SFTIAAB Chapter 50

After a satisfying meal, Lu Qiming collected the bowls, and Jiang Miaomiao used the water he brought back to take a shower in the bathroom.

The climate on the island was warm, and after a day’s work, they didn’t feel cold washing with cold water. On the contrary, it left them feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Jiang Miaomiao’s T-shirt was dirty and filled with sweat odor, so she went upstairs to find some clean clothes. Judging from the clothing styles, the previous residents of this house were likely a family of three: a father and mother in their thirties, and a boy around ten years old.

The father’s clothes were too big, and the boy’s clothes were too small, so she had no choice but to wear the mother’s clothes.

The mother’s style was bold and passionate. She either wore deep V-neck floral dresses or bright red long skirts.

After searching for a long time, Jiang Miaomiao finally found two printed mini skirts, placing them separately as her changing clothes.

She changed her clothes and went downstairs. Lu Qiming was sitting on the doorstep, smoking and gazing at the street.

“Is your cigarette not finished yet?”

“It’s gone.”

“Then where did you get it from?”

He raised what was in his hand, and she realized that he wasn’t smoking a cigarette, but a cigar.

The island residents liked smoking cigars, and there were dozens of boxes displayed on the shop counters, which were now all Lu Qiming’s belongings.

She didn’t mind him smoking, but he had just recovered, and smoking these things all day long, would it have any impact on his health?

Jiang Miaomiao expressed her concerns, and Lu Qiming raised an eyebrow.

“You can’t bear to part with me?”

She rolled her eyes and sat down on the doorstep next to him.

“I just can’t understand why you find this thing so appealing. It’s understandable to smoke one to relieve stress when you’re in pain, but now you’re not injured. If you’re bored, the store has fruit candies, which are way tastier than this.”

“Fruit candies?” Lu Qiming couldn’t help but chuckle, “Those are things only children like.”

“Hmph, you think you’re so mature.”

Jiang Miaomiao didn’t want to bother with him and casually picked a grass leaf to play with Jiang Rou Rou.

It felt like she had returned to the days of living in the World Trade Center, with plenty of food and drink, carefree and worry-free.

But her current life was much better than back then. She could go out whenever she wanted, bask in the sun, and nothing could stop her, making her feel like the little queen of this island.

Lu Qiming took a puff of the cigar, suddenly feeling unsatisfied. He turned to look at the person beside him and cleared his throat.

“Cough, do you really not want me to smoke?”

“It doesn’t matter. If you like smoking, smoke, just don’t bother me with the smoke.”

“Look at me.”

She turned her head, and his lips suddenly pressed against hers. It was a gentle touch without going deeper, just quietly pressing against each other, feeling their breaths and warmth.

The sea breeze caressed them, and the evening glow shone upon them.

Jiang Rou Rou yawned lazily while lying on the ground, and its round black eyes reflected their embracing figures.

The last ray of light disappeared without them realizing it, and a vast expanse of stars quietly occupied the sky.

Blushing, Jiang Miaomiao pushed him away and whispered, “It’s late, let’s go to sleep.”

Lu Qiming nodded, ushered the dog inside, closed both the front and back doors, and entered the master bedroom with her.

Lying on the bed, he remembered the contraceptive pills she had brought back today and wondered what she would do.

However, Jiang Miaomiao fell asleep as soon as she got on the bed, curling up in his arms, with their hands gently clasped on her chest, her sleeping face peaceful and beautiful.

The heated blood in their bodies suddenly calmed down, and he kissed her forehead, burying his face in her soft, flowing hair as he drifted into dreamland.

The two, along with their dog, settled into an extremely regular life on this small island.

They would wake up around eight or nine o’clock every morning, one would cook, and the other would do the laundry. The washed clothes would be hung in the yard to dry in the sunlight.

After meals, they would spend their mornings collecting supplies in the town, tending to the potatoes and tomatoes in the farmland, picking the ripe ones, and storing them in a cool place.

They took turns preparing lunch and dinner, and the entire afternoon was spent in the sea.

They would collect seashells, catch crabs, or go fishing.

While humans suffered heavy casualties, marine life entered an unprecedented period of prosperity. The ocean became a vast treasure trove, always surprising them with its abundance.

After two months, they not only gained weight, but the small room they converted into a warehouse was also filled with numerous supplies.

They had three or four baskets of potatoes, two baskets of tomatoes, a heap of daily necessities, and several buckets of seafood.

Due to the island’s warm climate, food would easily spoil, and often, they didn’t have time to eat before it went bad.

Jiang Miaomiao came up with a solution. She sliced the potatoes and spread them evenly on a plastic sheet in the yard, allowing the slices to sun-dry for three to four days until they could be easily crumbled. Then she stored them in plastic bags.

She collected all the edible salt on the island and mashed the cooked tomatoes into sauce, adding salt and simmering it until it turned into a thick paste. She then stored it in glass bottles as tomato sauce.

As for the seafood, it was even easier. They simply coated it with salt and left it to dry in the yard.

As long as they prevented the occasional seagulls from stealing, it wouldn’t take long before they had enough dried goods to last for at least a year or two.

The small warehouse became more and more abundant each day, and Jiang Miaomiao’s mood improved. Every morning when she opened her eyes, she felt that life was incredibly wonderful.

Of course, there were some minor flaws in this wonderful life.

For example, Lu Qiming always teased her – saying she looked like a black monkey.

She wanted to retort, but she stood in front of the mirror and examined herself closely.

Her bronze-colored face, bronze-colored arms, even the soles of her feet were dark. Only her palms and the soles of her feet were slightly lighter in color.

Indeed, she did look like a black monkey. He wasn’t wrong.

But when she looked at Lu Qiming, her heart immediately balanced out.

At least she had a bronze color, which could barely pass as a healthy skin tone. On the other hand, Lu Qiming, who spent all day outside, had turned as dark as charcoal and seemed to have permanently become an African standard.

In the past, Jiang Miaomiao loved fair skin and had tried various widely circulated methods to achieve it.

From drinking lemon water, consuming vitamins, applying whitening essence and sunscreen – she had tried them all.

After the apocalypse, her wish was granted. She rarely went outside, and her skin turned pale to the point where her blood vessels were visible on her wrists.

But now, after just two months, her fair skin had become a thing of the past, as if it had never existed.

At first, she felt uncomfortable with it, and it looked ugly no matter how she looked at it.

But as time went on, she gradually reversed her aesthetics and learned to appreciate this unique beauty.

Dark skin was great. Wearing a white halter mini skirt with dark skin made her look extraordinary.

And due to eating more, doing physical work, and having a good mood, her figure had become more voluptuous.

Her butt had become rounder, her chest fuller, and on her flat stomach, a few abs were faintly visible, making her proud for several days.

Jiang Miaomiao’s swimming skills had greatly improved. Before, she could only doggy paddle, but now, after taking a deep breath, she could swim underwater for several laps.

One afternoon, Lu Qiming dragged out a small boat from one of the houses and went to fish in an area further away from the shore.

He had gone fishing once before and brought back a large salmon weighing over ten pounds.

They had eaten half of it that night, and the other half was dried by Jiang Miaomiao. It was still hanging from the ceiling beam.

Jiang Miaomiao felt a bit seasick and decided not to go with him. Instead, she stayed on the shore with Jiang Rou Rou, picking seashells.

After practice, she became quite skilled at picking seashells. She knew exactly where those little things liked to hide and could catch them with precision. It didn’t take long for her to collect a basin full of seashells.

They had plenty of seashells at home, so they didn’t have to worry about food for the time being, and Jiang Miaomiao could take a little break.

She ran back home, brought a cup of homemade beer brewed by the islanders in a wooden barrel, and sat in the shade on the beach, sipping while enjoying the scenery. She felt satisfied and let out a few belches.

Jiang Rou Rou wagged its tail as it passed by. She patted its fur and couldn’t help but feel jealous.

“We all turned into dogs, but you’re still so white.”

Jiang Rou Rou was completely unaware of its advantage and stared at the cup in her hand, thinking it was something good.

She poured a little into her palm and offered it to let it lick.

But after tasting it, it walked away with a disgusted look on its face.

Jiang Miaomiao burst into laughter, rolled on the beach twice, and suddenly remembered that this kind of life wouldn’t last long, feeling a sense of loss.

Lu Qiming was now relying on the vaccine for a normal life. They had only nine doses of the vaccine, and two were already used since arriving on the island. The remaining doses would last for at most seven months.

What would they do after seven months?

Returning to the outside world was impossible; Gu Changzhou would kill them. So, should they stay here?

This place was quite good, and living here with the zombies for a long time might not be a bad choice.

But humans would eventually return. In a dozen years or so, they would step foot on this land again and probably blow off the heads of two silly zombies without hesitation.

What did it feel like to have your head blown off?

She recalled the gruesome scenes of zombies’ heads exploding and subconsciously touched her head, continuing to drink.

Alcohol was a good thing; it made people blindly happy and forget all their worries.

Jiang Miaomiao dug a hole in the sand with her toes, finished the beer, and decided to take a nap.

When she woke up, Lu Qiming would probably be back, and they would return home together. He would take a bath, and she would cook.

What should they eat for dinner? Boil the remaining half of the salmon?

As she pondered, a small boat suddenly appeared on the sea.

She stood up and looked, and it was Lu Qiming’s boat.

He was back so soon. Did something happen?

Jiang Miaomiao hurried to the shore, wanting to ask him.

Lu Qiming hadn’t reached the shore yet, but he shouted to her from a distance, “Hurry back home!”

“What?!”

“A typhoon is coming. Hurry back!”

A typhoon?!

Jiang Miaomiao looked into the distance, and indeed, a vast expanse of dark clouds had floated over the sky, accompanied by strong winds and raging waves.

She had always lived inland and had only heard of typhoons but never experienced one.

The news had reported on the power of typhoons; they could uproot even large trees, not to mention someone who hadn’t reached a hundred pounds yet, like her.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Miaomiao quickly called Jiang Rou Rou and rushed back home, gathering the clothes, potatoes, and salted fish in the yard.

When they had collected about half of the items, Lu Qiming arrived home. He hadn’t even had a chance to wash off the sand on his feet before he helped her clean up.

They hurriedly brought everything in the yard back into the house and quickly closed the doors and windows.

There were seven or eight windows downstairs and seven or eight windows upstairs. Usually, they didn’t seem like much, but now they were indeed a lot.

They ran as fast as they could, and finally, there were only two windows left.

One was on the east side, and the other was on the west side.

Jiang Miaomiao went to the west side, leaving the east one to Lu Qiming.

She ran to the window, grabbed the frame to close it, but a gust of wind blew in from outside. The glass hit her face like a drum and then bounced off heavily.

The impact made her cheeks numb, and she felt dizzy, falling to the floor and unable to get up for a while.

Hearing the noise, Lu Qiming hastened to finish closing the window and then went to help her up.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Jiang Miaomiao extended her hand with difficulty.

“Never mind me, the window!”

The wind kept blowing in, causing paintings on the corridor walls, beddings on the bed, and the bedside lamp on the nightstand to fly off from their original positions, rolling around the room in chaos.

Lu Qiming had to let go of her for the time being, braved the strong wind, and walked to the wall, trying to close the window with great effort.

But it seemed like the wind was against him. The harder he pushed, the stronger the wind blew, making it impossible to close the window properly.

Jiang Miaomiao struggled to get up, grasped his clothes for support, and walked over. With both pairs of hands, they used all their strength to finally close the window.

The house wasn’t very sturdy, and the wind was leaking in from all directions. The sound of the wind outside was like a ghostly howl, frightening their hearts.

Soon, it became dark outside, and the room was gloomy.

They didn’t dare to stay on the upper floor, so they ran to the small room on the ground floor that seemed to be the most secure, closed the door, and hugged each other.

Videos they had seen before flashed in their minds.

The typhoon blew away cars.

The typhoon blew away trees.

The typhoon blew away roofs.

Jiang Miaomiao heard a loud bang from upstairs, and her heart skipped a beat, her voice changing.

“Did we lose our roof?”

Lu Qiming seemed unconcerned.

“Unlikely. The house built by the seaside isn’t that fragile.”

“But I clearly heard…”

“Do you want to go out and check?”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s your answer then.” Lu Qiming touched her head. “Good girl, if there’s nothing to do, just sleep. When you wake up, the typhoon will have passed.”

The noise outside was like a group of crazy tyrannosaurus rexes. Who could sleep with all that racket?

Jiang Miaomiao hugged his waist and suddenly remembered something.

“Oh no!”

Lu Qiming asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I forgot to bring in the seaweed I hung on the window! Sob, sob, sob. I’ve been drying the seaweed for days, and it’s about to dry. I was planning to use it for soup…”

She felt heartbroken, but he chuckled and kissed her on the forehead, saying, “Alright, Grandma Jiang, if your seaweed is gone, I’ll go get some more for you.”

“Ugh…” Jiang Miaomiao leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling extremely afraid that the house would collapse and crush them both.

They had only enjoyed two months of good days together, which was far from enough.

“Lu Qiming.”

After a few minutes, she suddenly called out to him.

Lu Qiming replied with a hum, “Did you forget to collect something? I’ll make it up to you in the future.”

“Shall we get married?”

“What?” He doubted if he had misheard, rubbed his ears, and wanted her to say it again.

Jiang Miaomiao blurted out those words in the heat of the moment and now felt embarrassed.

“It’s nothing.”

She closed her eyes, intending to sleep, but he held her shoulders and shook her as if shaking a dice to wake her up.

“You want to marry me?!”

Jiang Miaomiao blushed and pushed him away, saying, “I’m so tired, don’t bother me.”

Lu Qiming was ecstatic, and he hugged her tightly, his grip as strong as if he wanted to strangle her.

“Great! Let’s get married. We’ll marry tomorrow!”

Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t catch her breath, but she felt sweet inside.

However, a few minutes later, she began to have some regrets.

She liked Lu Qiming, and he liked her. It seemed natural for them to get married.

But when other people got married, the man would propose first, give a diamond ring, give flowers, and there would be a proposal ceremony, all very grand.

And what about her?

In the heat of the typhoon, with just one impulsive word, the matter was decided without him doing anything else?

However, they had already come a long way to survive until now, and Lu Qiming didn’t have a place to buy flowers or a diamond ring.

So Jiang Miaomiao suppressed this regret and started thinking about her own wedding.

The typhoon lasted for half a day and one night, gradually subsiding in the early morning of the next day.

They came out of the small room and were shocked by the scene outside.

The living room and kitchen were a mess, with plates and bowls and scattered rice and noodles everywhere. Several windows were broken, letting rainwater flow into the house, leaving water stains all over the floor.

When they went outside to see the streets, the situation was even worse, as if the place had been ransacked by bandits.

The once prosperous town had turned into this state.

Jiang Miaomiao felt like crying.

Lu Qiming put on two mismatched slippers, picked up the trash can, and said, “Let’s clean up first.”

Jiang Miaomiao nodded, stepping on the puddle in the living room and went upstairs to find a cloth to clean with.

The typhoon passed in just one night, but it took them several days to restore their home to its original state.

The soaked furniture had to be taken out to dry, bed sheets and blankets needed washing, and the floor had to be wiped dry.

The broken plates, bowls, and vases filled several garbage bins. Jiang Miaomiao picked many intact plates and bowls from the neighbor’s house and filled their cabinets.

Lu Qiming repaired the damaged windows, taking glass from other houses and fitting them into their own.

When everything was done, they were too tired to move. They sat on the sun-drenched sofa in the yard, feeling drowsy.

Jiang Miaomiao was almost dozing off when suddenly Lu Qiming jumped up and nudged her.

“Wake up!”

She was extremely tired. “What’s wrong? Didn’t we finish everything?”

“There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Getting married!”

Since the day she said those words, Lu Qiming couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Thinking about this, Jiang Miaomiao felt a bit shy and began to hesitate.

“Do we really need to get married? It doesn’t make much of a difference, does it?”

“We must! We can be lazy about anything, but not about this.”

“But I’m a bit tired…”

“Alright, you rest, I’ll take care of it.”

Lu Qiming was tired too. Climbing up and down while fixing the windows had drained his strength, but the thought of getting married motivated him endlessly.

He took a couple of steps into the house, then suddenly stopped and turned back to ask, “What do we need for a wedding?”

Jiang Miaomiao was stunned, trying hard to recall her experience of attending other people’s wedding banquets.

“Um… a delicious meal?”

Lu Qiming pondered for a moment and nodded, then walked into the house.

So, her wedding might only have one meal?

That won’t do!

The proposal ceremony had already been skipped; this one couldn’t be skipped too.

Jiang Miaomiao got up like a carp and chased after him to discuss it, finally deciding on a few things.

1. Venue.

There was a church in town, but they didn’t believe in God, so they just needed a scenic spot.

The lakeside was a good option, with lush green grass and rippling water. On the left was a mountain, and on the right was the sea; they decided to go with that.

2. Food.

Lu Qiming took charge of this; he was skilled in cooking and even knew how to make cakes.

The wedding banquet should have the most delicious food.

3. Wedding gown.

There were no bridal shops on the island, not even clothing stores. However, Jiang Miaomiao saw a sewing machine in one household, and it was still working.

And the fabric for a wedding gown didn’t differ too much from curtain fabric; both were quite luxurious.

So she made a great decision – to make her own wedding dress.

As for the wedding date, they decided to set it after all the preparations were completed.

Making a wedding dress was a huge undertaking and required a lot of time.

That evening, Jiang Miaomiao asked Lu Qiming to bring the sewing machine back and place it in the living room. Then, she dragged him around the town to find the most beautiful curtain fabric.

The indigenous people in the town favored English countryside style, with curtains either adorned with small flowers or plaid patterns, which might look too plain as a wedding dress.

They searched for a long time and finally set their sights on the curtains of the only restaurant in town – white cotton cloth with a touch of lace, simple yet elegant.

Due to the recent typhoon, the curtains were covered with mud spots and needed washing.

Lu Qiming brought a ladder and removed four sets of curtains.

Jiang Miaomiao carried a bucket of water to the lakeside and washed the curtains overnight, hanging them in the yard to dry.

The next morning, they were already dried by the sea breeze.

How should she make the wedding dress?

She found a skirt of the right size that fit her, placed it on the spread-out curtain fabric, and cut the upper part accordingly.

Then, she used her imagination to cut a large skirt hem.

A wedding dress skirt looked better when puffed up, but they couldn’t find a petticoat in town, so they could only make several layers of skirt hem and use fabric to support it.

She cut two more skirt hems and set aside the remaining scraps. Then she opened the sewing machine.

As a handicapped in sewing, she had never used a sewing machine before.

However, her family had a similar one when she was little, and her mother used it a lot and even made her a little skirt, so she had some vague impressions.

It seemed that the thread was supposed to go through here first… and then go through there…

Jiang Miaomiao fiddled with it for a whole morning, failing countless times. Eventually, she found the right steps, and the sewing machine’s clicking sound echoed in the room.

Lu Qiming caught two big lobsters while fishing. He passed by her with a bucket and took a glance. Unexpectedly, he exclaimed, “Can it really be used?”

“Get out of the way, get out of the way. You stink, don’t dirty my fabric.”

“Are you sure you’re making a wedding dress and not an apron?”

Jiang Miaomiao paused, glaring at him.

He playfully blew her a kiss and went into the kitchen.

She stitched the fabric together, cut out a sweetheart neckline, and hemmed it.

Everything went smoothly, and the results were out by noon the next day.

Due to her lack of skill, the dress looked rough, barely having the outline of a wedding dress.

But Jiang Miaomiao loved it very much. She joyfully carried it upstairs and stood in front of the mirror to try it on.

An embarrassing situation occurred… she couldn’t fit into this tailor-made dress!

What’s going on? She made it according to her own clothing size.

Jiang Miaomiao sat on the floor and searched for a while, finding the reason – when cutting the fabric, she didn’t leave enough width for hemming, so the upper body was exactly one size smaller.

This was a disaster. Should she make a new one?

Not to mention whether there was enough fabric; there was no time for that either.

Lu Qiming went upstairs and called her to have lunch. When he saw her holding the dress, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is it ready? Put it on for me to see.”

She hesitated.

“No, I can only wear it on the wedding day; otherwise, it won’t be new, and that’s considered unlucky.”

“There’s such a rule?”

“Yes!”

“Alright then, we’ll see it on the wedding day. Let’s go eat.”

Jiang Miaomiao put down the dress and started to walk out. Lu Qiming put his arm around her shoulder and suddenly leaned in to kiss her ear.

“How about doing me a favor?”

“What favor?”

“That day will be my wedding too. Can you make a decent outfit for me as well?”

“You?”

She stopped in her tracks, looked him up and down, and made a disdainful expression.

Lu Qiming said, “Yes, I’m your groom. Don’t you want me to look handsome?”

“I don’t care; even if you run naked, I wouldn’t mind.”

She was already exhausted from making her own wedding dress, and she had no energy to make one for him.

Lu Qiming started to act like a spoiled child, hugging her tightly and not letting her go downstairs.

“Come on, my darling Miaomiao, my adorable, beautiful, and capable Miaomiao. Please, make a nice outfit for your husband, so he can look presentable on the wedding day, okay?”

His begging wasn’t enough; he proceeded to shower her face with kisses, getting his saliva all over her.

Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t resist his antics and reluctantly agreed, planning in her mind to find a men’s suit from the neighbor’s house and alter it to fit his size.

Finally, they went downstairs and sat at the dining table.

Lunch was lobster meat fried rice with Chinese sausage and tomato sauce, smelling particularly delicious.

Jiang Miaomiao picked up her spoon but suddenly thought of her wedding dress. Ignoring the temptation of the delicious food, she made a very difficult decision.

She was going to go on a diet.

It was just one size smaller, right? She just needed a few days to lose some weight.

Lu Qiming had already almost finished his portion and noticed she hadn’t touched her food. He urged, “What are you doing? Eat, or I’ll finish it.”

“You eat.”

She resolutely pushed the plate toward him.

Lu Qiming was surprised. “You’re not eating? What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m not hungry. I’m going to sleep.”

Jiang Miaomiao turned and went upstairs, never coming back down.

Lu Qiming was concerned, so after finishing his meal, he cooked a bowl of noodles specifically for her and brought it upstairs, knocking on her door.

“Miaomiao, are you hungry? Come out and eat a little.”

Jiang Miaomiao’s voice came from behind the door.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Have a taste, it’s specially made for you.”

“I really am not hungry, so you go ahead.”

Stop tempting her.

Lu Qiming called out to her for a while, but since she didn’t come out, he gave up and went downstairs to wash the dishes.

He suspected she might be sick, but in the afternoon, she came out looking radiant and pulled him along to find a suit.

While preparing the suit for Lu Qiming, Jiang Miaomiao was also on a diet.

When she couldn’t bear the hunger, she would munch on a few tomatoes to satisfy her stomach.

On the third day, she specifically went to the sea with Lu Qiming and ended up vomiting bile.

After the nearly self-torturing diet, she felt that she had significantly slimmed down.

When she went to try on the wedding dress again, it fit just right.

Jiang Miaomiao stood in front of the mirror and admired herself.

Lu Qiming pushed the door open and saw her like that, completely dumbfounded.

“You said… you shouldn’t try it on beforehand; otherwise, it’s considered unlucky.”

“Really? I forgot.”

“… “

Lu Qiming thought of something and asked happily, “Can I try on my outfit now?”

He had already altered it yesterday and it was hanging in the wardrobe.

Jiang Miaomiao smiled and shook her head, then walked up to him.

Lu Qiming was puzzled. “Why not?”

“Because…” She tiptoed and hooked her arms around his neck. “Let’s get married tonight.”

She was already starving and wanted to have a big feast.

Lu Qiming didn’t object and went downstairs to prepare his feast.

Meanwhile, Jiang Miaomiao improved the wedding dress a little more, sewing a lace border around the collar and cuffs. She took down some small stars from the Christmas tree in the restaurant’s storage room and sewed them onto the hem.

She found a piece of red fabric and made two breast flowers, writing “Groom” and “Bride” on the strips of fabric below the flowers using a marker.

What else was missing?

A veil? There were no mosquito nets around here, so it was probably not possible.

Jiang Miaomiao stood on the balcony and noticed some wildflowers blooming in the neighboring yard. She ran over and picked them, then used iron wire and floral fabric to make a small flower crown.

The island’s native people had quite a few pieces of jewelry. She took earrings from one house and a necklace from another, piecing together a complete set.

As she was busy, Lu Qiming was not idle either. He prepared the dishes he had planned in advance and set up a dining table by the lake, spreading a tablecloth and placing all the food and drinks on it.

A wedding needed a sense of ceremony, so he dismantled the white door frame of the bar and placed it on the lawn, wrapped with bright red fabric, making it look festive.

With everything in the plan done, standing on the lawn in their changed clothes, Jiang Miaomiao felt like she was forgetting something.

A furry bundle burrowed into her skirt, and when she picked it up, she remembered.

“My Meatball, how could I forget about you?”

It was an important role!

Jiang Miaomiao took off the flower crown on her head and put it around the dog’s neck like a collar.

With that, everything was done. The two, along with their furry friend, stood under the red frame.

She looked at him, and he looked at her, both feeling a bit awkward.

“Cough, cough.”

Lu Qiming, dressed in a suit even darker than his skin tone, cleared his throat and suddenly knelt down on one knee, pulling out a tiny silver ring from his pocket.

Jiang Miaomiao was taken aback, “Where did you get it from?”

“There was a silver cup for decoration in the bar, and I secretly ground it into a ring at midnight.”

“… Well, thank you.”

She extended her finger, ready to put it on.

But Lu Qiming insisted on going through the whole process.

“Miss Jiang Miaomiao, would you marry this almost fifty-year-old old man? I might eat more than you, die earlier than you, are you willing to be with me through thick and thin?”

Jiang Miaomiao smiled mischievously, “I am willing, I am even willing to live in your house and spend your money after you’re gone.”

He blinked, “But I don’t have a house or money; the only thing I possess is you.”

“Really? Well, then it’s a one-of-a-kind treasure.”

He chuckled and slid the ring onto her finger.

His dark skin, the shining ring – it had its own uniqueness.

Lu Qiming stood up, and Jiang Miaomiao adjusted her dress. “I didn’t secretly grind a ring at midnight, so I can’t exchange one with you.”

“It’s okay; you owe me one. You can repay me by being my cow and horse.”

Jiang Miaomiao pinched him, “Who’s the cow, who’s the horse?”

He quickly apologized, “I’m the cow, I’m the horse.”

“Then what about me?”

Jiang Miaomiao lifted her little chin, and Lu Qiming kissed her gently.

“You are my one-of-a-kind treasure.”

On the secluded island, a wedding took place quietly.

Groom: Lu Qiming.

Bride: Jiang Miaomiao.

Officiant: Jiang Meatball.

Groom’s family: Jiang Meatball.

Bride’s family: Jiang Meatball.

Best man and maid of honor: Jiang Meatball.

Guests: Jiang Meatball.