It was already dark when Ren Jin and Gu Yueji arrived at their aunt's house, and Qian Mingjun opened the door.
"Brother, sister-in-law, you're finally here!"
As soon as he called out, a sound came from inside the house, and then two middle-aged men came to the door, looking at them with smiles on their faces.
"I'm sorry, Auntie, we're late. I'll take Yueji to burn incense for my grandparents." Ren Jin led Gu Yueji into the house.
"It's alright, it's alright. I should have told your grandparents. You've come at the perfect time; the food is just ready."
Ren Jin introduced his wife, Gu Yueji, to his aunt and uncle. Then he turned to Gu Yueji and said, "This is my aunt and uncle, and this is my cousin, Qian Mingjun, whom you have met before."
Gu Yueji greeted them politely, "Hello, Auntie, Uncle, Mingjun, we're here to trouble you."
"No need to be so polite, we're very happy you came." Ren Jin's uncle was tall and thin, and Ren Jin said he was a village teacher.
"These are gifts that Yueji bought for you, this is tea and wine for your uncle, and this is skincare and health products for your aunt." Ren Jin handed them the items one by one.
"Oh my, why did you buy so much stuff?" Ren Yajuan looked at the things in Ren Jin's hands and affectionately took Gu Yueji's hand. "You should treat this place like your own home. Don't be so polite in the future, okay?"
"Thank you, Auntie. Ren Jin said he and Auntie are the closest of friends. It was really heartwarming to see you today."
Gu Yueji has an oval face, fair and delicate skin, bright eyes and eyebrows. When she smiles, she looks clean, pure and gentle, and she speaks and acts with grace and poise.
Ren Yajuan liked it more and more as she looked at it. "It's so good. Ren Jin is so lucky to have married such a wonderful girl like you. Come in and eat." She said, pulling Gu Yueji into the house.
Ren Jin followed behind, and as he passed Qian Mingjun, he tossed him a paper bag, saying, "Here, your sister-in-law bought this for you."
"Me too? My sister-in-law is so kind."
"How could my wife not be good?"
Ren Jin's tone was full of smugness, and the smile on his lips hadn't disappeared since he entered the room.
Qian Mingjun looked at it and thought it was really good.
Over the years, he had watched Ren Jin live a solitary life. He was carefree, but when he came home drunk from socializing at night, there was no one to take care of him. Every year during the Spring Festival, he was always alone. He looked lonely.
Today, Ren Jin and Gu Yueji arrived at home hand in hand, dressed in matching outfits. They looked so well-matched, and Ren Jin, who usually seemed lonely and aloof, had a warm smile on his face.
It's really good.
Ren Yajuan led Gu Yueji to the dining table. "I asked Ren Jin about your tastes and made a few dishes that you like, as well as some local specialties. Try them later and see if they suit your palate."
Looking at the table full of food, Gu Yueji felt a lump in her throat; she had never been welcomed so warmly before.
Ren Jin walked to her side and saw that her eyes were red. He was taken aback and put his arm around her shoulder to coax her, "What's wrong? I didn't feed you at home, and you cried when you saw so many dishes."
Gu Yueji's initial emotions vanished after he teased her, and she burst out laughing.
Ren Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her smile.
He knew what she was feeling. It was Chinese New Year, but not a single family member had called her. She felt like an orphan.
He probably understood Gu Yueji's feelings better than anyone else, because he, too, had once stared blankly at a table full of dishes on this day of family reunion.
At the dinner table, Ren Jin kept putting food on her plate, and Qian Mingjun kept bringing up topics, creating a lively atmosphere. When talking about people and things that Gu Yueji didn't know, Ren Jin would turn around and explain to her, and would also bring up her in the conversation from time to time. The atmosphere at the dinner table was warm and relaxed.
This was Gu Yueji's happiest New Year's Eve dinner in many years.
"When are you two planning to have your wedding?" Ren Yajuan suddenly asked.
Ren Jin and Gu Yueji exchanged a glance. They hadn't discussed this matter before, but seemed to have tacitly agreed not to hold a wedding. First, they both thought of their troublesome parents, and a wedding would likely only bring more worries and might even turn into a farce. Second, they were both people who disliked trouble and believed that marriage was about two people living happily together, without the need to announce it to the world.
Gu Yueji spoke first, saying, "Auntie, we're not planning on having a wedding."
Ren Yajuan asked in surprise, "Don't your family have any objections? Xiao Jin has already visited your home and met your parents, right?"
Gu Yueji knew that Ren Jin hadn't gone into detail about how they met and got married, so she simply told her aunt about her relationship with her parents and said that her hometown was remote and inconvenient to get to, so there was no need to make things complicated for everyone.
Ren Jin looked at Gu Yueji. After hearing about her and her parents' situation, he hadn't really wanted to contact her family. Gu Yueji hadn't mentioned it, and he hadn't brought it up either. But now, thinking about it, he realized that they were her parents after all, and he should go and meet them.
"Won't this be unfair to you, Xiao Ji?" Ren Yajuan asked, looking at Ren Jin. "What do you say?"
Ren Jin peeled a shrimp and put it in Gu Yueji's bowl. "She can do it if she wants to, and she can not do it if she doesn't want to. I'll listen to her."
Ren Yajuan felt gratified to see Ren Jin's submissive demeanor. What a strong and capable man he was! Only when he knew how to listen to his wife and the two of them were tolerant of each other could they live a good life.
"Aunt, there's really no need to trouble yourself. As long as Ren Jin and I live a good life together, that's enough," Gu Yueji stated her position.
Seeing that Gu Yueji really had no intention of having a wedding, Ren Yajuan wouldn't interfere too much. The main reason was that Ren Jin's father was still making a fuss everywhere, saying that Ren Jin was unfilial, and having a wedding wouldn't necessarily make him happy and fulfilled.
“You young people have your own ideas, as long as you’re happy. But Xiao Jin, you still need to buy things for Xiao Gu, at least wedding rings. Look at you two, you’re married but you don’t even wear wedding rings.”
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