Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 173 - 166 Hu Family

Chapter 173: 166 Hu Family

Tian Sisi’s first visit to Tian Manxing’s home left her in awe, for she had always heard Granny Zhao reminisce that among the many daughters of the Tian Family, it was the third daughter, Manxing, who married the best. Indeed, viewing it now, it seemed quite splendid.

In Shanghai, where land is worth its weight in gold, owning a three-story western-style house with its own yard is a sign of high society, although in Sisi’s eyes, the yard seemed a bit small, and the house somewhat outdated. But one must keep in mind this is Shanghai, where many a family still crammed four generations into a fifteen-square-meter room!

If it were in her previous life, such a house located in the city center could not be acquired for less than tens of millions. Tsk tsk, Sisi really wanted to tell Manxing, "Third Auntie, you are really a millionaire!"

Manxing’s in-laws and husband all came out to greet them. Most Shanghai people are known to be shrewd, stingy, and somewhat snobbish, but Hu Dingbei’s family was quite decent, lacking the typical pettiness of Shanghainese and more warmhearted towards others.

Of course, it was also because Sisi and her relatives were not poor kin. With gifts in large and small packages and fashionably dressed, they were considered quite stylish even by Shanghai standards. Another contributing factor was the background of Sisi’s family.

There was significant opposition from Manxing’s in-laws at the beginning mainly because she did not have formal employment. Later, Tian Aiguo pulled some strings through his friends in Shanghai to get Manxing a job as a female worker in a textile factory. It’s worth noting that during the 70s and 80s, a female worker in the textile industry was comparable to a golden phoenix—more sought after than the civil servants of today!

Therefore, upon learning about Sisi’s family background, that they were retired old revolutionaries from Beijing and that she had brothers serving as high-ranking military officers, Manxing’s in-laws no longer dared look down upon the Tian Family. In the eyes of Shanghai people, only individuals from two places are not subject to their scorn.

One is Beijing, the Capital, and the other is Guangzhou, because the people from Guangzhou are richer than those from Shanghai. Hence, from that point on, Manxing’s status in the Hu Family rose considerably.

Hu Dingbei came across as a scholarly figure with glasses, speaking and behaving in a measured and calm manner. Dressed in a white shirt, he greeted He Xuewen with a beaming smile. Xuewen handed the gifts to Dingbei’s mother, Zhou Yali, which deepened the smile on her face even further.

Xuewen’s action was quite deliberate. Being an old Shanghai resident, he was well aware of the ways of the Shanghainese. His offering of gifts to Yali was both a show of respect and a way to ensure she understood the value of his gifts and, therefore, would not underestimate him.

Zhou Yali was a petite elderly woman, well-preserved and dressed in an immaculate fashion that exuded elegance. She probably paid attention to her appearance because of her past work for foreigners, and she noticeably cared for her image much more than most Chinese elderly women of the time did.

Furthermore, Yali was somewhat dainty and never dealt with household chores—before Manxing married into the family, Dingbei’s father, Hu Yaohan, took care of these duties. Yaohan was typically Shanghainese—able to cook, do laundry, tend to the children, and never uttered a word of defiance in front of his wife, epitomizing the ideal husband.

"Daddy, Mommy, Third Uncle."

Tian Sisi’s three children called out following Hu Weixin, and all three, being beautiful and appropriately dressed, were very endearing.

When Yali caught sight of Sisi, she instantly knew this must be the beloved niece her daughter-in-law frequently bragged about, the precious darling of her elder brother from Beijing. Before, she thought her daughter-in-law might have been exaggerating.

But observing now, the young lady’s imposing aura was even more striking than that of her own granddaughter, and not at all that of someone from a rural background—she was truly a sight to behold.

Tian Sisi was wearing a dress she made herself today, a powder blue puff dress similar to the current trend of cake dresses, which made young girls look especially soft and adorable. Clad in this attire, Tian Sisi looked just like a little princess.

Tian Xinhua and He Chengsi were also dressed very appropriately, and with He Xuewen, who seemed like an ethereal being, Zhou Yali’s smile became much more genuine. With such presentable guests, she could speak with more confidence in front of the neighbors.

Hu Weixin came back holding a metal lunchbox, which contained several popsicles. Tian Manxing quickly offered the popsicles to Tian Sisi and the others. Just as Tian Sisi reached out to take one, He Xuewen took it away. Tian Manxing looked up in puzzlement, and Tian Mantong explained at her side.

"Big sis, Ah Nan has a weak stomach. She overate ice cream at the restaurant last night and got a tummy ache when we got back. The doctor said Ah Nan’s spleen and stomach are too weak, so she needs to eat less cold food in the future."

"I see. In that case, Ah Nan better not eat any. Let Xinhua and Chengsi have more," Tian Manxing said without insistence upon hearing this. She was aware of her niece’s frail health and constant minor illnesses.

Zhou Yali, a retired hospital nurse, had a lot of experience in patient care. Noticing the slightly pale complexion of Tian Sisi, she knew the young girl was likely blood-deficient and suggested:

"I think Ah Nan might be a bit anemic. Why not take her to the hospital for a complete blood count, or consult an experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner for her spleen and stomach issues? Traditional Chinese medicine is very effective, and many foreigners believe in it too."

He Xuewen found this a very reasonable suggestion. "Aunt Hu is right. I’ll take the child to the hospital this afternoon for a check-up. Do you have any good traditional Chinese medicine doctors to recommend?"

Zhou Yali, with a very positive impression of He Xuewen, replied with a beaming smile: "I have a good friend whose husband is a retired pediatric traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and is very skilled in treating children. I’ll take you there this afternoon, and you don’t need to go for the hospital check-ups anymore; it would just be a waste of money!"

Zhou Yali was very enthusiastic and soon engaged in conversation with He Xuewen. Fortunately, Zhou Yali was not a particularly difficult old lady to get along with. Being a cultured and insightful modern woman, conversing with her was not too unpleasant.

Tian Sisi watched longingly as Tian Xinhua and the others licked their ice creams, feeling ants crawling in her heart. Tian Xinhua, seeing her pitiful look, burst into laughter, quickly finished his ice cream, and urged He Chengsi to eat faster so as not to upset Ah Nan.

Tian Manxing and Hu Dingbei went to prepare lunch. Hu Dingbei also inherited his father Hu Yaohan’s virtuous traits and was very skilled at household chores. He would help out whenever guests came over, while Hu Yaohan would chat with Tian Mantong.

Hu Yaohan and his wife Zhou Yali were different. He wasn’t considered a genuine Shanghai native. His ancestors were from Zhou Shan, and his father and grandfather had both worked at the Shanghai Shipyard, which led to them settling down in Shanghai. Thus, their house was the fruit of three generations of family effort.

Zhou Shan isn’t far from Sui City, and the dialects are somewhat similar. Therefore, Hu Yaohan enjoyed chatting with Tian Mantong, satisfying a certain craving for his hometown connection.

"So Xuewen comes from an old Shanghai family! I found it curious, hearing you talk, your accent isn’t much different from ours!"

Zhou Yali and He Xuewen were having a great time talking and laughing heartily. Observing this, Tian Sisi couldn’t help but give a mental thumbs up, thinking that Daddy truly was a charmer of the ladies! (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)