Chapter 78 The Proposal! "You're so cute, Ji Yu."...
The day before the exam, Chen Mian had already checked into a hotel near the exam venue.
Lin Huijun was worried that Chen Mian would oversleep, so she went along to accompany her to the exam. She even brought a buckwheat pillow from home, in case Chen Mian wasn't used to sleeping on it.
If Chen Mian hadn't insisted, Chen Yongliang would have wanted to accompany him to the exam.
Chen Mian: "Mom, I'm all grown up now, I can manage on my own. Besides, this exam is very simple, so don't be too nervous."
"I'm not nervous," Lin Huijun said, changing the subject. "You should study for a while and go to sleep. You have an exam tomorrow."
The next morning, before Chen Mian was awake, Lin Huijun quietly left the house carrying a cloth bag.
She had already spoken to the hotel receptionist beforehand and asked to use the kitchen to make breakfast in the morning, as she didn't trust the breakfast options outside.
Lin Huijun's bag contained farm-fresh eggs, a bunch of spinach, a bottle of beef chili sauce, and dried noodles.
She first put the noodles in the pot to cook, and then fried three eggs on the other side. When the eggs were done, the noodles were almost cooked as well. At this point, she put the spinach in to blanch it and added seasonings.
When it's done cooking, add her homemade beef chili sauce and a little vinegar to enhance the flavor.
Lin Huijun timed it perfectly; she returned to her room with breakfast at exactly seven o'clock.
She put down the soup bowl, walked to the bedside, and gently woke Chen Mianmian, "Get up, Mianmian, breakfast is ready."
Chen Mian rolled over and covered her ears. She reached for the watch on the bedside table with her right hand, squinted at the time, and said, "It's only seven o'clock, Mom. The exam is at eight-thirty. I'll sleep a little longer."
Lin Huijun: "Get up, wash up, have some breakfast, and it'll be time to go to the exam hall. Hurry up, or you'll be late. After the exam, you can go home and sleep wherever you want; I definitely won't wake you."
Seeing that her daughter still didn't move, she went forward, pulled back the blanket, grabbed Chen Mian's arm, and dragged her off the bed.
Chen Mian was still sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and groggily went to the bathroom to wash up. The cold water splashed on her face as she turned on the tap, finally waking her up a bit.
By the time she finished washing up, the noodles in the soup bowl were no longer too hot. While eating breakfast, Chen Mianmian was still recalling a few mathematical formulas in her mind.
There is only one examination center for the adult college entrance examination in the whole city, at the Second Middle School. When Chen Mianmian and her mother arrived at the school gate, they happened to run into Ji Yu, who was driving alone to take the exam.
Ji Yu casually parked the Jeep on the side of the road, bent down and took a pencil case from the passenger seat, and strode over.
Seeing that he was alone, Lin Huijun asked with concern, "Xiaoyu, where are your parents? Why are you taking the exam alone?"
Ji Yu was puzzled: "They're not taking the exam, what are they doing here?"
"Besides, my dad finally gets a few days off, and the two of them don't have time to deal with me."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the gates of No. 2 Middle School opened, and Ji Yu and Chen Mian prepared to go inside. Before leaving, Ji Yu specifically told Chen Mian and Lin Huijun, "Don't rush to leave after the exam. I'll take you back."
Perhaps it was due to her diligent preparation before the exam, or perhaps it was because her mother had eaten a comforting bowl of soup noodles that morning, but Chen Mian found herself writing with divine assistance after receiving the exam paper, and almost every question resonated with her.
She quickly finished the previous questions, listed the main points of the essay on the draft paper, and then completed the Chinese section, which she was best at.
She left the challenging math questions in the middle and reserved the last part for English. When she finished all the questions, there was still half an hour left before the end of the exam.
Chen Mian carefully checked the entire paper again before getting up to hand it in.
Stepping out of the examination hall, the sun was shining brightly under a clear blue sky. Ji Yu had just finished handing in her paper and jumped down the steps from the second floor to stand in front of Chen Mian.
“Beautiful princess, may I have the honor of inviting you and your mother to lunch?” Ji Yu bowed exaggeratedly and extended her hand.
Chen Mian was amused by his sudden tantrum. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before quickly extending her hand. "Granted."
"Hurry up, hurry up, or we'll be seen," Chen Mian urged.
Ji Yu didn't care at all: "So what if I'm seen? I didn't do anything. I've never seen a man with a wife before."
After the three of them finished their meal at the Populus euphemisms restaurant, Lin Huijun made an excuse that she had forgotten to buy something, leaving the space to the young couple who hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Ji Yu moved to sit next to Chen Mian and casually played with her hand, sometimes touching the smooth back of her hand and sometimes pinching her delicate fingertips.
Chen Mian stared blankly at the scenery outside the window, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart after the exam.
The fact that she failed to get into university still left some marks on Chen Mian's heart.
Although she has said in the past two years that she doesn't care and can live a good life without going to university, she still feels a little lost sometimes when she is alone at night.
I can't help but wonder what my sister is doing at school right now, and what would have happened if they had gone to university together...
"Mianmian?" Ji Yu asked with concern when he saw Chen Mianmian sitting there without saying anything. "If you're tired, I'll take you home first."
“It’s alright,” Chen Mian said, turning her gaze away and looking gently at Ji Yu. “You can continue.”
Ji Yu then continued to build up the story, from their first meeting and first outing to their first confession and kiss. He remembered everything related to Chen Mian, whether good or bad.
Ji Yu looked intently into Chen Mian's eyes, raised her hand and kissed it, "Mianmian, I really, really like you, I love you so much, and I love you even more now than before."
I may not say many sweet words, but I will prove to you with my actions that I will always be very, very good to you.
"So..." Ji Yu's hand trembled as she pulled a gold ring from her pocket, "Chen Mian, will you marry me?"
The engagement ring was custom-made by Ji Yu at a jewelry store. The pattern engraved on it is a blooming kapok flower, just like Chen Mian herself, brave and passionate.
He secretly measured the size of the ring while Chen Mian was asleep.
After saying her last words, Ji Yu's long-held courage vanished, and she felt increasingly uneasy, her eyelashes trembling involuntarily.
Chen Mian chuckled, cupped Ji Yu's cheeks in her hands and gently kissed her, saying, "How can you be so cute, Ji Yu?"
Silly.
The kiss didn't last long; it was just a light, tender moment.
Chen Mian looked intently into Ji Yu's eyes: "I don't know why you're so insecure and even a little cautious in our relationship, but there's one thing you absolutely must be sure of, and that is..."
I love you very much too.
“After I was scammed, you gave me a job, and you’ve always protected me.” Chen Mian picked up the ring and put it on her ring finger, her eyes shining. “Ji Yu, you’ve always been a very, very good person, and you deserve to be loved by everyone.”
Ji Yu: "But I..."
"Shh, I've already agreed. Now you can officially kiss your fiancée."
.
After dropping off Chen Mian and Lin Huijun, Ji Yu was still in a daze from being coaxed. He rolled down the car window and prepared to drive home alone.
The air currents created by the car as it drove along blew against Ji Yu's cheeks and hair, and his rapidly beating heart slowly calmed down in the wind.
Upon arriving home, Ji Yu's first thought was to find her mother.
"Mom, Mom, Mom, where did you go?"
Ji Feng put on his pajamas and came out of the bedroom, saying impatiently, "Your mother is sleeping in the bedroom. Why are you yelling as soon as you come back? She's a grown woman."
Ji Yu: "It's only a few o'clock, and my mom is already asleep. Is she not feeling well?"
"More or less," Ji Feng replied dismissively. "Just tell me what you need to say."
Ji Yu beamed with joy: "I successfully proposed to Mianmian! When are we going to Mianmian's house to formally propose?"
Ji Feng exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, you're pretty good, kid. You've already succeeded. You're worthy of being my son."
He pulled Ji Yu's arm and led him to the sofa. "Tell Dad how you managed to get her all at once." Ji Feng recalled that he had confessed to Yu Xiaoyue several times before she agreed to marry him. This kid, Ji Yu, actually succeeded on the first try.
Ji Yu: "I just bought a ring and asked her if she would marry me."
"That's it? Not even a bouquet of flowers?" Ji Feng asked.
Ji Yu scratched his head awkwardly, "I was so excited after the exam that I forgot."
"Then why didn't you forget about the ring?"
"I've kept the ring in my pocket ever since it was made..." Ji Yu said softly. Only then did he realize that he hadn't even prepared a place to propose, and had just said it so directly.
Ji Yu slowly slumped onto the sofa, lost in thought. Mianmian was such a kind person; she didn't even mind his simple living conditions.
The main reason is that Mianmian looked so beautiful today that he was completely mesmerized and started babbling off.
His original plan was to choose an auspicious day and go to Tianshan with Mianmian again to confess his feelings once more.
Ji Feng was speechless: "Forget it, we'll go to the city to buy things first thing tomorrow morning, go to her door to propose marriage, and hold a grand engagement banquet for Mu Mian in a few days."
"Yes, sir!" Ji Yu suddenly stood up from the sofa, his legs straight, and saluted.
The next morning, Ji Yu hurriedly dragged his parents to the city to shop, wanting to quickly replenish Chen Mian's supplies.
Inside the department store, Yu Xiaoyue walked ahead beaming, while Ji Yu and her father followed behind.
Seeing Yu Xiaoyue walk towards the tobacco and liquor store, Ji Yu said, "Mom, Mianmian's dad doesn't drink or smoke, let's buy something else."
"We'll buy the others later, let's buy this first." Yu Xiaoyue was too lazy to explain to her stupid son that when it comes to gift-giving, brand-name cigarettes and alcohol are always the best currency. Even if she doesn't use them herself, it's still respectable to give them to others later.
Under Yu Xiaoyue's direction, the purchases were quickly completed. In addition to the cigarettes and alcohol initially ordered, a gift was prepared for each member of the Chen family: a cheongsam for Chen's mother, an inkstone for Chen's father, and so on.
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Author's note: Ji Yu and Chen Mian both have their own flaws in their personalities, but fortunately, the two of them are just right when they come together.
At Ji Yu's insistence, Yu Xiaoyue picked out a baby outfit for each of Dahuang and Xiaohua based on their sizes.
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