Old Master Shen craned his neck and cast his gaze around to make sure that the siblings had gone upstairs. After making sure that he couldnât hear any other voices, he spoke up in a leisurely manner, "Did you come over because you have something you wish to ask of us, boy?"
Zhao Chengning flashed a calm smile. "Looks like I canât keep anything from you."
Old Master Shen snorted, but smile lines were etched all over his face. Zhao Chengning turned his attention to Mama and Papa Shen, and found that there was no surprise on their faces either. He couldnât help but sigh in admiration. The elderly definitely come out ahead when it comes to experience.
"Ole Zhao couldnât hold himself back and called to let me know everything as soon as you boarded the plane. But, in the end, this is an issue pertaining to you youngsters, so I want to hear what you plan to do from your own mouth."
Zhao Chengning didnât bother coming up with any schemes and spoke straight from the heart. He steeled himself and said, "Grandpa Shen, Uncle, Auntie, I plan to tie the knot with Little Jing, so Iâve specially made a trip over to talk it over with the three of you and to find out what you think about it."
Although Papa Shen was satisfied with his âson-in-lawâ, he hadnât expected his baby girl to fly the coop so quickly. "Chengning, weâve already discussed this issue amongst ourselves. Iâm not trying to pour cold water over the two of you, but honestly speaking, you and Little Jing havenât known each other for very long. Donât you think bringing up the topic of marriage so early on in your relationship is being a little too hasty?"
Zhao Chengning eyed Papa Shen with a gaze filled with unwavering resolve. "Uncle Shen, Iâll be honest, Iâve thought about this for a long time as well. You might not believe me, but Iâve always harboured thoughts of marrying her right from the very beginning. This is my way of showing my love for her, and also taking responsibility."
Mama Shen suddenly cut in. There wasnât the slightest bit of emotion on her face. One look from her could easily terrify a person.
"Anyone can spout pretty words. Youâre at an age where your social status and position are rising day by day. Are you really willing to shackle yourself by getting married?"
Zhao Chengning wasnât cowed by Mama Shen and looked her straight in the eye. "Auntie, I donât view marriage as restricting myself, so I donât think âshackleâ is the right word."
"Enough with the semantics. Although Little Jing is an outstanding individual, that doesnât mean there arenât people out there who are better than her. How can you be so sure that sheâs the one? If we accede to your request and hand over our daughter to you, Iâm sure youâll be deeply devoted to one another since youâre in your honeymoon phase. But, what about when the passion fades?" Mama Shen was clearly someone difficult to deal with. After spending so many years battling within political circles, the type of aura she gave off wasnât one that the average person could deal with.
But, the youth sitting opposite her didnât so much as wince at her onslaught. "Iâm not the kind of hot-headed kid that rushes into things without thinking them through. I know what I want. And, I can say now with certainty, that what I want is Little Jing and no one else. You might think me arrogant for saying this, but over my many years of staying in B City, Iâve come across all sorts of women. Itâs certainly true that there are women who are on the same level as Little Jing, but none of them could make me feel the same yearning and feeling of belonging that I have with her."
Zhao Chengning had always known that amongst the Shen familyâs elders, Mama Shen would be the hardest to deal with. Mama Shen was a battle tested veteran of the political arena and held a high position. The number of enemies sheâs had to face might even be more than the number of times heâd eaten. In front of her, all pretenses would fall away, and the only way to deal with her would be facing her head on with the truth.
"I know that you think Iâm still young and that I still have many more days ahead of myself in life. But, I feel that my lifeâs only so long. Twenty something years have already gone by in my life. Take away the time needed for eating, sleeping, and working, and thereâs not much time left. All I want is to spend what little time I have left with the person I love and to do all the things Iâve longed to do."
Mama Shen silently eyed him without any change in her expression. A long time passed before she finally shifted her gaze, and she simply said, "Youâre pretty eloquent."
Zhao Chengning smiled.
After checking to make sure that Mama Shen didnât have anything else to add, Old Master Shen silently heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I too feel that the two of you havenât known each other for that long. And, while I understand wanting to get married when passions are running high, donât you think that itâs really a little too soon? Most people of your generation donât get married even after remaining in a relationship for seven to eight years."
Zhao Chengning was also silently heaving a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Thereâs only two reasons why a couple wouldnât have gotten married after being in a relationship for so long: One, they havenât saved enough to support their marriage, so theyâre dragging it out till theyâre able to. Two, they donât love each other enough. I believe that any man who comes across a woman he likes would scramble to get married as soon as possible instead of dilly-dallying. The amount of time a couple has spent in a relationship isnât indicative of the amount of love they have for one another. Back then, didnât Uncle Shen and Auntie Shen didnât get married within a few months of knowing one another? Look at the two of you now, youâre still happily together."
Upon hearing her own marriage being brought up, the tsundere, Mama Shen, wasnât pleased. Papa Shen wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close, and tilted his chin upwards. "You canât say that. Do you think everyoneâs like us?" Unfortunately for him, all he got in return was looks of disdain from Mama Shen and Old Master Shen.
Papa and Mama Shen were bound together by a political marriage. Roughly two months passed from the time they knew each other to the point where they were married. In effect, it was a lightning marriage. In spite of them, their feelings for one another grew with each day, to the point where Old Master Shen often found it hard to look at the two of them when they were together even when they were this old. Using the two of them as an example was ingenius on Zhao Chengningâs part.
The Shen elders were quite pleased with the outcome of their talk with him, and at the same time, he also displayed his feelings for Shen Jingbin and his resolve. As the saying goes: The younger generation will find their own happiness. The three elders werenât willing to meddle too much in the younger generationâs affairs when it came to matters of the heart, so they gave their blessings.
Mama Shen casually turned her attention to the youth opposite her whoâd kept a stiff upper lip the whole time and was neither servile nor overbearing, and narrowed her eyes in contemplation. "Little Jing still hasnât graduated. Itâs too early to talk about marriage. If you agree to it, you can get engaged first. The engagement date can be discussed with your parents at a later date. If you still have your heart set on Little Jing, we can talk about marriage once sheâs graduated... Till then, you should be able to wait, right?"
In that instant, the invisible weight that was resting on Zhao Chengningâs chest disappeared, and a warm smile blossomed on his face. "Of course I can. Thatâs the least I can do for her."
Truth be told, even though he was planning to bring up the topic of marriage with the members of the Shen household, he wasnât expecting anything to come of it. Being able to settle on an engagement was enough to make him overjoyed. What more could he ask for?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om