He shuddered, a shudder of ultimate happiness. From the depths of Han Yan's eyes, he saw a truth: this little woman had entrusted her entire life to him. From now on, her joy and happiness would depend on him! How must he protect her and cherish her?!

  "Thank God!" he said, his face serious and solemn, holding her hands tightly. "This is the most precious gift life has given me. For the rest of my life, I will be grateful." His solemn expression affected her, and her face grew serious and earnest as well. In that moment, they both were overwhelmed with a sense of reverence—for the Creator's match, for the fate that had brought them together.

  "Oh," he suddenly realized. "We need to hurry, but before we leave, take a look at your wedding ring."

  He took a small box from his pocket, opened it, and Han Yan saw a dazzling rge diamond ring. The big, brilliant diamond was set amidst numerous smaller diamonds, sparkling in the sunlight. Han Yan was stunned, and the smile faded from her lips. She looked visibly uneasy.

  "You spent so much money," she murmured. "Is this a diamond?"

  "Yes, three carats." She lifted her shes to look at him.

  "You shouldn't have spent so much money," she said. "Diamonds are too precious for me."

  "Diamonds are the perfect match for you," he said, gazing deeply at her. "You are like a diamond—brilliant, translucent, and steadfast." He kissed her again. "Alright! We need to go. Li De must be waiting impatiently in the car."

  "Li De?" She paused for a moment. "Gao Lide! I mentioned him to you before. He will be our wedding witness." He looked around the room. "Have you packed everything? Is the ndlord's bill settled?"

  "Yes," she pointed to the two suitcases by the door. "Everything′s in there; I don′t have much."

  "Good, let's go!" They walked to the door, but he suddenly stopped, turned to her with a serious look, and said, "I hope you won′t mind that the wedding is so simple. I didn′t invite guests; I didn′t notify anyone. I didn′t want to disturb retives and friends. But I hope you don′t think that means I don′t value this wedding. For me, it is solemn, sacred, and thoughtful."

  "I know," she replied softly. "It′s the same for me."

  They went downstairs, and Bai Peiwen carried her two suitcases. Fortunately, the house she rented was fully furnished, so there wasn′t much to move except her clothes. When they reached the ground floor, Gao Lide was already there, smiling as he helped Bai Peiwen pce the suitcases in the trunk. He opened the car door and said with a grin, "Bride, get in quickly! People on the road are staring at you!"

  Two blushes appeared on Han Yan's face, and she instinctively gnced at Gao Lide. It was her first time seeing him—the dark, tall, handsome, and charming young man. In that moment, she would never have imagined that this young man would ter become a stumbling block in her marriage.

  Once she got into the car, Han Yan realized that it was Gao Lide who was driving. After the car started, Bai Peiwen suddenly excimed, "How careless of me; I forgot to introduce you!"

  "Forget it, Pei Wen." Gao Lide turned around and fshed a pyful smile at Han Yan. "I think we′ve already met, haven′t we, Miss Zhang? Remember, I might be the st one to call you Miss Zhang!"

  Han Yan lowered her head even more, her shyness spreading across her face, radiating from her eyes and eyebrows, and covering her entire cheek.

  At the courthouse, Accountant Zhang was already waiting. When he saw Bai Peiwen and Han Yan, he walked over with a smile, bowing to congratute them. Han Yan then realized that he was the other witness. She wondered why Pei Wen had chosen accountant Zhang instead of manager Zhao, probably because Zhang was an old-timer at the factory.

  It was a modest little wedding. Apart from the bride and groom, the two witnesses, and the judge and clerk from the courthouse, there were no other guests. The ceremony took pce in a quiet, solemn, and respectful atmosphere. When the officiant finally decred the ceremony complete, the newlyweds looked at each other, both feeling a sense of dreamlike disorientation. Han Yan′s eyes were moist, while Pei Wen′s gaze, filled with infinite affection and obsession, lingered on her face. He gently said, "You are finally mine, Han Yan."

  After saying this, he didn′t care whether the judge had left or if Accountant Zhang and Gao Lide were still standing by. He immediately pulled Han Yan into his arms and kissed her deeply on the lips. Han Yan cried out in surprise, trying to push him away, but Gao Lide stood by, cpping and ughing. He walked up, pushed Pei Wen aside, and said with a grin, "According to foreign customs, I am the one who gets to kiss the bride."

  Standing there, his eyes gleamed as he looked at Han Yan. Facing her graceful face, he understood why Pei Wen was so captivated by her. This young bride was as pure as water, as gentle as a dream, as beautiful as the first bloom of spring flowers, and as delicate as a willow swaying in the wind. She was the kind of girl that one might only encounter once in a lifetime—she was something rare, something to be cherished but not sought.

  "Forget it, Li De," Bai Peiwen intervened, taking Han Yan's hand. "We're in China, not following foreign customs."

  "Ha!" Gao Lide ughed happily. "You're really stingy; you can't even spare a kiss for your bride!"

  "I do spare it!" Bai Peiwen ughed too. "She's mine, and no one is allowed to touch her!"

  "Did you hear that, Mrs. Bai?" Gao Lide turned to Han Yan. "You′ve just married a tyrannical husband! Guess what? Before your wedding, he wouldn′t even let me meet you, afraid I'd steal you away!"

  "You're talking nonsense more and more!" Bai Peiwen ughed, tightening his hold on Han Yan. "Don′t listen to him; we should go home now."

  Home! A strange feeling swept over Han Yan′s heart. She still didn′t know what her home would be like. Pei Wen had always kept it a mystery. But she didn′t mind. As long as there was a little house, it would become their haven; she was sure of that. Home! That word she had longed for so much! How desperately she wanted to retreat into it, to rest her weary body and soul from the past nineteen years!

  When they reached the courthouse, Bai Peiwen turned to Accountant Zhang and said, "Go tell everyone at the factory that I got married to Miss Zhang today, and give all the employees a day off to celebrate."

  "Okay, Mr. Bai," Accountant Zhang smiled and turned to leave.

  Gao Lide drove the car over, and they got in. Han Yan was still wearing her wedding dress, holding the bridal bouquet, with that dreamy smile on her face. Bai Peiwen tightly held her small waist, unable to take his eyes off her, filled with endless affection and joy.

  As the car left the city, passing Songzhu Bridge, the autumn wind brought with it the fragrance of pine trees and bamboo. After driving a bit further, both sides of the road were lined with tea gardens. Gao Lide drove the car to the side of the road, stopped, turned off the engine, and then turned to face them. The pyful expression on his face had disappeared, repced by solemnity and composure.

  "Mrs. Bai, look around you. These are the Bai family's tea gardens. In the past five years, he′s doubled the size of the tea gardens. You′ve married a capable husband."

  "Because he has a capable and loyal friend!" Bai Peiwen interrupted with a smile at Gao Lide.