Faced with Leyao’s solemn expression, my heart gradually calmed as I locked eyes with her, waiting to see what final test she would give me. Suddenly, I felt a bit nervous again because our conversation might be overheard by Mi Cai, who was also waiting inside the room. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was feeling at this moment… Perhaps she was also filled with anticipation. We had waited for this day for so long. Although it was a pity that it was still raining today, the seeds had already sprouted in the soil, waiting only for tomorrow’s sunshine to bloom and grow.
Leyao finally spoke, solemnly asking me, “Zhaoyang, do you still remember that you were once a man who cried with a glass of wine in a bar, a man with no way out?”
I nodded and replied, “I remember.”
“Do you also remember how you once placed your soul in a Sky City, and sang countless empty and lonely songs in underground passageways with a numb body?”
“I remember that too!”
“Then, compared to the past, would you say you are now filled with happiness?”
In that instant, I seemed to gain a kind of insight. Closing my eyes, I saw the air conditioner in the room blowing warm air, and Mi Cai, dressed in her wedding gown, sitting upright in her usual manner. She looked calm, but the tears on her face revealed her joy and the relief of having forgotten all past pain. Perhaps she had waited for this day even longer than I had… As her tears fell, the sunflowers in my heart began to bloom. Looking back on our journey, there had been clouds and shadows, but also sunlight scattering and creating countless unforgettable moments. I saw her bright smile after the tears, warming my heart and nurturing my sense of happiness.
I opened my eyes and finally replied with a moist smile, “I am filled with happiness!”
“Are you afraid of losing this happiness?”
“Not afraid—just terrified!”
Leyao gently nodded, showing a long-absent smile on this occasion. Softly, she said, “So please, after marriage, take good care of this woman who brings you such happiness. Use your body and soul to protect her until you both grow old together… Never again be the Zhaoyang who cried with a glass of wine in a bar or sang lonely songs in underground passageways, okay?”
“Okay.” I used only one word to express my longing for the future.
Leyao finally moved aside, opened the door for me, and encouragingly said, “Now go and welcome your most beautiful bride.” Then she clapped her hands and said to everyone inside the room, “Let’s all bless this young couple. May they live a long and happy life together!”
Walking into the room amid thunderous applause, I saw Mi Cai dressed in her pure white wedding gown. Her face bore traces of tears, but it did not diminish her beauty. I had never seen such a perfect bride in my entire life. She wasn’t even wearing makeup, yet without any embellishment, she remained the epitome of beauty, with no compromise.
Li Xiaoyun, who had been by Mi Cai’s side all along, said to me, “Today, Mi Cai chose not to wear makeup. She wanted to face you with her truest self. In this lifetime, she wants to be the purest woman in your life.”
Looking at her without any makeup, she seemed to radiate a holy light, overlapping and merging with the city in my heart. I no longer needed to doubt—she was the woman of that city. Her purity was like a crystal key that opened a door in my long-closed heart, welcoming the return of that city.
As Mi Cai and I gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, our relatives and friends outside once again sent their blessings to us, the couple who had gone through so much hardship, encouraging me to lift her into my arms and use my own arms to brave the storms for her.
I opened my arms, bent down, and lifted her into my embrace. Feeling each other’s breath, it became a kind of unshakable faith etched into our lives. Once again, I felt the depth of emotion and gently kissed the purest version of her in my arms.
Leaving the room, I chose not to take the elevator. With my remaining strength, I felt the sweet burden she gave me as I slowly walked down the stairs step by step, whispering softly in her ear, “You had Jing Xiaosi test me with three questions, and I got one of them wrong!”
Mi Cai looked at me, as if she had already known, and softly said, “I knew you would get it wrong…”
“Why?”
“Because you always stand still, thinking that I am behind you, waiting. But… I have already walked ahead of you, so that’s why you got it wrong!”
I was a little taken aback…
Instinctively, Mi Cai held me tighter and gently said, “Zhaoyang, my first half of life was lived for my father… The second half, I will live for you! If one day this world can no longer hold you and me, I will willingly run away with you to the ends of the earth…”
My heart trembled, but my steps remained firm. My tears were soft and uncontrollable, falling down. My heart had already melted in the blazing flames of love. Never before had I felt so happy. Life suddenly seemed to be filled with infinite hope!
Choking back tears, I said to her, “Perhaps our souls have already run away together… Meeting you in this lifetime is my fortune, and I will cherish it dearly. I swear!”
“Yes, stay true to the original intention, and you will achieve your goal.”
…
Downstairs, Roben, as the best man, had already opened the car door for us. I held Mi Cai and got into the wedding car. Firecrackers sounded again. I knew that after a short wait, Mi Cai would officially become my wife. Although we hadn’t officially registered our marriage yet, our determination to live together was no less than any legally married couple.
The wedding convoy drove through the drizzle toward our home. Along the way, we held each other’s hands tightly, gazing in the same direction at the rain-soaked city. For some reason, my heart was almost overflowing with happiness, yet there was a faint trace of sorrow I couldn’t detect. I sternly told myself that it must have been caused by the continuous rainy weather, and perhaps in the afternoon, spring winds would blow away the city’s dampness, letting the sunlight pour freely…
Shortly afterward, the convoy finally arrived at our residential community. Once again, I carried Mi Cai toward our warm home. This time, I still chose not to take the elevator. Despite the pain in my arms, I stubbornly carried Mi Cai upstairs. The children, who had been arranged in advance, had already rolled the bed for us. Jing Xiaosi, as the maid of honor, had also prepared tea for Mi Cai. Mi Cai respectfully served tea to Ban Die and Mama, and addressed them as “Mom and Dad.” At that moment, my heart was filled with a sense of security. I knew I no longer had anything to worry about—Mi Cai had truly become my wife. If we were lucky enough, after our wedding night, we might even receive the good news of pregnancy next month. Then, with the joy of an expected grandchild, Yan Zhuomei would surely accept the small family we had built in Xuzhou.
At 10:30 a.m., we arrived at the pre-booked hotel. Mi Cai, I, along with the best man and maid of honor, welcomed the guests who had come to celebrate. Close to 11 o’clock, Mi Zhongde arrived at the hotel with Fang Yuan, Mi Lan, and Mi Cai’s aunt. They came to where Mi Cai and I were standing… The atmosphere immediately became indescribably heavy.
Mi Cai’s aunt had always been a distant figure, but now she hugged Mi Cai like a mother, somewhat tearfully saying, “Xiaocai, seeing you get married makes me both happy for you and reluctant to let you go… You must promise me that you will live a happy married life so that I can feel at ease back in Suzhou!”
Mi Cai was also moved. She hugged her aunt and nodded to show her reassurance. I knew that, in Mi Cai’s heart, her aunt’s position was even higher than that of her real mother, Yan Zhuomei.
At this moment, Mi Zhongde also hugged Mi Cai briefly but gave no words of blessing or advice. Then he led Mi Cai’s real family members into the inner hall of the hotel. I didn’t watch their backs, but instead turned to greet the next group of guests. However, Mi Cai seemed somewhat absent-minded, staring in the direction they had gone until I reminded her, after which she regained her composure and smiled again, joining me in thanking the guests for their blessings.
As the lunch banquet approached, most of the guests had already taken their seats. Mi Cai and I finally had a brief moment of respite. In perfect sync, we both turned our gazes toward the hotel’s entrance. We needed the green trees outside to relieve the mental and visual fatigue we had accumulated…
I held her hand—it was slightly cold. I hurriedly tightened the red coat around her shoulders. She hugged my waist, feeling somewhat insecure, and asked again, “Zhaoyang, will this rain ever stop today? It’s been raining for so long, and I feel such an indescribable gloominess in my heart!”
I gently hugged her and comforted, “It’s just rain. Even if it doesn’t clear up this afternoon, it will eventually clear up one day.”
“But… I really wish to see sunshine on our wedding day!”
I was also frustrated by the endless rain, but to reassure Mi Cai, I smiled and said, “Whether it rains or not, today is still a perfect day for our wedding… By the way, didn’t you see on the way here? Besides us, there were several other newlywed couples getting married. Everyone is joyful in this rain. It doesn’t really matter!”
Mi Cai seemed to want to say something else but finally remained silent. However, at this moment, I keenly sensed a woman’s natural sixth sense. At this moment, Mi Cai was likely being troubled by this somewhat pessimistic intuition. Once again, I tried to comfort her, “Don’t put too much faith in the weather… I will never forget how clear and bright the sky was on the day when Fang Yuan and Yan Yan got married, how freely the sunshine poured and the wind blew. But look at their result now… We have seen it all. So you must believe that things are in our hands, not in baseless feelings or guesses!”
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