Prologue, Marriage
Mother Chen glanced at her son before sitting down on the sofa and asked, "What are you doing in your room?"
It seems that Chen's mother has never said a single impolite word to her. However, Tang Yi knows that this is merely a reflection of her upbringing
Tang gathered her courage and blushed as she said: "Aunt, I have been with Chen—" Yet she could not bring herself to say the self-deceiving words, "I actually have nothing with Chen."
Chen Shang heard the shouting from downstairs, hurriedly closed the bedside cabinet, stuffed the household registration book into his T-shirt, gently closed the bedroom door, and strolled over, standing at the staircase with a feigned calmness and saying: "Mom, you are back." His hands, tucked into his pockets, were all sweaty.
It is still early. If she is not allowed to have breakfast, then surely she cannot be denied lunch as well. This is not marriage; it is simply a matter of life and death.
The mother of Chen, who was at the forefront, turned back and greeted with a smile: "Miss Tang"
The staff, upon seeing the wedding photos they had prepared, nearly burst out laughing, asking, "Are you getting married or getting divorced?"
The Civil Affairs Bureau is only two streets away from Shanghai University, and she arrived quickly. Tang Yi stood at the entrance of the hall, peering inside, "Are you here for consultation?" She was also quite curious, having heard that both marriage and divorce are processed here, and wondered what it looked like inside.
I haven't finished my meal yet ... ... Don't pull and tug in school ... ... Where to ... ...
Didn’t we say everything that needed to be said last night? You know who I like, so why must you force me to be unhappy?
A has never liked studying since childhood. When sent abroad for education, he expressed his unhappiness. I was at a loss regarding what to do with him, so I had no choice but to let him return
"Is a wedding photo supposed to be taken with both people together?" Tang Yi asked in astonishment
The staff member beside him burst into laughter. Tang Yi crossed his arms and stood outside the door, looking at him with great helplessness
In order to celebrate her birthday, Chen invited some friends to "Jia Shang". A group of over ten people reserved a large private room, where a several-meter-long glass table was piled high with food and drinks. Everyone was eating and singing, creating such a ruckus that she could hardly stand it, so she slipped out for some fresh air. She stood in the corridor, observing various types of foreign wines she had never seen before. Suddenly, the door of the private elevator opened, and a group of people walked out.
She turned her head and glanced; both men and women were dressed in suits, likely staff from "Jia Shang". She paid no attention, while some who saw her were quite surprised
Chen held the umbrella with one hand, lifted her head with the other, and asked with a serious expression: "Do you not want to marry me?"
Just bear with it for a moment; once we obtain the certificate, we will return.
It is good if there is none. Wait here, and if there are any unexpected situations, just honk the horn.
Chen gently tousled her hair and said, "Of course, it's registration." He took out his ID card and proudly showed it to her
I am here to find A Shang, it is his birthday today. Chen's mother's voice sounded very gentle
The two of them left the cafeteria. Chen Shang pushed Tang Yi into the car, and when they reached the school gate, he lowered the car window and asked the security guard on duty: "How do I get to the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
The two individuals arrived at the "Student Registration Office" of Shanghai University to borrow a household registration page. The teacher asked Tang Yi what he needed the household registration page for, but Tang Yi stammered and could not answer. Chen Shang raised an eyebrow and confidently said: "To get married—" Tang Yi quickly interrupted him, forcing a laugh and saying: "Borrowing it, of course, has its uses." The teacher did not ask further questions, handed her the household registration page, and reminded her to return it on time.
The two stood outside in the wind and rain for nearly half an hour. Despite holding an umbrella, their shoulders and pant legs were inevitably damp. Tang Yi was shivering, unsure whether it was from the cold or fear, burying her head in Chen Shang's chest, she sobbed, "I am cold, I want to go back to school"
Chen Shangshang went upstairs and opened the door to his parents' bedroom, rummaging through drawers and cabinets in search of the household registration book. He recalled having seen it when he was younger, along with the marriage certificate, but now he could not find it.
Ah, above!
"Aunt Han, please bring the items in; I will go up and take a look," instructed Mother Chen to Aunt Han, who followed behind, gracefully walking into the house.
Tang felt no joy about the marriage; she resembled a child who had done something wrong, her head hanging low as she followed Chen to the photo studio at the school gate. She was merely a junior student, having just turned twenty-one this year
"Oh, how did you get a year older?" Tang Yi said in surprise as he looked at the date of birth on the ID card.
Tang Yi was unsure whether Chen Shang had been caught red-handed, and felt a cold sweat for him
Tang Yi does not know what to say
"Still ... ... good ... ..." Tang Yi lowered his head, not daring to look at her
What should we do now?" Chen walked out of the civil affairs bureau, dejected.
Mother Chen glanced at her, and in the distance, Chen Shang's voice called out: "Mom!" Mother Chen nodded at her and quickly walked towards her son. Chen Shang did not notice her hiding behind the wine cabinet
But where is the household registration book
Marriage? Tang's expression was neither ecstatic nor astonished, but rather a look of confusion as he gazed at Chen. He took out a napkin to wipe away the remnants of soy milk at the corner of his mouth, and then said slowly, "If I have not lost my memory, you just celebrated your twenty-first birthday yesterday"
At last, having gathered all the necessary documents for marriage, Chen Shangxing hurried to the civil affairs bureau, only to find that the staff had already finished work
Tang Yi poked her round head out, her eyes darting around. Then, she took two steps at once to open the back door, bent down, and squeezed inside. Afraid of being discovered, she half-lay on the back seat, let out a long sigh, and patted her chest, saying: "Hurry up, hurry up." That was truly thrilling; it was no different from being a thief.
The photographer asked them what they wanted to take a photo of, and Tang Yi replied that it was for an ID photo. The photographer then took a two-inch ID photo for each of them.
"This child, Ah Shang, has a somewhat obsessive personality; I do not know whom he takes after," Mother Chen sighed softly
What happened?" Chen Shang walked out and, upon seeing the five large characters "Divorce Registration Office" written on the door, his expression instantly changed from confusion to embarrassment
The two individuals had no choice but to reshoot.
Tang Yi breathed a sigh of relief
"Hurry up and eat," Chen urged her
Chen looked at the two heads nestled together and said with delight, "Not bad, this is what marriage should be like, warm and affectionate." After observing for a while longer, he added, "You are the more beautiful one."
"It seems like it's going to rain," Tang murmured to himself. As the saying goes, morning clouds do not leave the door, while evening clouds travel a thousand miles. The clouds at the horizon are tinged with an oddly red hue
Of course... not. Tang closed her eyes, embracing him with the mindset that whether it was horizontal or vertical, it was all the same. She still could not understand how things had spiraled out of control, her mind in a state of confusion. Seeing his determined expression, it seemed she had no way to retreat.
Forget it, we still need the household registration book, let's not get married.
The French sycamores along the road are lush and green, with pots of purple flower balls stacked from top to bottom, resembling a flowering tree. Clusters of roses in red and yellow intertwine to form a regular geometric pattern. In May, the city above is vibrant with colors, resembling a vivid and expressive ink painting
"The weather is so nice today; it must be an auspicious day," Chen said with a beaming smile.
Chen said irritably: "What are you afraid of? Even the country advocates for the freedom to love and the autonomy of marriage. Are you having second thoughts and no longer want to marry me?"
Mother Chen scrutinized her with an impassive expression, then turned to her assistant and whispered something. The assistant nodded repeatedly and left with the others. In the quiet space, only she and Mother Chen remained, while Tang Yi stood there at a loss, feeling her heart race faster and faster.
"I haven't done anything. Mom, I'm going to change my clothes." Chen dashed back to his room, saw the text message from Tang Yi, grabbed a jacket and hurried out.
Isn't this inappropriate? Let's forget it. Tang Yi tugged at the seatbelt with both hands, refusing to get out of the car no matter how much Chen Shang pulled her.
The staff smiled and said, "You are here to get married, how could you not know this?"
At that time, when handling the procedures for going abroad, I was still a few months away from turning eighteen, so I had to be born a year earlier. Come on, let's go in. The two arrived early, and inside there was only a middle-aged couple signing documents. Chen ran in excitedly and said: "Comrade, we are here to register."
Chen did not care at all, "Let's find a place to eat nearby and come back in the afternoon"
The two individuals arrived at the marriage registration office next door. The staff refused to process their application due to incomplete documents. Chen widened his eyes and said, "Isn't marriage supposed to be very simple? Why do we still need a household registration book?"
Tang swallowed hard and stammered, "No, there isn't..."
What is the necessity of this?
I did not mean to pressure you, I just hope you consider it carefully. Although Chen's mother's words were gentle, her attitude was very firm
"The premise is that I must be able to do it as well," Tang Yi said casually, soaking the fried dough sticks in the steaming soy milk, enjoying them with great relish
"No, this is a significant matter of marriage; how can it be dismissed?" Chen said with a disapproving expression.
No, I want to go back right now
Tang Yi only knew how to nod with "Oh, oh, oh," and could not utter a single word. She had come to "Jia Shang" quite a few times, but had never imagined she would encounter Chen Shang's mother here, and at this moment, she was both surprised and frightened
"It seems we still need to take a photo, don't we?" Chen Shang asked her
The staff opened the household registration book for them to see. It was completely empty, containing nothing at all, just the shell of an empty household registration book
"Very well, follow me." Chen said as he pulled her outside
Chen Shang seemed to have thought of something, his gaze fixed intensely on her, and he whispered: "Steal!"
"I rarely come back, where are you going again?" Chen's mother, seeing him about to go out, spoke with dissatisfaction and patted the seat beside her, "Come here and keep me company for a while."
Chen held her as they walked forward, "Rain is even better. In the future, we can say that our wedding anniversary was a romantic rainy day"
Tang felt embarrassed by his own ignorance and quietly defended himself, saying: "We have never been married, so we do not know..."
Mom, you don't need to worry. I can handle my own matters, can't I think it through? You said you are open-minded. I'm leaving now, and I'll come back in the evening to have dinner with you. " Chen hurriedly ran out, and seeing no one around, whispered towards the dense thicket, " Where are you? Come out quickly.
Today, there is no one at my home, not even Aunt Han. Chen Shang parked the car at the entrance and jumped out of the car.
Tang Yi, who had been waiting in the car and was nearly asleep, was suddenly startled awake by the sound of the automatic door of the Chen family opening. She shivered, jumped out of the car without a word, and quickly hid herself in a bush that was half her height.
How is your study going
Chen anxiously asked, "What happened, what happened?"
This was Tang Yi's second time meeting her, the first being during high school. Tang Yi pressed tightly against the cabinet where the foreign wine was stored, so nervous that she could hardly breathe, "You... hello..." she said, forcing herself to speak.
We need to be the first to obtain the certificate, so let's go queue up early
The staff first checked the two individuals' identification cards, confirming their accuracy, then opened the household registration book stolen by Chen, and with a strange expression, uttered a soft "Oh".
It is quite commemorative, indeed. Chen responded with great conviction, leaving Tang Yi speechless.
"Of course, I have no problem at all; the issue lies with you." Tang Yi readily agreed.
Tang was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe. She couldn't help but recall the scene from last night when she met Chen's mother.
"You don't need to worry about this. Didn't you say that I could ask for any birthday gift I wanted?" Chen Shang urgently sought confirmation across the table
Ah, has A returned? Why has he parked the car here again, sigh! Chen's mother's car is blocked, so she had to get out early. Mentioning her son, her tone inevitably carries a sense of indulgence yet helplessness. She is a woman who appears beautiful and gentle, yet is very decisive and efficient in her actions.
"Will you marry me? Is that something you cannot do?"
Tang grimaced and said, "Let’s go back, everyone has already finished work." She glanced at the overcast sky, where the branches rustled in the howling wind, and huddled her shoulders, saying, "It’s going to rain."