Shen Yiqiu was a top student from an ordinary family, with a delicate oval face like a pearl and the gentle fragrance of a gardenia. While pursuing her master's degree, she worked as her advisor's teaching assistant. The day she filled in for a class, the room was packed with male and female students, all there to see the elegant, gentle teacher.
Her student, Duan Zhiwei, liked her very much. She secretly told Shen Yiqiu that her uncle wanted to find someone to marry.
Duan Yue was over thirty and had served in the military. He wore a hearing aid behind his ear. Blossoming branches stood out against the black tiles and white walls. The man was like a resilient bamboo stalk, sunlight falling on his shoulders in flecks of light.
Duan Yue suddenly realized that the girl who had been a student back then had grown into a poised and graceful woman.
That year, a picture window he'd never seen before reflected distant mountains. Shen Yiqiu stood there, uneasy. She had just started university and needed the tutoring job.
He seemed displeased. “You're still a student?”
A hint of pleading entered Shen Yiqiu's clear eyes. Mustering her courage, she said, “Sir, I'll make sure you're satisfied.”
Duan Yue had striking features. A brightly colored medal rested in his hand, and at last his gaze fell on her.
Now, at his mother's command, Duan Yue had returned to take over the family business. The old madam didn't care about family status. She only wanted her younger son to marry and settle down.
Duan Yue kept a clean home and made food to suit her tastes. Shen Yiqiu had never expected anything from this marriage of convenience.
After they registered their marriage, Duan Yue, who knew his hearing was poor, understood that the young woman had gotten the short end of the deal. He always went along with Shen Yiqiu.
As finals approached, Shen Yiqiu was so busy she barely had time to catch her breath, let alone reply to messages. Duan Yue went to her classroom and sat in on a lecture with the students. After class, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “Wife, when are you coming home with me?”
His wife was young, and Duan Yue couldn't stand seeing young men coming and going around her. He took off his hearing aid and held Shen Yiqiu in his arms, murmuring gently but firmly, “You said you love me. Keep saying it until I can hear you.”
Nine-year age gap / marriage before love / sweet romance
Theme: Marriage can be romantic
