Zhao Mingyue knew that after this summer vacation, she would no longer just be her parents' daughter, but also someone's wife and daughter-in-law. She wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her parents as she pleased anymore. From then on, her first consideration would be her husband, and she would also have to take into account her in-laws' feelings. Even going back to her parents' home would require her to inform everyone and give a reason. Therefore, her first priority this summer vacation was to stay at home with her parents.
During the busy rice harvest season, Zhao Mingyue wanted to go to the fields to help with the work, but her parents, brother, and sister-in-law stopped her: "Don't go. It's so sunny, what if you get sunburned? You'll be a bride soon, you have to look beautiful. There are so many of us, we don't need your help. Just stay home and cook for us."
Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to stay home and cook. Seeing her parents, brother, and sister-in-law so tanned and thin, she felt both touched and guilty. These were her dearest and most beloved relatives. Even though they all had their own plans for their own families, they all cared for her. So she could only do her best to cook for everyone and take care of her nephews and nieces.
After the busy farming season, summer vacation will be almost over. Teachers start school earlier than students, and will be back at work in late August. Zhao Mingyue is going back to school, while Yu Youqing will leave a few days later. The court has ruled in his sister's divorce case, and after mediation, Cheng Yongqiang finally agreed to pay 1,500 yuan in alimony. However, he hasn't received the money yet. Yu Youqing knows this matter can't be delayed and needs to be resolved as soon as possible. These past few days, he and his brother have been at Cheng's house trying to get the money.
Zhao Mingyue knew that 1,500 yuan seemed like a lot now, but it wouldn't last long. She had talked to Yu Youfen and offered suggestions for her future, but of course, she was only providing ideas; the final decision was Yu Youfen's. Yu Youfen had to walk her own path in life; she wasn't a savior, and this was all she could do for her.
With her family's well wishes in mind, Zhao Mingyue embarked on her journey to Beijing. Thinking that Beijing would be her home from now on, she was filled with mixed emotions.
Upon arriving in Beijing, she discovered she had a ton of work to do. School started, and she had to get busy with work. She was getting married on National Day, and with only a little over a month left before her divorce was finalized, there was still so much to prepare. These days, there weren't many wedding planning companies; she had to plan and prepare everything herself. Shen Xuyue had already submitted an application to his workplace, but the wedding accommodation wouldn't be approved anytime soon. Therefore, the wedding would have to be held at the Shen family home, and they would have to temporarily use Shen Xuyue's single dormitory room.
Shen's mother was busy preparing for her son's wedding and had a carpenter make furniture. Actually, the state-run stores had complete sets of furniture, but Shen's mother had high standards; she thought those styles were too old-fashioned, and the brownish-red color was too ugly and unsuitable for young people, so she insisted on having the furniture made herself. Zhao Mingyue felt this was quite a burden for Shen's mother; everything had to be bought—wood, parts, accessories, etc.—and they also had to find a skilled carpenter. The carpenter would be busy for ten days to half a month, staying at home during that time, cooking for them—it was so hard work! Besides furniture, they also had to prepare quilts and blankets for them.
Actually, Shen's mother didn't feel tired. Her two sons were finally getting married and starting their own families, and she felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She was in high spirits, finally having a place to use her talents. Shen Qixue's wedding was held directly in the military base. His parents hadn't prepared anything for his wedding, so when they were making furniture, Shen's mother simply had two sets made, one for each of the brothers.
Zhao Mingyue wanted to say that there was no need to make new furniture, as these styles would definitely be outdated in a few years, and she would have to buy new ones again. However, these were all her parents' good intentions, and as their child, she couldn't refuse. Actually, Zhao Mingyue preferred browsing for furniture at the flea market to making new furniture herself. Before going home for summer vacation, she had moved all her belongings to the faculty dormitory and hadn't lived there. Now she realized that the room was empty, except for the bed that was already there. She felt that the room should be furnished, so she took Shen Xuyue to the flea market to buy some furniture over the weekend.
The flea market had a wide variety of items, some good, some bad, such as furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. In her previous life, collecting was incredibly popular, and Zhao Mingyue had watched many TV programs about it, especially listening to Ma Weidu talk about collecting. She developed a strong interest in furniture collecting and even spent a lot of money on a set of antique rosewood furniture for her home. She knew this was the perfect time to enter the collecting market, but she needed some capital. She needed someone to guide her, and she also needed spare cash. Zhao Mingyue lacked both, so she could only find some decent furniture for herself.
She picked out a few pieces of secondhand furniture, spending over a hundred yuan. Shen Xuyue looked at her buying these antique cabinets, tables, and chairs and said, "The money you spent could have bought a brand new set of furniture. This furniture is too outdated; this table doesn't even have a drawer."
Zhao Mingyue touched the brown rectangular table: "This is an antique, it has historical and artistic value."
Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "Okay, I don't understand what you history students are thinking."
Zhao Mingyue smiled at him: "Look at these old pieces of furniture, don't you think they're exceptionally beautiful?"
Shen Xuyue looked at it and nodded: "That's true. The ancients put a lot of thought and effort into making this. They were very particular about it."
"That's right. When we're rich, I'll buy a whole set of antique furniture and put it in the house." When it comes to furniture making, the ancients were much more particular than modern people; furniture not only had practical value but also artistic value. Twenty years from now, a complete set of antique hardwood furniture could be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan, while those made of rosewood, sandalwood, or similar materials would be sold piece by piece, sometimes costing tens of millions. However, she only thought about it. Even if she were given a set now, she couldn't afford it; she didn't have the money. Good things, even the cheapest ones these days, still cost hundreds or thousands of yuan.
When Shen Xuyue heard Zhao Mingyue say this, he neither agreed nor disagreed, but felt that her little brain was having wild ideas again: "Old furniture is good, but it can't keep up with the times and it's not very practical."
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "That's true. By the way, there's nothing in your room. Should I buy you some furniture?" Shen Xuyue's room was also very simple. Apart from a bed and a desk, there was nothing else. Even his clothes were stored in boxes or hung on hangers.
Shen Xuyue shook his head: "No need, I'll wait until my mom finishes making the furniture, then I'll move some over. I'm sorry, Mingyue, after we get married, we can only live in the single dormitory for the time being. The wedding house allocated by our company won't be available until the end of the year." Because the wedding house allocated by their company is larger, they applied for it at their company. Zhao Mingyue can stay in the single dormitory here indefinitely. She can work and rest here during the day, and if she's afraid of the cold in winter and doesn't want to go home, she can stay here and only go back on weekends.
Zhao Mingyue laughed: "I've even stayed in a six-person student dormitory before, what's there to be dissatisfied about for two people staying in a single dormitory?"
Hearing her say that, Shen Xuyue breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's make a list of all the classmates and friends we need to invite. We can't be extravagant, but we definitely need to have a simple meal."
"Okay, let's make a list of names. We'll need to write invitations and send them over later."
The two estimated the guest list and booked the banquet at the hotel in advance. Fortunately, the market economy had developed, and in addition to state-run canteens and restaurants, there were many private restaurants to choose from.
Besides preparing the guest list, Zhao Mingyue also needed to prepare her wedding attire. The weather would be cooler in October, perfect for wearing something warmer. Shen Xuyue gave her two hundred yuan to buy clothes and shoes. Zhao Mingyue bought some fabric and made herself a cheongsam, a woolen coat, and even sewed a woolen Zhongshan suit for Shen Xuyue. These fabrics weren't cheap, and the two hundred yuan Shen Xuyue gave her was almost gone. Zhao Mingyue added some money to buy a pair of leather shoes for each of them. With that, the wedding attire was finally complete.
In addition, accommodations need to be prepared in advance for the relatives coming from Zhao Mingyue's hometown. The Shen family's courtyard is not cramped, and Zhao Mingyue's dormitory can also accommodate people, but relatives from Shen Xuyue's parents' side will definitely come as well, so rooms need to be booked in hotels outside.
Marriage is supposed to be a matter between two people. A simple way is to get a marriage certificate and have a meal with family. A more fashionable approach is for the couple to take a honeymoon during their honeymoon. However, none of the Shen family's three children had ever gotten married; they all married quietly without any fanfare, leaving the family feeling it was too somber. This time, the youngest son's wedding had to be celebrated. Zhao Mingyue's family also agreed to a celebration; they only had one daughter, and they couldn't let her get married so quietly.
Zhao Mingyue was busy with her wedding preparations while working. She had been a boss before and had done everything herself. Administrative work was mostly trivial and not very difficult, just a bit messy, but she adapted to it very well.
This weekend, Zhao Mingyue went to the Shen family's house and saw that the furniture was finished. It was covered with a creamy yellow clear wax, which looked very elegant. From today's perspective, it was indeed much prettier than the popular furniture of the moment. However, the glass doors inlaid on the furniture and the red and green patterns pasted under the glass still made people feel that it was tacky. But every era has its limitations, so Zhao Mingyue didn't say anything.
Mother Shen proudly showed off her achievement to them: "Look, isn't this furniture beautiful?"
"Yes, it looks really good, much better than the ones we bought," Zhao Mingyue said honestly.
“That’s right, the furniture in the store is so ugly. It’s not as exquisite and beautiful as the furniture we make ourselves. Although it costs more money and takes more effort, it’s worth it.” Mother Shen was all smiles. “Mingyue, come here for a moment. Auntie wants to talk to you.”
Zhao Mingyue glanced at Shen Xuyue, then walked over: "Auntie, what is it?"
Mother Shen looked at Zhao Mingyue, scrutinized her carefully, and then sighed: "You are a sensible and good child. You have suffered a lot of grievances since coming to my house. If your aunt has done anything wrong before, please be more tolerant and don't take it to heart. You know your aunt's temper; it comes quickly but goes quickly. From now on, we will be family. If you have any difficulties or needs, just tell your aunt."
Zhao Mingyue nodded, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, Auntie, I will."
Mother Shen took out two velvet boxes from behind her: "These are a token of our appreciation from your uncle and me. Your family is very polite and doesn't want us to give a dowry. We didn't prepare a dowry, so we're giving you this as a wedding gift. Please accept it."
Zhao Mingyue turned to look at Shen Xuyue, who smiled and said, "Since it's my parents' idea, then you should accept it."
Zhao Mingyue accepted it: "Thank you, Auntie."
Mr. Shen said from the side, "After you get married, Xiao Xu will need your care. I hope you two can get along well. Young people are impulsive, so if anything happens, try to be tolerant of each other and bear with it. Things will pass."
Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue both nodded in agreement.
When Zhao Mingyue was alone with Shen Xuyue, she opened the box and found a gold necklace and a pair of gold rings inside. Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "So my parents had already prepared everything. I was planning to buy them myself."
As Zhao Mingyue touched the gold necklace and gold ring, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She sniffed, and Shen Xuyue asked gently, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I'm happy." Not happy about getting the gold jewelry, but happy that her mother-in-law finally valued her.
Shen Xuyue understood her perfectly: "I told you, my mom would accept you."
Zhao Mingyue nodded, her eyes moist.
With their wedding date fast approaching, Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue chose an auspicious day to obtain their marriage certificate. The marriage certificate was a very simple folded piece of paper, without any decorations or embellishments. On the left were the names, genders, ages, and places of origin of both individuals, followed by the simple statement: "This certificate is issued upon our voluntary marriage, which complies with the provisions of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China." On the right was the area for attaching a photograph, and below that were the names of the certificate holder and the issuing authority.
The couple smiled sweetly in their wedding photo, their heads close together, truly a perfect match, envied by all. That year, Shen Xuyue was thirty years old and Zhao Mingyue was twenty-three. Seven years after they met, they finally tied the knot.
Receiving the marriage certificate stamped with a large red seal, Zhao Mingyue felt a sense of unreality; she had actually married him. Her eyes welled up with tears. Shen Xuyue was also deeply moved, holding Zhao Mingyue in his arms. The two remained silent for a long time, savoring the warmth and happiness.
Zhao Mingyue received a call from her third brother, who told her that the family relatives had already started their journey and that many relatives were coming, so they should prepare to receive them. Zhao Mingyue felt both nervous and happy. She was happy that her parents were finally coming to Beijing, but she was also nervous, worried that they might think her living conditions in Beijing were too harsh and cause them concern.
According to traditional custom, when a daughter gets married, the parents don't attend the wedding procession; instead, the bride's brothers, sisters-in-law, uncles, aunts, and cousins attend. However, Zhao Mingyue is getting married directly in Beijing, not from her parents' home, so naturally, those traditional customs don't apply.
Zhao Mingyue's parents arrived two days early, so she simply took her wedding leave to stay home and receive them, along with her brother and sister-in-law. Unfortunately, Zhao Mingyue was three months shy of her 23rd birthday and couldn't enjoy the extended marriage leave, while Shen Xuyue had a much longer leave of 15 days, whereas Zhao Mingyue only had three days.
There were quite a few people from the family this time. Zhao Shunsheng and his wife came, along with his eldest brother, second sister-in-law, third brother, second aunt, an aunt, an uncle's wife, and two aunts, each bringing a child. In total, there were more than ten people, young and old. There was also a lot of luggage, including eight quilts and two trunks, all of which were dowry for Zhao Mingyue.
When Zhao Mingyue received her family, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears: "Why did you bring so much stuff? It must have been so hard for you."
Her third brother, Zhao Minglang, teased her: "You're already crying? What will you do on your wedding day? You won't be able to leave the house!"
"Third brother, you're so naughty! Didn't you say you were too busy to come?" Zhao Mingyue was overjoyed to see Zhao Minglang; she was practically bursting with delight.
Zhao Minglang chuckled: "This is what you call a surprise. My only sister is getting married, and even if I don't take a break for the rest of the year, I'm coming to attend the wedding."
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Shen Xuyue and Yang Maolin each drove a military jeep to pick them up. Zhao Mingyue had her parents and elders take the children in, while she and her two older brothers took a taxi and followed.
Zhao Minglang said with a smile, "Shen Xuyue really knows how to make you look good. This time, you even got a private car to pick you up."
Zhao Mingyue smiled happily: "That's right, I'm afraid of neglecting my family."
The older brother, holding his youngest son in his arms, looked out the window at the scenery: "I'll see Beijing once in my life."
Zhao Mingyue said with a smile, "If you like it here, you can come to Beijing to play often in the future. It's not a difficult thing."
The older brother waved his hand and said, "You know what, it's really not easy to come here. I have to change buses several times, and it takes a whole day to get here. It's like going to the provincial capital two or three times."
"Then when there are airplanes, we'll fly over."
The older brother was startled: "Don't scare me. Airplanes aren't something ordinary people like us can afford. We're already lucky to have a train to ride."
Zhao Mingyue chuckled as she listened.
They gazed at the night view outside the window, Zhao Mingyue pointing out and introducing it to her elder brother. Beijing was at its best time of year; aside from being a bit dry and occasionally experiencing sandstorms, everything was pleasant, the scenery beautiful, and the temperature just right—perfect for a trip.
Zhao Mingyue said, "It's a pity my vacation is too short. I'll have Xuyue take everyone to see Beijing when the time comes, since it's a rare opportunity to come here."
“Of course, we must take a good look at it,” the older brother chimed in.
Zhao Minglang asked, "How many days of vacation do you have?"
Zhao Mingyue said helplessly, "I only have three days. I took all my leave before the wedding. I'll take two more days off after the National Day holiday."
"Your wedding leave, oh right, you're not even twenty-three yet." Zhao Minglang realized.
Zhao Mingyue said, "If I had known, I would have gotten married at the end of the year."
Zhao Minglang said, "Don't you dare! Getting married at the end of the year would freeze us all to death!"
"That's why we chose this time of year to get married. We want everyone to have a good time in Beijing for a few days, otherwise it would be too cold outside in winter."
They first took everyone to a meal, then settled them in the guesthouse, and planned to visit the Shen family the next day. Originally, they were supposed to stay at the Shen family's house, but Zhao Mingyue knew her family would be at the school to see her off on her wedding day, so she decided to stay at her school's guesthouse to avoid the hassle of traveling back and forth. This way, her workplace would essentially be her family home. Both sets of parents agreed to this arrangement.
That night, Zhao Mingyue's mother, Hu Nianchun, went to sleep in her dormitory. Her daughter was getting married, and as a mother, she naturally had many private things to say. Looking at her daughter sleeping in a small room of just over ten square meters, Hu Nianchun couldn't help but sigh, "Is this the only room your school has given you?"
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "That's right. I'm a single teacher now. If I get married in the future, I can apply for a one-bedroom apartment at the school, but I don't plan to apply. Xu Yue's workplace has bigger apartments, with two bedrooms and a living room. I'll apply for one there. I'll use this apartment as a temporary dormitory. I'll rest here during the week and go home on weekends."
Hu Nianchun finally realized that while the city had many advantages, it also had its downsides, such as living in a place that was like a pigeon coop.
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "That's true. No matter how poor the countryside is, there's plenty of land and spacious houses. In the city, there are many people and little space, so each person can only get a small house. I'm considered lucky; there are people who live even worse than me. Many families of three are crammed into such a big house."
"Oh dear, isn't that just like Zhao Xiangtong's family in our village? Each son gets half a room?" Hu Nianchun was referring to Zhao Xiangtong, a poor family in their village. They had four sons and only three rooms. All four sons were married, so each son only got half a room. Zhao Mingyue had once been very puzzled as to how a family like that could have all its sons married.
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "Pretty much. There are more and more people in the city, but space and housing are limited, so people can only live in cramped conditions. Now many places are going to demolish and build apartment buildings to solve this housing problem."
The mother and daughter chatted about private matters. Zhao Mingyue showed her mother the gold jewelry that Shen's mother had given her, reassuring her that the Shen family treated her well. Shen's mother smiled and said that it was good enough that her in-laws treated her daughter well.
Hu Nianchun was very excited about his daughter's upcoming marriage and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. In the end, Zhao Mingyue urged her mother to go to sleep. She had been on the train all day, and even though it was all sleeper berths, it was still quite tiring.
The next morning, after a night's rest, the relatives had mostly recovered. They washed up, changed into presentable clothes, and went to visit the Shen family. Shen's mother had never liked rural relatives, but this time there were quite a few rural relatives visiting, as well as many relatives from Shen's father's hometown. Shen's mother was very mindful of the occasion and behaved very appropriately.
Everyone was very interested in Shen Xuyue's courtyard. It was quite large, making it a wealthy family's property even in the countryside, let alone in Beijing. The relatives finally had a direct understanding of Shen Xuyue's family situation.
Auntie asked Zhao Mingyue, "Will you live here after you get married?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "No, our company has dormitories, we live at the company." Who would want to live with Shen's mother? Even if there's no problem, problems will arise after living together for a long time. It's best to keep your distance.
The aunt nodded: "Yes, it's better to live separately. Don't live with your in-laws. Even the most understanding mother-in-law will find fault with her daughter-in-law."
Zhao Mingyue smiled to herself, thinking that this was a common problem among mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.
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