On Friday afternoon, Zhu Xiaobei had just finished grading a mountain of exam papers for a professor and returned to her desk exhausted, like a lost dog. Before she could catch her breath, she received a call from Han Shu, inviting her to his home for dinner.
Zhu Xiaobei and Han Shu hadn't seen each other for almost a week. They had planned to go to his house last Saturday to try his cooking, but the plan was quickly abandoned. Zhu Xiaobei could tell that Han Shu was seriously distracted at the time, and all the strangeness seemed to have started from the first moment he saw Xie Junian. Zhu Xiaobei had no doubt that there was some kind of connection between the two. When she sat in Han Shu's car, she originally planned to confront him directly and sternly, like a normal girl.
"Han Shu, what's your relationship with her? Tell me, why won't you tell me? Tell me, tell me, I want you to tell me..." These words swirled in her mind, but before she could utter them, she already wanted to laugh. In the end, even after Han Shu parked his car downstairs at her place and politely said "goodbye," she still hadn't managed to voice her question as his girlfriend. Zhu Xiaobei later felt somewhat frustrated, but she was horrified to realize that a large part of her frustration stemmed from her unsatisfied curiosity.
When Zhu Xiaobei's friend Zheng Wei learned that Zhu Xiaobei had returned to her dorm to eat instant noodles after her romantic day trip, her disdain was so severe that Zhu Xiaobei felt she had never been so ashamed in front of her friends. It wasn't until she received another invitation from Han Shu and excitedly asked a married man for advice that she felt she had regained some face.
"Weiwei, do you think his cooking might taste bad?"
"Eat? How could you be thinking about food?" Zheng Wei said incredulously in a high-pitched voice on the other end of the phone, "It's not about what we eat, Zhu Xiaobei, you're not a pig. It's about the atmosphere! The key is the atmosphere! Candlelight, music, and a little bit of ambiguity, and then..."
"And then what?"
"Then quickly take him."
"You know that playing with romance isn't my forte."
"You don't need to worry about that. Han Shu is an expert in this field. As long as you don't ask for noodles with soybean paste and raw garlic, everything will be fine."
While waiting for Han Shu to pick her up, Zhu Xiaobei tried hard to recall the various steps Zheng Wei had arranged for her, and for no reason felt restless. She opened the handwritten notebook she had accumulated since her student days, trying to find one or two beautiful poems to calm her agitated heart.
In "Autumn Days," Riquel describes—
Who doesn't have a house right now?
There's no need to build it.
Who is lonely at this moment?
To be forever alone
..."
Upon seeing such moving verses, the first thing that came to Zhu Xiaobei's mind was Zheng Wei's resolute conclusion: "Whoever is a virgin tonight will remain a virgin forever." Thinking of this, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "What a sin, what a sin."
Han Shu arrived right on time; he never liked making women wait. Actually, his workplace wasn't far from G University, and his residence was also nearby. Zhu Xiaobei had previously suggested that she could take the bus, but Han Shu laughed at her for being silly.
Seeing Zhu Xiaobei dressed casually, although Han Shu's aesthetic has always leaned towards a more feminine temperament, he had to admit that he preferred Zhu Xiaobei to look like this.
"Han Shu, what are you planning to do tonight?" Although Zheng Wei had emphasized that Zhu Xiaobei shouldn't focus so much on the word "eat," Zhu Xiaobei still couldn't help but ask.
Han Shu looked somewhat surprised. "Me? Didn't I say on the phone that we were having dinner at my parents' house?"
"What?" Zhu Xiaobei broke out in a cold sweat for no reason. "No way?" She thought that she probably hadn't gotten over the overwhelming amount of electrical engineering principles exam paper when she answered the phone, and had missed the key words.
"You don't need to worry, my parents aren't that terrible," Han Shu reassured her, explaining that her father's "tyranny" was only directed at him.
Zhu Xiaobei chuckled dryly. She had already heard about Han Shu's family background from Zheng Wei. In fact, she had nothing to fear about Dean Han. She, Zhu Xiaobei, had traveled all over the country and seen all kinds of people. She hadn't committed any crimes, so why should she be afraid of the president of the court? She just felt uncomfortable with the term "parents" itself.
Han Shu quickly understood and said with a smile, "Isn't this a hurdle we had to overcome sooner or later? I think it's necessary for me to introduce you to them."
Although he was smiling, his expression was serious. Zhu Xiaobei knew his sincerity. A man like Han Shu, who valued his own feelings and personal space, could easily give women the feeling of being unable to hold on to him. However, his willingness to solemnly bring her to his parents and into his life was definitely not a rash decision; it could even be described as a clear statement and a promise.
Zhu Xiaobei was somewhat moved. Although she didn't know why Han Shu made such a hasty decision, for her, who was clearly eager to get married, wasn't this like rain after a long drought?
"Your expression is complicated. Can I interpret it as you're struggling intensely inside?" Han Shu smiled and glanced at Zhu Xiaobei.
"What's the big deal? Let's go!" Zhu Xiaobei said with great enthusiasm.
Han Shu's family lived in the first residential area of the High Court. The small building was obviously a building similar to the president's building of G University. As soon as Han Shu turned off the engine, Zhu Xiaobei, who had been trying to remain calm, suddenly bent over in extreme pain, uttering "ouch" repeatedly.
"Are you alright?" Han Shu was clearly startled.
"My stomach hurts," Zhu Xiaobei groaned.
Han Shu reached out to help her, saying, "Then get out of the car quickly. My mother is a doctor; let her take a look at you."
"I have diarrhea. Han Shu, I'm sorry, I think I'd better not go to your house. I ate something bad."
"Even if you have diarrhea, don't you think the nearest bathroom is right in our house?"
Zhu Xiaobei shook her head in pain, then leaned closer and whispered a few words in Han Shu's ear. She spoke in such a cryptic way that Han Shu was initially confused, but seeing her ambiguous expression, he finally understood.
"Um... oh... ah?"
Zhu Xiaobei continued, "You know, on my first visit, I can't just ask your mom for 'that,' right?"
Han Shu was speechless for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm not sure if my mom still has 'that' to lend you. Okay, Zhu Xiaobei, do you mean you're going to back down now?"
Zhu Xiaobei smiled ingratiatingly, "If you have no objections."
Han Shu tapped the steering wheel with his hand, and finally smiled, "I'll take you back."
"No, no, no, you're already at my doorstep, please don't see me off." Zhu Xiaobei refused repeatedly. "You go inside quickly, I can walk by myself, it's no problem."
"real?"
"What's more real than this? I'm leaving now, and it's best not to mention I was here. Bye, keep in touch by phone."
Han Shu watched Zhu Xiaobei leave with lightning speed, feeling somewhat helpless. Zhu Xiaobei could desert his post, but he couldn't.
Hearing Han Shu open the door, his mother was already waiting behind it. As soon as she saw her son, she went up to him and touched his arm with heartache, saying repeatedly, "My dear, you haven't been home for almost two weeks. Look how thin you've become! Did you not take the health supplements I prescribed for you on time? The busier you are, the more you need to take care of your health. I told you to move back in a long time ago, but you wouldn't listen..."
Hearing his mother's ever-present nagging about her "baby," Han Shu suddenly felt a little relieved that Zhu Xiaobei wasn't there. He put his arm around his mother's shoulder, stopping her from continuing. "Mom," he said, "I'm so full from all the health supplements you give me every day, I can't possibly eat anything else. Besides, you're so slim, how much weight could I, your son, possibly gain?"
His quirky flattery quickly delighted the mother, who laughed and scolded, "You're just being glib. Drink more soup later; I cooked it myself all afternoon."
The mother and son walked into the living room while talking. Dean Han, who was sitting on the sofa pretending to read the newspaper, snorted and said, "My son is almost thirty years old and I still spoil him so much. No wonder he is still immature. Sigh, a doting mother spoils her son."
Upon hearing this, Han Shu exchanged a glance with his mother, and they smiled knowingly at each other. This was Han Shu's habitual opening line when he met his son; they had heard it so many times that they were already numb to it.
Han Shu grew up in a typical family with a strict father and a loving mother. Dean Han and his wife have a son and a daughter; Han Shu is the younger son, and he has an older sister, Han Lin, who is four years older than him. Han Lin seemed to have inherited her father's strict and upright character better than Han Shu, never requiring much worry from her parents. Dean Han had always been proud of her. However, after graduating from a top law university in China, Han Lin went abroad for further studies, met her soulmate, and married a Belgian man before graduating, defying her parents' objections to become a full-time housewife. Now she is a mother of three. For a long time, Dean Han was reluctant to answer his daughter's calls. He couldn't understand why his excellent daughter would willingly give up a promising future to have children and do housework for a "foreigner." But in the past year or two, perhaps time has allowed him to finally get used to and accept this fact, and the three mixed-race grandchildren are undeniably adorable, so he has gradually softened his stance. However, he now finds himself placing his hopes for his children on his son, whom he had previously not held in high regard.
In Han Shu's memory, he often ate bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat by his father when he was a child. Dean Han was a staunch believer in the saying "spare the rod and spoil the child," giving his children the most orthodox education, hoping they would grow up to be pillars of society. Han Shu thought that if the respected Dean Han had seen "Crayon Shin-chan," he would deeply understand, because he raised his son like Kazama, but his son was like Shin-chan when he was young. Of course, in Han Shu's own eyes, he was definitely more ambitious than other children, but clearly, he was always a distance from Dean Han's expectations. Until he went to university, his upbringing was characterized by his father's harsh discipline and his mother's doting affection. He would often receive a severe scolding from Dean Han, only to be hugged and adored by his mother the next day. Han Shu believed that it was something to be proud of that he had grown up under such circumstances to become the prosecutor he is today, instead of becoming a Jia Baoyu or some criminal.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the father and son were called to the dining table by Han's mother. While Han's mother and the nanny were preparing the meal in the kitchen, Dean Han asked Han Shu some questions about his work.
"I heard that your branch has nominated you as a candidate for outstanding young prosecutor in the city."
"Yes, that's true, but he's just a candidate." Han Shu was very careful when answering these kinds of questions. If he showed pride, his father would definitely criticize him for being too arrogant, but if he was too low-key, he would be considered too passive.
Sure enough, even with his reply, Dean Han still said while drinking tea, "I've told your Prosecutor Cai many times that it's one thing to indulge you in private, but you shouldn't do this in official matters."
"I think she's a person who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters," Han Shu said, neither too soft nor too hard, while refilling his father's tea.
“You still need to be careful not to be arrogant or impatient in the future. Don’t think that just because you have achieved some minor successes over the years, you can get cocky. Don’t think I don’t know that you have a good reputation today largely because you have hardly ever been assigned difficult or tricky cases.”
"Didn't you also tell me to be serious and cautious when taking on cases? I can't possibly tarnish Dean Han's prestigious reputation," Han Shu said with a smile.
Flattery never fails, no matter how many times it's criticized; this is an age-old law, and it applies to Dean Han as well. Sure enough, the old man shook his head, saying nothing, but his expression softened considerably. Han Shu chuckled inwardly. Of course, he wouldn't reveal this to his father. More than one person had secretly mentioned to him that flattering Dean Han's son was far more effective than flattering him personally. Dean Han, who seemed never to mince words at home, only commented on his son in front of outsiders: "My son is still like me."
However, Han Shu doesn't think he looks much like his father in private. First of all, he looks more like his mother, so he thinks he is much more handsome than Dean Han. Secondly, no matter how much he achieves in his career, he will not treat work as his whole faith like his father. For Han Shu, even if he loves his work, enjoying life is the most important thing. So he will work hard, but he will not sacrifice his happiness to fight for it.
As they were talking, Han's mother had already brought the stewed duck with ginkgo nuts to the father and son.
"No pepper, less salt and less oil, this is yours, Lao Han... Add pepper, just the broth, not the filling, baby, this is yours."
The most striking similarity between father and son lies in their attention to detail. Many marvel at Han Shu's refined and meticulous lifestyle as a man, but those who have seen Dean Han, who has always carried a spotless silk handkerchief with him for decades, will deeply understand the meaning of heredity. In his youth, Dean Han was a renowned gentleman in that era, and if not for his overly rigid personality, Han Shu believes his father would have been even more popular with women. Besides habitually using "Dean Han" as a nickname for his father, Han Shu often jokingly refers to Dean Han as "our family's young master" when speaking privately with his mother.
Chapter Five: Love is the pain you can't bear to let go of.
"No business at the dinner table," Han's mother reiterated this rule to her husband and son after sitting down. Since they weren't talking about business, they had to talk about something else.
Dean Han had barely taken a few sips of soup when he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, I seem to recall you mentioning that you were bringing a friend home for dinner. Where is your friend?"
Han Shu buried his head in his soup, secretly lamenting to himself, "Why is the old man's memory so good today? He used to never pay much attention to these trivial matters."
"Yeah, honey, I thought you'd bring your girlfriend back to meet us. I heard you met a new girl, why isn't she here?"
"Oh, she was supposed to come, but something urgent came up and she couldn't make it," Han Shu said vaguely. He couldn't very well explain to his parents that his girlfriend suddenly had diarrhea and started her period when she got to their doorstep, so she ran away at the last minute.
Dean Han sighed. "How many times have I told you to be extremely careful about matters of the heart? You always treat it like a game. You're almost thirty, yet you're still so irresponsible. A young person's private life easily reflects their character. Are you going to continue down this path of moral decay?"
“Dad, I have never treated relationships lightly; I have always been very serious.” Han Shu refused to accept the label of “morally corrupt and decadent,” believing that there was no man more “upright and virtuous” than him.
Upon hearing this, Dean Han put down his chopsticks. "Seriously? You said you were serious the last few times, but what happened? You used to date that girl in your office, Xiao Wang, right? I just heard you were dating, and you told me you broke up. Isn't that child's play?"
"Your information is a bit outdated too," Han Shu said with a dry laugh.
"Then why did you break up with that female doctor your mother introduced you to?"
"You don't know, I don't like fat women. My mom insisted I try it, but even though that girl is a doctor, she has no control over her diet at all. When we eat together, she's always making loud 'smacking' noises. You wouldn't be able to stand it either." Han Shu repented inwardly. He wasn't someone who easily pointed out a girl's flaws, even though it was indeed the truth.
Dean Han was speechless for a moment, then held his breath and continued to ask, "Is this your so-called reason? If you're so capable, tell me again. What's wrong with Xiao Zhao? Is that girl not good enough for you in terms of looks, position, or achievements? You had agreed to register, so why did it fall through again?"
"I just suddenly realized we weren't a good match. Fine, she's a high-achieving woman, but even elites can't starve. She's so skinny, like she has no other joy in life than dieting. Watching her eat fruit with a serious expression while discussing calories with me makes me lose my appetite." Han Shu felt it was time to explain the situation.
Upon hearing this explanation, Dean Han nearly suffered a stroke. "Nonsense! You think the fat ones are fat, and the thin ones are thin. Are you choosing pork or your life partner?" He wasn't satisfied with scolding his son, so he turned to his wife and said, "Look at your good son. Go, get him a psychologist tomorrow and see what's wrong with his brain."
"You're wrong to say that. I didn't suggest breaking up. She was the one who said to me, 'Han Shu, do you think it's necessary for us to separate for a while before we get married, so that we can each have some space to find ourselves?' Of course, I should respect her opinion." Han Shu thought about how his ex-fiancée, the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, spoke in an elegant and reserved tone, saying something that didn't make sense. He couldn't help but feel both amused and aggrieved.
Even Han's mother, who had always sided with her son, couldn't stand it anymore and gently scolded, "When others asked you how long you thought this period would be appropriate, you shouldn't have said 'ten thousand years'! Your father is right, you've really been too reckless when it comes to your own life's most important matter. How can we be at ease?"
"What are you worried about? I don't think we need to find a psychiatrist. Just arrange a room for him in a mental hospital and send him there to prevent him from posing a threat to society." Few people could imagine what the usually well-mannered Dean Han would look like when he was enraged.
Han Shu used his bowl to take the food his mother put on his plate, saying casually, "I'll go after I finish eating."
Having probably gotten used to his attitude, Dean Han sulked for a while before asking, "What does she do?"
"Hmm?" Han Shu was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the old man meant to ask about his current girlfriend. "Oh, she's from Northeast China. Her parents are both civil servants in Shenyang. She herself is a teaching assistant in the Mechanical Engineering Department at G University, and she's currently pursuing a doctorate. She's very cheerful and has a great personality. You'll like her." He wisely chose to briefly introduce a few key points that the old man valued.
Zhu Xiaobei's impeccable family background and intellectual demeanor were indeed acceptable to Han Shu's parents. Dean Han snorted again and said only, "Bring him back for a meal sometime so we can take a look at you." He then fell silent.
Han's mother was afraid that she might accidentally say something wrong and cause another argument at the dinner table, so she just kept putting food on the father and son's plates and didn't say anything.
When they were almost finished eating, Han Shu suddenly asked, "By the way, Dad, do you still have any news about Lao Xie and his family? You mean Uncle Lao Xie who used to drive you a long time ago, the family that lived very close to us when you were still working at the Municipal Procuratorate when I was a child."
Dean Han seemed to struggle to recall for a moment before finally finding such a person in his memory. "Him? He hasn't been driving for the procuratorate for a long time. Why are you asking about this?"
Han Shu answered casually, "Oh, I saw them on the street a few days ago and they looked familiar, so I just asked if they didn't live in the same place anymore."
"Your memory is not bad. Actually, he drove for me for no more than two months, and I've been transferred away from the municipal hospital for so many years, how could I remember so many things?"
Han Shu was somewhat disappointed by his father's reaction, but it was also expected. His mother, however, tilted her chin slightly and recalled, "You're talking about that driver Xie who had a daughter about your age, then had a son, violating the family planning regulations, and was fired from his job, right?" Women probably have a natural stronger memory for these kinds of things. "He was fired from the city court, so he definitely doesn't live in his old place anymore. Besides, weren't all those old houses demolished?"
“There’s demolition and construction going on everywhere right now. I think most of it is haphazard demolition and construction without any planning, wasting taxpayers’ money. Not much of it is meaningful,” Dean Han interjected, changing the subject. “I recently heard that the martyrs’ cemetery behind the old buildings is also going to be relocated. That makes some sense. It’s been abandoned for too long. It’s time to move it to a quieter place so that the martyrs can rest in peace.”
"The martyrs' cemetery is being relocated too? Does that mean all those steps and stuff have to be dug up?" Han Shu finally couldn't eat anymore.
"What, do you have a problem with this? I don't remember when you had such deep feelings for those revolutionary martyrs." Dean Han was a little surprised by his son's sudden change in attitude.
Han Shu said to his mother, "Mom, you see, my dad isn't as humorless as you say."