Chapter 115

To prepare for the wedding, Xie Tingyu completed his physical examination and was discharged from the hospital that same day.

The doctors, seeing that he could walk, speak, and possessed a mind that was both clear and logical, could not help but marvel at the miracle.

“Do you really not feel any discomfort anywhere?” the doctor asked.

Despite having suffered severe injuries, Xie Tingyu still felt some lightheadedness, but this small amount of pain was negligible compared to the new life he had gained. One must understand that every minute and second of the past, his heart had been numb with pain, as if he were already in the grave.

He smiled and replied, “None at all.”

Upon returning home, Xie Tingyu noticed that the two babies had visibly filled out. Children seem to grow as if by the wind, looking different with each passing day. These were the children he and his wife had once lost.

As he held Chenchen and Guangguang in his arms, the corners of his lips curled upward involuntarily. However helpless he had felt witnessing his wife’s miscarriage back then, he felt equally satisfied now holding these children. These were the treasures he and his wife had lost and found again—a gift from Heaven to make amends.

Xie Tingyu picked up a baby in each arm and studied them carefully. When he had first left them, Chenchen and Guangguang were as light as feathers, still retaining the frailty of twins. Now, they felt much more substantial.

Despite being apart from him for several months, the babies—who were usually wary of strangers—did not cry. Instead, they sucked their thumbs, blew bubbles, and grinned at him. Knowing how picky the boys usually were about who held them, Xie Tingyu felt his heart swell with warmth.

“Chenchen and Guangguang still remember me,” he said with a smile, feeling deeply content. After all, he had only cared for them for a brief four months.

He assumed they remembered him on their own, unaware that Ye Qingshui had frequently carried the children to his bedside, teaching them to recognize “Papa” every single day. Otherwise, why would these two little ones let him hold them so easily? Their comatose father might not have been able to play with them, but he had been able to sleep beside them.

Qi Guang, suddenly lifted up, blinked in surprise. Once he saw clearly who it was, the child babbled unclearly, “Ba…” His face turned red with effort, spit trailing from his mouth as he called out excitedly, “Ba, Ba!”

The toddler’s tender, clear voice was like the dawn breaking across the sky.

This slurred “Papa” completely stunned Xie Tingyu. He froze on the spot, the muscles in his elbows stiffening as if his heart had been struck by a direct electric current. In that moment, he felt an incredible sense of wonder.

He turned his head mechanically toward his wife. “They can talk now?”

Ye Qingshui gave him a playful, mock-annoyed look. “Yes.” Her mood then turned a bit glum as she added, “But they still won’t call me Mama.”

Xie Tingyu had only looked after the babies for three months, whereas she had cared for them for nine. While she taught them to say “Papa,” she had also taught them “Mama.” Yet, nine months later… the two babies could still only say “Papa.”

Xie Tingyu couldn’t help but laugh. He tapped Qi Guang on the nose. “Mama is sad. Guangguang, hurry and comfort Mama.”

Ye Qingshui glared at the man and briskly began mixing the baby food. “He’s so small, how could he understand what you’re saying?”

Xie Tingyu leaned down and kissed Qi Guang. His eyes shone with a gentleness as deep as the ocean. “Come, say Ma—ma—ma, ma…”

Qi Guang blew a mouthful of bubbles and squeezed his chubby fists. Xie Tingyu laughed helplessly, wiped the drool from his son’s chin, and stopped pushing.

However, just then, the lively eldest son suddenly opened his mouth. “Ma, ma.”

Ye Qingshui, who was still stirring the baby food, felt her hand tremble. She looked at the man in surprise. “What did Chenyang just say?”

Xie Tingyu kissed his eldest son as well, his handsome features alight with a smile. “Chenyang is smart. He learns the moment Papa teaches him.”

Ye Qingshui finished the food and took her eldest into her arms, feeding him with patient, gentle, and meticulous movements, her eyes filled with heavy love.

Time flowed quietly. Above them, the fan blades creaked as they turned. The summer heat was stifling, the cicadas outside grew louder, and the thick scent of flowers floated in the air.

At this moment, Xie Tingyu felt a tranquility he had never known before, like a gentle breeze. Such a simple scene was enough to touch him, leaving him dazed as his once-numb heart softened into a pool of water.

He used his free arm to encircle both his wife and the children. With his sons in his arms and his wife by his side, he leaned over the two children to kiss her.

“Thank you, Shui’er.”

Thank you for giving me these two children, and thank you for giving me a home.

Having gone through so many people and events, and having endured so much hardship, he had far too much to say to her. He had so much joy in his heart that he wanted to share. He watched her quiet face turn a shy, embarrassed red. Both remained silent, yet they understood each other’s hearts perfectly.

It was a wonderful feeling.

Once the two children were coaxed to sleep and placed in their cribs, Xie Tingyu whispered to his wife, “I haven’t ‘turned in my grain tax’ in a long time.”

The man’s raspy, low voice was like the most intoxicating wine—rich and alluring. His smiling eyes burned like a fierce flame, enough to make one’s face turn scarlet. Ye Qingshui buried herself in his embrace, intoxicated and lost to the world.

The young couple was going to hold their makeup wedding. The Xie family had been busy lately, putting in every effort to make it a lively affair.

Although the two already had children, a marriage certificate, and had even held a feast in the countryside years ago, their friends and relatives in the capital had never even had a sip of wedding wine—a lingering regret. In the past, it was a “special era” where extravagance was forbidden, but times had changed.

The state was correcting the chaos of the previous decade. Personal properties that had been confiscated were being inventoried and returned. Grandma Xie had many ancestral properties returned to her, and Wen Zhihua received even more; besides shares in the distillery, she received land and courtyard houses.

Suddenly possessing a large fortune, Grandma Xie declared, “Shui’ya, Grandma is going to give you a grand send-off!”

Since the Xies were public officials, it wasn’t appropriate to be overly ostentatious. However, the Xie family had deep roots; there were ways to be high-profile and ways to be sophisticated while remaining low-key.

For the wedding dress alone, Grandma Xie made several trips to find the descendants of the famous Rui Fu Xiang to commission a traditional Chinese bridal set. Although the country was opening up and Western-style suits and white dresses were becoming popular, Grandma Xie believed in her bones that the traditional phoenix crown and embroidered silks were the most beautiful.

She heard that a custom-made dress would take until next year at the earliest. Besides the expensive fabric, the true value lay in the exquisite craftsmanship and embroidery—fine work takes time. Xie Tingyu would be the first to refuse if the couple had to wait until next year.

Mother Ye said bluntly, “When it’s time for the rain to fall or a mother to marry, you can’t wait! If a custom one won’t work, buy a ready-made one!”

There happened to be a legendary ready-made set. Years ago during the war, a real estate tycoon in Shanghai wanted to marry off his daughter and commissioned a set from Rui Fu Xiang . It took three years to make and was worth a villa in Shanghai at the time. The master tailors couldn’t bear to see their life’s work ruined, so they worked together to preserve it, and it remained as good as new. Times had changed, the tycoon had disappeared, and the final payment was never settled.

After Grandma Xie saw the dress herself, even her sharp and critical eyes couldn’t find a single flaw. Owning several prime courtyard houses in the capital, she sold one and brought the bridal dress and phoenix crown home.

When Ye Qingshui heard the news, she didn’t know whether to be happy about the dress or heartbroken over the sold house.

Her mother-in-law said, “Your Grandma gave it to you, so just accept it. Don’t just see it as a piece of clothing; the history behind it is profound. The tailor who made this, ‘Golden Scissors,’ has passed away, and this was his only bridal masterpiece. The pearls on the crown are real. It might not look like it’s worth a house now, but in the future…”

Wen Zhihua, born into the patriotic bourgeoisie, had been immersed in such culture since childhood. She spoke with great confidence and animation. The hem of the dress was twelve meters long, a sea of red silk with patterns so intricate they were breathtaking. Ye Qingshui lamented that she didn’t have a daughter, otherwise, she would certainly pass it down through the generations.

With the dress settled by Grandma Xie, the banquet was handled by Wen Zhihua. As the deputy manager of the capital’s largest distillery, her connections with restaurants were endless. The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse was one of the most famous venues, typically used for hosting heads of state and not for weddings. However, Wen Zhihua made several trips and managed to secure a hall for them. Its “Imperial Banquet” style and ancient architecture were full of historical charm.

Everything was ready.

Ye Qingshui still had a few final exams at school. The summer cicadas screeched, and the classrooms were stiflingly hot; even the ceiling fans were useless. Basins of water were placed around the room to help cool it down as students patiently checked their papers one last time.

The bell rang, and the proctor collected the exams.

Ye Qingshui pulled out invitations from her bag and handed them to her three roommates. Over the past year of university life, she had been busy and fulfilled—nursing babies, running a sausage factory, and later dealing with her husband’s accident. She hadn’t had time to make many friends, but she was grateful for these three, whose friendship was sincere and strong.

The Xie family was keeping the banquet low-key, sending out fewer than fifty invitations to close family and friends—not even enough to fill five tables. Xie Tingyu took ten, and Ye Qingshui kept three for her roommates.

“I didn’t have time to tell you… once exams are over, come have some wedding wine.”

Pan Lijuan looked up in shock. “Qingshui, you’re getting remarried?”

They hadn’t yet heard that Xie Tingyu had woken up. Seeing the invitation, they assumed she was moving on.

Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but laugh and happily corrected them: “I’m inviting you to the wedding feast for me and Xie Tingyu.”

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