An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 373 Be Happy and Strive for Excellence (The Finale)

When Huo Qingshan learned that his girlfriend's parents were going to fly to Fanzhou to see him the following weekend, he felt it was against the rules and etiquette to have the woman's elders come to meet him.

He returned to the camp that day, and as soon as he entered the office, he sat down to write a report to apply for annual leave. He made a special trip to communicate with the instructor to report it. After receiving the notification that his annual leave had been approved, Huo Qingshan immediately told his girlfriend and asked her to convey his intention to visit his parents in Hangzhou that weekend, so that they would not have to travel such a long distance.

Unmarried battalion-level officers in border defense areas usually have 35 days of annual leave, which can be taken in two batches. Huo Qingshan applied for half a month's leave this time.

The flight took off on Saturday morning and landed at Hangzhou Airport at 12:30. At 1 o'clock, the two groups of people sat down in a private room and looked at each other. Meng Youyou cheerfully gave an opening speech and introduced them to each other.

Mr. Meng and Ms. Hu are both polite people and would not put on an arrogant attitude of choosing a son-in-law just because their family is financially well-off. They consider themselves to be ordinary, respectable families, and their daughter will inevitably fall in love sooner or later. It is a necessary thing for her to bring her boyfriend to meet them. Although they feel that their daughter is still too young to talk about marriage, after meeting him in person, they found that the man was handsome and had a calm personality. Having seen many people, they both agreed that he was of good character.

Parents, when choosing a son-in-law, only have a few requirements: reliable character, genuine affection for their daughter, and kindness towards her. And it's obvious to both parents that the young man and woman are very much in love. There's no reason to cause trouble for the young couple, to assert parental authority, to sway them one minute and disagree with the next, making their daughter unhappy in the middle. Why bother? Naturally, they should greet them with smiles.

The meal went very well, and the Meng family invited Huo Qingshan to stay at their home that night, saying that they had guest rooms available. Huo Qingshan declined, saying that he had booked a hotel room in advance.

Early Sunday morning, Huo Qingshan knocked on the Meng family's door with lavish gifts. Mr. Meng welcomed him into the living room. Meng Youyou was still asleep, and the couple were preparing lunch in the kitchen. Although they had a housekeeper, they still did the work themselves, showing how much they valued it. Huo Qingshan offered to help in the kitchen, and Mrs. Hu praised him for being quick and efficient. However, she then complained about her daughter's spoiled and lazy nature, saying she couldn't do anything. Huo Qingshan gently defended her, saying that Youyou was skilled in many things, many of which he knew nothing about. It wasn't a problem that she couldn't do housework; many things only required one person to do them. Hearing this, Mrs. Meng smiled and said nothing more.

The young couple had lunch at home and then headed straight to the airport with their suitcases. Their flight back to Ximing City was on Sunday afternoon, and the two then took a train back to Fanzhou. Huo Qingshan had two weeks of vacation left, which was plenty of time, but Meng Youyou had to go to work on Monday.

The main reason Huo Qingshan took annual leave was to visit his parents in another province. After that, he would still have more than half of his vacation left, while his girlfriend had to return to work. He was the kind of person who couldn't stay idle; during his leave, he would often go to the barracks. Since he didn't have to take on any main duties or responsibilities, his workload was quite light, so he preferred to stay in the office and handle some routine tasks. The supervisor who approved his annual leave once bumped into him in the elevator and was momentarily confused—was this really the person who had submitted the leave application that he had signed a few days ago?
As New Year's Day approached, Huo Qingshan urged Meng Youyou to submit her application for holiday travel. When Meng Youyou asked him what he was going to Li City for, Huo Qingshan only gave a vague answer that he hadn't had time to go out and relax. He was on vacation and she also had a holiday, so it would be nice to take a short trip together.

During this time, Meng Youyou noticed that Huo was always making phone calls in secret, seemingly contacting someone and discussing the details of something.

Meng Youyou vaguely guessed that there was a hint of surprise in the air, but she didn't say anything and pretended to be completely unaware.

That's what dating is all about: two people imbuing mundane things with special meaning, turning flawed surprises into romantic and unforgettable ones. The significance of a surprise lies not in its flawless execution, but in the genuine sincerity invested by the person preparing it, and in the feeling of being deeply cherished by the recipient.

After getting off work on the day before New Year's Day, the two went back to their respective dormitories to pack their luggage for a short trip. Huo Qingshan was quick and waited downstairs at the office building after packing. When he saw his girlfriend coming out with a small suitcase, he quickly went up to her and took it from her.

They drove out of the camp and instead of going home, they drove directly onto the highway. Lishi City is right next to Fanzhou, just over an hour away by highway. It is a famous tourist city in Yunnan Province with breathtaking natural scenery.

Huo Qingshan booked a guesthouse near the lake. The car drove around half of the lake before arriving at the guesthouse. On the way, Meng Youyou sat in the passenger seat, taking pictures of the scenery outside the window with her phone. The lake view was so beautiful that it was hard to look away, and the air was fresh.

The car was parked in the yard. Meng Youyou unbuckled her seatbelt and said, "If you had told me earlier that the scenery here was so photogenic, I would have brought my camera over."

Huo Qingshan pulled out the car key, turned his head and said, "I brought it, it's in my bag."

There are many guesthouses in this area. The guesthouse where the two stayed, along with several other small buildings around it, belonged to the same owner and provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner services for guests. It was quite late when they put down their luggage, so Huo Qingshan called for food delivery and ordered dinner to be delivered to their door. He had already made a reservation the day before.

The food was a bit cold when it arrived, and Meng Youyou strongly suspected that they had brought leftovers from tonight's dinner. But there was nothing she could do, since the two of them had arrived so late. Huo Qingshan put the food in the microwave to heat it up, and Meng Youyou took a few bites with her chopsticks. Well, the taste was passable.

After finishing dinner, Huo Qingshan glanced at the time on his watch and hesitated before suggesting, "Do you... want to take a shower now?"

Meng Youyou: "..."

So obvious, so deliberate, so stiff! She really wanted to ask, "How long do you think I should shower for?" But Meng Youyou held back and followed his lead, going into the bathroom of the master bedroom on the second floor to take a shower.

She took a shower at her usual pace. Although he wasn't good at creating surprises quietly, he was very good at timing things perfectly. He must have calculated it all, so she could just relax and enjoy her shower.

After Meng Youyou came out of the bathroom, she intended to go straight to the first floor to find him. When she reached the door, she glanced up and saw a note on the back of the closed door. The handwriting was elegant yet neat: "Before going downstairs, please change into the prettiest clothes in your suitcase. A friendly reminder: while looking beautiful, don't forget to keep warm. Wearing thicker clothes will also look good."

Meng Youyou peeled off the sticky note, smiled knowingly, and turned to walk towards the suitcase spread out on the floor. Thanks to his suspicious behavior being exposed too early, she was well-prepared for this trip, bringing only nice clothes—something casual and comfortable, others beautiful and eye-catching. Meng Youyou rummaged through the suitcase and finally chose a burgundy velvet dress.

After changing into her dress, Meng Youyou glanced at the note in her hand, hesitated for a few seconds, and then squatted down again to rummage through the clothes in her suitcase, finally finding a beige trench coat to put on.

Beautiful yet warm, the outfit was complete. Meng Youyou excitedly ran down the stairs to the living room on the first floor, but didn't see anyone. She called out, "Huo Qingshan, where are you?"

No one answered. Meng Youyou looked around and saw a bright red rose on the coffee table in the living room, with a letter next to it.

Meng Youyou walked over, picked up the roses and the envelope, with only four words on the cover: "To Youyou".

Seeing this, Meng Youyou couldn't help but chuckle and purse her lips. How old-fashioned.

Upon opening it, there were several thick pages of paper inside, with black pen handwriting filling three pages of the letter. Meng Youyou read it word by word from the beginning.

"Dear Youyou:

Tonight, a man wants to propose to you. Before formally asking for your opinion, he'd like to introduce himself. His name is Huo Qingshan, from Fanzhou City. He's technically twenty-seven years old, but his mental age is hard to say—at least a year older. He's currently an active-duty soldier in the border defense force.

You surely know all this basic information. Since he's planning to propose, he should at least show some sincerity and say something heartfelt. Otherwise, why should he marry you, right?

Then let him tell you about things you don't know.

This guy is incredibly vain. He probably never told you that there are two things he regrets most in his life.

The first incident happened when he was eleven years old. He was still a primary school student, living at the foot of the mountain with his mother and maternal grandparents. One snowy winter evening, on his way home from school, he came across a cart overturned by the roadside. Lotus roots, freshly dug from the mud, were scattered everywhere, and many had slid down the somewhat steep slope. An old man he didn't recognize was standing next to the cart. The old man peered at the lotus roots at the bottom of the slope, and then, trembling, held onto a stone, trying to walk down.

Afraid that the old man would fall, he hurriedly ran over and volunteered to help the old man pick up lotus roots at the bottom of the slope. The old man picked up the ones on the top, and he picked up the ones on the bottom. Together, they picked up all the lotus roots that had fallen on the ground and put them back on the cart. To express his gratitude, the old man gave the little boy two sections of fresh lotus root. The little boy hugged the lotus root and skipped home.

The little boy's mother came out of the inner room and saw that his clothes and schoolbag were covered in wet mud. She asked him how he got them, and the little boy told her what had happened. After listening, his mother neither criticized nor praised him, but simply urged him to take off his wet clothes and put a clean cotton-padded jacket on him.

In the countryside, it gets dark early in winter. Back then, there was no electricity in the village, so the little boy would go to bed early after dinner and his homework. He didn't know that after cleaning the kitchen, his mother would take a wooden basin and go to the lake to wash his schoolbag. After washing it clean, she would bring it back and put it on a charcoal brazier to dry.

All he knew was that when he woke up the next morning, there was a dry, mud-free schoolbag next to his bed. The little boy was very surprised and wanted to ask his mother how she did it, but a friend called him to go to school together at the door. He said "yes" and then went to school with the clean schoolbag on his back.

That afternoon, after school, the family sat around the wooden table for dinner. My mother used the lotus root that my grandfather had given to the little boy the day before to make pork rib soup. I remember the soup tasted very good, and he drank two big bowls in one go. During the meal, my mother kept coughing. After a while, my grandfather put down his chopsticks, took her pulse, and said that she had caught a cold. My grandmother nagged at her, saying that she shouldn't have gone to the lake to wash her schoolbag the night before, because the water must have been so cold at night.

By now, you can probably guess that he told you about his mother catching a cold before she passed away, but he never mentioned how she caught it. That's how it happened.

When he was little, right after his mother passed away, he would often wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares. He would see the candlelight shining in the main room, get out of bed, walk to the door, and open it a crack. Several times, he would see his grandmother holding his mother's photo frame, secretly wiping away tears, and muttering to herself, "I should have advised you more back then. Why don't you listen to your mother?"

At that time, he couldn't help but think that his grandmother must also be blaming him.

Knowing full well it was winter, and clothes were hard to wash in the cold, why did I insist on getting my schoolbag covered in mud? Why couldn't I be cleaner and more considerate? He often asked himself this. He regretted it deeply, but regret was useless; his mother could never come back.

He was afraid that his grandmother would hate him, afraid to see her secretly wiping away tears at night, and afraid that every time she saw him, she would think of his crimes. So he agreed to his father's request to go to the capital to live, and he fled to a place far, far away from his mother and grandmother.

He didn't like the capital, and the people there didn't welcome him. For a long time, he didn't dare to go back to Fanzhou until his grandmother called and asked if he wanted to come home for a few days during his summer vacation. Only when he heard his grandmother say "come home" did he finally dare to go back.

Look, this kid seems to have been cowardly since he was a child, and he only knows how to run away when he encounters problems.

He once thought he would never tell anyone about this. Just like he once thought he would never eat lotus root again, but one day, things changed.

The second thing he still regrets to this day happened when he was twenty-seven years old: he broke up with his beloved first love.

He didn't know whether there should be a causal relationship between the two things, because you always say he's "chauvinistic," "plays the hero," "takes all the responsibility on himself," and "why connect things that are completely unrelated?" But in fact, the first thing did shape his thinking habits and behavioral logic, to the point that he did the second thing.

Tell me, isn't this kid stubborn and incorrigible? Even at a time like this, he still finds all sorts of excuses for himself!

As he wrote this, he told himself that a man should be absolutely open and honest when admitting his mistakes. Why hide behind "him" and be too cowardly?

After reading through the densely packed page, Meng Youyou didn't realize her eyes were welling up with tears. She turned to the second page and continued reading.

"Hello, Huo Qingshan's girlfriend."

I am Huo Qingshan. Please rest assured, I have already beaten that coward to a pulp. He won't show up and do anything stupid again. Otherwise, I would beat him up every time I see him.

I'm sorry, my dear Youyou. Although time has passed, I think I still owe you a formal apology.

I've always hoped to be your protective shield, thinking that as a man, I should stand tall and protect the girl I love. I'm afraid you'll leave me because I'm not strong enough, and I'm even more afraid that I'll drag you into danger because of me. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm terrified of not being able to protect the one I love.

But my Youyou is very strong, braver and more generous than me.

Actually, revealing these things takes some courage for me. Well, that "some" also has a significant element of saving face; in reality, it's far more than "some." This is my most vulnerable side, and in the past, I always tried my best to hide it as deeply as possible. So, you can probably guess how much "some" is.

It might still be a little difficult for me to say these things to your face. Please forgive me for not being as open and brave as you right now. I may not be able to change my bad habits in a short time, but I will try.

So this letter came about. I felt I had to say it eventually, otherwise my Youyou would think that her lover had let go of her hand because he didn't love her enough—no, no, absolutely not.

Because of my daughter, Youyou, I learned that love should be based on honesty. You set such a good example for me, and I don't want to be too bad. I can't have gone through so much and not made any progress.

Whenever I think about my past self and the things I've done, I always hate my cowardice and arrogance, which caused you so much suffering and hurt. You taught me courage, determination, and the true meaning of love. Meeting you and having your love is the luckiest gift of my life. I don't want to always be a "mute," keeping everything bottled up inside. I can't be a "trapped beast" that only moves in place. I can't be content to remain silent, waiting for you to pry my mouth open with a shovel. I can't always wait for you to chase after me, holding a warm heart, trying every means to warm me, melt me, open me up, and heal me. How self-centered and selfish I would be!

Someone once told me that she would love all of me. But I hesitated to reveal my true self to her, which was really terrible of me. Fortunately, I still have the chance to make up for my mistakes with my whole life.

Miss Meng Youyou, if after reading this you are still willing to spend your life with this man and give him a precious chance, please push open this door and come out. I will be waiting for you by the lake.

Her gaze fell on the last word of the letter. Meng Youyou sniffed, unable to contain herself any longer. She rushed to the door, twisted the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

From afar, the moonlight shone on the lake, making it sparkle. A tall figure stood on the grassy lakeside, and Meng Youyou recognized him at a glance.

She took off running in that direction, forgetting to change her shoes before leaving. She was still wearing the soft-soled slippers from the guesthouse, and her feet ached as she stepped on the uneven cobblestone path.

But Meng Youyou's speed did not slow down at all. The wind rushed past her ears, and her mood was even more urgent than her steps. In no time, she ran to the man and threw herself into his arms.

"You're here?" He pulled her into his arms and asked gently, looking down at her.

"Mmm." Meng Youyou buried her face in his shoulder, trying to secretly wipe away her tears.

He kissed the hair on the top of her head, "You've been reading the letter for a while."

"What? Are you getting impatient? Are you afraid I won't come out?"

Huo Qingshan shook his head. "If you come any later, you'll miss midnight."

"Huh?" Meng Youyou raised her head, meeting his deep eyes, and was momentarily confused: "What?"

"Five seconds left," he whispered in her ear, silently counting in his mind: "five, four, three, two, one."

When he silently counted down to the last two numbers, the man took a step back, bent his knees, and landed on one knee. The night sky was suddenly lit up the instant he knelt down.

In the blink of an eye as we ushered in the new year, a riot of fireworks exploded across the inky sky, gold and red intertwining with silver and white in waves that spread layer upon layer. Amidst the flowing light, the letters "UU" were clearly visible, encircled by a large heart-shaped halo.

The next instant, dazzling fireworks unfolded in layers, converging into a passionate English phrase: "Marry me!"

A sky full of sparks bloomed, like a galaxy paving the way for this grand confession, its light filling the world and her eyes as well.

The man took out the ring box and held it up to the girl who had covered her face with her hands. He tried to control his voice but still couldn't hold back his sobs: "Yoyo, thank you for not giving up on me all these times! For not giving up on the chance for me to be happy."

"Will you marry me?" he asked, gazing into her eyes with earnest anticipation.

Of course she would say "I do." The moment the diamond ring slipped onto her left middle finger, the skin at the base of her finger pressed against the inside of the ring band, and she felt the engraving of a string of words. Once again, Meng Youyou couldn't help but burst into tears.

Unlike the many nights she had spent clutching a plain ring with the same design in her palm, secretly shedding tears of sorrow, at this moment, Meng Youyou was happier than a sky full of dazzling fireworks.

For a moment, she was both crying and laughing, like a fool.

All I ever wanted was for my beloved to be right in front of me, so I could personally put a ring on her finger.

...

They got their marriage certificate in the spring.

As they left the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sun shone brightly outside. Meng Youyou stared at the red-background photo on the marriage certificate she was holding in her hand, then suddenly turned to him and asked, "What were you grinning about when you took the picture?"

"The thought that my wife is standing next to me makes me feel so lucky!" Huo Qingshan said as he took her hand and slowly walked down the steps.

"Oh." Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and her nose felt dry. She lowered her head and looked back at the photo, saying to the man on the left side of the picture, "Then congratulations!"

Looking at the smiling girl on the right side of the photo, Meng Youyou said softly to herself, "Congratulations to you too."

Happiness is hard-won, so we cherish it all the more.

...

The morning after registering their marriage, Huo Qingshan returned home after his morning run, took a quick shower, and before she got up, he took a book from the bookshelf—a book on game theory, which he had been reading frequently lately.

He took the book to the balcony. In one corner of the balcony, facing the floor-to-ceiling glass, there were two rattan chairs, one on the left and one on the right, not too far apart. On one of the chairs was a fluffy pink rabbit. Huo Qingshan chose the rattan chair next to it that did not have a rabbit and sat down.

Unexpectedly, he found a letter tucked inside the book.

The envelope was addressed to "A Reply to Mr. Huo." Upon seeing this, Huo Qingshan was slightly taken aback, and his eyes softened. He gently opened the letter, unfolded the paper, and read it carefully, word by word.

To Meng Youyou's husband:

When will you find this letter? I guess on Saturday morning, when I'll probably still be asleep. (Hey, you've been engrossed in your book lately. Is it really that good?)
Let's interview some married people: How did you sleep last night? Were you so excited you couldn't sleep? How does it feel to be married?
Oh dear, I've gone off on a tangent. I almost forgot my original purpose for replying.

Honey, what I want to tell you is that the person who promised to love all of you wasn't scared away, and she will keep her word.

My darling, you don't need to be incredibly strong, nor do you need to be a towering superhero for me to love you. No matter what you become, I will always, always love you.

Did you hear that? In case the words don't sound as emotional as I say them, I'll say it again to fully express the intensity of my feelings.

Huo Qingshan, I will love you forever and ever, and I will always be by your side.

Qingshan, (Is that how your mom calls you? I prefer to say your full name; I don't think I've ever called you that before.) You have to believe me, Mom won't blame you, really. She'll be proud of you, proud of that little boy who's so kind and helpful. She definitely wants you to be happy. So, listen to your mom, be happy, and strive for excellence every day.

Also, you said I'm the most generous lover in the world, but that's not true. I'm not as generous or brave as you think. In fact, I've been petty and unwilling to be in a subordinate position in our relationship for even a second. I've also been timid and retreated, and I've even thought about giving up.

Neither of us is perfect, and we are willing to do our best for each other in different ways, but I'm not stupid. What you've given me is by no means insignificant. Because of you, I often feel like the happiest person in the world.

In the future, let's become better lovers to each other!
(Shh~ I'll let you in on a little secret, ever since you said we were getting our marriage certificate this Friday, I've been so excited I haven't slept a wink for several nights. During the day, sitting at my desk, Jiang Fu has asked me several times if I'm crazy, why I'm staring at the computer like that, is there a handsome guy or stocks on the screen? It's all your fault, all your fault, why did you have to tell me so many days in advance?)

After reading the letter, Huo Qingshan sat quietly on the balcony for a while, waiting for his emotions to gradually calm down before slowly getting up and opening the bedroom door. The other person was still fast asleep; perhaps she was truly exhausted from the previous night, so Huo Qingshan allowed her to stay in bed a little longer.

She lay on her side, her long, black hair loosely spread across the pillow, a few strands clinging unruly to her cheeks, rising and falling gently with her breath. Her eyelashes were long and hung quietly, seemingly very well-behaved, but the blanket only covered her chest, and was somewhat rumpled from her sleeping position, with both feet sticking out of the blanket, which was actually quite naughty.

Huo Qingshan approached the bedside, bracing himself on the edge with one hand. He carefully bent down, first gently tucking her feet back under the covers, then tucking the covers up further. The man watched her sleep for a while, then couldn't help but lean down and kiss her forehead.

He didn't immediately move away, but remained very close to her face, his gaze sweeping over her eyebrows, nose, and lips inch by inch. Huo Qingshan was very relieved and certain that he would be able to see this scene often in the future.

Every day from then on, I could see her in the last second before I closed my eyes, and I could still see her in the first second after I opened my eyes when I woke up in the morning.

He had never felt confident that he could hold onto anything, especially happiness, but at this moment, he had everything he wanted, as well as many things beyond his imagination.

The sudden death of his mother when he was young, the suspected betrayal of his father, and the long, lonely, and self-loathing years of his adolescence left him with numerous wounds, large and small, that either festered acutely or eroded slowly. It seems that in many silent moments, they have been quietly healing little by little.

He was absolutely certain that tomorrow would be better than today.

Just like she said, be happy and strive for progress every day.

...

How deep can one's love for someone be? How long can one's love for someone last?
It depends on how much this person loves you and what kind of impact they have had on you.

Through love and pain, they learned to cherish and how to love someone better.

The future is long, and they are doing well.

——End of full text——

It's finished. This book took a long time to write, and I sincerely thank everyone for your company and support along the way.

Readers are welcome to leave comments, expressing their opinions, feelings, insights, or questions about this article (I will try my best to answer).

Regarding the side stories, my current ideas are as follows: 1. Chapters from the male protagonist's perspective (such as his situation and experiences after the breakup. This story is mainly told from the female protagonist's perspective, and I've noticed that many people didn't quite understand Commander Huo's actions in the early stages, so I'm thinking of supplementing his perspective). 2. The story of Chu Yao and Jiang Zheng (If I were to write this seriously, it would easily be over 100,000 or 200,000 words, probably equivalent to a short story or novella, so I'm a bit conflicted about whether to write it. Actually, on the one hand, I think the current handling of leaving things unsaid is quite good, leaving room for imagination). 3. The daily life of Youyou and Commander Huo after their marriage.

Of course, these are just some preliminary ideas, and I may not actually write them down. Feel free to leave comments; I will consider public feedback when deciding whether to write this part of the extra chapter.