Shen Tingzhou added, "Venue safety also needs to be considered. The doors and windows of the auditorium should be checked in advance, and the aisles should be wide enough to avoid crowding. We also need to arrange a few people to be responsible for receiving guests and guiding them to their seats to ensure that the wedding goes smoothly."

“Yes, all of these need to be considered.” Lin Wanqiu took out paper and pen and wrote down everyone’s ideas one by one, the pen tip scratching on the paper. “There’s also the wedding ceremony. The traditional rituals of bowing to heaven and earth, bowing to the parents, and the couple bowing to each other are indispensable. These are the rules passed down from our ancestors, and we must uphold them. But I would like to add a part, where you and Xiaoya can say a few words from your hearts to each other. It doesn’t need to be too long, just sincere.” She looked at Shen Nian’an, “Mother knows that you young people all have your own ideas. Let everyone hear your promises to each other; that will make the wedding more meaningful.”

Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up instantly, his heart filled with emotion. He knew his mother had always understood him, not only providing him with material comforts but also respecting his feelings and thoughts. This kind of wedding, combining traditional solemnity with the romance of their youth, was exactly what he had longed for.

In the days that followed, Lin Wanqiu devoted herself entirely to the wedding preparations, working tirelessly yet enjoying herself immensely. First, she took Shen Nian'an to a tailor shop in the county town to have their wedding attire custom-made. For Shen Nian'an, she chose a navy blue Zhongshan suit made of high-quality wool-polyester blend, crisp and stylish, conforming to contemporary aesthetics while exuding a dignified and sophisticated air. For Su Xiaoya's wedding dress, she ordered a bright red cheongsam, with delicate phoenix and peony patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs, gold thread shimmering in the sunlight, and tiny pearls adorning the hem, swaying gracefully as she walked. It retained the festive and luxurious feel of traditional wedding dresses while incorporating the elegance and sophistication of a modern cheongsam.

"Sister Wanqiu, this cheongsam is so beautiful!" Su Wanqing exclaimed as she accompanied Lin Wanqiu to pick up the dress. "The embroidery and the pearl embellishments are so exquisite, you'd be hard-pressed to find another one like it in the whole county."

Lin Wanqiu smiled as she stroked the fabric of the cheongsam, her eyes filled with satisfaction: "Xiaoya is a good girl, she deserves the best. The style of this cheongsam is a combination of traditional wedding dresses and modern cheongsams, designed by me. It's not too flamboyant, yet it brings out her gentle and beautiful appearance." She thought of Su Xiaoya's usual well-behaved and sensible manner, and her heart ached even more. "On the wedding day, I'll style her hair into an exquisite updo and dress her in a simplified version of the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe. She'll look absolutely gorgeous."

While preparing the wedding dress, Lin Wanqiu wasn't idle either. Using the modern knowledge within her spatial dimension, she guided the workers at the food factory in making the wedding candies and pastries. She selected high-quality glutinous rice, sesame seeds, walnuts, and other ingredients cultivated within her space to create soft and chewy osmanthus cakes, sweet and crispy peanut brittle, melt-in-your-mouth custard buns, and assorted candies filled with walnuts and almonds. These pastries were not only delicious but also exquisitely crafted—the osmanthus cakes were imprinted with the character for "double happiness," the peanut brittle was shaped like small ingots, and the assorted candies were wrapped in transparent cellophane and tied with thin red ribbons, making them a delight to behold.

"Mom, these wedding candies and pastries we made are even tastier than those sold in the city stores!" Shen Nianxi couldn't resist picking up a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffing it into her mouth as she came home from school. The sweet and glutinous texture, with its faint osmanthus fragrance, made her eyes light up. She had now grown into a graceful young lady, wearing a pink dress, with two long braids, her face full of childlike joy.

Lin Wanqiu smiled and gently pinched her daughter's nose: "Little glutton, don't eat too much. These are all for the guests." Looking at her daughter's charming appearance, she felt a warm glow in her heart. "Mother plans to divide these wedding candies and pastries into small portions and pack them in specially made red paper boxes with the words 'May you have a long and happy marriage' printed on them. They are both beautiful and easy to carry."

Shen Tingzhou watched his wife's busy figure, his eyes filled with doting affection. He knew that Lin Wanqiu was a perfectionist, especially when it came to their son's wedding, where she personally handled everything. Every night, he would bring her hot water to soak her feet and massage her sore shoulders: "Wanqiu, don't overwork yourself. Things can be done slowly. Your health is the most important thing."

Lin Wanqiu leaned on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his palm, and her fatigue instantly dissipated. "Old Shen, I'm not tired. Just thinking about Nian'an getting married in style and starting her own little family gives me so much energy." She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Tell me, if Mother were alive, she would be so happy to see Nian'an so happy, wouldn't she?"

Shen Tingzhou held her hand tightly, his voice gentle yet firm: "Yes, Mother will definitely be happy for Nian'an and proud of you." He thought of his mother's last wish before her death and her concern for this family, and his heart was filled with emotion. "Making Nian'an's wedding a grand and respectable occasion is the best way to comfort Mother."

As the wedding date approached, preparations were nearing completion. The food factory's auditorium had been transformed: red lanterns hung from the ceiling, and red ribbons wrapped around the beams and pillars, forming festive knots; large red "double happiness" characters adorned the walls, and the windows were decorated with auspicious paper-cuts of mandarin ducks, magpies, peonies, and other symbols. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting red shadows on the floor like leaping flames; a bright red carpet stretched from the entrance to the altar in the center of the auditorium, with neatly arranged tables and chairs on either side, each covered with a white tablecloth. In front of each seat was a red box containing wedding candies and pastries, along with a small pot of carefully selected sunflowers, their golden petals gleaming in the sunlight, exuding vitality.

The arrangement of the stage was particularly ingenious: the backdrop was a huge "Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness" embroidery, with gold and silver threads interwoven, and the dragon and phoenix patterns were lifelike; two tables covered with red cloth were placed on the stage, with teacups, red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds on them, symbolizing "early birth of a son"; a couplet was hung on the pillars on both sides, the first line of which was "Spring comes to the brocade tent and flowers bloom in pairs", and the second line was "Swallows dance and birds perch in pairs in the painted hall", with the horizontal inscription "A match made in heaven", the characters were vigorous and powerful, adding a touch of elegance to the entire hall.

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