"First of all!" Song Heting raised her index finger: "Get married as soon as possible. The Song family will handle the wedding. You can ask for as much of a bride price as you’d like. The Song family has no problem with this."
Xiaotao and Mr. Huang’s expressions were frozen in shock while Song Xingchen looked away in shame.
"Second!" Song Heting stared intently at us, "You must have a child within one year, and you must give birth to a boy within three. If you can't, you’ll be divorced. You better start trying tonight."
Xiaotao hammered the table in fury, "Women like you disgust me. You’ve been oppressed all your life so you go out and ruin other women’s lives. Is an indomitable police officer like me just a tool for giving birth in your eyes?"
Song Heting smiled and turned to me, "Is she usually this bad-tempered?"
Lost for words, I watched Xiaotao grab her coat and shout, "I’m done with lunch. Please enjoy your meal!"
"Mr. Huang, your daughter needs discipline!" Song Heting coldly harrumphed.
An awkward smile rose to Mr. Huang’s lips, for lack of anything better to say.
To my utter surprise, Song Heting picked up her teacup and threw it towards the entrance of the room. Thud! The teacup was completely embedded in the oak door, only a few centimeters away from hitting Xiaotao, though I knew that it was impossible Song Heting would miss with her technique.
Naturally, Xiaotao was scared silly. She stopped dead in her tracks, too afraid to make another move. I faintly shook my head to warn Xiaotao against meeting Song Heting head-on. This woman was a terrifying control freak!
"Sit down!" barked Song Heting.
At the sight of my desperate hints, Xiaotao returned to the dining table and sat back in her place, the color drained from her face.
Song Heting languidly stated the third condition, "Lastly, the wedding is to be held in the Song family manor. According to our rules, the two of you will stay there once you’re married. You’re not allowed to work."
At this point, I couldn't help protesting, "Aunt Song..."
"Song Yang, according to our agreement, you must train the next generation of the Song family heir."
"I never agreed to such a thing!" I retorted.
Mr. Huang interjected, "Um... can we discuss this? I have always respected Xiaotao's personal wishes. As a parent, we shouldn’t force our children, don’t you think?"
"Let me ask you this. Which is more important, responsibility or individual desire?"
"Well it depends on the circumstances," answered Mr. Huang.
"You may not know this, but Song Yang has inherited the mantle of our ancestor Song Ci. He is now the only surviving descendant of the civil Songs. If anything happens to him, the Song family’s unique coroner techniques will die with him. How will I face my ancestor? I don't like forcing anyone but I have made great concessions for the entire family. I hope that you’ll accept these three conditions."
"We’ll have to negotiate the terms!" cried Mr. Huang.
"I'm not here to negotiate anything. There’s no room for negotiation. Your answer is either yes or no! I’m done here!" With that, Song Heting got up and left.
After whispering an apology, Song Xingchen followed her out of the room.
With the three of them gone, the room fell into an awkward silence.
"Mr. Huang, her words do not represent my intention," I assured him.
"I understand!" Mr. Huang wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead. "I can see that she’s a strong woman. I respect that."
Xiaotao keeled over with uncontrollable laughter. "Never in a million years did I imagine such a dramatic thing to happen to me. What an eye-opener! Your aunt is special indeed!"
"You don't even know what I experienced when I went back. She almost forced me to marry my cousin..."
"Never mind all that. Let’s eat," said Mr. Huang.
"I’ve lost my appetite!” declared Xiaotao. “Let’s get the waiter to pack up the food. I’ll save it for supper!"
When Mr. Huang called the waiter in to settle the bill, he was told Song Heting had already paid.
Mr. Huang headed back home while Xiaotao and I took a stroll outside. Seeing how depressed she was, I asked if she wanted a drink. After purchasing two bottles of beer from the convenience store, we sat on the flower beds by the roadside and watched the traffic go by.
"Don't worry," said Xiaotao. “This incident hasn’t made me think of you any less.”
"Thank you!"
"But her requests are unreasonable. I can’t accept them." Xiaotao took a sip of her beer.
"For her, family inheritance is more important than anything else," I sighed.
"Well, if two people want to be together, sometimes they’ll have to go through challenges."
"And are we doing well?" I laughed.
Xiaotao suddenly wrapped her arms around me and whispered, "Be honest with me. Do you want children?"
"Not at the moment. I’m still too young to be a father yet. Perhaps after thirty!"
"The journey matters more than the destination, am I right?" she teased.
My cheeks flushed with color as I plucked up the courage to say, "And when will we embark on this journey?"
"Haha, you’ve become so naughty," Poking my cheeks, she muttered under her breath, "If you’re really serious..."
"What?"
By the time I responded, I found Xiaotao's face as red as an overripe tomato.
Palming her warm cheeks, she dismissed, "I must be drunk! Well, I still have work to do."
"You’re not allowed to drive after drinking!" I chided.
I managed to hail her a cab and watched as she climbed into the back seat. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she waved. Even after she left, her words were still replaying in my head. My young virgin heart pounded wildly. This was a step I would bravely take when the opportunity arose.
When I returned to the store, Song Heting, Song Jie and Song Xingchen were waiting for me. Mother and daughter patrolled the store while an astonished Dali and Luo Youyou looked on.
"Who’s this gallant woman? She’s so domineering!"
"A debt collector," I smiled bitterly.
Upon noticing me, Song Heting nodded approvingly, "So this is what you’re doing in the city. It’s good to be self-reliant. Come, let’s look for a teahouse."
"Mom, we hardly ever visit the big city,” Song Jie pulled Song Heting’s arm. “I want to have ice cream at KFC."
I assumed Song Heting would refuse, but to my surprise, she agreed without a second thought. “Alright, Song Yang, you lead the way."
After ordering some drinks, we sat at one of the tables. "Aunt Song,” I began. “You almost ruined everything! Do you know what Xiaotao's father does?"
"I do!" Song Heting sipped on her drink. "He’s the richest man in Nanjiang City. Did you think I’d go into a fight unprepared? What I said today was merely a show of strength. When you become his son-in-law, you’ll be subject to control. You don't have to abide by the terms I mentioned. It doesn't matter whether you have a Chinese or Western wedding. You can do whatever you want after marriage. I’m not that conservative. But there is one thing..."
"A son?"
"And teach him all that you know.”
Song Jie interjected, "I have to say, she’s a beauty!"
"She can’t compare to me in my younger days,” Song Heting clucked her tongue. “But she does have a nice figure. By the way, have you consummated the relationship?"
The subject of our conversation turned so abruptly that I couldn’t help but spew my drink. Song Jie giggled.
"We’re all adults, what are you shy about?" Song Heting admonished.
Wiping my lips with a paper napkin, I pleaded, "Aunt Song, can we avoid discussing such a private subject in a public space?"
"So it seems you haven’t."
I noticed Song Heting's eyes were red as she observed my micro-expression with Cave Vision. At this point, I was completely convinced of her abilities!
"Hurry up, or I’ll be forced to take drastic measures,” she urged.
"Yes, of course!"
"Hehe, you’re blushing, you little virgin.” Song Jie seemed amused.
Displeasure brewed within me. I never imagined Song Heting would interfere with my life once more. Who knew that her talons extended all the way to Nanjiang City! My relationship with Xiaotao was developing smoothly, but with such great responsibility on my shoulders, my heart sank with unease.
After a brief conversation, Song Heting revealed their intention to stay in Nanjiang City for a period of time, which I secretly lamented. I proceeded to book a hotel room online.
Before leaving for the hotel, we stopped by the store to pick up their luggage. Unexpectedly, Bingxin dropped by for a visit. At the sight of Song Heting, she greeted warmly, "Hello, are you Song Yang’s..."
Song Heting's eyes flashed with an eager gleam as she gave Bingxin a once-over. "I’m his aunt. And how do you know Song Yang?"
"Oh, we’re childhood friends and colleagues," Bingxin replied.
"There are few girls who show such etiquette..."
I knew she was up to her old tricks. And sure enough, she asked, "What does your father do?"