Chapter 130: 130 Back to a brighter time

The sudden change in light was blinding and she lifted her hand across her eyes to see her skin, looking young and as fresh as when she was a teenager.

Her hair lay in two braids over her shoulder, she looked down before turning in her parents store to find a reflective piece of metal. She was astonished to see that she was about 18 or 19 years old, right around when she had met Hénri.

"Miss Yan." A voice she was oh so achingly familiar to her came from behind. Her heart beating wildly she turned to see the tall figure with the sun shining through his reddish-brown hair.

Hénri Alexander Dumont stood there in a formal navy blue suit holding a bouquet of white lilies, her favorite. He stood there looking nervous, his deep blue eyes staring at her intently.

LiHua felt her cheeks flush as her heart went crazy, that was how he had appeared when he had proposed to her.

After their first awkward meeting he started to frequent their shop more and more often. At first she had thought he was a pest and chased him out more than a few times.

Over weeks though she would find her eyes sometimes lingering on his tall broad-shouldered figure, or her thoughts would linger on him late at night before she'd go to bed.

Her parents had become angry about the large foreigner who kept coming around the shop and scolded her to keep away from him. When she tried to speak up for the soft-spoken large awkward man she received a slap to the face from her mother for talking back.

It wasn't even close to her first time being struck by them, but it stung like a thorn in her heart. Li Hua had held her face and ran out of the shop in tears ignoring their shouts for her to return immediately.

Dodging through the people in the crowded streets she had run aimlessly not knowing where to go. Eventually she made it to a relatively less crowded area, not knowing what to do or where to go she just held her face in her hands and cried alone. People passing by gave her weird looks and scoffs as she stood there alone on the street corner sobbing.

As she stood there she thought she heard a voice call her name. LiHua looked up briefly with her tear stained face to see the young man standing across the street from her with a shocked look on his face.

Dodging cars, apologizing to the one he made slam on their brakes, he crossed the street against the light to get to her.

Growing up she could count on one hand the number of times she had been held, and as such was very unfamiliar with the feeling. He apologized seeing her reaction and had told her it looked like she looked like she needed a shoulder to cry on, and if he needed it he would do that for her.

The words and the feeling from being held melted her resistance and she grabbed the sides of his shirt letting it all out. He held her patiently letting her cry as long as she needed which had been a lot more than she ever thought.

After they walked down to the pier together and sat there until sunset. On the way he bought a cold pack for her face, as well as some food for the two of them.

She finally learned and remembered his name, Hénri Alexander Dumont, he'd told it to her before, but she hadn't ever really cared before then. He was a 21 year old French man who had recently moved to the area after serving in the armed forces.

He'd left his home behind to make a fresh start for himself out from the large shadow of his father. Eventually he asked her more about her home life and the mark on her face. Lihua never spoke about it to another person but when she had looked into his earnest blue eyes, she found herself wanting to share everything with him, both what was beautiful and ugly.

Hénri Dumont was saddened when he heard about her home life, she herself had never felt sorrow over the matter but seeing how much he argued on her side it touched her and she felt just a twinge.

LiHua was the third of four children, her two older sisters had been beloved, by her parents and had married well. She had a younger brother who was a few years younger than her, who was the apple of her parents eyes. Once he had been born though Li Hua had become less than useless, merely another mouth to feed, the only worth she carried was as a pair of hands to help with the shop.

"You are worth far more than that!" Hénri Dumont looked her seriously in her eyes. After they talked for a little while longer, he walked by her side, ensuring he got her back home safely as twilight came over them.

Once she was safely home he left to go back to where he lived. Before going inside to face her parents wrath, Li Hua stopped and watched his large figure. Before he made it ten steps he stopped and looked back, surprise written all over his face seing her still standing there.

He quickly hurried back to where she stood and bent to steal a quick kiss from her. Shocked she could only stand there staring wide eyed with a hand over her mouth. She couldn't Hénri Dumont blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, I had to, I knew I would regret it if I didn't do it. Have a good night Miss Yan!" As he spoke he awkwardly retreated before he ran away.

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After that night he started coming to the shop almost everyday with flowers for her. A different kind everytime, until he brought in a beautiful bouquet of scented lilies.

She couldn't help exclaiming then and rushing up to smell them. They were some of the most enchanting pink ones she'd ever seen. As she happily chatted with him, looking up to his face her mother came down to the store from the house.

Shu Yan berated him when him trying to explain his intentions to court her. When screaming and yelling didn't drive him out she took her yard stick and began to hit him. After taking several hits still trying to explain himself he looked to Li Hua and promised he would return before leaving.

Her mother trashed the lilies and berated her telling her not to get mixed up in something foolish. She promised her she wouldn't, but once Shu Yan left, she picked her lilies from him out the trash and gave them a deep whiff, savoring the feeling in her heart.

Hénri Alexander Dumont didn't come back for almost a month. While he was away LiHua felt a little listless and disappointed, she made more than a few mistakes during that time, incurring her parent's wrath. She had been standing at the counter, her face sunk into her arms when she heard her name in a deep bass voice.

There he stood in a nicely cut blue suit, holding a bouquet of white lilies and a small box. He apologized for the time he had been away. The second he had been there she hadn't cared anymore about that, but she still cried and complained about his sudden and prolonged absence.

"Then I promise to never do that again. Li Hua Yan would you do me the honors by marrying me." As he said that he handed her the bouquet and got down on one knee and opened the small box containing a ring. His hands visibly shaking a little he looked her in her eyes.

"I am a bit of a fool, and I can't cook to save my life, unless it's charcoal. I'm not very eloquent or svelte despite my upbringing, or the most handsome man. I have managed to save a little though so I'm not a complete penniless fool.

"I may have many faults, but I also truly and deeply care about you. If you wanted it I would give you the world, starting with mine and my heart.

"Will you marry me LiHua?"

She had been choked up at the time and had only been able to nod in tears while he put the ring on her finger. Her mother came down hearing the commotion and erupted at the two of them. LiHua spoke back to her mother proclaiming she was going to marry him.

"If you leave now and marry him don't ever bother coming back. Now don't be unreasonable, come inside now and we will talk with your father about finding you a suitable husband. If you leave now you will regret it."

LiHua was heartbroken by her mother's ultimatum but she still chose to go with him, and left hand and hand with him and found her life's greatest joy.

Looking at his younger 22 year old self standing in the sunshine before her she couldn't help but break into a beaming grin as a couple of tears leaked from the corner of her eyes.

"You're back. I thought you promised you wouldn't ever leave without saying anything again."

"I'm sorry, I promise you that it won't ever happen again."

"You promise?"

His blue eyes shined sincerely as he looked down on her. "Of course. Will you come with me now LiHua? Would you do me the honors of becoming my wife again?"

LiHua smiled through her tears and thought of their beautiful but simple wedding in a park by the lake. Decorating their home together that he bought with the last of his savings. Their small honeymoon down to Pismo Beach where she lost both her shoes to the ocean and almost her husband to a sleeper wave.

Laying in his arms at night as they stroked her huge pregnant belly and came up with names for their first child. Holding Chang in her arms for the first time after a long and difficult birth, and how he cried more than she did when her tiny fingers curled around one of his.

Taking Chang to school together for her first day, each holding onto one of her tiny hands as they swung her into the air.

Dancing through the night as he held her in his arms with her head pressed against his chest.

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