"Mom and Dad will let us know when they arrive. There's no point in guessing the day; we have everything at home anyway."
Chen Yang had previously thought the three-room house he built was quite spacious, but looking at it now, it felt small, lacking foresight. He hadn't considered his parents visiting.
"Let's read the letter from Big Sister and Brother-in-law. Maybe they have some good news for us."
Having met his in-laws last time and found them to be easygoing people, Shen Xue wasn't as worried.
"You're not worried, but look at Dad and Mom; they're so tense they can barely stand still."
Chen Yang glanced at his in-laws, who were listening with a hint of unease, and he could understand.
In their eyes, his parents were factory workers from the city, and this was their first visit. They felt insecure.
"Dad, Mom, Chen Yang's parents are very approachable. I met his brother-in-law's parents last time, and they were very polite," Shen Xue quickly reassured her parents. Their parents should have met at their wedding, but it had been delayed until now. With children this old, the two sets of in-laws still hadn't met.
"I'm not worried at all. When they come, I'll treat them to good food and drinks."
"Although I'm from the countryside and not very educated, no one can fault me in how I treat people. Everyone praises me for being decent."
Her father, being proud, naturally wouldn't admit that he had been so nervous upon hearing about Chen Yang's parents' impending visit that he had been eavesdropping intently.
"That's right, Dad treats people with great care."
"Dad, my father also enjoys a drink. He praised the wine you brought last time, saying it was delicious. You two can have a good drink together then."
Chen Yang subtly flattered his father-in-law, easing his worries.
His parents were not people who liked to find fault. This visit was mainly because they missed their grandchildren and certainly wouldn't come to Anhui province to cause trouble for their in-laws. They would be too polite.
"Then I'll have to bring out the old wine I buried in the backyard years ago to treat my in-law. I guarantee he'll drink to his heart's content."
Hearing Chen Yang's words, his father-in-law's face lit up.
He wasn't as pleased with other compliments, but praise for his homemade wine made him genuinely happy.
"You old man, always fiddling with those jars of wine."
"When our in-laws arrive, we need to prepare their bedding. I'll go air out the new bamboo mat bedding we bought the other day. They'll have fresh ones to sleep on when they get here."
The mother-in-law said this as she went into the house to get the bedding. She was decisive and acted immediately.
"Quick, see what Big Sister said in the letter."
Seeing that Chen Yang had easily dispelled her parents' worries, Shen Xue felt even more that her husband was outstanding. She then urged Chen Yang to continue reading his sister's letter.
"Dearest Yang Yang,"
"Several months have passed since we last met. I wonder how you, Xue'er, and our little niece and nephew have been. Everything is well at home, so don't worry."
"The yard has been tidied up by me and your brother-in-law. We've planted many flowers and plants. We also have a kitten, a ginger one. That lazy thing loves to bask in the sun on the stone slabs in the yard."
"Your brother-in-law is very fortunate to have been selected for further study at the university. However, to take care of me, he chose to stay at our current university instead of going abroad."
"But after completing his studies, he might be eligible for a higher职称. I'm happy for him and wanted to share this joy with you immediately."
As Chen Yang read his sister's letter, he could feel the sweetness and joy in her life from her words.
Compared to his previous life, where his sister and brother-in-law were crammed into that old, dilapidated dormitory, and his brother-in-law owed a favor to a roommate for giving up a precious opportunity to be promoted,
In this life, he could clearly feel his sister's happiness and joy after marriage. Chen Yang felt incredibly happy.
"Brother-in-law is so amazing! He's going for further studies again? Isn't Brother-in-law already a university lecturer? Are there any teachers more senior than a university lecturer?"
Shen Xue looked at Chen Yang. In her understanding, university was the highest institution. Li Zhengpeng was already a university lecturer; what more could one achieve to become a more senior teacher?
"After university, there are postgraduate studies. University lecturers only teach undergraduates. There are also postgraduate supervisors and professors who teach postgraduate students."
"There are two levels of postgraduate studies: Master's and Doctorate."
"If one teaches more advanced students, they must also be more advanced teachers. Our brother-in-law is very capable."
In his past life, his brother-in-law had served as the Dean of the School of Geology at Jinling University, and this was after he had given up going abroad and a promotion opportunity.
Now that he hadn't missed any opportunities, Chen Yang couldn't predict how far he would go. Regardless, becoming a full professor was a certainty. As for administrative roles, those were sometimes different matters.
Academics were academics, and management was management. Even with great knowledge, such matters couldn't be predetermined.
But his brother-in-law's greatest wish in the first half of his life was to study and find large oil fields for the country. In the latter half, he realized that others were doing that work.
Therefore, in the latter half of his life, his ambition was to cultivate more and more outstanding geological talents and contribute to the country's various constructions.
Frankly, he didn't care much about becoming an official. His life journey was from a worker-peasant-soldier university student to a pure intellectual.
"Then, our Yanyan and Haohao should also strive to attend university, pursue postgraduate studies, and become capable people like their great-uncle."
Shen Xue listened to Chen Yang, stroking the heads of her son and daughter. She didn't have much education and learned to read from Chen Yang, but she hoped her children would be educated.
"Of course. Our daughter and son will not only pursue postgraduate studies but also doctoral studies if they wish."
The two little ones, who didn't even recognize characters yet, had already been planned for by their parents.
"Speaking of which, I got sidetracked and forgot the main topic. I haven't finished the letter yet. I'll continue reading."
"Let me tell you another piece of great news."
"Yang Yang, you might become an uncle."
Chen Yang almost jumped up as soon as he finished reading.
Big Sister was pregnant!
Chen Yang's heart swelled with affection when he thought of his well-behaved and sensible nephew from his previous life.
However, holding the letter, he suddenly froze.
In his past life, because they were crammed into that small dormitory, Big Sister and Brother-in-law didn't dare to have children at first. They waited and waited for a house assignment.
Finally, they decided to go ahead regardless, and that's when his nephew was conceived. But it certainly wasn't at this time.
So, was the child conceived this time still the same well-behaved and adorable nephew from his previous life?
For a moment, Chen Yang was filled with mixed emotions.
To be honest, Chen Yang felt a bit flustered.
In this life, he had made Big Sister and Brother-in-law's lives better. With his help, even the in-laws dared not treat them rudely.
But he had overlooked one person: his nephew from his past life.
Sometimes, a difference of a minute or a second could lead to different conceptions, let alone such a significant gap in time.