Storms and Tranquility
On September 28, 2017, the morning light was just beginning to fall. Wenqing had just dropped Lucas and Oscar off at the orphanage. As soon as she stepped into the house, Xiaofeng grabbed her arm and suggested that they leave Liou with Zhou Yong temporarily, so they could spend a leisurely day together.
"As for Uncle Zhou... I hope it won't disturb his work?" Wen Qing gently patted the little baby in his arms. The little guy was snoring comfortably, and his little mouth would purse from time to time.
"He already promised me." Xiao Feng tugged at his sleeve and shook him gently, her tone tinged with anticipation. "Would you mind going shopping with me? I owe you that cup of coffee, and today's the day to make it happen."
The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and Wenqing recalled the cup of coffee he hadn't been able to drink seven years ago. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, my dear wife."
When Wenqing dropped Liou off at Zhou Yong's office, Xiaofeng was wandering the toy section of the maternity and baby store, her fingertips caressing the newly released sensory toys, her eyes filled with fondness for the children. At lunchtime, she met Xiaoqi at the mall restaurant. The autumn sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm golden hue on the tableware. They laughed as they chatted about their recent events.
When Wenqing showed up at the cafe door on time, he instinctively opened his arms to hug her, then put them down awkwardly: "Suddenly I don't have to hold the child anymore. I don't know where to put my hands."
"Our super dad," Xiaofeng held her chin, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the light and shadow, "We've only been apart for two hours and you're already experiencing withdrawal symptoms?"
Wenqing twirled his coffee cup nervously and whispered, "I can't help but feel a buzzing in my ears, like the sound of Liou crying."
Before she finished speaking, Xiaofeng suddenly leaned forward, the faint scent of peaches wafting through her hair. She used her thumb and index finger to create a millimeter-sized gap between them. "I've granted Mr. Jiang a day off today—although," she said with a wink, a hint of jealousy in her tone, "I admit I'm a little jealous."
Wenqing held those slender fingers, the rich aroma of coffee lingering between them. "Today, I'll listen to my wife. You can't drink coffee, so I'll go get you a cup of hot milk and a piece of cake."
"Mr. Jiang is so handsome today..." Xiaofeng's eyes curved into crescents, her fingertips unconsciously circled the edge of the napkin, and her cheeks flushed quietly.
When the tall figure walked towards the bar, she quickly took out a cherry blossom pink satin bow hairpin from her bag and put it on her head. She adjusted the angle three times in front of the phone screen, trying to make herself look more refined.
At that moment, the background music switched to the prelude to "My Vow." The shadows of the sycamore leaves outside the French window dappled each other, falling on Wenqing's drooping eyelashes. Xiaofeng suddenly pressed her chest, realizing that her carefully rehearsed confession, now echoing Zhou Baihao's voice, had transformed into a series of disordered heartbeats—boom, boom, boom—that made her cheeks burn. She dared not even look at Wenqing anymore, feeling only that her heartbeat in her chest was threatening to break her ribs, each beat rapid and heavy.
As Wenqing turned, the hem of his white shirt whipped up a gentle breeze. Xiaofeng instinctively stood up, only to find nothing between his slender fingers. The next moment, her vision suddenly dropped—Wenqing knelt on one knee, the velvet ring box slowly opening in his palm. The life-like diamond, nurtured from their hair, shimmered in the sunset light, a delicate iridescence, as if embracing their entire past.
"Xiao Feng," his voice, the sound of his Adam's apple rolling, mixed with the sound of steam from the coffee machine, with a hint of nervousness, "Marry me, okay?"
"I do." All the rehearsed lines melted in Wenqing's embrace, leaving only the purest joy.
"Things like proposing..." Wen Qing's smiling breath brushed against her red earlobe, his left hand still protecting the back of her head. "You should let me do it." He suddenly caught a glimpse of the rainbow light reflected by his watch and spoke hurriedly, "The Civil Affairs Bureau closes at five!"
When Wenqing grabbed her and rushed into the car, the diamonds in their clasped palms were imprinting the warmth of happiness.
September 28, 2017, the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, is a good day for marriage.
Wenqing carefully put the marriage certificate into her inner pocket, her fingertips lingering on the gold-plated national emblem for three more seconds, as if she wanted to carve this joy into her bones.
They first went to the orphanage to pick up the twin brothers carrying small schoolbags, and finally drove to Manlin Hospital - Li Ou was lying on Zhou Yong's chest, playing with the stethoscope, and his little appearance was imitating him very well.
Xiaofeng waved the bright red marriage certificate in front of Zhou Yong, her voice full of joy: "Dad, we got the certificate..."
"After all the twists and turns, the choice remains the same?" Zhou Yong's gaze swept back and forth between the certificate and Wenqing, with a relieved smile in his eyes.
"He is really good, I don't want to miss him again." Xiaofeng looked at Wenqing with a firm and gentle look.
"He's responsible, gentle, tolerant, generous, and steady," Zhou Yong raised his chin towards Wen Qing's back. "Look at him. With his looks, family background, and abilities, he has every option. But for you, he's willing to stay at home and cook and take care of the children. That's enough."
Xiaofeng stood up and walked over to Wenqing, gently nudging him: "Go eat something. I'll hold Liou. He'll be hungry soon, and I'll be feeding him."
"Have you finished your meal?" Wen Qing asked with concern.
Xiaofeng stood on tiptoe and whispered something in Wenqing's ear, causing the tips of his ears to turn red instantly, and even his neck turned pink.
Wenqing solemnly refilled Zhou Yong's tea, holding the cup with both hands and bowing: "Dad, please have some tea!"
Zhou Yong hurriedly caught the teacup, the tea shimmering in the porcelain cup with a faint golden light. "I'll definitely return the red envelope later."
"You were willing to help us connect back then. That trust is more valuable than anything else!" Wenqing said sincerely. "I will cherish this second chance and love Xiaofeng and the children well."
"I'm relieved!" Zhou Yong took a sip of tea, then suddenly remembered something and reminded her, "By the way, in principle, you can have sex six weeks after a caesarean section, but be conservative, three months is better. Considering the risk of pregnancy with a scarred uterus, it's best to wait three to five years before trying to conceive again."
Wenqing's ears turned red instantly, and he quickly lowered his head and nodded in agreement, his cheeks burning like fire.
Moonlight streamed through the gauze curtains onto the bedroom floor. The even breathing of the three children in the next room rose and fell like a gentle lullaby. Wenqing rubbed his sore right wrist—his arm was already tired after holding the children all day. The glass door of the bathroom revealed the hazy silhouette of Xiaofeng bathing, the sound of water dripping like a secret invitation. He tiptoed to the bathroom downstairs and returned to find Xiaofeng curled up in her familiar sleeping position, her hair still scented with damp peaches.
The bathrobe fell to the carpet like a silent cloud. Wen Qing slipped under the covers and wrapped his arms around his lover, whose back was facing him. The thin shoulders in his palms suddenly tensed. He held her reddened earlobe in his mouth and whispered, "Are you asleep?"
"Yeah." Xiaofeng's response was a sleepy nasal tone, but it made the air suddenly become sticky.
When his breath brushed Xiaofeng's neck, the words "Wife, I love you" were like a key to unlock a spell, instantly warming the atmosphere between them.
"You are proposing to me today. Can you please tell me the declaration you prepared?" Wen Qing's voice was a little coquettish.
"Um."
Wen Qing grabbed her chin and turned her around, kissing her pretending to be indifferent lips, his tone filled with a gentleness that could not be refused: "Look at me..."
Xiaofeng's eyelashes trembled like a butterfly on the verge of melting, and the words "I fell asleep" she uttered were clearly an invitation that was even more obvious than it was.
"Then I'll go to sleep too, good night." Wen Qing said, then lay down flat, quietly feeling the movements of the people around him.
Xiaofeng didn't move, but a dreamlike confession came softly to her: "I didn't know what 'destined' meant until the day I met you in the maternity and baby store. You stood in front of the shelf in your shirt, like a math problem I could never solve. Back then, I was afraid of you, I avoided you... But looking back now, those clumsy escapes were all evidence of my heart. That sunflower coffee cup, I wanted to tell you—you are my sun. Thinking back to what you said to me, the love you gave me... Wenqing, I dare not say forever, but right now I want to tell you: I want to be your family. We'll raise children together, go on adventures together, grow old together... I want to be your 'first time' for the rest of your life. I love you!"
Wen Qing suddenly turned over, covering her in his shadow, and gently stroked the first button of her pajamas with his fingertips: "Now, become my first woman." The shadow of the tree outside the window suddenly shook violently, quietly covering up Xiaofeng's finally defeated response.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
