After everything before the festival was done, the calendar was turned to a new page.
August 7th.
Wei Nian woke up earlier than usual. After opening his eyes, he kissed Chen Xuan on the lips. Seeing that Chen Xuan didn't move, he simply deepened the morning kiss.
It has to be said that humans are extremely adaptable creatures.
A conservative, old-fashioned woman like Chen Xuan, after waking up from Wei Nian's persistent harassment, simply pushed Wei Nian away and scolded him, "Improper." Then she pulled the curtain in the middle and started to get up.
Wei Nian pulled open the curtain and said, "A Xuan, let's go get clothes today. Tomorrow is the eighth day of the New Year." It was a pity that Chen Xuan had already put on her small jacket and started to wear her cheongsam.
Chen Xuan pushed his head back and pulled the curtain back. Wei Nian poked his head in and asked, "Did you hear that?"
"I'm not deaf." Chen Xuan raised the corners of her lips, buttoned up her clothes and got off the kang, "I'll go get some water for Brother Anian to wash his face."
Wei Nian followed him down from the kang, "No need for you, I'll fetch some water for you today."
Chen Xuan was a little uneasy, wondering how she could ask Brother Anian to do this job. However, she thought about it again. It was a new era now, and newspapers advocated gender equality. The key point was that while Chen Xuan was hesitating, Wei Nian had already come in with water for washing her face. Chen Xuan's eyes curved, "Then I'll wash it."
"Wash." Chen Xuan washed her face, and Wei Nian put the towel on the wash rack for her.
After Chen Xuan washed her face, Wei Nian washed his own face, and Chen Xuan went to cook breakfast. Wei Nian was just cleaning her face, and from time to time he whispered in Chen Xuan's ear, "Xuan'er, I'm looking forward to tomorrow night!" He didn't stop until Chen Xuan blushed, and he had to annoy Chen Xuan and send him out to buy fried dough sticks, and then Wei Nian went to buy breakfast happily.
Chen Xuan cooked some corn porridge. Tofu pudding was also delicious, but drinking tofu pudding all the time was not as nourishing as porridge.
The breakfast was simple, with fried dough sticks, minced meat pancakes, shredded radish mixed with sesame oil, and a plate of pickled cabbage. However, even with these simple dishes, Wei Nian and Chen Xuan ate them with such affection. You pass me a fried dough stick, I pass you a pancake, you pick up two shredded radish for me, and I pick up pickled cabbage for you... Oh my god, Qin Shu, who was always generous, ate breakfast so quickly that he didn't act like a big light bulb.
After breakfast, Wei Nian was not in a hurry to go to the shop. He helped Chen Xuan take care of the strawberries in the house, and then they took a rickshaw to go out. They both asked for leave in advance, today and tomorrow, to rest for two days. They first went to their own shop to get the dress, and then went to the tailor shop to get clothes. Nowadays, tailor shops make clothes according to the body, so once the clothes are ready, they can try them on in the shop.
After trying them on, they went to a photo studio in Beijing to take pictures.
It was Chen Xuan who suggested taking a photo. Chen Xuan had discussed it with Wei Nian a long time ago. After the clothes were ready, the two of them would take a photo together. Wei Nian had also planned to take a few photos, both Chinese and Western.
The photo studio was also booked in advance.
Chen Xuan was a little reserved, but Wei Nian was very generous. He had thought of many poses in advance. When they arrived at the photo studio, he had more ideas than the photographer. After taking the group photo, Chen Xuan also asked for a solo photo. Because the man was handsome and the woman was pretty, the photographer also suggested, "You two are good-looking, and the photos will look good when they are developed. Why don't you take two photos for me and hang them in my shop? I will waive the cost of developing the photos this time."
Chen Xuan was quite moved when she heard that, but Wei Nian waved his hand and said, "Forget it. We don't need the money to develop the photos, and you are not allowed to mess around with our photos."
I think the photographer has encountered this kind of customers many times, so he just smiles and lets it go.
After the two of them left the photo studio, Chen Xuan discussed with Wei Nian, "The artist can do whatever he wants, so what's the problem?"
Wei Nian held a large paper bag of clothes in one hand, turned around and stared at Chen Xuan. After the appraisal, he smiled and said, "You want to save the money for developing the photos, right?"
"I think you are so handsome, An Nian, it would be nice to be outside."
"I don't care. I don't want your photo to be displayed outside." Wei Nian held Chen Xuan's hand with one hand, stopped a rickshaw, helped Chen Xuan get on the rickshaw, and then sat beside her. He whispered in Chen Xuan's ear, "I can't bear to leave."
The hot air from his breath sprayed on Chen Xuan's ears, and her ears turned red. She whispered, "I will listen to Brother Anian."
The two put the clothes back in the store first, and Wei Nian took Chen Xuan to eat at Fangshan Restaurant in Beihai Park. Wei Nian said that this was a restaurant opened by the imperial chef who had served the emperor. Wei Nian asked the waiter to arrange a scenic seat. Through the glass window, you can see the autumn scenery of the park. Chen Xuan was fascinated. Thinking that this was a place where the emperor had visited before, she was very lucky to come here.
Wei Nian handed her the menu and said, "Take a look at what you want to eat and order whatever you want."
Coming to such a place, Chen Xuan felt that even if she didn't eat, it would be worth it to drink two cups of tea. However, since she was in a restaurant, there was no reason not to eat. Moreover, since Chen Xuan was in school, she also understood the truth that "the swallows in front of the halls of the rich and powerful in the old days flew into the homes of ordinary people." Looking at the menu, the names of the dishes were all extraordinary, such as "Bird's Nest Qingzi Mushroom Fat Chicken, Bird's Nest Hezi Three Fresh Duck, Bird's Nest Xinzi Assorted Chicken Shreds, Bird's Nest Nianzi Pot Roast Duck", which was simply terrifying. Chen Xuan heard from the old lady that bird's nest was a very expensive thing. Turning over the first page, she finally saw something to order, so she grabbed fried fish fillet, white chopped chicken, and ordered a dim sum platter of pea yellow and kidney bean rolls. Wei Nian looked at it and added a seasonal lotus seed soup, as well as a stir-fried kidney flower, duck oil pea seedlings.
When Chen Xuan heard this, she felt that she couldn't finish it, so she said, "There are too many dishes, remove the fish slices."
"It doesn't matter. The food here is not big."
Chen Xuan then stopped talking.
Chen Xuan looked at the small boat floating on the water and couldn't help asking, "Brother Anian, can we row a boat on this water?"
"Of course you can. Haven't you seen so many people taking the boat? It costs one dollar for a day, and it includes tea."
Chen Xuan was getting excited. "I've never been on a boat before. We're going to Shanghai in May, and this is the first time I've seen a big boat on the water. We don't have to take the one-dollar boat. We can go out and take the ten-cent boat later and have a good time, okay?"
Wei Nian's lips curled up slightly, "Why not?"
Then he asked Chen Xuan, "Do you have any other wishes?"
"The near ones have been achieved, but the far ones will take time."
"What's nearby? Rowing a boat, taking pictures."
"No, I didn't row a boat. I just saw other people rowing boats and I was jealous. I wanted to take pictures. I really wanted to take pictures." Chen Xuan said, "The rich people in our village have photo albums. I have made up my mind. After our photos are developed, I will go to Dong'an Market to buy a big photo album to store the photos."
"good."
What Chen Xuan didn't say was that on the day her cousin from her aunt's family entered school, her second uncle took her cousin to the county photo studio to take a big photo, and then hung it on the wall at home, so that neighbors who came to visit could see it. Chen Xuan was so envious at that time. Later, she heard that other people would take photos of their husbands and wives when they got married, so she was full of expectations. In the end, her aunt told her that Wei Nian was not happy with the marriage. Chen Xuan was trembling with fear, afraid that the engagement would be broken off, and she had long forgotten about the photo.
Later, when she arrived at the Wei family, something happened. Chen Xuan couldn't figure out whether she had just dreamed or really experienced her past life. Anyway, she promised to get along with Wei Nian after she ended the marriage. However, because she always owed Wei Nian money, sometimes when she passed by the door of the Beijing Photo Studio, she would at most glance at the large photos hanging in the room with envy, but she had no money to take pictures.
Unexpectedly, today, the first photo I took was a group photo with Wei Nian.
There seemed to be a glimmer in Chen Xuan's eyes as she looked towards the water. She thought, if her biological parents were still alive, she might have already had a photo of herself.
Soon, the food came.
Chen Xuan happily ate with Wei Nian this delicious dish that was said to be something only the emperor had eaten.
By the time we rowed the boat in the afternoon and returned home after dinner, it was dark.
Qin Shu and Wei Yin saw the two of them walking home hand in hand sweetly, and went over to inquire about their date. When they heard Chen Xuan say that they went to a photo studio to take a group photo, and went to Beihai Park to row a boat, they asked Chen Xuan how she was going to spend the next day.
This was something that Qin Shu and Wei Yin couldn't understand. According to Wei Yin, the second brother and his wife's wedding date was Laba, so how could the third anniversary of their marriage be celebrated on August 8? Qin Shu understood it very well, and he thought that the two of them were in a hurry to celebrate the third anniversary and did it early.
Wei Yin felt that this explanation was reasonable.
When the two were gossiping, Chen Xuan laughed, "I made an agreement with Brother Anian that you should listen to me today and him tomorrow. I asked Brother Anian, but he wouldn't tell me."
Wei Nian shooed the two people out like chickens, "Alright, alright, it's getting late, go and rest. Our third anniversary has nothing to do with you two, go away, stop making noise."
The two of them had no choice but to run away laughing.
Wei Nian arranged the itinerary for the next day. Wei Nian did not let Chen Xuan make breakfast. He went out to buy ready-made breakfast. After breakfast, the car rented by Wei Nian arrived. Due to Wei Yin and Qin Shu's strong request, Wei Nian had to let the car take them, one to the store and the other to school, to avoid these two people being an eyesore.
Then, Wei Nian changed into the dark suit that was newly made at the tailor shop and he had only worn it yesterday for the photo shoot, a snow-white shirt, a pocket handkerchief, cufflinks, a watch and other items. After Mr. Rong's advice, they were all complete. Standing in front of the large dressing mirror, he looked handsome and elegant.
Even Chen Xuan couldn't help but take a second look, especially, wondering if the upper body of the suit was too short. She had thought about it yesterday, saying that it didn't cover his buttocks, while the waist-hip line of the trousers was so fitted that it made Anian's buttocks look so perky.
Wei Nian saw Chen Xuan secretly glancing at him again and again in the mirror, so, like a male peacock, Wei Nian smoothed his shiny slicked-back hair in front of the mirror, sprayed his whole body with Qianlixiang floral water, and glanced at Chen Xuan, "How do you think I look now?"
Chen Xuan said honestly, "It does look good, but it's a little indecent."
"What's so improper about that?"
"Your butt is too raised."
"Suits are like this, they make your legs look longer." Wei Nian said to Chen Xuan, "Put on the wedding dress that Yin made for you."
"What? You can wear that when you go out?"
"It's okay. The one made by Yin doesn't have a skirt that drags on the ground. It's just snow-white satin inside and a layer of lace outside. It's really beautiful."
"But it's August now. Forget about taking photos. It's too cold to wear it outside."
"I have a new white fox fur cape made for you. Wear it with your longest woolen coat. You need a white gauze skirt to go where I'm taking you today, otherwise it won't be suitable."
"Where are we going?" Chen Xuan asked for a long time but couldn't get an answer, so she had to listen to Wei Nian.
The car came back very quickly. Chen Xuan had just finished packing when the car arrived.
Wei Nian looked at Chen Xuan slowly and calmly. Chen Xuan had lived a hard life in the past few years and dared not waste a single moment. Time had not let her down. She had a well-proportioned figure, light makeup, and a somewhat shy but not petty look. However, the gold jewelry on her body did not match the white wedding dress. Wei Nian held Chen Xuan's hand and said, "Let's go out now."
"Where are we going?" Chen Xuan was very curious.
"We'll know in a moment."
Wei Nian first took Chen Xuan to a jewelry store to exchange for a set of pearl jewelry. Chen Xuan wanted to exchange for gold jewelry, but Wei Nian said, "We can pass it on to our daughter in the future." Chen Xuan no longer raised any objections. After all, if it was not for cashing out, but to pass it on to her daughter, gold and pearls would make no difference.
Chen Xuan thought Wei Nian was going to take her to a high-end restaurant for dinner, but in the end, they took a car to Xishiku Church. It was Chen Xuan's first time to visit a foreign temple, and looking at the pointed arched Western-style building, it was not surprising. There were many Western-style buildings in Beijing, and Chen Xuan had been to Shanghai, and felt that she had seen the center of the universe, so she was not surprised by such a Western Buddhist temple.
Besides, she had read a lot of foreign novels and knew what the church was all about.
Chen Xuan asked, "Brother Anian, why did you bring me to this Western Buddhist temple?"
Wei Nian took her hand and walked into the church, explaining as he walked, "Westerners get married in churches. Although we had a wedding ceremony once, you were afraid and I didn't want to, so it doesn't count. I always wanted to have a Western-style wedding in a church with my beloved and make vows under the witness of Western gods."
Chen Xuan whispered, "But neither of us believe in religion." The book says that for a Western wedding, one must be religious to hold it in a church.
Wei Nian smiled complacently, "I have arranged everything."
Wei Nian doesn’t care whether people believe in religion or not. In Wei Nian’s opinion, it is enough to deal with the priest.
Obviously, Wei Nian had made all the arrangements.
The priest came forward to greet Wei Nian cordially when he saw him. Wei Nian greeted him in foreign language, and Chen Xuan also greeted him. Foreigners are always a little exaggerated. First, they praised Chen Xuan's beautiful appearance, and then told Wei Nian that everything was ready.
So, presided over and witnessed by Father Daniel, Wei Nian and Chen Xuan held a Western-style wedding in the church.
Chen Xuan was wearing a white long wedding dress and Wei Nian was wearing a dark suit. They listened to the priest reading the oath: From now on, no matter whether the circumstances are good or bad, whether the family is rich or poor, whether sick or not, we swear to love each other and never separate until death.
After exchanging wedding rings, Wei Nian kissed Chen Xuan on the forehead. The kiss was full of expectation and waiting, which made Chen Xuan's eyes slightly hot. Wei Nian said in a low voice, "This is the wedding of my dreams."
Chen Xuan burst into tears.
At this moment, she finally understood the meaning of Wei Nian's almost indifferent words on the wedding night: "Without love, we can't be husband and wife." She came from the countryside and was helpless. But Wei Nian was her only life.
At that time, she was desperately in need of a harbor to take her in.
But Wei Nian also has expectations for his life and lover.
Wei Nian doesn't want to live his life in a muddle, and this is not wrong; it is human nature.
At this moment, all the knots from past lives have melted away.
Chen Xuan gently held Wei Nian's hand and said softly, "Hold your hand and grow old with you."
Holding Chen Xuan's hand firmly, Wei Nian answered without hesitation, "Grow old together with you."
The author has something to say: ps: The third update is here. I thought I could update it earlier, but the word count exceeded. Good night, everyone~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Qingxian for your long review. I will update more if you comment longer~~~~