Chapter 163: The Contrasting Daughter-in-Law

"That was my son asking me, and I said I never dated in college."

Xu Qiang hurriedly defended, "You misheard."

Seeing her elderly partner flustered, Wu Yan could only want to laugh.

"Oh, so it really was my mishearing."

She forced a smile, turned, and couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Seeing his parents, at such an age, still joking with each other, Xu Yuexin felt very gratified.

This shows their relationship is harmonious, and their interaction hasn't changed with his father's promotion.

Things like this are easy to talk about but hard to achieve; his parents belong to that rare kind.

Of course, because his mother jokes around, his father now would absolutely refuse to discuss college romances during the Republic era.

Obviously, he's worried that a slip might reveal something.

Xu Yuexin sees through it but doesn't point it out, only finding his father's little thought amusing.

His father's uncooperativeness in the interview doesn't affect Xu's later writing much, because the important data are about prices and customs.

For male‑female relationships among college students, one can refer to the TV dramas Deep Love in Misty Rain, Golden Powder Clan, etc.; after all, the differences among young men and women shouldn't be too great.

After having lunch with his parents, Xu Yuexin returned to Da Yizi's residence by Tuanjie Lake, and then learned his daughter‑in‑law would be back that afternoon.

This field survey has no fixed deadline, and the location is not far, just in Hebei.

So Chen Qiaoqiao said she'll come back as soon as she gets back.

"I'll go to the bus station to pick her up, will you go?"

Xu Yuexin asked Da Yizi, who was currently watching Blood Doubt.

"Of course, I'll go."

Da Yizi turned off the TV, looked at Xu Yuexin and said, "After picking up Qiao Qiao, come stay at my place first."

"Just as you said, Guogongfu hasn't been cleaned yet; she might be exhausted and need rest."

"That's very thorough thinking."

Xu Yuexin praised Da Yizi.

With an hour left before Chen Qiaoqiao's scheduled arrival, Xu Yuexin mounted his Harley motorcycle, took Da Yizi aboard, and headed to the long‑distance bus station.

The two waited outside the station for a while, and before long saw a big bus carrying people who looked like a full load of students drive up.

Xu Yuexin and Da Yizi, seated near the front, saw Chen Qiaoqiao and waved at her.

Chen Qiaoqiao also noticed them and smiled through the bus window.

The bus pulled into the station, and Xu Yuexin and Da Yizi followed inside.

Soon, the bus doors opened, and Chen Qiaoqiao stepped off.

"Sis, New Brother."

Chen Qiaoqiao greeted them.

"You must be exhausted."

"Let's go to your sister's house first; the vegetables there are already bought."

Da Yizi stepped forward, took Chen Qiaoqiao's simple cloth Shoulder Bag, and Xu Yuexin walked with her to the bus cargo hold to help her with the luggage.

"I don't feel tired."

"The theme of this trip is research on the living conditions of poor rural and township residents; I feel I've gained a lot."

Chen Qiaoqiao said with some emotion.

Her voice sounded a bit weary, yet her eyes showed a spark.

Xu Yuexin noticed that his daughter‑in‑law had changed quite a bit during the time they hadn't met.

She had cut her hair to a short, ear‑length bob; her upper body wore a plain, elegant work shirt, and below were khaki trousers, not the flowing long skirts she used to wear.

Compared to before, her speech was a bit faster, and her demeanor appeared unusually capable.

The daughter‑in‑law has matured.

Xu Yuexin inwardly sighed, and after the cargo hold opened, he lifted her luggage onto his shoulder.

Chen Yixue could clearly see that her sister was no longer the delicate little girl she once was.

The three first rode Xu Yuexin's motorcycle back to Guogongfu, put down the luggage, and then headed to Tuanjie Lake.

After arriving, Xu Yuexin parked the motorcycle downstairs and went upstairs with Chen Qiaoqiao and Chen Yixue.

Inside the house, Chen Yixue poured hot water for Chen Qiaoqiao to wash her feet, and Xu Yuexin fetched a stool, sat behind her, and gave her a massage.

The daughter‑in‑law had been on the road for days; now she finally returned home, and everyone was attending to her.

The daughter‑in‑law felt very comfortable under Xu Yuexin's press, closed her eyes and enjoyed it.

"A little lower."

After a while of pressing, the daughter‑in‑law directed.

Xu Yuexin then followed the instruction, moving his large hand from her shoulder to her back.

"Take off the shirt while pressing; the force will be more precise and more comfortable."

While massaging, Xu Yuexin whispered teasingly into the daughter‑in‑law's ear.

"Ah, my sister is inside."

Chen Qiaoqiao's face flushed, and she softly cautioned, "Don't say that randomly."

Xu Yuexin chuckled, but said nothing.

No matter how things change, the daughter‑in‑law in front of him will always be the girl who blushes easily and speaks softly.

After washing her feet, Xu Yuexin and the daughter‑in‑law sat together on the sofa, and he trimmed her toenails.

Her feet were beautiful, the tops white and tender, the nails bearing tiny pink‑white crescents—truly lovely.

This really is a pair of jade…

Never mind, it's better not to jade it; jade‑ing everything will only harm oneself.

Xu Yuexin put away his thoughts, focused, and took the nail clippers to trim his daughter‑in‑law's nails.

Today the daughter‑in‑law returned from afar, so he could no longer let her cook.

So after trimming his nails, Xu Yuexin went into the kitchen to cook for everyone. After a clatter of pots, pans, and dishes, five dishes and a soup were gradually brought into the living room.

"Dinner's ready."

Xu Yuexin placed the final dish, edamame braised chicken, on the table and said to Da Yizi and the daughter‑in‑law, who were engrossed in watching a drama.

The two were watching with great interest; upon hearing the call, they merely let out an "eh" and nodded, doing nothing else.

The daughter‑in‑law was now, indeed, led into a trap by Da Yizi.

Just like when he was in his teens and loved playing games, he wouldn't log off when his mother called him to eat.

"You two, if you don't eat now it'll get cold."

After speaking, Xu Yuexin walked to the TV, picked up the remote, and turned the television off.

"Eh, I just saw the exciting part…"

The daughter‑in‑law stared longingly at the now black screen TV, her tone lingering.

"Eat, and we'll continue watching tonight."

Da Yizi reluctantly rose from the sofa, her eyes full of lingering aftertaste.

The two sisters and Xu Yuexin walked to the table and sat down; the daughter‑in‑law first picked up chopsticks and took a bite.

"Your cooking has improved."

After finishing a piece of dried tofu, the daughter‑in‑law nodded and said, "The stir‑fry is more flavorful now."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Receiving the daughter‑in‑law's approval, Xu Yuexin was very pleased.

This was a direct endorsement from a high‑level culinary professional.

In the evening, the daughter‑in‑law and Da Yizi continued sitting on the sofa, binge‑watching Blood Doubt, becoming completely absorbed.

Xu Yuexin sat beside them, feeling moved by their focused enthusiasm.

Romantic literary works have a strong impact on women.

No wonder Zhang Henshui topped the list of wealthy writers in the Republican era; his romantic works were said to fill libraries to the brim.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuexin decided he must finish Norwegian Wood quickly! He also wanted to become a national‑level girl killer! After watching TV with the daughter‑in‑law and Da Yizi, Xu Yuexin returned to the second bedroom, took out paper and pen, and began writing.

Having completed the outline yesterday, he interviewed his parents today; all obstacles on the writing path have been cleared.

Xu Yuexin grabbed his pen and scribbled on the paper, filling a page in no time.

Because he had an outline, he wrote faster than before.

When the daughter‑in‑law returned to her room late at night after binge‑watching Blood Doubt, Xu Yuexin had already written a full 7,000 characters.

……

In the days that followed, Xu Yuexin devoted himself entirely to creation.

He spent each day either eating or writing.

Finally, after more than ten days of writing, the Norwegian Wood was officially completed at 205,000 words.

At this point, Xu Yuexin chose to send the manuscript to Tianjin's Novel Monthly Report.

Currently, People's Literature and similar magazines still focus on serious literature, so Xu Yuexin opted to submit his manuscript to Novel Monthly Report, a leading popular literature Magazine Office.

After mailing the manuscript, Xu Yuexin proactively called the editorial department.

The person who answered was a female editor.

"It's comrade Xu Yuexin, hello hello."

"What, you submitted to our Magazine Office? That's really great."

"Rest assured, we'll review your manuscript as quickly as possible…"

……

The female editor was very welcoming of Xu Yuexin's submission, her attitude enthusiastic.

When a renowned author within the industry submits a manuscript, it's a cause for celebration for any publishing house.

After ending the call, Xu Yuexin waited at home.

In fact, he made the call for no other reason than to ask whether Novel Monthly Report could approve his manuscript promptly.

Otherwise waiting another two or three months would be far too long.

A few days later, Xu Yuexin received a call from Novel Monthly Report; they said they had received the novel, completed the review, and would send him the royalty at the highest standard.

At 205,000 words, calculated at ten yuan per thousand characters, that's a 2,050‑yuan royalty.

Receiving Novel Monthly Report's reply, Xu Yuexin let out a long sigh.

It finally passed.

Actually, when he had just finished Norwegian Wood, Xu Yuexin kept worrying that the work might be hard to publish.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence in the novel's content, but because it involved a love triangle and had a rather gloomy overall tone.

Xu Yuexin feared that magazines of this era might not accept it.

One should know that when the film Lushan Love premiered last year, it faced great pressure; some believed that love stories shouldn't be a theme for film and TV.

It wasn't until this year that Lushan Love won the Hundred Flowers Award, which quelled the controversy.

Regarding male‑female romance, Norwegian Wood's scope is far larger than Lushan Love's.

The positive response now given by Novel Monthly Report truly lifted a weight off Xu Yuexin's mind.

Since the novel's publication is now settled, the next step is to consider publishing matters.

Romance works have always sold strongly, even can be said to leave the competition in the dust, far ahead of other genres.

If the follow‑up publishing of Norwegian Wood is planned properly, the monetary profit will be dream‑level.

Xu Yuexin thought, walked from the bedside phone to the writing desk, took out paper and pen to plan the publishing matters.

This time, he still chose People's Literature as the domestic publisher.

People's Literature magazine follows a serious literary style, but its book publishing subjects and styles are much more lenient.

Moreover, after many collaborations, Xu Yuexin also has a close friendship with Wang Chaoyin, so he thought of them first.

(End of chapter)