This sumr felt unusually long.
Brother Nan stood in the bathroom, her reflection staring back at her from the mirror—
Because the photos had been taken in advance, there was no need for a formal getup today, so she was wearing her usual clothes, her face still bearing the unhappiness and laziness of being woken up early in the morning. Even the cowlick on her head hung listlessly. But this was just the sort of person she was, suited for casual attire; the more casual, the better she looked—too formal and it would just feel awkward.
As Brother Nan looked at herself in the mirror, her expression turned more and more vacant, the open-mouthed look making her appear not very bright.
I'm gonna get married one day?
How the hell am I gonna get married?
I'm not gonna get married! I'm the Child of Destiny, born to live a carefree life. I'm supposed to be free and easy for my whole life, doing whatever I want...
KNOCK! KNOCK!
An abrupt knocking sound ca.
Brother Nan, caught in her daze, was startled. Her whole body, along with her cowlick, jolted, and the lipstick she was holding almost dropped to the floor. She hurriedly caught it.
"Aren't you ready yet? We'll have to wait in a long line soon."
"Yeah, Brother Nan! What are you doing in there?"
"Brother Lan, open the door!"
"Oh, right, coming." Brother Nan steadied the lipstick, answered first, then muttered under her breath, "What a freaking rush..."
"No swearing."
"Dog ears..."
Brother Nan muttered as she twisted the lipstick open.
When she opened the door again and ca out, she had put on light makeup, successfully making herself look sowhat less attractive. Outside, Zhou Li and Huai Xu stood side by side. A little grey cat that could be squashed with a slap was squatting between their feet and, like the spirit on its back, looked up at her with its head raised.
"Let's go! You're rushing like you're hurrying a corpse to its grave!"
Brother Nan walked out, bumping Zhou Li with her shoulder to express her dissatisfaction.
Walking out the main entrance, the weather was to Zhou Li's liking—cloudy and not too hot, with a breeze that felt refreshing. The roadside trees were beginning to shed their leaves, and passing taxis could stir up several of them.
"Zhou Ni! Carry !"
Zhou Li picked up Lord Dumpling by his feet and whispered, "Lord Dumpling, long ti no see."
"ow!? I just saw you yesterday."
"Speaking on behalf of everyone."
Huai Xu ran excitedly to the side of the road and started hailing a cab, as if she were the one going to get a marriage certificate. Brother Nan ca closer to Zhou Li and nudged him again with her elbow, raising an eyebrow at him.
"So, does Big Brother look good today?"
"You look good..."
Zhou Li scrutinized her seriously for a mont and then paused. "But when we go out to take pictures later, let Qian Qian do your makeup..."
BANG!
Zhou Li stayed silent, rubbing his chest.
Huai Xu, up ahead, turned her head back. A taxi had stopped in front of her, and she called out to them, "Get in the car."
The ride to the Civil Affairs Bureau was a short one.
The street scenes flashing by the window were familiar, as if they had walked this path many tis. For Zhou Li, with his sharp mory, it seed as if every fra from those tis was still perfectly preserved. These images surfaced clearly, then mingled and intertwined, becoming sowhat chaotic.
Were the leaves yellow or green back then?
Was it him walking in front, or Brother Nan?
Were they already very familiar with each other back then?
...
Perhaps all of those things had happened?
Zhou Li thought to himself, continuously pondering, his hand unconsciously kneading Lord Dumpling's belly.
Lord Dumpling lay there watching him.
Brother Nan yawned beside him.
Even though it was still early, a long queue had already ford in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau—it was an auspicious day. Fortunately, due to the population size of Yan City, the line wasn't as exaggerated as in the videos they had seen online.
「Two hours later.」
Zhou Li and Brother Nan walked out, each holding a little booklet in their hands.
Zhou Li had a subtle expression on his face.
Brother Nan's expression was complex.
Seeing this, Huai Xu imdiately joined them, took the booklets out of their hands, and began to inspect them closely.
The photo inside showed Brother Nan and Zhou Li looking a bit more formal than they did now, both in white shirts, with clothes and hair immaculately arranged. These had been taken by Baozi, with Qian Qian responsible for makeup and hair, chosen from dozens of indistinguishable pictures.
It might just have been one of the luckier shots.
"Just this?"
"This is all it takes to get married?"
"Can't you buy it online?"
Huai Xu flipped the little booklets back and forth.
Zhou Li explained to her, "It needs to be entered into the system, so it's legally protected."
"Legally protected?"
"Umm... It's about the sense of ceremony!"
"Oh..."
Huai Xu seed to half-understand and nodded, but she still didn't rush to return the two little booklets to them, continuing to look at them in her hand.
Brother Nan finally lost her sleepiness and said to Zhou Li, "We can post on our Monts now!"
This got a quick response from Zhou Li.
So, both of them made a post on their Monts. After posting, they checked each other's posts.
The caption Zhou Li chose was very common—
To hold your hand, to grow old with you.
What Brother Nan wrote was—
I've always been lucky, but eting you in this bizarre and fantastical world is still the luckiest thing that's happened to .
Zhou Li was very surprised and couldn't help but say to Brother Nan, "That doesn't sound like sothing you would say!"
Brother Nan laughed and asked, "What do you think I would say?"
Zhou Li pondered for a mont, then looked up at the sky, imitating Brother Nan's tone, "Just to be clear, Zhou Li and I are just sworn brothers. Getting married is just to fool others. Even if we have children in the future, it's just playing a role. I'm always your Big Brother..."
"Hahahaha..."
Brother Nan couldn't help but laugh out loud because she really had thought that way before.
Seeing her laugh, Zhou Li laughed too.
Suddenly, Brother Nan's smile vanished. She beca serious, turning to face Zhou Li as if she was about to punch him, but she didn't.
"Mr. Zhou, hello."
Zhou Li was stunned for a mont and instinctively replied, "Miss Li... Young Miss Li... Madam L—"
Damn, she completely stumped .
Zhou Li struggled for a while and finally managed to say, "Big Brother, hello to you too."
Brother Nan's smile returned. She reached out, her arm naturally hooking around his neck. She even had a free hand to pinch the face of Huai Xu, who had transford into the likeness of a female ga character.
On the way back, they didn't take a taxi again.
They walked slowly, adding another layer of mory to this familiar road.
This was a stretch of ti that would not be confused with other mories.
By the ti they got back ho, Zhou Li had already received many comnts and ssages on his phone. He sat on the sofa against the wall, holding two phones, and began to go through the well wishes one by one. Brother Nan and the three demons crowded around him to look.
The Zhou family's WeChat group also beca lively.
Zhu Shuang: Congratulations, congratulations!
Zhu Shuang: My brother finally married Brother Nan!
Zhu Shuang: Wishing you a lifeti of happiness and an early birth of a precious child. I'm getting my seniority in early!
Zhou Li pursed his lips.
Aunt Jiang: Look at you. Your brother's married now, and you don't even have a girlfriend.
Zhou Li, seeing this, typed furiously.
Zhou Li: Xiao Shuang has plenty of female friends. It doesn't matter whether he finds a girlfriend or not. Let's not rush him, okay?
Aunt Jiang: @Zhu Shuang
Aunt Jiang: [Angry expression]
Zhu Shuang: [Dazed expression]
Zhou Li exhaled, then picked up Brother Nan's phone and helped her reply to each one.
Brother Nan rested her chin on his shoulder, gleefully watching him imitate her tone, feeling as though she were typing herself. If there were one or two details that didn't sound like sothing she would say, she would offer her advice, but he wouldn't change it.
After responding, Zhou Li turned his head slightly, and their eyes t.
"Zhou Ni..."
A little paw tugged at his hand.
"What are you looking at?"
"Show Lord Dumpling too..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)