Chapter 136: Lily of the Valley Oath
——She was his only salvation when he was sinking into the abyss, and also his only tenderness after he reached the peak. Seventeen years of separation, only for their love to settle in the years, solidifying into a vow that will last a lifetime.
Before the hustle and bustle of the grand wedding in Yangon had died down, Mo Xiaohan took Ruan Xingchen and his son back to the Golden Triangle.
The newly built manor lies quietly on the banks of the Mekong River. The poverty and desolation of the past are long gone, replaced by a pure white and crimson ocean interwoven with lily of the valley and roses.
Mo Xiaohan held his son in one hand and carefully supported Ruan Xingchen with the other as they walked along the newly paved white stone path. Finally, they stopped in front of a field of lily of the valley in full bloom.
This is where the wounded boy had huddled. Now, the land once stained with blood and despair is covered with spikes of pure white flowers.
Mo Xiaohan gently handed his babbling son to Ruan Xingchen, then took out a velvet ring box from his arms and knelt on one knee among the lily of the valley flowers.
"Seventeen years ago, a five-year-old angel gave a cookie to a wounded boy here." He looked up at her, his stern features softening incredibly. "She didn't know that the cookie made that desperate boy believe for the first time that there was still light in this world worth protecting."
Ruan Xingchen's eyes welled up as memories flooded back. She remembered the boy, his eyes as fierce as a wolf, curled up in the tire under the tin shed. She remembered how every late night, when she woke from a dream, she would subconsciously touch the old silver ring on her ring finger, the origin of which she could not remember...
The baby in his mother's arms seemed to sense his mother's emotions, and stretched out his chubby little hands, trying to touch the ring box in his father's hand.
"Then we were separated for seventeen years..." Mo Xiaohan's voice was low and tender, "Fortunately, God was kind to me and I finally found you."
He opened the ring box, and inside lay a unique ring. The diamonds were cleverly set into the shape of a boat, and the sail was a blooming sunflower, reflecting the dazzling light in the sunlight.
"This is..." Tears blurred Ruan Xingchen's vision.
"It was our candy wrapper boats and sunflowers." His voice was gentle yet firm, as if he was stating an eternal oath. "During those years struggling in hell, they became my only pillars of faith, giving me the courage to live again and again."
The baby's little hand tightly grasped the edge of the ring box. Mo Xiaohan took out the ring gently and put it on Ruan Xingchen's ring finger. The old silver ring that had been with her for many years and the brand new diamond ring touched and sparkled in the sunlight.
"Marry me, Xingxing." He stared at her, his dark eyes reflecting the entire sea of lily of the valley and her tearful smile. "It's not Mr. Mo proposing to Mrs. Mo, but seventeen years ago, that illegitimate child from the slums, asking his light for a chance to spend the rest of his life together."
"Xiaohan, I do..." Ruan Xingchen choked, his voice trembling slightly.
She carefully handed the baby in her arms into Mo Xiaohan's outstretched arms, then leaned over and rested her forehead against his, the fragrance of lily of the valley lingering between them.
"From the moment I gave you that cookie, the trajectory of my life was diverted for you."
The fragrance of lily of the valley drifted in the wind. He stood up steadily holding the baby and held her in his arms.
At the place where they first met, under the protection of lily of the valley and roses, that cookie from seventeen years ago finally brought all the tenderness and sweetness for the rest of his life.
The little life in their arms was opening its round eyes, ignorantly but attentively witnessing this promise that spanned time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
