Time Passes Peacefully (The End)
The first rays of dawn, not through the heavy curtains of the bustling hotel, but through the familiar old wooden window facing the backyard of Anping Lane, cast clear beams of light into the air, illuminating the floating dust.
Lin Zhiyi woke up first.
In the instant her consciousness returned, she felt the steady, long breaths beside her, the soft, reassuring scent of pine and metal on her pillow, and the faint, perpetual ticking of a clock outside the cubicle. She stirred slightly and found herself naturally encircled by Lu Shixu's arm, his hand resting lightly on her waist—an unconscious gesture full of possessiveness and protection.
She didn't get up immediately, but turned to the side, gazing quietly at his sleeping face in the gradually brightening light. Gone was the daytime alertness and focus; his sleeping face appeared exceptionally peaceful and harmless. His long eyelashes drooped, casting soft shadows beneath his eyes, his lips were a natural pale pink, and his breathing was even and long. Those taut lines, usually visible from the struggle against physical exhaustion, were now completely relaxed, revealing an almost childlike purity.
This was her husband. On this ordinary morning, the realization, carrying a warm and comforting feeling, settled heavily into her heart, stirring ripples of contentment and peace.
Perhaps her gaze was too focused, for Lu Shixu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes, still slightly hazy from waking, quickly cleared and softened when they met her smiling gaze.
"Good morning." His voice was hoarse from just waking up, deep and sexy.
"Good morning," Lin Zhiyi replied, a smile spreading across her lips.
There was no shyness or awkwardness of newlyweds, only the sense of security and peace that comes after a long voyage, finally arriving at the harbor. He tightened his arms around her slightly, pulling her closer, and placed a tender morning kiss on her forehead.
The two embraced quietly for a moment, listening to the chirping of early birds outside the window and the subtle sounds of human life gradually awakening in the alley.
Then, Lu Shixu sat up first, his movements still carrying his characteristic unhurried rhythm. He put on his slippers and looked back at her: "Lie down a little longer?"
Lin Zhiyi shook her head and sat up as well: "No, thank you."
A new day has begun.
As on countless days before, they washed up and prepared a simple breakfast. Only in the small space of the kitchen would their arms occasionally touch, or their eyes meet when passing bowls and chopsticks, and they would smile at each other. In that smile, there was an extra layer of unspoken sweet bond called "husband and wife".
After breakfast, Lu Shixu walked to the shop door and took down the wooden sign that read "Auspicious Day, Closed for the Day." He pushed open the door, and the crisp, fresh winter air rushed in, carrying the scent of sunshine. He turned around and, as he did every morning, began to check and polish the silent clocks one by one, carefully winding those that needed winding.
Lin Zhiyi tidied up the kitchen, sat down in her familiar spot by the window, and opened her laptop. Today, she had a new book manuscript topic to brainstorm.
Everything seemed no different from yesterday.
Yet everything has changed.
When the first regular customer pushed open the door and brought in an old pocket watch that needed repair, he saw the same lean and focused Master Lu, and Editor Lin working quietly by the window. The wind chimes tinkled softly, their ticking sound unchanged.
However, as Lu Shixu took the pocket watch and exchanged brief words with the guest, his peripheral vision would unconsciously glance at the figure by the window.
However, whenever Lin Zhiyi looked up from her manuscript to rest, her gaze would naturally wander to that handsome figure behind the workbench.
Their world, their "timeline," continues to run smoothly along its established trajectory. Repairing clocks, processing documents, receiving guests, preparing three meals a day... all the daily routines continue.
But every minute and every second of this daily routine is imbued with a new meaning, given by the ceremony blessed by the bells last night. It is no longer just about companionship and protection between lovers, but a deeper, more profound symbiosis and commitment between husband and wife, bound by blood and blood.
His time and her time, witnessed by the law, blessed by relatives and friends, and amidst the resounding chimes of the room, have become completely and indivisibly united as one.
As evening fell, the setting sun cast its golden rays throughout the shop. Lu Shixu finished the initial cleaning of the pocket watch, and Lin Zhiyi closed her laptop, rubbing her slightly sore neck.
The two of them looked up at each other almost simultaneously.
Without a word, Lu Shixu reached out his hand to her.
Lin Zhiyi smiled, stood up, walked over, and placed her hand in his palm.
He took her hand and walked to the window. Just like countless other evenings, they stood side by side, watching the twilight over the old street, watching people return home, and watching the warm lights come on.
"Time sequence," Lin Zhiyi called to him softly.
"Hmm?" He turned his head.
Looking at his profile softened by the setting sun, and at his eyes filled with the most serene and gentle gaze in the world, she felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratitude.
“Just like this,” she said, resting her head gently on his shoulder, her voice soft yet firm, “it’s good to keep it this way.”
Lu Shixu held her hand tightly, his gaze fixed on the old street and sky shrouded in twilight outside the window, where they shared a home. His clear eyes held an eternal peace.
"Mmm," he responded softly, as if making the most solemn vow.
"It's always like this."
Inside the store, countless clocks faithfully record the quiet flow of time, tick-tock, tick-tock...
As if in a soft echo:
Time may pass, but with you by my side, I will find peace in this life.
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