The day before Yuan Mian and Hu Guangtong’s wedding, Zhang Su’an received a phone call.
The caller ID showed Fu Tianle. After answering, there was not a single word on the line.
Recently, Zhang Su’an had heard bits and pieces about Fu Tianle’s situation through relatives. He had heard that Fu Tianle had “exiled himself overseas,” that his mental state was extremely poor and that many friends had been unable to contact him. For him to manage to make this call at all must have taken considerable effort.
Zhang Su’an waited for a while. Fu Tianle never spoke. He could only hear Fu Tianle’s breathing, heavy and labored. Though Zhang Su’an was Yuan Mian’s closest friend, he was not so hard hearted as to feel nothing. He sighed and spoke up.
“This is hilarious, man. You’re really putting on a performance now.”
The moment the words fell, he clicked and hung up.
A clean, satisfying blow to Fu Tianle.
Some people were just like this, landing a straight punch carried no psychological burden at all, nor any worry that the other party might collapse and never recover.
Zhang Su’an knew Yuan Mian very well and had some understanding of Fu Tianle too.
After hanging up, he casually opened his social feed. In an instant, his vision was flooded with red, he had seen it.
Yuan Mian and Hu Guangtong had each posted photos of their marriage certificates.
Registering same sex marriage certificates on the mainland was not easy. They had waited and waited, finally managing to obtain the physical certificates just before the wedding. Zhang Su’an opened them and examined them carefully, letting out another soft sigh, this time sincere.
What a perfect match.
Truly a pairing of talent and beauty.
In the red background photos, both men wore white shirts, smiling broadly. Yuan Mian’s eyes curved like crescent moons, his expression light and carefree, something rarely seen in the past few years. Anyone who looked at him would think he was soaked in happiness.
How wonderful.
Zhang Su’an decisively liked the post, then liked Hu Guangtong’s as well. After that, he dared not linger. Tomorrow was the wedding day itself and as Yuan Mian’s family, he had plenty to do. He needed to pack in the afternoon, then head over in the evening to meet up with Yuan Mian.
As he was thinking this, a message from Yuan Mian arrived.
It was not a reminder but an invitation.
After the large public wedding, Yuan Mian invited him to attend a small, private ceremony.
Zhang Su’an had known nothing about this. He was momentarily stunned. “There’s another wedding? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Where is it being held? Is everything arranged?”
“More or less,” Yuan Mian replied. “As for the location, secret. I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
“……”
Playing mysterious with him now, too? Zhang Su’an laughed, sent Yuan Mian two emojis, then jumped up and went back to work.
On the other side, after putting down his phone, Yuan Mian looked out at the courtyard before him and took a deep breath.
The autumn wind was cool, carrying a distinctive scent of grass and trees.
The small wedding would be held indoors, everything already prepared but the courtyard was still a mess, half withered flowers and plants, half churned up soil he had dug himself.
Yuan Mian estimated that he would definitely be complained about tomorrow. After all, even if he dug up all the soil, the yard would not necessarily look good but he no longer planned to plant flowers here in the future. Instead, he would plant vegetables and sweet potatoes together with Hu Guangtong. Since it was going to look bare and ugly for now, there was nothing to be done.
Where exactly was this place?
It was Yuan Mian’s home, the home he had once grown up in.
When the Yuan family declined, the entire property had been sold off by his eldest brother to pay off debts.
A few days ago, Yuan Mian had finally bought it back through an intermediary. The property deed and his marriage certificate had been processed one after the other.
After so many years, he had finally returned to this home and decided to settle here with Hu Guangtong.
After catching his breath, Yuan Mian hoisted the hoe and continued turning the soil. After a few swings, he felt warm and took off his outer coat, leaving only a tight black inner shirt that revealed lean, refined muscles impossible to hide.
An old man nearby frowned and scolded him unhappily. “Can you just strip like that? You’ll catch a cold if you sweat and get hit by the wind! Are you even getting married tomorrow or not?”
Helpless, Yuan Mian put the coat back on. Finding the man too nagging, he soon shooed him back inside.
As for this old man, Yuan Mian had once made a joke of himself because of him.
It had been about a week after he started dating Hu Guangtong. One day, Hu Guangtong said he wanted to take him to learn how to grow vegetables. When they arrived, something urgent came up at the company and Hu Guangtong had no choice but to leave Yuan Mian waiting alone for half an hour.
Yuan Mian loved being active. Seeing an old man appear from who knows where, looking every bit like an experienced old farmer, he took it upon himself to ask the man to teach him for a while.
That turned out to be a disastrously bad move.
The old man was not merely impatient, he was extraordinarily so. His mouth rattled on at lightning speed, scolding nonstop. Yuan Mian was talked at until his head buzzed. When Hu Guangtong finally returned, Yuan Mian immediately clutched his head and complained to him without restraint.
“This little old man may be short but his temper is huge! He lectures nonstop, I feel like my ears have grown calluses!”
Hu Guangtong burst out laughing at this. Yuan Mian asked him why he was laughing but Hu Guangtong just smiled and refused to explain.
Then the little old man wandered back over again, pointing and directing the two of them to fetch tools. Only then did Yuan Mian’s white moonlight fiancé finally introduce him.
“Mianmian, this is my maternal grandfather.”
“……”
Grandpa, then and now also Yuan Mian’s grandpa.
Yuan Mian ushered the small framed grandpa into the house and continued working the land with renewed vigor.
They worked straight through until evening, when the sky was nearly dark.
Suddenly, as if by some unspoken connection, Yuan Mian stopped mid motion, set down the hoe and looked outward. In the glow of the sunset, Hu Guangtong was walking back, carrying packages and vegetables.
As Yuan Mian smiled at Hu Guangtong, Hu Guangtong smiled back at him.
“You did all this by yourself?” Hu Guangtong said. “How are you this amazing?”
Then he asked, “Did I come back too late?”
“No, not late at all,” Yuan Mian replied. He hadn’t felt particularly tired before but the moment he saw Hu Guangtong, he wanted to rest together with him. “There’s plenty of time. We can eat first, dig for another hour after and still make it over there to prepare for the wedding.”
Hu Guangtong’s hands were full, leaving him no free hand to hold Yuan Mian’s but he didn’t seem to spend even a second pondering this problem. Smiling, he simply turned around and bent his knees slightly, offering his back.
“My feet are covered in mud,” Yuan Mian said.
“It’s fine.”
“I’ve gained another pound since yesterday.”
“Try it.”
Hu Guangtong bent a little lower. Seeing this, Yuan Mian didn’t hold back, he launched himself forward in one swift motion and jumped onto Hu Guangtong’s back.
Hu Guangtong’s body dipped slightly as he caught him, steadying him firmly. He weighed him in his arms and made a soft sound.
“Hm.”
Just one syllable but it was more than enough.
Though Yuan Mian had said it first, he still flushed with embarrassed indignation. He poked Hu Guangtong hard in the back of the neck, then lay still against him.
His legs swung lightly in the air.
Hu Guangtong carried him home.
As they passed the old swing set, Hu Guangtong asked, “Why was this pulled out too?”
“There’s a new swing inside. This one was in the way of me planting sweet potatoes.”
That swing held countless memories for Yuan Mian, playing there with his eldest brother as a child and later, when Fu Tianle had confessed to him there as an adult but Yuan Mian was someone who always moved forward. He did not look back.
He simply looped his arms around Hu Guangtong’s neck. “By the way, are you still cooking today?”
“No,” Hu Guangtong said. “Let Grandpa cook.”
Yuan Mian laughed, then asked again, “The rings?”
“They’ve arrived. The names were engraved beautifully, better than I imagined.”
It was strange, really. They were about to get married. Countless complicated ceremonies awaited them ahead. It was Yuan Mian’s first time facing such things yet he felt no nervousness at all.
Being with Hu Guangtong always made him feel safe, as though he had returned home.
And now, he truly was home.
“Hu Guangtong,” Yuan Mian called out.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Just calling your name.”
Hu Guangtong’s soft laughter traveled through the vibration of his body and into Yuan Mian’s, making it impossible to tell whether it was one person laughing or two.
Their silhouettes overlapped, leaning into each other, fitting together perfectly.
They were going home together to eat.
_______
The author has something to say:
There wasn’t much daily life interaction between the leads. There should be a few extra side stories updated later.
In any case, the main story is finished!!
Scattering flowers, scattering flowers, scattering flowers.
Finally finished cooking another pot of rice.
Happily married ~
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Fleurveil
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Why don’t you go and keep him company?Chapter 2 · He opened the door and left without looking backChapter 3 · Why Hu Guangtong of all people?Chapter 4 · Have you broken up with Fu Tianle?Chapter 5 · Hello, I am Yuan Mian’s fiancé.Chapter 6 · You liked Hu Guangtong from the beginningChapter 7 · I want to spend the rest of my life with you.Chapter 8 · Have you seen Yuan Mian recently?Chapter 9 · Yuan Mian has already started talking to someone elseChapter 10 · He wasn’t Yuan Mian’s first love?Chapter 11 · Are you comparable to Hu Guangtong?Chapter 12 · Yuan Mian would certainly love Hu GuangtongChapter 13 · They’re going home together for dinnerChapter 14 · Extra 1Chapter 15 · Extra 2Chapter 16 · Extra 3