Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 13

After washing her face, Qu Ange came out to see Xu Mi’s mother scolding Xu Mi: “How could you be so careless? No matter how distracted you were, you can’t let a rag fall on someone’s face. What kind of conflict warrants this? It’s just bad manners.”

Qu Ange had been a little angry, but seeing Xu Mi being scolded, she suddenly softened. She hurried over and said, “Auntie, don’t scold her anymore. It really wasn’t on purpose.”

Xu’s mother replied, “Ange, sit down quickly, have some water. Let me see… Hmm, it’s fine, still a great beauty.”

Qu Ange lowered her head with a shy smile, then suddenly remembered the time, and her smile vanished. It was already 4:30, and they still had to go back to her own home to get the household register. It seemed unlikely they’d be able to get their marriage certificate today.

She gave Xu Mi a resentful look, while Xu Mi frowned and turned her face away, refusing to meet her gaze.

Qu Ange began to reflect again, realizing that she had indeed spoken carelessly. Fortunately, Xu’s mother hadn’t heard, or else it would have caused a lot of trouble. So she leaned closer to Xu Mi and whispered, “I’m sorry, don’t be angry.”

Xu Mi glanced up at Qu Ange, her expression unreadable, but inwardly, she was quite shaken.

She didn’t get angry?

When it came to temper, Qu Ange seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

In the past, Qu Ange had been most particular about her face. Once, she absentmindedly applied hand cream instead of face cream while watching TV and ended up washing her face ten times in a panic. Today, when Xu Mi had thrown a rag at her face, she hadn’t even gotten angry?

Had her temper genuinely improved, or was it just toward her?

Her shock turned into confusion. Noticing Qu Ange’s anxious expression and the meaningful looks she was giving her, Xu Mi perhaps out of guilt for throwing the rag nodded and slipped into the bedroom while her mother wasn’t looking.

Qu Ange seized the chance to chat with Xu’s mother: “Auntie, what have you been up to lately? Winning at mahjong?”

Xu Mi knew her parents always kept the household register in the bedside drawer, so it didn’t take long to find it. She emerged from the bedroom in just three or four minutes, showing Qu Ange her bag to indicate she had it. Qu Ange’s eyes immediately lit up, and she beamed, “Auntie Yang, we should get going. We need to catch the evening high-speed train.”

Xu’s mother looked disappointed: “Not staying for dinner? Xu Mi’s dad will be home from work soon.”

Qu Ange tugged Xu Mi toward the door: “Ah, we’re almost late for the train. Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll visit again another day and stay longer next time. ”

Even as she spoke the polite words, Qu Ange was already pulling Xu Mi into the hallway. She quickly checked her phone and muttered, “Do they clock off at five or five-thirty? Ugh, probably five. But if we get there right at closing, maybe they’ll still help us.”

Before she could finish, someone called out to them: “Hey, Ange, Mimi, you’re back?”

Qu Ange froze, looking exasperated as she glanced up to see a vaguely familiar young man smiling at them from a rolled-down car window. “Haven’t seen you much since middle school graduation. You both look radiant.”

Qu Ange replied, “Just average, really…” Must be a middle school classmate.

Small towns were like this. You’d run into acquaintances at every turn.

She initially thought running into an acquaintance at this moment was really annoying, but upon seeing her driving, she quickly said warmly, “We were just about to head to my place. Could you give us a ride?”

The classmate paused for a moment before replying, “Sure, hop in.”

Qu Ange got into the car, still unable to recall the other person’s name. The classmate struck up a conversation, asking, “What brings you back this time?”

Qu Ange stared at the time on her phone screen and said, “I’m back to get married.”

In the next second, Xu Mi pinched her hand hard, making her gasp in pain. Xu Mi quickly added, “She’s joking. We’re just here to pick up some things.”

The guy laughed too and said, “You scared me for a second. I was wondering who was lucky enough to marry our school belle.”

Hearing this, Qu Ange glanced at Xu Mi and saw her smiling faintly as she echoed, “Yeah, who could be that lucky?”

The town was small, and they soon arrived at Qu Ange’s building. The two thanked the driver and got out. As they walked upstairs, Qu Ange asked, “By the way, who was that guy?”

Xu Mi replied, “You don’t remember him?”

Qu Ange said, “I vaguely feel like I know him.”

Xu Mi lowered her eyes and said, “If you’ve forgotten, then forget it.”

Qu Ange insisted, “No way. He was kind enough to give us a ride. Speaking of which, I never realized how far our houses were when we were kids. Now that we’re back, walking feels like such a long trip.”

Xu Mi drifted into thought. Back then, they often visited each other on weekends. The twenty-minute walk, fueled by the excitement of seeing each other, always passed in a blink.

Qu Ange’s father worked at a state-owned enterprise, and her mother was a teacher. As expected, neither was home yet. Qu Ange hurried to her parents’ bedroom to look for the household register. After rummaging through the nightstand and wardrobe for a long time without finding it, she grew anxious. Seeing that it was already 5 p.m., she slumped and said, “We’re out of time.”

Xu Mi stared out the window in silence. Qu Ange perked up again and said, “We’ll go first thing tomorrow. It’s not too late. Tonight, I’ll secretly ask them where they keep the household register.”

Cicadas chirped intermittently outside the window, and dried goods on the balcony attracted swarms of flying insects. Even at 5 p.m., the sun was still blazing, creating an illusion that time had stopped. Thankfully, the fluttering insects reminded Xu Mi that she was still alive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Qu Ange pacing around the room again, muttering, “It’s so hot. Where’s the air conditioner remote.”

Suddenly, a soft voice broke the silence: “Qu Ange, why do you want to get married?”

It took Xu Mi several seconds to realize the voice was her own. The question hadn’t even formed in her mind, it had just slipped out.

Qu Ange finally found the air conditioner remote. As she turned it on and closed the balcony door, she pointed the remote at Xu Mi with a serious expression and said, “It’s not about wanting to get married. It’s about wanting to marry you.”

The air conditioner hummed to life, and the curtains were drawn, blocking out the unnaturally bright sunlight outside. Qu Ange moved closer to Xu Mi, who instinctively took half a step back. Qu Ange said, “Don’t move. Let me explain properly.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Mi instinctively froze. Qu Ange placed a hand on her shoulder, and Xu Mi, feeling as if all her strength had left her, leaned back against the wall. Qu Ange gazed down at her intently and said, “Getting married means wanting to be together forever. The wedding vows say it too. Through poverty or wealth, in sickness or in health, we’ll always be together. It’s a vow to the heavens that we’ll never part. That way, even if we argue in the future, if you get mad at me, if I act foolish or do something stupid, you still can’t leave me.”

Xu Mi’s lips parted slightly; her mind foggy. She felt like the situation wasn’t quite like that.

Yet, she also felt somewhat convinced especially when Qu Ange cupped her face, her eyes reflecting Xu Mi’s own image. “Once we’re married, the law binds us together. You won’t be able to run away.”

The sweltering air was gradually replaced by the cool breeze from the air conditioner, but Xu Mi’s palms grew even sweatier. Pressed against the wall with Qu Ange leaning over her in a perfect “kabe-don,” Qu Ange couldn’t resist tilting her head closer, about to steal a sweet, lingering kiss. When the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed from behind.

Xu Mi suddenly found her strength and shoved Qu Ange away. Qu Ange turned with a pout, only to see her mother stepping inside.

“Oh, you’re here? Am I dreaming?”

Qu Ange’s lips twitched. “Mom, you’re hilarious.”

Qu’s mother said, “There might not be enough food. Should we eat out? Are you two hungry?”

Still pressed against the wall, her face flushed, Xu Mi stammered, “N-no need! We can just eat whatever’s at home.”

Qu Ange followed her mother into the kitchen. “Mom, you’re home early today.”

Qu’s mother replied, “It’s Friday. Classes ended early.”

Qu Ange’s expression shifted. “Friday? Then, what time do government offices usually close?”

Qu’s mother said, “In summer? Five-thirty.”

It was like a lifeline in the darkest hour!

Qu Ange grabbed her mother’s arm. “Mom, where did you hide the household register?”

Qu’s mother frowned. “What do you need it for? I hid it, you know. I’ve heard about people gambling, taking out loans, and stealing their family’s household register to sell the house.”

She eyed Qu Ange suspiciously. “You wouldn’t do something like that, would you? Actually, today I ran into a parent who drives a taxi. While picking up their kid, they mentioned a passenger in their car talking about stealing a household register, a pretty young girl, too…”

At this, realization dawned on her. “Wait, was that you?!”