An Moxue and her three companions returned to Kyoto safely. Wu Sicheng was so busy that he would come to report every night. Even Old Ma and Aunt Ma were busy, and their figures could only be seen in the morning and evening. They would return with large and small bags in the evening, looking very mysterious. An Moxue became the most idle person, doing nothing all day long. Even her friends seemed to exude a mysterious aura.

Something's happened, something's definitely happened.

But whenever An Moxue asked, they always had various excuses to brush her off, so she just let them be. She would naturally find out what surprises they had prepared for her in due time.

Even Director Hou, who practically wanted her to work 48 hours a day, said to her kindly, "Focus on preparing for the wedding; you don't need to do anything else for now." He probably wasn't planning to ruthlessly exploit her after the wedding!

When An Moxue was bored, she found something to do and compiled a list of all the companies under her name. Then she planned to establish an actuarial team.

We need to conduct random inspections of companies every year, otherwise, with so many industries, it's inevitable that some will become corrupt. But there also needs to be some limits, right?

Choosing the right person is the hardest part; they need to be highly skilled and loyal to her.

They were busy with their own things, and she was busy with hers; they didn't bother each other.

Three days before the wedding, An Moxue took Wu Sicheng to the Lion Troupe. Long before she returned to Kyoto and set the wedding date, before she could even tell Zhang Jing, he called her, implying that she must return to the Lion Troupe before the wedding.

She had planned to do this, but when she arrived at the Lion Troupe, she was still pleasantly surprised.

The Lion Troupe's canteen was decorated with festive cheer, and she knew at a glance that it was specially prepared for her. When she arrived at the Lion Troupe, she was truly moved and her heart was full.

Her father's comrades-in-arms, her mother's colleagues and friends—everyone she could think of and everyone she hadn't expected—came. Each person gave her a red envelope and sincere blessings.

Wu Sicheng was in a worse situation, being threatened by every elder and not daring to respond, so he could only agree. An Moxue was filled with emotion and happiness.

Finally, the Lion Troupe also prepared a dowry, which is now a common wedding item in Kyoto: a 108-legged animal, four bedding sets, four blankets, a color television, and a refrigerator.

Finally, Zhang Jing gave her an account book and a bankbook, saying, "This was organized spontaneously by the people in the troupe. When I received it, I saw the amount was quite large, so I took the liberty of depositing it into the bank for you. It's safer for you to keep it. Don't feel burdened. Over the years, you've secretly donated a huge amount of food, supplies, and real money to the troupe. Everyone in the troupe has benefited, especially the food and meat smuggled back from Russia a few years ago, which greatly improved the troupe's life. Everyone knows this and wants to do their part in your life's important matter, to tell the Wu family that you're never alone. The Lion Troupe will always stand behind you. This is your strength, your safety net, your family. You have family. Even after you get married, don't wrong yourself. You were raised with the love of your parents, and your life shouldn't involve compromising yourself. Remember that."

Wu Sicheng stood straight and tall to the side. He knew that Zhang Jing's words were mostly meant for him, and he could only listen.

"Yes, I'll remember that, Uncle Zhang."

An Moxue left with red eyes, returning to the courtyard house with two truckloads of dowry and a box full of red envelopes.

This surprised Old Ma and Aunt Ma, who were at home organizing the dowry, but they also felt that they should have known this would happen.

An Moxue was surrounded by happiness all day, and she even smiled as she went to sleep that night.

The day before the wedding, all the friends arrived and spent a lively day at An Moxue's house, decorating the house beautifully and warmly.

They all rest here at night.

Inside the room, Chu Dongmei, Li Aidang, Guo Zhijia, and An Moxue sat around the sofa. An Moxue said helplessly, "Alright, go back to sleep! If you all stay here, none of us can sleep well, and we have to get up early tomorrow! I'm going to be very tired tomorrow, and I'll need your help to make things easier for me!"

Ai Dang asked uncertainly, "Are you serious? You don't need us to come along?"

An Moxue smiled and said, "I'm sure. It's your little girl and little boy who need you to keep them company. Hurry up, Aunt Ma won't be able to handle them in a bit."

"Fine!" Her eyes were full of reluctance, but she still gave in.

An Moxue then looked at Chu Dongmei and Guo Zhijia and said, "You two should also go back. Get up early tomorrow morning, as many people will be coming, and I'll need your help to entertain them!"

The three of them had no choice but to leave An Moxue's house.

A short while later, Old Ma and Aunt Ma came over. Aunt Ma handed her an antique box that looked very valuable and quite old.

An Moxue looked at the two of them, her eyes questioning.

Old Ma spoke with reminiscence: "This box contains a gift from your maternal grandfather to your aunt and me when we got married. We have several children, and if we gave this to anyone who didn't receive it, they would all say we were being biased. So, we kept it. Now, we also have a selfish reason: we want to give this gift to you and Comrade Wu. We hope that when you see this jade pendant, you will think of Second Master and Second Madam, and remember them a little more, even though you have never met them."

Having said that, An Moxue couldn't refuse. She readily accepted the box and jokingly asked, "Is it a rare item? I don't want it if it's not!"

"Hmph!" Old Ma seemed very dissatisfied with her words, and laughed and scolded, "You're disrespecting your elders. How could Second Master's work be bad? Open it and take a look. If you're not satisfied, I'll admit defeat."

An Moxue continued to argue with him, "Old man, you're taking this so seriously. Fine, I'll open it then, who's afraid of who?"

Aunt Ma chuckled to herself, but didn't say anything.

As An Moxue spoke, she slowly opened the box, revealing a pair of dragon and phoenix pendants, made of the finest white jade.

An Moxue exclaimed, "As expected of my grandfather, he's so generous!"

Then, looking at the two of them, he said emotionally, "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, don't worry, Wu Sicheng and I will take good care of these jade pendants. Thank you too."

As An Moxue spoke, tears involuntarily streamed down her face. She thought of how Old Ma and Aunt Ma had abandoned their own children to stay by her side all these years, and how their relationship had long been that of the closest of family members.

Aunt Ma took a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears, coaxing her, "It's okay to cry today, but you have to be happy tomorrow, okay?"

Old Ma also said, "Well, in our northern customs, we don't have weddings with tears and sobs. You have to smile, remember that. You have to experience all the happy life your parents never had, to comfort their spirits in heaven."

An Moxue burst into laughter through her tears and said, "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, I will, I'm so happy!"