Page 69 of He Is My Bride
Once everything else was coming along, they all made the dumplings together, sitting around the kitchen table to stuff the shells with gelatinized soup, and Li Ying listened to them gossip about the other Shanghai families:
“The Lins have recently acquired another fashion brand into their portfolio, did you hear?” Grandmother Linming said.
“By heavens, it will soon be impossible to wear any domestic brands without that smug Mister Lin looking at you and saying: ‘Ah, thank you for your support!’” Madam Wang complained.
“He’s aggressively seeking to expand in the international market as well,” Grandmother Lingming went on. “But luxury fashion is much more competitive than what he’s prepared for, while his capital has been made with silk exports, and he’s running into many challenges.”
“But Mister Lin is an extremely good salesman,” spoke little Madam Wu, “his hard work may be rewarded yet. Meanwhile, the Huang family seems to be growing their business year after year without any difficulty. It would be a good time for Mister Huang’s son to step up.”
“It’s the growing middle-class, dear,” Grandmother Linming said. “Demand for meat will just keep rising. All Mister Huang will have to do is keep the course and build more butcheries.”
“But his son, that Huang Xiang,” said Madam Wang, shaking her head, “he seems to have grown into a useless dandy, loitering with models all day instead of helping his father with their meat-packing business.”
“Mm. He ought to learn what sets these old family businesses apart from their competitors is how involved the leaders still are in their respective trades, instead of just leading from behind their desks,” Grandmother Linming said, her pride in her family apparent. “There’s still a sense of craftsmanship.”
“Isn’t that right,” agreed little Madam Wu. “All the Wus have studied some level of traditional Chinese medicine, not just trade, so they understand the philosophy at the root of the company’s business.”
“Is it enough if one marries a doctor, I wonder?” asked Madam Wang slyly as she looked at Li Ying.
“Hanjun is very knowledgeable about traditional medicine too,” Li Ying said while doing his best to make pretty, presentable dumplings. “He’s helped cure my cough with chrysanthemum tea, for example. He’s very good.”
“And does Li Ying, as a doctor of Western medicine, appreciate traditional Chinese medicine?” asked little Madam Wu.
“I think all theories are worth putting into practice and seeing what yields the best results,” Li Ying said. “This is the way of science. If it works, I would use it. Taking ideological stances in such matters is just silly.”
Madam Wang was the one to break the following silence, “Not just a pretty face,Little SisterLi has a brain in that head of hers!”
Why does Madam Wang have to sound so surprised about it?Li Ying wished the aunties would have gossiped more about the other families, to gather intel on who was who in the Shanghai circles, but alas, they dropped the goss.
After the dumplings were prepared, they returned to their respective tasks in the kitchen. Before he started on the noodles, Li Ying went to see Grandmother Linming start preparing the borscht.
“Junjun likes this dish—” Li Ying started before he remembered himself, yet Grandmother Linming didn’t seem to mind him calling her grandson by his pet name, so Li Ying continued, “He makes it often.”
“He grew up with this, much like you grew up with your grandmother’s noodles.”
“If Hanjun grew up with his grandmother’s recipe, I would like to learn it. So I can always make Hanjun happy when he eats this and remembers his grandmother.”
Grandmother Linming smiled warmly and agreed to teach him the secrets of Shanghai-style borscht, a recipe adapted to local tastes from Russian immigrants. Li Ying wasn’t a calculating person and he was genuine in his desire to learn to cook it, but he had to admit he’d probably just netted many approval points from Grandmother Linming. Li Ying thought he wasn’t doing too bad. But there was still the actual family dinner to conquer.
While the dishes were starting to be ready, the rest of the Wus arrived one by one: cousins Hanrong and Yiyi came first by Hanrong’s car, him having driven them from work. The brothers came to greetthe aunties and Li Ying, and Hanrong too gave Li Ying his warmest congratulations on his engagement. He had already known:
“Hanjun told me today,” Hanrong said.
“Alright, men out of the kitchen!” Madam Wang shooed them. “You’re in our way.”
Before Hanrong and Yiyi were chased out, Li Ying snuck them some pieces of duck breast from the plate, giving them a wink. Unlike his little brother who was sneakier and slipped out of the kitchen with his spoils, Hanrong got caught and got whacked with a kitchen towel by Madam Wang:
“Are you being starved, you poor child?” she mocked, but in good humor. “I knew you Wus weren’t as ascetic as you make yourselves out to be.”
Li Ying covered his mouth to hide his grin. Now he was even getting the other upright Wus in trouble!
Next arrived Wu Yiheng, likewise straight from work. He greeted the ladies from the door and went to change out of office wear. He hadn’t noticed the ring on Li Ying’s finger.
“Li Ying.” Grandmother Linming handed him a tray with a small bowl of broth from the borscht. “Go upstairs and give this to Yiheng, ask him if it’s to his liking. Second door to the left.”
Li Ying accepted the tray and the mission. “Yes, auntie.” He headed to the hall and up the spiraling staircase and went to Wu Yiheng’s door. He gave a knock.
“Mister Wu?”
