Ian Quincy looked down at her, watching her expression shift from worried to happy and back again.
When she was worried, her brows would furrow slightly, making her look delicate and helpless, like the moon's reflection on water—shimmering and fragmented. It inexplicably tugged at his heartstrings.
But when she smiled, her eyes were like shimmering light spreading across the water.
At first glance, she was beautiful.
Upon closer inspection, she was even more so.
'And this beautiful person is my wife.'
He was in an excellent mood. "Now that we've registered our marriage, are you happy or not?"
Cecilia Adler looked up and smiled. "Happy. I'm very happy." 'How could I say I wasn't? That would be such a downer.'
.......
When they arrived, Cecilia Adler realized that Ian Quincy had brought her to the family housing compound affiliated with Mr. Quincy's work unit.
It was a row of apartment buildings.
Mr. Quincy's apartment was in the third row, on the third floor, the first unit by the stairwell: 301.
After entering, Cecilia Adler took a look around.
The apartment was a bit messy.
The walls were white, and while the dark red furniture was simple, the set was complete.
A pin-up calendar hung on the back of the door.
There were two bedrooms, one large and one small, and the beds were bare.
The kitchen had no pots, only a few scattered aluminum lunch boxes on the stove.
The bathroom, however, was fully stocked with toiletries.
From what Ian Quincy had said, this was where they would live after getting married.
Cecilia Adler asked, "If we live here, will it be convenient for your father to get to and from work?"
"He has a single dorm room too," Ian Quincy said. "Do you like it?"
"Mhm!" Of course Cecilia Adler liked it.
Just the two of them would be living here. It would be quiet and comfortable.
A faint smile touched Ian Quincy's lips. It hadn't been in vain for him to put up a fight.
Yesterday, after his father got off work, his mother had brought up getting them a marital home. His sister-in-law actually had the nerve to say that it's more lively with everyone living together, and that living separately would make them distant and cause the neighbors to gossip.
'What a joke.'
'What right did she have to decide for him that living together would be 'lively'?'
'And what did other people's gossip have to do with him?'
Thankfully, his wife had said what she did before she left, and he had repeated it word for word right then and there.
That was what finally shut her up.
His father had quickly suggested using the apartment from his work unit to settle him in. His job situation was also taken care of at the same time.
A job with the geological survey team.
But he wasn't interested.
He wanted to take the university entrance exams.
He decided to bring it up now and hear what his wife thought.
"The geological survey team is a stable job. But taking the university exams will be difficult. I haven't touched a textbook in ten years, and I've forgotten most of what I learned. If it were you, what would you choose?"
Cecilia Adler thought for a moment before replying, "I would choose to take the university exams. With a degree, you'll have more options. You're a high school graduate, so you have a foundation. Your chances of getting in should be better than most people's.
"I don't know much about the work at the survey team. It sounds respectable, but I feel like stability also means stagnation. Wouldn't a life where you can see the end from the beginning be boring? Or are you interested in that job? If you are, then it's worth doing."
She was young.
Her voice was a little tender, but her expression was extremely earnest as she spoke.
It was as if she had given it careful consideration before speaking.
Ian Quincy was extremely pleased. "I'm not interested," he said. "Studying is much more fun. My savings are limited, so during the time I'm reviewing for the exams, I'm afraid you'll have to endure some hard times with me."
Cecilia Adler could barely suppress the smile on her face. 'A nice apartment to live in and a husband to provide for me.'
'How could this be called 'enduring' anything?'
'This is pure happiness!'
'It's so blissful it feels like a sweet dream.'
She immediately declared, "It's no hardship at all. Being with you, even if we have to live on scraps, is happiness."
Her words coaxed a laugh out of Ian Quincy. He promised, "I'll give it my all. I'll strive to give you a good life in the future."
"Mhm."
"....."
.....
「After noon.」
Cecilia Adler parted ways with Ian Quincy, using the excuse that she had things to do at home. On her way, she secretly opened the red envelope.