Free Web NovelChapter 389: Chapter 371 I Admit, I Made the First Move_1
The second aunt came over, grabbed Zhou Ning’s arm, looked him up and down, and adjusted the collar of his police uniform’s short-sleeved shirt before nodding her head in satisfaction.
"Xiao Ning is really handsome, and wearing this uniform makes you look even more dignified. Alright, let’s set off. Remember to sit halfway back in your chair, hold back a third of what you want to say, don’t talk about work all the time, and bring up stories about Momo’s childhood. Parents love to talk about that. Listen attentively and express feelings like ’That’s really adorable.’
Zhou Ning nodded vigorously, like he was pounding garlic, and didn’t dare to act the hero with his words.
Before he left, he hadn’t been nervous, but after receiving a lecture from the second aunt, he suddenly understood the feeling He Shancun had when he visited Zhou Ning’s home, hesitating at the bottom of the building.
After saying goodbye to the second aunt and the others, Zhou Ning drove off and soon arrived at the municipal committee complex on Lanzhou West Road. Just as he was about to get out of the car at the entrance, the security guard ran over and saluted him.
"Hello, I’m here to visit Mr. Xia Shouchang, do I need to register?"
The security guard smiled at Zhou Ning, checked the registration book, and then raised the barrier.
"No need, just go straight in. Mr. Xia has already sent someone to register for you. You are Director Zhou, right? Just drive in. Building three, enter through the main entrance, turn left at the second intersection, building one, apartment 101."
Zhou Ning nodded in thanks, started the car, honked once, and drove into the complex. The residential buildings in the community weren’t very tall and appeared somewhat old on the outside. However, the exterior walls of the buildings were covered with green plants, and the landscaping was done exceptionally well.
Not daring to observe too much, Zhou Ning followed the security guard’s directions and went straight to building three. He parked with the front of his car facing north, after all, there was so much stuff in the trunk, it was no different from restocking a supermarket.
As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Xia Momo standing at the entrance of building one, wearing a light yellow long dress, with light makeup on her face and her curly hair loosely draped over her shoulders, waving at Zhou Ning with a smile.
"Given your personality, it’s really not easy for you to arrive so early."
Zhou Ning felt somewhat embarrassed and coughed.
"I was coerced by the second aunt. If I didn’t listen, she would nag non-stop, so I simply left early. Why are you waiting outside?"
"I was called by the security. This place has the best security assurance; they inform us immediately by phone whenever someone visits a resident, so I came out to receive you, fearing you might be nervous."
Zhou Ning exhaled deeply and opened the trunk.
"Don’t mention it, I am really nervous. Open the door, will you? The second aunt made me bring so many gifts, don’t lift anything, just keep the door open for me."
Xia Momo glanced at the trunk of Zhou Ning’s car and widened her eyes in surprise.
"Are all these for us?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"I even stopped her from bringing more, keeping some back. I think the second aunt intended for me to bring a truck over. Anyway, let’s not talk about this; I need to move these things in."
Saying that, Zhou Ning handed the gift list to Xia Momo and started to carry the items into the building, trip after trip. After five trips, Zhou Ning was sweating profusely, and his police uniform short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat.
Xia Momo wiped his sweat with a tissue and reached to open the door of the room, but Zhou Ning stopped her.
"Don’t rush, let me catch my breath." freēwebnovel.com
Before he could finish speaking, the room door was opened from the inside, and a middle-aged woman who resembled Xia Momo by seventy percent peeked out, and upon seeing Zhou Ning, she smiled brightly.
"Here comes Zhou Ning. I heard some voices outside, come on in!"
Zhou Ning, with a nervous expression, quickly bowed and then looked down to pick up the items on the ground. Mrs. Xia noticed the various gift boxes laid out all over the hallway and was stunned. She quickly opened the door wide and helped carry them in.
"You silly boy, it’s okay for you to come, but why bring so many things? Did you empty out a supermarket or what?"
Zhou Ning smiled sheepishly, realizing that the second aunt’s tactic was quite good—it at least relieved some awkwardness. He took the tissue from Xia Momo again to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
"Hi aunty, these are the gifts my second aunt prepared for my first official visit since I’ve met Mr. Xia last time, to formally establish the relationship, so I need to follow social etiquette for the first visit."
Xia Momo slapped the gift list into Mrs. Xia’s hand and turned to close the door.
"Mom, we can’t just let Zhou Ning stand at the door and talk, right?"
Mrs. Xia slapped Xia Momo’s hand lightly. Being an outgoing girl, she didn’t say much else.
"Come in, go and sit in the living room. Your Uncle Xia went to make a phone call in the study, he’ll be out soon."
Zhou Ning smiled, nodded, and followed Xia Momo into the living room, mulling over the second aunt’s reminder to not sit on the single-seater sofas when visiting someone’s house and to sit with Xia Momo since it’s the position of honor and politeness is required.
Upon entering the living room and seeing that all the sofas were single-seaters, Zhou Ning was baffled.
Damn, how am I supposed to sit?
Zhou Ning suddenly stopped, and Xia Momo, caught off guard, bumped into his back, holding her forehead and looking at him confusedly.
"Why did you stop? Sit down and cool off a bit."
Seeing that Mrs. Xia hadn’t come over, Zhou Ning quickly asked in a low voice:
"Before leaving, the second aunt made me promise not to sit on a single sofa and told me to sit with you, but all the sofas here are single. So, which one is for the guest?"
Xia Momo couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Zhou Ning grew more nervous and grabbed Xia Momo’s wrist, shaking it a couple of times.
"Stop laughing, I’m talking serious business here!"
Xia Momo stopped laughing and, pointing at a chair with a blue cushion, said:
"My dad loves sitting here the most. You sit next to it, and I’ll sit with you. That should be fine, right?"
Zhou Ning nodded his head, walked over contentedly, and half sat on the chair, constantly feeling grateful in his mind. Second Aunt and Mr. He really were experienced, and the arrangements they had discussed with him were not in vain.
In this chaotic environment, with his tense mood, his brain had already crashed and was not up to par. With such preparation and rehearsal in advance, it was not easy to avoid making a fool of himself.
After waiting for a moment, Xia Shouchang came out of the study. Seeing Zhou Ning in the living room and heading toward him with a smile, he, of course, also noticed the items placed at the entryway.
Zhou Ning quickly stood up to greet Xia Shouchang with a nod.
"Hello, Mr. Xia!"
"Zhou Ning is here. Have a seat, don’t be shy. But why did you bring so many things? Someone who doesn’t know better might think you’re trying to curry favor with gifts at our house."
At this moment, Mrs. Xia came over, placed teacups in front of the two, and a large plate of fruit. As she handed Mr. Xia his teacup, she gave him a look and comforted Zhao Ning.
"Don’t talk like that, you’re making the kid nervous. This isn’t your government office; don’t start sounding all official with your own family. Besides, who could bring gifts and even get in, huh?
"Zhou Ning, don’t listen to your Mr. Xia. Have some tea and enjoy the fruit. When you go back, thank your Second Aunt for me; she took us too seriously. We’ve certainly received the gesture."
Zhou Ning smiled, sat under the air conditioning for a while, and seemed to finally cool down from the sweat. He saw Mrs. Xia’s protective attitude, a genuine fondness for him, probably because of Xia Momo.
"I’ve been living with my second uncle, second aunt, and grandfather since I was a child. My grandfather said that second aunt should arrange these things because, after all, I don’t understand them and have no experience. Any shortcomings, please bear with me."
Mrs. Xia smiled from ear to ear, glanced at the time, and hurried toward the kitchen, even turning back to drop a line. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"There’s meat stewing in my pot. You chat with Mr. Xia. Make yourself at home and don’t be shy. If you think Mr. Xia is too stern, you can go chat with Momo in the room. I’ll call you when dinner is ready."
Xia Shouchang shook his head and smiled helplessly.
This encounter was completely different from the last time; Xia Shouchang had lost all his previous sternness. Zhou Ning understood that the last meeting had been an ultimatum, forcing him to make a stand. If Zhou Ning had refused, he might never see Xia Momo again.
Now reflecting back on it, he realized that his feelings were not just an impulse. Some affections are like silent nourishment, and that was how he felt about Xia Momo. There was no grand spectacle, but the thought of not seeing her in the future felt like a void in his heart.
"Do you play chess, Zhou Ning? How about a game while we wait for your aunt to cook?"
Zhou Ning snapped out of his thoughts and quickly got up.
"Sure, I only occasionally play with my grandfather. I’m not particularly skilled, hope you won’t mind."
Xia Shouchang waved his hand dismissively and went to the study with Zhou Ning. Xia Momo brought the teacups for the two of them, but after watching for a while and finding it boring, she got up and went to the kitchen.
Upon entering, Mrs. Xia pulled Xia Momo to the window and closed the door tightly.
"I can see now, Zhou Ning’s family values you a lot. Have you visited the Zhou family before? How did they treat you?"
Xia Momo lifted her chin with a proud daughter’s demeanor and said coquettishly:
"I went to see Mr. Zhou with a local specialty gift. I also visited them once with Mr. Qu during the graduate student selection exams. Mr. Zhou called me to come upstairs from the window. Second Aunt hurried back to invite us to stay for dinner and cooked several sweet dishes for me. Mr. Zhou and Second Uncle and Aunt all really like me."
Mrs. Xia poked Xia Momo’s head with her finger and said through gritted teeth:
"You little wretch, I knew it. You’ve had your eye on Zhou Ning for a while now, otherwise why visit them so many times and try to make a good impression in front of his family?"
Xia Momo wasn’t shy in the least and said earnestly:
"The first time I saw Zhou Ning in the studio, I liked him right away. He’s so handsome, speaks elegantly, and wasn’t vulgar at all. He even learned to paint just for a case. When I saw how seriously he took it, just like my dad, I knew I had to make a move early. Otherwise, who knows whose door I’d be knocking on now."
"You shameless girl, how can you say such things so openly?"
Xia Momo snorted and hugged Mrs. Xia.
"You saw my dad first, didn’t you? He was a penniless student back then, sneaking out the household register without telling the family, and took bold action before informing them. I’m already being more restrained in comparison. Anyway, I take after you."
Xia Momo received a playful slap from Mrs. Xia, but they both ended up laughing.
After the rush of cooking, the meal was ready, and Mrs. Xia suddenly slapped her thigh, gesturing urgently to Xia Momo.
"I’m such a fool. Go check on the father and son in the study. Your dad is straightforward, and Zhou Ning isn’t one for bending rules either. They’re not causing a ruckus over the chess game, are they?"
With Mrs. Xia’s words, Xia Momo became a bit worried too.
After wiping her hands, she quickly went to the study, knocked on the door, and with no response from inside, pushed it open and entered. Zhou Ning’s hand hovered above the chess board, apparently thinking about his next move, and Mr. Xia watched on, smiling and sipping tea.
Seeing Xia Momo enter, he quickly gestured.
"Is dinner ready?"
