Once the dishes were served, silence reigned in the private room. The table was piled high with Tian Xia Restaurant's signature dishes, and Jiang Zhi Zhou had ordered egg fried rice especially for Xia Wei.
"Want some fried fish?" Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up a small, golden-brown fish and placed it on her plate.
"Thank you." Xia Wei spooned in a bite of egg fried rice. Although she felt that the craftsmanship of the current chef was hardly equal to the man sitting beside her, Tian Xia Restaurant had access to superior ingredients so it still tasted different from home-cooked food.
His aunt smiled, watching them, before asking Xia Wei: "Miss Xia, do you cook?"
Before Xia Wei could open her mouth, Jiang Zhi Zhou interrupted: "I can."
Xia Wei, her mouth full of rice, cocked her head at Jiang Zhi Zhou. She had actually just been about to say that she could cook.
Jiang Zhi Zhou's father added: "What's this, don't I do all the cooking in our family?"
Once that had been said, neither Jiang Zhi Zhou's mother nor his aunt spoke up again.
After the meal, Jiang Zhi Zhou's father took out a red envelope as a meeting gift for Xia Wei. She declined, embarrassed, but when Father Jiang saw her refusal, he merely stuffed it into the Jiang Zhi Zhou's hands. "Then take it to cook a few good dishes for others to eat."
Jiang Zhi Zhou did not refuse. "Thank you, Dad. Do you have plans for later? Want to play mahjong?"
"Unfortunately not, I'm going fishing this afternoon."
"Then should I drive you there?"
"What driving? Your car will hardly fit all four of us. You should go have fun with Xia Wei, and when you next have a chance, come home for dinner. I'll be cooking."
Jiang Zhi Zhou laughed. "I haven't tasted your craft in a long time. I'm pretty envious of Mom."
When Mother Jiang heard him, she smiled. "You know you can come home to eat anytime you like! Yet when you don't come back, you blame us." Looking at her sister beside her, she said, "Shall we be off?"
"I hope I'll have a chance to eat together with you again next time," his aunt bid farewell, picking up her bag and leaving with Jiang Zhi Zhou's parents.
Jiang Zhi Zhou and Xia Wei headed to the elevator. When the doors closed, Xia Wei collapsed against the walls. Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xia Wei looked up at him and said, "I can finally take a breath!"
Jiang Zhi Zhou pulled her up with a smile, tidying her hair. "I'll take you home first to nap."
"Sounds good." Xia Wei felt exhausted. She hadn't slept well last night, and had been scrambling around all morning today. She might even fall asleep next to her pillow. Following Jiang Zhi Zhou to the parking lot, Xia Wei sat down in the passenger seat and looked at the person next to her. "Does your family not like me very much?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou started the car and turned to look at her. "They just don't know you yet."
"Oh..." Xia Wei felt that she really wasn't that interesting. "To tell the truth, our families are really different. Your parents want to find you a..."
"They may have a lot of conditions, but the most important criteria is that I must like her."
Xia Wei eyed him for a while, then smiled mockingly. "Indeed, you having a girlfriend at all is completely out of charity."
Jiang Zh
i Zhou chuckled, "Then please be charitable from beginning to end."
After seeing Xia Wei home, Jiang Zhi Zhou planned to take a nap himself. He changed into pajamas and sat on his bed, typing out a message to her. "Asleep already?"
Xia Wei: I closed my eyes! Then you woke me up again!
Jiang Zhi Zhou: [snicker] I'll sleep too
Jiang Zhi Zhou: Are you going to the nail salon later?
Xia Wei: No, I'm so tired today orz
Jiang Zhi Zhou: Let's go grocery shopping together later then. My father's red envelope was quite thick :)
Xia Wei: Hahahahaha! Then I'm off to bed!
Jiang Zhi Zhou laughed, putting down his mobile phone and not harassing her again. As he was about to close his eyes, the phone vibrated. With some impatience, he glanced at the screen - it was his mother.
"Mom?"
"Still at Tian Xia Restaurant, Zhi Zhou?"
"No, I just got home. Getting ready for a nap."
"Oh... is Miss Xia with you?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou licked his lips. He wanted her to be with him. "No."
Reassured, Mother Jiang continued. "I wanted to talk to you about your aunt this afternoon. Don't hold anything against her - we asked her to help you find a blind date, and she worked very hard in that respect, introducing you to a lot of qualified girls even though you were never very close. But after all her effort you suddenly turned up with a girlfriend. That's why she would definitely want to meet her. It's just human nature."
Jiang Zhi Zhou said: "I know. This afternoon I may have sounded a bit annoyed, but it's not her fault."
"That's good, your aunt was worried that she shouldn't have come. Still, I'd like to talk to you about Miss Xia..."
"I know what you want to say." Jiang Zhi Zhou interrupted her before she could finish. "Do you think her family isn't good enough? Doesn't this sort of thinking belong to the feudal era?"
Mother Jiang said: "You can't say that. Our ancestors paid attention to family suitability for valid reasons. Imagine two people with completely different living conditions and upbringing living together. How would they see eye-to-eye? What common language would they use?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou thought for a moment before replying. "Because of the strict class hierarchy in ancient times, people from two different classes differed a lot from each other. But in modern society, it's no longer such a big deal."
"But it doesn't mean that differences don't exist. Paying attention to making a good match doesn't mean excluding the poor from loving the rich. It's merely ensuring that two people with similar conditions and upbringing get together, so that there will be less friction between them and that they will be able to have things in common."
"There always be friction between people. I feel that as long as we respect and understand each other, these are all problems that can be solved. As for a common language, it's not like Xia Wei and I have nothing in common."
Mother Jiang sighed and asked: "Have you ever asked her for her thoughts? Not everyone has the courage to marry up. In such a family, the husband and wife begin their life together with unequal status. Often, the one coming from less also has less confidence in themselves, a potential factor leading to complications between husband and wife. If both come from a similar background, no such problem exists."
"Even if two people with similar backgrounds won't have this problem, there are no end of possible issues a relationship can have. What's important is respecting each other and good communication."
Mother Jiang was silent for a while. "Since your view is set, I won't say anything else. Rest well."
"I will." Jiang Zhi Zhou hung up the phone, but was unable to sleep. He could only think about his mother's words. Was his family background really going to put pressure on Xia Wei? They had already been together a few months, but he hadn't seen any discomfort in her.
He frowned. Falling in love and getting married were two very different things. Marriage was the collision of two families. Minds change when progressing from love to marriage. Should he find a time to talk to Xia Wei?
Meanwhile, Xia Wei had slept very heavily indeed. If Jiang Zhi Zhou had not called her, she would probably have slept until the sun went down. After meeting him downstairs for about half an hour, she opened up a group chat that had by now accumulated over 100 posts.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I'm back after meeting the parents.
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: You finally appeared! I thought you were killed.
Invincible Little Sweetie: How'd it go?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I don't think his family likes me very much. Maybe it's just being compared to all the girls who've dated Jiang Zhi Zhou. I just can't match up. _(:3"∠)_
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: That's up to Jiang Zhi Zhou. He likes you compared to the ones he's dated before, so it's just how it is [digging nose]
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: So should I look forward to the "a faceful of banknotes to leave my son" plot?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I'm afraid it was Jiang Zhi Zhou's face they landed on.
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ... what! How can he even grab this sort of money?!
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: His father gave me a red envelope, and I was too embarrassed to take it. So his father gave it to Jiang Zhi Zhou instead and told him to buy me something delicious [hip-hop]
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ............ That's not quite what I had in mind with facefuls of banknotes.
Invincible Little Sweetie: Well, it seems that they do like you after all.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: But I feel that my family background really is a bit worse orz
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: This might actually be a problem. If you marry in, you don't know whether or not you'll be bullied.
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: But Jiang Zhi Zhou lives alone, which isn't bad. Did he tell you if he would be moving back in with his parents after marriage?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: He said that he wanted to buy another house, because the current one isn't big enough for both of us, plus a cat and a dog.
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: ............
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ... scatter, everyone. They're still showing off their love [smile]
Invincible Little Sweetie: Don't think too much about it. The difference in your family backgrounds is nothing as long as he really likes you.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: [good]
Although she had presented a lively picture, Xia Wei's heart was shaken. When choosing a spouse, everyone looks for an excellent person, but when the other is just too amazing, one couldn't help but feel inferior. In fact, just like his family, her father and mother might not necessarily want her to marry him either, out of fear that she might suffer bullying.
Whose child isn't their little princess?
While changing her clothes in preparation to go downstairs, she spotted the writing brush and paper on the table.+
Perhaps she should find a teacher and learn once again from scratch?
Once the dishes were served, silence reigned in the private room. The table was piled high with Tian Xia Restaurant's signature dishes, and Jiang Zhi Zhou had ordered egg fried rice especially for Xia Wei.
"Want some fried fish?" Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up a small, golden-brown fish and placed it on her plate.
"Thank you." Xia Wei spooned in a bite of egg fried rice. Although she felt that the craftsmanship of the current chef was hardly equal to the man sitting beside her, Tian Xia Restaurant had access to superior ingredients so it still tasted different from home-cooked food.
His aunt smiled, watching them, before asking Xia Wei: "Miss Xia, do you cook?"
Before Xia Wei could open her mouth, Jiang Zhi Zhou interrupted: "I can."
Xia Wei, her mouth full of rice, cocked her head at Jiang Zhi Zhou. She had actually just been about to say that she could cook.
Jiang Zhi Zhou's father added: "What's this, don't I do all the cooking in our family?"
Once that had been said, neither Jiang Zhi Zhou's mother nor his aunt spoke up again.
After the meal, Jiang Zhi Zhou's father took out a red envelope as a meeting gift for Xia Wei. She declined, embarrassed, but when Father Jiang saw her refusal, he merely stuffed it into the Jiang Zhi Zhou's hands. "Then take it to cook a few good dishes for others to eat."
Jiang Zhi Zhou did not refuse. "Thank you, Dad. Do you have plans for later? Want to play mahjong?"
"Unfortunately not, I'm going fishing this afternoon."
"Then should I drive you there?"
"What driving? Your car will hardly fit all four of us. You should go have fun with Xia Wei, and when you next have a chance, come home for dinner. I'll be cooking."
Jiang Zhi Zhou laughed. "I haven't tasted your craft in a long time. I'm pretty envious of Mom."
When Mother Jiang heard him, she smiled. "You know you can come home to eat anytime you like! Yet when you don't come back, you blame us." Looking at her sister beside her, she said, "Shall we be off?"
"I hope I'll have a chance to eat together with you again next time," his aunt bid farewell, picking up her bag and leaving with Jiang Zhi Zhou's parents.
Jiang Zhi Zhou and Xia Wei headed to the elevator. When the doors closed, Xia Wei collapsed against the walls. Jiang Zhi Zhou picked up her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xia Wei looked up at him and said, "I can finally take a breath!"
Jiang Zhi Zhou pulled her up with a smile, tidying her hair. "I'll take you home first to nap."
"Sounds good." Xia Wei felt exhausted. She hadn't slept well last night, and had been scrambling around all morning today. She might even fall asleep next to her pillow. Following Jiang Zhi Zhou to the parking lot, Xia Wei sat down in the passenger seat and looked at the person next to her. "Does your family not like me very much?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou started the car and turned to look at her. "They just don't know you yet."
"Oh..." Xia Wei felt that she really wasn't that interesting. "To tell the truth, our families are really different. Your parents want to find you a..."
"They may have a lot of conditions, but the most important criteria is that I must like her."
Xia Wei eyed him for a while, then smiled mockingly. "Indeed, you having a girlfriend at all is completely out of charity."
Jiang Zh
i Zhou chuckled, "Then please be charitable from beginning to end."
After seeing Xia Wei home, Jiang Zhi Zhou planned to take a nap himself. He changed into pajamas and sat on his bed, typing out a message to her. "Asleep already?"
Xia Wei: I closed my eyes! Then you woke me up again!
Jiang Zhi Zhou: [snicker] I'll sleep too
Jiang Zhi Zhou: Are you going to the nail salon later?
Xia Wei: No, I'm so tired today orz
Jiang Zhi Zhou: Let's go grocery shopping together later then. My father's red envelope was quite thick :)
Xia Wei: Hahahahaha! Then I'm off to bed!
Jiang Zhi Zhou laughed, putting down his mobile phone and not harassing her again. As he was about to close his eyes, the phone vibrated. With some impatience, he glanced at the screen - it was his mother.
"Mom?"
"Still at Tian Xia Restaurant, Zhi Zhou?"
"No, I just got home. Getting ready for a nap."
"Oh... is Miss Xia with you?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou licked his lips. He wanted her to be with him. "No."
Reassured, Mother Jiang continued. "I wanted to talk to you about your aunt this afternoon. Don't hold anything against her - we asked her to help you find a blind date, and she worked very hard in that respect, introducing you to a lot of qualified girls even though you were never very close. But after all her effort you suddenly turned up with a girlfriend. That's why she would definitely want to meet her. It's just human nature."
Jiang Zhi Zhou said: "I know. This afternoon I may have sounded a bit annoyed, but it's not her fault."
"That's good, your aunt was worried that she shouldn't have come. Still, I'd like to talk to you about Miss Xia..."
"I know what you want to say." Jiang Zhi Zhou interrupted her before she could finish. "Do you think her family isn't good enough? Doesn't this sort of thinking belong to the feudal era?"
Mother Jiang said: "You can't say that. Our ancestors paid attention to family suitability for valid reasons. Imagine two people with completely different living conditions and upbringing living together. How would they see eye-to-eye? What common language would they use?"
Jiang Zhi Zhou thought for a moment before replying. "Because of the strict class hierarchy in ancient times, people from two different classes differed a lot from each other. But in modern society, it's no longer such a big deal."
"But it doesn't mean that differences don't exist. Paying attention to making a good match doesn't mean excluding the poor from loving the rich. It's merely ensuring that two people with similar conditions and upbringing get together, so that there will be less friction between them and that they will be able to have things in common."
"There always be friction between people. I feel that as long as we respect and understand each other, these are all problems that can be solved. As for a common language, it's not like Xia Wei and I have nothing in common."
Mother Jiang sighed and asked: "Have you ever asked her for her thoughts? Not everyone has the courage to marry up. In such a family, the husband and wife begin their life together with unequal status. Often, the one coming from less also has less confidence in themselves, a potential factor leading to complications between husband and wife. If both come from a similar background, no such problem exists."
"Even if two people with similar backgrounds won't have this problem, there are no end of possible issues a relationship can have. What's important is respecting each other and good communication."
Mother Jiang was silent for a while. "Since your view is set, I won't say anything else. Rest well."
"I will." Jiang Zhi Zhou hung up the phone, but was unable to sleep. He could only think about his mother's words. Was his family background really going to put pressure on Xia Wei? They had already been together a few months, but he hadn't seen any discomfort in her.
He frowned. Falling in love and getting married were two very different things. Marriage was the collision of two families. Minds change when progressing from love to marriage. Should he find a time to talk to Xia Wei?
Meanwhile, Xia Wei had slept very heavily indeed. If Jiang Zhi Zhou had not called her, she would probably have slept until the sun went down. After meeting him downstairs for about half an hour, she opened up a group chat that had by now accumulated over 100 posts.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I'm back after meeting the parents.
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: You finally appeared! I thought you were killed.
Invincible Little Sweetie: How'd it go?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I don't think his family likes me very much. Maybe it's just being compared to all the girls who've dated Jiang Zhi Zhou. I just can't match up. _(:3"∠)_
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: That's up to Jiang Zhi Zhou. He likes you compared to the ones he's dated before, so it's just how it is [digging nose]
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: So should I look forward to the "a faceful of banknotes to leave my son" plot?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: I'm afraid it was Jiang Zhi Zhou's face they landed on.
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ... what! How can he even grab this sort of money?!
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: His father gave me a red envelope, and I was too embarrassed to take it. So his father gave it to Jiang Zhi Zhou instead and told him to buy me something delicious [hip-hop]
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ............ That's not quite what I had in mind with facefuls of banknotes.
Invincible Little Sweetie: Well, it seems that they do like you after all.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: But I feel that my family background really is a bit worse orz
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: This might actually be a problem. If you marry in, you don't know whether or not you'll be bullied.
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: But Jiang Zhi Zhou lives alone, which isn't bad. Did he tell you if he would be moving back in with his parents after marriage?
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: He said that he wanted to buy another house, because the current one isn't big enough for both of us, plus a cat and a dog.
Not Losing 5kg Not Changing Name: ............
Eight Treasures Congee Female Hero: ... scatter, everyone. They're still showing off their love [smile]
Invincible Little Sweetie: Don't think too much about it. The difference in your family backgrounds is nothing as long as he really likes you.
Asking For Suicide At Eighteen This Year: [good]
Although she had presented a lively picture, Xia Wei's heart was shaken. When choosing a spouse, everyone looks for an excellent person, but when the other is just too amazing, one couldn't help but feel inferior. In fact, just like his family, her father and mother might not necessarily want her to marry him either, out of fear that she might suffer bullying.
Whose child isn't their little princess?
While changing her clothes in preparation to go downstairs, she spotted the writing brush and paper on the table.+
Perhaps she should find a teacher and learn once again from scratch?
