Chapter 441
[Extra]: Obtaining the Marriage Certificate
Both families were very happy about the proposal, but since the two were both in school this year, the date for getting their marriage certificate was postponed.
Although they could get the certificate in another city, their family still wanted to witness such an important day.
So they were forcibly rescheduled for the following year.
There's a perfect day in the twelfth lunar month next year, just in time for my holiday to go home.
And so the date for getting the marriage certificate was set.
A year has passed since Chen Mo proposed.
When we returned home this year, both families were in high spirits. Only after we got the certificate would we feel at ease.
One family felt that such a good son-in-law was hard to find, while the other family felt that such a good daughter-in-law was also hard to find, fearing that she might run away.
The first snow of December this year came at just the right time, falling on the morning that Su Yuqing and Chen Mo went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate.
Su Yuqing stood at the window on the second floor of the Chen family villa, watching the fine snowflakes hit the glass outside. She held the household registration book in her hand, her knuckles turning white.
"Nervous?" Chen Mo walked up from behind and shoved a cup of hot milk into her hand.
Su Yuqing took the sip, nodded obediently, and said, "A little."
"What's there to be nervous about? We've been together for so long, this is just another official confirmation." Chen Mo smiled as he helped her adjust her scarf.
“That’s different…” Su Yuqing muttered softly, “Before we got our marriage certificate, my family kept urging me to get it done, but after we got it, they started urging us to have a child.”
The tips of her ears turned bright red as soon as she uttered the word "child".
Chen Mo's eyes lit up, and he leaned close to her ear and chuckled, "You don't want it? Then I'll do whatever you say, and we'll take precautions from now on."
"Stop it!" Su Yuqing pushed him away, her blush spreading to the roots of her neck. "I'm just worried that during university... well, it might be a little awkward..."
The two were still talking about having a child when Chen Xi downstairs started urging them: "Are you two done yet? Today is a big day, the Civil Affairs Bureau is crowded, and if you go late you'll have to wait in a long line!"
The two hurried downstairs. Chen Xi glanced at Su Yuqing, whose cheeks were still slightly flushed from talking about the child, and nodded with satisfaction: "Qingqing looks great today, rosy and cheerful!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing and Chen Mo couldn't help but give a subconscious, guilty smile.
Before leaving home, Su Yuqing specially wore a bright red woolen coat, which Chen Xi had prepared for her in advance, saying that "you have to wear red when you get your marriage certificate, it's auspicious."
Chen Mo wore a long navy blue coat, and the two of them standing together, one in red and one in blue, looked surprisingly well-matched.
The young couple could have gone together, and then everyone could have a nice meal together when they got back, but Chen Xi insisted on going with them, saying she wanted to take pictures of them in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Chen Miao, who rarely travels far, accompanied his son, saying he had "just in time," but in reality, he turned down all his work to witness the most important moment of his son's life.
When we arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, there was indeed a long queue.
Whether it was the heavens or not, the heavy snow that had been falling just moments before suddenly stopped, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, making the thin layer of snow on the ground sparkle.
Two rows of red lanterns hung at the entrance, adding to the festive atmosphere of the upcoming New Year celebrations.
While queuing, Chen Mo held Su Yuqing's hand the whole time.
Her palms were slightly sweaty, while his hands were dry and warm, enveloping her hands completely in his palms.
There was another young couple next to them who were also getting their marriage certificate. The girl secretly glanced at them several times and whispered to her boyfriend, "Look how loving they are."
Su Yuqing heard this, smiled, and leaned her face against Chen Mo's shoulder.
When it was their turn, the staff handed them two forms.
Su Yuqing sat down to fill out the form. When she got to the "Spouse's Name" section, her pen paused for a moment, then she carefully wrote down the two characters "Chen Mo." Every stroke was written with more care than when she was answering a college entrance exam question.
Chen Mo watched from the side, the corners of his mouth curving into a wider smile.
When taking photos, the two took off their coats, revealing the white shirts they had already put on. The photographer asked them to move closer and closer, so Chen Mo simply put his arm around Su Yuqing's shoulder and pulled her towards him.
Su Yuqing was a little embarrassed by his actions, but she quickly relaxed, tilted her head slightly in his direction, and revealed a sweet smile.
The shutter clicked, freezing this moment in time.
The moment the stamp was applied, Su Yuqing looked down at the photo of the two of them on the red booklet. She suddenly remembered the days when her parents divorced, her father left, and her mother became distant. Every year, the three of them would watch the snow together. Suddenly, she was alone in the yard watching the snow without her parents' company.
Back then, she never imagined that one day she would have such happiness—to be loved openly by someone, to be accepted by an entire family as a matter of course, and to be solemnly certified by a small certificate.
Her eyes felt a little hot, and she quickly blinked to suppress the tears.
Chen Mo took the two marriage certificates, glanced at them, and then solemnly handed one of them to Su Yuqing: "Mrs. Chen, please keep this safe."
Su Yuqing took it, and when her fingertips touched his fingers, she deliberately hooked them slightly, and replied with a smile, "Mr. Chen, you should keep it too."
Chen Xi, standing next to him, snapped a dozen photos with her phone, her eyes red-rimmed, but she said, "Good, good, good, we've finally finished this important business!"
Chen Miao stood behind her, reached out and patted her shoulder, and said in a rare gentle tone, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings."
As they stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sun was shining brightly. Chen Mo suddenly bent down and scooped Su Yuqing up in his arms.
Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd gathered at the entrance, Su Yuqing gasped shyly, buried her head in his chest, and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering, "What are you doing!"
“Carrying the bride home, the old rule,” Chen Mo said matter-of-factly, striding towards the parking lot.
Chen Xi was laughing so hard she couldn't stop, and even Chen Miao, for the first time ever, took out her phone to record a video.
Su Yuqing buried her face in Chen Mo's neck, both shy and sweet, and whispered, "So many people are watching..."
"Let them see." Chen Mo lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his voice filled with undisguised smugness. "We're a legally married couple, what's there to be afraid of seeing?"
That evening, the Chen family hosted a small family dinner to celebrate the couple's official marriage registration.
Li Fengzhi and Li Gang also arrived. Li Fengzhi took their marriage certificate and looked at it again and again, her eyes crinkling with smiles.
She held Su Yuqing's hand, wanting to say something, but after her lips moved, she only managed to utter four words: "Okay, okay... really good."
Su Yuqing held her mother's hand tightly and, together with Chen Mo, softly called out "Mom." Li Fengzhi's tears welled up instantly, and she quickly turned her face away to wipe them.
Li Mingyu jumped around the dinner table, holding up a juice bottle and insisting on toasting: "Wishing my sister and brother-in-law a baby soon!"
Ever since this kid learned these auspicious phrases during the Lunar New Year, he's wanted to say them at every single meal.
He amused everyone at the table, and Chen Xi kept piling food into his bowl, clearly delighted.
A whole round table was filled with home-style dishes, and steaming hot vapors rose gently under the warm yellow light.
Su Yuqing sat next to Chen Mo, looking at the familiar and kind faces on the table—her mother-in-law Chen Xi's smiling face, her father-in-law Chen Miao's rarely relaxed expression, the look of relief in her mother's eyes, her stepfather's honest concern, her younger brother's cheerful noise, and the warm hand that had been resting on her waist the whole time.
She glanced down at the ring on her ring finger, the diamond ring that had been solemnly placed on her finger at the top of Juyuan Mountain, shimmering gently under the light.
After dinner, Chen Mo pulled Su Yuqing back to their private space—a completely separate space on the third floor of the Chen family villa.
After graduating from high school, Chen Xi transferred the villa to Chen Mo, so that the two of them could live there from now on.
Initially, Su Yuqing entered the Chen family's small house, which was used for Chen Mo's schooling, as a temporary guest. Now, she has become the de facto mistress of this large villa. (End of Chapter)