Back at ho, Zhou Ning washed up and lay in bed, recalling the award ceremony and various conversations with family and Xia Momo in the building, smiling unconsciously.
Perhaps this was the feeling of happiness. As he thought about it, he fell asleep. Of course, the training in the "little black room" continued, but for Zhou Ning, it had beco just a matter of accumulating quantity, without feeling overwheld or excessively fatigued.
As the phone rang, Zhou Ning opened his eyes and saw it was a call from Zhao Xinli. He quickly got up, answered the phone, and walked towards the study window on the north side, where he saw Mr. Zhao waving from down below.
"I say, Zhou Xiaozhou, you’re not just getting up, are you? Even if it’s the weekend, you can’t be sleeping past ten o’clock. The car’s parked downstairs for you; the key is stuffed in the driver’s side door. Just enter your password to get it. I’m off!"
Zhou Ning yawned, opened the window, and the blast of cold air sobered him up a bit. He was about to suggest eating together when he suddenly rembered that today he had to visit the Xia family.
"Where are you off to this weekend?"
Mr. Zhao swung his neck around, tilting his chin to the side; it turned out his car was parked not far away, with Zhu Xingxing sitting in the driver’s seat.
"That girl just got her driver’s license, and I’m worried she might beco a road nace, so I’m taking her out for so practice. Don’t bother inviting to eat; I just went to your little building and know that today you’re practically going to ask for a marriage. Put on a good performance, see you on Monday."
After speaking, he hung up and walked towards Zhu Xingxing, grumbling before even getting in the car.
"I’m telling you, stop fiddling with those lights. What have they done to you? Hey! Ancestor, don’t turn the steering wheel on the spot. You think these tires are too durable and want to get new ones..."
With the shouts trailing behind, he got into the car and left quickly. Zhou Ning shook his head, drank a glass of milk, took a bath, and changed into the new clothes Xia Momo bought for him. Although it felt a bit awkward, he looked pretty good in the mirror; probably the kind that the older generation would like.
After getting ready, he drove to the little building. Before even entering, he saw Zhou Xiaoyu at the door, hands on hips, belly out, gesturing non-stop at Zhou Ning.
"Brother, hurry up! What ti do you call this? Mom’s been nagging several tis already. Hurry up and pack your things and go before she cos down to nag."
Zhou Ning walked briskly down, assisted Zhou Xiaoyu, and entered the vestibule of the small building.
"Don’t worry, second aunt wouldn’t bear to scold ; I actually like listening to her nag."
Zhou Xiaoyi looked incredulous.
"Fine, mother and son with deep affection, spare the unnecessary worries, right?"
The second aunt had sohow already stood behind Zhou Xiaoyu, raised her hand to gesture, and then lowered it.
"We’ll settle accounts when there’s ti. Wait until you give birth to my grandson; we’ll settle old and new accounts together. Move aside, your belly’s so big, and yet you still stand here without wearing warm clothes. Xiao Ning, you go et up with Momo quickly. Rember the day we et the in-laws; they will set it. Note down any requirents they have carefully.
For instance, how much the bride price should be, whether there are demands for a car or anything else, if there are any opinions on the house decoration style, and any thoughts on a wedding date can be ntioned. Whatever it is, our family can accommodate. Also, these two boxes are specifically for your mother-in-law. A friend of mine felt great after having them for half a year; she should try too."
Zhou Ning nodded incessantly.
"Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her, I’ll definitely keep my mother-in-law happy."
The second aunt smiled and patted Zhou Ning’s arm, urging him to hurry along.
Zhou Ning told Zhou Xiaoyu to stay put in her room and not co out. Zhou Xiaoyu looked unhappy; after all, it was winter break, and she was being forced by her own mother to eat all sorts of things, and she was probably feeling a bit suffocated.
"Brother, hurry up and get married so that Momo can keep company. Then my mom won’t nag just ."
Zhou Ning pinched Zhou Xiaoyu’s cheek and smiled affectionately.
"Alright, if you’re annoyed, call Mr. He to keep you company and take you out. Your due date isn’t that far away; he should be around more to accompany you."
The second aunt continued to hurry them along impatiently.
"What are you adding to the chaos for? Go on, Xiao Ning, you’d better head off."
Without further ado, Zhou Ning went to pick up Xia Momo, and the two of them drove off to the municipal committee compound. This ti they didn’t even stop for inspection at the entrance and were allowed through straight away. Upon arriving at the Xia’s, Xia Shouchang, wearing an apron, opened the door, looking sowhat like a dostic husband. Seeing Zhou Ning co in with bags galore, he quickly made way for the doorway.
"Zhou Ning, you don’t need to bring so much every ti you co. Your aunt and I lack nothing."
Zhou Ning carried stuff inside and placed it in the room, smiling awkwardly at Xia Shouchang. He didn’t dare to beg off because he was truly afraid Xia Shouchang would suggest he give him a hand. Though his knife skills weren’t a problem, his cooking level was at the instant noodle level, which would surely be embarrassing.
"My second aunt said that today is like asking for a hand in marriage; it’s a significant matter to arrange a eting between our two families, and it’s a matter of respect for Momo and uncle and aunt. Such customs shouldn’t be disregarded."
Xia Shouchang smiled, dried his hands, and gestured Xia Momo over.
"Take Zhou Ning in for a sit, I’ll show my cooking skills today."
This made Zhou Ning even more nervous, but Xia Momo obviously saw through it and promptly tore off the apron around Xia Shouchang’s waist.
"Enough, let Zhou Ning keep you company playing chess or chatting. Leave the kitchen to . I’m afraid if we eat your cooking today, we’ll all end up in the hospital, and then Mr. Hu would really have a bone to pick with you."
Xia Shouchang laughed awkwardly but didn’t resist, pulling Zhou Ning off to the study. This ti, there was no chessboard set up. They both sat down on Chinese-style chairs, and Xia Shouchang brewed a pot of tea before he said:
"I heard that you all went to Ludong City for the award ceremony yesterday. What kind of honors did you receive?"
Zhou Ning briefly described it, not leaving out either the collective or individual accolades, and even took out his phone to show Xia Shouchang the certificates and dals. Xia Shouchang nodded continuously and examined the phone carefully.
"That’s impressive. You’ve achieved so much in less than three years of work, and it definitely has a lot to do with your hard work."
Zhou Ning shook his head, with his grandfather’s admonition ringing in his ears, he quickly said:
"It’s the result of many factors, not just my effort alone. In our team, everyone works very hard and focuses on improving themselves and dedicates their thoughts to the cases. There’s no infighting, which has allowed the cases to progress smoothly."
"I’ve been to Dayao City before and know the importance of teamwork, so I value the collective honor even more. This isn’t official talk, nor is it false modesty, it’s just what I truly believe," Zhou Ning said.
Xia Shouchang smiled, very pleased with Zhou Ning’s speech.
"You’re calm and composed, polite and well-mannered, that’s very good. Now I won’t worry. Mr. Hu spoke to before, probably about the collaboration on the Dayao City case. Afterwards, the provincial departnt might assign more of these out-of-area investigations, so you should be ntally prepared," Xia Shouchang said.
Zhou Ning wasn’t surprised; after all, Hu Guangjian had inflated his reputation enough that others didn’t resort to underhanded thods to headhunt him, which already was a sign of respect. He wasn’t adverse to such work since it could strengthen his team.
"Yes, I am prepared. The next ti I go out, I’ll know how to coordinate," he said.
At that mont, there was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Xia ca in.
"Ti for dinner. Let’s not talk about work," she said. "Xiao Ning, you didn’t co here just to discuss when our families should et, did you? I think no work is as important as this. Co out, so we as a family can discuss it."
Xia Shouchang nodded, calling Zhou Ning to leave the study with him. Seeing the table full of dishes, Zhou Ning was surprised; he knew Xia Momo was skilled in cooking, but he didn’t expect her to be this good. Overwheld, he looked at Xia Momo with a bit of a grievance as if she had never cooked any of these dishes for him before.
Xia Momo moved closer to Zhou Ning, gently pinched his hand, and said in a low voice,
"I prepared so dishes that you haven’t tried before. Isn’t it a nice surprise?"
Zhou Ning nodded furtively. Under Mrs. Xia’s arrangents, everyone took their seats. With four people eating over a dozen dishes, it seed rather extravagant.
"It’d be a sha if we can’t finish all this food," Zhou Ning said.
Mrs. Xia smiled and replied,
"The kitchen has prepared plenty of food containers. We’ll pack a portion of each dish for you both, except for the fish, to take ho after."
Xia Momo humphed.
"We’re not living together anyway. Let him eat it all. I’m actually trying to lose weight."
Mrs. Xia poked Xia Momo’s forehead affectionately and said,
"Are you jealous, girl? But Zhou Ning is a bit too thin; he really needs to bulk up. His work alone is taxing, and on top of that, he has to go to Qin University and supervise interns. It’s not easy, so he needs to eat more."
Zhou Ning didn’t hold back, especially since he had skipped breakfast. He ate heartily, and soon enough, he couldn’t keep count of his servings. Whenever he took a bite of any dish, Mrs. Xia would add two more pieces for him. By the end of the al, he had eaten quite a bit.
After almost finishing all the dishes, it was apparent that, like many other mothers-in-law, Mrs. Xia felt particularly delighted to see her son-in-law eat well, as if it was a sign of him feeling at ho.
This was a strategy given to him by He Shancun. It seed to work really well today, even Xia Shouchang kept smiling throughout the al.
Once the al was nearly done and everything cleared away, they sat in the living room. Xia Shouchang brought up the purpose of Zhou Ning’s visit, but Mrs. Xia interrupted with a wave of her hand.
"We have no objections. It could be before or after the New Year—whichever suits your schedule."
Xia Shouchang nodded.
"We have greetings on New Year’s Eve and the first day, visits on the third, and we’re having an inter-departntal evaluation on next Saturday, January 26. You can settle any remaining ti as you see fit. As for the wedding date, we have no particular opinion. It’s all up to you two. However, I agree with what Xia Momo said—wait until you’ve completed your Ph.D. Didn’t Professor Li Chengbin hope you could finish your studies within a year?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"The topic we’re researching has basically taken shape. I’ll carve out so ti around the Spring Festival to finish all related tasks. As for coursework, I don’t have a set schedule. Mainly, it involves discussing and analyzing problems or challenges with Professor Li, and developing research based on those issues."
"What’s your research focus?"
"’Victimology and Cri Scene Analysis,’ incorporating a large number of case studies and cri scene investigation samples. The research covers concepts of victimology, study content, academic value, and practical significance. It also includes the application of new technologies in forensic work, which aims to drive the progress of forensic tasks and case investigations, improving the quality of casework."
Xia Shouchang kept nodding, highly valuing the academic nature of the discussion, even though he didn’t understand the specifics of forensic science. He grasped the key points from what Zhou Ning explained.
"That sounds excellent, aligning with your area of expertise and the resources at your disposal. I expect Qin University will also fully support your later research and developnt. Do you have any further plans for scientific research?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"We have a ten-year long-term plan and annual short-term plans. Our future research won’t be limited to forensics. We’ll cover many fields, and I’m thinking of using my ntor’s connections to promote our developnts internationally."
Xia Shouchang nodded emphatically, strongly approving of these words.
"That’s a great idea. After the New Year, I will et with Mr. Liu, President of Qin University, to discuss in detail. The city can also offer so support."
Mrs. Xia coughed.
"I’m saying, today isn’t about work; Xiao Ning is here to formally ask for your daughter’s hand. Our families will soon be related by marriage, and yet you keep changing the subject. Since you’re not setting a date, then I’ll decide. Let’s formally et next Sunday, though I personally wouldn’t mind eting tomorrow."
Xia Momo pouted.
"Mom, are you that eager to send off?"
Mrs. Xia gave her a look, then turned to Zhou Ning with a smile.
"Wrong, I’m eager to secure my son-in-law."
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