“Wei Wei, thank you for putting up with this,” Hao Yi’s mother said, her tone steady but weary. She forced a faint, bitter smile. “Thank you for coming all this way to see Hao Yi’s father...”
“It’s no trouble. This is what I should do,” I replied.
It occurred to me that this might be the last contribution I could make to this family. The thought filled me with guilt.
“Thank you, really,” she said again, her voice dry. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around, but you and Hao Yi must take good care of yourselves and each other in the future. Promise me that, won’t you?”
Hearing this, I immediately turned to look at Hao Yi, and a wave of sorrow surged in my chest. For a moment, I almost blurted out the truth. Auntie, I’m sorry. There won’t be a future for Hao Yi and me. I won’t be able to take care of him, nor can I easily make the promises I once did.
“Mom! Why are you saying things like that again?” Hao Yi frowned.
“She’s right, Auntie,” I chimed in quickly. “Uncle wouldn’t be at peace hearing you talk like this.”
“You’re so considerate,” Hao Yi’s mother said, dabbing at her tears.
Auntie, I’m not considerate, nor am I a good person.
Please don’t think so highly of me—I don’t want to hurt you even more later.
As my thoughts spiraled, Hao Yi’s mother said something that turned everything on its head: “I think I can rest assured leaving Hao Yi in your hands.”
What? I froze.
Was she about to…?
“Mom, why are you suddenly saying this?” Hao Yi also sensed something unusual.
“You don’t make plans for yourself, so I have to think for you,” she said. “You’ve been with Wei Wei for so long. How much longer are you planning to keep her waiting?”
“Mom, now isn’t the time to worry about this...” Hao Yi said. At the same time, his gaze met mine, as though he was debating whether to reveal our engagement.
“I’m not joking,” she continued. “If you both want to get married, it’s best to hold the wedding within 100 days, according to tradition. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait another three years. Think about it—how old will you and Wei Wei be by then? You might endure it, but Wei Wei is a young woman. Can she wait that long?”
I stared at Hao Yi, my mind completely blank. Should I quickly smooth things over, saying I didn’t mind waiting, that it didn’t matter since we were so stable anyway? Maybe Hao Yi would even be grateful to me, giving him the freedom to pursue his dreams in mainland China without guilt.
But I knew the truth—that wasn’t how I felt at all. Saying those words would only make breaking up easier for me later.
And so, every step forward felt impossibly heavy.
As I hesitated, Hao Yi spoke first. “Mom, actually...”
Despite my countless prayers and pleas, hoping Hao Yi wouldn’t say those words, reality always defied my wishes.
“Actually, I’ve already proposed to Wei Wei…” Hao Yi admitted, his face showing faint traces of struggle. Compared to his tone over the phone yesterday, I couldn’t discern whether he was being honest to put his mother’s mind at ease or because he truly didn’t want to keep me waiting. Perhaps for Hao Yi, such subtle emotions didn’t matter—they were so light they required no deliberation, merely leading to an inevitable conclusion.
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
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