Training the Heavens

Chapter 279 Getting married
I knocked on the door and a girl of sixteen or seventeen came in with a hint of shyness. "Hello, Mr. Zhang. I'm not late, am I?"

"No, no, please take a seat." Zhang Xingjiu went over to help her pull out a chair. "What would you like to drink?"

"A cup of cappuccino and a piece of hazelnut cake." Ma Zongwen ordered without even looking at the menu. It seemed like she was quite familiar with the place.

"I want a latte and a biscuit." Zhang Xingjiu also ordered what he liked.

Biscuit is called biscuit in English, but it is not a biscuit. It is made of bread slices with butter and sugar. It is baked until it is hard, crispy, golden and exudes sweet sugar frosting. It is a popular Western pastry in Shanghai.

The waiter wrote the order and left the room, leaving only the two of them. The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment, but fortunately Zhang Xingjiu had extensive experience dealing with girls and immediately took the initiative to find a topic of conversation, "I heard from you, sir, that your French is very good?"

"I learned French from my uncle since I was a child. In addition to French, I also learned Latin." Ma Zongwen immediately switched to French to communicate with Zhang Xingjiu.

"It's really fluent. In fact, I had some difficulty learning French. Other things were easy, but learning numbers was really awkward." Zhang Xingjiu told a joke that was widely circulated in later generations.

"For example, we can just say 97 in French, but in French we say quatre-vingt-dix-sept. 4 times 20 plus 10 plus 7, it really gave me a headache! Then I thought, no wonder France has produced so many outstanding mathematicians. They've been doing math since they were little, so how could they be bad at math?"

"Haha." Ma Zongwen was immediately amused by him and covered his mouth and laughed.

After laughing, the awkwardness between the two was immediately eased, and Ma Zongwen began to take the initiative to talk about the various little jokes he had when he was learning French.

After the coffee and snacks were served, the two chatted while drinking. Under Zhang Xingjiu's deliberate guidance, they chatted very easily. Ma Zongwen had a good impression of Zhang Xingjiu and felt that he was much gentler and more polite than those young masters he had met before.

Zhang Xingjiu also understood Ma Zongwen's character. She grew up in a relatively good environment, but did not get the bad habits of young ladies. She liked reading and was very sensible. She could help Ma Jianzhong take care of the family.

She is good-looking, with delicate features and a good height. Most importantly, she doesn't have bound feet. It's not easy to meet such a person these days. If you miss her, you will probably have to look for her in those relatively Westernized families in Southeast Asia, and you may not find her even then.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xingjiu asked directly, "Miss Ma, your French is so good, and your foundation in other subjects is also good. Have you ever thought about studying abroad in France?"

Ma Zongwen's face immediately turned red. With her intelligence, she could of course hear that Zhang Xingjiu was not just talking about studying abroad. He was also asking her about her impression of Zhang Xingjiu and whether she was willing to marry him.

In fact, ever since Zhang Xingjiu came to Shanghai and met Ma Xiangbo, Ma Xiangbo often mentioned him in front of Ma Jianzhong, and Ma Zongwen had heard a lot about him.

She was very curious about Zhang Xingjiu. It was truly admirable that a Chinese person could achieve such great things in France. So, when Ma Xiangbo mentioned the blind date to her yesterday, Ma Zongwen hadn't objected. When she came over today, she saw that he was not only handsome, but also had excellent manners. Looking back at the young men of similar age she had met before, none of them could compare to him.

Ma Zongwen was actually already moved, but girls always have to be reserved, and deciding to get married after meeting for the first time was a bit too hasty.

She thought for a moment and replied, "My father and uncle don't object to my continuing my studies, but it's not easy to get into a French school. Besides, my parents would definitely be worried about me, a girl, going overseas to study in a foreign country alone. So, I can only think about it."

Nowadays, if a girl doesn't explicitly refuse, it basically means she has agreed. Zhang Xingjiu immediately took advantage of the situation and said, "It's actually not that difficult. Schools in Taixi are very particular about personal connections. If someone recommends you, you can still get in. If Miss Ma wants to go, I can send a telegram to the professors at the school to ask for a few letters of recommendation. If you already have a favorite university, that's not a problem either."

Ma Zongwen's face turned red as if blood was about to drip out, and he kept complaining in his heart, "Even if you like it, you should tell your father. I will definitely not object then. How can you force a daughter to speak up herself? This is a bit too aggressive!"

Fortunately, Zhang Xingjiu explained immediately, "Nowadays, marriage is all about parents' orders and matchmaker's words, but I don't agree with that. In this kind of thing, both parties should be willing. If you feel that you don't know me well enough, we can meet a few more times in the future. If you are not satisfied with me, then even though I am reluctant, I will give up and will never harass you again."

"It's just that I came back in a hurry this time. In a month or so, I will return to France to continue my studies. I really don't have time to delay, so I seem a little anxious. If it were when I was studying at Xuhui Public School, I would at least treat you to coffee a few more times before talking about this matter."

Ma Zongwen felt much better, but he was still too embarrassed to express his feelings clearly. He could only say vaguely, "My father is a teacher, and I'm also very interested in becoming a teacher. I heard that there is a university in France that specializes in training female teachers, and I've always been longing for it!"

Okay, it's settled! Zhang Xingjiu was immediately relieved. "You must be talking about the Sèvres Women's Higher Normal School. This school is not far from the Sorbonne University. I can help you get a letter of recommendation from this school."

With Zhang Xingjiu's current influence in the French university community, if he said he wanted to get a university place for his wife, someone would immediately take the initiative to help him get it. If the couple both studied at French universities, wouldn't it be more convenient to persuade them to become citizens in the future?

Ma Zongwen still did not explicitly refuse, so Zhang Xingjiu knew that the matter was settled, so he stopped dwelling on the topic and instead told Ma Zongwen about the woman's experience studying at a university in Paris. Marie Curie was the best example, and Ma Zongwen was fascinated by what he heard.

After finishing his coffee, Zhang Xingjiu sent Ma Zongwen home, then returned to Xuhui Public School and immediately approached Jiang Yixu, "Principal, I have something to ask of you."

"Oh? What's the matter? Just tell me." Jiang Yixu asked hurriedly.

"It's good news. At noon, Principal Ma discussed his lifelong plans and introduced his daughter to me. I just met her at the cafe and she's truly virtuous. I don't want to give up on this marriage, so I'd like to ask you to act as a matchmaker. Would you be willing?"

"Hahaha, this is a good thing, it's my duty!"

(End of this chapter)