Today, for the first time, Xu Qinghe woke up naturally at 5:30 AM. It was the most excited she had ever been in her life. Last night, while chatting with her parents, she had said she was worried she wouldn't be able to get up this morning. After washing up, it was still dark. She grabbed a sticky note and wrote down a few recent feelings. She never kept a diary, so her parents had no clue about her secret crush on Shi Wenli all these years. After writing four or five sticky notes, the sky finally brightened. Her father made her a simple noodle soup with a fried egg—basically plain boiled noodles with a splash of soy sauce. He kept asking, "How is it? Is it good?" She said it was delicious. She didn't mention how great Wenli's cooking was.
When she received Shi Wenli's message telling her to come down, she was touching up her makeup. "Coming," she replied, stuffing her lipstick into her bag. Chi Min and Xu Bingduo waited at the entrance to go downstairs with her. Shi Wenli hadn't expected his parents-in-law to come down, so he opened the car door and got out. When he met the parents last weekend, they each gave him a big red envelope. Now that they were about to get their marriage certificate, he directly changed his address: "Dad, Mom." Xu Bingduo beamed: "Happy wedding! Wish you and Qinghe a blissful and lasting marriage." He and his wife gave the young couple a hug each. It was the first time Shi Wenli had hugged someone other than his sister in years: "Thank you, Mom and Dad." Hearing him call her parents Mom and Dad gave Xu Qinghe a concrete sense that they were about to become husband and wife.
As she got into the car, Xu Qinghe watched her parents in the rearview mirror. The car drove far away, and her parents were still waving. She rolled down the window, braved the cold wind, and stretched out her hand to wave back. When the car turned a corner, she pulled her hand back and closed the window. "What time did you get up?" Xu Qinghe turned to ask him. Shi Wenli was honest: "Six. I woke up earlier than usual." He had finished surgery after ten last night and got home very late, but he still woke up early today. Xu Qinghe wasn't afraid of him laughing at her: "I woke up at 5:30." Just thinking about getting the certificate with him made her wide awake; she couldn't even lull herself back to sleep. She said, "It feels unbelievable. Two weeks ago, I was asking what kind of person you liked so I could keep an eye out. Now, in a blink, you're a married man." Shi Wenli smiled gently. Two weeks ago, he himself hadn't expected it to come so fast. "I met Tao Han in the clinic before, and she said we're both at an age to be parents. At that time, I didn't feel much." Xu Qinghe followed up: "Do you feel it now?" Shi Wenli: "A little. Director Bao gets headaches from helping her son with homework. I thought, you have a bit of a quick temper, so when it comes to our child's homework, I'll handle it." Xu Qinghe laughed. It was rare to hear him admit a flaw in her. But someone with a quick temper teaching homework was indeed prone to high blood pressure. Bao Jing was the head of the OB/GYN department, already overwhelmed with work. Coming home to a son who couldn't understand his homework was bound to be frustrating.
Since they were talking about children, she asked, "When do you plan to have children?" So far, they had only kissed and done nothing overly intimate, so discussing such topics easily made her blush. Even as a doctor, she shouldn't feel ashamed of such things, but in front of the person she liked, she couldn't be as calm as in a lecture. Shi Wenli was looking at the road ahead but glanced at her sideways before answering, "I haven't thought about it yet." He could be ready for a child anytime; he didn't smoke or drink, so no need to prepare in advance. But now was too early. After the Spring Festival, she would need to catch up on surgical volume and focus on her promotion. Moreover, their relationship wasn't there yet. "I plan to have children when our relationship is better. But it depends on you. You can be earlier or later if you want." Xu Qinghe said, "I feel the same way." She wanted to wait until Shi Wenli fell in love with her before preparing for a child. But love—maybe it could never happen in a lifetime. Or maybe it could happen in an instant. "By the time of the wedding," she paused slightly, "we should both be in love with each other, right?" "We should be." The car was unusually quiet. Shi Wenli focused on driving. Xu Qinghe looked at him from the side. Today he was wearing a white shirt and black trousers; it was the second time she had seen him in formal wear. For some reason, when he said 'we should be,' she believed it. Perhaps because he was so serious about nurturing their relationship. Their daily kisses gave them a different feeling from when they first got together.
No longer discussing whether they would fall in love, she prepared to tell him about moving to his place today. Maybe because they had talked about children, cohabitation didn't seem as hard to mention now. "We'll have a simple celebration at noon, and I'll move over in the afternoon. I've packed everything." Shi Wenli asked, "How much is there?" Xu Qinghe: "... Twenty packing bags and six suitcases." That was only half of her wardrobe. She'd leave the rest for when she came home. "Your rental can't fit that much. I'll just bring two bags for now." Shi Wenli smiled. "It really can't. Keep only what you'll need for the next few days; send the rest directly to the new house." Xu Qinghe asked, "Send it to the new house today?" "Yes, since we're both off. The next time we'll be off is the housewarming." Xu Qinghe nodded. "Alright, I'll tell my dad." After Xu Bingduo received the message: [Dad will handle it. You two just celebrate getting the certificate.]
As they approached the marriage registration office, Xu Qinghe opened her album to find their ID photo. She and Shi Wenli had taken the photo at a photography studio two days ago, saving a lot of time today. Apart from the group photo at Shi Miao's wedding, this was the first solo photo of the two of them. When it was time to go public, she planned to post this ID photo. Before getting out of the car, Xu Qinghe checked all the hospital work groups and casual groups to confirm no colleague was getting a certificate today before stepping out. Last month, two colleagues ran into each other at the registration hall and exchanged wedding candies. Seeing her so cautious, Shi Wenli said, "No need to worry. Shi Miao checked; no one we know is getting a certificate today." After getting out, Shi Wenli reached out to hold her hand. They walked up the steps. After just a few steps, a voice came from behind: "Director Shi?" Xu Qinghe: "..." The voice was unfamiliar, not any surgeon she knew. Was it from internal medicine? Or the lab? She didn't dare turn around. Shi Wenli turned. The person calling him had already hurried up the steps. The person said, "I thought I was mistaken. I didn't expect you to be getting your certificate today too. I haven't seen you at the court for over a year." They were badminton buddies and would play a few games when they met. Over time, they became familiar but not close. Shi Wenli said, "I was abroad for a year of training. Just came back not long ago." "No wonder." The person congratulated him and Xu Qinghe, and couldn't hide his excitement, "I'm getting my certificate today too, the first one. I was so excited I left my car keys there." After mutual congratulations and a promise to play together next time, the person took two steps at a time and quickly entered the registration hall. Once he was far away, Xu Qinghe said, "That scared me. I thought it was a hospital colleague. I had already mentally prepared myself for Dean Jiang's meeting photos to be turned into failed matchmaking memes." Shi Wenli joked, "Jiang Yang might be the first to make those memes." Xu Qinghe laughed.
The certificate process was much simpler than Xu Qinghe had imagined. When signing her name, she wrote each stroke carefully. After signing, she turned to look at Shi Wenli. His usual signature was a flamboyant scrawl that only those familiar with him could recognize as "Shi Wenli." Today, he signed in beautiful regular script. The man was like his writing. After he finished, she took out her phone and snapped a picture. Unable to share the joy of getting the certificate, she posted only a cropped picture of those three characters on her Moments with the caption: [The first time I've seen Director Shi write his name in regular script.] The first like came from Song Xintan. Song Xintan: [Been waiting but didn't see you post your marriage certificate. Planning to keep it secret?] Xu Qinghe: [Yeah. I'll go public after I complete the surgery volume in other departments.] Song Xintan: [With your temper that can choke up the hospital leadership, Shi Wenli must have needed a lot of courage to get the certificate with you.] Xu Qinghe: "..." Song Xintan: [I used to say, as a man's understanding of men, he doesn't love you. Now I realize, what he has for you is true love. Isn't tying an unpredictable bomb to himself true love?] Xu Qinghe: "..." Xu Qinghe: [He knows what kind of person I am. I'm not an unpredictable bomb to him.] As she got into the car, she turned to Shi Wenli and jokingly said, "My friend said someone like me—it's commendable that you got the certificate with me. It must be true love." Shi Wenli smiled and said, "Didn't you tell your friend that we've always gotten along well? No courage needed." "I did." Xu Qinghe added, "I've told him before that you're good to me." With that, she took a chocolate bar from her bag, broke it, and handed him half. "Taste our own wedding candy." Shi Wenli took the chocolate and put it in his mouth. Then he opened the center console; he had also prepared some chocolates and gave them all to her. "Put them in your bag and eat them slowly." He started the engine and turned the car toward home. Since she didn't want to eat out, he planned to make her Western cuisine for lunch.
Xu Qinghe exited Moments. Her colleagues were busy now and didn't have time to check their phones, so not many had liked the post. The morning rush was over; there was no traffic on the way home, faster than coming. Returning to the rental now gave her a sense of home. She had been busy packing this week and hadn't come here. She didn't expect that just a few days away, the place looked brand new—the living room sofa had been rearranged, and more houseplants had been added. It felt like a new home. Shi Wenli took off his coat. When he came out of the bedroom, he was holding a document folder. He opened it on the dining table and said, "These are some important household items." There were many miscellaneous items, and he told her about each one. Among them were two savings cards; one was the salary card issued by the hospital. Shi Wenli told her the password for the card: "The card is basically just for show now. From now on, every month when the salary comes in, I'll transfer the whole amount to you and keep the change for myself." He didn't have much to spend on; the change was used to treat his team to meals, and the rest to buy her shoes. He pointed to the other card: "This one has the research bonuses. I'll transfer it to you each time too. You can invest it or save it, whatever you like." Xu Qinghe mentioned her own situation: "My current salary isn't high. I have almost no savings. I spend every month." Shi Wenli smiled. "I know. Not only do you spend it all, but your parents also subsidize you every month." "..." Xu Qinghe laughed. When they were just colleagues, she had told him about this. Knowing she was light in the pocket, when she once offered to treat him, he chose a hotpot restaurant at the entrance of the neighborhood and said he would wait until she became a chief physician and was rich before treating him to something expensive. Shi Wenli closed the folder and handed it to her. "From now on, don't take money from Mom and Dad. I make enough for you to spend." He rolled up his shirt sleeves. "You can watch a movie or browse your phone. I'm going to prepare ingredients in the kitchen and make you Western cuisine for lunch." Xu Qinghe took the folder generously and sat down at the dining table. Until this moment, it still felt unreal. They were now husband and wife. From now on, everything would be legitimate. She no longer needed to constantly mind boundaries. Before, when she sent him a message, her first thought was: Is he busy right now? Will I disturb him? No need anymore. She could send messages whenever she wanted and just wait for him to reply when he was free. If she ever encountered something unhappy, she could finally lean on him to soothe her mood. And she no longer had to worry about suddenly hearing that someone was introducing a match to him. She opened her phone and ordered a drink for each person in his team and in her anesthesia group, and also bought various cut fruits to be delivered to the nurse station. At noon, when the neurosurgery team received coffee and fruit, they suspected that Shi Wenli had swapped shifts today to meet the woman's parents or to finalize the engagement. "Today is auspicious for marriage and engagement," someone said while checking the almanac while drinking coffee. Ding Qihang: "... It can't be that fast, can it?" "Hard to say. Didn't Shi Miao have a whirlwind marriage?" "Plus, when does Director Shi just swap shifts with anyone?" Ding Qihang nodded slowly. He knew Shi Wenli. He hated troubling others and had swapped shifts maybe twice in all these years. If Shi Wenli ever went public with a relationship, how many people in the hospital would be heartbroken. Ding Qihang took a sip of his coffee and opened the list of new trainees coming to neurosurgery after the New Year. Two of them were assigned to their group, under Shi Wenli for training and clinical guidance. Lucky them—arriving just as Director Shi was dating someone from a blind date; they'd have drinks and fruit every day.
At 12:20 PM, Shi Wenli prepared a table full of exquisite Western cuisine. If Xu Qinghe hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that such beautiful plating came from his hands. Shi Wenli found a corkscrew and opened a bottle of red wine he had brought back from abroad. When he went to the winery originally, it was to get a gift for his brother-in-law Min Ting, and he bought two bottles for himself. Back then, he thought a few years later, when he had a girlfriend, he would open them on an anniversary. He never expected to get the certificate so quickly, skipping the dating phase entirely. He poured himself just a little at the bottom and asked her, "How much for you?" She also hadn't drunk alcohol in years, afraid of being called in for an emergency rescue. She pointed to his wine glass, "About the same as yours." Before clinking glasses, she first took a picture of the feast. "This is on par with a Michelin three-star chef." Shi Wenli smiled. "There's still a long way to go." He raised his glass to touch hers, his eyes on her face. "Happy wedding. From now on, whether at home or in the hospital, don't be polite with me. Just order me around as you see fit. Whatever other couples are like, we should be the same." He clinked her glass again. "Let me pick up your packages, wait for you to get off work, help you choose things when you're busy, or make you a bowl of ginger soup when you're not feeling well—these small things, you can always ask me to do." Xu Qinghe paused, then smiled shyly. "And... make the bed every day and hang my clothes to dry." Shi Wenli: "You don't need to do those. I'm used to making the bed; I'm faster than you. You can sleep a few more minutes in the morning." He thought again, "When I'm on night shift and not home, don't worry about the bed being messy. I'll fix it when I get back." Xu Qinghe said, "You make the bed, so I'll hang your clothes." Shi Wenli, though a little embarrassed, said, "...Okay." Xu Qinghe returned the toast. "Happy wedding. I'm especially lucky to become your wife and to live with you for many, many years." Shi Wenli said, "Me too." After the crisp clink of glasses, they both took a sip. Xu Qinghe had always wanted this kind of life: simple yet reassuring. After the meal, Shi Wenli took charge of cleaning up the dishes. Xu Qinghe grabbed her coat and put it on, ready to go home and move her things here. She had taken a look at the bedroom earlier: on the right bedside table were his things, and the left one was empty. There were two pillows on the bed. His pajamas were neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Completely different from when she had stayed here before.