A Silent Vow
As the year draws ever closer, the air is filled with a restless anticipation of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. In Anping Lane, every household begins to put up Spring Festival couplets and hang lanterns, and even the air seems to be filled with the faint aroma of New Year's cake and cured meat.
Amidst the growing festive atmosphere, the "Time Sequence" store seems detached from the hustle and bustle, maintaining its usual tranquility. However, a deeper and more resolute energy, different from the usual one, is quietly surging beneath this calm.
That walk in the snow, those daily moments of being together and "synchronizing" with each other, were like countless trickling streams, eventually converging into a deep and tranquil lake. Between Lu Shixu and Lin Zhiyi, it seemed no longer any form of confirmation or declaration was needed. For them, marriage was no longer a destination to be deliberately pursued, but rather a natural extension of this journey, the next gentle and certain stage.
There was no heated discussion, no tedious preparation. On a quiet evening, just like any other, the two ate a simple dinner, cleaned up the dishes, and sat side by side on the old sofa by the window, watching the warm yellow lights gradually illuminate the streetlights outside.
Unconsciously, Lu Shixu's hand caressed the one with the ring on Lin Zhiyi's hand, his fingertips feeling the smooth outline of the gear-shaped jade ring.
“Grandpa asked about it a few days ago,” he suddenly said, his voice sounding particularly peaceful in the twilight, “about our…certain ceremony.”
Lin Zhiyi leaned on his shoulder, stirred slightly upon hearing his words, and asked softly, "What do you think?"
She doesn't care about formalities, but she respects the concerns of her elders.
Lu Shixu remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to the old street scene outside the window, illuminated by lights, a scene that belonged to them.
“I don’t want to make it too complicated.” His voice was soft, yet clear. “I don’t want too many irrelevant people, and I don’t want to say those same old vows.”
He paused, turned his head, and gazed into her eyes in the dim light. Her clear eyes reflected the faint light from the window and her figure.
“For me,” he said slowly, each word sounding carefully chosen, “the most important ritual has already been completed.”
Lin Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat as she gazed into the calm depths of his eyes. She understood what he meant. It was the moment on the first snowy day when he handed her that unique gear ring; it was the glass of warm water she offered him whenever he was tired; it was the instant he naturally called her to hand him his tools; it was every ordinary yet precious day and night they spent together amidst the ringing of the clock in this room.
Those were their true, unforgettable vows. Silent, yet weighing a ton.
“Me too.” She replied softly, resting her head back on his shoulder, a peaceful smile spreading across her lips. “The best ritual is having you here.”
Lu Shixu tightened his arms around her and gently rested his chin on the top of her head.
“If… it’s just a few of your closest relatives,” he pondered, as if sketching a minimalist picture, “Grandpa, your mother, Wanqing, Chen Xu, Shen Bei… are in the shop. Have a simple meal and listen to… the chimes of these clocks for us.”
His proposal was so timely and perfectly suited to their world. There was no noisy banquet, no extravagant decorations, only the blessings of their loved ones, and the echoes of ancient times that witnessed their love, commitment, and promise.
Lin Zhiyi could almost picture the scene: under warm lights, relatives and friends sat around with sincere smiles, and at a certain moment, all the clocks in the store, those ancient objects that Lu Shixu had personally repaired and calibrated, would ring out together, their unique sounds blending into a hymn of time played just to bless them.
That will be the grandest and most intimate wedding march.
"Okay." Without any hesitation, she nodded in his arms. "That's it."
Dusk completely enveloped the city, and the lights outside the window shone even brighter.
Inside the store, the silent clocks seemed to sense this unspoken vow and certain future, their ticking becoming exceptionally steady and peaceful.
They stopped talking, simply nestled together, feeling each other's heartbeats and breaths. In this simple yet incredibly rich ritual they had chosen together, they quietly awaited the moment that belonged only to them, a moment blessed by time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
