A Five-Day Countdown

The congee with preserved egg and lean pork on the table was still steaming, and most of the soup dumplings had already been eaten.

Aemeath sat on Lu Yan's lap, her arms still tightly wrapped around his neck, but her eyes inadvertently caught sight of the phone placed on the edge of the dining table.

As if suddenly remembering something, she let go of one hand and leaned forward to reach for the phone.

The screen lit up, and the lock screen wallpaper was Aemeath, which Lu Yan had drawn in his studio with a little personal touch.

The date is clearly displayed on the screen: July 5th, Sunday.

Aemeath stared at the numbers on the screen for several seconds. Her once-spirited ahoge (cowlick) visibly slowed down and finally drooped limply.

She placed her phone face down on the table, her previously cheerful face falling slightly, and let out a long, disappointed sigh, "Sigh..."

"What's wrong?" Lu Yan noticed the change in her mood, gently supporting her waist with both hands to hold her more securely. "You were so happy you felt like you could fly just now, why did you sigh after glancing at your phone?"

"I just realized it's only July 5th..." Aemeath pouted, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance, "From today until the 10th, we still have to wait a full five days~~~"

As she spoke, she held out her left hand and waved it in front of Lu Yan, her tone full of reluctance. "There are twenty-four hours in a day, so five days is one hundred and twenty hours... Suddenly it feels so long~~~~"

Looking at her adorable way of counting down the days, Lu Yan felt a pang in the softest part of his heart.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly, raising his right hand and gently stroking Aemeath's slightly puffed-up cheeks with his fingertips, his eyes filled with unwavering affection.

"What?" Lu Yan's voice was deep and gentle, with a hint of teasing amusement. "Our Little Aemeath, can't even wait a mere five days now?"

Aemeath felt the caress on her cheek, and like a kitten, she squinted her eyes comfortably and gently rubbed against her palm.

Hearing Lu Yan's teasing, she first nodded slightly, but then shook her head vigorously.

"We can wait, of course we can wait." Aemeath's hands climbed back onto Lu Yan's shoulders. She looked directly into his deep golden eyes, the grievance in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by undisguised fervor.

"But... although I can wait, I still really, really want to become your real husband and wife as soon as possible."

She paused for a moment, then her lips curled into a bright, radiant smile, her eyes crinkling into beautiful crescent moons. "After all, I've been thinking about this for a very, very long time—so long that sometimes I even dream about wearing a wedding dress and marrying A-Yan!"

As Lu Yan listened to the girl's honesty and saw the pure expectation in her eyes, the smile that had been playing on his lips gradually turned into deep guilt.

He took a deep breath, abandoning his playful thoughts, Aemeath closer to him, resting his chin on her forehead, and said in a soft, almost murmured voice:

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Little Aemeath."

"I was too stupid, too slow, and too insecure before." Lu Yan's fingertips slid down her cheek and gently pinched her earlobe. "If I had been braver earlier, perhaps you wouldn't have needed to think about these things in your dreams."

"Oh dear! You big idiot, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Upon hearing his self-reproachful tone, Aemeath immediately straightened up from his embrace, reached out and cupped his cheeks tightly, kneading his face until it was slightly distorted.

"I'm not blaming you at all! As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait! Besides..." Aemeath winked playfully, "As long as the last one is you, even if I have to wait another ten or twenty years, I'll be happy to do it."

Lu Yan's heart fluttered at her words. He pulled her small hand away from his face and gently kissed it. "Ten or twenty years is too long, I can't bear to."

"Exactly!" Aemeath slipped her finger between Lu Yan's, the two rings clinking together again. "So five days it is! It sounds a bit long, but I can bear with it!"

Seeing her resolute and determined look as she prepared to endure the next five days, a smile returned to Lu Yan's eyes.

"Actually, you probably won't even have time to endure these five days," Lu Yan said slowly and deliberately.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aemeath tilted her head.

Lu Yan gently flicked her forehead with his other free hand. "Do you think that getting a marriage certificate is as simple as two people stupidly running to the Civil Affairs Bureau and saying 'We want to get married,' and they'll just stamp it?"

"Isn't that right?" Aemeath rubbed her forehead, which didn't actually hurt, and stared wide-eyed.

"Of course not." Lu Yan looked at the inexperienced Aemeath and smiled as he explained, "Marriage is a very ceremonial event, and there are many things we need to prepare."

"Your schedule will be completely packed for the next five days."

"Really? Tell me quickly! What do I need to prepare?" Aemeath instantly perked up, shifting slightly from his lap to a more comfortable position, looking like a well-behaved student listening attentively.

Looking into her bright eyes, Lu Yan began to count on his fingers one by one.

"First of all, as you just said, we need to buy clothes suitable for taking photos."

Lu Yan looked at her and said, "Knowing you as I do, it would take you at least half a day to pick out clothes, wouldn't it?"

"Absolutely!" Aemeath confidently raised her chin, gesturing with her fingers, "This is the photo that will be printed on our marriage certificate! The material of the clothes, the design of the neckline, even the color of the buttons, must match perfectly! This is a huge project!"

"Okay, I'll let you off the hook for now." Lu Yan smiled and went along with her, then held up a second finger, "The clothes are bought, but what about the hairstyle? Didn't you complain about my bangs being too long? I have to go to the hairdresser this afternoon, and you..."

Lu Yan's gaze fell on Aemeath's smooth, long pink hair. "Shouldn't you get your hair treated too? To make it look smoother on camera?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Aemeath nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"That's already taken up a day," Lu Yan continued. "In the remaining days, we need to choose the photo frame you mentioned, and we also need to go to the supermarket to buy some wedding candy."

"Even though we're not having the wedding here, we should still give out some wedding candy to our neighbors in the old town and to those who have taken care of me, so we can share in the joy, right?"

Aemeath heard about the wedding candy being distributed, her eyes instantly lit up.

"Giving out wedding candy, that's great~ I'll let everyone in the neighborhood know that A-Yan and I got married!" Aemeath's mind was already filled with the image of herself holding Lu Yan's hand, handing out candy from house to house, and the congratulatory looks from the people around her.

"No problem, buy the sweetest ones." Lu Yan agreed indulgently, then his tone suddenly became slightly serious, "However, before buying these things, we have one more important and crucial thing to do this morning."

"What's wrong? Is it more important than buying clothes?" Aemeath asked, puzzled.

"Looking for my ID."

Lu Yan looked at her and said, word by word, "To get a marriage certificate, both parties need their ID cards and household registration booklets. We always carry our ID cards with us, but the household registration booklets... do you remember which drawer we put them in?"