The weather was very clear—outside was the most splendid spring.

Because marriage certificates had to be processed in one party’s registered residence location, and both Pei Chuan and Bei Yao’s household registrations were in B City, they had to return. The one o’clock flight—at three o’clock they arrived at C City’s Civil Affairs Bureau.

Pei Chuan’s hand trembled slightly as he filled out the “Marriage Application Form.” He tilted his head to look at Bei Yao. She wrote very seriously, long lashes lowered, forehead hair soft. Pei Chuan couldn’t see what expression she wore.

He withdrew his gaze.

After filling out the application form, they had to take photos.

“Yes, sir, you need to smile a bit. Marriage is a joyful occasion.”

Pei Chuan’s eyes then involuntarily took on a gentle smile. The camera captured this eternal moment. Bei Yao didn’t know this was the first time in Pei Chuan’s life facing a camera with an expectant mood.

This year, marriage registration and obtaining the certificate still cost nine yuan.

After photos, each couple had to go for physical examinations. Not far next door was the local maternal and child health hospital, which would separately check men’s and women’s health to see if they were suitable for pregnancy in the future.

Having reached this step, Bei Yao still felt somewhat unreal.

Wasn’t it supposed to be a date? How did they end up getting married?

Moreover, this matter of gynecology and men’s health really made the young girl feel somewhat shy.

She was especially beautiful, appearing very eye-catching among the couples of newlyweds. She just looked quite young, making people’s hearts soften.

When Bei Yao walked out with a flushed face, Pei Chuan had already finished his examination.

He wasn’t really embarrassed, just that this kind of examination inevitably made one’s heart sway.

There were no issues with anything, so only the stamp remained.

The staff member doing the stamping was a middle-aged auntie wearing red clothes. She held the stamp and said with a smile: “Blessings to you both—happy newlyweds, united in heart forever, may you grow old together for a hundred years.”

Pei Chuan nodded, watching her stamp.

Bei Yao said quietly: “Thank you.”

The staff member found it curious—one newlywed couple member very intently stared at her stamp, as if afraid she wouldn’t stamp it or some accident would occur. The young woman looked very young, also quite attractive, more bashful than ordinary brides—a single blessing made the girl’s eyes shine brightly. The staff member smiled secretly—truly an unbearably sweet little delicate wife.

Two red stamps fell, and the marriage certificate was in hand.

The dust settled. Pei Chuan looked away, not daring to let her see the irrepressible joy spreading in his eyes.

Two red booklets. Bei Yao opened one to look at the photo inside.

Her smile was very sweet, like March’s gentle wind, her eyes carrying bits of starlight.

She found it novel, poking at Pei Chuan in the photo: “You look very good smiling like this.”

How to put it—some things, no matter how deeply hidden, were ultimately betrayed by a photograph, escaping from tender eyes.

Pei Chuan’s Adam’s apple moved: “You… will have to return to school for classes then. Let me hold the marriage certificates.”

She nodded, giving him both marriage certificates.

Bei Yao had always felt marriage was a very distant matter. Even now it still felt so unreal—with such a simple little booklet, she and he were husband and wife?

Her status had suddenly changed.

A strange feeling of being a little bride arose in her heart.

Pei Chuan put away the marriage certificates. He said: “Do you have class this afternoon?”

Bei Yao nodded. She looked into his eyes, dazedly saying: “Should I go back to class?”

Pei Chuan’s pupils were pitch black: “Take a day off, okay? We’ll… hold the wedding.” When he said this, his body tensed. Seeing her dazed, Pei Chuan pressed his lips together and continued: “Holding a wedding will make Jiang Huaqiong believe it more.”

Bei Yao: “…Oh, I see.”

She obediently went to request leave.

Generally speaking, requesting leave from university counselors was quite easy to get approved. The counselor on the other end asked what the reason was. The clear breeze brushed her face, unable to dispel that heat. She said: “Marriage.”

“…”

The leave was approved.

Bei Yao looked at Pei Chuan, finally coming to her senses. Everything had progressed too quickly—only now did she have time to think. Plane tickets were very expensive, Pei Chuan’s house was astronomically expensive, and weddings seemed to cost quite a lot of money!

He had just gotten out of prison. Earlier, afraid he’d be sensitive, she hadn’t asked about work matters. He had married to protect her in the first place—his money couldn’t all be borrowed from Jin Ziyang, could it!

She said softly: “The wedding doesn’t matter—just going through the motions is fine.”

She needed to go back and see if she still had any savings… she couldn’t let Pei Chuan “carry the debt” alone.

Pei Chuan’s eyes dimmed. He lowered his gaze, concealing the loss in his heart: “Mm.”

So she didn’t want many people to know.

*

No matter how the wedding was held, Bei Yao definitely had to be sent off from home.

Pei Chuan first took her home. The wedding date hadn’t been set yet—this matter had to ask Zhao Zhilan and them for their opinion. When the two went to Bei Yao’s house, Bei Yao was much more nervous than Pei Chuan.

She knew Zhao Zhilan’s temperament clearly. Her mother couldn’t possibly like Pei Chuan. She stood on tiptoes, saying quietly: “My mother has a sharp tongue but a good heart. If she says anything unpleasant, don’t take it to heart.”

His ears tickled. His heart softened along with it as he responded: “Mm.”

This time it was Zhao Zhilan who opened the door. After the Huo Xu incident, both Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai had no work, and even little Bei Jun didn’t dare be sent to school—they could only all stay home.

Seeing Pei Chuan bringing her daughter back, thinking they’d most likely already obtained the certificate, Zhao Zhilan held back again and again: “Come in.”

Her attitude was cold and indifferent, but this was understandable.

The son-in-law wasn’t satisfactory, but the daughter was her heart’s treasure.

Zhao Zhilan asked Bei Yao: “What do you want to eat tonight? Mother will make it for you.”

Bei Yao asked Pei Chuan: “This is your first time eating at my house, right? What do you want to eat? My mother’s cooking is very good.”

Without looking, Pei Chuan knew Zhao Zhilan’s murderous gaze. Yet his heart felt somewhat warm: “Whatever you eat, I’ll eat.”

Bei Yao thought about it: “Then let’s have chopped pepper fish and mapo tofu? Later I’ll go buy groceries with Mom.”

Seeing Bei Yao favor Pei Chuan so much, Zhao Zhilan felt uncomfortable. She humphed and went into the kitchen.

Bei Licai sat on the sofa, also not speaking with Pei Chuan.

Pei Chuan said to Bei Yao: “You watch TV. I’ll go help Aunt Zhao.”

She blinked. He said softly: “Be good. I need to make her a bit happier.”

Saying this, he actually entered the kitchen.

Zhao Zhilan just couldn’t swallow this grievance in her heart. The certificate was already obtained, and her daughter probably still didn’t know this boy had threatened her parents. Zhao Zhilan couldn’t say it now—after all, saying it might make her daughter feel bad too.

Zhao Zhilan: “What are you coming in for?”

Pei Chuan rolled up his sleeves and began washing vegetable leaves. The man’s forearms were solid, immersed in cold water. He said: “Aunt Zhao, let me cook.”

Zhao Zhilan couldn’t hold back: “Hmph!”

She went out, not refusing either, pulling Bei Yao and saying: “There aren’t many vegetables in the kitchen. Let’s go buy groceries.”

Bei Jun also wanted to follow. Zhao Zhilan said: “You stay home—don’t follow!”

Pei Chuan frowned slightly.

His mind was sharp. Zhao Zhilan not wanting Bei Jun to follow meant she definitely wanted to say something to Bei Yao. His hands in the cold water paused. His eyes were pitch black and quiet.

*

Bei Yao held her mother’s arm. The market wasn’t far from the residential complex.

On the way there, Zhao Zhilan asked quietly: “You got the certificate?”

Bei Yao nodded. Outside, dusk had fallen, the setting sun slanting westward, with a particular tranquility.

Zhao Zhilan hadn’t slept well these past few days. She asked Bei Yao: “You also know about the Huo Xu matter, right? Did you willingly marry Pei Chuan?”

“Mm, I know. Pei Chuan didn’t force me. I think marrying him is quite good.”

Zhao Zhilan couldn’t help tapping her daughter’s forehead with her finger: “You fool—’quite good, quite good’—what’s good about him being that way?”

Bei Yao covered her forehead: “I think everything about him is good.”

Zhao Zhilan said: “Your father and I had no choice but to agree to this marriage matter, but Yaoyao, Mother must tell you some things.”

Zhao Zhilan looked at her young daughter and said: “Marriage isn’t dating. Two people together means a lifetime of daily necessities. Living life is far harder than outsiders imagine. You can’t guarantee he’ll love you for a lifetime. Pei Chuan—he’s not a very good marriage choice. First is his family. His parents divorced, then later Officer Pei had an accident and no one was willing to raise him. Children who come from this kind of family have unpredictable personalities and think a lot. This kind of family is also troublesome.”

“Think about it—if you marry into it, he has a biological mother before, then a stepmother and stepsister, plus a father who can’t sort out his feelings. You’re about to get married and his biological mother still doesn’t know where she is.”

“Second, he’s been to prison. If you marry him, you’ll endure a lot of gossip. Some people have venomous mouths and say especially hurtful things. Finally, there’s… his physical problem. Because of this, when others look at you, they’ll always carry a different gaze. Not to mention how others are—just talking about him, it’s fine while he’s young now, but when he’s old later, you two living together, are you going to work like an ox or horse serving him?”

Bei Yao listened quietly, waiting until Zhao Zhilan finished. She looked at the distant alley. The marketplace was very lively, the setting sun stretching her shadow very long.

“His family isn’t good, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t good. Mother, in this world, victims always seem to be guilty. He won’t—I’ll teach him. What he can’t understand, I’ll bring him to experience. No one is born good or bad. Just because fate was unfair to him doesn’t mean we should also be unfair to him.”

Her voice was very peaceful: “Life is our own. If we ourselves don’t mind, others’ gossip becomes irrelevant. His body… I understand. But Mother, you said marriage is a matter between two people. When we’re young, he dotes on me for most of my life—when we’re old, shouldn’t I also take care of him?”

These words stunned Zhao Zhilan. She had been afraid her daughter was young and naive, telling her these principles, yet hadn’t expected Yaoyao to say such things.

Zhao Zhilan’s heart was moved, but she didn’t want to relent on the surface: “Says it nicely—first go buy groceries.”

The tofu-selling granny was old, her face covered in wrinkles, line after line, like folds.

Zhao Zhilan usually liked to haggle when buying groceries, yet when buying tofu from this granny, she never bargained. Each time she even bought more.

The mother and daughter bought things. Zhao Zhilan glanced sideways at her daughter: “Can’t out-talk your sharp tongue. Before living the life, you say it nicely—then I’ll see if you regret it or not?” She lowered her voice. “Look at Granny Chen. Her husband is blind. How many people know the bitter hardships behind her back? She suffered plenty when young, and even in old age every day before dawn she pushes her cart to sell tofu. Her husband can’t help with anything—tell me, isn’t a lifetime bitter?”

After Zhao Zhilan finished speaking, she remembered that bank card with over five million yuan and kept her face taut to prevent her serious expression from breaking.

Bei Yao was startled. She quietly refuted: “But Granny Chen smiles every day. Other aunties have physically whole husbands yet don’t have smiles on their faces.”

“…” Zhao Zhilan became angry from embarrassment. “Can’t be bothered with you!”

After buying groceries, they returned.

Zhao Zhilan, who “couldn’t be bothered” with her daughter, held back the whole way, then couldn’t hold back anymore: “Let me tell you—I’m as old as you are old. You haven’t eaten as much rice as your mother has eaten salt! You’re still in school. What if in a few years you regret it? You won’t have time to cry. Just talking about the most basic thing—when married, you two have to share a bed, right? Honestly tell me, has he touched you or not?”

Bei Yao had been able to calmly respond earlier, but her mother, who usually told her to protect herself, now suddenly asked such a direct question. Her face flushed: “No… no.”

Zhao Zhilan took a breath. Hearing this answer, she finally didn’t hate Pei Chuan more. At least he knew propriety.

Zhao Zhilan said: “Then I’ll also speak honestly. After all, I watched him grow up—his character doesn’t have major problems. He’s ultimately different from physically whole people—his body is disabled. Your generation isn’t big on chastity and purity. Mother only hopes you know that even if you share a bed with him, you need to know propriety. How old are you now? Are you really certain you’ll accompany him for a lifetime? What if there’s a child? Then if you want to…” Want to leave, there will be concerns.

But thinking about it, these words were inauspicious.

Zhao Zhilan forcibly changed her words: “Weigh these things yourself.”

Weigh, weigh them—Bei Yao didn’t know why, but she thought of that big bed in the bridal chamber in B City.

Silently her face flushed. She truly wanted to cover her burning face.

Yes, this was the only thing that made her feel a bit bewildered and a bit panicked.