Chapter 454: Nana's wedding surprise for Jinhai
Jing, Serena, Yukito, and Yukira exclaimed together. “Yay! It’s ring time!”
Liu Chunhua chuckled, “Well, we have two very adorable ring bearers for this event.”
“Baaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Abooooooooo!!”
Jian and Nian laughed, and their black orbs sparkled as if they understood that it was their turn to shine. They were already excitedly leaning forward towards their parents to give them the rings.
Jinhai and Nana laughed, seeing their cute son’s tactics.
Liu Chunhua carried Nian while Liang Xiao Dan carried Jian in her arms.
Both Jian and Nian carried a tiny box in their hands that their elders entrusted to them. They were tightly holding on to it as if they understood its responsibility.
Nana’s heart melted as she saw her sons fiercely clutching onto the small ring boxes.
The officiant said, “Liu Jinhai. Please put the ring on Liang Nana and pledge your love and devotion to her for the rest of your life.”
Jinhai nodded. He slightly lowered his head towards Nian and chuckled, “Can I have the ring, my dear son?”
“Abooooooooo….”
Liu Chunhua held his hand and raised it towards Jinhai. Jian was hopping with vigor, eager to give his father the ring.
Jinhai took out the ring. He kissed Nian’s forehead and smiled. “Thank you for holding on to your Mama’s ring. You did a good job.”
“Baaaaabaaaa…” Nian sweetly grinned.
Jinhai faced Nana, and once again, he couldn’t help but get mesmerized by her beauty. Through the veil, he saw her blushing and gaze, waiting in anticipation. It was the same ring he had worn her on their first wedding night after they had registered their marriage.
Jinhai took her hand in his and said,
“This ring is a token of my undying love for you and the vows that I promise to fulfill every single moment. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am.”
And with that, Jinhai put the ring on her finger.
“Woohooooo!!!”
Everybody loudly cheered and clapped hard.
The officiant said, “Liang Nana. Please go ahead.”
Nana nodded.
She felt a tickling feeling in her stomach as if a thousand butterflies were raging all at once. She took short and rapid breaths, her chest heaving up and down.
Okay…now is the time, she thought.
Nana was really nervous but excited at the same time.
Liang Xiao Dan raised Jian’s hand, who was just as eager as his brother to hand her the ring.
“Baaaaaaaa!!”
Nana kissed his forehead just like Jinhai did with Nian and pinched his chubby cheeks. “Thank you for holding on to it, Jian. You are the best.”
“Baaaaaaa!”
Nana then slowly opened the box and took the ring out.
Liang Xiao Dan and Liu Chunhua blinked their eyes in confusion. They were surprised to see a different ring in the box.
Jinhai, too, was curiously staring at it. Jing had shown him the ring they had got for Nana to put on him.
But this wasn’t the one that Nana was holding right now.
Liu Chunhua asked, “Jing. This ring is different. Did you get the wrong one?”
Everybody was stupefied.
“Huh?” Jing speechlessly looked at his mother. “Of course, I brought the right ring! How can I mess upon such an important thing?”
“But this is not the ring we chose for Jinhai.”
She showed it to him, and Jing widened his eyes in shock. “T-this is not the one. But how? I kept the right box, I swear!”
Now Liu Chunhua was getting anxious. The wedding ceremony was processing so smoothly until now, but how did it mess up at this stage?
“Mom, Jing. Calm down. Jing didn’t mess up.” Nana smiled. “This is the right ring.”
“Sister-in-law, it is not. This isn’t the one…”
Nana shook her head. Then she looked apologetic. “I am sorry, but I replaced your box with mine just before the wedding began.”
“HUH?????”
Everybody’s focus was on Nana.
Serena said, “Sorry, Nana. But I don’t think we understand what’s going on here.”
Nana gently caressed the ring. She faced Jinhai and readied herself.
“This ring…is what I made for Jinhai. This is the wedding anniversary surprise that I prepared for him.”
Jinhai looked at her, stunned. He gazed at the ring and then back at her.
“This ring is for me?” his voice trembled and faltered as he spoke.
Nana nodded.
Everybody gasped. Jinhai was still unable to process it. That ring was simply beautiful and mesmerizing.
Nana looked at her ring. “I was very happy when you gave this ring to me the day we got married. And every moment until now, I felt how much love you must have put in it while you were choosing my ring. How much you must have worked hard to find that perfect ring for me. I wanted to reciprocate it. I, too, wanted to give you a ring that is special to you just as your ring is special to me.”
Nana bit her lower lip. “At first, I thought that I would buy the best ring that I like for you. But it is our first wedding anniversary. I wanted it to be more special, so I decided to actually ‘make’ your ring from the beginning.”
Jinhai rapidly blinked his eyes. “Make the ring from the beginning? But craftsmen make the actual jewelry-”
Suddenly, he took a sharp breath. He remembered cuts and bruises on Nana’s fingers, and everything made sense to him now. That realization hit him hard, and he was in disbelief.
“Are you saying that…”
Nana nodded. “Yes. I contacted the best jewelry craftsman in the city and asked him to teach me to make a ring. From welding the metal wedding band to design and carve diamonds in it; I asked him to teach me everything. He did, and under his guidance, I made this ring for you.”
Jinhai and everybody’s mouth hung wide open in utter shock.
He was in awe that Nana thought of it and even did it all on her own. He was staring at her unblinkingly for a long time.
That ring she was holding wasn’t bought with money. She personally crafted every inch and part of it.
In a daze, he pulled her hands and traced his fingers on hers. He could still faintly see the burn marks on her them. That said, just how much effort and hard work she had put in it. She was hurt and burnt and scraped and bled, but she didn’t give up on his ring.
The delicate hands with which she cooked the most delicious food for everyone…she used them to do such a hard and tough job.
Just to make it memorable, just to make him happy, she did so much…
The ring was made up of a beautiful platinum band, and a thin belt of small diamonds was studded throughout the ring at the center. The upper and lower part had tiny spirals that ran parallel to the diamond belt. It looked like small leaves were sprouting from it.
To make such intricate details on the small ring…just how much she must have had hurt herself in the process?
Nana said, “If you flip it, you can also see your name carved in the band.”
Jinhai tremblingly flipped it, and his heart shook to see his name carved in beautiful handwriting.
Nana…my Nana wrote it. She carved my name in it…
Tears trickled down his cheeks, and words failed to escape from his mouth. He didn’t know from where to begin.
Nana nervously asked, “Do you like it?”
She panicked to see him crying.
“Like it?” Jinhai chuckled as tears streamed down, “My surprise counts to nothing in front of this ring. You have surpassed all the boundaries that I cannot give you anything that could possibly match what you have done for me.”
Not even in his wildest dreams did Jinhai ever imagine that Nana could think of crafting his wedding ring with her bare hands!
Nana flicked his head. “Stupid. What do you mean your surprise means nothing? It means everything to me. This island, this wedding ceremony and bringing my Mom back…you gave me three big surprises, but I gave you only one…” her voice got weak in the end.
Jinhai was restless and anxious to prove her wrong. He had so much to say to her…
He brought his hand forward. “Quickly put the ring on me, please, Nana. I cannot wait anymore.”
Nana’s eyes shone and sparkled, just like those breathtaking diamonds as she gazed at him.
“I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore.”
Nana held his hand and pushed the ring in his finger.
Once again, the church resounded with loud claps and joyful screams from everyone.
Jinhai was overjoyed, and he was eagerly waiting for the officiant to say the next words.
The officiant smiled. “By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, Mr. Liu Jinhai and Mrs. Liu Nana! You may kiss each other!”