Chapter 262: What? My Pen Pal Is My Aunt?

After completing "Mother, Love Me One More Time," Wei Ming's life became relaxed and easy: he usually revised manuscripts in the morning and went shopping with Gong Ying in the afternoon; fortunately, she hadn't reached the fame level of Chen Chong or Zhang Yu, so a little concealment still allowed them to go out.

After dinner, when night fell, they would sneak off to No. 12 Huating Road's old Western-style house.

The door was locked; they only entered after confirming the renovation crew had left—there was now a bed inside!

But there was no hot water, making it inconvenient; afterward, they still had to return home separately to clean up.

Wei Ming, holding his legs that had gone weak, asked: "Has Dad said when the house will be finished?"

Gong Ying: "He said it'll definitely be done before the New Year."

Wei Ming sighed—he wouldn't be able to truly move in before returning home.

Originally, Wei Ming planned to return to Beijing only after finishing revisions in December, but a long-distance call from Beijing meant he might have to go back immediately.

The call came from Mei Wenhua, but Wei Ming also heard Biaozi's voice—apparently, "Heroes Rise in Youth" had wrapped filming.

"Big Brother!" Mei Wenhua now called him "Big Brother" like Yunyun did, "Can you get back to Beijing by the last day of this month? Come to our wedding."

Biaozi: "Yeah, come to our wedding."

Wei Ming laughed: "What? After going to Sichuan, you want to marry Xiao Mei?"

Biaozi: "Get lost—it's me and Yanzi getting married, Xiao Mei and your cousin are getting married, we're having the celebrations together."

Wei Ming grew serious: "Wait, why are you tagging along? You're not even of age."

Although Biaozi was a few months older than Wei Ming, he still hadn't turned twenty.

Mei Wenhua snatched the phone back, tone dripping with glee: "They can't not get married now."

Wei Ming gasped: "Did someone get pregnant?"

Mei Wenhua: "Exactly! Luckily they found out after filming wrapped—otherwise Yanzi would've had to carry a baby while doing stunt scenes."

Biaozi stood nearby, utterly embarrassed.

Wei Ming asked again: "Can they even get a marriage certificate?"

Biaozi chimed in: "I used connections to change my age—I'm now the same age as Xiao Mei."

Holy cow, you could do that? But absolutely mustn't let Linjie or Xuejie find out!

Biaozi also told Wei Ming that when he returned to Beijing, he'd bring his father and Wei Ming's maternal grandmother's family along.

"They're staying in your sihe courtyard now."

Wei Ming: "Good. Thank goodness we have this sihe courtyard—I'll head back as soon as possible."

Thinking that two close friends were both getting married, and one was even becoming a father, Wei Ming felt a strange sense of wonder.

The next day, Wei Ming finished fifty thousand characters of revisions, delivered the manuscript to "Shouhuo" to meet Editor Li, and asked Ba Lao for a letter of introduction to buy an airplane ticket—he wasn't sure if he could get one in just a few days; if not, he'd have to endure the hardship of taking the train.

On his way back, he met the postal worker waiting for him—he had an overseas letter.

Sending it here? It must be Old Ghost!

After signing for it, Wei Ming rushed back to his room to open it.

To his surprise, the letter contained a photo—it looked like a birthday party, with remnants of cake visible on the table.

On the left was Old Ghost—this nose, these eyes, these eyebrows—clearly Wei Anping's own uncle.

On the right was a woman of similar age, average-looking, her face weathered by hardship.

In the center, presumably the birthday girl, was a little girl with cake smeared on her face; though her features were unclear, she was tall with good proportions and very fair skin.

Wei Ming already had a hunch—he confirmed it after reading the letter: this was Amin, who'd just had her birthday, and Old Ghost had even wished Wei Ming a happy birthday from afar.

The photo was taken by Liu Bin; when Old Ghost received Wei Ming's letter from the Magic City, Amin had also received Wei Ming's gift—especially the huluqin, which the girl adored and often showed off her skills with.

Seeing how fond Amin was, Old Ghost suspected he'd soon have a daughter-in-law, so he wanted his grandson to see her photo.

But he also thought he hadn't asked Amin's permission—perhaps she wanted to preserve the surprise for Aiming.

So after weighing his options, Old Ghost mailed this photo of Amin without showing her face.

Yet seeing the three of them smiling harmoniously in the photo, Wei Ming's thoughts spiraled.

"They look like a family of three—could this old man be interested in Amin's mother?"

"Could little Amin become my aunt?"

Wei Ming mentally cursed—Old Man, you still have a family in Taiwan!

After Grandpa brought him back from Korea to Taiwan, after long treatment he recovered—but he was determined to return to the mainland.

Grandpa, to protect himself and fearing his brother would be seen as a traitor if he returned, went to great lengths to keep him there—including using a beauty trap.

That was Wei Ming's aunt's biological mother—a young, beautiful nurse—who used some tactics to make Old Ghost have a family in Taiwan, delaying his return.

Only years later, when his aunt went to study in America, did Old Wei finally abandon the Taiwan crowd and move to Hong Kong, getting closer to the mainland.

Next, Old Ghost mentioned this aunt in his letter.

"I've learned about your mention of Jueyuan No. 2 Courtyard. I'm sure your aunt-niece would be deeply moved—if only she knew. To protect comrades, I once used your aunt-niece's family, causing them to be suspected of collusion with the Communists by the Kuomintang, forcing them to flee to America. Because of this, your aunt-niece has always resented me and refuses to see me..."

So there was this past history—not only had they been implicated, but after liberation their property was confiscated; no wonder they never returned.

Old Ghost also wrote: "But I've already conveyed this matter to you through your aunt. Though she resents me, she's always treated your aunt as her own daughter."

Finally, Old Ghost briefly mentioned Hao Lai's recent situation, but didn't mention Liu Bin's undercover work at McDonald's—no results yet.

Wei Ming put away the letter and immediately bought a ticket—he actually got a flight two days later.

Wei Jiefang had returned to Yanjing over a week ago; during this time, he'd gained a new "official title"—Director of the Gouzitun Beijing Office.

Two days ago, Old Secretary Zhou Xingbang came to Beijing with County Magistrate Qin and others to inspect the Sijiqing Commune; Old Wei, at home, received a call looking for Wei Ming and immediately rushed to Sijiqing Commune to join the commotion.

Old Wei now had money and was deeply respected by his hometown folks; he'd planned to treat everyone to a good meal in the city, but they politely declined due to time constraints.

But Zhou Xingbang entrusted him with one task: maintain contact with Sijiqing Commune, and after returning home, continue exchanging farming knowledge—possibly through him.

Old Secretary's exact words: "After all, you're the one we know and trust best in Yanjing."

Old Wei was deeply moved—though he hadn't achieved the same success as Anping, in his hometown folks' hearts, he was closer to them!

After seeing off the Ping'an County inspection team, Wei Jiefang welcomed his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law.

Because Mei Wenhua was now extremely wealthy and didn't care about train ticket costs, he'd invited them all—and had even exchanged large amounts of Yanjing grain coupons in advance.

Grandmother, uncle, auntie, Pingping, Fangfang, plus aunt, uncle-in-law, and Long Xiaoyang—eight people total.

There was no way they could all fit in the Overseas Chinese Apartment; Old Wei housed everyone except his mother-in-law in the Sihe Courtyard on Beichi Zi, hauling a cart of honeycomb coal for heating and telling them to burn freely.

Wei Ming's place had been fitted with central heating during renovation; though not as warm as the Overseas Chinese Apartment, it wasn't cold either—Beijing hadn't yet hit its coldest point.

Now, their most important task was to care for their relatives from Sichuan and ensure the wedding went smoothly.

Early that morning, Old Wei and Xu Shufen rode a bicycle to the sihe courtyard; after knocking, Long Xiaoyang opened the door.

Then a small yellow dog darted between Long Xiaoyang's legs and clung to Old Wei's leg.

It was a Shandong native dog pup he'd brought back through great hardship—he'd already bonded with it in Shandong and was waiting for his son to name it; now it was called "Zuozuozuo."

Long Xiaoyang said: "Auntie, Uncle, have you eaten? We're just about to."

Old Wei snapped: "Why cook? I'm taking you all out for fried liver!"

"No need to trouble you, brother-in-law, we've already prepared everything," said Auntie-in-law, smiling as she stepped out, with Yunyun helping her.

With all the family arrived, Yunyun had moved out from her husband's place—she'd be taken from here on her wedding day.

After nearly a year apart, when they first arrived yesterday, her parents and siblings nearly didn't recognize her—this stylish, radiant girl was their Yunyun!

Wei Ming's uncle and auntie were deeply grateful for having let Yunyun come north—this child had truly escaped hardship.

With the wedding still days away, today's tasks were to show them around and buy Yunyun's dowry.

Auntie had already bought her some items; she had a decent salary too, so they could add more.

When they returned from shopping, night was nearly fallen—they found Mei Wenhua waiting at the door.

Old Wei chuckled: "Xiao Mei, you know you're not supposed to see each other before the wedding—can't even go a day without seeing her?"

Mei Wenhua said: "Uncle-in-law, I'm here for a serious reason—Yunyun, your wedding dress has arrived."

"Wedding dress? What's a wedding dress?" Everyone was confused.

Mei Wenhua, in the clothing business, now understood domestic and international fashion trends.

He explained: "It's what the bride wears on her wedding day—we're planning to take wedding photos in it."

This might be unique even in Beijing, let alone nationwide.

Yunyun was thrilled—she'd seen wedding dresses before in magazines mailed by Amin; that lacey white was nothing like funeral white—it felt sacred and beautiful.

Old Wei asked: "Who'll take the photos?"

Mei Wenhua said: "Biaozi got a photographer from Da Bei Studio—I'll find Zhong Guo."

Da Bei and Zhong Guo were both famous old photo studios on Wangfujing.

Old Wei thought of his little brother and said: "Why bother with them? I'll introduce you to someone who takes photos like a pro—he's a film cinematographer."

Film cinematographers were seen as technically superior to still photographers; hearing this, Mei Wenhua immediately asked his uncle-in-law to make the connection.

"But this guy's family is poor—you'll have to pay him well."

"Money's not an issue—only the result matters."

Old Wei: "Alright, I'll go to the Film Academy tomorrow."

Film Academy.

Liu Rulong had just received a letter from Gong Ying in the Magic City.

They'd already confirmed their relationship and exchanged letters constantly.

In today's letter, Ying described helping her father design an old Western-style house—and revealed it would be Wei Ming and his sister's future love nest.

"Though Father doesn't know."

Ying's letter focused on her confused father and leaky-cotton-padded-jacket sister, but Long was thinking: Aiming has bought so many houses already—when will he buy one for me and Ying?

The complete set of "Heroes Rise in Youth" comics earned him over a thousand yuan and brought him a four-person team—he was richer than most students, but far from enough to start a family.

Now he could only rely on Aiming's promised comic that would go global.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of a bicycle bell came from ahead; Long, lost in thought, instantly stepped aside—but the bike stopped right in front of him.

"Long, what're you thinking about?"

Long looked up: "Uncle Jiefang? You… you came looking for me?"

Wei Jiefang: "I'm not looking for you—I'm looking for Zhang Yimou. Go call him for me."

"Oh, okay."

Zhang Yimou, just out of class, was called over; his old face beamed as he greeted Wei Jiefang: "Uncle."

Old Wei told Zhang Yimou about the wedding photo shoot. To his surprise, Zhang Yimou actually knew what a wedding dress was—and when he heard the price Old Wei had negotiated, he grabbed Old Wei's hand in delight.

"Uncle, thank you so much! I was just thinking about upgrading my camera! This is perfect!"

After speaking with Zhang Yimou, Old Wei told Liu Long about the wedding.

"You've got to come. It's being held near Tuanjiehu—you know where that is, right?"

"I know, Uncle."

Old Zhang worked fast—he went into the city with Old Wei that same day and shot everything, including plenty of outdoor scenes. Wei Ming's sihe courtyard had been renovated beautifully and was used for several interior and courtyard shots.

Though it was cold wearing a wedding dress outdoors in late November, fortune smiled: clear blue sky, white clouds, endless sunshine—and the two newlyweds looked stunning despite the chill.

When Mei Wenhua saw the developed photos the next day, he cried out: "These hundred-odd yuan were worth every cent!"

The photos were pure art—especially the outdoor ones, where the couple blended perfectly with their surroundings.

He immediately rushed over to Biaozi with the photos to show off.

Biaozi and Yanzi's wedding photos were the standard kind: Biaozi in a Zhongshan suit, Yanzi in red, both seated indoors—utterly unoriginal.

Seeing Xiao Mei and Yunyun's wedding photos, Yanzi said nothing—but Biaozi exploded. Marriage only happens once in a lifetime; he couldn't bear to be left behind. If others had it, they had to have it too.

So the next day, they also hired Zhang Yimou—at the same price—for outdoor shots.

Zhang Yimou: He could finally afford a better camera!

They had no wedding dress, but Biaozi's mother produced a red wedding robe embroidered with gold thread—similar to the later Xiuheshu, equally beautiful and festive, and more fitting for Yanzi's traditional demeanor.

While Zhang Yimou was photographing them at the Summer Palace, Wei Ming returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment with his bag and saw his grandmother holding Jingzhang in the sun.

In a month, Jingzhang had grown a full size; his fur gleamed with oil and health—he'd clearly been eating plenty of fish and meat.

Cats seemed to adore the elderly; Jingzhang now favored his grandmother over Wei Ming.

Fortunately, his grandmother didn't share the cat's preference—when she saw her eldest grandson return, she placed Jingzhang on the radiator and pulled Wei Ming into conversation, listening to his tales from Shanghai.

"Grandma, my parents are all away—why don't you go with them?"

"Go where? I've been to all those places already. No need to waste money again. Let your uncles get some new experiences."

Wei Ming: "Then why not stay in Beijing with us for the New Year? Yunyun's here too."

His mother had already asked his grandmother; though she felt she was imposing on the kids, Xu Shufen insisted, and eventually the grandmother agreed.

"Fine. Are you hungry? I'll reheat some dishes—and you can try the chili sauce I brought."

"With your chili sauce, why need any other dishes? Just reheat a steamed bun for me," Wei Ming laughed.

His grandmother had made chili sauce back in Gouzitun, similar to his mother's—but the one she made in her hometown had a unique flavor, perhaps due to different chili origins. Wei Ming thought his grandmother's tasted better.

After dinner, Wei Ming flipped through the phone book beside the phone—it listed all calls made during his absence, meticulously recorded by his mother.

The most recent was an assignment from *October* magazine; the Four Great Dan all seemed to be collecting Wei Ming like stamps.

Also from Beiyingchang: they notified him that *Heroes Born in Youth* had wrapped. According to his mother's notes, post-production was sent to Hong Kong—so Xu Xiaoming and the Hong Kong crew had already returned.

There was even a call from Xiyingchang's Wu Tianming—Old Wei answered it, so no record was kept; he had no idea what it was about.

That evening, Old Wei and Xu Shufen returned, and Wei Ming finally learned.

"Oh, Director Wu wants to make *Ancient War: Terracotta Warriors*. He knows Wei Kuangren is you, so he wants to discuss adapting it. He tried calling but couldn't reach you—he said he'll write you a letter in Shanghai to talk details."

He never expected Director Wu would even notice *Ancient War: Terracotta Warriors*—he was a staunch arthouse director who'd never made a commercial film; his final works were all outdated subjects like *The Phoenixes Paying Homage to the Phoenix*. Now he wanted to chase trends?

But Director Wu had just finished a film—he probably wasn't in a rush. He'd just write him a letter later.

The day after tomorrow was Xiao Mei and Biaozi's wedding. The next day, Wei Ming visited the two newlyweds at Tuanjiehu and saw Biaozi's marriage certificate, with his age altered.

Wei Ming asked curiously: "Biaozi, will Li Lianjie and the other old friends from Shichahai come to your wedding?"

Biaozi said: "I invited them. Everyone except Little Li will come. Little Li's filming *Shaolin Temple* right now—I heard it won't finish until next year."

A competitive spark lit in him. He asked: "Mingge, which do you think is better—our movie or theirs?"

Wei Ming laughed: "You think I'm a fortune-teller? I haven't even seen their film—how would I know? But if they're shooting so long, maybe theirs will be more polished. Still, if ours releases first, we've got the advantage. And a great movie always needs a catchy theme song—I'll write one for you."

After chatting about tomorrow's wedding, Wei Ming added: "One more thing—Zhu Lin will be attending your wedding."

They knew Zhu Lin's "house" was also at Tuanjiehu and promised to treat him as an honored guest.

Wei Ming added: "Gong Ying will be attending too."

(End of Chapter)