They arrived close to dusk at Grandmother’s home. The old woman, seeing Xuan Yanyu and Wu Cheng, warmly cooked two large bowls of noodles and said with kind affection, “Don’t break them. Eat every last strand — it means unbroken blessings and a long life together.”

Yan Yunning leaned close to Xuan Yanyu and covered her lips with her hand, whispering, “When my eldest and second brothers first brought their wives home, they had to eat this too.”

Xuan Yanyu nodded. He picked up the chopsticks and passed a pair to Yan Yunning. Yan Yunning ate a few bites, exchanged a glance with Yan Yuren, and the two of them wordlessly set down their chopsticks.

Grandmother had cooked a large bowl of noodles with nothing else in it — not a single garnish — and it was genuinely difficult to finish.

She recalled the year her brothers had eaten it all and then gone without another meal for the rest of the day.

The old woman had pulled Yan Jinzhi aside and was busy trying to introduce him to a potential match, and hadn’t noticed what Yan Yunning and Yan Yuren were doing.

But their respective husbands and partners were looking up at them with puzzled expressions.

Yan Yunning leaned toward Xuan Yanyu’s ear and whispered as quietly as possible, “Baby. Husband. I’m not hungry. You eat it all yourself, okay?”

The young woman’s eyes curved into little crescents, her voice soft and coaxing. Xuan Yanyu looked at her bright, pretty face and couldn’t find a single word of refusal. He nodded, smiling gently. “Okay.”

“Husband, you’re the best.” Yan Yunning showered Xuan Yanyu with praise, then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek as a reward.

The man’s smile grew even more tender. Taking advantage of the moment while Xuan Yanyu was in a perfectly happy mood after being charmed by her, Yan Yunning made up a quick excuse and slipped away.

Once Xuan Yanyu’s senses caught up with him, he looked down at the large handmade ceramic bowl in front of him and sank into quiet reflection. He had agreed far too hastily.

Across the table, Wu Cheng was still trying to negotiate. “Yuren darling, eat just two more bites — I have a small appetite, I really can’t finish a bowl this big.”

Yan Yuren touched her already-full stomach and said decisively, “Stop eating. Grandmother is busy with Jinzhi’s introduction right now — she won’t notice us.”

“That won’t do — Grandmother said finishing the whole bowl means a long and lasting life together.”

Yan Yuren shook her head helplessly. “It’s just a gesture of goodwill. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Oh forget it, go find Ningning.”

“Coming right away.” Yan Yuren didn’t hesitate for half a second before she dashed out of the dining room.

Wu Cheng: “…”

“Eat slowly, no need to rush.” Yan Jinrang said with perfect ease.

The several dishes that Yan Jing’an had asked the kitchen to prepare earlier were now arriving at the table one after another.

“Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Mumu — let’s eat.”

Wu Cheng looked at the French pan-seared foie gras, king crab legs, mushroom pasta, lobster meat, and the rest of the spread before him — then dropped his gaze back to the plain dry noodles sitting in the ceramic bowl — and let out a silent sigh.

He turned to Xuan Yanyu beside him and said with certainty, “Mr. Xuan, in all your years growing up, I don’t imagine you’ve ever had a meal that was just plain noodles and nothing else. Neither have I.”

Xuan Yanyu said nothing. He simply twirled the noodles with his chopsticks and ate.

Wu Cheng: “…”

“The potato-braised spare ribs are especially good today, wouldn’t you say, Mumu?” Yan Jing’an smiled with particular radiance.

Lu Mumu answered honestly, “They taste exactly the same as usual to me.”

“…” Yan Jing’an glanced mildly at the noodles in Xuan Yanyu’s bowl. “I just think today’s meal is especially good.”

Lu Mumu’s eye twitched faintly. “Then eat more.”

Yan Jing’an: “…”

“Would you like some vegetables in your noodles?” Yu Cheng offered politely.

“No, thank you.”

Wu Cheng also declined. “Thank you, but no — any more and I’ll have even less hope of finishing the noodles.”

Yu Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly and said nothing more.

“Ding dong.” A special ringtone chimed. Xuan Yanyu set down his chopsticks, unlocked his screen, and Yan Yunning’s messages came in one after another.

“Husband-Baby, you’ve got this!”

“Baby, today is our wedding day — the very first. Whatever you want to do to celebrate, I’ll go along with~”

“Baby, I’m sending you an address. You have to come once you’re done eating~”

“Baby, our little one and I will be waiting for you~”

Xuan Yanyu’s throat moved. He stared at the guesthouse address Yan Yunning had sent, and the corners of his lips curved quietly upward.

Wu Cheng had no idea what message Xuan Yanyu had received — he only noticed that the speed at which he was eating the noodles had visibly picked up.

Ten minutes later, Xuan Yanyu swallowed the last mouthful of noodles, touched a napkin to the corner of his mouth with perfect composure, and then promptly rushed out of the dining room.

Everyone at the table watched his retreating figure with bewilderment.

“What’s he running for?” Wu Cheng asked, baffled.

Yan Jing’an lowered his gaze and took a slow sip of soup. “Need you ask? Obviously that little troublemaker Ningning called for him.”

“Brother-in-law, you’d better get back to eating — haven’t you noticed your bowl keeps getting more noodles in it?” Lu Mumu smiled and pointed it out gently.

Wu Cheng: “…”

The guesthouse.

Xuan Yanyu followed the instructions Yan Yunning had sent to his phone and pushed open the carved glass door.

Pop.

Pop.

“…”

“…”

Staff members with confetti cannons sent ribbons of color streaming through the air, then called out in unison, “Wishing Mr. Xuan Yanyu and Miss Yan Yunning a joyful marriage — may every year bring joy, and may your days grow ever sweeter.”

With that, they filed neatly out of the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

Warmth bloomed from somewhere deep in his chest. A smile spread across Xuan Yanyu’s handsome face. His gaze drifted to the round table at the center of the room — the tabletop was blanketed in red rose petals, and at the center sat a framed wedding photo.

In the photograph, the young woman wore a white strapless ball gown, the skirt adorned with pink and soft purple blossoms. At the crown of her head was a gleaming floral tiara that blended naturally into the flower petals along her veil. A pearl necklace rested at her fair throat.

She stood at a gentle angle, her right hand raised and clasped in the hands of a dashing man beside her dressed in a crisp white suit, his posture impeccably straight. In her left hand she held a pink woven flower wreath. She was looking at the camera with a soft, warm smile.

Beneath the wedding photo, two bright red marriage certificates were arranged with care. Beside them sat two small red velvet boxes trimmed in gold thread.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Brilliant fireworks burst into bloom outside the window, and drones traced out the words in the sky: “Xuan Yanyu and Yan Yunning — Congratulations on Your Marriage. Forever Happiness.”

Xuan Yanyu’s throat moved. His thick, long lashes trembled.

“Baby, now that you’ve seen the fireworks I prepared for you — are you happy? Really, really, really happy?” Yan Yunning drew back the pearl-beaded curtain and blinked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

The man’s gaze settled on the young woman drawing closer to him.

Her delicate features were touched with soft makeup, and she wore a red strappy mini dress. Her long hair was in loose, light waves that fell naturally around her shoulders. On her feet were blush-pink glittery heels, and her voice was soft and sweet — like a little cat seeking affection.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Yan Yunning cupped his face in her hands and gave it a gentle shake.

Xuan Yanyu curved an arm around her waist, his fingers — strong and knuckled — tapping a light rhythm on the tip of her nose. “Shouldn’t this have been something I prepared?”

Yan Yunning puffed her lips. “Who says it has to be the man who does it?”

Xuan Yanyu laughed, warm and full of delight. He pulled the young woman in his arms close and held her tight, his voice dropping to a low, velvet murmur. “Then thank you, my Darling, for the surprise you prepared for me.”