My name is Zhang Yuqing, I am 28 years old and I am a fashion magazine editor. Since childhood, he has been an independent character.,It's also very assertive at work.。 Last year, I met my long-time boyfriend, Li Ming, who is a creative director at an advertising agency. We have known each other for many years, and this time we finally achieved a positive result and decided to get married.
"Yuqing, our family's wedding must be held in accordance with the rules of our ancestors. Mrs. Li said to me, "The bride must wear the red cheongsam I made when I was young, with a phoenix crown on her head and a pair of embroidered shoes on her feet." "
I frowned: "Mother-in-law, I would prefer to wear a simple and fashionable wedding dress, which is both traditional and modern." "
"What is modern or not, it is all crooked and heretical! Our ancestors have rules like this, you can't spoil the family style and family education!" Mrs. Li said confidently.
I had no choice but to give up and secretly decided to wait until the wedding day.
Who knows, just the day before receiving the certificate, Mrs. Li suddenly repented: "8,888 yuan? What are you kidding? Our family has always paid 1 yuan for changing the mouth, and it has been passed down like this, how can it change?"
"But mother-in-law, 8,888 yuan is already an agreed amount between us, how can you temporarily regret it?" I said a little angrily.
"It's 1 yuan, you young people are out of order! Either that's it, or you'll disperse!" Mrs. Lee was full of words.
My parents were also annoyed by her stubbornness, and the scene was quite tense at one point.
Seeing that the situation was not good, I finally spoke: "Okay, mother-in-law, since you insist on a 1 yuan change fee, then I also have a request." "
"What requirements?" Mrs. Lee looked at me suspiciously.
"I ask you, mother-in-law, to drink a cup of black tea at our wedding scene, in front of all our relatives and friends. As long as you can do this, we will do as you say, and the change fee is 1 yuan. "
"What's so hard about drinking tea?" Mrs. Li snorted, "Okay, I'll drink it, don't regret it when the time comes!"
I said calmly, "Of course I won't regret it, mother-in-law, please rest assured." However, this is not an ordinary cup of black tea, but represents the respect and sincerity of our two young people for you. I believe that an elder who is so stubborn in adhering to the teachings of his ancestors will certainly be able to reflect his blessings and wishes to us. "
Mrs. Li choked on my words, and the expression on her face was a little hesitant. I know that although she is tough in her mouth, she also knows in her heart that my request is actually tactfully getting her to accept our proposition.
"Well, I promise you. After a long while, Mrs. Li finally spoke, "However, when the time comes, you must prepare good black tea, and I will not drink those fake and shoddy things." "
Looking at her solemn expression, I suddenly felt an inexplicable touch. Yes, whether it's me or my mother-in-law, we just want to create an auspicious and beautiful start for this family business. It's just that we stick to it in a different way.
In this way, the turmoil of the change fee has subsided temporarily. But I know that this is just the beginning, and more differences and challenges await us.
Since then, Mrs. Lee has become more cautious and stubborn in her wedding arrangements. She insisted on following the practice of the older generation, and directly rejected some of Li Ming's new ideas and me.
"What! You want to put some Western-style music on the wedding? How can you do that? Our ancestors had a rule that they had to invite an authentic folk band, which was very lively. "
"Mother-in-law, young people nowadays prefer some light music, can you arrange some of the two styles? "
"Modern and modern, you only know modern times! The rules left by our ancestors are to be followed, how can they be ruined by you people!"
Whenever this happens, Mrs. Lee will glare at us fiercely, as if she was going to eat us alive. Li Ming and I had no choice but to give up and secretly decided to wait until the wedding day to make plans.
Poor Li Ming is caught between me and my mother-in-law, and he is always criticized by both ends. He would sometimes secretly say to me: "Yuqing, mother-in-law, she is an old stubborn, don't force her too much." But the wedding is our home after all, so let's make plans then. "
I know that Li Ming's situation is very difficult. As a grandson, he has been favored by his mother-in-law since he was a child, and he has a natural respect and guilt for her. But at the same time, he understands the desire of our generation of young people to pursue individuality and fashion.
"I just hope that my mother-in-law will be enlightened and not always stubborn. Li Ming often said, "But then again, her style is indeed out of good intentions, but the way is a little too conservative." "
Yes, my mother-in-law is too conservative. But as Li Ming said, her original intention was not malicious, she just hoped that our wedding would follow the ancestral teachings and wish us a hundred years of happiness. I can understand this intention. It's just that the way is too blunt, so we have disagreements.
In this way, the preparations for the wedding continued, and the conflict between me and my mother-in-law increased day by day. The last week was like the eve of a war.
"Yuqing, my mother-in-law said that the wedding wine must be brewed according to her ancestral recipe, and some special Chinese medicinal materials should be added to it. Li Ming said to me helplessly.
"What? That must be a terrible drink, right?" I frowned, "And young people nowadays prefer some softer wines, what should I do?"
"I told my mother-in-law that, and she didn't listen. Li Ming sighed, "She said that the wedding wine is the most important part of the wedding, and the rules must not be ruined." "
I was so angry that I stomped my feet: "This is ridiculous! The wedding is obviously the home of the newlyweds, why should they be swayed by other people's ideas?"
While we were arguing, Mrs. Lee happened to walk in. When she saw us, her brow furrowed.
"What's the matter, are you still struggling with those little things?" She reprimanded, "You young people are just too ignorant of the sky! The rules of the wedding are all left by the ancestors, how can you change them casually?"
"But mother-in-law, the times have changed, and everyone's preferences have changed. I tried to explain, "Wouldn't it be better if we just wanted to incorporate some new elements into the wedding so that they could have both traditional cultural connotations and reflect modern tastes?"
"Nonsense! That's disrespect for the ancestors!" Mrs. Li shouted angrily, "Do you dislike that the rules of our ancestors are too vulgar, and that we can't have a tasteful wedding?"
But Mrs. Lee was so annoyed by our words that her face was flushed, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Enough! You just look down on our tutors! Today's young people just don't know what to do!"
After saying that, she turned around and left suddenly, leaving Li Ming and I looking at each other.
Just when we thought the contradiction could no longer be bridged, an unexpected episode occurred. The night before the wedding, Mrs. Lee suddenly fell home unconscious. We rushed her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a recurrence of high blood pressure due to intense mental stimulation.
Looking at my mother-in-law lying on the hospital bed, I had mixed feelings in my heart. On the one hand, I certainly hope that she will recover soon; But on the other hand, I am also faintly glad that maybe this incident can make her wake up and resolve the conflict between us.
Sure enough, in the hospital room, the three of us finally sat down together and had a good conversation.
"Yuqing, I know that you young people have your own pursuits, and I hope that the wedding can reflect your personality. Mrs. Li, who was lying on the bed, spoke, "It's just that I'm too old after all, and I will inevitably have some conservative and exclusive thoughts about many new things." "
I hurriedly stepped forward and shook her hand: "Mother-in-law, I understand your feelings. We just want weddings to be a mix of old and new, not a complete abandonment of tradition. Don't worry too much, we all respect the ancestral teachings, but we just hope to add some new elements to make the wedding more contemporary. "
Mrs. Li nodded, her eyes softened a lot.
"Well, I promise you. However, you should also respect some of my ideas, and don't completely ignore me as an old man. "
I nodded vigorously, a warm flow through my heart. Yes, isn't the essence of a wedding a reunion between two families? We should tolerate each other, not just rest on our laurels.
"Yuqing, I also think the new ideas you said are not bad. Mrs. Li took the initiative to speak, "However, we also need to keep some traditional elements so that it can be considered a complete wedding." "
I smiled and nodded: "Okay mother-in-law, we will definitely integrate tradition and modernity." "
So, in the following preparations, the three of us really reached a consensus. For the wine part, we decided to make only a small part according to the traditional recipe, and the rest with some soft red and sparkling wines; In terms of music, we arranged a small folk band and also hired a pianist to create an atmosphere of blending tradition and modernity for the scene.
Even my wedding dresses are a clever fusion of cheongsam elements and modern design, so that they have both oriental charm and fashionable temperament.
Seeing everything get better and better, I couldn't be more gratified. Yes, as long as we understand and tolerate each other, anything that seems impossible can be resolved.
Finally, the long-awaited wedding arrived. When I walked slowly to the red carpet in that unique wedding dress, all the relatives and friends at the scene were deeply attracted by my look. Li Ming couldn't help but look at me, his eyes full of approval and love.
At this moment, Mrs. Li slowly walked in front of me with a beautiful ceramic teacup. She held her teacup in the air with both hands and bowed deeply to me.
"Yuqing, although you and I have had some disagreements before, they are all because I am bent on giving you a perfect wedding, so I am a little too complacent. "But now it seems that you have a clever way of blending the old and the new to make this wedding unique." I am very proud of you. "
Watching my mother-in-law slowly drink that cup of hot black tea, I had mixed feelings in my heart. Yes, this cup of tea not only symbolizes the blessing of my mother-in-law to us, but also crosses the gap between the two generations.
Our generation of young people has grown up in a new era of reform and opening up. We pursue individuality, advocate fashion, and crave new things. But my mother-in-law's generation lived in a closed and conservative environment. Since childhood, they have been instilled with the idea of "patriarchy" and "long live the in-laws", and they have a natural wariness of anything new.
These differences initially exacerbated our conflicts to the point where they could not be reconciled. But at the end of the day, we all realized that mutual understanding and inclusion are the keys to resolving generational differences.
Although the mother-in-law is resting on her laurels, her original intentions are not malicious, but she is too stubborn; And although I pursue fashion, I have not completely abandoned traditional culture. As long as we can both understand each other's starting points, we can definitely find a way to get the best of both worlds.
This is not only a consensus within a family, but also a way of social development full of wisdom. Each generation has its own unique values, but only tolerance and understanding can allow the old and new cultures to learn from each other and complement each other, so as to achieve a state of balance between movement and stillness.
"Yuqing, I really admire you young people. My mother-in-law complimented me with a rare compliment, "Not only do you have innovative ideas, but you also skillfully blend old and new elements to make the wedding unique." "
I smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, you have won the prize." In fact, we just hope that the wedding can take into account all aspects. "
"But it wasn't easy. The mother-in-law shook her head, "You need to be tolerant and respectful to do this." It is this precious quality that you have demonstrated. "
I nodded silently, moved in my heart. Yes, tolerance and respect are the cornerstones of maintaining a harmonious family.
Only by tolerating each other's differences can we resolve differences; True understanding can only be achieved by respecting each other's unique personalities. The wedding is just a microcosm of the contradictions between us, but the truth it reflects is the universal wisdom of life.
"In the future, the family you will form should also uphold this spirit of tolerance and respect. The mother-in-law advised, "Only in this way can your marriage grow old together and your family be happy." "
I looked at Li Ming beside me, and he also looked back at me with loving eyes. Yes, we will definitely remember the teachings of our mother-in-law, and run this new family with tolerance and respect, so that it will be full of warmth and sunshine.
In this way, after a short turmoil, Li Ming's wedding with me was finally able to go smoothly.
After the ceremony, we hugged our relatives and friends on the spot and accepted everyone's blessings. A well-choreographed orchestra played live, blending elegant piano music with loud folk music to create a unique musical atmosphere.
Friends and family were fascinated by this trendy yet traditional arrangement, and they took out their mobile phones to record this unique moment. Some young people took the initiative to ask us about the origin of this idea.
"This reflects the unique taste of the newcomer!" Someone sincerely praised, "Trendy and fashionable, without losing the traditional charm, it is really ingenious!"
I smiled slightly, and secretly glad in my heart that our efforts were not in vain. Yes, the wedding is a testament to our ancestors, but it is also a mix of modernity and tradition, just like our couple.
In this way, with the blessings of relatives and friends, Li Ming and I embarked on a new journey in life. Leaving our hometown, we settled in the city and started a new life.
With my mother-in-law's advice, we also uphold the concept of tolerance and respect when taking care of housework. I have learned to be considerate of Li Ming's hard work, and he will take the initiative to share the housework; We respect each other's personal space and hobbies and never interfere too much.
Even when it comes to hospitality, we are committed to combining East and West to the end. If you come to the country, we will entertain you according to the Chinese etiquette; If it's a foreign friend, we switch to a Western way. Whatever it is, we're at it.
The days went on quietly and happily. Every festive season, my mother-in-law would come to our city to reunite with us. Looking at her kind smile, I can always feel a warm power.
Yes, that's what a harmonious family should look like. It doesn't need to be earth-shattering, as long as everyone has a heart of tolerance and respect, and nourishes each other with love, they will definitely be able to build a happy little world.