[three]
After finishing the speech, before leaving, Zhuang Yi took Xun Yuming to City Hall to go through the marriage formalities.
There are not many people in the city hall today, and the efficiency is not bad. Zhuang Yi specially brought a bouquet of lilies, and just handed it to Xun Yuming when he walked to the door, "Give me the little ears that are always white and flawless, and I will be legal when I come out." Spouse, think about it."
"Think it over." Xun Yuming nodded vigorously, "Have you prepared my ring yet?"
"Here." Zhuang Yi took out a blue velvet box from his suit trousers pocket, which contained a pair of plain rings. They melted the ones they had bought before and asked someone to type them again. The style is the most common.
What Xun Yuming wanted was such a simple token that was exclusive to the two of them: "Then give me one first, and I will exchange it later."
The two walked into the hall and handed in the marriage license they applied for online in advance. Zhuang Man, as a witness, was already waiting on the bench. The staff led them to the wooden platform and handed them a card with the old-fashioned wedding vows on it.
Xun Yuming straightened the collar of his suit, and read according to the script: "I, Xun Yuming, am willing to take Zhuang Yi as my husband, and I will never leave him forever..." The most common words, for some reason, my eyes turned red when I said it up.
Zhuang Yi couldn't help the soreness in his eyes, stretched out his hands to rub his vest, and recited in English exactly the same: "I, Zhuang Yi, would like to take Xun Yuming as my husband, and I will never leave him, life and death, regardless of poverty or Wealth, health or sickness, young or old, will cherish, honor and care for each other until death do us part."
Before anyone could say "you can kiss the groom now", the two couldn't help themselves, and they embraced each other and kissed each other. Zhuang Man and the staff laughed, Xun Yuming blushed, let go of Zhuang Yi breathlessly, and stood back.
They asked for two copies of the marriage certificate, but it took a week to get it, and it could not be mailed, so it could only be collected by relatives. They were going to Zhuang Yi's grandparents' house soon, and they had no time to wait, so they had to ask Zhuang Man to stay and help them get the certificate.
Before going to London, Zhuang Yi spends another night with Xun Yuming and persuades him to meet his mother Zhao Jing. Zhuang Yi knew that he actually longed for the warmth of maternal love in his heart, but he refused to admit it. He was also afraid that if Xun Yuming didn't see this side, his knot would never be solved, so he might as well take a trip while he was on the way.
Zhao Jing's house is located in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the Bay Area, surrounded by palm trees and unknown flowers blooming everywhere, and a small pure white building is hidden among them, which looks like a resort hotel on a tropical island.
Zhuang Yi parked the car outside the courtyard, went to ring the doorbell, and shook Xun Yuming's hand, "Don't be nervous, we'll leave after a few words."
Xun Yuming gave a absent-minded "hmm" and waited for a while, only to see a woman in a gray skirt come to open the door, she asked a few words in English with a Southeast Asian accent, and opened the courtyard door.
The two walked through the garden, looking carefully at Xun Yuming along the way. This house is a typical American pastoral decoration with some modern elements added. It looks warm and luxurious. It is obviously a family with affluent life. Most of the photos on the face are a group photo of a family of four, and the two mixed-race twin girls are smiling brightly.
They were arranged in the reception room. Zhuang Yi pointed to a peacock blue glass bottle on the table and said to him, "This was shot by Christie's in 2017. I have seen it once."
"Is it expensive?"
"It's almost your annual salary."
Xun Yuming twitched the corners of his mouth, and said nothing at the beginning.
Zhuang Yi knew that he was not feeling well at the moment. He and his grandfather had lived a poor and hard life since they were young. Over the years, they had suffered many times because of money. As a daughter and mother, Zhao Jing has always enjoyed the generous life of Mrs. Kuo. His father and son didn't care, and refused to disclose even a residential address.
Xun Yuming hated her, hated her for hating her grandfather because of the suffering he had suffered, hated her for being irresponsible after giving birth to a child, and even more hated her for not loving herself enough. She can treat her two daughters as treasures, but she can't give even a little love to her own son.
When we don't meet each other, Xun Yuming can still lie to himself that she also has difficulties, but when we meet, he can no longer escape.
He glanced at Zhuang Yi angrily, "You will be fined to be my pillow on the plane."
Zhuang Yi raised his eyebrows indifferently, "My shoulder will always be your exclusive pillow."
Xun Yuming smiled, and the sound of footsteps behind them, the two stood up together, and a middle-aged woman in a white knitted dress came down the stairs. Her facial features were somewhat similar to Xun Yuming's, and they hadn't changed for more than ten years. She smiled happily, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if standing in front of her was not her son, but a stranger.
"Xiao Ming, why are you here?"
"I came to Los Angeles to receive the award, and I stopped by to see you." Xun Yuming tried his best to keep calm, pointing to the people around him, "This is Zhuang Yi, we are married, and I want to tell you."
"Married?" Zhao Jing glanced at Zhuang Yi from beginning to end, "Hi, congratulations."
"Hi." Zhuang Yi smiled politely.
Xun Yuming took out the black Amex card and handed it to her: "You gave it to me before. The money in it has never been touched, and I don't need it. You should take it back."
"You didn't use the money here to go to school?" Zhao Jing showed a slight surprise on her face, as if she didn't expect him to be so stubborn.
"I have a scholarship, so I don't need it." Xun Yuming felt a burst of relief, a breath he had held for many years, and finally let it out completely at this moment.
Zhao Jing pursed her lips and refused to take it, so Zhuang Yi took it and put it on the table: "Obviously I won the Field Award a few days ago, and we got married again. I think I have to inform you about such a big event, so I didn't Said, take the liberty to come here. We have to go to the airport later, and we will leave after a while."
After he achieved his goal, he didn't want Xun Yuming to stay and suffer. Zhao Jing's polite and distant attitude really annoyed him. "Obviously I am living happily now, with a successful career, a family and relatives, my grandfather and I love him very much, I think you can rest assured." The irony in Zhuang Yi's words could not be more obvious, but the smile on his face is always Not too much, not too much, polite just right.
Zhao Jing was silent for a while, then smiled, "That's good."
Xun Yuming couldn't stay any longer, standing in this room, he felt like an inappropriate joke, with embarrassing excesses all over his body. He got up to say goodbye and ran out in a hurry.
Zhao Jing didn't object, she sent them to the door, turned around and went back to the villa, and after a while, she ran back and shouted: "Wait a minute!"
Xun Yuming looked over, and Zhao Jing trotted to catch up, still holding the card in her hand: "Take it back, it was originally for you. You... take care of yourself, I wish you happiness."
The sun is shining at noon, which is the warmest time of the day. She ran over from the yard in slippers, a few sweat stains appeared on her forehead, her bangs stuck to it, she looked a little embarrassed, and that generous and decent lady finally showed a little anger.
"Thank you, but I don't need the card." It's one thing not to want her money, and Xun Yuming really doesn't need money now.
After researching the profits, he and Zhuang Yi each took half of the shares. The wealth of the two has snowballed in a short period of time, and this is just the beginning. What's more, Field's bonus is nearly 9 million yuan converted into RMB. Last time, he saved the money for his grandfather as a trust fund, but this time he can handle it by himself.
After returning to China, the first thing he had to do was to buy Zhuang Yi's house. From now on, he would let Zhuang Yi eat and live in his own house, and be raised by him. Thinking about it, he was so excited that he jumped up.
Zhao Jing forced the card into his hand, her voice was a little anxious: "Take it, I... Mom, I'm sorry." After she finished speaking, she never looked back, and walked back with her clothes fluttering.
Xun Yuming was stunned for a moment, tears "swipe" down, and he couldn't stop it like a bank burst, "She said... she said..."
"She said she is the mother, and you are her son." Zhuang Yi felt sore and astringent in his heart. He hugged him, patted his vest, and wiped his tears. "Actually, she still has you in her heart, obviously. When she Before your college entrance examination, I helped you study abroad, which shows that I still want to give you a good future."
Zhuang Yi's words hit Xun Yuming's heart, and that's why his feelings for Zhao Jing are so complicated. If she never showed up, he could maintain pure hatred, but she helped him at an important point in his life.
Xun Yuming longed for love so much, this short side made him think about it for more than ten years, but just as the revived family affection emerged, Zhao Jing disappeared in a blink of an eye, and there was no news from him since then, how could he not hate to add hatred.
Now, when he finally came out of the shadows under the leadership of Zhuang Yi and decided to let himself go, Zhao Jing said such a sentence, which instantly shattered the hard shell that Xun Yuming depended on for a living, "She loves me , brother. She actually... loves me too."
"Yes, she also loves you in her heart, and has always been concerned about you." Zhuang Yi pressed him firmly, rubbing his head up and down, to calm his broken emotions, "We all love you, you are so good, who I don't want to hurt you."
Xun Yuming is serious.
He panted heavily, and leaned against Zhuang Yi for a long time before getting up and rubbing his eyes, "I'm fine, I won't cry. Let's go, it will be too late if you don't go to the airport."
"It's too late, you're a little rich man now, do you still care about this little money?" Zhuang Yi held his hand to take a taxi, and Xun Yuming had to rely on him when walking, "I'm so rich, your grandpa Grandma shouldn't dislike me, right?"
"Of course not." Zhuang Yi smiled, took his fingers and kissed him, "I love you, they love me, and you will love each other too."
Xun Yuming lay on top of him, feeling sincerely: "Thank you brother, it's great to have you."
[Four]
The winter in London is not as warm as that in Northern California, but it is not too cold, but the air is humid and penetrates directly into the bones of people. When Zhuang Yi got off the plane, he was only wearing a black suit. How could he know that the temperature had dropped tonight and the wind was blowing outside.
"So the empire on which the sun never sets | colonizes everywhere, who wants to treat this poor place." He complained a lot as soon as he got out of the cabin.
Xun Yuming unzips his down jacket, and generously invites him to come in to keep warm: "If you don't listen to me telling you to wear a coat, come quickly to your husband's place and warm you up."
"You bark very well." Zhuang Yi leaned into his arms, the down jacket was loose, barely covering half of his body, "Let's go home late to pick up the car first."
"Why does Chigui have a house in London, and Cong Ye has a house in the city center, and you have nothing?" Xun Yuming poked him in the ribs, deliberately teasing him: "It's fine if you don't have a private jet, and I live in the house. I'm at a loss."
Zhuang Yi's small building has already verbally agreed to resell it to Xun Yuming, and now he is a "homeless" person, how can he compare with Chi Gui and Cong Ye's "luxury and lustful madman", "You are really a money addict , you disliked me as soon as you got married."
"Be more polite to me in the future, or I won't support you."
"Obey." Zhuang Yi bowed in unison, "Father, the gold master."
"Good..." Xun Yuming was acting, but he couldn't help laughing and fell into his arms.
Zhuang Yi slapped his ass, and threatened ambiguously: "I must take good care of the patron's father at night."
"..."
My grandmother doesn't live in London, and it's more than two hours' drive from the city. Zhuang Yi didn't like people to pick him up, so he went to Chigui's home to pick up the car, and drove back by himself.
When Xun Yuming first arrived at the airport, he was still talking and laughing happily, but when he got in the car, he suddenly became nervous. He leaned against the car window, silent like a pool of stagnant water, with his head pressed against the dark glass, making a soft "dong dong" sound with every slight bump.
Zhuang Yi held the steering wheel with his right hand, stretched out his left hand and rubbed the back of his head, "Don't be afraid, they are very satisfied with you, and your conditions are more than enough to marry into Buckingham Palace."
Just now the car navigation set the destination, and the satellite system showed the live situation on the screen. There was a beautiful classical manor on it, and Xun Yuming was even more panicked when he saw it, "But you never told me that your grandparents also Living in 'Buckingham Palace'!"
"I thought modesty was a gentleman's character, but I didn't expect that the world has changed." Zhuang Yi slightly hooked the corners of his mouth, smiling complacently, "In fact, there are only two grandparents, an old housekeeper and a few deacons in the family. The house and The gardens have been passed down from generation to generation, and they usually just do small business, so don’t make it look like you’re meeting Her Majesty the Queen, relax a bit.”
Xun Yuming lay down on the door of the car with his head down, and suddenly shouted: "Oops!"
"What?" Zhuang Yi was taken aback by him, "I'm driving a car, baby."
"I'm finished." Xun Yuming frowned, "I left the gift home late!" He had prepared the gift for several months, but forgot it.
Zhuang Yi breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought something was wrong, it's fine if I didn't bring it, and it will be the same next time."
"How about that, they are so important to you, I have to make a good impression." Xun Yuming was sweating anxiously, "Why don't you go back and get them? Can you be late?"
Zhuang Yi leaned forward and opened the glove box, pointing his index finger, motioning him to take out the contents.
Xun Yuming took out a black gift box tied with a dark red ribbon, and looked at him suspiciously: "What is this?"
"The gift I prepared." Zhuang Yi opened it and said, "I promise they will like it."
Xun Yuming was finally relieved, and the two drove to the countryside all the way, passed through the bare woods, galloped away from the endless green wilderness, followed two rows of green pines, and drove into the century-old manor standing not far away. The iron gate was open, and there were already security guards waiting by the side.
Zhuang Yi bypassed the sculpture fountain and went inward along a tree-lined road. It took a long time to drive to the end, and Xun Yuming became more and more flustered: "Is your home a National Geographic Park? Why haven't you seen the house yet?"
"The land here is not worth much. It used to be the countryside. I will take you hiking tomorrow without leaving home."
Unnamed vegetation is planted on both sides of the road, and the branches and leaves are entangled in the air, forming a long arched corridor in secret. Xun Yuming twisted his hands tightly together and looked out the window uneasily.
Not long after, a white light appeared in front of it, but behind the shade of the trees was an open field, every inch of grass was trimmed neatly, and castle-like buildings stood in it, looking majestic and simple.
Zhuang Yi parked the car on the side of the road, walked over with Xun Yuming, and saw a few black spots at the door of the house from a distance, "That's my grandparents, they must be welcoming you, you see, they like you very much, right? "
"Then let's go quickly." Before Xun Yuming reached the door, a smile appeared on his face. The closer the distance, the clearer the appearance of Zhuang Yi's grandparents, and the faster his heart beat.
Grandmother is an old lady with a nose job and deep eyes. From a distance, she looks as beautiful as a classical oil painting. She has a thin figure, and she wears a lotus-colored close-fitting dress with complicated patterns, and a dark blue slim-fit style that hangs down to her ankles. It is studded with circles of beads, and she also wears a cocktail hat of the same color on her head.
In comparison, my grandfather's attire was much simpler, just a well-regulated gray suit. Wherever he stood, a pine tree took root.
Both of them had gray hair at the temples, no matter how good their lives and meticulous maintenance were, they could not withstand the erosion of time after all. Their skin lines are vertical and horizontal, but their attitudes are graceful and elegant, and they look personable.
Xun Yuming hurriedly bent over to shake hands, and offered a gift, "Hello, I hope you like it."
"Thank you." Grandpa smiled, and opened the wrapping paper in front of him.
Xun Yuming looked at Zhuang Yi, the latter was in his pocket, and tilted his head confidently at him, so handsome as if in a dream. He bent his mouth and stared at the expressions of his grandparents for a moment. Their blue eyes widened obviously when they saw the gift, "Is this... "To Fanny Braun"?"
"I heard that my grandmother liked John Keats, and it took me a lot of effort to find his manuscripts." Zhuang Yi blinked at Xun Yuming, and explained to his grandmother: "I heard that when my grandfather was chasing you, he read aloud to you. "To Fanny."
Holding a wooden crutch, the grandmother stepped forward to give Xun Yuming a hug, and whispered in his ear, "Thank you, dear."
"It's all Zhuang Yi's credit." Xun Yuming shook his head embarrassingly.
Grandma smiled, took grandfather's hand, and invited them in for lunch. Xun Yuming knew that they were very polite people, and they were cautious in every word and action. When cutting Wellington beef, the puff pastry kept scratching, and he was afraid that the knife would scratch the plate and make a sound. It was really embarrassing for a while. Fortunately, Zhuang Yi finished cutting himself ahead The copy was placed in front of him, and it took away his.
After the meal, my grandfather invited Xun Yuming to smoke a cigar, and my grandmother smiled and said, "I don't know how to smoke, why don't you go for a walk with me."
"Okay." Xun Yuming hurriedly stood up and agreed.
The two went out through the back door, and outside was the green grassland, and the dark green mountains in the distance, which were dyed withered yellow in winter, looked a little depressed.
The grandmother leaned on her little crutches and walked along an uphill path, and said to Xun Yuming in English: "Sorry, if the greeting was not good. I hope you can enjoy today."
"Of course." Xun Yuming had a down jacket under his arm, but he didn't dare to wear it, "I'm really happy today, you guys are very kind to me."
"That's good. We've heard about you a long time ago, but we didn't expect to meet today." Grandma's eyes were like two pools of sea water, which made people sink into them unknowingly. "When Zhuang Yi graduated from university, she once told us that He's getting engaged to you and wants to have a party at home."
Xun Yuming knew about this, and at that time he also prepared a ring and planned to propose marriage by the Nile River.
"Then you separated." Grandma sighed. "He grew up with me, and I know him best. He is not a person who makes decisions lightly, and once he makes a decision, he will not change it casually. I was curious at that time." , what kind of person is it that makes him so haunted by dreams?"
"I..." Xun Yuming opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"I understand that everything can be debated, but love is emotional." Grandma smiled at him considerately, "I also know that others have no position to talk about your affairs, so I just want to ask you to do me a favor."
"what?"
"I hope you will do what you can to make him happy."
Xun Yuming was startled, nodded solemnly, patted his chest and promised: "I assure you, I will love him without reservation, and use my whole life and all my enthusiasm to make him the happiest man, like he did to me. I used to…”
"Don't mention the past." Grandma waved her hand, "People must learn to forget, this is a gift from God."
"Thank you for your understanding." Xun Yuming was grateful from the bottom of his heart.
They walked to the top of the hill, and then went back the same way. Zhuang Yi happened to see them when he came out, so he also ran up. Grandma looked at the two of them, both of them were wearing black suits, generally dazzling, no matter how you look at it, she felt that she was a bit of an eyesore, "I'm going back, let's talk, it's too cold."
Zhuang Yi sent her away, and when he came back, he wandered off to Xun Yuming: "What did grandma tell you?"
Xun Yuming talked nonsense, "She saw that you prepared that gift."
Zhuang Yi shrugged: "I didn't intend to lie to her, I just wanted to express how important you are to me."
"She also said that she wanted you to be happy." Xun Yuming breathed a sigh of relief, hugged him by the waist, and buried his chin in his neck, "I will definitely do it, brother, I will protect you from now on. Be with you , Even eating and sleeping, I don't feel dull. Are you as happy as me?"
"Of course." Zhuang Yi rubbed his burning ears, "I am very happy to meet you. When I walk on the road, my mood is floating, and sometimes I even want to whistle."
"Then play it." Xun Yuming smiled, showing two white front teeth, "Can you?"
Zhuang Yi looked around, put his index finger on his lips and said "shh-", "Quietly, don't let anyone hear you."
"How do you hear?" Xun Yuming smirked.
Zhuang Yi shook his head and whistled softly, "They are very upset, do you know why my sister didn't come back?"
Xun Yuming pricked up his ears and listened to him: "My grandparents are very old-fashioned people. They hoped that my sister would become a lady according to the standards of nobles. But she is the most rebellious, with free speech and deeds, and she is against them in everything. Come."
"Sometimes I even think that she deliberately becomes more rebellious in order to resist. Every time my grandmother mentions her, she will use a very arrogant tone," he snorted, imitating his grandmother's appearance, using a pure London accent Say: "Oh, that girl is hopeless!"
"Hahaha, grandma is so cute." Xun Yuming rolled into his arms with a smile, raised his hand and patted his head, "You are so pitiful, brother, you never had the chance to rebel when you were young, and you still have to abide by strict rules."
"Aren't you the same?" Zhuang Yi sat cross-legged on the grass and leaned into Xun Yuming's arms, "Actually, my grandparents are not rigid people. I have been very rich in spiritual entertainment since I was a child. Hey, I will take you there later How about a horse ride? Then we'll go fishing and play tennis after dinner in the evening."
"You should spare me!" Xun Yuming clenched his fists and bowed to him, "I'll just watch you."
"God loves you for being lonely, so he let you into our big family. Zhuang Yi laughed while leaning on his knees. He was already sleepy after sitting on the plane for a long time. Now he is leaning against Xun Yuming's warm arms, and the breeze is blowing I didn't feel cold either, and gradually fell asleep.
Xun Yuming didn't dare to disturb him for fear of disturbing him, so he held his head, unfolded his down jacket and covered him up. When Zhuang Yi woke up, he still maintained a stiff posture, staring at himself with starry eyes.
Zhuang Yi smiled and asked him hoarsely, "Why are your eyes always shining?"
"Because I always look at you." Xun Yuming smiled softly, lowered his head and kissed the center of his brow, "You are the star in my eyes."
—End of the text—
The author has something to say:
Thank you again, this book is completely over, we will see you next time (manually be careful.