February 9th was Chinese New Year’s Eve in 2024. Qin Shui bought gift boxes in advance and managed to grab discounted high-speed rail tickets for January 27th to go home for the festival.
Since the two places were very close, the high-speed rail took only half an hour to reach the neighboring city. She got weekday tickets, Qin Sheng had to work, so she packed her luggage simply and took the subway directly to the station.
Originally, they planned to stay home for the New Year, but Qin Shui hadn’t seen her parents for the entire year, and they kept asking. She had no choice but to return. Qin Sheng took the chance of the holiday season to buy a 10-gram gold bracelet for his future mother-in-law as a first-meeting gift, and two bottles of Maotai and three cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes for Qin Shui’s dad.
He wanted Qin Shui to bring them home, but she felt the items were expensive, and with the Spring Festival rush being crowded, it wasn’t safe to travel with them. Moreover, she preferred that Qin Sheng give the gifts when he met them in person, otherwise he’d need to buy again when that time came.
Once Qin Shui left, the home instantly felt cold and empty, something Qin Sheng wasn’t used to.
There was a landmark shopping mall near the neighborhood. After work, he went to walk around. Inside, many jewelry counters were gathered together. Qin Sheng looked through every shop that sold diamond rings and picked out a few styles suitable for Qin Shui.
The salesgirl enthusiastically added him on corporate WeChat, saying their store offered inner-ring engraving. It was at that moment that he suddenly realized both of their initials were QS.
Qin Sheng didn’t hesitate much and chose a big diamond costing more than thirty thousand. It wasn’t cheap. He had deliberately saved three months of salary and kept it on another card to avoid transaction notifications being seen from the salary card linked to Qin Shui.
The salesperson treated him warmly. Business was difficult nowadays, fewer young people married, and even fewer salaried workers were willing to spend a lot on diamond rings. Qin Sheng paid decisively, tall and handsome, and everyone wanted to grab this commission.
While he leaned by the counter waiting for the engraving and boxing, another salesgirl brought a photo book, gifts, and invoices to introduce their proposal ceremony setup service.
Qin Sheng knew Qin Shui was low-key. Although she couldn’t hear clearly and refused to speak, she liked her quiet world and didn’t like being watched or being the center of attention.
So he declined. The salesperson instead took out a pair of key-shaped necklaces as a complimentary gift.
Just as he carried the diamond ring out, his father called at the perfect moment.
Qin Sheng answered with his ear and shoulder pinching the phone, shifting everything to his left hand, asking, “I’m busy, what is it?”
Qin Jianmin opened with a bombardment of questions: “You said you’re getting married? What do you mean? Who are you planning to marry? Don’t you dare drag some random woman back just to make do!”
Qin Sheng replied quickly, “I’m just informing you. You don’t care about anything else anyway, why bother asking?”
He took the escalator to the B2 parking level. Hearing this, Qin Jianmin got angrier, “At least bring her back for me to see! Am I not your dad? Do you still consider me your dad?”
“If I bring her back and you’re not satisfied, then what? I’m not asking you for money or help. What’re you worried about?”
Qin Jianmin said, “Have you told your mother?”
Qin Sheng took out his car key, sat in the driver’s seat, neatly placed the ring and gifts on the passenger seat, and casually replied, “I told you both. I sent it in the group chat.”
“She agreed?”
“She didn’t reply. I can’t get her by phone either. Isn’t the line busy with you now?”
He heard the crisp sound of a lighter on the other end, followed by an exhale of smoke. After a pause, realizing force wouldn’t work, Qin Jianmin tried speaking calmly.
“Qin Sheng, you know where I live, right? If you’ve truly thought things through and believe the girl is good, then why? Why can’t you spare twenty minutes to bring her for me to see?”
“In the end, dating is still my business.” He stared blankly ahead in the garage. “Even if I bring her to you, you wouldn’t like the outcome.”
Qin Jianmin nearly exploded, “Am I the kind of father who wishes you remain single forever?”
Qin Sheng cut in, “Qin Shui is deaf.”
“……”
The call instantly went silent; even the breathing and smoke sounds vanished. Just when Qin Sheng thought the call dropped, Qin Jianmin suddenly hung up.
Expected. No surprise. Qin Sheng knew his parents always wanted the best son with the least effort and least care. Even though his mother lived 2100 kilometers away in Zhuhai and called once every six months, she still believed her “bargain son” was a dragon among men, worthy of marrying a billionaire’s daughter.
Because she gave birth to him.
Qin Sheng knew his father was the same.
He felt that Qin Shui was only deaf, not mute. She simply didn’t like to speak. After saying the truth, Qin Sheng felt relieved. He put his phone away and drove to a nearby restaurant for meat buns.
At 7:10 pm, Qin Sheng returned home with his things. As he stepped off the elevator and turned the corner, he saw Qin Jianmin squatting at the door without turning on the sensor light, which startled him.
“What’re you doing here?”
“I thought you were home. I’ve been waiting over half an hour.” Qin Jianmin followed him inside, noticing Qin Sheng took out a pair of cartoon dog slippers for him.
“If you came to persuade me not to marry,” Qin Sheng patted the gift box on the shoe cabinet, “save it. The ring’s bought. This marriage I’ll pursue no matter what.”
Qin Jianmin took out the ring box, walked into the living room and glanced around, realizing Qin Sheng clearly no longer lived alone. He sat on the sofa, opened the ring box with a small light—inside was a snowflake-shaped twisted band ring, the diamond three times larger than the one he used when proposing to his ex-wife.
Qin Sheng poured him a glass of water and went straight to the point, “Say what you want to say, then go. I need to work tomorrow.”
Qin Jianmin asked, “What’re you thinking? You found a deaf girl. Can you do sign language? How will you communicate later? How will the elders communicate with her? And what if the child inherits it?”
“First, I can do sign language. Daily communication is no problem. Second, how many times did you see me last year? You don’t communicate with your own son, so what communication do you want with a daughter-in-law?”
He took the ring back and returned it to the gift box.
“With your attitude, how can Dad have the chance to communicate with you? Have you given us patience or time?” Qin Jianmin became emotional. “I live in the same city! Can you guarantee you’ll never bring your wife and kids to see me?”
Qin Sheng gestured for him to stop. “Also, Qin Shui became deaf due to wrong medication in childhood. It’s acquired. She can speak. It won’t be inherited.”
Hearing that, Qin Jianmin finally relaxed. He emptied the glass in one gulp. “Tell me the basic situation.”
“What’s there to say? She’s an only child, has a happy family, and her education’s better than mine. Whether her family will like a mechanic like me is another matter. You two are worrying too much.”
On the TV wall near the balcony hung several Polaroid pictures of Qin Sheng and Qin Shui. Qin Jianmin took out reading glasses to look. The date printed was October 2023. They went to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the museum.
Qin Shui was two or three shades fairer than Qin Sheng, holding his neck, face pressed close to his, looking at the camera. Qin Jianmin admitted she was beautiful, gentle, and matched Qin Sheng well, only pity she wasn’t physically perfect. No parent wishes their child to marry someone imperfect.
His ex-wife, Hu Lifan, video-called. While Qin Jianmin examined the photos, he heard Qin Sheng repeating everything he said earlier, and heard Hu Lifan crying.
At the sound of her tears, Qin Jianmin suddenly felt rebellious. He didn’t understand why that woman was crying. The hospital gave the wrong medicine, not the girl’s fault. Even if Qin Sheng really married her, it wasn’t that bad. Was crying necessary?
“What’re you crying for?” He walked over irritably, lifted the phone to show himself. “You rarely care about your son, now something good happens and you cry? Bad luck!”
“……”
Qin Sheng looked back at him, surprised. Father and son, unexpectedly standing on the same side. On-screen, Hu Lifan’s current husband and younger son comforted her.
Qin Sheng simply handed the phone to Qin Jianmin. With glasses on, his father shouted toward the screen, “I’ve seen the girl! She’s very pretty! No different from a healthy person. Her parents might even look down on you for being from a single-parent family!”
“She can’t even hear and they’d still dislike us?” Hu Lifan’s Guangzhou-accented Mandarin retorted loudly, “So what if it’s a single-parent family? Our son is handsome, has a house, a car, and savings. I don’t want him marrying a deaf girl!”
“……”
“Mom, if you’re not satisfied, then don’t acknowledge me anymore. Your son isn’t as good as you imagine. Just run your current family well. You don’t even need to come back for the wedding. My dad and I can handle it ourselves.”
Hu Lifan’s tears still wouldn’t stop. “Baby, Mom truly has your best interests at heart. Who doesn’t get carried away by love when they’re getting married? When you regret it later, it’ll be too late, and you’ll also ruin the girl’s future.”
“Just because your marriage with my dad wasn’t happy, does that mean mine is doomed to fail too?”
He snatched the phone and asked, “Mom, what do you take me for? In these fifteen years, have I ever asked you for anything even once? If you think I owe you, I can return every cent you and my dad sent me over the years. You already have a family to rely on, you won’t worry about old age. Then neither of us will owe the other anything.”
Off camera, Qin Jianmin waved for him to say less. Hearing him lay down such harsh words, Hu Lifan’s sobbing slowed, then she flared up angrily. “Your wife hasn’t even married into the family yet, and you’re already threatening to break ties with your own mother. How could we possibly agree to marry in a girl like that? How would we dare?”
“I love Qin Shui. I want to marry her. Otherwise, I’d rather die.”
Qin Jianmin reached out and slapped his mouth, stomping his foot as he scolded Hu Lifan. “Don’t call my son anymore in the future. The court clearly awarded him to his father. I have the final say. Goodbye!”
He decisively hung up the call and tossed the phone back to Qin Sheng.
“……”
It was quite a spectacle. Qin Shui’s photos, combined with his father’s stubborn temper, had directly shut his mother down.
Qin Jianmin lectured him, “Why waste words on your mother? Just message her directly and tell her to buy the five gold wedding pieces for your wife and mail them over. She doesn’t even need to come back.”
Qin Sheng said, “There’s no need for those ornaments. I’ll buy everything for Qin Shui myself. The more gifts you accept, the harder things are to sort out later.”
“Is something wrong with your head?”
Qin Jianmin cursed, “How could it be missing her share as the birth mother? Your uncle’s nephew is also from a single-parent family. His parents didn’t see each other for over ten years, yet when he married, both parents still prepared the bride price, gold jewelry, and the car together. What’s unclear about that? I think you’re the one who’s confused!”
Qin Sheng lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile and sprawled onto the sofa. He had long arms and legs, crowding Qin Jianmin to the side.
“Why the sudden change of attitude? Is it because you think my wife is pretty and you softened?”
Qin Jianmin said, “Seeing your mother’s over-the-top behavior annoys me. Even if the girl has a flaw, is it really necessary to cry and make a scene like that? Back when we divorced, it was also——”
“Alright, alright.” Qin Sheng cut him off. “Qin Shui and I probably won’t make a big fuss over the wedding. We’ll just invite relatives and friends for a meal, then travel for our honeymoon. Don’t let my mom come then, so she won’t bully Qin Shui.”
Qin Jianmin replied with a casual “whatever” and pulled out his phone to look at it. Qin Sheng took the chance to message Qin Shui, asking if she’d eaten, if she’d showered, telling her to send more photos or else he’d miss her so much it would itch.
He pulled up Qin Shui’s photos and showed them to Qin Jianmin, unable to hide his pride. “Look. Satisfied or not? She’s prettier in person than in photos, and her personality is perfect. Your son has never loved a woman like this in his life.”
“I can’t tell beauty from ugliness. As long as she has eyes and a nose, that’s fine.”
Qin Jianmin took off his reading glasses and said slowly and clearly to Qin Sheng, “I saved money for you to marry a wife a long time ago. Dad’s just an ordinary worker. I didn’t build up much wealth, but I do have five hundred thousand. I’ll give it all to you at once. Don’t think about it anymore after that. When I die someday, that old rundown apartment in the northern suburbs will also be yours. Rent it out or sell it, whatever you want.”
Qin Sheng snorted. “Keep it for yourself. I don’t need your money.”
He turned on the TV. Qin Jianmin grabbed the remote and muted it, scolding him without mercy. “Stop pretending to be rich. How much money do you actually have? When you have kids later, I won’t be able to help raise them. You only make a bit over ten thousand a month. Formula milk and diapers alone will bleed you dry.”
Qin Sheng didn’t speak. Qin Jianmin continued resentfully, “I’ll go ask Hu Lifan for her share. She hasn’t paid a single cent in child support all these years. She has to show some sincerity for the wedding. Not much. Let her give two hundred thousand.”
“……”
“Dad.” Qin Sheng turned his face toward him. “If you bless my choice and are willing to treat Qin Shui like your own daughter, then I’ll accept your money. But anything my mom gives, whether gifts or cash, I won’t take a single cent.”
He gestured for Qin Jianmin to listen. “The gold jewelry she buys will be worn by Qin Shui. Any cash she gives will be for our household expenses. With how much my mom cares about Qin Shui being deaf, she’ll always think her daughter-in-law is beneath her. Even if she only gives a thousand yuan, she’ll still feel that all that money was spent by Qin Shui and feel upset about it.”
Qin Jianmin interrupted, “Your mom may be hard to get along with, but she’s not as extreme as you’re making her out to be.”
“Come on. You know exactly how she is. I have no doubt she’d be the kind of mother-in-law who puts on airs.” He said, “Qin Shui has a good temper, gentle like a little lamb. She already suffers because of her physical disability. I won’t allow any of you to bully her.”
Qin Jianmin said, “What kind of father-in-law would make things hard for his daughter-in-law? Don’t throw dirty accusations at me.”
“I’m not satisfied, but since you like her so much, Dad won’t oppose it. When the time comes to meet her parents, you bring only me. Don’t mention your mom. If you think she’ll make things difficult for the bride, I won’t ask her for money either. Your old man may not be rich, but I’m not short of cash.”
After more than a decade, Qin Sheng finally had a proper father-son conversation with Qin Jianmin. Even now, he still didn’t think Qin Jianmin was a good father, but age had worn down that stubborn, domineering attitude from decades ago. He was finally willing to listen to his son and follow his lead.
“As long as you treat Qin Shui well, all the grudges and misunderstandings between us, good or bad, are wiped clean.” He said in a low voice. “I’ll still call you Dad.”
Qin Jianmin leaned back on the sofa, eyes fixed on the TV screen. After a long while, he let out a relieved breath through his nose and said firmly, “I didn’t agree to this marriage just so you’d call me Dad. I thought the girl herself was pretty good at first. That’s why you’re willing to call me Dad!”
“No matter the reasons, treat Qin Shui well. That’s the best repayment you can give me.”
Knowing he hadn’t eaten, Qin Sheng got up in a good mood to cook noodles for Qin Jianmin. When Qin Shui left, she had made zhajiang sauce and stored it in the fridge, even thoughtfully buying a single portion of fresh noodles.
Qin Sheng conveniently boiled the noodles and reheated the sauce, asking Qin Jianmin, “Do you want garlic?”
There was no response. He poked his head out from behind the sliding kitchen door and saw Qin Jianmin wandering outside the bedroom, then going to the balcony to fiddle with the plants Qin Shui was growing.
When the noodles were ready and he carried them out, Qin Jianmin was watering the rose with a small kettle. Qin Sheng said casually, “Qin Shui grows all of these. They bloom regularly every month, sometimes even twin blossoms.”
“She takes good care of them. Floor heating makes the air dry. Don’t forget to water them every day.”
Qin Jianmin walked to the dining table and couldn’t hide his surprise when he saw the bowl of zhajiang noodles. “Did you buy this?”
Qin Sheng couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning his wife. “Qin Shui made the zhajiang today. I was planning to eat it tomorrow night. You get to try it first.”
Qin Jianmin mixed it and took a few bites, praising involuntarily, “This is really good. That girl is skillful.”
“I’ve been bringing my own lunch to work every day for half a year now. Never the same dishes in a week. Qin Shui won’t let me eat takeout. She thinks the repair shop’s group lunches aren’t hygienic, so she makes everything herself.”
He put another bite into his mouth and asked, “What did she do for work before?”
Thinking of the idiot supervisor at her former workplace made Qin Sheng angry. He pulled out a chair and sat opposite her, speaking frankly. “She used to work as an office staff member at a state-owned enterprise. Later, her supervisor kept bullying her, so she quit. Now she takes commissioned writing work and writes from home. Qin Shui writes extremely well and is smart, and she receives regular writing fees.”
“The three of us together don’t even reach a bachelor’s degree. It’s right to find a well-educated, sensible girl. Back when you studied automotive repair and lived on campus, I was most afraid you’d bring back some random girlfriend like your classmates, getting pregnant before graduation.”
Qin Jianmin’s words drew a laugh, so Qin Sheng went along with the joke. “I have no doubt Qin Shui’s good genes will benefit three generations. Once you meet her, you’ll understand. She’s a girl everyone loves, with no flaws.”
Since he was eating food the girl had personally made, Qin Jianmin didn’t argue and scraped the bowl clean.
“If you plan to formally bring her parents over from the neighboring city, tell me in advance. I’ll prepare the alcohol and gifts.”
Qin Sheng turned to wash the dishes and agreed, “Got it. If you don’t have anything else, head back early. The roads aren’t congested right now.”
Hearing the dismissal, Qin Jianmin stood still and looked around again.
He hadn’t even met the girl yet, but he’d already eaten her food, admired her flowers, and seen how she took care of his son.
In the past, he and Hu Lifan rarely cared whether Qin Sheng could eat a hot meal or take care of himself. Qin Jianmin worked as a gas company meter installer, at least holding a stable job. He worked hard for half his life, but once his son went to boarding school, he completely let go.
Two years ago, he would never have believed Qin Sheng could buy groceries, grow flowers, cook, wash dishes, and keep the house neat and clean.
Even though all of it was thanks to the girl.
Qin Sheng’s room clearly showed no signs of long-term use. Instead, Qin Shui’s room had double pillows and a soft double quilt laid out. Qin Jianmin wasn’t stupid. He knew the two had been living together for a while, and Qin Sheng’s desire to marry wasn’t a sudden impulse.
Forget it.
As long as the girl was good, as long as his son was happy and the family harmonious, that was better than anything.
Qin Jianmin lowered his head to look at the long-eared cartoon dog slippers on his feet, already planning to choose an auspicious date to buy the five gold wedding pieces for his daughter-in-law.