CHAPTER 339: CHAPTER 339: CONSULTING ON DINING MATTERS

"Meeting the lady boss?" Wei Jiaqiang panicked at the mention, suddenly not even knowing how to place his hands or feet; his body stiffened to an incredible degree, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was still breathing heavily, Xu Jingjing would have been scared by his reaction.

"Hey, what are you doing! It’s just meeting my sister, do you really need to act as if you’re heading into battle for a sacrifice? She doesn’t eat people," Xu Jingjing, finding his behavior utterly ridiculous, stamped her foot in annoyance. A girl’s shy demeanor was completely exposed at this moment, this hopeless guy—it was just dinner at her home, why such a panic?

But his panic also indicated he cared, Xu Jingjing thought, feeling an involuntary sweetness in her heart.

"Jingjing, I’m nervous! The lady boss is your sister, what if she looks down on me? What if she thinks I’m poor, that I have no ability, and doesn’t agree with you being with me?" Wei Jiaqiang’s palms rubbed together worriedly, looking both honest to a fault and extremely nervous.

"If she doesn’t agree, will you not be with me?" Xu Jingjing asked him shyly and quite displeasedly, her expression clear—if he dared to nod, she’d chop him up with a knife.

"How could that be, even if she doesn’t agree, I still want to be with you," Wei Jiaqiang immediately replied from the bottom of his heart.

"Well, that settles it," Xu Jingjing immediately felt content, "If you still want to be with me even if she disagrees, then why are you afraid of her? Don’t worry! My sister is a nice person, she doesn’t care about class differences, she won’t look down on you." Xu Jingjing encouraged Wei Jiaqiang.

"Really?" Wei Jiaqiang was still nervous.

"Mhm," Xu Jingjing raised an eyebrow and nodded with a smile at him.

"Alright then! I’ll find a time to go to your house for dinner," Wei Jiaqiang once again grinned with his simple and straightforward smile.

...

Inside the construction site of Soup City, Wei Jiaqiang, with two boxed meals in his arms, solicitously brought one of the lunches to Yao Peng, the construction site foreman: "Uncle Yao, for you," Wei Jiaqiang said, smiling as he handed the lunch box to Yao Peng.

"I say, young man, what’s the occasion today? Come on, stop beating around the bush with me; just tell me what’s up!" Yao Peng, being older, also understood Wei Jiaqiang’s nature quite well. Seeing his eager-beaver behavior, he quickly guessed that Wei Jiaqiang had an ulterior motive for buttering him up. After taking the lunch box and sitting down in a shady spot, he asked straight away.

"Uncle Yao," Wei Jiaqiang grinned foolishly.

"Behave," Yao Peng teased Wei Jiaqiang, "You’re acting all coy like a big maiden, spit it out," he chided Wei Jiaqiang like a father.

"It’s like this, Uncle Yao, I’ve been seeing someone, right?" Wei Jiaqiang bowed his head, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed expression. The mention of being in a relationship made his dark, tanned face turn a shade of red.

"Uh-huh, I’ve heard about it, she’s the lady boss’s sister, the same girl who visited the construction site before," Yao Peng nodded, "I think that girl is quite nice, doesn’t seem like she’d be snobbish. Don’t listen to the envious rubbish from those boys, taking good care of the girl is what’s important." As an elder, Yao Peng, upon hearing Wei Jiaqiang bring this up, gave him some advice, thinking that Wei Jiaqiang had come to him because those rough men on the site had been talking nonsense.

"I get it," Wei Jiaqiang immediately nodded.

"Uh-huh." Yao Peng then opened his lunchbox and shoveled a few bites into his mouth. "Let’s eat!"

"Uncle Yao, it’s like this, my girl wants me to find a time to go to her family’s house for dinner." Wei Jiaqiang helplessly began, his tone filled with impatience and unease.

After all, it’s the first time he was stepping into the bride’s sedan chair, so to speak. Despite assuring Xu Jingjing that he’d stay with her even if her bossy sister opposed their relationship, the thought still unsettled him! Just thinking about the size of Tangshui City Resort and the astronomical amount of money it must cost, figures he’d never even dreamed of in his life. And now he was actually getting involved with such a family, maybe even marrying their daughter—how could he not be panicking?

The boss lady was a real go-getter, the top dog in the whole province of F!

"Eating at their place?" Yao Peng stopped scooping food from his lunchbox and looked up at Wei Jiaqiang’s anxious face, then burst out laughing: "Not bad, you luck out despite your silliness. You’re going to eat at their house, seems like you’re about to take a wife? Alright, you might look simple on an ordinary day, but it seems Uncle Yao might have to rely on you in the future." Yao Peng was grinning from ear to ear.

"Uncle Yao, I just don’t know how to go about it, so I came to ask you." Wei Jiaqiang said, somewhat embarrassed by his uncle’s reaction: "What should I say when I go for dinner at their place, and what kind of gift should I bring?" Wei Jiaqiang genuinely inquired.

"Going to meet our boss lady in the role of a prospective brother-in-law?" Yao Peng took off his safety helmet, thought for quite some time, and then offered some advice: "Just do as you would when visiting someone’s house in your hometown, buy some fruit and gifts, and stop by a department store to pick up a couple of toys for the children. I heard the boss lady has three kids; fruits and gifts are for the adults, toys to amuse the little ones!"

Honestly speaking, since the other party was the boss lady’s sister, even Yao Peng wasn’t sure what the best approach was. If they really had to thoroughly impress her, that would be tough since the boss lady lacked nothing. Even if Wei Jiaqiang were to empty out his entire savings, it wouldn’t satisfy her. For now, they could only hope she wasn’t bothered by social status and wouldn’t look down on Wei Jiaqiang.

As for the rest, once you’re at their place, act like a decent prospective son-in-law; do as you should, say what you must.

"Is that it? What if the boss lady thinks the gifts I bring are too measly, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?" Wei Jiaqiang’s mouth twitched, feeling like asking Uncle Yao had been pointless.

"Hey, you still don’t trust me? I’ve been through all this myself. Although your aunt’s family was just average, your aunt was known in the area for her beauty. Scores of men came calling, but I was the one she chose because I was composed and straightforward when I went over for dinner," Uncle Yao boasted without a hint of embarrassment.

"Besides," Yao Peng continued earnestly, "your girl knows your situation. If she’s inviting you over, she’s probably mentioned it to the boss lady. Everyone’s aware of the circumstances, so you don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not!"

Wei Jiaqiang felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he had risen from being a bricklayer to a construction site foreman because the boss lady wanted to prop him up for her sister’s sake.

"Alright, but Uncle Yao, do you think I should go shopping for some nice clothes?" On ordinary days, Wei Jiaqiang got by with raggedy clothes or work outfits, but going over for dinner in his work clothes might not sit well with the boss lady.

"Are you daft? Of course, you need to buy a new outfit!" Yao Peng, frustrated as though he wished Wei Jiaqiang were more astute, slapped the back of his head. "Dressed like that, not only would they mind, but you’d also be ashamed to show up, wouldn’t you?"

"Oh!" Wei Jiaqiang nodded, feeling disheartened.

Amidst Wei Jiaqiang’s anxiety and feelings of inadequacy, time quietly slipped by, and finally, the day arrived for Wei Jiaqiang to have dinner at the Wei Family’s home.