Chapter 21: A Mommy’s Boy?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the city center, in the most prosperous Jin Ling West Street sat a tranquil teahouse that had an excellent word of mouth reputation. On the third floor, Chen Jin sat waiting inside the luxurious private room. He had sent away his parents who came together with him, telling them to wait for news at home. If first impressions were good, a blind date could drag on for a while. They might go for some shopping, watch a movie and do some other leisure activities; even a whole day might not be enough for them.
“Ok, I’ll go back with your Dad. Son, grasp this opportunity. Mom will be waiting for your good news!” Giving him encouraging look, He Li grinned from ear to ear. Her son was so proactive. This matchmaking session should be a done deal!
Glancing down on his wrist at the watch that Chen Jin gave him, Chen Gang checked the time and said, “It’s 8:50 am, she’ll arrive in 10 minutes. We’ll go back first.”
Nodding his head, Chen Jin saw his parents leave. Sitting inside the private room, he held a cup of Tie Guan Yin tea as he continued to wait. It was 9:20 am in the blink of an eye, yet his partner had still not arrived. He played some mobile games on his phone until 9:50 am and there was still no trace of his partner.
Chen Jin started to scrunch up his brows. He could still forgive her if she was 30 minutes late, but she was late for almost an hour. This could only mean that she did not treat this blind date seriously at all. “I’ll wait for another 10 minutes, if she’s still not here by then, I’ll leave. I’ve got things to do, I don’t have so much time to waste with you.”
Burying his head in his mobile game again until 10:00 am on the dot, he still saw neither hide nor hair of his partner. Fine! I’ll leave! Keeping his mobile, Chen Jin stood and picked up the backpack on the sofa. He was ready to go to the front desk to pay the bill and leave.
As he reached the entrance to the private room, he saw a beautiful silhouette approaching him in a hurry. Spotting Chen Jin, she stopped walking and asked, “Are you Chen Jin…. the partner that my mother introduced to me for this blind date?”
Sizing her up without missing a detail, Chen Jin noticed that she was wearing a purple floral chiffon dress and aviators, had a tall and slim build, long hair, pretty features, and refined makeup. On her feet was a pair of high heeled sandals to flatter her long beautiful legs. His first impression was that she was much more beautiful in person; her photo did not do her justice.
Hearing her words, Chen Jin nodded, “Yes, I’m Chen Jin. You must be Yuan Lin.”
“That’s right, I’m Yuan Lin, your partner for this blind date. Where are you going with your bag?” Yuan Lin asked upon seeing the backpack in his hands.
Chen Jin answered honestly, “I’m going to the front desk to pay the bill.”
Yuan Lin originally had a positive first impression regarding him, however it turned negative in a flash. With a slight scowl, she explained, “the traffic jam on the roads was a little severe today. I was not deliberately late, can’t you spare some effort in waiting just a little bit?”
“Oh ~ Then let’s go sit in the room.” Feeling slightly awkward, Chen Jin retreated back into the private room.
Yuan Lin walked in and sat across from him. Chen Jin smelled a very pleasant fragrance permeating the entire room. He called over the service staff and ordered a flask of 388 Yu Qian Long Jing tea. Displaying his gentlemanly behaviour, he poured a cup for the woman sitting across him.
After which was almost 10 minutes of silence.
Elegantly, Yuan Lin took a sip of tea and spoke straightforwardly. “Let’s talk about something.”
Chen Jin asked, “Talk about what?”
“We can talk about your work, what kind of job do you do?”
Chen Jin shook his head, “It’s just a normal job, there’s nothing much to talk about.”
“Then, let’s talk about your interests and hobbies. What do you like to do?”
Chen Jin started to ramble, “Yes, I like to game and watch anime. Those are my favourite things to do….” Finally he asked, “Do you like those?”
Shaking her head, Yuan Lin replied, “No, I don’t. I’ve never really checked them out.”
“You actually don’t like gaming and anime, are you a real person? How can there be someone who doesn’t like gaming and anime, you’re such a loser!” With an agitated expression, he ended his spiel saying, “We have no common topics between us!”
Yuan Lin was stumped speechless. Scowling, she thought, she had her own interests and hobbies. She pa.s.sed all 10 grades in piano, eight grades in English and even started her own company. Why would she ever touch such demoralising things like games and anime? It was she who thought that this man in front of her had no common topics with her! She could not communicate with him. It was to the extent that she thought that she could not continue this conversation anymore and wanted to leave.
But…. This blind date was very important to her mother. She was reminded of the a.s.sistance that He Li, the Director of Accounting in the tax bureau, could provide. If the two families united, there would be many benefits in the making. Thinking about this, Yuan Lin temporarily suppressed the impulse to leave and decided to make an effort to understand her partner. Restraining her impatience, she asked many questions. For example, she touched on topics like “Family Upbringing,””Education,””The 3 Principles of Knowledge,” and “Daily Life,” etc.
In the end, Yuan Lin was greatly disappointed. It was because no matter what questions she asked, this man could not stop mentioning “my Mom” every three sentences. Whenever he answered a question, he liked to tack these three words, “my Mom said,” onto the beginning of his opinion. Moreover, the opinions that this fellow expressed on the topic of marriage simply drove Yuan Lin up the wall.
“My Mom says that if I’m not satisfied with my wife, I can marry another. But there is only one mother, if my mother is gone, I cannot have another one. So, I must be very filial to her! After I’m married, I hope that my wife will be like me and show obedience to my mother. Everything that she says is right; listening to her is absolutely the right thing to do. On the other hand, if we act carelessly on our own, we’ll never do anything right. Also, I do not wish to see my wife anger my Mom by engaging in conflicts with her. My Mom gave birth to me and raised me; she struggled her whole life. I find it unacceptable if she had to endure bullying from her daughter-in-law instead of enjoying her old age. Since we are living together as one family, someone would have to compromise in situations. My Mom has a very good temperament, she would never hurt another person. If there was a conflict between her and her daughter-in-law, then it’s definitely not my mother’s fault….”
At this point, Yuan Lin was so p.i.s.sed off she simply could not listen to this anymore! Picking up her bag, she stood and frankly said, “Sorry, I don’t think we’re suitable. I’ll make a move first. I’ll pick up the bill at the front desk.”
“Oh ~” Chen Jin nodded his head dully. “I too, think that we’re not too suitable. You don’t have to pay the bill, I’ll do it.” Standing up, he took great strides towards the front desk.
Yuan Lin also left as if she was fleeing from the teahouse. Too scary, it was simply too scary!
…
When she returned home, Yuan Lin still felt some lingering fear in her heart. Mother Yuan walked over and asked with some curiosity, “Lin Lin, why are you back so quickly? How did the blind date go today?”
Hugging her pillow, Yuan Lin replied, “Don’t ask about it anymore Mom. I almost fell into a death trap. Him and I, we are not suitable!”
“Really?” Mother Yuan was very surprised. “That fellow doesn’t seem too bad. He looks tall and handsome. I heard from Director He Li that her son works a stable job, is motivated to better himself and even knows how to prepare meals and keep the house clean. He is well-mannered and is especially filial towards his parents. It’s hard to find such a fine fellow nowadays, how can you not be suitable?”
“So what if he had all these good qualities? Mom, do you know that he’s a Mommy’s boy!”
“What? A Mommy’s boy?” Mother Yuan’s expression drastically changed. This was truly frightening and shocking. There goes a saying, “Never marry a Mommy’s boy or a Helicopter sister.” If one marries a Mommy’s boy, it means that the marriage will never be a happy one, one will definitely suffer grievances. Life thereafter will be h.e.l.lish.
Yuan Lin had a best friend who married a Mommy’s boy. Her mother-in-law’s bullying pushed her to her limits. Every day her face would be awash with tears. She reluctantly endured the situation for three years. Even though the husband had a very good family background, they still ended up divorcing. Once you meet a Mommy’s boy, it was the same as meeting a death trap.
Hearing her daughter’s explanation of the general situation, Mother Yuan stopped expressing her incomprehension and changed her stance. She now supported her daughter’s decision…. How would she not know the terror of a Mommy’s boy? Mother Yuan was very suspicious though. How did a woman as brilliant and capable as Director He Li raise her son into a Mommy’s boy?
Following this thought, she immediately came to a realisation. Precisely because Director He Li was brilliant and capable, it made sense that her son became a Mommy’s boy. It was similar to how her daughter, Yuan Lin, was a Mommy’s girl. There was no intrinsic difference between the two of them. However for the sake of her daughter’s lifelong happiness, she will never allow her to marry a Mommy’s boy and suffer grievances in another family. After all she only had one daughter. Thus, the follow-up for this blind date was ended for unknown reasons.