Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

The mist on Monday morning had not yet dissipated, but Pei Ma was already standing under the camphor tree in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The velvet box in her hand was warmed by her body temperature. The household registration book, ID card and photo inside were neatly folded without even a wrinkle on the corners - this was the result of her repeatedly smoothing it out under the desk lamp last night. Even Pei's father said that she "took it more seriously than when she got married herself."

The wind at 7:30 brought a chilly autumn breeze, causing the loose hair at her temples to curl.

She straightened her woolen cardigan and recalled how she had gotten up at five in the morning to try on clothes: the navy blue cheongsam was too formal, and the floral winter skirt was too casual. In the end, she chose a light camel-colored sweater with a magnolia brooch pinned to the collar - this was a gift from Grandma Gu last time, who said, "You have to look festive when meeting important people."

At this moment, the coolness of the brooch seeped through the fabric, making her hot cheeks feel a little more sober.

"You're more active than a newbie."

When Sister Wang drove over, she couldn't help teasing Mother Pei.

She parked the car in the parking space and took out a thermos cup from the car and handed it to me. "Brown sugar ginger tea, freshly brewed. You said you had a cold yesterday."

Mother Pei unscrewed the lid, and the spicy taste of ginger mixed with the sweetness of brown sugar came up, soothing her stomach and warming it.

"Isn't this nervous?"

She looked at the closed door of the Civil Affairs Bureau, with morning dew still on the glass.

"What if...what if we miss the auspicious time?"

"How can I let you miss the auspicious time when I do things?" Sister Wang stuffed a meat bun into her hand.

These words touched Pei Ma's heart, and she smiled and put the bun into her mouth.

The morning light climbed up Sister Wang's temples. The way the two of them stood under the camphor tree was very similar to the scene when they were young, waiting for work to start at the entrance of the textile factory. At that time, Sister Wang always said that she was "worrying about her life" and even remembered how much water to add to the workshop director's teacup. Now her personality has not changed at all.

At exactly eight o'clock, the rolling shutter of the Civil Affairs Bureau rose with a clatter, and the security guard greeted him with a smile: "Good morning, Director Wang. Are you having a good day today?"

"That's right," Sister Wang patted Mother Pei's shoulder and walked in, "I'm going to help my godson with this important event in his life."

Sister Wang’s desk is near the window, and her grandson’s graffiti is pressed under the glass.

She opened a drawer and took out the "Marriage Registration Review and Processing Form" that she had already filled out. Her pen paused on the "Applicant" column. "Here, give me the materials. Let's take it step by step."

Mother Pei handed over the velvet box and rubbed her fingers along the edge of the box.

Sister Wang took out the household registration book first. The registration date on Pei Luonan's page was ten years ago. The boy in the photo had immature eyebrows and eyes, but his current outline could already be seen; as for Gu Fanxing's identity, the girl in the photo smiled with curved eyebrows and the dimples at the corners of her mouth looked like they were filled with honey.

"Look at these two kids, even the photos show they're a good match."

Sister Wang put the photo on the table, and the shoulders of the two people pressed against each other felt warm as if the ice was about to melt.

She suddenly remembered something and pulled out a copy of the "Marriage Registration Work Specifications" from the filing cabinet. "I specifically looked it up. If a party cannot be present for some reason, they can entrust the registration office with their consent. Our situation is considered a 'special reason.'"

Pei Ma's heart had just been half relieved when Sister Wang's next words brought it back to her: "But you have to fill out this 'Power of Attorney' and put your fingerprints on it."

She pushed two forms over and tapped the pen cap lightly on the table. "I recognize Luo Nan's handwriting. I'll imitate you. For the column about stars..."

"I'll do it!" Mother Pei took the pen, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She remembered the way Gu Fanxing wrote notes at Pei's house last time. The tip of the pen paused slightly, and there were some smooth arcs between the strokes.

After writing the three words "Gu Fanxing", she held it up to the sunlight and found that they did bear some resemblance. The joy in her heart was like freshly opened cloudberry jam, so sweet that it was bubbling out.

When pressing the fingerprint, the red ink rubs on the fingertips, like a small red plum blossom.

Sister Wang looked at her cautious look and suddenly laughed out loud: "When you attended the parent-teacher conference for Luo Nan and imitated Pei's father's signature, your hands never shook like this."

"How can it be the same?" Pei's mother continued to say to Sister Wang, "This is a lifelong event for the child, and even a little bit will not do." She looked at the two names side by side on the form, and suddenly felt her eyes hot - from the time when Pei Luonan was eight years old, holding the corner of her clothes and saying "I want to marry the sister who can make cloudberry jam", to now really having to stamp the child with a red seal, it seemed like it was just last night.

The office clock pointed to half past eight, and footsteps gradually sounded in the corridor.

Sister Wang sorted the materials and pinned them into a thick stack with paper clips. "Pei Luonan Gu Fanxing" was written on the cover.

She glanced at the door and lowered her voice: "Xiao Zhang, the photographer, is here. I asked him to wait in the studio. We'll go over there after we're done."

Pei Ma followed behind her, her footsteps as light as if she were stepping on cotton.

When I passed by the divorce registration window, I saw a young couple arguing, their voices were so sharp and piercing.

She subconsciously clenched the velvet box in her hand, muttering silently in her heart: "My Luonan and Fanxing will never quarrel in their lives."

The studio's backdrop was a pale pink cherry blossom. Sister Wang directed, "Stand here and hold up your documents. I'll take a photo for the 'entrusted processing' file."

The moment the shutter was pressed, Pei's mother suddenly remembered the day she got her marriage certificate thirty years ago. She was also standing in front of the camera, so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands.

"Okay, wait for the certificate."

Sister Wang stuffed the photo into the file bag and turned to walk towards the printing room.

As the printer hummed, Pei Ma stared at the closed door, her heart beating like a drum in her chest.

She counted the tiles on the wall, one, two, three... until Sister Wang came out holding two red books, and she forgot to breathe.

The red cover was embossed with gold letters, shining softly in the morning light.

Sister Wang handed one of the certificates over and ran her finger over the words "Marriage Certificate": "Look at the number. The last digit is 520. How auspicious."

Pei's mother's hands trembled slightly as she took the red book. When she opened it, she saw photos of Pei Luonan and Gu Fanxing embedded in a gold-stamped frame, with the words "People's Republic of China" printed next to it.

She suddenly remembered the Rachmaninoff stone necklace around Gu Fanxing's neck. Its color at its warmest was exactly the same as the color of the red book.

"Do you want to call the kids?" Sister Wang handed over a glass of water.

"No need," Pei's mother quickly waved her hand and stuffed the red book into the velvet box. "I'll give them a surprise when I get home tonight."

She imagined her son's face when he saw the red book, and couldn't help laughing out loud. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were filled with unconcealable joy.

The camphor tree leaves cast dappled shadows on the ground. Mother Pei stuffed a bag of wedding candy into Sister Wang's bag. "Take some of the good luck and share it with the children tonight." Sister Wang watched Mother Pei carefully guarding the velvet box and suddenly said, "When they have their wedding, I'll be the witness. I'll make sure you tell me all the embarrassing stories you two had back then."

Mother Pei smiled, hit her, and turned to walk towards the car.

The box in his hand was heavy. It not only contained the red book, but also the expectations of several elderly people and the unspoken feelings of the two young people.

When we left the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sunlight had already dispelled the mist.

In the car, Pei Ma couldn't help but touch the red book in her pocket again and again. The warmth of the cover seeped through the fabric, and it was as warm as holding a small sun in her pocket.

She looked out the window at the street scene passing by, and suddenly remembered what Grandma Gu had said: "Fate is like cloudberry jam, it has to be simmered slowly to be sweet enough."

It seems that now it is time to open the lid of this sweet pot that has been simmering for a long time.

When she got home, she put the red book into the deepest part of the safe, on top of which were Pei Luonan's childhood hair and baby teeth.

She whispered to the safe, "Stinky boy, when the time comes, I'll let you know what 'destiny' means."

At this moment, the sun was shining brightly outside the window, and Pei Ma's face was also smiling like a flower...