Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 207 He Ci'en's Great Disaster

"Didn't your aunt say you came back because you were being pestered by a girl at the Beijing Research Institute?" Shen Rongrong asked in surprise.

He Ci'en chuckled: "That was just an excuse. I originally wanted to come back, but the research institute in Beijing wouldn't let me go. That woman just happened to show up. She comes from a wealthy family and has some influence in Beijing."

She's actually quite capable; otherwise, no matter how powerful her family is, they wouldn't have let her work at the research institute. Apart from being a bit arrogant, she's not that bad. But her strong background makes many people avoid her, even if she doesn't intend to bully others.

Her ardent pursuit could conveniently serve as an excuse for my transfer application. Actually, if it weren't for her complicated family background, which I didn't want to get involved in, she herself would be quite a good person. But unfortunately, I wasn't willing to disrupt my peaceful life for her. So, now that you know what kind of person I am, do you still think I'm gentle and refined?

Shen Rongrong chuckled: "I did misunderstand you, but a refined scoundrel isn't so bad. As long as you don't use your schemes on me, I still admire you. You're very clever to use the surrounding conditions to achieve your goals. In this respect, I'm not as good as you."

He Ci'en raised an eyebrow: "Your ideas are quite different."

"I have a good impression of you. I think we can get along well. We're both busy with work, and as long as it's not a matter of principle, I'm very tolerant." Shen Rongrong took the initiative to suggest that they date.

He Ci'en shook her head: "We're actually not suitable for each other. I think if one person has to compromise when two people are together, it might work in the short term, but in the long run, the marriage will definitely have problems."

I know myself and I know what kind of wife is more suitable for me. Simply put, she should either be someone who keeps pace with me and shares common interests, or someone who is gentle, virtuous, and willing to stay in the family. But you are clearly not either of these two types.

You have ability and ambition, which is a good thing for you personally, and I admire that. However, our work environments are very different. You're not interested in my research and might not understand it, while I'm not interested in your work in the military region.

You know, if we got married, how would we communicate and express our feelings? Would we become complete strangers? Or would we just live together out of convenience?

Honestly, I'd rather stay single my whole life than compromise myself, and I certainly don't want to hold you back. You're a good girl; you deserve a brighter future and a happier life, things I can't give you.

Shen Rongrong said somewhat impatiently, "Actually, I've liked you since high school..."

He Ci'en raised her hand and pressed it lightly in the air, stopping her from speaking: "Back then, did you like me because I was good at studying or because I wasn't close to anyone? I have a cold personality, and to be honest, being with me was actually quite boring."

You still see me through the lens of your youthful infatuation, but time has passed, and we've both matured. Now you think that as long as we're together, that's enough, but if we were actually together, you might think, "If only I had been more passionate."

But if your psychological needs are not met for a long time, won't you feel disappointed and resentful? Marriage should be about mutual support and understanding, but once resentment arises, it will be a disaster for the marriage and for both parties in the relationship.

Our jobs mean we don't have much time to work out an inherently unsuitable marriage, so why force it?

Shen Rongrong was somewhat discouraged. She had always had a smooth life, and even though her mother was worried about her work, she didn't interfere too much. Her only setback was the end of her four-year relationship, but she made that final choice herself, so she wasn't too upset. She even felt that she was quite carefree.

But facing He Ci'en's cold and aloof demeanor today, she felt powerless for the first time. "Is the kind of partner you're looking for like your aunt? Someone who can make her husband worry-free and manage the household perfectly?"

He Ci'en looked shocked: "How is that possible? To outsiders, it seems like my uncle and aunt are the ones who are dominant and my aunt is the one who listens to him, but we family members all know that my uncle respects my aunt very much. It's commonly known as being afraid of one's wife."

My aunt appears cheerful and has a good personality, but she's actually quite assertive at heart. However, she seems to always hide this assertive side, but you can always see it when she makes a decision. Even though she says it's something everyone should discuss, she always ends up doing it. My uncle, aside from supporting her, never seems to offer any objections; at most, he'll help to supplement and refine the decision.

"Maybe your uncle is just indecisive." Shen Rongrong had never met He Zhijun before. Every time they met, He Zhijun didn't talk much. He had a presence, but it wasn't very strong.

“My grandfather said that when my uncle was young, he was the most reckless one in the family. Do you think someone like that would be indecisive? He just willingly smoothed out his rough edges and accommodated my aunt.”

I admire your mindset, Uncle, but I can't. I can't bring myself to compromise too much for others. Maybe one day in the future I'll meet someone for whom I'm willing to compromise, but so far, no one has." He Ci'en's tone remained calm.

Shen Rongrong felt a sense of helplessness: "Okay, I understand what you mean. It's okay. No one says that a blind date has to be successful the first time. Since we're not a good match, let's just be friends from now on."

He Ci'en shook his head again: "We can't really be called friends. We're just a little more familiar with each other than others. You don't know me, and I don't know you. There's no need to contact each other as friends. I plan to rest at home for half a month and will report to the Shanghai Aerospace Research Institute at the beginning of next month. I hope we both have good things to do and are well in the future."

Shen Rongrong forced a smile: "You're really direct, you don't even want to say polite words. Doing research is indeed more suitable for you, at least you're free and easy. Well, we've reached a consensus, let's go downstairs, we need to give the elders an answer." She shrugged, let out a breath, and felt a little relieved.

The two went downstairs. The elders were chatting amongst themselves. The three children were not in the living room. When they saw the two of them go downstairs one after the other, with almost a meter between them, everyone understood that the discussion had failed and broken down.

Madam Shen looked at her daughter, Shen Rongrong, who shook her head slightly. She understood and pulled Commander Shen to her feet, smiling, "Oh dear, it's getting late. Let's head back now and visit again another time. That's all for today."

Auntie was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized, "Alright, you all go ahead with your work, come visit often when you have time."

Everyone got up one after another and saw the Shen family out of their house.

Back inside, Auntie looked at He Ci'en and asked, "Which of you didn't like the other?"

He Ci'en...

Jingyan laughed and said, "Aunt, how can you say things like 'I don't like her'? It's more like the two of them aren't suitable. That girl is very nice, but she'll be too busy with work in the future, and that won't be able to take better care of the family."

As you know, for a couple to maintain a good family, one of them always has to compromise. Do you think that girl is more willing to compromise, or is our Cien more willing to compromise? Cien is a boy, so there's no rush into marriage. We can take our time and find someone we're meant to be with eventually.

Sometimes good things come to those who wait, so let's not be impatient. I heard that Cihai has a girlfriend in college. How about we try to get him on our side first?

Aunt glared at He Ci'en, but there was no point in saying anything more. She sighed and said, "That's all we can do. I don't really want this child to get married and have children right away. I just think he needs a home to take care of him. Since the two of them are not meant to be, then forget it. You can stay with your uncle for a while and tutor your younger siblings. Don't get in my way and annoy me."

After grumbling for a bit, the eldest uncle and aunt took the boat home first, leaving behind everything else they had brought, except for the jade bracelet. As they left, they kept grumbling, "If we still don't hear from Ci'en, do you think we should give this bracelet to Ci Hai's wife?"

The uncle laughed: "You, why are you getting more and more impatient as you get older? The children have their own ideas, we are only responsible for helping to arrange things, don't worry about those useless things. If you have that energy, think more about what your old man likes to eat and drink. The two of us are the ones who will be together until old age. Let the younger generation do their own thing."

When Shen Rongrong returned home, the three of them sat on the sofa in silence for a while before Mrs. Shen finally spoke: "Rongrong, didn't you like He Ci'en quite a bit? Why didn't you two make it work out? Is there something he's unhappy about with you?"

Shen Rongrong gently shook her head: "It's not that he's dissatisfied with anything, it's just that he simply feels we're not a good match. His ideal partner doesn't resemble me at all, so there's no need to force it."

Your daughter is excellent in every way – looks, talent, education, job. Why would she change herself for a man? If she's sacrificing herself for marriage, I think that's a huge failure. I deserve someone who understands and appreciates me.

Mrs. Shen hugged Shen Rongrong and said, "That's right, my Rongrong will definitely find someone who understands you, loves you, and supports you. Let's take it slow, there's no rush."

Commander Shen, sitting next to her, also spoke up: "It's fine if our daughter never gets married; it's not like we can't afford to raise her."

Shen Rongrong chuckled, "Yes, my dad will definitely raise me to be all smooth and shiny."

He Ci'en lived a very leisurely life at Jing Yan's house. Although the food in Beijing was also good, it was never as good as what Sister Wang cooked to suit his taste. When he had time, he would go to the chicken farm to help out. The satisfaction of collecting eggs made him feel very relaxed, although he had to carefully avoid the chicken droppings all over the ground.

Life passed by so quickly, it seemed like only yesterday that it was the end of October. Jingyan started her worried mother mode again. He Ci'en was still staying in the research institute's dormitory and wouldn't come home.

Jingyan was worried about whether the bedding in his dormitory was thick enough, whether the sheets and duvet covers were soft enough, whether the food in the research institute's cafeteria was good, whether it was too bland, and whether Ci'en would be able to get used to the food...

As a result of all their worries, when He Zhijun took leave to see He Ci'en off, the two grown men were carrying loads of bags and packages. It looked less like they were going to work and more like they were fleeing a famine, as if they wanted to bring all their family's possessions with them.

The two looked utterly hopeless... What could they do in the end? They could only go out looking like this. Because of his appearance today, according to He Ci'en, his colleagues at the research institute thought he had come from some remote corner of the country.

Later, when his colleagues got to know him better and learned that he had only come from Changxing Island to the research institute, their expressions were truly indescribable.

Of course, this also has its advantages. There are enough pickled vegetables, chili sauce, meat sauce, braised meat, etc. to keep He Ci'en eating until the Spring Festival every day, provided that they don't spoil by then.

In fact, the food didn't spoil, nor did it last as long as planned. Since it was a new place, He Ci'en was quite sensible. After getting acquainted with the research institute for a while, he shared some of the food he had brought, which helped him quickly make friends at the institute.

Unfortunately, the chef in the research institute's canteen was a local from Shanghai. The food was delicious, but it had a strong local flavor, which was quite painful for some people from other places. With the addition of strong flavors like chili sauce and meat sauce, the researchers from other places' goodwill towards He Ci'en skyrocketed.

He Ci'en had been in Beijing for too long and was not used to the local cuisine. His side dishes and seasonings were gone in less than a month. Several times, He Ci'en wanted to keep his canned food to himself, but unfortunately, the researchers were all unreasonable, and he couldn't handle a group of them alone.

Moreover, they didn't refuse to give him a gift in return. They generously shared candy, snacks, work manuals, and some professional books with him, so he couldn't be too stingy. At the end of November, Jingyan received a call from He Ci'en, saying that the child wanted pickled vegetables and meat sauce.

After Jing Yan found out the reason, she was somewhat amused and exasperated. Many of the staff at the research institute were from out of town, and few had time to go back to their hometowns for the Spring Festival each year; most stayed in their dormitories.

Of course, they had plenty of New Year's Eve dinner and other New Year's activities, so they weren't lonely or bored. Out of respect for cultured intellectuals, Jingyan generously prepared a lot of braised pork ribs, braised beef, chili sauce, beef sauce, etc., and on a weekend, she continued to bring them over with He Zhijun, carrying large and small packages.

The couple received a warm welcome, especially when they saw that the food consisted mostly of meat. They felt that He Ci'en's family were truly kind people. Of course, that's another story.

The research institute's work area is a classified area, but the dormitory area is closer to the perimeter. After registering at the entrance, the couple was still able to go to He Ci'en's dormitory.

The two found He Ci'en's dormitory, a single room with really nice conditions. He Ci'en was reading in the dormitory when she heard the knock on the door. When she opened the door, she saw two Christmas trees and quickly helped Jing Yan unload the goods. He Zhijun, who was ignored, could only go in and unload the goods by himself.

I don't know who he did this for.