The box had been placed for so long that a puff of dust rose when it was opened.
Nan Yu coughed twice before she could make out what was inside.
There was a letter and a piece of emerald - green slate. Judging from the material, it seemed to be a kind of jade.
"No wonder it's so heavy. There's actually a stone in it," Nan Yu thought to herself. She looked up at Tan Linyuan and said, "You really guessed right."
Actually, it wasn't entirely Tan Linyuan's guess.
As he carried it all the way back, the contents inside didn't shake even when he walked, and it was so heavy. It could only be a stone or jade.
There was dust on the stone. Tan Linyuan found a brush and carefully swept away the dust on it.
"There are words on it!" Nan Yu exclaimed.
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word. When his eyes fell on the two characters on the slate, his pupils suddenly shrank.
On the right side of the slate, the words "Marriage Certificate" were clearly engraved.
This was a stone - carved marriage certificate.
Nan Yu of course also saw these two words. Her breathing slowed down instantly. "… A marriage certificate?"
"Yes."
Tan Linyuan remained calm and looked down at the words on it.
Marriage Certificate
Two families unite in marriage, sealed by this stone. They form a good marriage and become a perfect couple. The red string was tied long ago, and they will be together till the end of their lives. This stone serves as the witness, even if the sea dries up and the stones crumble. This marriage contract is hereby made. May they live in harmony like the qin and se (musical instruments), and be of one heart forever. This is the proof!
Those engaged: Tan Linyuan and Nan Yu
"This is… our marriage certificate?" Nan Yu was surprised. She reached out her finger to touch the names on it and confirmed that they were theirs.
Tan Linyuan opened the other envelope in the box. There were two letters inside.
Nan Yu took out one and unfolded it. She found that it was in her father's handwriting.
She had read the content before.
It was the marriage certificate that Shen Suhai had given her at that time, claiming that it was the marriage contract personally arranged by her father.
It was no different from what she had seen before, except that the name on it was not Shen Yanche, but Tan Linyuan.
"It seems that Shen Suhai forged this letter," Tan Linyuan said calmly. "Your father's original intention was not…"
It was not for her to marry Shen Yanche.
But to marry Tan Linyuan.
So this was the real marriage certificate, and this was the real man recognized by her father.
Nan Yu was speechless for a moment. Her chest felt extremely sore.
After all these twists and turns, this was the result.
Her voice was very soft. "That means I married the person my parents originally wanted me to marry…"
Fate was really playing tricks on her.
Tan Linyuan looked up. He held the other letter in his hand, showing no extra emotion.
After a while, he said softly, "This is an apology letter from Master Wenjing to me."
Nan Yu was taken aback.
Tan Linyuan was silent for a while, then calmly said, "Nan Yu, in the past nearly thirty years, there was hardly a single day when I wasn't repenting, for my sins and for my fate."
Nan Yu looked at him.
"But it turns out it was all fake," he said, then let out a long breath. "The prophecy never existed at all."
The letter was written by Master Wenjing to Tan Linyuan.
It turned out that Master Wenjing had known all along that Tan Siqi had always suspected his relationship with Zhou Ruoyin, Tan Linyuan's mother.
He said that Tan Siqi had never trusted his wife, so he naturally didn't love Tan Linyuan.
He also mentioned in the letter that the Tan family was in a complicated and chaotic situation. Only by staying away could Tan Linyuan find peace.
If he hadn't let Tan Linyuan practice with him for many years, he might not have even lived to be ten years old.
In order to ensure his safety, Master Wenjing deliberately fabricated that prophecy just to keep him and the people close to him safe.
If not, not only he but also the people close to him would have been harmed one by one.
Facts had proved that this was indeed the case.
Master Wenjing said that he was a failed and cowardly master. But at that time, he was just an insignificant person, and the only thing he could do was to protect him.
He also said that he had only loved Tan Linyuan's mother in his whole life.
And precisely because he loved his mother, he selflessly loved him.
At the end of the letter, it was written that he had already checked the birth dates of Miss Nan Yu from the Nan family in advance, and they were well - matched.
It said that whether he fulfilled the marriage contract or not, he hoped that he could truly be happy after the truth came to light.
Tan Linyuan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with desolation.
"Yuyu, I've been living in fear because of a fabricated prophecy," he said in a flat tone. "Now it seems so absurd and laughable."
A prophecy that had never existed from the very beginning.
But it had trapped him for nearly half of his life.
Nan Yu was silent. She got up and hugged him.
Only when the old shackles of the past are removed can one truly know oneself today.
—
Nan Yu read the marriage certificate over and over again. She was extremely excited.
She asked with a smile, "Does this mean that we're fated to be together?"
Tan Linyuan mercilessly shattered her fantasy. "Maybe it was because you kept talking about marrying me before that your father went to Master Wenjing to propose the marriage."
Nan Yu didn't care. "That means this is also a marriage agreed upon by both parties. It's a marriage approved by the mountain god. We're a perfect match."
Tan Linyuan smiled helplessly.
Since he learned that the so - called prophecy that he was an unlucky star was false, he no longer took such non - existent things seriously.
However, he believed one thing:
He and Nan Yu were destined to be together by fate.
He could only marry her, and she could only marry him.
They were truly a perfect match.
…
Before leaving Jiangcheng, Nan Yu and Tan Linyuan went to visit the graves together.
This time, Nan Yu formally introduced Tan Linyuan to her parents and asked Tan Linyuan to swear that he would be good to her for the rest of her life.
Tan Linyuan smiled and complied with her request. He seriously swore in front of the tombstones of the two elders.
When he turned around, he saw Nan Yu quickly wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Nan Yu."
"Hmm?"
"I will always love you, always be loyal to you, and will never have a second thought," he said. "If not, I will be struck by evil stars, be full of sins, and will never be happy again. I will be lonely for the rest of my life."
Nan Yu was dazed for a moment. She quickly covered his mouth. "Why are you making such a poisonous oath? What if it really comes true?"
Tan Linyuan's voice was deep. "Then let it come true."
She had taken a leap of faith and loved him whole - heartedly. How could he not respond with a determined attitude?
Even a little less would seem insincere.
"You're so extreme," Nan Yu's voice was a bit choked. "Isn't a lifetime enough?"
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word.
A lifetime was so short.
If there was an afterlife, he wished to meet her in the next life and the life after that.
—
When they returned to Jingbei.
While taking care of Xiaobaili, Nan Yu found that Tan Linyuan was actually very busy.
She had thought that after the fall of the Tan family, he would be idle for a while. But he was so busy every day that she hardly saw him.
However, he still came home for dinner without fail every night.
Nan Yu was curious. One time, she couldn't help but secretly look through his computer. When she saw the name of the company, Huaili, she suddenly understood—
Sure enough, he was a sly old fox and had left himself a backup.
When Tan Linyuan came out of the bathroom, he saw Nan Yu glaring at him angrily and asking him why he hadn't told her about this "surprise".
Tan Linyuan raised his eyebrows. "Did you really think I was penniless and would have to rely on you to live in the future?"
There was still moisture on his body from the shower. He put his arm around her waist and said with a low laugh, "If I really had no money in the future, how could I support my wife…"
His gentle whispers were drowned in their intertwined bodies.