From meeting Qu Hua to marrying him, Mu Jing took less than three months.
During that period, they met fewer than ten times, with a month-long gap between their fifth and sixth meetings.
Every meeting was initiated by Qu Hua. During their fifth meeting, Qu Hua proactively brought up Mu Jing's family background. Mu Jing was only slightly surprised at first that Qu Hua had investigated her situation, but she quickly accepted it calmly. He asked Mu Jing if she had cut ties with her parents, and she should have truthfully said yes, but for some reason that day, she told Qu Hua she hadn't.
Telling this lie offered her no benefit at all, but she still said it. She countered Qu Hua: "My father's surname is Fang, my mother's is Mu. How do you expect me to cut ties with them? My parents made mistakes, but they never wronged me. My brother didn't cut ties with our parents either—did that stop him from getting injured while saving someone?"
Qu Hua watched Mu Jing calmly, waiting for her to compose herself.
Mu Jing finally realized she had lost her composure. She and Qu Hua had only met a few times—they weren't at the stage for such conversations. She forced a smile and said, "I was just joking earlier. I hope you'll forget it immediately."
"You're right, the movie we just saw was indeed good," Qu Hua immediately understood her meaning, indicating he had already forgotten what she said.
Although they didn't see eye to eye, Qu Hua still insisted on walking Mu Jing back to her school dormitory. Standing at the building entrance, watching Qu Hua's retreating figure, Mu Jing knew they would definitely never meet again. Over the years, she hadn't lacked suitors—there were even those who, upon first meeting her, would ask others whether she was married or had a boyfriend. But those promising young men would retreat upon learning about her family background. They might reluctantly marry a wife who offered no advantages, but one who could jeopardize their future prospects was unacceptable. Qu Hua was no exception.
Her earlier intense reaction had been completely unnecessary.
After that, Qu Hua never contacted Mu Jing again, which didn't surprise her.
What did surprise Mu Jing was when Qu Hua came to her school to find her again. As a skilled knife doctor at the hospital, he naturally wouldn't have so much free time to waste his rare rest hours on her. Qu Hua didn't explain why he hadn't contacted Mu Jing for a month—both of them knew, so there was no need to say it. Mu Jing showed no displeasure whatsoever. Most people with any pride would think, "You contact me when you want, don't when you don't—who do you think you are?" But Mu Jing accepted it all without complaint. They went to see another movie as if there had been no interruption in their contact.
She had encountered too many unsuitable men, and compared to them, Qu Hua was already quite good—at least he still came back to contact her after weighing the pros and cons. Qu Hua's privileged background was tempting to her, and she liked the scent of Lysol about him—she preferred clean men.
She told Qu Hua: "I haven't contacted my parents all these years. What I said last time was just angry words—too many people have questioned me because of my background, and I got tired of being asked." This was her way of extending an olive branch to Qu Hua, proactively taking responsibility for their previous unpleasant parting.
After the movie ended, Qu Hua suddenly asked abruptly: "Do you like Renoir's paintings?"
There were Renoir's works in that art book—he had indeed flipped through her art collection and left behind a faint scent of Lysol on it.
Mu Jing looked completely surprised, as if hearing the name for the first time: "Who's that? Does he paint?"Qu Hua said with a hint of mockery, "Yes, a painter nearby." Was it necessary? Lying about such a trivial matter.
Mu Jing's partial honesty only surfaced when she lost control of her emotions, but now she had them well under control.
"Oh, I don't know much about painters." As if Renoir were still alive and living nearby. Mu Jing detected the sarcasm in Qu Hua's tone—they both knew who Renoir was, yet they pretended otherwise.
"If you won't be honest with me about such small things, why did you even agree to watch a movie with me?"
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to—because she saw him as a potential marriage partner. As for why she considered him as such, Mu Jing believed Qu Hua understood at least part of the reason.
Mu Jing retorted, "How have I not been honest with you?" She asked calmly, and when she received no answer, she added understandingly, "Do you like that painter very much? If you're willing, you could tell me about him. Sometimes I think someone who can wield a surgical knife might also be good at painting."
Qu Hua didn't elaborate. Instead, he invited Mu Jing to watch a ballet.
Their conversations always remained superficial, never touching on anything substantial.
They watched another ballet performance together. Afterward, Qu Hua said to Mu Jing, "You don't seem curious about anything." At times, he felt her interactions with him were very purposeful, yet she had never shown any curiosity about his family—not even asking a single question.
"What do you mean?"
Everything, not just his family.
"Let's get married."
Mu Jing finally showed her curiosity: "Why?"
Qu Hua replied candidly, "My grandmother hopes to see me married before she passes away."
"Why me?" Although Mu Jing had been approaching their relationship with marriage in mind, this speed was completely unexpected. Qu Hua had contacted her again for the purpose of marriage, but even if he wanted to marry immediately, there would be others willing. Since he had already chosen to cut ties with her because of her family, why would he pick her as his marriage partner? Because he had fallen in love with her? At this thought, Mu Jing smiled, a mocking smile.
"Why not you?"
"Are your parents willing?" Mu Jing had initially thought marriage with Qu Hua was possible, but after learning about his family background, she no longer held out hope. In every aspect, she seemed incompatible with his family.
"A man of my age who can't make his own decisions might as well not have lived. By the way, before seeking your consent, I should tell you about my situation."
Qu Hua had long since figured out Mu Jing's career and family background, while Mu Jing's understanding of his circumstances remained speculative.
Even though there was no matchmaker involved, Qu Hua had turned it into something resembling a blind date. He started by talking about his profession, then introduced Mu Jing to his parents.
She had always assumed Qu Hua's parents worked in a hospital—he carried no martial aura, and the only thing remotely connected to his family background was how he had dislocated that man's arm on the train.Next came meeting the parents. Although Mu Jing knew Qu Hua came from a good family background, she was still somewhat surprised when she first saw his house. Qu Hua had actually been reserved when talking about his family situation. There was a sentry post outside the compound, and it took a walk to reach his house. Qu Hua finally stopped in front of a two-story building enclosed by its own yard, where the flowers were blooming beautifully. Mu Jing had seen much nicer houses before and had lived in much nicer ones too, but these two kinds of "nice" were different. The "nice" from her family's past only brought trouble.
She didn't know how Qu Hua had explained things to his parents, but they were very polite to her and showed no dissatisfaction.
Before Mu Jing met his parents, Qu Hua had already told them about her family, including her younger brother who was injured while saving someone. His mother was hesitant—on one hand, she wasn't very satisfied with Mu Jing's family situation; on the other, her son was thirty and should get married. Since his last girlfriend passed away, he hadn't been involved with any other girls, and she really hoped Qu Hua would marry soon. Moreover, this was also the wish of Qu Hua's grandmother, who was seriously ill and bedridden, longing most to see her grandson start a family. In the end, the filial Old Qu made the decision: the child is the child, the parents are the parents—there are plenty of cases where the father is a hero and the son is a good-for-nothing. When he said this, his wife glared at him, but he pretended not to see it, adding that there are also plenty of cases where the son is a hero and the father is a good-for-nothing—Mu Jing's brother was a fine example, after all.
In their family, Old Qu always had the final say. Once Old Qu spoke, Qu Hua and Mu Jing's marriage was basically settled.
When Qu Hua's parents met Mu Jing for the first time, they immediately understood why their son, after being single for so long, had suddenly decided to marry the girl before them.
Mu Jing's profile was seventy percent similar to Qu Hua's former girlfriend, though their temperaments were completely different—one lively, the other quiet.
Mu Jing and Qu Hua's wedding was held in the hospital cafeteria because it was closer to his grandmother.
The wedding was attended only by Qu family's relatives and friends; none of her own family were present. Her parents were undergoing labor reform, her younger brother was in the hospital, and her older brother was who-knows-where. Over the years, people had first distanced themselves from her, and then she had gradually distanced herself from others. She didn't have a single friend she could confide in, and she hadn't planned to invite anyone to her wedding. Although everything was kept simple, it wouldn't be appropriate for the bride's side to have no one at all. Her mother-in-law took charge and invited her department head and a few colleagues to fill one table.
Qu Hua's grandmother was wheeled to the cafeteria to witness her younger grandson's wedding. The ceremony was a mix of old and new traditions. For the grandmother, they followed the old customs. The grandmother held Mu Jing's hand and said, "Yanyan, you look so beautiful today," then gave her a red envelope. Everyone at the wedding watched Mu Jing, waiting for her reaction. Mu Jing didn't clarify that she wasn't Yanyan; she simply said, "Thank you, Grandma," and accepted the red envelope with a smile. No one made an issue of the mistake with the seriously ill old lady, and the ceremony continued without correction.
Qu Hua had said she resembled someone—probably this Yanyan.
On their wedding night, Qu Hua stayed at the hospital to keep his grandmother company, while Mu Jing lay alone in the marital bed. The bed was large and didn't smell of disinfectant. The bridal chamber was on the second floor, originally Qu Hua's room alone. Qu Hua was the second son in the family, with an older brother who was often away. He lived alone with his parents in this two-story house.Mu Jing recalled her meeting with Qu Hua two months ago. He had been so kind to her from their very first encounter, likely because she resembled this Yanyan. Qu Hua had chosen to marry to fulfill his grandmother's dying wish; and choosing to marry her, the word "resemblance" was reason enough.
Lying in bed, Mu Jing thought, thanks to this Yanyan, she didn't have to worry about her background for now—this was the only good thing about this marriage.
When she woke the next morning, the space beside her remained empty. Drawing back the curtain, she saw the sky was not yet fully light. Wrapping herself in a robe, she got up to write a letter home, only to realize upon finishing that there was nowhere to send it.
She rose to organize her clothes. The wardrobe in the room sparsely held Qu Hua's garments. She considered gathering his clothes to one side to make space for hers, but after a moment's thought, she returned his clothes to their original places, leaving her own clothes to remain in the suitcase.
Breakfast was shared with her parents-in-law.
Although Qu Hua's mother was not entirely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, she felt deeply apologetic that her son had not stayed with his bride on their wedding night, and thus treated Mu Jing with considerable courtesy.
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