I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 12 Bright Summer Days

After finishing her classes the next day, another week of monotonous and busy life came to an end. Jia packed up briefly and prepared to go back.

Although Welles was strict in its discipline, it was relatively relaxed during the holidays, allowing the female students to go out and have fun.

In this enlightened era, as long as the men weren't brought back to school to sleep, the school authorities turned a blind eye.

For example, Old Jiang's wife also studied here, but after returning home, she became infertile, and no one knows what happened.

But if Chiang Kai-shek himself doesn't care, what can others do?

Soon, Gia arrived at the school gate and discovered that Luther had been waiting for a long time, and John F. Kennedy Jr. had come with him.

Seeing his older sister appear, Kennedy Jr. was overjoyed and stood up to greet her, "Gia!"

"Why did you come? I can take a car back by myself." Jia still didn't want to owe anyone anything, even if it was her husband who was paid to stay with her.

As a student nurtured by Wellesley College, "independence" is not only the school motto but also a reflection of Gia's own character.

It's not that she wants to be independent, but rather that she has had to be this way since she was a child.

When a person finds that she has no one to rely on, the only one she can rely on is herself. Growing up in such an environment, she becomes independent without even realizing it.

Despite this, Gia was still very happy. She looked at her brother and then at Luther.

Of course, although she said she would take a car back herself, it was not easy to actually do it.

Although trains existed in this era, and Wellesley had a train station where you could take a train directly to Boston South Station or Back Bay Station, and then take a streetcar to Brookline, the whole process took 2-3 hours, was time-consuming, laborious, and quite troublesome.

So generally speaking, wealthy families would send a driver to pick up their children. Old Joseph wanted to do the same, but Gia refused because she didn't want to seem too different.

However, things changed after the marriage, and Luther became the driver.

Since he had nothing better to do, Luther brought his brother-in-law along to relax and clear his head.

It was Johnny's first time visiting Wellesley, and the scenery along the way was beautiful. The summer sun was shining brightly, and the little guy was in a very good mood.

Luther didn't answer Gia's question, but just smiled and took the luggage.

"Let's go."

Jia nodded and naturally got into the passenger seat. Luther started the car, and the three of them drove towards Brookline.

On the way, little Kennedy couldn't help but say to his sister and brother-in-law:

"University is so wonderful, I can't help but want to go to university, any university will do, as long as I can leave this home."

Hearing this, Jia smiled, not understanding why her younger brother would have such a strange idea.

Although the Kennedy family wasn't very warm and friendly, and old Joseph was notoriously strict and acerbic, to be fair, the couple treated their children quite well.

Putting aside everything else, just considering the years that John F. Kennedy Jr. has been sick, Joseph Sr. has spent at least tens of thousands of dollars on medical care, and has gone through countless private doctors.

"No, you're a Kennedy. You have to go to Harvard, Yale, or at the very least MIT," Jia said, setting the bare minimum for her brother.

"Why? Does not attending these schools disqualify one from being a member of the Kennedy family?"

"John," Jia turned to look at her brother and said with a hint of helplessness, "because Father graduated from Harvard, you have to go to Harvard too."

Now it was Kennedy's turn to be confused. He scratched his head and asked a question that even adults would find hard to understand.

"So, you're saying I got into Harvard because my father also got into Harvard?"

Jia smiled, but didn't explain further; he would understand on his own in a couple of years.

The car wasn't going fast. A warm breeze blew along both sides of the tree-lined avenue, and the June sunlight streamed down through the treetops, illuminating Jia's face. She looked absolutely beautiful at that moment.

Not far away, on the grape trellis, the green grapes looked vibrant and juicy in the sunlight, and occasionally a bird would fly by, emitting a long string of melodious songs.

The siblings chatted for a while, mainly about what happened at home this week: their older brother Daniel was out hanging out again, whether Catherine had been eating properly, and how their father hadn't been home for several days.

In the Kennedy family, only these two are somewhat sensible; the eldest and the youngest are still children.

"By the way, Father and Mother will be home tonight, and we'll all be having dinner together. Are you all ready?"

As he spoke, young Kennedy glanced at his sister and brother-in-law, the implication of which couldn't be clearer.

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Gia's eyes, but Luther was still in the dark and didn't know what was going on.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Luther asked curiously.

Seeing this, Jia then explained:

"The Kennedy family's dinners are more than just dinners; to be precise, every time the family eats together, it's more like an...exam..."

Jia paused for a moment, and although she was somewhat embarrassed, she still managed to say those two words.

She had mentioned this before: old Joseph had a habit of asking the children questions during dinner.

These issues include, but are not limited to, academic issues, such as basic knowledge of some courses and some basic skills.

He himself is a Harvard graduate and quite accomplished, so the siblings were always terrified whenever he was randomly questioned.

Catherine is alright because she is still young, so she can be exempted from this. But her other older brothers and sisters are in a much worse situation.

If even one person can't answer, they can forget about having a proper meal; they might even face physical punishment.

That's why Daniel always eats his fill before coming, to prevent any accidents.

Besides academic questions, Joseph would also quiz his children on political, economic, and social issues to test their insight and observation skills.

After all, in his view, the Kennedy family certainly cannot just be nouveau riche. Given the opportunity, they should continue to strive for advancement. Without a certain vision and perspective, it would be impossible to succeed. That is why the dinner debate was created as a special program.

In short, the siblings racked their brains to come up with this meal, it was no less than an exam.

Soon, the car arrived home. Luther handed the car over to the butler and then walked back to the yard with Gia and his brother-in-law.

Daniel is back and is joking around with the little maid, making her quite embarrassed.

The maid's name was Ruth. She was from Texas, tall, fair-skinned, and had a full bottom like a pecan, which was quite to Daniel's liking.

"To be honest, Ruth, I've never seen a Texas girl tie an apron so well. The sunlight in your eyes today reminds me of a Texas sunset."

Ruth, a white girl from the countryside, couldn't stand this. She jumped back half a step like a rabbit and said nervously:

"Young Master, you...you must be joking."

“No, not at all,” Daniel lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret only the two of them knew. “This isn’t just casual conversation, it’s…cultural exchange. You tell me about Texas, and I’ll tell you about Boston. Have you ever had Boston lobster?”

"No...no..."

Daniel smiled smugly, then turned around and saw the three of them returning.

He reacted quickly, clearing his throat before resuming his elder brother demeanor and speaking to Ruth in the most serious tone: "By the way, could you please take the tea tray to the dining room? Father will be home for dinner tonight, so please make sure the tableware is set out neatly."