilai bibi termuda katanya jauh lebih buruk daripada kakaknya. Xiao Man tidak tahu cara apa yang bisa dipakai untuk memasukkannya. Mungkin ia bisa membayar jalur titipan.
Nenek Weiwei dari pihak ibu berusia lima puluhan, dengan potongan bob rapi sepanjang telinga yang membuatnya tampak bersih dan tegas. Awalnya, raut wajahnya sedingin dan seacuh putri bungsunya. Tapi begitu melihat cucunya mengangkat pesawat mainan dan berkata bahwa kakak ini yang membelikannya, nenek itu langsung tersenyum kepada Xiao Man. Ia memuji Xiao Man yang tumbuh makin cantik, katanya secantik bidadari. Bibi kedua dan paman senang mendengarnya, tetapi bibi termuda tidak suka. Ia cemberut, menunduk, dan duduk diam.
'Yang Liu'er nanti bakal susah jadi ibu tiri,' pikirnya setelah mengamati semua orang dan mulai memahami keluarga pihak ibu Weiwei itu seperti apa.
Xiao Man datang ke rumah Keluarga Lu hanya untuk menepati janjinya kepada Weiwei dan mengisi waktu. Ia tidak ingin nenek dan ayahnya tahu bahwa ia lagi-lagi terpisah dari teman-temannya saat keluar dan juga diganggu Wu Xiaowen. Ia tidak berniat tinggal makan malam. Keluarga Lu berulang kali berusaha menahannya, dan bibi kedua serta paman Weiwei ikut mendesak Xiao Man agar pulang setelah makan saja. Xiao Man dengan sopan berterima kasih dan berkata akan datang lagi lain kali. Yang Liu'er lalu menariknya ke arah pintu. Weiwei mengikuti mereka berdua dari dekat. Lu Jianguo tahu mereka berdua ada yang perlu dibicarakan, jadi ia keluar dan menahan Weiwei, menyuruh Yang Liu'er mengantar Manman ke mulut gang dulu, sebentar lagi ia menyusul.
Kembali ke dalam ruangan, Paman Lu mengelap meja dengan kain. Lu Jianling mula-mula membawa sepanci besar sup kambing yang baru dimasak ke meja, lalu mengeluarkan hidangan yang sudah disiapkan satu per satu dari wadah penghangat dan menatanya di meja bundar. Paman Lu menyusul, mengeluarkan mangkuk dan sumpit. Nenek duduk tegap bagai gunung dengan tangan bersilang. Bibi kedua, paman, dan bibi termuda juga duduk mengelilinginya, hanya menonton ayah dan anak perempuan Lu itu sibuk. Mereka berbisik-bisik di antara mereka dan sama sekali tidak menunjukkan tanda-tanda akan bangkit membantu, seolah bukan mereka yang akan makan di meja itu.
Lu Jianguo masuk, melihat itu, dan mengerutkan kening. Ia menyenggol Weiwei dan berkata, 'Ayo bantu. Kakek sudah tua, masa kamu harus dilayani olehnya.'
Weiwei berlari ke meja. Lu Jianling menyuruhnya cuci tangan dulu. Weiwei lalu memanggil nenek, bibi-bibi, dan pamannya untuk cuci tangan dan bersiap makan. Ia menambahkan dengan santai, 'Paman, Bibi, Kakek sudah sepuh, sedangkan kalian semua masih muda. Bukankah seharusnya kalian yang membantu?'
Mendengar itu, nenek tertawa dan menepuk bibi termuda. 'Lihat, sepintar apa keponakanmu. Sudah, kamu pergi bantu.'
Bibi termuda menyadari Lu Jianguo sedang melihatnya. Senyum tipis terbit di bibirnya, dan ia pergi ke dapur membantu membawa hidangan.
Nenek menggeser sebuah kursi dan menyuruh Lu Jianguo duduk di sebelahnya. 'Kau ini menantuku, jadi kau tahu adat dari kampung kami,' katanya. 'Umumnya, tamu dari keluarga pihak ibu istri itu yang paling dihormati. Begitu mereka melangkah masuk ke rumah menantu atau cucu menantu, mereka harus disuguhi makanan dan minuman enak untuk ketiga waktu makan. Kau wajib menyuguhi mereka rokok dan arak. Jangan harap mertua, paman, atau bibi disuruh bekerja sedikit pun; kalau mereka pegal atau kurang nyaman karena cuma duduk, kau harusnya sudah sibuk menawarkan diri melayani apa pun yang mereka butuhkan!'
Lu Jianguo: '...'
Pandangannya menyapu dingin ke arah Shi Zhiquan sambil berpikir, 'Coba saja. Kalau anak ini sampai kepikiran minta aku melayani segala kebutuhannya, aku bisa mengangkatmu sampai sukses, dan aku juga bisa dengan mudah menghancurkanmu berkeping-keping!'
Shi Zhiquan tiba-tiba menggigil tanpa alasan yang jelas. Ia cepat berdiri, menghampiri Paman Lu, dan membantu menata gelas arak, membuka botol, dan menuangkan arak.
Bibi kedua melempar segenggam kuaci kembali ke kaleng permen dan kuaci di atas meja. Ia berdiri, menepuk debu di pakaiannya, dan bersiap duduk untuk makan. Sambil melakukannya, ia bertanya kepada Weiwei, 'Mana ibu tirimu itu? Nenek, paman, dan bibi-bibimu semua sudah duduk di sini, tapi bukannya buru-buru menata meja dan memanggil semua orang makan, dia malah pergi tanpa sepatah kata. Dia cuma cari alasan untuk bermalas-malasan, kan? Sopan santunnya bagaimana sih!'
Weiwei belum paham arti 'ibu tiri', jadi ia menjawab jujur, 'Ibuku pergi mengantar Kak Xiao Man. Sebentar lagi kembali. Kita bisa mulai dengan sup dulu sambil menunggu. Lagi pula, ibuku minum sup ayam, beda dengan yang kita makan.'
'Apa? Jadi kalian masak dua menu berbeda untuk satu kali makan? Istri barumu itu bisa minum sup wangi dan makan ayam, sementara kami cuma diberi makanan asal-asalan?' Wajah nenek Weiwei mengeras. Mata bibi kedua membelalak, dan keduanya melotot menuduh ke arah Lu Jianguo.
Lu Jianguo menepuk kepala kecil Weiwei. 'Kamu yang jelaskan. Kalau tidak, aku dan ibumu sama-sama disalahkan.'
Weiwei cepat berkata kepada nenek dan bibi kedua, 'Ibuku sedang tidak enak badan, jadi sup ayamnya dimasak dengan obat Tiongkok. Dia sedang minum obat. Kami tidak sakit, jadi makanannya berbeda. Lihat, di meja juga ada ayam rebus putih, angsa panggang, bebek panggang, ikan, dan ham yang dimasak dengan daging babi. Ini yang kami makan. Sup ini sup kambing. Sama enaknya dengan sup ayam. Kalau tidak percaya, coba saja!'
Xiao Man followed Lu Jianling to the Lu Family’s home. Weiwei came running out to greet them. When he got the new airplane, he was so happy his eyes curved into crescents. Lu Jian Country and Yang Liu’er stood at the door watching with smiles on their faces. Xiao Man hadn’t thought much of it before, but now she felt the two of them looked more and more like a perfect match.
Inside the house, Uncle Lu put away his Jade Mouth Pipe and exchanged a few smiling words with Xiao Man. He then left, saying he was going to his room to find a good bottle of wine to share with the in-laws. Weiwei glanced at his father and Yang Liu’er, then introduced his maternal grandmother, uncle, second aunt, and younger aunt to Xiao Man. Xiao Man smiled and greeted each of them in turn. Weiwei’s uncle was in his early twenties, fair-skinned and refined. He wore glasses and had the air of a top student, not at all like someone from a small county. He had been sitting with a calm and steady demeanor, but his face suddenly flushed when he saw Xiao Man enter. He quietly stood up, doing his best to compose himself, and began to introduce himself in a calm, poised manner. He said his name was Shi Zhiquan and he was a sophomore in college, but before he could finish, Weiwei’s second aunt pushed forward and interrupted him. Shi Zhiquan adjusted his glasses and helplessly stepped aside.
The second aunt, cracking sunflower seeds, familiarly asked Xiao Man what her family did, where she lived, and if she was still in school. Weiwei answered for Xiao Man, saying that Sister Xiao Man was studying at a very famous Medical College and was going to be a doctor in the future. The second aunt and the uncle looked at Xiao Man in surprise, their eyes shining even brighter.
The younger aunt looked to be about eighteen or nineteen. She was delicate and refined-looking, but she deliberately put on an expression of indifference. She didn’t smile or speak. Only after hearing Xiao Man say "hello" did she give a perfunctory nod, then turned her face away with her chin up, avoiding eye contact.
Lu Jianling had told her about these people on the way over. Xiao Man knew that the younger aunt, Shi Juying, was taking the college entrance exam next summer. The Shi family’s visit was mainly for her. This was because before the uncle took his college entrance exam, Lu Jian Country had asked someone to find him a tutor to strengthen his weak subjects. Now it was the younger aunt’s turn to take the exam, so the grandmother had brought her over during the winter break to let Lu Jian Country "handle it." The bottom line was that she absolutely had to get the younger aunt into a university. Only success was allowed, not failure!
Xiao Man felt that Lu Jian Country was fully qualified to be named the "Nation’s Best Brother-in-law."
Back when Weiwei’s mother died during a difficult childbirth, he had promised his grieving parents-in-law that he would support Weiwei’s uncle and aunt until they completed their education and became successful. If it had been anyone else, they might have made the promise and forgotten it, or at most just provided tuition and living expenses each year and called it a day. But Lu Jian Country was a man of his word and insisted on seeing results. The uncle was already in university thanks to him and would graduate in two years, becoming a state employee with an "iron rice bowl." The younger aunt’s grades were said to be much worse than her brother’s. Xiao Man didn’t know what method could be used to get her in. Perhaps he could pay for a sponsored student slot.
Weiwei’s maternal grandmother was in her fifties, with a neat, ear-length bob that made her look clean and sharp. Initially, her expression was as cold and detached as her youngest daughter’s. But when she saw her grandson holding up the toy airplane and saying this sister had bought it for him, the grandmother immediately smiled at Xiao Man. She praised the young lady on how beautifully she’d grown, saying she was as pretty as a fairy. The second aunt and the uncle were both happy to hear this, but the younger aunt was displeased. She pouted, lowered her eyes, and sat in silence.
’Yang Liu’er is going to have a tough time as a stepmother in the future,’ she thought after observing everyone and getting a basic understanding of what kind of maternal family Weiwei had.
Xiao Man had only come to the Lu Family’s home to fulfill her promise to Weiwei and kill some time. She didn’t want her grandmother and father to know that she had gotten separated from her friends again while out and had also been pestered by Wu Xiaowen. She had no intention of staying for dinner. The Lu Family repeatedly tried to get her to stay, and Weiwei’s second aunt and uncle also chimed in, urging Xiao Man to leave after the meal. Xiao Man politely thanked them and said she would come again another day. Yang Liu’er then pulled her toward the door. Weiwei followed the two closely. Lu Jian Country knew the two had things to talk about, so he came out and held Weiwei back, telling Yang Liu’er to walk Manman to the alley entrance first, and he would be there in a moment.
Back in the room, Uncle Lu wiped the table with a cloth. Lu Jianling first brought a large pot of freshly stewed mutton soup to the table, then took out the prepared dishes one by one from a food warmer and placed them on the round table. Uncle Lu followed, setting out bowls and chopsticks. The grandmother sat as still as a mountain with her arms crossed. The second aunt, uncle, and younger aunt also sat around her, just watching the Lu father and daughter bustle about. They muttered amongst themselves and showed absolutely no sign of getting up to help, as if they weren’t the ones about to eat at the table.
Lu Jian Country came in, saw this, and frowned. He nudged Weiwei and said, "Go help. Grandpa is old, you can’t have him serving you."
Weiwei ran to the table. Lu Jianling told him to go wash his hands first. Weiwei then called for his grandmother, aunts, and uncle to wash their hands and get ready to eat. He added casually, "Uncle, Auntie, Grandpa is so old, and you’re all so young. Shouldn’t you be helping out?"
Hearing this, the grandmother laughed and patted the younger aunt. "Look how clever your nephew is. Go on, you go."
The younger aunt noticed Lu Jian Country looking at her. A slight smile touched her lips, and she went to the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.
The grandmother moved a chair over and had Lu Jian Country sit next to her. "You’re my son-in-law, so you know the customs from our hometown," she said. "Generally, guests from the wife’s maternal family are the most honored. When they cross the threshold of their son-in-law’s or grandson’s home, they are to be served good food and drink for all three meals. You must offer them cigarettes and wine. Never mind asking your parents-in-law, uncles, or aunts to lift a finger; if they get tired or uncomfortable from just sitting around, you should be practically begging to cater to their every need!"
Lu Jian Country: "..."
His gaze swept coolly over Shi Zhiquan as he thought, ’Just you try it. If this kid even thinks about wanting me to cater to his every need, I can raise you up to success, and I can just as easily smash you to pieces!’
Shi Zhiquan shivered for no apparent reason. He quickly stood up, walked over to Uncle Lu, and helped arrange the wine glasses, open the bottle, and pour the wine.
The second aunt tossed a handful of sunflower seeds back into the tin box of seeds and candies on the table. She stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and prepared to sit down to eat. As she did, she asked Weiwei, "Where’s that stepmother of yours? Your grandma, uncle, and aunts are all sitting here, and instead of hurrying to set the table and call everyone to eat, she just runs off without a word. She’s just making an excuse to be lazy, isn’t she? What kind of manners are those!"
Weiwei didn’t yet understand what "stepmother" meant, so he answered honestly, "My mom went to walk Sister Xiao Man out. She’ll be back in a little bit. We can start with the soup while we wait for her. Anyway, my mom is having chicken soup, which is different from what we’re having."
"What? So you’re making two different meals for one dinner? That new woman of yours gets to drink fragrant soup and eat chicken, while you just throw something together for us?" Weiwei’s grandmother’s face hardened. The second aunt’s eyes widened, and they both glared accusingly at Lu Jian Country.
Lu Jian Country patted Weiwei’s little head. "You explain. Otherwise, your mom and I are both going to get blamed for this."
Weiwei quickly said to his grandmother and second aunt, "My mom isn’t feeling well, so her chicken soup was stewed with Chinese medicine. She’s taking medicine. We aren’t sick, so we’re eating something different. Look, there’s also white-cut chicken on the table, and roasted goose, roasted duck, fish, and ham stewed with pork. This is what we’re eating. This soup is mutton soup. It’s just as good as chicken soup. If you don’t believe me, try it!"
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