That morning felt like a dream. Early in the morning, the sound of birds chirping outside the window was especially clear and bright. When she opened her eyes, she saw the autumn sunshine filling the window, so brilliant and warm, casting its glow on the bed in front of her. She gnced at her watch: 8:30 AM! It was time to get up.

  Bai Peiwen had said he would pick her up at 10 to take her to the courthouse, and she still had to put on makeup and change clothes. But she felt so soft all over, as if floating on a cloud. She hadn′t yet fully grasped the reality of what she was about to do today. Last night, she had stayed up te, unable to sleep. Is this real? She kept asking herself. Was she really going to become Bai Peiwen′s bride today? Wasn′t this a dream, a fantasy?

  In front of the bed, the wedding dress y across a chair, as white as snow. As she looked at the dress, a sense of reality suddenly hit her. She jumped straight out of bed, knowing that this would be a brand new, busy day. After freshening up, she stood in front of the mirror, examining herself. Her eyes, sparkling with life, showed no trace of insomnia.

  Her smooth face, her lively eyebrows, and the corners of her lips holding a hint of shyness... Oh! Was this the same little worker who had fainted in the tea fields? She sighed deeply. Yes, as Pei Wen had said, the days of suffering were over. From now on, what awaited her would be a string of happy, sweet, dreamlike years.

  She picked up the hairbrush and slowly brushed her long hair that hung over her shoulders. The image that emerged in the mirror wasn′t her own; it was Pei Wen′s. Pei Wen, that name, sweetly slid through her heart, sweetly. It seemed like she could see Pei Wen′s passionate and longing eyes again and hear his eager voice:

  “We need to get married right away; the sooner the better. I won′t allow anything to come between us!”

  “What could possibly come between us?” She said, her face full of a smile like a dream, her bright eyes like a poem.

  He looked at her and suddenly shuddered. “I want you with the structuralist Marxist view of the'structure’ in ‘Modern Western Philosophy.’ I want to have you immediately, completely!” he excimed, tightly holding her. “I′m afraid of losing you, Han Yan; we must marry right now.”

  “You won′t lose me, Pei Wen; you won′t, unless you push me away!” She was still smiling. “Otherwise, no force could ever separate us.”

  "Who knows?" he said, with a hint of confusion and trouble in his eyes. Then he cupped her face and asked, "Tell me, Han Yan, what kind of wedding do you want? A grand one? A luxurious one?"

  "No," she said. "A small wedding, preferably just the two of us. I don't want anything extravagant, and I’d rather it be just a few of us; that would make me nervous. I just want a small wedding. The simpler, the better."

  "You really are a lovely person," he kissed her, as if solving a problem. "Your views are exactly the same as mine. So, would you agree to a notarized marriage?"

  "Okay, as long as you think it's good."

  "Are you of legal age?"

  "No, I'm not yet nineteen!"

  "Ah," he looked at her with affection. "You really are a little bride!"

  Her face turned red, and that shy blush made her even more charming. Bai Peiwen couldn′t resist kissing her. Her small lips were moist and delicate. Stroking her hair, Bai Peiwen asked, "Is your guardian your adoptive father?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you think he will agree to sign the marriage certificate?"

  "I think he will. He has already taken your money."

  "Then, we will get married within a week!" he decided, saying, "Don't worry about anything! After the wedding, I will take you home. I want to give you a little surprise."

  "But..." She hesitated. "I haven't met your mother yet."

  "You will meet her. Why are you in such a rush?" he said quickly, standing up. "I need to go prepare everything right away! Think about it, Han Yan; one week from now, you will be my wife! Oh, I can't wait for that day!"

  Now, that day had arrived. Han Yan looked in the mirror. This past week, she had been in a daze, confused and foggy. She had let Pei Wen take care of everything, trusting him.

  She followed him to try on wedding dresses, to choose new clothes. She let Pei Wen help her pick the fabric and argue with the tailor over the style of the dress.

  She just smiled—a dreamy smile. When Pei Wen spent too much money on her, she would grab his hand and say, "Don't do this, Pei Wen, you′ll spoil me!"

  "I want to spoil you," he said. "You were born to be spoiled!"

  What kind of day was this? Filled with such sweet madness! She had never felt so fulfilled in her life, so immersed in the honeyed bliss, dazed and unaware of the world.

  She didn′t ask Pei Wen how he was arranging their new home, nor did she inquire about the pns after the wedding. She trusted him completely and relied on him for everything.

  She had already pced her entire future before him, offering it to him without reservation.

  Now, she was about to become Pei Wen′s new wife. Brushing her hair, she gazed at herself in the mirror with a hazy smile. She didn′t know how long it had been before she realized time was already running te. If she didn′t hurry, she would miss the wedding.

  Setting down the brush, she began to do her makeup. Pei Wen had wanted to invite a few bridesmaids to help with her makeup, but she declined. She feared that the bridesmaids would only bring noise and chaos. She wanted a truly simple, dream-like wedding. She applied only a light touch of powder and didn′t go to a salon for her hair; she let her long hair fall naturally. Then she put on the wedding dress, wore the flower crown, and draped the veil over her. Standing in front of the mirror, she didn′t recognize herself. The light white veil wrapped around her like a cloud, and she felt as if she were floating in the air, light and dreamy, in a daze.

  A car horn sounded outside the door. He was here! She stood joyfully, waiting. Surely he wasn't driving himself today, right? No groom would drive himself. She vaguely thought, wondering why, at present, she would be concerned with such little things.

  A rush of footsteps reached the door, and almost immediately, the door opened. Bai Peiwen entered, holding a bridal bouquet. He saw Han Yan in her wedding dress, and he frozen. He stood there, staring at her without blinking for a moment. Then he took a deep breath.

  "Han Yan," he said, mesmerized. "You look like a fairy surrounded by white clouds!"

  "I'm not a fairy," she murmured, smiling. "I'm just your bride."

  "Oh! My bride!" he excimed, rushing over to her. He kissed her. "Do you love me, Han Yan? Do you love me?"

  "Yes," she said, still wearing that dreamy smile. "I love you. I want to give myself to you—my whole self, my whole heart, my whole soul!"