Long Jie escorted her to the outdoor courtyard of the venue. There was a garden with rows of different flowers, clean-cut grass, and tall green hedgerows. The golden sun shone brightly, intensifying the sparkles of her dress. She looked like the daughter of some deity, a goddess, as he should say.
"Why did your parents not have a wedding?" Song Luli asked, awakening Long Jie from his thoughts.
Long Jie composed himself. He looked ahead at the cobblestone path as he answered, "My parents married in secret."
Song Luli widened her eyes, urging him to go on.
"My father was blamed for something he didn't do. The police took him, but before they did, my mother married him. She did it to protect him because they would have forced her to testify against him. But she loved him already, and they didn't care about a ceremony, as long as they had each other. At least, that was my father told me," Long Jie said.
