Chapter 58 (Combined) (Revised)
The flower basket mini cakes are very popular and sell out quickly. Usually, by the afternoon, even if they're sold out, they don't bake any more. If you want some, you have to wait until the next day.
When Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping arrived, there was only a small flower basket and cakes.
Yan Ruyi: "This is the only one left in the shop."
Li Yan was craving some food and wanted to eat it too, but considering she was an adult, she felt embarrassed to eat it all by herself. "I'll share it with Miaomiao."
Yan Ruyi said, "...Second sister-in-law, the flower basket cake is for Miaomiao. You can have the croissant."
Li Yan had already gone to the kitchen and cut the flower basket cake in two. She ate one half herself and gave the other half to Miaomiao. "It's so big, Miaomiao can't finish it, so I gave Miaomiao a big piece."
Fang Caiyun didn't want Miaomiao to take it, but the child didn't understand these things and took it, saying in a childish voice, "Thank you, Auntie."
Yan Ruyi said to Li Yan, "Miaomiao knows how to say thank you, but you, Second Sister-in-law, ate Miaomiao's cake and didn't even say thank you to her."
Fang Caiyun couldn't stand Li Yan's behavior and didn't want to talk to her. She turned to Yan Ruyi and said, "I just heard from Mom that you and Yiping have set your wedding date."
Yan Ruyi said, "Last time, Mom said it wasn't decided yet. She and Yiping's mother picked a few dates, saying they would have Aunt Zhao calculate which one would be the best."
Her mother was quite superstitious about auspicious dates, so she would be extremely careful in choosing a date for such an important event as a wedding.
Yan Ruyi even suspected that she and Aunt Zhao had to bathe and change clothes before choosing a date.
Fang Caiyun: "Mom just said it's been decided, June 28th. This season is good, not too cold or too hot, and I'll look beautiful in my new wedding dress."
Fang Caiyun got married in winter. It snowed on her wedding day, and it was extremely cold. She was afraid of the cold, so she wore a thick cotton-padded coat, which made her look very bulky and she could hardly walk.
Looking at the wedding photos now, she feels embarrassed to look at them. She has always regretted choosing to marry Yan Minghai in winter.
It only happens once in a lifetime, who wouldn't want to get married looking beautiful?
Yan Ruyi whispered, "Huihui and I have our eye on a dress that we plan to wear to our wedding. Sister-in-law, could you give me your opinion on whether it looks good on me?"
"Haven't bought it yet?"
"No."
Fang Caiyun smiled and said, "Let me know when you're going to the shop, and I'll go with you. But my taste isn't as good as yours; I can only help you check the quality of the workmanship."
Yan Mingtao came out of the house. "Ruyi, do you have time after get off work tomorrow? If you do, I'd like to go to your new house to take a look and measure the dimensions."
Because he had implicitly agreed to accept wages from Yan Ruyi, Yan Mingtao now felt guilty towards his sister when he spoke to her, and his face showed some unease.
Yan Ruyi didn't mind. "If you have time, Second Brother, go there after get off work. I'll wait for you there. It's No. 68 Wutong Road, easy to find."
As they were talking, a butterfly flew by, and Little Flower chased after it.
Miaomiao was nestled in Yan Ruyi's arms eating cake when she saw Xiaohua and called out to her to go play with her.
Fang Caiyun sat to Yan Ruyi's left. Yan Ruyi had been holding Miaomiao the whole time, so Fang Caiyun hadn't seen the ring on her hand. But as soon as Miaomiao left, she saw it and grabbed Yan Ruyi's hand. "You bought a new ring?"
Yan Ruyi said shyly, "I didn't buy it, Yiping gave it to me. He proposed to me today."
Fang Caiyun smiled and said, "Little Song is quite stylish, he even proposed to you. Where did he propose?"
Yan Ruyi said shyly, "Little Birch Restaurant, I never expected him to propose to me in public."
Fang Caiyun said, "It shows that he cares about you and is willing to put aside his pride for you. Not many men can do that. I saw it long ago. Xiao Song is a reliable person. You're really in luck from now on."
Yan Ruyi shyly hugged Fang Caiyun's arm.
Fang Caiyun poked her forehead. "Look how happy you are."
The coal stove at home went out, so Ye Hongzhen went to Zhao Cuifang's house next door to borrow coal briquettes. Only Fang Caiyun, Yan Ruyi, and Li Yan were in the yard.
Fang Caiyun and Yan Ruyi had more in common, and the two chatted about the style of the ring, and then moved on to the dress Yan Ruyi was wearing.
Yan Ruyi was wearing a smoky gray thin woolen skirt, the length of which was just to her knees. She bought it from a newly opened clothing store.
Fang Caiyun thought the dress was very pretty and asked Yan Ruyi where the store was.
Yan Ruyi said, "The owner of this clothing store on Linshui Road has a good eye. The clothes she buys are more fashionable than those sold in department stores. The dress I liked was from her store."
Fang Caiyun also loves to dress up. "Give me the address, and I'll go take a look when I have time. I'm thinking of buying a new dress."
Yan Ruyi gave the address to Fang Caiyun.
After dinner, Yan Minghai and his family of three left. Yan Ruyi asked Ye Hongzhen, "Mom, where is our family's household registration book?"
Ye Hongzhen: "It's in my drawer. What do you need the household registration book for?"
Yan Ruyi said, "Tomorrow, Yiping and I are going to get our marriage certificate. We need to bring our household registration book."
"Just having your household registration booklet isn't enough; you also need a certificate of unmarried status from the neighborhood committee office..."
"I've already started driving."
Ye Hongzhen: "...Just a few days ago she was muttering that she didn't want to get married, how come she's suddenly getting a marriage certificate?"
Yan Ruyi reached out to show off the ring she was wearing to her mother.
The gold ring should be 4 grams, neither too thick nor too thin, so that it makes the fingers appear more slender when worn.
Yan Ruyi's meaning was clear: with the engagement ring already on her finger, it wasn't a question of getting a marriage certificate.
Ye Hongzhen slapped her, "Don't show off, or your second sister-in-law will argue with your second brother again."
Yan Ruyi said, "I'm not showing off. I can't wear it during work hours, but I can still wear it to my heart's content during my rest time. Besides, it's not like my second sister-in-law can't afford it; she just doesn't want to spend the money."
She's reluctant to spend money on herself, but when others spend money to buy things, she gets jealous of them for wearing gold and silver.
Yan Ruyi had never met anyone more stubborn than her second sister-in-law.
Ye Hongzhen went to her room and took her household registration booklet out of the drawer.
My daughter's name has been on this little book for 23 years. It will be moved out after she gets married.
Thinking about it this way, Ye Hongzhen felt a little sour.
She handed the household registration book to Yan Ruyi and suddenly said, "If you don't want to change your household registration, then don't. As long as your parents are still alive, no one can kick you out."
Yan Ruyi, “?”
Why did we suddenly get onto the topic of changing household registration?
Why would anyone kick her out?
Changing her household registration is too far off; she hasn't thought that far ahead yet. Right now, the most important thing is to get a marriage certificate with Commander Song!
The next day, Yan Ruyi went to work as usual, but in the afternoon she took half a day off.
When Song Yiping came to pick her up, she had just finished her work.
While tidying up my desk, I glanced at the bronze incense burner on it.
It was the incense burner her grandmother gave her. She consulted Xu Licheng, who said it was best to use high-quality sandalwood, as it would be more effective.
Inferior sandalwood has an impure fragrance and can also damage your stove.
High-quality sandalwood is not easy to buy, so Song Yiping asked someone to buy some for her, and it was only brought to her yesterday.
She has always been willing to try new things, so today she brought the incense burner and sandalwood incense to the office to see if the incense burner would really glow after being burned for a long time.
Inferior sandalwood cigarettes are large and have a pungent smell, while high-quality sandalwood has a mellow aroma and a rich woody fragrance, especially when it is first lit, it has a slight coolness to it.
This top-grade sandalwood comes from the Mysore region of India and is formed through decades of natural aging, making it exceptionally expensive.
Song Yiping said he asked Chen Feiyong to buy it for him.
Chen Feiyong traveled all over the country, and only he could buy such a rare item.
Yan Ruyi put the sandalwood incense in the incense burner and lit it before going to work in the morning.
I washed my hands beforehand to show my reverence.
All morning, her office was filled with the soft scent of sandalwood, which was refreshing and invigorating.
After burning all morning, the incense burner is indeed emitting a faint purplish-red glow.
Draw the curtains and turn off the lights, and the light will be much clearer.
Although it wasn't as exaggerated as her grandma said, that you could see it from two miles away, you could still see it if you stood at the office door.
If she kept clicking, she felt like her office was turning into a Buddhist sanctuary.
She happily put the bronze incense burner away.
Jialide is now operating normally. Many of the employees in the building are from Hong Kong. Song Yiping is afraid of making a bad impression, so he usually waits for her downstairs instead of going to her office.
When Yan Ruyi got out of the car, he was sitting inside looking at something.
She only realized what he was looking at after she got into the car; it was their wedding photos taken yesterday.
When she took a look, she saw that the two people in the photo were smiling so broadly that their eyes were almost closed.
No wonder the photographer wanted to retake the photo.
However, Yan Ruyi still thought it looked good this way. Marriage is a joyous occasion, so why should she look so serious? She and Song Yiping decided to use this picture.
The two first went to a restaurant for a meal, and after the meal, it was time for the Civil Affairs Bureau to open.
Halfway there, Yan Ruyi suddenly remembered and asked Song Yiping, "I heard Sister Yu say that it's best to bring a bag of candy when you go to get your marriage certificate."
Song Yiping gestured towards the back seat, and only then did Yan Ruyi notice a bag of assorted fruit candies in the back seat.
Her husband, Commander Song, always puts her first in everything, so she doesn't have to worry about anything.
Yan Ruyi felt like she had struck gold. To encourage her commander Song to keep up the good work, she quickly gave him a sweet kiss.
When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, it had just opened for business, but there were already several couples waiting in the lobby to get their marriage certificates.
Song Yiping was a soldier and had priority, but both of them had taken leave and had nothing else to do in the afternoon, so they sat at the back of the line.
Most of the people waiting to get their marriage certificates were smiling. But the couple sitting in front of them had something going on in their conversation. When they sat down, the couple was arguing. At first, they were arguing quietly, but then their voices got louder and louder.
Woman: "When your sister-in-law married your brother, they had thirty-six legs. Why should I have one less bookshelf?"
Man: "Well, there's no room in the room. If we make a bookshelf, where are you going to put it? You can't just stack it next to the table, can you?"
The woman said, "I won't complain about the missing bookshelf, but at least give me the money back. You won't give me the money back, and you won't even let me speak. So I'm just supposed to suffer in silence?"
Man: "Didn't I tell you that I'd make it up to you when I have the money?"
Woman: "Who are you kidding? We're family now that we're married. Your money is my money. If you give me the money back, it's just money laundering from one hand to the other. I'm the one who loses out!"
...
The two argued louder and louder, and the staff got used to it.
Having worked in this line of work for a long time, they often see couples who are about to get married, but then suddenly break up and don't go through with it.
Judging from the situation, this couple probably won't be able to get a marriage certificate.
Sure enough, the woman got angrier and angrier. After arguing with the man for a while, she stood up and left in a huff.
The man called out a few times, but seeing that the woman didn't turn around, he felt embarrassed and followed her away.
The two people left and never came back. It's unknown whether the marriage will fall apart.
Yan Ruyi had never seen anything like this before and was a little dumbfounded.
There are even cases where couples change their minds at the last minute when it comes time to get their marriage certificate.
Why can't we wait until all the conflicts are resolved before doing this?
She turned to look at Song Yiping, who asked her, "What's wrong?"
Yan Ruyi asked him softly, "Are there any problems we haven't solved yet?"
If there are any issues, resolve them as soon as possible; don't wait until you're about to get your marriage certificate before arguing.
Song Yiping lowered his voice and said, mimicking her, "The biggest problem right now is, when will it be our turn? We're getting a little impatient."
The woman sitting in front of Yan Ruyi heard this, smiled, and said to Yan Ruyi, "We're not in a hurry, why don't you go ahead of us in line?"
Yan Ruyi blushed deeply and quickly said to the woman, "Don't listen to his nonsense, we're not in a hurry."
She turned around and glared at Song Yiping, who remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't said those words at all.
Those two people were a minority; most people who come to get their marriage certificates are happy.
Soon it was Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping's turn.
Song Yiping first handed a bag of assorted fruit candies to the staff.
Newlyweds usually bring candy when they come to □□, but it's rare to see someone as generous as Song Yiping, who brings assorted candies.
Actually, the staff had noticed the couple a while ago. They were both good-looking, and Song Yiping was a soldier, so it was hard not to notice them.
The person speaking was a woman in her forties, whose smile was as warm as a spring breeze. "Comrade, did you bring your identification documents?"
"I brought them all."
Song Yiping needs a marriage application form and a military marriage registration form, while Yan Ruyi needs a household registration booklet and a marriage certificate issued by the neighborhood office.
Song Yiping gave these documents, along with the wedding photos the two had just taken, to the staff.
The staff took the couple's wedding photos and immediately burst out laughing.
She's had so many marriage certificates, but this is the first time she's seen a wedding photo where the couple is smiling so happily.
Just looking at their wedding photos, I feel that these two will definitely be very happy in the future.
Yan Ru noticed the staff looking at the couple's wedding photos and asked worriedly, "Comrade, are the wedding photos not in accordance with regulations?"
"No, I just thought your wedding photos looked strangely festive."
Yan Ruyi was a little embarrassed by what she said, "The photographer said I shouldn't smile when he took the picture, but I couldn't help it when he did."
"Why can't we laugh on a happy occasion? Look how beautifully they are smiling."
The staff kept talking without delaying their work, and in no time at all, the marriage certificate was issued.
When the staff handed the marriage certificate to Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping, they sincerely congratulated them on their marriage.
Song Yiping thanked the staff and made way for the next couple to get their marriage certificates.
Yan Ruyi looked at the red marriage certificate and felt like she was dreaming. "Are we really married?"
Song Yiping patted her head.
Yan Ruyi said, "I feel like I'm dreaming, and I really want to cry."
When Song Yiping proposed to her, she was too shy to think about anything else.
But now, looking at the bright red little booklet, I don't know why, my heart feels a mix of sourness, tenderness, and excitement, and I really want to cry.
Then she actually started sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
A staff member immediately came out and asked her with a serious expression, "Comrade, you came here voluntarily to get a marriage certificate, right?"
Nowadays, we emphasize freedom of marriage. If a woman doesn't voluntarily come to get a marriage certificate, the civil affairs bureau will still take a look. They are worried that some women might be forced by their families to get the certificate.
Interfering with freedom of marriage is illegal.
However, judging from the two of them, they didn't seem to be unwilling to get their marriage certificate.
Just a moment ago, the two of them were beaming with joy, their smiles practically reaching their eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the woman started crying.
Yan Ruyi felt too embarrassed, her face turned red. "Comrade, I came to get married voluntarily. No one forced me. I'm just happy."
After saying that, he grabbed Song Yiping and left quickly.
The staff were somewhat amused and exasperated; they'd never seen anyone cry tears of joy while getting a marriage certificate.
As they exited the marriage registration hall, Yan Ruyi glared at Song Yiping. "I was crying just now, and you didn't even pull me out of there. It was so embarrassing."
Song Yiping: "Those are tears of happiness, there's nothing shameful about them."
Yan Ruyi still felt embarrassed and directed Song Yiping to drive away.
Song Yiping kept smiling, which made Yan Ruyi feel embarrassed. She glared at him and said, "Don't smile."
Song Yiping, “How ridiculous…wife.”
Yan Ruyi's face turned bright red from his calling her "wife".
But he wasn't wrong; they had already gotten their marriage certificate, and she was indeed his wife from now on.
Yan Ruyi simply ignored him and peered out the car window.
Song Yiping knew she was shy, so he didn't dare tease her anymore.
Song Yiping drove all the way to Jianglin New Village because he had another task for today: to accompany Yan Ruyi to buy a house.
Jianglin New Village went on sale yesterday. They set up a reception area outside the community specifically to receive people who want to view the properties.
Jianglin New Village is quite well-known in Beijing because it was the first commercial housing development in the city. However, very few people come to see the houses, and even fewer actually buy them.
Everyone is used to housing provided by their work unit and is not quite accepting of this new thing that has suddenly appeared. They are all afraid that something might happen and they would lose both the house and the money.
Therefore, most people are currently in a wait-and-see state.
When Song Yiping and Yan Ruyi went to the reception area, there were two staff members sitting there idly, knitting sweaters and chatting.
Upon seeing the person approaching, he merely glanced up and continued his idle chatter.
Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping simply stopped letting them show them the houses and went to see them themselves.
Yan Ruyi chose the building that faced the river from the very front.
She looked around several floors before finally deciding to buy a unit on the 5th floor.
The 6th floor offers the best view, but it's the top floor, so it gets very hot in the summer and is prone to leaks.
Below the 4th floor, the view is not as open, especially from the 1st to the 3rd floor. By the time the trees planted in the green belt grow up, you may not even be able to see the river.
After careful consideration, Yan Ruyi finally decided to buy the 5th floor.
She and Song Yiping stood on the balcony, looking at the wide river in the distance, and she said proudly, "This is my house. If we ever have a fight, I'll move here and I won't open the door for you."
Song Yiping never expected that the house would have this purpose.
"Honey, you probably won't have the chance to move in here in your lifetime."
Yan Ruyi wasn't as embarrassed as she had been at the beginning. She glared at him and said, "Are you getting addicted to shouting like that?"
Song Yiping honestly admitted, "A little."
I didn't dare to shout it before, but now that I've finally been promoted, I have to shout it a few more times to satisfy my urge.
Having chosen the house, Yan Ruyi signed the purchase contract on the spot.
She bought this 80-square-meter house. Each square meter costs 100 yuan, so the total price, including purchase tax, is 8080 yuan.
I paid half upfront, and the other half will be settled once the property certificate is issued.
After signing the contract, the two came out of the reception area. Yan Ruyi looked at her watch and it was already 5:30.
"My second brother said he'd come to take measurements after get off work today, and he should be here soon."
Yan Mingtao was already waiting for them at the gate of the courtyard.
Yan Ruyi got out of the car. "Second Brother, don't you guys get off work at 5:30? Why are you here so early?"
Yan Mingtao: "I was afraid of causing delays, so I came out early."
Song Yiping also got out of the car and greeted Yan Mingtao, "Second Brother."
In fact, Song Yiping is a year older than Yan Mingtao, but he calls him "Second Brother" very naturally.
He called out the name naturally, but Yan Mingtao responded awkwardly.
Especially since he was paid for making the furniture this time, he responded to the title "Second Brother" with a particularly unconvincing tone.
Song Yiping opened the door, and Yan Mingtao went into the yard. He saw that the western half of the yard was planted with vegetables, cucumbers, green beans, loofahs, and eggplants, which had grown very tall and were even better than what his mother had grown. It was obvious that someone was taking care of them regularly.
He glanced at his sister and brother-in-law with a complicated expression.
Yan Ruyi quickly said, "Yiping and I only come over occasionally; it's all taken care of by Sister Hua next door."
She and Song Yiping weren't married yet, and if she kept coming here, people would gossip.
So she and Song Yiping didn't come every day, and even when they did, they left before dark.
She gave Hua's sister-in-law a key to the courtyard gate, and Hua's sister-in-law would come over to check on things whenever she had free time. The fact that the fruits and vegetables in the courtyard were growing so well was largely due to Hua's sister-in-law's efforts.
Yan Mingtao was initially skeptical of his sister's words, but when he saw that there was only a bed in the room and nothing on it, he believed her.
He went over and pressed on the bed frame. "Who made this? Why did they only make one bed?"
Song Yiping: "I typed it myself."
Yan Mingtao was surprised that Song Yiping could do carpentry, and was quite good at it. Looking at Song Yiping again, he found him much more pleasing to the eye.
Yan Mingtao took the list given to him by Yan Ruyi and measured the dimensions according to the placement position.
After taking the measurements, discuss with the two of them what kind of wood to use.
Yan Mingtao: "The most commonly used woods for making furniture are beech, elm, and pine. Which one do you plan to use?"
Paulownia wood is also used, but apart from being cheap, it is inferior to other woods in every other way.
Song Yiping was clearly not short of money, so he definitely wouldn't consider using cheap materials, and therefore he didn't mention paulownia wood.
Song Yiping said, "We're novices, so let Second Brother decide which type of wood to use, and whatever style you like."
"I see the bed is made of beech wood, so let's use beech wood for everything. I'll calculate how much wood we'll need when we get back, if you have your own sources..."
Song Yiping said, "Second brother, you're the expert, you can take care of everything."
With his sister and brother-in-law trusting him so much, Yan Mingtao readily agreed.
Yan Mingtao arrived by bicycle, but there wasn't enough room for it on his bike, so Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping drove off first.
On the way, they made another turn to buy braised pork hock at a delicatessen.
Hua Yuqing said to them, "This pot will be ready in 10 minutes. If you're not in a hurry, just wait 10 minutes."
The food was delicious fresh out of the pot, so Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping waited for about 10 minutes.
When I got home, Yan Mingtao had also returned.
Now, when Song Yiping comes to the Yan family, he treats it like his own home. He doesn't need anyone to greet him. When he feels thirsty, he goes to pour himself a glass of water as if he knows the way.
Ye Hongzhen pulled Yan Ruyi aside and whispered, "Why are your eyes so red? Have you been crying?"
It's been an entire afternoon, how can you still tell?
Yan Ruyi ran into the inner room, took a look in the mirror, and saw that her eyes were indeed a little red, but you couldn't tell unless you looked closely.
I don't know how her mother could be so observant; she noticed just a tiny bit of redness.
Afraid of being laughed at by her mother, she didn't dare tell the truth. "Why am I crying? There was a little fly in my eye, and I kept rubbing it until it turned red."
Springtime brings many flying insects. This morning, one flew into Ye Hongzhen's eye, and it took her a while to rub it out. She didn't suspect anything and asked Yan Ruyi, "Did you go get your marriage certificate?"
"That's ridiculous."
Yan Ruyi took out her marriage certificate to show her mother.
Ye Hongzhen opened it and immediately burst out laughing, "Why are the two of you laughing like that?"
Li Yan leaned over and glanced at it, "Who's smiling like that in their wedding photos? How silly."
Yan Ruyi said unhappily, "What's wrong with you? I think it's fine, isn't it better than you looking so gloomy?"
Li Yan: "That's called being serious."
Yan Ruyi said, "Only you think it's serious. Anyone else would think it's just a long face."
When Li Yan and Yan Mingtao took their wedding photos, she was too serious, and the photos made her look like she was crying.
Yan Mingtao wanted to reshoot the photo, but she was reluctant to spend more money, thinking that since the marriage certificate wouldn't be displayed outside for anyone to see, this one would suffice.
Compared to Yan Ruyi's joyful wedding photo, she looks even more mournful.
Yan Ruyi didn't care what her second sister-in-law said; she just wanted to smile, not only when taking wedding photos but also during her wedding ceremony.
It's a joyous occasion, why the crying and wailing?
Ye Hongzhen was cooking in the kitchen, while Yan Ruyi sat beside her picking vegetables. The mother and daughter chatted intimately.
Song Yiping, being a man, didn't want to bother anyone, so he found something to do. He saw that a few loofah trellises in the vegetable patch had fallen over, so he went over and helped them up, then took an iron hoe and replanted the trellises securely.
While he was busy, he heard Yan Minghe call out to him, "Brother-in-law."
He looked up and saw Yan Minghe sneakily peeking through the courtyard gate. When he saw him looking over, Yan Minghe waved at him.
He put down what he was doing and went over. "What is it?"
Yan Minghe pulled him a little further away, making sure his family wouldn't hear him talking to Song Yiping, before chuckling and saying ingratiatingly, "Brother-in-law, can you do me a favor?"
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