At that moment, he went to the courthouse with Feng Cuihua and Wang Dachui. They were originally there to file a lawsuit, but Zhang Qingyuan shamelessly insisted on following them, saying he couldnât rest easy leaving Feng Cuihua. Indeed, their public display of affection was almost too much for him.
From Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua, he indeed sensed that particular kind of elderly loveâcalm like water, yet with stirring undercurrents.
At five in the afternoon, the group returned to the nursing home.
Zhang Qingyuan was the most excited. He said to Feng Cuihua, "Now we just wait for the court to accept the case and schedule a hearing. Your sons... it will be time to teach them a lesson then."
"Should we... talk about the wedding and registration?"
Hearing his words, Feng Cuihuaâs face turned red, and she couldnât help but lower her head. Although she was already seventy-five years old, she still felt inevitably shy at that moment.
However, Zhang Qingyuan continued seriously, "Donât worry, our wedding doesnât need to be too grand, but I want to invite all our friends. We can have it right here in the nursing home; we just need to apply to the administration."
"As for the bride price and dowry... I feel theyâre not really necessary."
"As long as we are together, thatâs stronger than anything."
Being over seventy, both of them saw things more clearly. The rituals that young people got excited about, they felt, were unnecessary. The bride price and dowry were originally supposed to be arranged by the parents as a way to bless the young couple. But for them, they were no longer young, and their parents were no longer in this world. There was no need for these elaborate rites.
The only thing required was to notify their respective children.
"Brother Zhang, you decide on this matter. As for my sons... thereâs no need to notify them anymore," Feng Cuihua slowly lifted her head and said earnestly, a hint of sadness in her expression.
Just as young people hope to receive their parentsâ blessings at their weddings, elderly people getting married also hope for their childrenâs blessings.
"Alright, Iâll give my son a call," Zhang Qingyuan nodded.
He took out his senior-friendly cell phone and called his son, Zhang Tao.
RING RINGâ
As soon as the call connected, Zhang Taoâs concerned voice came through, "Dad, what made you think of calling me today? Is there something wrong?"
Listening to this made Feng Cuihua very envious. When she called her sons, she had never received such treatment. Sometimes, they wouldnât even answer.
"Ahem. Itâs like this, thereâs something I need to inform you about, and you can then tell the rest of the family." Zhang Qingyuanâs old face flushed, and he gave a dry cough.
"What is it?" Zhang Tao pressed on the phone.
"Itâs just that... well, your mom passed away early, and I noticed you havenât really experienced a motherâs love. So, I thought about finding you a stepmom," Zhang Qingyuan said, bracing himself. "We plan to get our marriage certificate first, then find a time for the wedding..."
But on the other end of the phone, Zhang Tao seemed to have been startled. He didnât speak for a while.
Zhang Qingyuan noticed the silence and couldnât help but ask, "Hello? Are you listening?"
"Iâm listening," Zhang Taoâs voice finally came through, a hint of teasing complaint in it. "Dad, I didnât expect you still had it in you! We introduced so many potential partners to you, and you turned them all down, only to find one yourself."
"When can you bring Mom along, so we can all have a meal together?"
Although slightly surprised, Zhang Tao was overall very supportive.
Actually, after Zhang Qingyuanâs wife passed away, his family had been trying to encourage him to find someone new. After all, for the elderly, companionship is most important, and that is precisely what many children cannot give. If they have a partner, someone to offer daily care and keep them company, their happiness index would be much higher.
A few minutes later, Zhang Qingyuan, beaming from ear to ear, hung up the phone. He gave Feng Cuihua a meaningful look, clearly excited.
The other elderly people around them all came up and offered their congratulations.
"Old Zhang, I just checked the old almanac; the third of next month is a good day. How about we set it for then?"
"I think no time is like the present. We could actually get the license today and get married tomorrow."
"We canât be so hasty; even though weâre old, we still need some sense of ceremony."
"When setting the date, we need to be careful not to clash with the court date, otherwise there wonât be many people at Old Zhangâs wedding."
...
Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, Su Yongnian, and others chimed in, laughing and teasing.
Seeing Zhang Qingyuan find true love in the nursing home, they were genuinely happy for him.
When young people get married nowadays, they first scrutinize their potential partnerâs appearance, health, family background, parentsâ status, number of siblings, and so on. Some even stipulate that the otherâs parents must be deceased before theyâll consider a partnership.
But for them, finding the right person was more important than anything else. Both over seventy, neither of them placed much importance on looks or appearance. Neither of them had parents anymore. Their children were all adults now.
Nothing could prevent them from being together.
...
Meanwhile, in a certain residential community in Jin City, Zhang Tao was also quite excited after hanging up the phone.
Then, he eagerly opened the "Loving Family" group chat.
In the group, he posted a bombshell message.
"@everyone, I have some great news to share: Dad is getting remarried!"
Within minutes, the group chat history, which usually consisted of shared tips on health, scam prevention, and cancer prevention, was instantly overwhelmed by new messages.