Xiao Yaodong and Liu Yuzhen are both leaders in their work units.

They put a lot of thought into their son's wedding and arranged it in a grand manner.

The alleyways and courtyards were filled with red ribbons, and firecrackers were set off.

The Ocean Shipping Company's compound was not far from the staff quarters of the No. 3 State-owned Cotton Mill. Xiao Tingshen pushed Tang Wenya all the way home.

The courtyard was already crowded with onlookers, especially a group of elderly women who squeezed to the front, waiting to grab the wedding candy.

The children ran around excitedly, shouting, "The bride is here! Come see the bride!"

After paying respects to Heaven and Earth and their parents, amidst the cheers of the crowd, Xiao Tingshen led Tang Wenya into the bridal chamber. After the ceremony, Xiao Tingshen breathed a sigh of relief: "You rest for a while, I'll go out and entertain the guests."

"Okay, you go ahead with your work." Tang Wenya forced a smile. "Meili just needs to keep me company."

After Xiao Tingshen left the new house, Chen Meili sat down next to Tang Wenya and whispered, "Their house is decorated quite nicely. You can tell they put a lot of thought into it."

“My parents-in-law only have one son, Tingshen, and they value him very much.” Tang Wenya glanced at the new house and felt that there was nothing special about it, not as nice as the room that Jiang Yumei had decorated for her.

Their new house only had its bed sheets and duvet covers changed; the windows weren't even painted, it's still the same as before.

Only Chen Meili thought the new house was nice.

It's not even as good as Zhao Jingyu and Xu Qingning's new house. At least their new house has a writing desk, while Xiao Tingshen's place only has a small desk with a stack of books, nothing else.

She wasn't comparing herself to Xu Qingning in every way, but rather that she had visited Xu Qingning's new house, which was decorated in bright red and had a very festive atmosphere.

"I just counted, there are ten tables set up outside, quite a lot of people have come," Chen Meili whispered to Tang Wenya. "And they hired a chef from the guesthouse, their family is quite well-off."

"That's fine!" Tang Wenya wasn't being modest; she was actually quite dissatisfied with the wedding arrangements. Bicycles were one thing, but these days in Jiaodong City, it's almost always the case that people use bicycles for wedding processions.

Instead, she felt that since Xiao Yaodong and Liu Yuzhen were both leaders in their respective units, they could easily afford to hold their banquets at restaurants or guesthouses.

But they actually set up a table in the courtyard, aren't they afraid of being laughed at?

It seems that Xiao Tingshen didn't listen to a word she said and let his parents make the arrangements.

Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei sat in Xu Qingning's living room, chatting with her. Yang Yuelan poured them water and then went to the kang (a heated brick bed) to do needlework.

Wang Yaqiang showed Xu Qingning the wedding invitation that Xiao Tingshen had given to Zhao Jingyu: "Sister-in-law, Xiao Tingshen sent us invitations yesterday, and my brother received one too. He's inviting us to his wedding. Let's go together!"

"You two go ahead, I won't go." Xu Qingning knew what the two were thinking. She took out the bill Zhao Lei had recorded, looked at it, and smiled. "Don't overthink it. Zhao Jingyu is your good friend, and Xiao Tingshen is your colleague. Just treat each other as you see fit. Don't worry about me. Just help us send the gifts over."

The records show that Xiao Tingshen gave Zhao Jingyu a quilt cover as a congratulatory gift.

She also gave Xiao Tingshen a quilt cover.

"Okay, then we'll take it back to you." Wang Yaqiang knew that Xu Qingning and Tang Wenya didn't get along, so he didn't say anything.

"Oh, right, sister-in-law, my brother sent you a letter, and I brought it over to you." Liu Dawei said, taking out three letters from his pocket and handing them to Xu Qingning. "The other two are from the Northwest, written to my brother. My brother knows a jade craftsman, and they have been corresponding."

“Okay, I’ll keep it for him.” Xu Qingning took it and looked at it. The letter Zhao Jingyu gave her was addressed to a port, while the other two letters were addressed to the Northern Frontier Jade Factory.

She took the letter, got up, went back to her bedroom, put it in a drawer, and then found a green quilt cover, tied it with a red string, and asked Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei to deliver it to Xiao Tingshen.

The two young men chatted for a while, then went to the yard to find something to do, sweeping the area in front of the door repeatedly.

They also neatly arranged the firewood that the two had just brought over on the west wall of the kitchen, making it convenient to use when cooking.

They're busy with work and haven't come over for the past few days, but they'll help with the work when they do come.

"You all go to the wedding banquet, I don't have much work to do here." Xu Qingning felt a little guilty, "If I get my clothes dirty, I'll have to go back and change."

Yang Yuelan was very diligent, tidying up inside and out, keeping both her home and yard very clean.

There's no need to tidy it up anymore.

"Sister-in-law, the banquet hasn't started yet, so we're not in a hurry." Wang Yaqiang looked up at Xiao Tingshen's side and smiled. "We can go over after the banquet starts."

“That’s right, that’s right. From now on, we can handle all the moving and lifting around the house.” Liu Dawei chuckled.

Yang Yuelan felt even more guilty, so she took out a towel for them to wipe their sweat: "You guys go about your business, today is not a workday, go and take a look over there."

Xu Qingning will not attend the wedding banquet.

She won't go either.

Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei insisted on finishing their work before going to Xiao Tingshen's house.

After the two young men left, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went back to their respective rooms.

Yang Yuelan returned to the kang (heated brick bed) and busied herself with needlework. Xu Qingning took out a letter Zhao Jingyu had written to her from the drawer, leaned against the quilt, and opened it to read: "Wife, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. How have you been feeling lately? Is your appetite good? I think about you every day. Do you miss me?"

"By the time I get back, it will be winter. It will be such a long time. Can you knit me a sweater? When you see the sweater, you will think of me. I really want to hold you while I sleep. I really, really want to."

"When I said 'sleep,' I meant to close my eyes and sleep. I have no other meaning. I am a gentleman, so please don't misunderstand."

Looking at his two full pages of words, Xu Qingning felt as if she could see him rambling on and on in her ear, saying nothing but that he missed her and that he was going to sleep, and he even had the nerve to call himself a gentleman.

At the end of the letter, he wrote in larger font: "Close your eyes, I want to kiss you for ten minutes!"

Xu Qingning blushed as she watched.

That bastard, he's flirting with her even by writing her a letter!

She had just put the letter away when she heard footsteps in the yard, and a child ran in: "Grandma, we're here."

"Mom, what are you doing at home?" Wu Xiufang called out to Yang Yuelan as she entered the door, and Zhou Chunyan followed her in.

"Why are you here?" Yang Yuelan was taken aback and immediately put down her work and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Xu Qingning was also surprised and came out of the room to greet them: "Sister-in-law and second sister-in-law are here."

The two men looked travel-worn, with cloth bags slung over their arms.

Two children ran to Yang Yuelan and hugged her legs. One said he was hungry and the other said he was thirsty.

"Mom, Third Aunt, we came to the wedding banquet, but we came to see you first." Wu Xiufang pointed outside and said with a big smile, "Wenya invited us."

“Yes, yes, she wrote to us asking us to come.” Zhou Chunyan nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with joy. “We took a day off and came here early this morning.”

"Sister-in-law, did Tang Wenya write a letter inviting you to come?" Xu Qingning wondered if she had misheard.