I went upstairs with Mi Cai. When we opened the door, the warm air that rushed out gave us the warmth we needed most in winter, and the aroma of food filled the air, giving us even more anticipation. I had already decided that I would have a few drinks with Ban Die, enjoying some of his treasured aged rice wine.
At that moment, Mi Cai’s phone rang. She told me it was Dai Wenshan calling, asking whether I wanted to accept his invitation.
I replied, “Ban Die and my mom have prepared such a wonderful dinner table full of food—would you really want to go out to eat?”
Mi Cai shook her head and said, “Absolutely not!!”
“Then politely thank him for his kindness, or tell him he can treat us tomorrow instead. I wouldn’t mind having a hearty meal at his expense!”
Mi Cai gave a knowing look before answering Dai Wenshan’s call. I helped her hang up her coat and handbag on the coat rack, then went to the coffee table to pick up an apple, peeled it, and handed it to her. The longer we lived together, the more familiar I became with her habits. Eating some fruit before meals was one of them. I had heard that doing so helps maintain a good figure, so sometimes it’s fair to say that there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. At least Mi Cai paid more attention to health than most women. She rarely got angry, unlike me, who sometimes felt ecstatic and sometimes furious, as if I would lose my sense of existence if I didn’t hold on to anger.
I thought: living together had gradually influenced me, even reshaping me. Now, I preferred to face the chaos of life with a calmer mindset. On smaller matters, I had also gotten into the habit of eating some fruit before meals. So I cut the apple into two halves, each taking one, sitting on the sofa and enjoying this peaceful evening together.
…
During dinner, the whole family sat around the table chatting. Naturally, the conversation revolved around our upcoming wedding. I asked my mom with concern, “Mom, have you chosen a good date for our wedding yet?”
Mom nodded with a smile, saying, “I’ve been more anxious about this than you two. I took your dad to see a fortune teller early on. He said the sixteenth day of the first lunar month after the Spring Festival would be a great day—it’s also the sixth in Gregorian calendar. It’s an auspicious day for marriage, avoiding the horse direction and northern negative energy. Neither of you is born in the Year of the Horse, and Mi Cai is from the south, so the northern negative energy won’t affect her either. It’s really a great day!”
Mi Cai and I exchanged glances. Judging by the timeline, we could get married in about a month. The date was indeed great, not only suitable for marriage but also featured the lucky number 6 repeated—6th of the month. I asked Mi Cai, “Do you like this date?”
“Yes, if Auntie and Uncle have carefully chosen it, of course I like it!”
Mi Cai’s reply made me feel that I was really getting married. Getting married at the age of 28 wasn’t too early, nor too late. But this upcoming marriage contained our passionate youth and years of experiences.
Mom continued, “But before the wedding, you two need to first get your marriage certificate. Xiaomi, you should also transfer your household registration to our place as soon as possible. It will be more convenient for future matters like work or giving birth.”
I nodded, “Okay, we’ll find some time recently to go to Suzhou and get that done.”
Mom and Ban Die nodded in agreement. Ban Die was in a particularly good mood. Without me even asking, he took out his treasured aged rice wine and invited Mi Cai and me to have a few drinks together. We gladly accepted, even my mom, who normally never drank, joined us for a glass. Thus, the four of us celebrated this memorable evening in this warm little home.
…
In the bedroom, Mi Cai was doing her skincare routine before bed, while I lay in bed holding my tablet, browsing recent news. Occasionally, we exchanged a few words. I asked her, “When are we going back to Suzhou to get your household registration and register our marriage?”
Mi Cai asked back, “Do you prefer before or after the Spring Festival?”
I thought for a moment and replied, “Before the Spring Festival. After the festival, we’ll start preparing for the wedding, and we really won’t have much time left!”
“Okay… Then let’s go back to Suzhou this weekend. I just wonder if you’ll have time then.”
“What could possibly be more important than getting married? Of course, I’ll have time!”
Mi Cai smiled. We had reached an agreement, and this topic ended there. We each went back to our own tasks. Then I shared on my social media the news of our upcoming marriage, hoping that those old friends who were close to me could come to Xuzhou for our wedding. I also hoped CC would see this message. Even if she couldn’t attend the wedding in person, a blessing from afar would at least ease the sense of regret.
Soon after, I received many replies. Some friends sent early wishes, while others expressed their hopes to attend our wedding in person. I replied to each one of them. I seemed even busier than Mi Cai, which finally caught her curiosity. She asked, “Zhaoyang, who are you chatting with?”
“I just announced our engagement on my social media. All our friends are sending their blessings!”
“But isn’t it a bit early? There’s still a month to go!”
“Not at all. Don’t forget we also have the Spring Festival in between. It’s better to inform everyone early so they can make preparations in advance!”
Mi Cai looked at me in surprise and said, “I didn’t expect you to be so open about this. I thought, given your personality, you might prefer just the two of us having a candlelight dinner as our wedding!”
“We’re not Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü from martial arts novels. Coming to Xuzhou doesn’t mean we’re cutting ourselves off from the world. I want to share our happiness with all our good friends and receive their blessings. I think that’s an essential part of our wedding. More importantly, I don’t want you to feel lonely marrying me. We should try to integrate into this world and maintain our circle of friends!”
“Thank you…” That was all Mi Cai said, but the emotions behind those words were clearly visible on her face. She also hoped our wedding would be filled with blessings from many people.
I put down my tablet, got off the bed, and walked over to Mi Cai. Sitting beside her, we started calculating the expenses for our wedding. In reality, the huge cost troubled us. Ban Die had already given us all his savings, and after buying the home appliances, we were left with only about 100,000 yuan, which obviously wouldn’t be enough for a high-end wedding.
Mi Cai said to me, “Zhaoyang, we don’t need to have such an extravagant wedding. We can save money in many ways. I think 100,000 yuan will definitely be enough!”
“No, no, no… It’s not as simple as you think. Our wedding won’t just be attended by our friends, but also by Ban Die’s and Mom’s friends. Mom’s side is okay, but Ban Die’s friends are quite a few, and many of them are his superiors. We need to maintain a certain level of formality. Although Ban Die has always been honest and upright throughout his life, when it comes to our wedding, he will definitely not be stingy. You believe me, right?”
Mi Cai looked worried and replied, “Of course I believe you… Oh my goodness… We’re going to be buried again in the daily grind of life!!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage