Chapter 44

He Cheng’an’s shoulders trembled slightly as he stared at Lu Yun in silence. His expression, which had initially grown cold due to Li Jiao’s arrival, now appeared cautious, as if he were suppressing something.

He Cheng’an opened his mouth, wanting to tell Lu Yun that she didn’t have to feel obligated to go with him to the civil affairs bureau just because of Li Jiao.

However, he felt he was too petty to utter those words.

He wanted to marry Lu Yun; he wanted to go to the civil affairs bureau with her, to be with her.

He had thought about it for a long time. Since he had met Lu Yun, he had dreamed countless times of marrying her.

But later, because Lu Yun didn’t like him, he had stopped daring to dream at all.

Yet now, Lu Yun stood before him, telling him that they should register their marriage.

When Zhang Meili and Lu Dong came out, Lu Yun directly took He Cheng’an’s hand. “I told you, we are going to celebrate the New Year together. Besides, since you met my parents, we are already making plans for marriage,” she said, emphasizing each word. “You’re here for the New Year; no one is allowed to take you away. You’ll stay here, squeezed in with my brother.”

Lu Xiang’an, who had been standing to the side, glanced at Zhang Meili and Lu Dong. “He can stay in my room with me. The more, the merrier,” he said.

He Cheng’an held Lu Yun’s hand tightly. After a long while, he asked, “Ah Yun, will you marry me?”

Lu Yun nodded. “I will.”

He Cheng’an kept nodding, his eyes slightly reddened. “Wait for me to come back.”

There were many people in the courtyard, so He Cheng’an coldly told Li Jiao to follow him outside.

The two of them left through the main gate, and the people inside the courtyard did not speak out about it.

Zhang Meili said, “Look at me, I haven’t even finished cooking. Lu Dong, hurry inside and help me wash the vegetables.”

She glanced at Lu Yun and then told Lu Xiang’an, “What are you still standing there for? Quickly go back and tidy up the room. When your sister’s husband comes back, let him sleep with you and find a thicker, cleaner blanket and pillow.”

Lu Xiang’an replied, “Okay, I’ll take care of it right now.”

—o—o—o—

Inside Lu Xiang’an’s room, it was clean because the New Year was approaching. Lu Xiang’an brought a quilt and a pillow and placed them on the bed.

When Lu Xiang’an was about to speak to Lu Yun, she took a thinner blanket and placed it beside the pillow where He Cheng’an would sleep.

Lu Xiang’an teased her, “Lu Yun, am I not your Eldest Brother?”

Lu Yun replied, “You’re already dating someone. Let your partner buy it for you.”

After their exchange, the atmosphere lightened, and unlike before, Lu Yun smiled.

Lu Xiang’an asked, “When you told He Cheng’an that you wanted to register your marriage with him, did you really want to marry him, or did you just feel sorry for him?”

If Lu Xiang’an had asked Lu Yun this question when she had just crossed over, she would have said it was sympathy, pity, and unfulfilled feelings. It was because of these feelings that Lu Yun had later developed a relationship with He Cheng’an.

But now, Lu Yun would respond that there was some truth in both. She didn’t want to see He Cheng’an suffer a fate like the ones in novels, and she didn’t want him to feel sad because of her.

But now she was willing to give it a try for He Cheng’an—to test that kind of everlasting love, even if she herself had doubts about it.

“I want to marry him. Even if the outcome may not be what it is now, I still want to give it a try. I think if He Cheng’an can’t make me want to give it a shot, then I might end up single for the rest of my life,” Lu Yun said.

Lu Xiang’an didn’t understand Lu Yun’s meaning and assumed she was saying that He Cheng’an treated her well, making her willing to proceed. He took a step forward and gently ruffled Lu Yun’s hair.

In a rare serious moment, he said, “My sister will have a happy life.”

—o—o—o—

Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had finished cooking, and the dishes were served on the table. They didn’t call Lu Yun and Lu Xiang’an to eat but simply beckoned them to come out.

Zhang Meili said, “When Cheng’an comes back, discuss the marriage issue with him. Once the civil affairs bureau opens, you can go and get the marriage certificate. We don’t expect his parents to do anything for the wedding, but it would be best if they didn’t interfere at all. We’ll handle everything ourselves.”

She told Lu Yun, “Make sure Cheng’an doesn’t worry that we’ll be angry because of his sister coming over. Since we’ve acknowledged him as our son-in-law, we’ve thought this through and understand what it entails.”

Lu Yun initially thought that Zhang Meili and Lu Dong would find fault with He Cheng’an because of the situation, but then again, who was perfect in every way?

—o—o—o—

When Lu Yun arrived at Zhang Hao’s home, Zhang Hao was eating inside.

The atmosphere in the house was pleasant. Zhang Jianjun, noticing Lu Yun’s arrival, invited her in to join the meal.

Lu Yun chatted with Zhang Jianjun, mentioning that she would come over during the New Year. After exchanging a few more words, she followed Zhang Hao outside to their courtyard.

Zhang Hao cheerfully asked, “Sister-in-law, what do you need me for?”

Lu Yun replied, “Do you know where He Cheng’an’s mother’s family lives? I want to visit.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao frowned and asked, “What’s going on?”

After Lu Yun explained the situation, Zhang Hao pushed a bicycle out from the courtyard. “Sister-in-law, they didn’t let Brother He join before, and they didn’t reach out to him either. This time, it’s probably because they think Brother He spending the New Year with you makes them lose face.”

Both Lu Yun and Zhang Hao rode their bicycles, with Zhang Hao not going too fast, allowing Lu Yun to keep up. She asked, “Can you tell me about He Cheng’an’s parents?”

Zhang Hao paused, concealing his emotions before responding, “How would I know? I was young back then. Besides, He Cheng’an’s mother cares about face, so their matters are definitely kept under wraps. I don’t think Brother He knows about his parents’ complicated feelings either. All I know is that now, whenever they meet, they don’t even greet each other.”

When Lu Yun arrived at Li Jiao’s house, Zhang Hao led her inside.

However, just before reaching the door, when Zhang Hao suggested she go in, Lu Yun shook her head.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold as she said, “Zhang Hao, thank you, but I’ll wait here.”

Zhang Hao asked, “Aren’t you going in?”

Lu Yun shook her head. “I’m not going in. I’ll wait for him right here.”

Zhang Hao wanted to say something but ultimately swallowed his words. “Alright, then I’ll head back,” he said.

As snowflakes began to fall from the sky, Lu Yun continued to wait outside for He Cheng’an.

While looking up at the sky, she noticed He Cheng’an coming out from the courtyard.

He paused when he saw Lu Yun, but instead of calling out to her, he simply stood there, watching her.

After a long moment, He Cheng’an stepped carefully through the snow and approached Lu Yun. “Ah Yun,” he called out.

Lu Yun asked, “Can we go home now?”

He Cheng’an smiled and gently took Lu Yun’s hand. “Yes, let’s go home.”

—o—o—o—

The wind and snow were light as they walked hand in hand. Lu Yun chatted with He Cheng’an about what dishes were prepared at home, mentioning that she was craving tanghulu but couldn’t have any yet because Zhang Meili and the others were waiting for them to return for dinner.

They walked for what felt like a long time, and Lu Yun, looking ahead, felt as if they were aging together in the snow. She said earnestly, “He Cheng’an, you have to keep treating me well like this in the future.”

If he fell in love with someone else, or if he grew tired of this relationship, Lu Yun could divorce him.

He Cheng’an didn’t understand what Lu Yun meant. He gazed into her eyes, his voice filled with warmth. “How could that be? I have to treat you even better.”

In his third year of loving Lu Yun, that ray of light finally shone through, and how could he ever bear to treat her poorly?

—o—o—o—

The Lu family had a lively dinner, and no one mentioned Li Jiao’s situation. It wasn’t He Cheng’an’s fault; he had done his best to resolve things. In fact, it surprised Zhang Meili and Lu Dong that Li Jiao had only come around after He Cheng’an and Lu Yun had started dating.

After dinner, Zhang Meili brought up the topic of Lu Yun and He Cheng’an’s marriage.

“After the New Year, you can officially come to propose,” Zhang Meili said. “There’s no need to say anything else. We’ll all be family from now on. Don’t take today’s matters to heart; we have no expectations. We all knew how things were from the beginning.”

—o—o—o—

That evening, He Cheng’an stayed over, sharing a room with Lu Xiang’an. This kept Zhang Meili busy as she scurried around, bringing Lu Yun a fresh set of bedding and then carrying fruit over for He Cheng’an.

The walls were thin, and Lu Yun could easily hear the commotion coming from Lu Xiang’an’s room.

“Lu Xiang’an, you need to sleep more quietly,” Zhang Meili chided.

“Sure, sure, I promise not to crowd your soon-to-be son-in-law. Now hurry up and go back to your tasks,” Lu Xiang’an replied.

Lu Yun was focused on her university exam preparations, taking her studies seriously.

She shook her head to calm her mind, opened her book, and continued studying, diligently taking notes. Unbeknownst to her, although she usually appeared serious while studying, this time she felt a bit more cheerful.

As she reviewed until past ten o’clock, the rest of the Lu family had already gone to bed.

Lu Yun yawned and closed her book, preparing to sleep when she suddenly heard He Cheng’an calling her softly from outside the window.

Lu Yun stood up and pulled back the curtain, and sure enough, there was He Cheng’an outside.

“What are you doing up? Can’t sleep?” she asked.

He Cheng’an held out a skewer of tanghulu, saying, “I just remembered we have some hawthorn at home, so I went back to make tanghulu. I’ve seen people make it before, and I tried some. It’s sweet and sour, really delicious.”

After Lu Yun climbed out the window to join him, He Cheng’an didn’t stand too close, letting her shake off the cold. He then noticed that Lu Yun hadn’t eaten yet and pulled out another treat—a fresh orange tanghulu.

“I saw this in the provincial city, and we happened to have some oranges at home, so I made it too. The oranges are sweet and not sour at all,” he said.

Lu Yun took a few steps closer and gently pressed her lips against He Cheng’an’s. “Mm, sweet,” she confirmed.