Some girls, when they visit their boyfriend’s house for the first time and see their boyfriend’s mother busy in the kitchen, might actively offer to help. However, this can also happen in a scenario where the boyfriend’s parents ask the girl to wash dishes or cook and claim that this is a sort of examination. In such cases, some girls might not refute and accept the arrangements made by their boyfriend’s parents. On the other hand, some girls may be quite decisive and simply turn around and leave their boyfriend’s house, which can lead to a breakup over this issue.
Xiao Yuan, on her first trip to her boyfriend’s home, initially planned to spend the New Year well with them. However, a gesture from her boyfriend’s mother made her leave his house immediately, returning home the next day, and ultimately, Xiao Yuan broke up with her boyfriend over this matter.
From Xiao Yuan’s account:
Hello everyone, I am Xiao Yuan, 25 years old this year. When I took the college entrance exam back then, I didn’t pass. My mother advised me to repeat the year, but I didn’t because, on one hand, my family’s financial situation was not good, and on the other hand, my brother was about to take the exam, and he studies much better than I do. If we both went to college, the pressure on the family would be too great.
I stayed at home for half a year and then went to work out of town with my cousin. For these past years, I have been working away from home. At first, I worked at the same factory as my cousin, and later I entered an electronics factory on my own, and I worked there for several years.
When I was 23, I met my boyfriend at the factory. He started working right after graduating from high school. Initially, he pursued me, but I did not agree. However, he did not give up, and after six months, I was moved by his persistence and got together with him. He treated me very well, and we dated for two years. Since he is two years older than me, his family began urging him to get married. So, my boyfriend talked to his family about us, and they hoped he would bring me home to meet them. I thought that given the state of our relationship, we would eventually get married, and I also wanted to visit his family. After my boyfriend mentioned this, I didn’t agree immediately, saying, “Let me think about it.” In fact, I had already made up my mind; I just wanted to ask my parents for their opinions.
I called my mom and told her about my plans to visit my boyfriend’s family. My mom knew I was dating someone here and had been urging me to bring him home for them to meet. I thought it best to visit my boyfriend’s family first before bringing him to ours. My mom was very supportive; she said, “It’s right for you to go see them. Getting married is different from dating; marriage involves two families and should be approached with caution.”
My mom’s support made me more resolute. If I visited my boyfriend’s parents and they had no objections, perhaps we could start discussing marriage. After the factory break, just a few days before the New Year, we booked our tickets in advance. I thought about preparing gifts for my boyfriend’s parents, so I asked him about their preferences and bought the necessary gifts. Purchasing these gifts cost me a month’s salary, which was a bit painful financially, but I wanted to leave a good impression on my boyfriend’s parents.
To get to my boyfriend’s house, we first took a high-speed train from where we worked and then took a bus. My boyfriend had told me about his home situation; his family lives in the county, and he is their only son who is quite cherished. Relatively speaking, their family’s financial situation is better than ours. We live in the countryside. Originally, we wanted to renovate our house, but since my brother is still in college, we have still been living in the two-story house we repaired years ago, as the family’s priority is to support him through university.
When my boyfriend and I arrived at his house, we found that they lived in a new community. My boyfriend said, “The apartment we’re living in now was just bought a couple of years ago; it’s the house my parents bought for me to get married in.” My boyfriend knocked on the door, and his dad opened it. I greeted him, saying, “Hello, Uncle,” and upon entering, I saw the prepared slippers, so I put on the slippers…
