True Family

Aemeath paused for a moment, then glanced around the living room and bedroom.

"Um... it seems... maybe... perhaps, in the drawer under the TV cabinet? Or... in the storage box at the very bottom of the bedroom closet?"

Seeing her evasive manner, Lu Yan sighed helplessly, put his arm around her waist, lifted her off his lap, and placed her on the chair next to him.

"Are you full?" Lu Yan asked.

"I'm full!" Aemeath nodded quickly.

"Now that we're full, let's start our 'treasure hunt,' my fiancée~" Lu Yan stood up, untying his apron as he said with a smile.

The term "fiancée" was like a faint electric current, instantly sending a tingling sensation from Aemeath's ears all the way to her toes.

"Roger that, sir!" Aemeath blushed, stood up, gave Lu Yan a rather perfunctory salute, and then rushed towards the TV cabinet in the living room.

Over the next hour, the neat and cozy courtyard underwent an unprecedented search.

"A-Yan! Come look! This is the ticket stub from our first trip to the amusement park! You still kept it!"

In front of the TV cabinet, Aemeath sat cross-legged on the carpet, holding up two amusement park ticket stubs, and shouted loudly at Lu Yan, who was rummaging through the bookshelf.

Lu Yan turned his head and looked at the two ticket stubs in her hand, his eyes softening.

"Well, after all, it was our first date, so of course I'd keep it." Lu Yan walked over and squatted down next to Aemeath. "I still remember how scared I was when we came out of the haunted house that day; you were laughing so hard you cried."

"Hiahia, isn't it still A-Yan? He's too timid to be scared." Aemeath's smile widened.

Lu Yan patted Aemeath's head and said, "It's okay, I'm not afraid now, because I know Little Aemeath will always be with me."

Upon hearing this, Aemeath blushed slightly, carefully placed the two ticket stubs back into a small metal box used for storing odds and ends, and then continued rummaging through the drawer.

After a while, she pulled out a sketchbook from a corner.

"Wow, this is your sketchbook!" Aemeath as if she had discovered a new continent, eagerly flipping through it.

It's filled with Lu Yan's drawings of her from different times and angles. There's her back as she sneaks a bite in the kitchen, her profile as she dozes off on the sofa, and her puffed-out cheeks when she's angry.

Every stroke, every line, is imbued with the author's love.

Aemeath watched, her eyes suddenly reddened.

Seeing this, Lu Yan gently put his arm around her shoulder and asked softly, "What's wrong? Do you think I made you look ugly?"

"No, not at all." Aemeath sniffed and rested her head on Lu Yan's shoulder. "I just feel so happy to be watched over and observed by you like this."

Aemeath gazed at him and said, "By the way, A-Yan, what made you start liking me?"

Lu Yan was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the sketchbook. His voice was soft, yet unusually firm. "I liked you from the moment I saw you. And I fell completely in love with you after understanding your inner self."

Lu Yan scratched his face somewhat awkwardly. "Although you might not have experienced any of that after my intervention, and what you did experience might have been even more difficult."

"It's not bitter at all." Aemeath shook her head.

Then she turned her head and gave Lu Yan a quick kiss on the cheek. "That was so sweet, this is your reward!"

Just as the two were immersed in the warmth of their memories, Lu Yan suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark red color at the very back of the drawer.

He reached out and pulled out the file folder at the very bottom, then opened the seal.

A small, dark red booklet with the national emblem embossed in gold lay quietly inside.

"Found it." Lu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and took his household registration booklet in his hand.

Aemeath immediately dropped her sketchbook and came over.

She looked at the unfamiliar red book, and a hint of solemnity suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"A-Yan, open it and take a look," Aemeath said softly.

Lu Yan did as instructed and opened one of the books. On the top page, Lu Yan's name was clearly printed, and in the marital status section, two cold words were written: unmarried.

He then turned to another page, the one for Aemeath. Again, in the marital status section, it read 'unmarried'.

Aemeath extended her index finger and gently stroked the two words, her voice trembling slightly, yet filled with undisguised anticipation:

"A-Yan, did you see those two words?"

"Yes, I saw it." Lu Yan nodded slightly.

"In five days..." Aemeath raised her head, her golden eyes gleaming brightly. She stared intently into Lu Yan's eyes and said, word by word, "In five days, the words on this will change to 'married'."

As she spoke, her fingertip moved slightly, sliding towards the column indicating the relationship with the head of household. There, the words 'non-relative' were clearly printed.

Aemeath placed her hands on the back of Lu Yan's hands, which were holding the household registration booklet, their skin touching, conveying a constant warmth. "We've been on the same household registration booklet for a long time."

"But in five days, the word 'spouse' will be clearly printed here. I will remain on this page of your life forever as your wife. We... will become a true family."

Hearing her say the word "family," and looking at the household registration book bearing their names under her fingertips, Lu Yan's throat tightened.

For someone accustomed to solitude and who believes they will spend the rest of their life alone, the word "spouse" carries a weight heavier than the entire world.

Without a word, he stretched out his arms and Aemeath, along with the household registration book that had witnessed their future, tightly and forcefully.

He was very strong now, but Aemeath didn't struggle at all. Instead, she reached out and gently hugged his back, patting him lightly.

"Don't cry, A-Yan, this is something happy." Aemeath felt the dampness on her neck, her voice very gentle.

"I didn't cry..." Lu Yan's voice was muffled, with a heavy nasal tone. He buried his face deeply in the crook of her neck. "I'm just... so happy. Little Aemeath, thank you for wanting me."

"Idiot~ I should be thanking you."

After a long while, Lu Yan finally calmed down and stepped out of Aemeath's arms.

His eyes were still slightly red, but his gaze was brighter than ever before.

He looked at Aemeath was sitting on the carpet with a radiant smile, and said, "Alright, the most crucial thing has been found. Now, we'll begin the next part of the mission."

"What mission?" Aemeath blinked.

"Let's go out and buy clothes!" Lu Yan stood up and held out a hand to her.

Aemeath looked at that broad, kind hand, placed her hand on it, and used it to stand up.

"Let's go! I want to pick out the most beautiful clothes! To be the most beautiful wife!"