1
Early Monday morning, just as I popped the toast into the oven, the front door creaked open—
"Surprise!"
My mom's suitcase rolled in first, followed by my dad, Uncle Zhou, and Aunt Xu. The four of them lined up, eight eyes fixed on the dining table.
I was still holding a butter knife, wearing Zhou Xu's shirt that barely covered my thighs.
The air hung heavy for three seconds.
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie..." My voice wavered as my toes dug frantically into the floor.
Zhou Xu emerged from the kitchen carrying two glasses of milk, an apron tied around his waist—the quintessential "househusband" look.
"Dad, Mom, why did you come early—"
"If we hadn't come sooner, our daughter-in-law might have flown away," Aunt Xu said with a smile, her gaze lingering on my legs. "Xiao Li, this shirt looks familiar."
I instantly understood, my face flushing bright red.
Zhou Xu shifted silently to shield me behind him. "Mom, Dad, come inside. It's hot out here."
2
The elders sat in a row on the sofa while Zhou Xu and I stood side by side, like a couple being called out by their homeroom teacher.
My mom cleared her throat. "Is it true—the official announcement in the video?"
I replied timidly: "...It's true."
"When do you plan to get married?"
Me: "Huh?"
Zhou Xu: "Next month is her birthday. It'll be the legal age then."
Me: "??"
Aunt Xu pulled out her phone and showed the calendar: "I checked—it's an auspicious day for weddings, a lucky day."
Me: "???"
So... it's on the agenda now?
I turned to look at Zhou Xu. He took my hand, interlocking our fingers. His palm was steady yet burning hot: "Auntie, I'd like to take Xiao Li to pick out a ring first, then formally propose marriage."
"Still calling me Auntie?" Mom raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Xu readily complied: "Mom."
My legs went weak, and I nearly bowed to the entire room.
3
The elders moved with astonishing efficiency, herding us to a downtown jewelry store by two in the afternoon.
In the VIP room, trays were lined up in a row.
Zhou Xu picked up a pair of matching sunflower-shaped rings. They fit perfectly with the plain band from three years ago—
The women's ring was encircled by yellow diamonds, while the men's bore the engraving [L&X] inside—subtle yet dazzling.
He knelt on one knee, his gaze level with mine: "The ceremony I owed you three years ago—today, I make it right."
"Xia Li, will you let me upgrade to your legal husband?"
My tears flowed freely as I nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes!"
The ring slid onto my ring finger, fitting perfectly, as if destiny had tailored it just for me.
Behind us, our four parents clapped in unison, while the shop assistant, moved to tears, handed us tissues.
I sobbed until I hiccupped. Zhou Xu rose with a smile, cupped my face, and kissed my forehead: "This is for life. No returns allowed."
4
After selecting the ring, the elders collectively excused themselves to "avoid disturbing our private time," heading off to a neighboring city for a hot spring team-building retreat, leaving the house to us once more.
In the car, I stared blankly at my ring finger as sunlight made the yellow diamond sparkle.
Zhou Xu ruffled my hair. "What do you want to do next?"
I blurted out, "Let's go back to the rooftop and write letters to ourselves ten years from now in a time capsule!"
He chuckled softly: "As you wish, fiancée."
5
At dusk, the old wooden box was dug up again. We sat side by side on the lighthouse platform.
The setting sun stretched our shadows long, while the wind rustled through the reeds.
I took out the brown paper and fountain pen I'd prepared earlier and wrote—
To Xia Li in 2034:
If you're reading this letter, it means Zhou Xu didn't lose you.
Don't forget: right now, he's sitting beside you, peeling oranges for you. His fingers are sticky with juice, and he'll try to wipe them on your face.
Please kiss him for the thirty-three-year-old me and tell him—
At eighteen, I'd already decided to stick with him for life.]
I handed it to him after writing, but Zhou Xu covered it up, acting all mysterious.
I leaned in to peek, but he raised his hand to block my view, then swept me onto his lap, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Give me some privacy, honey."
"We're not even married yet!"
"Nine-nine, I'm on standby anytime."
His pen flew across the paper. When he finished, he folded the letter into a tiny boat, tucked it into a waterproof pouch, and performed the action with the reverence of someone conducting a ritual.
As the wooden box closed, he suddenly pulled a second ring from his pocket—
the plain sunflower band from three years ago.
"This one is for me."
He slipped it onto his own ring finger, and it fit perfectly.
I froze: "Didn't you say it was an old design?"
"I had the men's version made back then too," he smiled. "I hid it under my pillow all this time, afraid you'd find it."
My nose stung as I threw my arms around him. "Zhou Xu, how did you manage this?"
He pulled me close, his voice low and steady: "Because it's you. I had to learn."
6
As night fell, the lighthouse's light strips illuminated once more. We sat side by side on the platform's edge, our feet dangling freely as we swayed back and forth.
The city lights shone brightly in the distance, while the starry sky hung low overhead.
Leaning against his shoulder, I swayed our intertwined hands. "Ten years from now, when we come back to open these letters, will there be kids trying to steal our oranges?"
He tilted his head and kissed the top of my head: "Kids are up to you. I'll take care of however many you want."
My cheeks flushed, but I couldn't help but smile. "Let's have a daughter first. We'll name her Little Sunflower."
"Then have a son to protect his mom."
I giggled and nibbled his shoulder. "You think so far ahead!"
He kissed me back, his lips brushing my earlobe. "Not far—just a lifetime."
7
After getting home, I took a shower and lay on the bed scrolling through short videos.
The "Lighthouse Kiss in the Rainstorm" video had surpassed 500,000 likes, and a new hot comment appeared in the comments section:
[What's next? I want to watch the wedding livestream!]
I held my phone for Zhou Xu to see. He was drying his hair and casually lay down beside me. His fingertips swiped through the comments and gave one a like.
"Wedding livestream? Count me in."
My eyes widened. "A real live stream?"
"Yep. Let the whole world witness that you're my wife."
As he spoke, he leaned down and kissed me. The night lamp cast a warm glow, and moonlight seeped through the curtain slits, casting a silvery sheen over our intertwined shadows.
My fingers tangled in his hair as I murmured softly, "We're already wearing rings... and you still want interest..."
He chuckled softly, his palm pressed against my lower back, its warmth searing. "Legal interest. I'll collect it for a lifetime."
His lips pressed against mine again, silencing the world—only heartbeats and breaths remained.
8
Epilogue Bonus · Ten Years Later
Spring 2034.
I stood once more on the lighthouse platform, holding the hand of a three-year-old girl with pigtails while cradling a one-year-old baby in my arms.
Zhou Xu dug up the wooden box with a shovel and unfolded the yellowed letter.
I leaned in and bumped right into my seventeen-year-old self.
Little Kui asks in her baby voice, "Mommy, did you write this?"
I kissed her forehead. "Yes, Mommy wrote it to Daddy."
After reading, Zhou Xu lifted his gaze, his eyes brimming with the same light he'd held for thirty years.
He lowered his head and kissed me—
In the same breeze, beneath the same lighthouse, to the same heartbeat.
Only this time, no reservations were needed, no interest owed, no official announcement required.
Because I had long been his lawful wife, the mother of his children, and the sole meaning of his remaining days.