My battle with coronavirus: "Stranded" girlfriend finds friendship with in-laws

When two women love the same man, there is always the potential for tension and conflict, especially when it's between a mother's love and that of his girlfriend.

Relationships with in-laws are always difficult, not only for Chinese, but for people around the world.

Tian Xue (pseudonym) was "stranded" at her boyfriend's home due to the novel coronavirus outbreak when she visited during the Spring Festival holiday, which started on Jan. 25 this year.

She never expected she would live with her boyfriend's parents for weeks and even make a best friend through the process.

Tian, 27, and her boyfriend are both from southwest China's Sichuan Province. On Jan. 28, she set out from her home in Dazhou for Luzhou, the city where Tian works and her boyfriend's family lives.

The trip was longer by more than an hour because she was asked to take temperatures at the checkpoints temporarily set up along the highway.

PROLONGED FAMILY VISIT

Tian had planned to stay with her boyfriend's family for four days before the spring semester began. However, the school postponed opening due to the epidemic. The following traffic control and quarantine regulations also delayed her plan to return to Dazhou.

All intercity traffic was suspended. One option was to ask her boyfriend to drive her home. If so, her boyfriend would have been quarantined at home for 14 days before he could return to work.

That was never part of Tian's plan. She and her boyfriend have been together for six months, during which she met his parents twice.

The mother did not think it was a good idea to leave Tian alone in her residence amid the outbreak.

"I've never imagined what it could be like to live with his parents before marriage," said Tian. "I was kind of nervous and embarrassed."

The young man and woman thought they should be less intimate when living under the same roof as the senior couple.

But soon, Tian noticed that the mother did not mind expressing her affection for her husband when she walked with Tian around in the compound.

"I end up being a keen listener of their romance," said Tian.

One day, Tian's boyfriend was getting up on the wrong side of the bed and got annoyed at her instead, which "really made me mad," she said.

But to her surprise, her boyfriend got an earful from his mother and apologized to her.

As both of them are teachers, Tian always had a lot to say with her boyfriend's mother.

The mother, one day, said, "I feel like I finally have a daughter."

"She is always tender and kind-hearted to me," Tian said.

DISTINCTIVE LIVING HABITS

"I felt stressed out the first day my boyfriend started his work and left me indoors with his parents," Tian recalled.

Noodles were never her choice for breakfast, but they were exactly what the hospitable parents prepared for her every morning.

Thanks to her boyfriend's coordination and constructive advice for each side, Tian, who often skipped breakfast when she was alone, now often wakes up due to the aroma of food from the kitchen.

The gifts Tian prepared for her boyfriends' parents were also very much appreciated.

"At the beginning, I asked my boyfriend what to buy for his parents," Tian said. "Later, I found that they like whatever I pick up for them."

"I appreciate my boyfriend for his role between his parents and me," she said.

Tian sometimes makes some pastries and hot pot for the family.

As many Chinese are rolling up their sleeves and picking up new skills in the kitchen while they are required to stay at home, Tian learned to cook and bake while following food-making videos on social media, and always surprised the family with the milk tea and cakes she made.

SAME OCCUPATION

As many primary schools, high schools and universities in China are opting for online courses to ensure students keep studying during their prolonged winter vacation; teachers switched to online teaching.

Tian is no exception. Teaching students who will be taking the college entrance examination in summer, she is even more nervous than her students.

"My students keep asking me questions on WeChat, and it seems I'm working all day long," she said.

But some students' negative feedbacks made her sad. Her boyfriend's mother was by her side to cheer her up.

"She praised me for being fully-prepared before class and logical when giving the lectures," Tian said. "She told me I didn't have to expect what I taught could meet the needs of every student."

"She has become a good listener and tutor to me, but more, a best friend," she said.

The unexpected virus outbreak has disrupted many people's routine life and work. But people have also got more time to spend with their loved ones.

"I have communicated more with my boyfriend and his parents," Tian said. "I'm lucky to get to know his wonderful family."

(by Xinhua Writers Zhao Jiasong, Huang Yan and Ding Li (intern))