Fang Muyang took leave to pick up his parents.

Before leaving, he asked Fei Ni if she could give him fifty yuan first, so he could buy his parents some spring clothes to bring along.

“If they’re dressed too poorly, they might feel embarrassed to meet you. I’ll get the money back from them when I see them.” It was already late spring, and the winter clothes he’d mailed earlier couldn’t be worn anymore.

“You never say anything serious. Who asks for money back when giving gifts? Especially to their parents.”

Last winter, shortly after his parents started receiving wages, Fang Muyang sent a letter saying his salary wasn’t enough and asking them to send fifty yuan. Along with the money came a letter urging him to be frugal and not wasteful. Fang Muyang could tell it was written by his father. He took the fifty yuan, added some more, and bought them each padded jacket, pants, and shoes to mail back. His parents had gone without wages for nearly ten years, barely maintaining their basic living standards, let alone making new clothes. Most of their original clothes had become others’ property along with their house, and just having clothes to wear during those ten years was already fortunate. Now that they had wages, they still couldn’t buy clothes without ration coupons, but fortunately, his job at the foreign affairs hotel made it easier to exchange coupons and buy clothes without ration tickets. Shortly after he sent the winter clothes, he received another letter saying the clothes fit perfectly and they were proud to have such a son, but since he was married now, it wasn’t right to spend all his money and coupons on his parents, and he shouldn’t spend on them anymore.

“Last time the old man specifically wrote telling me not to spend money on them.”

“That’s what they say. But giving gifts and then asking for money back—might as well not give anything.”

Fei Ni readily gave Fang Muyang a hundred yuan, telling him to buy his parents some shoes too. It pained her a bit to give it, but then she thought, it’s just this once—now that his parents have wages, they won’t need to spend money on them anymore. Worried that Fang Muyang might run short of money on the journey, she went to the bank to withdraw more from the dowry money that her parents had given her, which she’d been keeping as savings.

When Fang Muyang was leaving, Fei Ni gave him five crisp notes.

“Where did you get so much money?”

“The money my parents gave me for furniture when I got married.”

“I can’t take that. How can I spend your dowry money from our parents?”

“Just take it.” She also included national grain coupons she’d exchanged for money.

“Use your grain coupons for meals there. And see if you can manage to buy your parents sleeper tickets—they’re too old to handle sitting through a long train journey.”

“They’re not that old—at least the old man can handle sitting on a train overnight.” Fang Muyang only took the grain coupons. “Even if we buy sleeper tickets, we don’t need to use our money. Just my mother’s salary alone is more than both of ours—we’ll use their money.”

“You have no shame.”

“What’s there to be ashamed of? Whoever earns more pays.”

Fei Ni still pressed the money into Fang Muyang’s hands and used pastry vouchers to buy snacks, packing them in a cookie tin for his journey. The travel bag also contained tea eggs made with Da Hong Pao—food alone took up most of the bag.

Looking at the tea eggs, Fang Muyang smiled, “Wonder how the old man would feel knowing these tea eggs were made with Da Hong Pao. He was furious when I used his Jin Jun Mei to make tea eggs before.”

After reaching the train station, Fang Muyang had to take a bus to finally reach the small county town where his parents now lived. Upon mentioning his mother’s name, factory workers immediately gave him their address.

The elderly couple had been undergoing reform through labor at the agricultural machinery factory for several years. Fang Muyang’s mother had been a professor of mechanical engineering. She had originally studied liberal arts in university, but back then her husband, Old Fang, was quite prominent at the school—his poetry had caused quite a stir, and for a while, drama societies at various universities were all performing his plays. Knowing she couldn’t compete with Old Fang in that area, she switched to studying mechanical engineering and never changed course. The factory workers knew her background and often came to her for advice; problems others couldn’t solve were often readily resolved by her. Though Professor Mu came from a bad background and was being reformed, she was universally respected at the factory. Her husband consequently received some reflected respect, being respectfully called “Professor Mu’s spouse.” Previously, others had always introduced Professor Mu as “Principal Fang’s wife.” Old Fang took this to mean the local people were simple and kind but uncultured, having neither read his plays nor his articles, not even knowing his widely circulated poems, which left him somewhat disappointed.

This time, his wife had received her transfer notice first; though his status had been restored, he was still waiting for notice about his specific position.

If not for his younger son coming to pick them up, he wouldn’t have been in a hurry to return to being idle.

They hadn’t seen each other for many years, parting when Fang Muyang was in adolescence, his most transformative period. But at first sight, before Fang Muyang could even call out “Mom and Dad,” his parents recognized him—that face and smile could only belong to their family.

Their eyes met, all speechless, until Old Fang spoke first: “How did you get taller than me?”

When the family was scattered, Fang Muyang was still in elementary school, and Old Fang had thought poor nutrition during his growth years would keep him from growing too tall. Among their three children, they had worried most about their youngest son. They had hoped that with their protection and education, even if he didn’t become accomplished, he would at least grow up safely. The two older children were either working or in university, but he only had an elementary education and was a troublemaker—without parents around, who knew what trouble he might get into?

Yet he had grown up healthy, hadn’t caused any major trouble, had a job, and was married.

Old Fang noticed his son was wearing his best presentable shirt, with patches only at the elbows.

Fang Muyang took out the new clothes he’d bought for his parents and asked them to change.

Seeing the jacket and shirt his son had bought him, Old Fang’s first reaction wasn’t joy at new clothes but to ask, “Where did you get the money and fabric coupons?” Old Fang could tell at a glance these items weren’t cheap, and from the style, they were probably meant for foreigners. He knew his son—with just an elementary education, even with allowances his salary would barely reach thirty yuan, how could he afford these? Whether money, fabric coupons, or exchange certificates, his son was unlikely to have any of them.

“The money came from your daughter-in-law. It’s from her dowry from her parents.”

Old Fang felt both moved by his son’s filial piety and deeply disappointed. Relying on others’ care while in the hospital was one thing, but now that he could work, he was still using his in-laws’ money to buy clothes for his parents. Fortunately, he would soon receive his back pay, and this unfilial son wouldn’t need to spend his daughter-in-law’s money anymore.

“What work do you do now?”

“I’m a waiter.”

“A waiter?” Old Fang didn’t even ask where he worked—those three words alone were enough to disappoint him. Though waiters could barely be considered working class, it was still inferior.

Professor Mu glared at her husband, “Having official employment is already very good.” She had no expectations for her youngest son. Though she had thought that despite his waywardness, with them around he wouldn’t turn out too badly, they had later become a burden to him. Given Fang Muyang’s background, being able to find work and support himself was enough to make her content.

Fang Muyang noticed his mother maintained her dignity from years past, though she had visibly aged.