Although there is still a month left, everything needs to be prepared, and time is still very tight. Fortunately, Hu Ruixue has helped solve the problems of the auditorium, accommodation, and meals, which is equivalent to solving their biggest problem.

There's also the transportation issue. Countless people from her hometown are coming over, so Shuyan is thinking of hiring a bus.

"Let's confirm the number of people first. Besides immediate family members, who else should we invite?" Fang Zeyu took out the invitations and prepared to start writing.

Shu Yan counted on her fingers, "My grandparents and parents will definitely come. I don't know if my three brothers will come. I definitely have to invite my third brother. I'll send out invitations to my other cousins ​​first. Whether they come or not is their business. In addition, I also have to invite my two uncles, two aunts, and two other aunts. As for my other cousins, I'll skip them. We haven't been in contact for a while. If I suddenly invite them, they'll think I'm asking them for red envelopes."

Actually, it's fine not to invite them, but not inviting them to the wedding would be like severing that connection. They weren't close to begin with, and they weren't particularly kind to the original owner of this body, so severing ties wouldn't matter. But for some reason, a voice in Shu Yan's heart told her that she absolutely had to invite them to the wedding.

While Fang Zeyu was writing the invitations, Shu Yan touched her heart. She was certain that the original owner of this body was no longer alive, so why was there still such a strong urge to haunt her?

Shu Yan tossed and turned for half the night, finally figuring something out. She guessed that the original owner of this body had suffered too much bullying in that family and always wanted to impress her parents and be praised by her relatives and friends. This thought was probably buried deep in the original owner's heart, and she herself was unaware of it. She never expected it to surface at this time.

Shu Yan hesitated whether to follow her heart. When she made the deal with the original owner, she only agreed to help her take care of her parents and treat the two children as her own. This was not part of the deal. Besides, the original owner was long gone. If she suppressed it, it would be gone. However, after thinking about it, she decided to follow her heart. Anyway, she was going to invite the original owner's parents and brothers over. A few more relatives wouldn't make a difference.

Fang Zeyu wrote the invitations, and Shu Yan packed them up and sent them to Fang Zeyu, asking him to deliver them to her relatives' homes.

"Third Brother, please help me confirm the number of people so I can make arrangements." Shu Yan needed to confirm the number of people.

"Okay. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Shu Jianyang had been mentally prepared for Shu Yan and Fang Zeyu's marriage for a long time, but he didn't expect things to happen so quickly.

His first reaction was the same as Hu Ruixue's: he wondered if Shu Yan was pregnant. But being a man, he felt it was inappropriate to ask, so he planned to have Miao Miao ask her later.

The package contained not only the invitations but also a large bag of children's clothes, intended for Li Miaomiao's unborn child.

"Yan Yan, you're so thoughtful," Li Miaomiao said with a smile. "Are they getting married by the sea? How romantic." She thought Shu Yan was getting married for the second time and would just have a simple banquet, but she didn't expect them to get married by the sea, and to make it so formal and grand.

"Yan Yan said the scenery there is beautiful, so let's stay there for a few more days." He was too busy last year and didn't even go out to play after getting married.

"Okay!" Li Miaomiao smiled happily.

Her wedding was considered very grand in Xicheng, mainly because Shu Jianyang treated her well, so she didn't need to envy others at all.

Since they had some free time these past two days, Shu Jianyang took Li Miaomiao back to his hometown to send out the invitations.

Upon learning that Shu Yan was going to marry Fang Zeyu, the old man was quite happy. He asked his grandson to call Shu Youfu over, since she was his daughter after all. Shu Yan was different now than before, and they couldn't treat her simply. They needed to come up with a plan.

"Marriage?" Lin Zixiang exploded upon hearing this. "Fang Zeyu's parents didn't even send a matchmaker to propose marriage, there was no betrothal money or gifts, what kind of marriage is this?"

Even though it was her second marriage, she didn't discuss it with her parents before getting married. No matter where she went, Shu Yan wouldn't listen.

"Second Aunt, what do you want in betrothal gifts and dowry? Have you prepared a dowry?" Shu Jianyang directly confronted Lin Zixiang.

"Where dowries are there in this place? At most, there are only two quilts. I'll prepare them for you." Lin Zixiang rolled her eyes, thinking about how much to ask for. She heard that Fang Zeyu was also in business. Asking for 60,000 yuan wouldn't be too much, right?

"According to our local customs, the highest-level wedding dowry includes a refrigerator, a color TV, and a washing machine, plus 6,600 yuan. However, you have to provide eight bedding sets, thirty-six leg items, and at least one set of household appliances. This is considered a wedding, and married daughters are not obligated to support their parents in old age. As for the portion awarded to Shuyan each year, she has no obligation to do so. Are you sure you want to follow the proper etiquette?"

Since they were being polite, Shu Jianyang decided to be polite to them in return.

Lin Zixiang immediately fell silent. She had originally planned to ask Fang Zeyu for a dowry privately, but now that she was asking openly, she certainly wouldn't dare to ask for 60,000 or 100,000, otherwise the families with sons within dozens of miles would curse her to death.

"Stop embarrassing the Shu family." The old man glared at his second daughter-in-law. "Shu Yan gives you enough every year, don't be greedy."

The old man opened the invitation and frowned. "Why is the wedding being held in Hai Province? There are so many people from our hometown; it's not convenient for them to come over. What will they eat and stay there?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Fang Zeyu and Shu Yan have already made the arrangements. You just need to decide who goes. They will cover the travel expenses and accommodation."

"They booked everything? How much money must that cost? Even if they have money, they shouldn't waste it like that." Lin Zixiang exclaimed in surprise. Wouldn't it be better to give them that money to spend?

"Shut up." The old lady glared at her. "If Shu Yan is going to hold her wedding so far away, then of course she has to pay for the travel expenses."

It's rare for women to marry far away from their hometown. If they do marry far away, the wedding banquets are usually held on two separate occasions. If the banquet is held on one side, the travel expenses and accommodation for the guests must be covered.

I heard that the round-trip travel expenses, food and accommodation are all covered. Families who received the invitations are all planning to send extra people. It's a great thing to go out and have fun without spending any money.

“Go ask Third Brother if we can all go over there? And Shu Yan, you’re still her own brother, why didn’t she ask you for help with such an important matter, but instead asked a cousin to help her?” Shu Jianxiang’s wife, Li Fang, couldn’t help but complain.

Many people shared this idea and came to Shu Jianyang one after another to inquire. Shu Jianyang then asked directly, "How much money are you preparing for the red envelopes?"

In Xicheng, people usually spend 10 or 20 yuan on drinks. These relatives probably wouldn't give more; at most, they'd give 50 yuan. Would the whole family go? That's completely immoral.

Instead of getting a friendly reception from Shu Jianyang, the group went to find the old man, and several of his cousins, who had heard rumors, also came over.

"What does Shuyan mean? Does she not want us relatives anymore because she didn't invite us to her wedding?" It was the eldest cousin who spoke.

Shu Jianyang glanced at them. "Wasn't the invitation given to Auntie?"

“I got married a long time ago, so I’m a new family now. Shouldn’t I get a separate invitation?” my older cousin said unhappily.

"When visiting relatives during the Spring Festival, don't we all say that we are family with Auntie?" Shu Jianmei couldn't help but ask.

Shu Jianmei is her uncle's daughter. You can tell from her name that she is loved by her family, otherwise they would not have let her be named after a boy.

"..." The older cousin choked for a moment, then immediately realized what she meant, "Call Shu Yan and ask her what she really means? Does she still want to be my relative?"

"It's obvious you're dispensable to her. If you want to go, pay for your own travel expenses! Once you get to Hai Province, Shu Yan definitely won't abandon you," Shu Jianmei continued to sow discord.

She's always disliked her older cousin, so no matter what happens, she'll always confront her.

"Who's going to pay for their own travel expenses? Who does Shu Yan think she is? The government? We have to spend so much money to go all the way to her wedding? Bah, we're only going because we're giving her face." Then, pointing at Shu Jianyang, he said, "You call her right now and find out what she means."

When Shu Yan received the call, she was going over the guest list with Fang Zeyu. Hearing the commotion on Shu Jianyang's end, Shu Yan frowned. "Just because I wrote my aunt's family on the invitation doesn't mean that everyone in my aunt's family can come. Do I have to send her a new invitation separately? And apologize to her formally?"

Shu Yan laughed in exasperation, "If I hadn't met you at your wedding last time, I wouldn't have recognized you if we bumped into each other on the street. If you're not coming, then you're not coming."

The implication is that if kinship is severed, then so be it; Shu Yan will at least lose one more awful relative.

"So you're not going over here, right?" Shu Jianyang took out his notebook and crossed out his older cousin's name.

"No, I'm not going." The older cousin pulled her mother back. "My parents aren't going either."

The eldest aunt patted her daughter's hand and said, "Your uncle and I are busy, so let your cousin Shitou go in our place."

"Okay." Shu Jianyang wrote down the names in a new notebook. "Who else isn't going, and who is? I'll write it down here."

“I’m not going either. I have to go to work, and taking leave will result in a deduction in pay. It’s the same whether Mom and Dad go or not,” said Shu Yan’s second brother.

Shu Jianyang nodded and crossed them out as well. Of the last few cousins, apart from the eldest cousin and Shu Jianyang, the others wouldn't go. Among Shu Yan's own siblings, apart from the eldest brother and his wife, the other two families wouldn't go either.

The second and third sons originally planned to go, but after thinking about Shu Yan's current temperament and her remarried partner, they were intimidated at the sight of her. They figured they wouldn't gain anything by going all that way for a meal, and it would also interfere with their work at home, so they decided not to go.

Each of the two aunts' families sent their eldest child as a representative. The two uncles' families said they were too busy to go, but the eldest uncle's wife gave them a red envelope to take with them. The maternal grandparents said they were too old to go either.

In the end, only Shu Yan's maternal family sent her maternal uncle and his son, and two cousins ​​from her aunt's side. Apart from her grandparents, Shu Yan's eldest uncle and aunt did not attend, and instead sent her eldest cousin and Shu Jianyang to represent them. Shu Yan's own family only sent her eldest brother and sister-in-law, while her uncle's family sent her younger cousin. Seeing this arrangement, her aunt gave up her original intention to attend and sent her daughter to the banquet on behalf of her family. In the end, including Shi Tou and Li Miaomiao, there were only 16 people in total.

Shu Yan was surprised when she heard the number of people. She thought that since the meal and accommodation were included and the round-trip travel expenses were reimbursed, there would definitely be a lot of people trying to take advantage of the deal.

"Why did so many people come? Just one representative from each family would have been enough." Shu Jianyang felt that his wedding was somewhat unsatisfactory. He made a heartfelt confession to his bride on stage, while the people below were eating enthusiastically. He and his bride shared a passionate kiss, and the people below continued to eat enthusiastically. When it finally ended, many people took out bags to pack up their leftovers. That was fine, but many people also said they weren't full and that the steamed buns at home were more filling.

"That's true." The original owner wanted to show off, so he just needed a representative from each family to let them see.

Besides the old lady, Fang Zeyu's side consisted of his group of brothers, especially those who had fought alongside him in the war. He called them one by one to invite them, and his comrades were even happier than he was when they heard that Fang Zeyu was getting married.

Then there were some friends Shu Yan had met in Nancheng: Old Zhang and his wife, Lin Hui, and Zhang Huaxiu. She hesitated for a moment about the name Wu Xiuyue, but finally decided to send an invitation. Otherwise, it would be a bit awkward to only send an invitation to Zhang Huaxiu and not to her, and Wu Xiuyue might not even go.

"Should we..." Shu Yan hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to ask, "What about your mother?"

Fang Zeyu chuckled and shook his head, saying calmly, "No need. She's doing quite well now, so I won't bother her."

He has experienced life and death, separation and reunion, and so much more. Having lived to this age, he is very accepting of many things and has become exceptionally tolerant.

Since he said no, Shu Yan didn't say anything more. After finalizing the list, Hu Ruixue called to say that the wedding dresses had arrived and asked her to come over and try them on.