Tranxending Vision - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Tricky Mother-in-law

Though it was indeed a match-making family dinner, there were also some higher-ups and elite engineers from East Wind Heavy Industries attending . However, Ning Yuan-Shan had arranged for them to be seated far, far away . He had a private room for themselves and it was just himself, Ning Yuan-Hai, Ning Jing's mother, Zhang Hui-Lan, Xia Lei and Ning Jing for a total of five around a large, round table . It was a bit of a waste .

It was Xia Lei's first time meeting Ning Yuan-Hai and Zhang Hui-Lan . Ning Yuan-Hai and Ning Yuan-Shan looked quite alike and both were in their fifties . Zhang Hui-Lan looked younger – she looked to be in her early forties and had no obvious signs of aging . She was very similar to Ning Jing and though she was getting on in years, she was a mature beauty, the type who had face, body and temperament .

'Didn't expect Big Sister Ning's mother to be so young . I wonder if Big Sister Ning will look something like this when she's her mother's age?' Xia Lei had a strange thought .

"Father, Mother, Uncle, Xia Lei is here," said Ning Jing .

There was actually no need for introductions since Ning Yuan-Hai and Zhang Hui-Lan had looked Xia Lei top to toe and back up to his face the moment he walked through the door . Based off the small detail of Ning Jing holding hands with him, they'd concluded who he was .

Being stared at like a convict by Ning Jing's parents made Xia Lei nervous . He paused in one spot, unsure of how he should proceed .

Ning Jing nudged Xia Lei's waist with her elbow and urged softly, "What are you standing still for? Go, go . "

Xia Lei was prodded into action and he quickly walked forward, "Uncle, Aunt, Uncle Ning, sorry I'm late . I've made you wait . "

"It is important to be punctual, young man," said Ning Yuan-Hai .

"That's right . You're late for our first meeting," said Zhang Hui-Lan .

Xia Lei wanted to explain himself but he could not speak for embarrassment . He'd expected that this would not be a relaxing time and would be difficult but he didn't think it would be this difficult . Ning Jing's parents had set the difficulty level for him right from the get-go .

Ning Jing chimed in, "Lei was late because he was busy buying gifts for you . Don't chide him . "

Xia Lei presented the gift baskets next, "Uncle, Aunt, this is a small token of my sincerity . Please accept it . "

Ning Yuan-Hai held the gift basket and looked at it but Zhang Hui-Lan did not even glance at it before she set it down on the table . The two of them seemed to have discussed matters beforehand and were not going to go easy on Xia Lei, probably meaning to test his temper .

Xia Lei sighed inwardly, 'Please start dinner soon so I can leave . Next time, I won't go along with Big Sister Ning's charade even if she holds a knife to my throat . '

Just then, Ning Yuan-Shan walked towards the door, saying as he went, "You guys take your time and chat, I'll ask the kitchen to send the dishes out . Geeze, look what time it is and they still haven't served us . This service is too slow . "

Xia Lei glanced at the door and thought, 'Would a five-star hotel have this sort of problem? Don't lie to me . You guys instructed the staff to send out the dishes later, didn't you?'

Ning Yuan-Hai seemed to view him more kindly . It was not difficult to see that he was pleased by Xia Lei's charming handsomeness .

"Urmh, ahem," Zhang Hui-Lan coughed all of a sudden, then said, "Xia Lei, when did you meet our Jing?"

"Half a year ago, in a bookshop . I love books and so does he," said Ning Jing .

"Shut your mouth . I didn't ask you . " Zhang Hui-Lan glared at Ning Jing .

Ning Jing closed her mouth; she seemed to be afraid of Zhang Hui-Lan, who looked to be the head of the house .

Xia Lei went with it, "Yes, that's right . We met half a year ago in a bookshop . "

"Which bookshop?"

Xia Lei thought for a bit, "Xinhua, Xinhua Bookstore . "

"It's been half a year . You were together for half a year and kept it from us . " Zhang Hui-Lan seemed mad, "Xia Lei, are you ignoring the existences of us parents, or just playing some sort of game with our Jing? A responsible man would not be doing something like this . "

Xia Lei's scalp was starting to go numb . He bit the bullet and said, "I apologise, Aunt . I definitely did not have that sort of intention, I…"

Zhang Hui-Lan cut him off, "How old are you this year?"

"Twenty-five . "

"Parents?"

"My mother passed early on . My father… is also not around . It's just my sister and myself . My sister was accepted into Jing-Du University and she will be going to study there in a few days . " Xia Lei just gave her all the details since Zhang Hui-Lan would ask about it anyway .

An almost indiscernible smile appeared on Zhang Hui-Lan's lips . She caught Ning Yuan-Hai's eye and they exchanged looks . It was easy to see that she was quite satisfied with Xia Lei's age, appearance, temperament and family situation .

"What about Uncle? Why isn't he back yet? Why haven't we started our meal?" Ning Jing prompted, "I'm starving . "

"Manners . " Zhang Hui-Lan glared at Ning Jing .

Ning Jing shut her mouth again .

Zhang Hui-Lan's gaze turned back to Xia Lei, and it was almost as if she could see through him, "Xia Lei, do you have a home in your name?"

Xia Lei replied somewhat awkwardly, "Yes, my parents left it to me but it is very small – just 75 square metres* . "

Zhang Hui-Lan followed with, "It is indeed too small . If our Jing marries you, how are you going to fit yourselves and your sister into that flat? And when you have children the place will be even more cramped . You have to work hard and earn more money, then buy a bigger house – at least 150 square metres . "

Xia Lei was speechless .

"How about a car? Do you have a car?"

Xia Lei shook his head . "No . "

"This can't do either . You need a 500,000 yuan car, at least . It's best if you have a 7-seater urban SUV so we can all sit comfortably when we go out as a family . "

"I currently don't have the capital to buy a car…"

Before Xia Lei could finish his sentence, Ning Jing quietly kicked the back of his leg and he shut up, embarrassed .

Their actions did not escape Zhang Hui-Lan's eyes . She wrinkled her brows a little, "Right, Xia Lei, what is your level of education?"

Xia Lei spoke without thinking, "High school . "

"High school?" Zhang Hui-Lan's raised her wrinkled brows, "Why are you just a high-school graduate?"

Ning Yuan-Hai's brows furrowed too; he was obviously not happy with Xia Lei's educational background .

The way Zhang Hui-Lan and Ning Yuan-Hai looked at him made Xia Lei uncomfortable but when he thought about how this was for Ning Jing, he held it in and played along, keeping a respectful attitude, as he should, towards his elders . "Aunt, I would have liked to go to university too but if I went my sister would have no one to take care of her . I do not regret my decision . "

Zhang Hui-Lan and Ning Yuan-Hai exchanged glances, seeming to hesitate . They were both quite satisfied with Xia Lei's other 'qualifications' but his education level was dissatisfactory .

"Our Jing is a Doctor . There's a big gap between your cultures; you may get along well now but marriage is for life . Can you be confident of overcoming this cultural difference?" The look in Zhang Hui-Lan's eyes was not as kindly as before .

Xia Lei didn't know how to answer her; he had never thought about spending his life with Ning Jing .

Zhang Hui-Lan continued, "And your children . If you look at genetics, our Jing has the best genes, while yours…"

"Mother, what are you saying?" Ning Jing was upset and her face was red . Xia Lei had come to help her but her mother was making him uncomfortable .

At that very embarrassing moment, Ning Yuan-Shan walked in, chuckling, "They'll serve the dishes right away . "

Ning Yuan-Hai stood and pulled Ning Yuan-Shan to a corner of the room to talk . Zhang Hui-Lan also stood and pulled Ning Jing to another corner to talk . The four people of the Ning clan spoke in low voices, obviously discussing Xia Lei . Xia Lei sat by himself, looking lonely . He was like a participant in a talent show awaiting the judges' rating when the performance was over – Pass or Fail?

A faint wry smile crooked his lips, 'This world sure is realistic . Good thing I'm not really in a relationship with Ning Jing . If I become the son-in-law of her mother I'd be driven mad by her sooner or later . '

The four people of the Ning clan were still deep in discussion .

On one side, Ning Yuan-Hai was saying to Ning Yuan-Shan, "Yuan-Shan, this won't do . Xia Lei is just a high-school graduate . There's too much of a difference with our Jing . The children they will have won't get AA genes, they'll get AB genes . "

"I say, brother, has your brain turned to mush? What can educational level prove? I have a whole bunch of university graduates, research labs and the like . Some take care of the warehouses, some write papers and none of them can hold a candle to Xia Lei . Do you know that Xia Lei's workmanship is unparalleled in this country?"

"Isn't it just welding and processing? You make it sound so mysterious . " Ning Yuan-Hai was obviously in disagreement with Ning Yuan-Shan's view .

Ning Yuan-Shan let out a sigh, "Ai, whatever . If Jing were my child I'd raise both hands in approval of her and Xia Lei's relationship . "

"I'm actually not that against it but Jing's mother doesn't agree . I can't do anything about that," said Ning Yuan-Hai .

On the other side, Zhang Hui-Lan spoke softly in Ning Jing's ear, "My dear, how far have you gone with him?"

Ning Jing's face turned pink . "Mother! Why are you asking this?"

"Mother's asking you, so you answer . " Zhang Hui-Lan continued her interrogation, "Have you had sex?"

Ning Jing's face turned redder, "We haven't got to that stage yet . We just held hands and sometimes… kissing on the mouth . "

"You two really didn't have sex?"

"We really didn't!"

"That's good… You didn't – Mother is relieved . " Zhang Hui-Lan let out a breath .

Ning Jing sneaked a look at Xia Lei . For some strange reason, her eyes held a trace of disappointment .

Zhang Hui-Lan put her lips close to Ning Jing's ear again, "My dear, Mother is actually not opposed to you finding your own love . If this Xia Lei is outstanding, your father and myself would gladly accept him but he's just a high-school graduate . How can a high-school diploma holder be with a doctorate holder?"

"If you don't like it then forget it," said Ning Jing . It was a fake relationship anyway so this result was fine .

"Do you still remember the little boy you used to play with when you were a child?"

"Who?"

"Your Auntie Hu's son, Ren Wen-Qiang, is back from studying in America and he got a PhD in Business Administration there . He was hired by Vientaine Group as their project manager for their wind power plant as soon as he came back to China . He'll also be in charge of the project in the future . "

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Of course this has to do with you! Wen-Qiang has always liked you . How can I not see it as your mother? I ran into him today and when he heard you were coming, he said he was coming too, to discuss the wind power plant with your uncle . I know he actually wants to see you . " Having said that, Zhang Hui-Lan looked at the time on her watch, "He should be here about now, I think . "

"Th,That's not good . " Ning Jing suddenly seriously regretted asking Xia Lei to help her out . She felt that this would hurt his feelings .

Zhang Hui-Lan glared at Ning Jing, "What's not good? Ren Wen-Qiang has been playing with you since the two of you were very young . You two are childhood friends . If the two of you get together… Heh heh . That'll be a match made in heaven . Be nicer to him later, all right?"

Ning Jing bit her bottom lip . This change in situation was unexpected; she wanted to leave with Xia Lei .

At that moment, a young man in a suit and tie appeared in the doorway of the private room .

*The author used an unspecified unit, 七十五平方 (75 square) . I put the measurements down as 75 square metres, since it would be ridiculous to have a 75 square foot flat .