To Get Married - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Manzhu always kept Yudong’s birthday in her heart, starting her preparations days in advance. Every year followed a ritual.

Yudong’s birthday gift had arrived at the house via courier on the 26th. The cake would be delivered at noon on the 29th. Manzhu planned to take the day off work, pick up the cake, and go to the university to fetch Yudong. They would go to the spicy shrimp restaurant near Wenhai Middle School that Yudong used to love, then return home to eat the cake together.

Afterward, Manzhu would do whatever Yudong wanted. Just like in previous years, they might watch a movie at home, walk along the river, or go to a KTV. Whatever it was, it would be time strictly for the two of them.

On the afternoon of the 28th, Manzhu entered the bar and went straight to the second floor, knocking on Mu Chenshan’s door.

“I’m taking tomorrow off to celebrate Yudong’s birthday.”

Faced with this blunt notice, Mu Chenshan was surprisingly brief. He didn’t nag as he usually did, but instead transferred 3,000 yuan to Manzhu, calling it Yudong’s birthday gift and asking her to pass it on.

Manzhu looked at the transfer notification and scanned Mu Chenshan from head to toe with a strange look.

Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Mu Chenshan reflexively stepped back. He used his darkened phone screen as a mirror to check his face before asking, “What’s with that look?”

“Last year when Yudong turned eighteen, you only gave her 666. Now it’s 3,000?” Manzhu looked incredulous. “Are you still Mu Chenshan? You haven’t been possessed, have you?”

“Who could possess me?” Mu Chenshan rolled his eyes, pointing at her phone. “Think it’s too much? If you keep acting like that, I’ll take it back. My heart is bleeding anyway—give it back, I’ll transfer 2,334 right now.”

“It’s not too much.” Manzhu’s eyes curved into a smile. She said softly, “Thank you, Boss~”

“Don’t, don’t! Don’t use that tone with me, I can’t handle it.” As he spoke, the neighboring door opened and Yan Zhaomu walked out. He, too, transferred 3,000 yuan to Manzhu.

“Zhaomu, you too?” Manzhu was shocked once again.

Manzhu felt stunned by this sudden 6,000 yuan windfall. Though it was for Yudong, it was an immense amount—nearly equal to her monthly salary.

Yan Zhaomu: “Sister Hong, congratulations.”

Manzhu: “Congratulations?”

Yan Zhaomu: “Yudong, she… she…”

Before Zhaomu could finish, Mu Chenshan quickly yanked him back. “Congratulations that Little Yudong is a year older!” He then asked tentatively, “Has she said anything to you these last two days?”

“Said what?” Manzhu frowned. “Mu Chenshan, why are you being so cryptic today? Are you hiding something from me?”

“No, how could I! It’s just… just…” Mu Chenshan thought fast. “It’s Chen Yang. Chen Yang said… Little Yudong has been especially happy lately. I thought something good happened, so I was just asking.”

“And this money…”

“It’s for you and Yudong.”

Manzhu gave a heartfelt smile. “Thanks.”

After she went downstairs, Mu Chenshan and Zhaomu exchanged a glance.

Yan Zhaomu: “Still… still haven’t talked?”

Mu Chenshan: (Shaking his head) “Clearly not.”

Yan Zhaomu: “Then… the gift was sent too early.” The “getting out of the single life” gift was premature.

“I’m only sending it once anyway,” Mu Chenshan said. He reached out to put an arm around Zhaomu’s shoulder, but Zhaomu swatted him away and headed downstairs.

“I want to get out of the single life too,” Mu Chenshan muttered behind him.

“Go to… WeChat… find your… brothers… and sisters.”

“Hey, I’m not a player! I just have a lot of friends…”

As Manzhu sat down on the first floor, she felt thirsty. Seeing Zhaomu follow her down, she called out, “Zhaomu, get me a glass of lemon juice.”

Zhaomu looked around behind the bar and instead pulled out a bottle of strawberry-flavored sweet milk—the kind in a pink bottle.

Manzhu took a sip. “This is too sweet. No lemon juice today?” She had recently gotten used to it; why stop now?

“Too much lemon is bad for your health,” Mu Chenshan said as he sat down leisurely.

“Didn’t you say it was good for the health last time?” Manzhu asked.

Mu Chenshan nodded. “Depends on the timing. It’s cold now; drink less of it. Honghong, you tend to be irritable. Drink more sweet things. When you’re in a good mood, the world becomes much more beautiful. Right, Zhaomu?”

Zhaomu nodded.

Manzhu felt like they were fooling her, but she had no evidence. She just took another sip of the strawberry milk.

Meanwhile, Lu Yudong, who was supposed to be at school, boarded the subway home alone. Manzhu had said she would pick her up tomorrow, but Yudong chose to head back after her afternoon classes.

She had pre-ordered her own birthday cake and picked it up from the shop near the station. On the way, she marveled at how fast time flew. When she first met Manzhu, she wasn’t even twelve. Now, seven and a half years later, she was nineteen. Manzhu looked exactly as she did then, without a single change.

Luckily, Yudong didn’t have to worry about outgrowing Manzhu or aging before her. Because of the special bond between them—one that only death could break—time had never been cruel to her.

She placed the nineteenth birthday cake on the low coffee table in front of the sofa. The table was barely higher than the sofa; if you sat on the floor, it was hard to reach, and if you sat on the sofa, it was too low. They had to use two small stools and tuck their legs in to sit. She and Manzhu had eaten on this table for years without complaining; there simply wasn’t room for a dining table in their tiny home.

On the table now sat a brand-new laptop, plugged in. Yudong crouched down and pressed the power button.

When the computer booted up, she saw the wallpaper: a photo of her and Manzhu taken at the Xianchi Pool in North Xinjiang. It was a candid shot by a traveling photographer—a silhouette of them holding hands by the water under the sunset.

She had always loved it, but she hadn’t realized Manzhu loved it too. Is this my gift?

Yudong had been saving up to buy Manzhu a computer so she could watch dramas on a bigger screen than her phone. Instead, before Yudong could finish saving, Manzhu had bought one for her.

Yudong’s lips curved upward. Her fingers were cold, but her eyes were full of warmth. She sat on the sofa, turned on the heater nearby, and toasted her frozen hands in the dimming light, waiting for the moment Manzhu would come home.

She eventually grew sleepy and, wrapped in her cotton pajamas and pillowed by her Corgi-butt plushie, she took a nap on the sofa. She woke up several times in a daze, seeing the sky turn completely dark, save for the faint light from the window.

At midnight sharp, she received a birthday message from Manzhu. She squinted and replied, “I love Sister the most,” before rubbing her eyes, changing positions, and falling back asleep.

What finally jolted her awake was the sound of the door opening around 2:30 AM.

Manzhu didn’t know Yudong was back. The lights were off, but the moment she opened the door, she saw Yudong sitting up on the sofa, rubbing her eyes.

“Yudong?” Manzhu switched on the light. While changing her shoes, she asked with concern, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”

Yudong smiled and stood up in her slippers. “I wanted to surprise you, but I saw your surprise first.” She pointed to the laptop.

Manzhu shook her head with a smile. “You… you really are…”

She walked further in and saw the cake box on the other end of the table. “Our little birthday girl even bought her own cake this year?”

Yudong giggled. “Open it and see!”

“You’re making it feel like it’s my birthday,” Manzhu said. She took off her off-white cloak, placed it on the sofa, and crouched by the table to open the box.

The cake Yudong ordered was a heart-shaped pink cake covered in strawberries.

Manzhu rested her chin on her hands and looked up at Yudong. “I don’t remember you being fond of strawberries.”

“It looks pretty,” Yudong said. She crouched beside Manzhu and placed the “1” and “9” candles on the cake. She turned to Manzhu, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Manzhu tapped the candles with a finger, and the flames flickered to life. As she did every year, she sang “Happy Birthday.” When the song ended, she gently nudged Yudong’s arm. “Hurry, make a wish.”

In the past, Yudong would always close her eyes and make a silent wish. But this time, Yudong didn’t move. She just stared at Manzhu.

After a few seconds, Manzhu began to feel flustered. She had never seen Yudong like this. As the wax began to melt away the tops of the numbers, Manzhu looked at the candles then back at Yudong. “They’re almost halfway gone.”

Yudong bit her lip, appearing to have made a final decision.

“When I was twelve, I had a wish: to have you by my side for every birthday thereafter.”

Manzhu was stunned.

“Manzhu, I like you. I’ve liked you since I was little.” Yudong’s gaze was incredibly serious. “Before, I always hoped I would grow up faster. Now that I’m finally grown, I find myself with less courage and more worries.”

“I’ve kept these words hidden for so many years, not daring to tell you. I have so many fears. I’m afraid you don’t like me back, afraid you think of me as just a girl, afraid you’ll care that I’m just a human… and I was even more afraid that if I spoke too early, you’d think I was too young, or if I spoke too late, you’d be tired of waiting…”

Yudong thought she saw a glimmer of tears in Manzhu’s eyes, but Manzhu said nothing. Getting no response made her nervous; her voice trembled slightly, but she took a deep breath and continued.

“The best years of my life are right now. I want to… give them to you.”

“I don’t have anything for now, but I believe I will have everything later. If you like it, I’ll work hard to buy you a villa by the sea so we can live there for thirty years. My life is long; I’m willing to learn many things and earn money to support you.”

“Uncle said you used to focus on your cultivation, wanting to become a Jiao (flood dragon) or a Dragon, but you gave up so much for me. From now on, I can take care of this home. You should do what you like. When you face your tribulations, I’ll go to the mountains with you. I’ll protect you…”

Yudong clenched her fists tightly. Looking at Manzhu, she asked with utmost solemnity: “I’ve thought about it for a long time. I only have one wish. I want to be with you—not as sisters, but truly together.”

“Two people, you and me, a promise for a lifetime.” She pulled at Manzhu’s sleeve, her heart filled with both hope and dread. “Is that okay?”

The candlelight flickered beside them, disturbing the silence. Manzhu stared at her, her face reflecting unconcealed shock. Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were frantic.

Yudong asked again: “Is that okay?”

This time, Manzhu finally snapped back to reality. She swallowed unconsciously and lowered her gaze. “I don’t need you to protect me, nor do I need you to support me. Being a dragon or a jiao doesn’t matter.”

Yudong didn’t quite understand the words, and a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes.

But a second before the disappointment could settle, Manzhu gripped Yudong’s trembling hands. The cool touch brought Yudong back from her daze.

She heard Manzhu say:

“Just do what you said when you were little—stay with me forever. Whatever you want, I will give it to you.”