"His shop should have firecrackers," my cousin-in-law said, her eyes darting around as she searched for any that had slipped through the net. "What else is missing?"

"The bride and groom's attire!" When Qin Xiaoyu arrived at the clothing department, she had second thoughts. They did have suits, but the styles were not flattering. She was afraid that if Qi Si wore one, he would look exactly like a village cadre.

"Let them buy it themselves," Qin Xiaoyu muttered.

"You're talking nonsense again. The shops don't open until the eighth day of the new year. Do you expect them to rob us?" The cousin-in-law rolled her eyes at Qin Xiaoyu.

"What should we do?" Qin Xiaoyu panicked.

"Is your sister-in-law chubby? Oh right, she's got a belly, so this is the one." My cousin-in-law pulled out a bright red sweater, a loose-fitting batwing sleeve, which was really festive and could also cover up her belly.

"Anyway, the wedding will be held indoors, and we won't be standing outside for long. A wool coat will do. Here, take this one." Qin Xiaoyu picked up a men's red wool sweater, glanced back, and thought, "That's it!"

Qi Si watched as Qin Xiaoyu and her cousin carried in five cardboard boxes, and curiously opened them one by one.

"I have to say, Xiaoyu, you're amazing. You managed to handle all of this." Qi Si laughed.

"You should thank Sister-in-law for this; it has nothing to do with me."

"Who's going to wear this red sweater? Take it back!" Qi Si picked out a men's red wool sweater and stuffed it into Qin Xiaoyu's arms.

"We're getting married, and you want to wear your old clothes? Just make do this once!"

"No compromise. This is how it is. She can choose to marry or not."

"By the way, shouldn't we meet with our in-laws first? I'll go pick up Aunt Wang, you can arrange a time." Qin Xiaoyu remembered her cousin-in-law's instructions and asked hurriedly.

"That's too much trouble, let's just leave it at that." Qi Si refused, but Qin Xiaoyu persuaded him repeatedly before he finally handed over the address of Xiao Si's wife.

Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and make this trip.

Some wedding favors needed to be sent to the bride's family, and she happened to bring them with her.

Fourth Sister-in-law's family also lived in the staff dormitory, which looked like an ordinary family. The person who answered the door was Fourth Sister-in-law's mother, who looked Qin Xiaoyu up and down for a long time.

"Mom, let her in. This is Qi Si's sworn sister." Sister-in-law Xiao Si leaned out and called out. Her mother didn't understand when she called her, so she had to add, "She is Widow Tang."

Fourth Sister-in-law suddenly realized, and Qin Xiaoyu felt a surge of disgust. What kind of family is this? A widow? Widow my foot! If I don't speak up for you, you won't even have a place to have your child.

Qin Xiaoyu was angry, and her tone became firm. Instead of rushing into the house, she pouted and said, "The things for the wedding are in the car, bring them over."

Fourth Sister-in-law is greedy. When she heard there was something, she didn't care about her status and ran over to grab it. Qin Xiaoyu didn't help her and watched as she made two trips before she was done.

"This handkerchief is too rough; it should be embroidered. This quilt cover won't do either; it should be made of colorful satin. This is just thread-cut." Fourth Sister-in-law was really picky, Qin Xiaoyu thought coldly.

"If you're not satisfied, I'll take it back. This was originally meant to be prepared by the bride's family, so you can just go and buy it yourselves."

"What are you saying? Buying it requires money, doesn't it? Didn't Qi Si ask you to bring money? Our daughter is getting married, so we have to give a dowry, right?" Fourth Sister-in-law put on airs.

"Fourth Brother said, there's no money, take it or leave it." Qin Xiaoyu originally thought that if the girl's family was reasonable, they wouldn't say anything so harsh. But look at them, taking advantage of her kindness. She'll definitely have to fight back.

"Marry or not? My daughter is carrying his child! He doesn't want her anymore!" Fourth Sister-in-law is still clinging to the idea that she can gain status through her child.

"You can ask your daughter about that. See how she caused trouble for Fourth Brother. He didn't show any leniency at all. In the end, I had to plead for him before he agreed to marry her. If things get too ugly between you two, I'm not going to get involved." Qin Xiaoyu was ready to break off all pretense of civility.

Clearly, Xiao Si's wife didn't tell the truth when she got home. When her mother heard what Qin Xiaoyu said and looked back at her face, she was so frightened that she didn't dare to lift her head.

"Ugh! What a disgrace!" Fourth Sister-in-law was slapped in the face, stomped her foot, and went to the side to sulk, leaving Fourth Sister-in-law and Qin Xiaoyu to negotiate.

Actually, Qin Xiaoyu did bring some money with her, but it wasn't given to her by Qi Si; she just wanted to save face for him.

Seeing that Xiao Si's face was sallow and pitiful, Qin Xiaoyu took out five hundred yuan as a way to give her a way out.

Originally, she thought her daughter wouldn't sell a single item, but unexpectedly, she received 500 yuan. This was even more exciting than winning the lottery, and her fourth sister-in-law started chattering again, instantly reviving her spirits.

Qin Xiaoyu was too lazy to deal with the scoundrels' grievances, so she finalized the time and drove off.

She didn't go straight home, but went to Aunt Wang's house instead. She handed over Xiao Si's birth date and time, and Aunt Wang silently started counting on her fingers.

"It's alright, we were just a casual couple. But the baby in her belly is quite good. Qi Si did the right thing. You can abandon the mother, but how can you abandon the child?"

"How can a child be properly raised without a mother?" Qin Xiaoyu was also helpless against their old-fashioned ideas.

"Do you think he'd bother with this? With you, his aunt, around, do you think you can just stand by and watch?" Aunt Wang was confident. Qin Xiaoyu then realized that she had fallen into Qi Si's trap. This wasn't him having a child; it was clearly a child for Qin Xiaoyu.

Because Xiao Si's wife was under the legal marriage age, they only held a wedding ceremony. Qi Si didn't want to make a big fuss, so he simply notified a dozen or so people.

Qin Xiaoyu also went with the bride to the wedding procession, mainly to prevent any unexpected situations from arising and to keep things under control.

The bride sat on the bed, wearing a white wedding dress; no one knew where she had gotten it. When Qin Xiaoyu saw the dress, she suddenly thought of Bai Weiwei. She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions. There are many women in this world who believe that the one they persistently pursue will surely bring them happiness, but how can they know that it might just be the beginning of suffering?

Even on the wedding day, Qi Si still acted all arrogant, like, "You'd better beg me, come beg me now!" This infuriated Qin Xiaoyu, who would occasionally kick or pinch him to try and get him to cheer up.

On the wedding day, he threw a tantrum early in the morning, refusing to come downstairs. As the auspicious hour approached, he finally appeared, wearing a coat and walking with an air of indifference towards his family.

Qin Xiaoyu thought to herself, "Thank goodness, thank you for honoring me with your presence at my wedding."

In the end, Qi Si was somewhat accommodating and half-squatted down to put shoes on the bride. Someone took out a handful of coins and scattered them on the bed; this was part of the ceremony. The bride had to grab a handful of coins, the amount representing how much money she was bringing from her parents' home to her new family.

Sister-in-law Si was quite capable; her small hands managed to grab a lot of coins. Even with only two left, she refused to give up and, after much effort, managed to hold them in her hands.

Enraged, Fourth Sister-in-law yelled, "You little bastard, you traitor!" Afraid someone would snatch it, Fourth Sister-in-law clutched a handful of coins and went out to get into the car.