Z
hengqing had a very delicious dinner of meat, vegetables and warm soup. It was very much nicer than the usual fast food lunch.
Yin Ting ate with him, and he had was a little worried that she didn’t eat on her own and remained hungry waiting for him. But she laughed and said she ate a snack earlier in the evening to pad her stomach. Zhengqing nodded satisfied,
‘I am usually late leaving work, so please remember to eat first.’ He said
Yin Ting placed her chopsticks down and regarded him with a serious expression on her face.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked confused.
Yin Ting smiled and said softly, ‘Before now, when you came home, when you ate, when you sleep were all decided by you. There was no one to manage you. But now you have a girlfriend (Zuben: Who will manage you) and later you will be married with children. Do you always want to let your wife and children eat without you. And then you come back and eat the leftovers?’
Zhengqing stared aghast.
Yin Ting continued, ‘Being late on occasion is fine, but if you’re always like this, how can we have a good meal together? I like to be here when you come home, but I would also like that you come home early. Every company has a clock off time, to make sure the staff isn’t over working. (Zuben: In China?) If you surpass this time, when will you play or eat and sleep?
Zhengqing was surprised, and he felt admonished, ‘Right.’ He said in compliance.
Yin Ting nodded satisfied with his compliance, ‘This is good. You can’t tell me that you’re going to leave work at a certain time and then still be late. So you will come home to eat on time.’ He didn’t say anything,
‘You will get off work at six thirty. The drive doesn’t take more than twenty minutes. If we add waiting for the elevator, driving out of the parking lot it would be thirty, so you should be home by seven. That should be the normal time you arrive, unless there is a large traffic jam, or have to entertain clients, and if you’re busier at work. How about it?’ (Zuben: On one hand, I think it’s good she isn’t going to be the kind of woman that waits around for the dude to turn up, but on the other I chafe at the minute counting she’s doing. Is it supposed to be cute and loving? Imagine if this were Zhengqing saying it to Yin Ting?)
He froze at that, he now had a set time he needed to be home at? (Zuben: You said you wanted to get married.)
‘Can you do it?’ she said a tone that made her sound like a kindergarten teacher.
‘I’ll try,’ he said hesitantly.
Yin Ting nodded, evidently satisfied, ‘Please continue eating.’
Zhengqing did not dare say a word, and returned to his soup and drank it. This food she ordered really tasted good..
As he drank his soup he heard Yin Ting whisper to herself, ‘Wow, I only started dating and I’m given my boyfriend rules. So cool!’
Zhengqing almost sprayed out the soup. He was fine with the rules. He had been ordered for a long time. His performance was better than the boss expected. The shareholders like him, and his subordinates respected him. He did not have to be at work so long. So his girlfriend had rules, he will listen. (Zuben: one word: Masochist)
After finishing his soup, he looked up to find Yin Ting resting her hand on her chin gazing at him.
‘I understand, I will leave work on time.’
‘Seven o’clock.’
‘Yes, seven o’clock.’
Yin Ting laughed.
‘Since you come home often and are buying dinner, I should give you some money for that.’
‘Home?’ she repeated with her eyes lighting up, ‘Sounds good.’
Zhengqing laughed in spite of trying not to. He did not know that she was short of money.
‘It’s been a long time since someone has given me money,’ she said laughing, ‘This is a fresh feeling. I want cash, ah. Giving cash seems to have more sense of trust.’ (Zuben: Every thing is goddamned fresh. I suppose was the 80s’ hip hop scene in wherever this writer lived)
He laughed as well as he pulled out his wallet and handed all the cash to Yin Ting,
‘Entrusted to you,’ he said.
‘Alright,’ she said as received it and began to count the money.
‘In the study, in the bottom drawer in the cabinet on the left there is some money, if you run out take from there.’
‘Alright,’
Her laughter was so cute, Zhengqing could not help but pinch her face, ‘But please no cooking, and don’t let Miao-dada cause havoc around the house. As long as I don’t have to repair destroyed décor daily, I can keep you well.’
‘If there is anything to repair with the furniture and interior decoration, I will pay for it.’ She said straight forwardly. Zhenqing gaped.
‘I mean, we’ll have to change things in a few years anyway. I will pay for that.’
He looked helplessly at her, then rose to clear the dishes. In the kitchen, he began to wash them. For a moment, she stood watching him, then she came up to his back and put her arms around him. Zhengqing’s heart warmed.
‘Tomorrow, buy out dinner from the same place. I was very delicious.’ He said.
‘Okay,’ she said from behind him, ‘The restaurant is not very far from her, it’s a small family owned restaurant. It looked very clean. I will have a look at their menu and pick something different for dinner.’ And in the meantime, she would keep practicing her cooking, so one day she could make his meals everyday. (Zuben: You’ll get bored, dear.)
‘I will be home on time tomorrow.’
‘Seven o’clock,’ she reminded him.
‘Yes, seven o’clock.’ He replied as he washed the dishes. He supposed he could set an alarm for six thirty in the evening.
That evening, Zhengqing did not do any extra work. After cleaning up, he and Yin Ting cuddled on the sofa watching TV, but not really. They were chatting and kissing. The desire to marry Yin Ting was very strong. He felt that it felt right, there was someone to open the door for him, someone who would wait for him to eat, someone who would worry, there was laughter and the air was sweet.
He leaned down to kiss her where she lay with her head on his lap. He knew that it was too fast. A flash marriage was impulsive and irresponsible. Yin Ting would not agree, even if she had the same desire. Her family would not approve either. And, he had not properly met her father yet.
‘When can I visit your dad?’
‘Soon,’ she told him. She dared not tell him that her father had flatly refused. And she feared putting any pressure on him at the moment. (Zuben: Oh a bone of contention? Zhengqing really – the breaks - slow down!)
‘Good.’ He said, and he kissed her again.
❀
The next day, Zhengqing had a meeting with President Qin. After their discussion about work, the older man asked him about Yin Ting.
‘So you’re dating Yin Guohao’s daughter, Ying Ting?’
‘Yes,’
‘Are you in love?’
‘Yes, I am.’ He replied gravely.
‘This child is very good, but you two dating is quite a surprise.’ Wen Yi said with a bit of amusement.
A surprise? Zhengqing pursed his lips, he supposed that they were rather different, so it would be surprising to people.
‘Are you serious about her?’ he asked
‘Very serious,’ Zhengqing replied.
Wen Yi laughed and patted Zhengqing's shoulder, ‘I will be meeting her father for some tea the day after, if he asks about you I will help out out.’
‘Thank you, President Qin.’
‘Xiaoting looks very much like her mother,’ Wen Yi continued (Zuben: Daddy may not want to let her go…) ‘But appearance and personality are two different things (Zuben: No shit, author). Her mother was a great business woman, well known in the circles and so was her father, Old Yin. But now that he’s older, he doesn’t want his daughter to go down that path.’
‘Xiaoting told me,’
‘After his wife’s death, Old Yin’s spleen changed. He sold all the businesses bar the printing press. But he still has great influence in the business world. Some old friends and colleagues, go to see him from time to time for advice. He still has friends amongst the old guard. But he’s been a bit down of late.’
Zhengqing nodded and wondered if Wen Yi was warning him that his future wife’s father was not going to make things easy for him?
But Wen Yi did not say anything more. He spoked about some other business they had, and dismissed Zhengqing. As Zhengqing returned to his office, his heart was heavy with foreboding and he felt a bit under pressure. When he got to his office, he logged into Tingting’s blog. She had put the answer to a post that was up yesterday. It had been a question: Why is there fish in the river? Answer: Because, if the fish leaves the river, they die. But if the river does not have fish, it loses it’s spirit, therefore, dead. So they must be in the same place. That way they are not afraid of death, they only know they are meant to be together. So they exist happily together. (Zuben: I would like to know which ocean people go to fish this sort of cheesy jagbajantis)
Zhengqing’s heart eased a bit. Yin Ting words encouraged him. There was no need to worry about the future, because one does not know what will happen. Better to enjoy the present happiness; that was most important. The regained his focus, and returned to work in earnest. He fell so deeply into it, he was not aware of the time until his phone started to be noisy.
He looked at it. It was his alarm: Six thirty!
He nearly fainted in fear, that Yin Ting had not called him to remind him about leaving work on time (Zuben: test)
He still has a document in hand, he quickly read through it and dealt with it. At six thirty three, he phoned Yin Ting.
‘Are you leaving work?’
‘Um,’ he said as he packed up and left his office. He secretly congratulated himself for the foresight to set the alarm.
‘I’m at your house playing with Miao-dada,’
‘Good. I’ll be there soon.’
Nine minutes past seve, Zhengqing arrived home and rang his doorbell (Zuben: This is getting old). She opened the door with a big smile on her face,
‘You’re back,’ she said excitedly.
Those words made him really happy.
Later in the evening, while they were watching TV, she said, ‘You passed the test.’ (Zuben: ¬.¬)
‘Test?’
‘Right. There was prize if you passed and a punishment if you failed. This is a management approach; didn’t you know this Qiu Zong?’
Ah so his future wife has been testing him. Good thing he had the alarm clock.
‘What was the prize?’ he asked
Yin Ting gave him a lingering kiss.
‘And the punishment?’
‘I would not have come tomorrow.’
‘How ruthless,’ He said in protest.
‘Well I have lots of friends to see. Some I can see regularly, but some I can only meet once in a while because of various things. If you’re too busy with work, I would just hang out with them. If you can’t adjust your work time, it is fine if we don’t meet daily. Being late means we don’t meet up for two days. If your performance is not good, you’re not serious, and you will be punished. I don’t want us to be like one of those couples that never see each other because my boyfriend can’t make more effort not to be working all the time. That is why I am being ruthless.’
Zhengqing was speechless, but he could not refute because she made some sense (Zuben: It makes sense to me, but I still have this great urge to put two middle fingers up and say fuck you bitch!)
‘Fortunately, you did well so it shows that you care,’ (Zuben: She said more stuff, but I am het up so so it didn’t make sense. I’ll deal with that later.)
Zhengqing was speechless (Zuben: As he has come to be of late) he now Yin Ting’s mother was a talented business woman (Zuben: Fuck the wha?!), because Yin Ting was also shrewd. But she did not expend her shrewdness on business; she used it to manage him.
‘If you didn’t care then it’s no problem. You have only yourself to blame if we break up. You don’t have to comply with our agreement.’
‘I will comply. I don’t want to break up.’ He said, (Zuben: it’s been three days!)
‘Very good,’ she said sweetly.
Zhenqing now realised; his angel has a devilish side.
Zuben:
Personally, I would have preferred that coming home early was something he naturally began to realise himself, than her laying down the law. He does seem like he would have the propensity to be careless about it, but I’d screech mentally if someone started dictating my day. But I guess that is just me and it ain’t my story. And if he’s okay with it, who am I to complain?
I tried to do a quick read through, but I just could not. Maybe when my 'anti-romance pimple inducing' hormone cocktail is not at play, I will come down and fix any errors. I just can't read it again right now.
❀ Chapter 45...