Submitting To The Tradition
"Stop teasing," Changying laughed with them. "I just wanted some feedback on the look and feel of it. You don't have to take the joke that far." She had almost had a panic attack as they spoke until she realised they were teasing her.
"We're not joking. You have work for the rest of your life now, whether you believe us or not," Dante chuckled.
"Have you tried to go back further than Giambattista Donati?" Emilio asked curious as to whether she just did the tables or was constructing a full family lineage.
"I've been trying but the history is very murky because of all the punitive wars and battles with the bordering countries. I still have some pathways to follow up on but I would hate to say anything concrete without being totally sure," she explained.
"Would you mind if I took a look?" Emilio asked.
"It's all in note form I'm afraid I just sort of ran with this over the last few weeks because I wanted it done for the holidays so Wang could show his father how well he had done on it. It means a lot to him," her voice Jackred out as they both began to talk at once.
"You're going to let Wang take the credit for this?" They asked incredulously.
"He had done a lot of the research before he met me, I just filled in the blanks and tried to make it look pretty," she immediately defended Wang.
"We had the book, we know what state it was in before he met you," Dante chuckled, "And we know firsthand how hard you have worked on it."
"I wouldn't worry, Wang wouldn't do that," Emilio could see she was defensive. "I am betting he will be more than happy to present both the book and the girl to Papa." He winked at her.
"Oh, that reminds me, did you speak to Wang yesterday?" She asked. Wang had told her last night that he would be staying at the farm and that either Emilio or Dante would drive her to the farm when they went.
"Yeah," Dante nodded. "I'll take you to farm with me on Thursday, Lio isn't going until Friday."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Changying smiled at the thought of seeing Wang again. She had missed him terribly over the last week. "Just tell me what time and where to meet you, do you want me to come here?" She realised she had no idea where he lived.
"I'll pick you up from your house early, say six, it's a long drive and best to get on the road early and avoid the city traffic all escaping for the holidays," he said.
"Sounds good I am always an early riser, so I don't mind at all," she said stopping herself from asking exactly where the farm was. Wang had always evaded her questions about the place where his parents lived and life on the farm. All she had to go on was the general notion that it was a step back in time to a strict, more traditional way of life.
"Did you still want to see my notes on the family tree?" Changying asked gathering the two books and standing up from her chair.
"I do but it will have to wait we have a family thing going on today," Emilio said apologetically. "Maybe tomorrow before you leave for the holidays," he suggested.
"No hurry it will still be there next year," she smiled. "Thanks for looking this over for me."
"How much do you think Wang has told her?" Dante asked after watching Changying walk from the room.
"Nothing," Emilio said. "I would hazard a guess that he has prepared her in some way without actually telling her. I doubt she will be shocked. It will just be a matter of whether she loves him enough to submit to tradition."
"We all did at some point in time," Dante agreed acknowledging that it was very different for family members who spent time serving as a slave. What a girl coming into the family was asked to endure for the love of her man could be harsh depending on if he were favoured to be the next table head. Ben was the favoured one, but Emily had come from a southern table and so did had endured her trial before she arrived at the farm. So far he had been the only one dumb enough to think that love could withstand anything. He felt for Changying, but he wouldn't interfere, this was a lesson both she and Wang must learn on their own.