The next day, when I woke up, I received a message from Lu. Just seeing his name light up my screen made me smile. He'd texted: "I'll come pick you up at 10 a.m. to visit my mom." Excitement rushed through me. I stood up, opened the window, and took a deep breath of the morning air. Then, I freshened up and started making breakfast for him.
Right on time, Lu knocked on the door. When I opened it, he was standing there with a bouquet, holding it up so it completely covered his face. I gently pushed the flowers aside and said with a laugh, "You're early!" "Yeah," he grinned. "I brought these for you. And I had a feeling you'd make breakfast, so I came early to eat with you." Surprised, I asked, "How did you know I'd cook for you?" Lu stepped inside with the flowers and smirked. "I know everything about my wife," he said, raising a brow playfully. I chuckled and told him to sit at the dining table.
After breakfast, we stopped by a shop to pick up some gifts for his parents. When we arrived at his house, Lu knocked on the door. His father opened it, smiled at him, and said, "Come in." But he hadn't noticed me yet. "Hello, Uncle," I said politely. Startled, he turned around. "Who is she?" Just then, Lu's mother appeared. Seeing me, her eyes lit up. She brushed past her husband and scolded, "Can't you guess? This is Lu's girlfriend!" She waved us in, and we sat on the sofa.
I handed them the gifts we'd brought. Lu's mother received them with a glowing smile. "Lu told us a lot about you," she said warmly. "We were shocked, honestly. He's always been so cold and unsociable." I laughed and replied, "Auntie, you don't know what he's like when we're alone. He's such a sweet talker—it's hard to handle sometimes." She laughed and looked at her husband.
Then his father said, "So how did he fall for you? He's exactly like me—very particular. But my choice didn't go too well." I blinked, unsure how to react. Lu leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry. He always says things like this when they're alone. Then my mom beats him up. It's their love language." I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing.
True to form, Lu's mother slapped her husband lightly on the thigh. "Can't you behave for once?"
Then she turned to me, took my hand gently, and asked, "Qin, can I speak to your mother about the wedding?" Lu quickly signaled her with his eyes, but she didn't catch on. I softly said, "Auntie, I lost my parents when I was young. I don't have anyone except Lu and my friend."
Her expression softened immediately. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry," she said, squeezing my hand. "Then I'll be your mother. After marrying him, you'll be my daughter. I always prayed to have a daughter—and God gave me one through you."
I couldn't hold back the tears. Lu placed his hand on my shoulder gently as I cried. His father turned to his wife and said, "Look at you. Can't even be nice without making her cry." His wife huffed, "I didn't say anything wrong. You wouldn't understand." I laughed through my tears and whispered, "Thank you, Mother." Her face lit up with joy as she pulled me into a warm hug.
---
After dinner, just as we were leaving, Lu's mother came out with a small box. Inside was a gold ring. "Give me your hand," she said. I held it out, and she slipped the ring onto my finger.
I looked at her, stunned. "Mother, this looks expensive..." She shook her head. "It's not. I bought this ring long ago, hoping to give it to a daughter if I ever had one. I never got the chance. But now that I have you, it belongs to you. Don't ever feel like you're alone. You have a mother, a father, a husband—and friends who love you."
Tears filled my eyes again. I hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Mother. I'll never forget this. My parents would have been so happy to see you." She gently patted my back and said, "They're happy because they raised a kind, pure-hearted girl."
Lu joined the hug and held us both.
---
Later, when he dropped me off at home, Lu hugged me tightly for a long moment. Then he whispered, "Qin, can we start preparing for our wedding tomorrow?" I nodded and smiled shyly. Reaching up, I cupped his face and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead before slipping inside.
He stood frozen, then snapped back to reality. I peeked through the window and waved at him. Lu waved back with a grin and sent me a flying kiss before getting into his car and driving away.
I watched him go, smiling the entire time.