Chapter 116: Straw Ring
Kong Nanzhu pecked his forehead gently, happily hugged Qin Qi's neck, and lay on his shoulder, mumbling over and over again, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Do you know that I have been conflicted for a long time because I like you? I thought you only regarded me as a sister, but I had improper thoughts about you."
Could it be that Qin Qi also had such worries and concerns?
Has he ever been troubled and entangled by such a mood?
Kong Nanzhu thought with heartache that they had wasted so much time. She could have guided Qin Qi earlier on what the right kind of love was and how to be good to others, but she didn't have the courage to say it out loud at the time.
Maybe, they could take fewer detours and suffer less.
However, Qin Qi, the stunted sapling, finally grew into a big tree that she could depend on with peace of mind through his unremitting efforts and her patient waiting. Without these painful experiences, perhaps they would not have the happiness they have now.
Despite the twists and turns in the process, she still gets to enjoy the shade of the trees she planted.
They decided to stay at Qin's house and spend a full weekend with Qin Hehai and Shen Jun. Time like this, spent together as a family without conflicts or worries, is extremely precious.
The Qin family courtyard is covered with lush green grape vines. During the summer vacation nights when he was in school, Kong Nanzhu liked to sit under the grape trellis and play flying chess with Qin Qi. The nanny would prepare all kinds of fruits for them, and the sweetness of watermelon was a unique fragrance on summer nights.
The same scene was repeated, and both Kong Nanzhu and Qin Qi found it a little unbelievable.
Kong Nanzhu accompanied Shen Jun in reminiscing about the past. The two talked and laughed, expressing their feelings. Qin Qi watched them silently from the side, and suddenly thought of a question he had discussed with Dr. Han.
He asked Dr. Han what loneliness was.
Dr. Han explained it to him like this, "There are many ways to understand loneliness. When you feel lonely, you are lonely. I can't explain it in detail, but I like a passage written by Lin Yutang. He said that if you split the word loneliness into two parts, you can see children, fruits, puppies, mosquitoes and flies, which are enough to support the entrance of an alley on a midsummer evening, full of human touch. Children, fruits, cats, dogs, flies are certainly lively, but they have nothing to do with you."
At this moment, Qin Qi felt that he was not alone.
His heart was filled very full with the laughter of his lover and family. After Kong Nanzhu picked up a piece of watermelon, half of it would always go into his mouth. In the future, their children would run and play in this yard. Maybe they could also raise a dog so that Shen Jun could walk the dog when he was bored. There were mosquitoes everywhere, and they would need to be driven away with a palm-leaf fan.
"Nannan."
"Um?"
"Thank you for coming into my world."
Faced with Qin Qi's sudden and affectionate confession, Kong Nanzhu pinched him shyly and said, "Why are you saying this without any reason?"
Qin Qi held her hand and said, "I want to live this kind of life with you in the future."
Shen Jun and Qin Hehai smiled and pretended not to hear, and stood up from the recliners tactfully.
Qin Hehai brushed off the dirt on his pants and said, "I'm going back to the study to watch the news."
Shen Jun stretched and said, "I'm a little tired after talking so much. I'll go back to my room to rest first. You guys should go to bed early too."
After the parents left, Kong Nanzhu relaxed and threw herself into Qin Qi's arms, feeling the strong beating of his heart in his chest.
"So do I."
Qin Qi's eyes lit up, he patted Kong Nanzhu on the back, motioning her to stand up first.
Kong Nanzhu watched him reach his hand into his trouser pocket, as if he was going to take something out.
Kong Nanzhu was dumbfounded.
They were both wearing home clothes, old clothes that had been left in the room before. She had even just eaten watermelon and grapes, and her hands were sticky and stained with fruit pulp, and she hadn't had time to wash them.
In such a situation, Qin Qi actually knelt on one knee solemnly.
This is not the first time Qin Qi has proposed.
But he was extremely nervous.
The previous hasty proposal had no practical significance at all. Now Qin Qi needed to get Kong Nanzhu's real consent before he could put the ring in the box on her finger.
The worst thing was that he really wasn't sure whether Kong Nanzhu would agree this time.
"I'll admit my mistake first."
"Just admit your mistake, but why are you kneeling on the ground like this? I thought you were proposing to me."
Kong Nanzhu bent down and tried to pull him up, but Qin Qi didn't move. "I'm proposing."
But the next second, what he took out from his pocket was not a diamond ring, but a straw ring.
Kong Nanzhu was amused. "You used a grass ring made of dogtail grass as a ring?"
Qin Qi explained: "I have bought the ring, I really bought it, but I didn't think it would be today, so I didn't bring it with me. This is what I just made up while squatting in the corner. When you go back, you can use this to exchange for any ring you want. You can choose any style and price. Let me finish what I want to say first, okay?"
Kong Nanzhu looked at the straw ring in his palm, which was not exquisitely crafted at all, and his heart was beating fast.
"you say."
Qin Qi's eyes were full of affection. He felt that he was a lucky man. He had experienced despair after being defeated by his own negative emotions. The word "love" was extremely heavy for him, containing a lot of pain and troubles, but he still reached out his hand for help to Kong Nanzhu in the quagmire, hoping that she would save him.
And she held his grimy hand again and again.
With God's blessing, the soft-hearted goddess accepted him again.
He is the lucky one.
"I want to live this kind of life with you in the future. I want to have a family with you. I also want to have a child with you, any number of children is fine. Just now, I felt that this is the life I want."
"All my understanding of love was taught to me bit by bit by you. From the time I was indifferent to the world to the time I knew what happiness, anger, and sadness were, you were always by my side. My joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all originated from you. When I was a child watching movies, I didn't understand why those people cried or laughed. I was eager to explore the meaning behind these expressions. I thought it was very interesting, but after you appeared, I began to understand these emotions."
"Since the day you said you wanted a divorce, I've experienced a new emotion called 'loneliness'. When you left, you took away all my sorrows and joys. I became a walking corpse. I don't know what the meaning of my life is every day. Just now, I saw what my ideal life would be like. At this moment, right now, I really want to ask you, Nannan, are you willing to marry me again?"
Qin Qi picked up the straw ring and looked at Kong Nanzhu devoutly.
Kong Nanzhu didn't know when her tears started flowing. Maybe it was when Qin Qi said he wanted to have a child with her, or when he said that she was the source of all his emotions. She hurriedly reached out her hand.
"I do."
Qin Qi was overjoyed, "You agreed! Are you willing to marry me?"
Kong Nanzhu wiped her tears and said, "Please put it on for me."
Although the ring was sloppily made, it was just the right size for Kong Nanzhu's ring finger. Although it was not as heavy as a diamond ring, its presence could not be ignored.
The stars are shining, lovers are kissing under the grapevines, and the time is quiet and beautiful.
"Can we go get the certificate tomorrow? The household registration booklet is upstairs."
Kong Nanzhu laughed at his impatience, "The Civil Affairs Bureau is closed on weekends."
"Monday then."
"Monday is the 4th, bad counting."
Qin Qi squeezed her hand and said, "Then pick a date quickly. The closer the better."
"Then I have to discuss it with my parents."
"What's there to discuss about getting the marriage certificate? Just let them decide the date for the wedding."
Kong Nanzhu was stunned for a moment, "Are you planning to hold a wedding?"
"Why not? I told you I would definitely give it to you."
The moonlight was chopped , blooming on the cement floor. The stars hid in Kong Nanzhu's eyes. She confirmed again uncertainly, "Are you going to make it public?"
"public."
The summer night breeze ruffled Kong Nanzhu's hair. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet fragrance in the air.
"I'll go with you to visit your uncle and aunt next week."
Next Wednesday is the anniversary of Kong Nanzhu’s parents’ death.
When she thought of her parents, Kong Nanzhu's heart was filled with sadness. Their spirits in heaven would surely be happy for her. She had secured her own happiness. She believed that Qin Qi could become a responsible husband, and their lives would surely get better and better in the future.
Qin Qi was uneasy, "Have you told them how much of a jerk I was to you before?"
Kong Nanzhu sniffed, "I didn't say it, but they must know everything . After we got our marriage certificate for the first time, I went to see them alone. They must know that you treat me badly."
Qin Qi felt extremely guilty, with a bitter feeling rising in his heart. He had actually been so stupid as to do such a hurtful thing just to get angry with Shen Jun. He probably wasn't willing to forgive himself.
Seeing Qin Qi falling into self-blame again, Kong Nanzhu raised his hand with the grass ring to the sky and said, "In fact, there is no need to go to their tombstones, they can definitely see it now.
She held back her tears and said to the brightest star, "Dad, Mom, this bad boy who used to bully me proposed to me with a straw ring. He loves me so much, and I love him too, so I agreed."
