At his home, he asked Wu Naijuan to sit comfortably in a rattan chair and brought her a cup of tea. Wu Naijuan was surprised: “Why are you treating me like an old lady?”

He went to the study for a moment, and when he came out, he held a small bouquet of roses.

Zhizhong then knelt on one knee before Wu Naijuan.

“Naijuan, normally I should inform both sets of parents first, but now we’re the heads of our households, making our own decisions. I propose to you, hoping you’ll accept me.”

Wu Naijuan gazed at him.

A voice inside her heart said: “Go ahead and accept. You’ve waited so long, gone through so much – there’s already an understanding, it should be formalized.”

But on the other hand, she thought: Wu Naijuan, you’ve been a marriage counselor for so long – do you still have faith in marriage?

Zhizhong became anxious, sweat appearing on his forehead.

If the family had many aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters, then there would be no need to marry – they could spend their days chatting, laughing, eating, and drinking. But Wu Naijuan was all alone.

She needed a family.

Her expression gradually softened. She truly respected and loved this person.

In difficult times, she would be willing to care for him and help him manage life’s trivial matters. In good times, she would happily share wealth and honor with him.

She and he would never lack topics of conversation – each considered the other a good companion.

Wu Naijuan grasped Zhizhong’s hands.

Sigh, so be it if she died.

Wu Naijuan said to Zhizhong, “I accept you. It’s my honor to be your wife.”

Zhizhong breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the floor, and simply rolled around on the ground. Joy filled his chest. He jumped up, reached out his hand, touched the ceiling, and cheered several times.

Then he carried Wu Naijuan on his back, running around the house.

Wu Naijuan also laughed, lying on his back.

He ran outside the house, somehow tripped over a stone in the front garden, pitched forward, and both of them tumbled together.

Wu Naijuan held her knee, crying out in pain.

“Sorry, I got you involved.”

Wu Naijuan answered gently: “Don’t worry, we’re in the same boat.”

The matter was thus decided.

Because they were like-minded, they never thought of holding a grand ceremony, entertaining guests, or dressing up as if attending a costume ball, so everything was very relaxed and simple.

They went to register together. The clerk asked: “What time would you like?”

Wu Naijuan said, as if making a dental appointment: “Monday morning at ten o’clock.”

She invited Wang Bihao to be the witness.

On the phone, when Wang Bihao heard the news, she suddenly wept.

Afterward, Wu Naijuan reflected: “Humans are strange – they cry when happy and cry when sad.”

Zhizhong said, “Don’t think too much.”

Wu Naijuan reminded him: “We need to set up house.”

The two spent half a day browsing furniture and household goods stores, only adding a microwave egg cooker worth twenty-seven and a half dollars.

“From now on, no need to use a timer to calculate exactly two and a half minutes for soft-boiled eggs.” They were very happy.

So even such small things, when shared with someone, brought happiness.

Zhizhong notified Li Jialiang.

Jialiang said, “I’m truly happy for you both.”

“What about you, Jialiang?”

“Still searching.”

“I’m really lucky. If you asked me to marry someone who requires three formal betrothal ceremonies to enter the door, I couldn’t handle it. Reading in the papers about some celebrity’s wedding lasting three days and nights – eating after eating, playing after playing – I find it bizarre. Marriage, not wedding ceremonies.”

The originator of this saying was Wu Naijuan.

“I’ll attend punctually.”

That afternoon, Zhizhong said to Wu Naijuan: “The new home is ready to move into anytime. If you have time, pack up the miscellaneous items.”

“Ah, you’re starting to enslave me.”

“Yes, day and night, non-stop operation – cooking, washing, sweeping house and kitchen, bearing and raising children, helping with homework… hmm, what else am I missing?”

Wu Naijuan looked at him and laughed: “Fine, fine, fine.”

While he was out, she still packed up miscellaneous items for him.

Getting bored, she sat down to watch a DVD. Wu Naijuan chose “Casablanca.”

The disc was a bit strange. Looking carefully, this software had a label reading “Casablanca.”

What was this about?

Playing it on the computer, Wu Naijuan’s photos appeared.

Watching herself felt strange, yet somewhat warm.

When were these photos taken?

Wu Naijuan always wore gray and dark blue – hard to determine the exact time, probably before the injury.

By the pool, at the bookstore, on the street, even at her front door – in the photos, she never faced the camera, as if unaware a lens was pointed at her.

These were all photos Zhizhong had secretly taken.

Eh, didn’t Wu Naijuan have no memory of these things?

After the injury, she claimed to forget Li Jialiang existed, and also didn’t remember Zhizhong had been commissioned to follow her.

Did the photos suddenly restore her memory?

Of course not.

To simplify life and help Zhizhong eliminate resentment, Wu Naijuan claimed amnesia.

Often, not mentioning something meant not remembering it. At appropriate times, this could preserve friendship or affection. Not wanting to argue, considering the other’s sentiment to outweigh flaws – why have too good a memory?

Don’t remember.

Don’t remember? I don’t believe it.

I’m not asking you to believe.

It’s choosing not to remember, right?

Exactly.

Zhizhong also readily accepted her, not remembering these things.

He had always kept the photos and hadn’t handed them over to Li Jialiang.

Wu Naijuan discovered that the software stored several hundred photos.

Some recent ones were taken at his house during the party with crowds of people.

Oh, this was when Ah Qu celebrated his promotion, when Wu Naijuan was mistaken for Zhizhi, and they said Zhizhong was away on business.

That day, he was inside the house.

He hid among the crowd, taking photos of her, capturing her loneliness and disappointment.

He knew she had come looking for him. He already knew she had changed her mind.

So he had always been by her side.

Therefore, when the assailant appeared, he could rescue her in time.

Wu Naijuan immediately removed the software and put it back in place, not wanting him to discover she had seen these photos.

Better stop tidying up – it was better for each to keep some secrets.

She sat in the rattan chair, smiling slightly.

Unknowingly, she fell asleep.

When Zhizhong returned, seeing Wu Naijuan able to sleep anywhere, anytime like a child, he felt a bit heartbroken. Having suffered brain injury was different – she tired easily, had poor spirits. How could she still work? Working from home was more flexible – she really should resign.

He gently covered her with a shawl and closed the door.

Seeing ten or eight cardboard boxes in a corner of the living room, he realized she had packed miscellaneous items for him.

Zhizhong went to the kitchen to make coffee, finding a small radio still on.

A female singer sang plaintively: “This kind of love-dragging it on one more day is one more day of wrong, loving once ages a person decades…”

Zhizhong had experienced that before. It was all past now. Now it wouldn’t happen. Wu Naijuan was good to him – considerate and respectful. This was the best time of his life.

Wu Naijuan appeared behind him.

“You’re back?”

“The rings are finished. Please come see.”

They were a pair of pure platinum rings, completely without style. They each put one on the other.

“Go sleep a bit more.”

“Going out for a drive would be better.”

Neighbors watched them get in the car and drive out.

The middle-aged wife said, “Must be newlyweds – inseparable, making others envious.”

The middle-aged husband said, “The woman is elegant, the man too ordinary.”

“As long as he’s good to her.”

“If they have a daughter who looks like him, that would be far from ideal.”

The wife said, “What do you know? Beautiful women have short lives, ugly ones make good wives.”

The gentleman said nothing, picked up an electric saw, and trimmed the old pine tree between the two houses.

After sawing off some branches, he heard the phone ring inside, so he unplugged it and went inside to answer.

Once he went in, he never came back to the garden.

Over an hour later, Wu Naijuan and Zhizhong returned with ice cream. Wu Naijuan got out first and walked into the path.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Zhizhong caught up, “watch the branches.”

Wu Naijuan looked up. A finger-thick branch fell, caught perfectly by Zhizhong, though the tip still hit Wu Naijuan’s hair.

Wu Naijuan froze—

Someone who truly loves you will use a tree branch to hit your head.

Who said that?

Zhizhong was angry, loudly asking: “Who, who did this good deed? Who sawed this tree?”

The neighbors hurried out to apologize.

“Sorry, sorry—” They struck up a conversation.

Wu Naijuan carried the ice cream into the kitchen.

Someone who truly loves you… she couldn’t remember whose prophecy that was. This time she forgot, but it referred to Zhizhong.

Zhizhong turned on the light: “Why are you sitting in the dark?”

Wu Naijuan looked up: “Zhizhong.”

“What’s wrong?” Zhizhong was nervous.

She went over and hugged him tightly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Still not quite at ease.

“Nothing, I suddenly feel very happy.” Wu Naijuan buried her head in his chest.

“Me too.”

“Don’t you have anything more original to say?”

“My feelings are the same as yours.”

On registration day, they arrived punctually, but Li Jialiang and Wang Bihao were already waiting.

Jialiang’s handsome, distinguished appearance had attracted countless gazes, women’s eyes following him as he moved. He came over to kiss the bride.

Wang Bihao was dressed more beautifully than the bride – cream-colored expensive suit with matching shoes and handbag. She gently reproached Wu Naijuan: “Look at you, not even wearing a wedding dress or carrying a bouquet.”

Wu Naijuan smiled and gripped Zhizhong’s hand tightly.

The clerk called them inside for the oath, mistaking the gorgeously dressed Wang Bihao for the bride.

The clerk asked curiously: “No other relatives or friends?”

“Just us four.”

They closed the door and held a simple, solemn oath ceremony.

Wang Bihao and Jialiang smoothly completed their witness duties.

Jialiang said softly: “They’ll have a golden wedding anniversary.”

Wang Bihao replied: “I have the same feeling.”

Jialiang asked the new Mrs. Li, “Where will you go for your honeymoon?”

“Home is best.”

Wang Bihao laughed: “Truly remarkable people, eliminating all ceremony and protocol.”

“A match made in heaven.”

Wang Bihao said: “You must at least have a meal – I’ve reserved a table.”

Wu Naijuan nodded.

Entering the restaurant’s private room, they discovered other guests.

A young woman came forward: “Miss Wu, I’m Lin Zirou. Do you remember Xinran?”

Lin Zirou looked very well. Xinran could already walk, tottering along holding furniture, suddenly lurching forward and hugging Wu Naijuan’s thigh. Everyone laughed.

Wu Naijuan was pleasantly surprised: “How did you come? Welcome, welcome.”

“I heard your good news and showed up uninvited. Please excuse the presumption.”

“How is life?”

“I have a new job and new friends.”

“How wonderful.” Wu Naijuan was genuinely happy.

She held little Xinran on her lap, suddenly remembering: Someone who truly loves you will use a tree branch to hit your head – it seemed like Zirou had said that. Just as she was pondering, more guests entered – someone very pregnant, accompanied by a caregiver. It was Mrs. Li.

“Shufen,” Wu Naijuan happily went to greet her, “welcome, honored guest.”

Suddenly remembering she was Li Jialiang’s stepmother, Jialiang helped with the reception, showing their relationship was good.

“Such a big event as marriage, and you don’t notify me.”

Wu Naijuan smiled: “Afraid to trouble you.”

“Fortunately, Jialiang told me.”

Wu Naijuan asked: “What have you been busy with recently?”

“I accompanied Mr. Li to Toronto to look at lakefront property.”

Everyone sat down, chatting and laughing happily.

Wu Naijuan hadn’t invited them, but they appeared spontaneously. Wu Naijuan was very happy – such natural flow had grasped the essence of freedom.

Wang Bihao and Shufen began comparing diamond watches on their wrists, getting along well.

Each person has their aspirations and preferences. Jialiang and Zhizhong discussed the best vacation destinations.

“Too bad there are people everywhere.”

“That proves it’s a vacation paradise – naturally, everyone flocks there.”

“Any place without phones, TV, or computers is already good.”

Wu Naijuan replied: “Then I’m on vacation every day – I’ve already turned off these devices.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being out of touch and behind the times?”

Zhizhong laughed: “Carrying a few electronic devices makes you a trendsetter? Doesn’t seem that easy.”

After a while, Tan Xin also came.

“Tan Xin, sit here.”

Zhizhong said curiously, “All women, just Jialiang and I are men.”

Tan Xin was still full of guilt.

Then the waiter smiled, carrying a tray of desserts.

“Eh, why serve lily and lotus seed soup first?”

Jialiang smiled and answered: “My idea – life is short, eat dessert first. Wishing you two a hundred years of harmony and hearts as one.”

Everyone laughed.

This lunch lasted until three in the afternoon. Little Xinran had already fallen asleep in her mother’s arms.

The guests each gave gifts. Wu Naijuan and Zhizhong returned home laden with presents.

Bringing the certificate home, Wu Naijuan felt tired.

She framed the certificate in a silver frame and placed it in a corner, looking at it with a slight smile.

Perhaps from eating too much, she gradually became sleepy.

She dozed off sitting on the couch.

She seemed to see her grandmother’s flowing garments.

“Grandmother?”

The old woman turned her head.

Wu Naijuan went over and held her hand.

Grandmother smiled: “Naijuan, flowers bloom well, moon stays round, people live long.”

Wu Naijuan nodded.

Zhizhong entered, seeing Wu Naijuan with closed eyes, smiling and nodding, as if having a pleasant dream.

He said tenderly and softly, “Silly girl.”

Finally, the marriage counseling expert had also found marriage.

(End of Book)