Yian

Shen Ke couldn't bear to see Zhao Ping cry, so he quickly sat down next to her, patting her and coaxing her, "Xiaxia is back now, isn't she? Your daughter will be with you every day from now on, just imagine how happy you are!"

Shen Ke patted Shen Anxia's shoulder again: "Your mother cried countless times because you stayed in Xinfeng. She was overjoyed to hear that you could come back."

Zhao Ping didn't want to lose her composure in front of Yang Zheng, so she couldn't control herself for a moment. She let go of Shen Anxia, ​​took the tissue from Shen Ke's hand and wiped her tears, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "Ah Zheng, don't laugh at me. Xiaxia is my only daughter, and I just want her to stay by my side so I can take care of her in the future."

Yang Zheng's voice softened as well: "Aunt Zhao, I understand, and I also hope she can go back to Yi'an."

Zhao Ping recalled Shen Anxia's words and said to Yang Zheng, "Zheng, Xiaxia said you've been paving the way for her, so you must have built up a lot of connections and resources. Your Uncle Shen and I have spent our whole lives working, seeing only the same few people at our workplaces, and we don't know anyone else. Luckily, we have you. If there's anywhere we need money, just let us know."

Shen Ke chimed in, "That's right, we can't let you worry about everything."

Yang Zheng said, "Aunt Zhao, Uncle Chen, I'm doing this for myself, so don't take it to heart. Besides, it's mainly because An Xia is outstanding that Yi An wants to poach her."

“No way! This is such a big deal, your Aunt Zhao and I should do our part.” Shen Ke felt that as an elder, he had to take responsibility.

"Uncle Shen, Aunt Zhao," Yang Zheng humbly changed the subject, "There is indeed something I hope you two can take some time to help me with."

"Hmm?" Shen Ke asked curiously.

“My parents want to come and visit,” Yang Zheng said.

Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng: "..."

This is such a big matter, and this person didn't even discuss it with her before suddenly bringing it up.

Yang Zheng said, "Actually, when I met An Xia last year, they wanted to invite you two to sit down together. But at that time, An Xia was busy with exams, graduation, and waiting for the notice to stay in the dance troupe. The pressure made her exhausted. I was afraid that my parents would scare An Xia away if they proposed to you two because they were anxious about my marriage, so I kept the matter to myself."

Shen Ke also felt that Yang Zheng and Shen Anxia had a good relationship now, and it was time to discuss marriage. He nodded and said, "It's time to meet your parents. We parents are happy to see you two have a good relationship. How about we arrange to have a meal together sometime?"

Yang Zheng laughed when he heard this: "If it's to see you two and An Xia, they are available anytime. There's a new Chinese restaurant that just opened in the Shengshi business district. If it's inconvenient for them to come to our house, we can meet there."

"It's convenient, but it's more relaxed when everyone eats together, less formal. Otherwise, Xiaxia will definitely feel reserved." Shen Ke considered that his daughter would definitely be nervous meeting Yang Zheng's family for the first time.

Shen Ke glanced at the calendar and asked Shen Anxia, ​​"Xiaxia, what time do you think would be suitable?"

Shen Anxia had no objection, and she felt that such a meeting should be decided by her parents, so she said, "I have no objection, I will listen to my parents."

Shen Ke handed the calendar to Zhao Ping and asked her, "What do you think?"

Zhao Ping also looked at it carefully and asked Yang Zheng, "How about next Saturday?"

Yang Zheng smiled gently: "Whatever you say, then next Saturday."

"But what about the fans that A-Yi just mentioned?" Zhao Ping suddenly thought of this and asked.

Shen Anyi, who had been observing quietly, finally had a chance to speak and excitedly said, "Mom, my sister is famous online! Last time my sister came to visit me at school, my classmate said my sister looked very familiar. When he found a video of my sister dancing, I looked and saw that it was my sister! My classmate even said he wanted my sister's autographed photo! So I specially downloaded an app, and now every time I open it, it's full of pictures of my sister."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ping slapped Shen Anyi across the face and complained, "You brat, why didn't you tell your parents! Which app? Download it for me too."

"I... I was just worried that you'd feel bad if you watched the video because you always think about my sister!" Shen Anyi said apologetically as she rubbed her shoulder after being slapped.

"Download one for me too, what software?" Shen Ke also came over.

"Uncle Shen, let me help you find it." Yang Zheng approached his phone and helped Shen Ke download the app, while Shen Anyi also helped Zhao Ping download the software.

"Sigh, our Xiaxia, she's had such a tough time these past few years." Shen Ke said to Zhao Ping after watching an hour of Shen Anxia's video.

During that hour, Yang Zheng helped Shen Anxia tidy up her wardrobe and make her bed, and then sat on the balcony looking at the blue plumbago that had already burst open.

Shen Anxia cut off a few flowering branches that were in full bloom and put them in a pretty glass bottle. The blue flowers and green leaves looked elegant and serene, and they were very beautiful.

"Will I die if I cut it off?" Yang Zheng asked, sitting on Shen Anxia's small sofa.

"No, you can cut off the flowers after they wither. Once the plant has taken root in the water, you can plant it in the soil."

"Anxia, ​​shall we grow this kind of flower in Peacock City in the future?" Yang Zheng felt that Peacock City was only missing Shen Anxia and Blue Snowflake.

“Okay,” Shen Anxia responded, and arranged another vase. “I’ll keep them here for now. Once they’ve taken root, you can move them directly to Peacock City.”

Yang Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up, as if filled with the bright sun, instantly spreading to the entire world, then dimmed a bit, leaving only scattered starlight. He leaned closer to Shen Anxia, ​​who was tending to a vase, and asked cautiously yet expectantly, "So, Anxia, ​​you're willing to marry me, right?"

Shen Anxia paused in her movements, turned her head to look at Yang Zheng, and only then did she notice the emotions that he hadn't yet concealed in his eyes. She smiled, her peach blossom eyes curving, clear and pure: "You included me in your life plans before, and from now on, you will be included in mine."

Yang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief: "That's so sweet to me. I was worried that you'd be angry with me for not mentioning meeting your parents before."

Shen Anxia tilted her head: "Am I that easily angered?"

“No,” Yang Zheng explained, “After all, this is a big deal. I didn’t discuss it with you beforehand. When I saw Uncle Shen today, I just went along with what he said and brought it up.”

Shen Anxia spoke earnestly: "Meeting the parents, getting engaged, getting married, these are all very natural things, but you mentioned discussing them, and I think that's a good idea. From now on, we can discuss things together."

"good."

For the next week, Yang Zheng came to the Shen family's house for meals almost every day. Zhao Ping and Shen Ke treated Yang Zheng like their own son. Yang Zheng didn't stand on ceremony either. Whatever Shen Anxia wanted to eat, he would buy it after get off work and cook it at the Shen family's house. He treated the Shen family's house like his own home.

Zhao Ping and Shen Ke were amazed by Yang Zheng's cooking skills, and although they tried to learn from him several times, they could not replicate the taste.

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye, the day for the two families to meet. When the Shen family arrived at the Chinese restaurant, Yang Zheng and his parents were already there. The two families exchanged pleasantries and then began to talk about their children after taking their seats. Yang Zheng was an only child, while the Shen family had both a son and a daughter. All three children were praised in turn, and then the discussion began about how the two children got along.

Shen Anxia quietly observed Yang Zheng's parents. Uncle Yang—he was said to be named Yang Qi. He was indeed a businessman, with shrewd eyes and impeccable manners. His every move was graceful and magnanimous. Ren Rou—Yang Zheng's mother—was a very gentle-looking lady. She was always busy with business with Yang Qi, but the years had not left any trace of her competence. It was clear that Yang Qi loved her very much.

During the meal, the two families chatted happily. Yang Zheng kept whispering to Shen Anxia. Shen Anxia was unable to listen to what Yang Zheng was saying, nor could she pay attention to what the elders were saying. She also did not notice how much Shen Anyi acted like an adult today. It was not until they returned to Peacock City and Yang Zheng pulled her close and kissed her lightly that she came out of her daze.

Yang Zheng vigorously rubbed Shen Anxia's face: "What are you doing? You're not even paying attention when you kiss."

"Did my parents and your parents go home?" Shen Anxia asked.

Yang Zheng laughed at her: "I went back a long time ago, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm... how did I end up in Peacock City with you?"

"I told Uncle Shen I'd take you out to have some fun, so we came out."

Yang Zheng felt that Shen Anxia was nervous about her life-long event, but he didn't intend to laugh at her anymore. He asked seriously, "Anxia, ​​what are your thoughts on engagement and marriage?"

Shen Anxia asked Yang Zheng intently, "What are your thoughts?"

Yang Zheng tentatively suggested, "Shall we get engaged first?"

Shen Anxia's eyelashes trembled slightly, her big eyes blinked, and her cheeks slowly turned a peach-pink.

Yang Zheng explained, "I know there should be a formal occasion to ask you about this, but there will definitely be a lot of people there, and we will all be pulled forward by various ceremonies. Now it's just the two of us, so I want to ask you what you think first, such as when you want to get engaged, when you want to get married, or many other things in the future."

"And what about you? Have you thought about these things?"

“I think about it every day,” Yang Zheng said without hiding his ambition, like a young boy, “If you ask me, I hope you will marry me right now.”

Shen Anxia was amused by Yang Zheng's shameless demeanor and pushed him, saying, "I never dreamed it would be this fast."

Yang Zheng pulled Shen Anxia's hand that was pushing him away and held it in his hand. He sighed and said, "Fortunately, it's not a dream. In the past year or so, I have thought twice before taking a step closer to you, afraid that I might make a mistake."

Shen Anxia suddenly remembered that Yang Zheng had mentioned to her parents that Uncle Yang and Aunt Ren wanted to visit her home, and that Yang Zheng had said he was worried that his parents might suddenly propose marriage. She imagined that at the time, she had absolutely no interest in dating, and if the two families met to discuss marriage, she would definitely be so scared that she would avoid Yang Zheng.

She recalled how Yang Zheng had tirelessly worked to help her return to Yi'an even when all hope seemed lost, and how she hadn't even sent him a single text message back then.

Therefore, Yang Zheng's statement that he considered every step carefully made her feel a little warm.

There is no doubt that he had put a lot of thought into her.

"Let's get engaged soon! Next month?" Shen Anxia said. "I heard that next year is a double spring year, which is the most suitable time to get married."

2017 was a year with two Spring Festivals.

Yang Zheng's eyes lit up: "Next year? Are you really sure about this?"

“Yes,” Shen Anxia nodded seriously, “If it’s about marrying you, I don’t need to think about it.”

Yang Zheng excitedly picked up Shen Anxia, ​​spun her around a few times, and finally placed her on a high table to the side. He then braced his hands on the edge of the table, encircling Shen Anxia within it.

The smiling eyes before me softened into an eternal, unchanging white moonlight.

"I've loved you, Anxia, ​​for so many years."

And so, I possessed what I had longed for all these years.