Civil Engineering in the Mortal World: Ten Years Without Knowing Today's Events

Chapter 25 Proposal

November 28th, today is an important day in my life.

Before dawn, I was wide awake, so I got up and checked the clock. It was 4 a.m. I walked out of my room, and my parents were already up.

"Little one, get up," Mom said.

"Um"

"Okay, bring out the new clothes and shoes you bought yesterday."

"I tried them on yesterday, and they fit perfectly."

"Take another look at them. Are the clothes wrinkled? Do the shoes need to be wiped?"

"it is good"

……

When I arrived at Xiaohui's building, it was 8:30.

I looked up at the window on the third floor; the curtains were still drawn.

I straightened my clothes and went upstairs. When I got to the door, I took a deep breath and knocked.

The person who opened the door was Xiaohui's mother. She was wearing a dark red coat, her hair was neatly combed, and she had an unnatural smile on her face—the corners of her mouth were turned up, but her eyes didn't move, as if she were practicing.

"You're here? Come in."

"Thank you, Auntie."

After entering, I put down the things I was carrying and looked around the room. The living room wasn't big, but it was very clean. The cushions on the sofa were neatly arranged, and there was fruit, melon seeds, and candy on the coffee table.

Xiao Hui's father was sitting on the sofa. He looked much older than Xiao Hui's mother; most of his hair was white, and his face was deeply wrinkled. When he saw me come in, he stood up from the sofa and extended his hand.

After shaking hands, I felt that his hands were very dry and his knuckles were large.

"sit."

After Xiao Hui's dad sat down, I sat down too.

Xiao Hui came out of the inner room. She was wearing a light blue dress, her hair was tied in two braids, and she wore a pair of new white leather shoes with shiny soles. She glanced at me, lowered her head, walked to her mother's side, and sat down.

"Xiao Hui, go get some water for Xiao Chen," her mother said.

She stood up, went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, brought it over, and placed it in front of me. The water was too full, and some spilled onto the coffee table, which she wiped with her sleeve.

"Brother Chen, have some water."

"Thanks."

I picked up the cup and took a sip. The water was warm, not hot.

Xiao Hui's father spoke up. "Chen Mu, where are you from?"

"Chenwangzhuang".

"Chenwangzhuang? I know it, it's just across the river."

"right."

How is your dad's health?

"My chronic condition, cirrhosis."

Xiao Hui's father nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Xiao Hui's mother spoke up, "Xiao Chen, have you discussed your relationship with Xiao Hui with your parents?"

"It's settled."

What do your parents think?

"My parents have no objections."

"So when do you plan to do it?"

"Auntie, Xiaohui and I have discussed it, and we'd like to talk about next spring."

"What month is spring?"

"March or April. It depends on the date."

Xiao Hui's mother glanced at Xiao Hui's father. Xiao Hui's father nodded.

"Okay. Then it's your decision," Xiaohui's mother said. "I've discussed the bride price with Xiaohui's father. We don't want it."

"Aunt……"

"Let me finish," she interrupted me. "We don't want a bride price, not because the dowry is worthless. It's because we're afraid. We're afraid that if we accept a bride price, we'll be mistreated in your family. We don't want it, just be good to her."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Xiao Hui sat next to her mother, head down, her hands clasped together. She didn't know what a bride price was, maybe she did, maybe she didn't. But she knew what her mother was talking about, because her eyes were red.

"Auntie, don't worry, I will take good care of Xiaohui."

"It's not up to you," Xiao Hui's mother said, looking at me. "It only counts if you do it."

I had lunch at Xiaohui's house.

Xiao Hui's mother cooked six dishes, including fish and meat. Xiao Hui's father didn't eat much; he took a bite of each dish, then put down his chopsticks and watched us eat. Xiao Hui ate very slowly, one grain at a time, as if she were counting.

After dinner, Xiao Hui walked me downstairs. She walked beside me, her arms hanging at her sides, very close, but she didn't touch me.

"Brother Chen."

"Um."

Which month is spring?

"March."

What date in March?

"Not decided yet. We'll see."

"Then let Brother Chen tell me after he sees it."

"it is good."

She stood at the top of the stairs, looking at me. "Brother Chen, will you come to marry me this spring?"

"Come."

I saw her smile. Even though tears were falling, she was still smiling.

On my way home, I kept thinking about what Xiaohui's mother had said: "Your words don't count, your actions do."

When I got home, Mom was cooking in the kitchen. Dad was sitting on the sofa watching TV, on the opera channel.

"You're back?" Mom poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Um."

"What did Xiao Hui say?"

"It's to be held in the spring. They don't want a bride price."

Mom paused for a moment. "Then we can't refuse. It's their business if they don't want it, but we're giving it as a token of our appreciation. Sixty-six thousand, for good luck."

"Mom, where would we get 66,000?"

"Don't worry, your dad and I have saved some, and we'll borrow some more." Mom's voice was calm, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

I didn't say anything. I stood at the kitchen doorway, watching my mother wearing an apron, chopping vegetables. The knife clattered on the cutting board, like a heartbeat.

That night, I lay in bed, took out my phone, and opened Xiaohui's chat window.

"A small gathering, spring, March."

She replied quickly. "Okay. Brother Chen, I'll wait for you."

I put my phone next to my pillow and turned off the light. I closed my eyes. Spring is in March; there are less than four months left.

……

Life on the construction site continued as usual. That afternoon, I was organizing documents in the office when a worker's voice suddenly came through the walkie-talkie, trembling: "Engineer Chen, come quick! Pit number eight! The borehole wall has collapsed!"

My heart sank. I grabbed the walkie-talkie and ran outside. When I got there, the pile driver had already stopped. The drill rod was still stuck in the hole, but a large section of soil around the hole had collapsed, and mud mixed with loose soil was gushing out like a pot of boiling porridge.

The operator, Old Ma, was as white as a sheet. "We were drilling, and suddenly it collapsed. I've been doing this for fifteen years, and I've never seen soil like this before."

I bent down and squatted down, grabbing a handful of the collapsed soil. It was wet and sticky; when I rubbed it between my fingers, it was full of fine sand. A quicksand layer. The survey report mentioned a quicksand layer, but didn't say it was this shallow. The designed piles were fifteen meters long, but they collapsed after only twelve meters. How are we supposed to drive the remaining three meters?

Old Hu arrived. He stood by the collapsed borehole, looked for a few minutes, then took out his phone and called the surveying unit. "Engineer Ye, when will your supplementary survey results be available? Our borehole collapsed, and the quicksand layer is shallower than you said." The person on the other end of the line said something, and Old Hu's face was grim. "A week? I can't wait a week. Three days, three days at most."

After hanging up the phone, Lao Hu looked at me and said, "Don't call again yet, wait for the supplementary investigation results."

"Mr. Hu, the construction period..."

"I'll discuss the construction schedule with General Manager Zhou."

I didn't say anything more. I stood by the collapsed hole, looking at the pool of mud. Old Ma squatted beside me, a cigarette in his hand, unlit. "Engineer Chen, this job is getting tough. Quicksand layer, we might have to change the process."

"What process should we switch to?"

"Impact drilling. Or installing wall protection. Both will cost extra money and take more time."

More money, more time. These are the two words that clients hate the most.

When I got back to my dorm that night, I called my mom.

"Mom, could you keep an eye on Xiaohui's situation for me? I'm busy here and can't go back."

"What are you so busy with? We have a big event planned for spring; aren't you going to come back to check on furniture and book the banquet?"

"Mom, there's been a bit of trouble at the construction site."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Is it serious?"

"Once it's taken care of, everything will be fine."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye on things over there for you."

After hanging up the phone, I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Just then, my phone vibrated; it was a message from Xiaohui.

A photograph shows a plush rabbit on a windowsill, with the sunset sky in the background.