Chapter 26: A Midnight Proposal

When Shen Jinxiao arrived home after packing up his things at the military office, the lights in his father’s room were still on.

He did not know why the old man had called him back so late, but he happened to have something he wanted to discuss with his father as well.

Earlier that day, he had seen his three nephews hospitalized due to the broken engagement with the Meng family. His sister had been crying at home, and the once-harmonious relationship between her and her husband had been marred by constant arguing.

In that moment, a thought had suddenly struck him.

It was a solution that could resolve his sister’s worries and spare his nephews from further pain—a win-win scenario. However, he had been hesitant, unsure of how to broach the subject with the elder Shen.

Shen Jinxiao knocked on the door, and upon hearing a response from within, he pushed it open.

Inside, Elder Shen was holding a framed photograph of his late wife, gently wiping the woman’s tender brows and eyes with a handkerchief, his gaze filled with nostalgia. "My dear, you should be able to rest easy now, right?"

He wiped away the tears flowing from beneath his reading glasses as he spoke.

At the door, Shen Jinxiao felt his scalp tingle. How was his old father resorting to this tactic again, trying to force him into a blind date?

"Father, is there something important you called me back for?"

Shen Jinxiao sat down on his own accord, contemplating how to bring up his decision to the old man.

Elder Shen hurriedly put down the photo of his wife and said with a solemn expression, "Do you really not remember the time, a while back, when you and a young girl were stuck in a tree for a day and a night during the flood? Do you remember who that girl was? Your feelings for her..."

"Ouch, my head hurts so much!"

Shen Jinxiao quickly clutched his forehead, feigning a headache, terrified that his father’s old-fashioned mindset would lead him to demand that he take responsibility for the girl.

Even if it were true that he had spent the night with a girl, what could a critically injured man possibly do to her while stuck in a tree?

Was he supposed to have bounced around with the girl like a monkey or walked a tightrope? Besides, he had never been interested in women; why would he do such a thing?

He continued to hold his head, putting on a pained expression. "Why can’t I remember? What on earth happened?"

Terrified, the elder Shen turned pale, hurriedly pulling his son's hand down to soothe him. "Alright, alright, don’t think about it anymore. We’ll take it slow."

Seeing his father sigh and turn back to his mother’s portrait with a heartbroken look, Shen Jinxiao felt a twinge of guilt. His father had always worried about his marriage and wanted him to settle down as soon as possible.

Consequently, he took the rapid-acting heart medication he had prepared out of his bag, already imagining how he would need to press the old man’s philtrum and feed him the medicine once the man became so angry that he fainted.

"Father, I have drafted a marriage application. I wanted to discuss it with you, and then consult with the woman’s family tomorrow before submitting it..."

Shen Jinxiao spoke hesitantly, watching his father’s expression as he handed over the marriage application he had written at the office.

Who would have thought that Elder Shen, upon taking the report, would jump right off the bed he was sitting on? He looked at the document in disbelief, clearly agitated. "No! I have already picked out a match for you. How could you..."

His words came to an abrupt halt. The old man’s mouth hung open, his eyes widening behind his reading glasses as he stared at the contents of the application, unable to process it for a long time.

Shen Jinxiao’s heart jumped to his throat; he knew this must have been a shock to the old man. After all, what elder wouldn't want their child's partner to be of equal social standing? Just like his sister, who also wanted a daughter-in-law from a "matching" family.

Shen Jinxiao spoke hesitantly, "Father, the truth is, I’ve been thinking about this for days. The engagement was originally set between the Mengs and the Shens, and my sister’s family has been torn apart by this. Since you’re worried that I’m getting on in years, I thought I might as well solve this for everyone..."

Halfway through his sentence, the old man’s mouth was still agape—was he angry, or just stunned?

Shen Jinxiao grew nervous and stood up to continue presenting his logic, trying to win him over. "Father, besides, the child in Miss Meng’s womb is your great-grandchild. It’s all family, and it doesn't matter if we raise it, right?"

Shen Jinxiao, tense, expected his father to scold him. "How could that be the same!"

To his surprise, his father, who had been frozen like a statue, suddenly slapped him hard on the shoulder. His wrinkled face broke into a grin so wide it showed his gums. "You rascal, it’s good that you have this kind of awareness!"

Elder Shen’s heart was already blooming with joy; he couldn't wait to bow in all directions to thank the gods. Just moments ago, he had been fretting over how to make his son remember the events before his injury and memory loss, and how to persuade him to marry his nephew’s ex-fiancée.

He never expected his son to walk straight into the trap and ask for a bride himself! As long as the two were married, they would surely recover their memories through living together. By then, wouldn't his son be overjoyed?

Thinking of this, Elder Shen couldn't help but dance around with his wife’s photo, spinning in circles in the room like he was waltzing.

Shen Jinxiao was utterly confused, watching in a daze.

Then, the little old man spun around to him, feeling no dizziness at all, and grabbed his hand, heading for the door.

"Where are we going, Father?"

"Let’s go! We’re going to the Meng family to propose!"

Elder Shen pulled his son along, striding with surprising speed, his voice booming. He turned to call the driver, who was about to go home, to move the large chest of gifts he had prepared long ago for his son’s future proposal from the warehouse.

Outside, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse; it was past nine o'clock. The streets of Kyoto were already empty, and the alleyways were eerily quiet.

Shen Jinxiao was speechless. He helped the driver carry the heavy chest to the front of the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic. Just as he wanted to suggest to his father that they come back early the next morning, he saw the old man already climbing the steps, impatiently banging on the clinic door.

Immediately, a chorus of dogs began to bark in the distance.

The lights inside the clinic flickered on quickly. When Mr. and Mrs. Meng came out to open the door, they both assumed it was someone in the middle of the night needing help with a birth.

When the door opened, the sight of the people standing there left them absolutely shell-shocked.

Inside the clinic’s consultation hall, the Meng parents and the two Shen men sat opposite each other. When they finally understood the purpose of the visit, they were struck dumb, unable to believe their ears.

"You... you aren't playing a joke on our daughter, are you? How could our daughter be a match for Colonel Shen? This is truly climbing out of our league. Besides, she is carrying..."

Mr. Meng’s sleepy brain was spinning. Even though he cherished his daughter, he didn't believe in gifts falling from the sky.

Mrs. Meng nodded in agreement. "My daughter said that if you don't want to break the engagement, you could just pick any distant relative of the Shen family to marry our girl. There’s no need to sacrifice Colonel Shen’s happiness..."

Mrs. Meng said a lot, primarily worried that Shen Jinxiao was seven years older than her daughter and that their status was too far apart. She feared they wouldn't get along, not to mention that she was pregnant with someone else's child, and she feared he would mind.

In short, both members of the Meng family were opposed to the idea.

Elder Shen was getting anxious, dying to blurt out that the child in Miss Meng’s belly was his own golden great-grandson. But he couldn't say it now—if he did, his precious son’s image of being refined and ascetic would be ruined.

Elder Shen twirled his prayer beads, racking his brain to think of how to persuade them.

Unexpectedly, Shen Jinxiao spoke first, raising a point they could not ignore.

"Uncle, Auntie, I know this proposal is sudden and presumptuous. But Miss Meng’s pregnancy will soon be visible, and you will surely be anxious about the birth certificate and other documents. Time is short. I can register for the marriage certificate with her first to secure the birth permit."

"As for your fear that our personalities might not match, I suggest you give us one year. Do not let Miss Meng know my identity; just treat me like an ordinary person. If, after that time, she still feels we are incompatible, we can quietly get a divorce. What do you think?"

The problem Shen Jinxiao raised was indeed the biggest concern for the Meng parents. Without a marriage certificate, how would they register their grandchild for a household permit?

Moreover, Shen Jinxiao’s proposal was impeccable; no one could refuse.

The Meng parents looked at each other, and after a long deliberation, they finally agreed to the marriage.

This delighted Elder Shen. He hurriedly told the driver to take out the cigarettes, liquor, famous tea, and a large bag of White Rabbit milk candies he had been preparing every year, spreading them across the pulse-taking table in the clinic, leaving the Meng couple completely stunned.