Chapter 10
The days after returning to his hometown went from initial shock and confusion, to anger and opposition from both families, to a tense standoff, and finally to a reluctant, helpless acceptance. At last, things gradually settled into a routine.
Once both sets of parents resigned themselves to the fact that they were becoming grandparents far earlier than expected, they formally met, began preparing the wedding, haggling over every detail and arguing endlessly.
Whether it was pleasant planning or unpleasant negotiations, life finally became busily full. It wasn’t glamorous—more like an old, battered pumpkin carriage—but it still carried him and her, rumbling slowly toward the family life of the adult world.
Ever since leaving S City, Qu Tongqiu hadn’t received any news from Ren Ningyuan. Ren Ningyuan had told him not to initiate contact, to just wait. So he waited obediently. But day after day passed, and his unease only grew. When the wedding date was finally set, he couldn’t help it anymore. He asked Yang Miao to make a call, inform Ren Ningyuan of the wedding arrangements, and casually ask how he’d been lately.
Ren Ningyuan replied briefly with a single “Good,” and then fell silent again. No matter how often Qu Tongqiu waited by the home telephone whenever he had time, not a single call came from Ren Ningyuan.
No matter how good someone was at waiting, they would eventually lose hope. He even began to miss Chu Mo—let alone Ren Ningyuan.
Thinking that he should have had a little more time to spend with Ren Ningyuan, to say a proper goodbye, but had instead withdrawn from school early, filled him with sadness and regret.
But those precious days could never be retrieved. He could only hope that someday, amid Ren Ningyuan’s endless busyness, he might think of him and come to the countryside to see him once.
That morning, Qu Tongqiu got up early as usual, broom in hand, to sweep the fallen leaves from the road in front of the house. After sweeping for a while, through the faint morning mist he saw a figure walking toward him from the far end of the road. Holding the broom, he watched for a moment. He couldn’t make out even the outline clearly, but his heartbeat began to quicken.
“Boss!”
He didn’t hear a reply, and he couldn’t see the person’s face, but he was sure it had to be him. Without thinking, he dropped the broom and ran forward with all his strength.
When he finally reached the person, the eyebrows and eyes, damp with morning mist, came clearly into view. Qu Tongqiu felt his heart pounding wildly. The surprise and longing were beyond words; his throat tightened, his face burning hot.
Ren Ningyuan stopped walking, and he barely managed to stop as well, panting heavily. They stood facing each other for a few seconds. Qu Tongqiu was so happy he almost choked up. He didn’t know where to put his hands. He wanted to reach for Ren Ningyuan, but that felt wrong, so he could only keep his hands at his sides, staring at him eagerly, unable to speak.
Ren Ningyuan didn’t say anything either. Their eyes met, and they looked at each other for a long while.
“Boss.”
“Mm.”
“B-Boss…”
“Mm.”
Qu Tongqiu felt so happy he was on the verge of tears. A warm touch came from above—Ren Ningyuan was patting his head.
Forgetting all about sweeping, Qu Tongqiu happily led Ren Ningyuan back home. He busied himself with introductions, then pulled out a chair for him to sit, and brought out some food to entertain him.
Though his parents were strict with their son, they were simple and warmly hospitable toward a guest who had come from far away. Ren Ningyuan was quiet and polite, sitting there drinking tea, saying little. He only lifted his eyes to look around once, as if taking in the entire house and everyone in it at a glance.
“When is the wedding?”
“In seven days. It’s an auspicious date on the almanac.”
“Most things ready already?”
“Yes…” Qu Tongqiu was shy in the way of someone about to become a grown man.
His mother urged enthusiastically from the side, “A-Qiu, take your classmate to see the new room. See if the setup is okay.” Ren Ningyuan set his cup down and followed him upstairs. In truth, the bridal room was just Qu Tongqiu’s old bedroom, freshly repainted and redecorated.
Deciding to get married so hastily meant there was no way to do anything fancy. At the very least, they couldn’t follow the parents’ old plans—like buying a new apartment in the big city years later, or adding another floor to the family house for the wedding. Fortunately, Yang Miao was very understanding about this.
Qu Tongqiu showed Ren Ningyuan the newly added dressing table and wardrobe in the room, as well as the double bed. The furniture was festive in a proper, conventional way, with red “double happiness” characters pasted on it, and colorful ribbons hanging beneath the ceiling. It really did look like a proper newlywed room.
“It looks okay, right?”
Ren Ningyuan gave a soft “Mm,” glanced around again, and then looked at the bed. The bedding on it was brand new, neatly folded.
“I won’t be sleeping here for the next few days,” Qu Tongqiu explained. “This has to be saved for the wedding night. I’m sleeping in the downstairs room for now.” Then he sat down on the edge of the bed. “This new mattress is really soft. Boss, want to sit and try it?”
Ren Ningyuan glanced at him and sat down as well. Qu Tongqiu even bounced deliberately, letting Ren Ningyuan feel the mattress’s springiness.
The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder on the big bed in the newly decorated room. They didn’t talk much, but even so, Qu Tongqiu felt a sense of peace and quiet joy.
“Boss, you’ll stay here for a few days, right?”
“Mhm. I’ll attend your wedding.”
Qu Tongqiu was so happy he was almost beside himself. “Then later I’ll tidy things up for you. It’s really cool at night if you sleep here.” In a small town like this, no household ever lacked an extra bed for guests.
“No need. I’ll stay at a hotel.”
“Oh…” Qu Tongqiu felt a faint disappointment. “Staying at my place is fine. You don’t need to spend that money…”
Ren Ningyuan smiled. “How are the wedding arrangements going? Have you booked the banquet?”
“We’re planning to hold the feast at home.”
Houses in small towns were spacious, with plenty of room. When the time came, they could borrow the neighbors’ courtyards, rent a dozen or so tables and chairs, several dozen sets of bowls and plates, hire a village chef to take charge of the cooking, have relatives from near and far help buy supplies, prep ingredients, and serve dishes. The wedding banquet would naturally turn out lively and bustling.
Ren Ningyuan frowned slightly as he listened, then said, “You only get married once in a lifetime. That’s too shabby. Make it more grand.”
“Uh, but…”
Holding it at a hotel would certainly be more presentable and convenient, but it cost too much. Both sets of parents weren’t especially enthusiastic about the marriage to begin with, so they were unwilling to pour too much money into it and add to the burden. As long as everything was passable and properly handled, that was enough.
To be honest, his parents had only prepared his tuition fees; they were far from having saved up enough for marriage and starting a family. Just a few days ago he had still been a student, with no real financial ability to speak of. Though he felt a bit apologetic toward Yang Miao, he could only act within his means.
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll cover whatever’s lacking.”
Qu Tongqiu was shocked by such generosity and turned to look at him. Ren Ningyuan’s tone was as calm as ever. “That’s only right. I can’t let you call me ‘boss’ all these years for nothing.”
It felt almost unbelievable, yet when Ren Ningyuan spoke, his words seemed to carry a kind of magic. Without realizing it, everyone followed his line of thinking, and even the elders were, as if hypnotized, persuaded by him.
Thus, things that had previously been undecided were quickly settled one by one. They began booking banquet tables at the hotel and further arranging the wedding schedule. Whenever a decision needed to be made, everyone wanted to ask the opinion of this unfamiliar young man, because he had taste, insight, and thorough consideration; his every move carried authority.
Without anyone noticing, Ren Ningyuan had become the de facto host of the wedding.
According to custom, the bride and groom weren’t supposed to see each other during this period. The bride stayed at her parents’ home, and most matters were handled by the groom’s side. Qu Tongqiu therefore spent his days closely following Ren Ningyuan, who was in charge of the overall situation.
In their spare moments from wedding preparations, he took Ren Ningyuan to sample local snacks, bought freshly picked fruit and peeled it for him, showed him around the scenery, wove leaves into a hat to shade him from the sun, and fanned him with banana leaves.
After knowing him for so long, even though Ren Ningyuan rarely showed emotion, Qu Tongqiu could already distinguish, beneath that faint expression, happiness from displeasure, interest from impatience.
During this time together, Ren Ningyuan’s mood was mostly good. Sensing this, Qu Tongqiu felt indescribably happy and content.
Being together day after day like this—getting along peacefully and naturally as they had at school, calling him “boss,” following at his side—it was just like what Qu Tongqiu had once dreamed of, as if those unexpectedly missing days had all been made up for.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the night before the wedding. Thinking about the ceremony the next day—like a rite of passage into adulthood—Qu Tongqiu became restless with nerves, just like any groom with pre-wedding jitters.
After helping finish the last bits of preparation, Ren Ningyuan had some snacks at his house, then got up to return to the hotel to rest.
Qu Tongqiu walked him to the gate, then followed him a bit farther, finally unable to hold back. “Boss, why don’t you stay at my place tonight?”
“Hm?” Ren Ningyuan turned to look at him.
“Where we’re from, the night before the wedding you’re supposed to ‘warm the room.’ The bed in the new room is very clean and really big. We can sleep together…”
Ren Ningyuan coughed lightly and smiled as he shook his head. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. Wouldn’t your cousin be more suitable?”
The moment Qu Tongqiu spoke, his nose turned sour. “Boss, you’re leaving tomorrow. After that, I won’t get to see you anymore.”
Ren Ningyuan didn’t respond. He stood in front of him for quite a while before saying, “Let’s go.”
Other than the groom, it was customary for a younger relative to accompany the warming of the room. Having a stranger instead was somewhat against tradition. But as long as he was with Ren Ningyuan, Qu Tongqiu was happy.
The two lay on the wide new bed. The mattress was indeed as soft and comfortable as Qu Tongqiu had imagined, yet for some reason, lying there with eyes open, he just couldn’t fall asleep.
He had hoped they could talk more on this last night before parting, but Ren Ningyuan showed no inclination to chat, turning his back to him as if he had already fallen asleep early.
By the faint light of the streetlamp outside, Qu Tongqiu looked at his back. Unable to bear the thought of parting, his heart felt heavy. He couldn’t help inching closer, little by little.
Once they were pressed together, he didn’t know what to do, nor did he dare do anything. He could only turn over and press his own back against Ren Ningyuan’s. Feeling that warm, solid presence, he finally drifted off to sleep.
When he woke groggily, it was still before dawn. Qu Tongqiu discovered that he had once again burrowed into Ren Ningyuan’s arms, clinging to him like an octopus.
Ren Ningyuan didn’t seem to be awake yet, his breathing steady, his expression calm.
The surroundings were completely quiet. A faint breeze blew in through the window, gentle and cool. Thinking of how tolerant and gentle Ren Ningyuan was, Qu Tongqiu summoned his courage for the first time in his life. Carefully holding him like this, he thought that at least once in this lifetime, he should be close to the person he admired most. A little nervous, he continued sleeping.
The next day went extremely smoothly and peacefully.
After getting up, Ren Ningyuan didn’t make an issue of Qu Tongqiu’s impolite behavior while asleep. The wedding itself was practically perfect. There were no real difficulties; the bride was picked up on time. Yang Miao looked very beautiful in her wedding attire. The relatives and friends who came to drink the wedding wine were all very supportive. Even the parents, who had initially been displeased, smiled at them under the harmonious, festive atmosphere.
When the banquet was nearly over, the newlyweds went to the hotel entrance to see off guests. Ren Ningyuan also checked out and settled his bill, then said his goodbyes.
“I almost forgot—this is the gift money.”
Qu Tongqiu was startled and tried to refuse. “Boss, there’s no need…”
“It’s what I should give.”
Ren Ningyuan was gentle and polite, but when the red envelope was pressed into his hand, Qu Tongqiu didn’t know why—he vaguely felt as if Ren Ningyuan were drawing a line between them.
“Boss…”
He was still at a loss, a little afraid of what to say, when Ren Ningyuan had already walked away.
A wedding should have been a time of great joy.
Yet thinking of the studies he had given up, and of Ren Ningyuan who had gone far away, he felt an overwhelming sadness.
“Boss!”
Ren Ningyuan didn’t turn back, only lifted his hand and gave a small wave.
