When Wang Zhihong learned that he was about to become a father, he was so excited that he couldn't wait to tell everyone the good news.
As Wang Zhihong's senior in the same department and Xiang Qiu's best friend's boyfriend, Song Ze naturally learned of this news as well.
"Congratulations!" Song Ze couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
Wang Zhihong chuckled and scratched the back of his head: "Hehe, thanks. You and Comrade Xia should be getting married soon, right?"
Song Ze's smile froze, and he replied indifferently, "Soon."
"Then I congratulate you in advance. Speaking of which, you and Comrade Xia have been together longer than we have. It's time for you to get married," Wang Zhihong said with a smile.
These words stung, but Song Ze maintained a polite smile: "Qingqing and I discussed a long time ago that we would get married after graduation, so as not to delay our studies."
Wang Zhihong nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. Fortunately, Qiuqiu has already graduated."
In fact, some female students at the school got pregnant during their studies. After all, some students were already married, and contraception was not widely available in those days. If Xiang Qiu hadn't been more attentive to this, she might have graduated with a big belly.
However, Xiang Qiu was not very happy even though she found out she was pregnant after graduation. She got pregnant right after being assigned to a job, and her colleagues and superiors might have opinions about her.
After being thoroughly outmaneuvered by Wang Zhihong, Song Ze immediately called over his two good brothers, Yuan Xin and Ning Zhiyuan, upon returning home.
Yuan Xin looked at Song Ze, who had called them over but remained silent, and finally lost his patience: "Ze, why did you suddenly call us over? You've come here but haven't said a word, just standing here in a daze."
Song Ze glanced at him and said slowly, "What's the rush? Can't you see I'm thinking about important matters?"
"What exactly happened?" Yuan Xin asked curiously.
Ning Zhiyuan also turned his gaze to Song Ze, waiting to hear his answer.
"I'm planning to propose to Qingqing sometime, so I've asked you all to come here so you can give me some ideas, preferably something romantic," Song Ze announced this big news in a solemn tone.
"What? A marriage proposal?" Yuan Xin looked at Song Ze in surprise, seemingly puzzled as to why he came up with this idea. Isn't marriage proposal a Western thing to do?
Song Ze nodded and said, "Yes, do you have any questions?"
"Uh, no problem, I just didn't expect you to be so stylish," Yuan Xin quickly shook his head.
Song Ze didn't explain much. The reason he had the idea of proposing was because Xia Qingqing told him when Xiang Qiu and Wang Zhihong got married that their marriage was a bit casual, with neither a proposal nor an engagement.
After hearing it once, Song Ze remembered it and secretly decided that he would definitely give Qingqing a romantic proposal ceremony in the future.
Seeing that the two people in front of him were not speaking, Song Ze patted the table and reminded them, "You two hurry up and help me think of something."
Yuan Xin looked conflicted: "We don't know anything about this kind of proposal... A Yuan and I don't even have partners, what's the use of asking us?"
“What Ah Xin said is exactly what I wanted to say,” Ning Zhiyuan immediately echoed.
"That makes sense, you two single dogs are unreliable," Song Ze said with a sudden realization.
Yuan Xin: "......"
Ning Zhiyuan: "......"
Song Ze ignored whether the two of them were hurt by his words and began to recall what Xia Qingqing had said last time.
Qingqing said that a proposal requires a ring, which is easy. His grandmother left him several gemstone rings among her jewelry, but he doesn't know if Qingqing will like them.
Yuan Xin gave Ning Zhiyuan a wink: Let's go.
Ning Zhiyuan immediately nodded: Let's go!
While Song Ze was in a daze, the two quietly left, and by the time Song Ze came to his senses, they were long gone.
——
During this period, Xia Qingqing was busy with the clothing store every day, and she saw Song Ze much less often.
So when she heard that Song Ze wanted to ask her out, she readily agreed.
Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping have now fully taken charge of the store's affairs, so whether she's there or not doesn't make a big difference.
During dinner that evening, Xia Qingqing told Zhang Hongyan that she wouldn't be going to the shop the next day: "Mom and Dad, Song Ze invited me out to play tomorrow, so I'll leave the shop to you."
Upon hearing the name Song Ze, Zhang Hongyan suddenly slapped her forehead. How could she have forgotten something so important!
"Qingqing, when do you plan to settle things with Xiao Song?"
"Ah, what's going on?" Xia Qingqing was stunned. Wasn't it about her going out to play tomorrow?
These words earned him a roll of the eyes from Ms. Zhang Hongyan: "What are you talking about? Your marriage with Xiao Song? You've been dating for so long, aren't you planning to get married yet? You're almost 23, if you don't get married soon you'll be an old maid."
Xia Qingqing: "......"
At 23, she's in the prime of her youth. What do you mean by "old maid"? She just doesn't like hearing that.
But Xia Qingqing didn't dare to refute Zhang Hongyan, otherwise her mother would start giving her examples of so-and-so's daughter who got married at 18, and so-and-so's daughter who was old enough to run errands.
"Mom, the matter of marriage should definitely be brought up by the man. If I'm so eager to get involved, people will think I'm desperate to get married," Xia Qingqing said confidently.
Hearing this, Zhang Hongyan nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. You know, Xiao Song is usually quite sensible, so why did he let us down at such a crucial moment?"
Seeing that his wife was unhappy, Xia Heping quickly comforted her, saying, "I don't think Xiao Song is such an unreliable person. Maybe he'll come to propose marriage in a few days."
“Then let’s wait a bit longer. If there’s still no movement from Xiao Song after a while, you can give him a hint next time,” Zhang Hongyan said to Xia Heping.
That's what they say, but if the woman's side really has to bring it up first, Zhang Hongyan will definitely be unhappy, feeling that the other party doesn't value her daughter enough.
Xia Qingqing didn't take it to heart, letting it go in one ear and out the other, focusing on eating.
The next day, Xia Qingqing waited for more than an hour after getting up before Song Ze arrived.
This is clearly unusual, considering that Song Ze is usually very proactive and it's common for him to show up at the Xia family home early in the morning.
Xia Qingqing looked at Song Ze, whose hair was slightly disheveled, with suspicion: "Ze, you seem a little strange today."
"Ah, nothing's wrong with me," Song Ze said, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes. He secretly wondered if someone had leaked the information to Qingqing, which would ruin the surprise he had prepared.
Xia Qingqing's heart skipped a beat when she saw his guilty look.
Good grief, they're definitely hiding something from me.
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