How my parents met

The story of how my parents met is an unusual one. No, its not like the romantic love stories that get made into Hollywood movies, but I personally think it is beautiful, and it should be made known to family and friends.
Please allow me to first "set the stage", if you will. The family environments in which my parents grew up in were extremely different. My dad's mom was sick for a long time, and it was my grandfather who took care of the family. Dad told me that Grandfather Cheng often had to cut corners, borrow money from friends, etc., to make ends meet. Dad said they'd often run out of food at the end of every month. Being the oldest son, Dad had to help out with the house, and in his spare time he learned about repairing TVs and radios. Later on in life he poured himself into studying, and I am pretty sure he was no "ladies' man". My mom on the other hand grew up from a family where both parents brought in incomes, and the family was stable.
Mom and Dad were very different people. Mom was out-going, friendly, and everyone liked her. Dad was not unfriendly, but he was very interested in "non-human-related" things, such as math, science, physics, and electronics. In terms of previous dating experience, I am not sure, but Dad did tell me it was hard to find anyone due to his family situation, while there were several other candidates for Mom.

It was my mom's father, Grandpa Geng (pictured above with Mom), who first crossed paths with my Dad. At the time, he was an instructor at a technical college, where Dad studied after he came back from working on the railroad. Grandpa Geng met him in the library, and was surprised that he was holding a book written in English. Grandpa Geng was skeptical that Dad could read it, and demanded Dad to read to him. Then he questioned my dad some more. After getting to know Dad, Grandpa Geng invited Dad to come to over, under the pretense of fixing the TV, and that's how he got Mom and Dad to first meet.
The story is not so impressive until I found out that high schools and colleges practically shut down in the past couple of years, and most people hadn't even received basic education, let alone to be reading highly technical writing in English. Dad was way ahead of everyone else. Not only was it not taught to him, it was illegal for him to learn these things. What a stark contrast with my generation! We, I included, should appreciate knowledge.

Since Mom had a close relationship with Grandpa Geng, Mom trusted his discernment, and that's pretty much how they got married. She did have her doubts though, when she went to visit the Cheng's family. She said she tried to not let his family situation bother her, but it was very hard.