"Oh, that was... you were only fifteen or sixteen years old that year. We came to pay New Year's greetings and have a banquet. The old lady complained that her grandchildren were not married. She also said that Shen Yu had no brothers and was too lonely. He had to find a man with a healthy body and be able to bear children so that he could have more children in the future. Your aunt looked at the girls who came to visit and thought that you were the only one with a lucky face, tall, strong and sturdy. You looked like someone who was easy to bear children, so she said that casually, but the old lady didn't say anything. Your aunt also said that it was all a joke."

"Is this a joke? I'm serious! I come to Beijing every year just to see Shen Yu. Even if we haven't said a word, seeing each other makes me feel at ease. Last year, my aunt asked me to come to Beijing as soon as I graduate. She will arrange for me to work in Beijing. Isn't it so that Shen Yu and I can get married as soon as possible? I have liked Shen Yu for a few years and have kept him in my heart for so long. Where was Meng Taotao at that time? Everything should be based on first come first served, right?!"

"Okay, my aunt, keep your voice down!"

Aunt Deng sighed helplessly, "Shen Yu suddenly got engaged at the beginning of this year. Your aunt told us about it, but she didn't tell you because she was worried that you would be unhappy. I also thought that the engagement might not lead to marriage, after all, the girl is from another province, but who knew that they quietly got the marriage certificate, and now they are in a hurry to hold the wedding... My daughter, let's forget about it, okay? Your aunt and uncle will help you arrange a job in Beijing, and you will definitely find a better one in the future."

"No, I only want Shen Yu! I love him!"

"Shen Yu is married to someone else, what else can you do?"

"I'm going to go find Shen Yu tomorrow and ask him about this. Let's discuss this together!"

"Don't do anything reckless. Your aunt and uncle are not at home. If you make the old lady unhappy, no one will be able to protect you."

"I don't care!"

There was a loud crash inside, and something fell to the floor, followed by a bang. Aunt Deng angrily slapped Wu Hong and said, "You kid... this is not our home. If you break something and people see you, do you still want to live here?"

Wu Hong cried even louder.

Outside the house, Deng Linlin left the window, tiptoed back to her room, and gently closed the door. The faint wall lamp illuminated her sarcastic smile: With this character, a technical secondary school student wants to marry Shen Yu, what a joke! Wu Hong thought that her aunt would really match her with Shen Yu, she was dreaming! The aunt deliberately said something about "golden boy and jade girl" to test the old lady, because at that time there was another girl from the Deng family who liked Shen Yu. Of course, the aunt was thinking about her niece from her mother's family. After all, the niece was a layer away. If the old lady had clearly asked her aunt to find a partner for Shen Yu, she would have let the cousin marry Shen Yu directly at that time. What did Wu Hong have to do with it?

At that time, Shen Yu refused to have a girlfriend, but the old lady doted on her grandson and let him do whatever he wanted. That cousin was getting old and couldn't wait any longer, so now he came to the capital to attend university, and his aunt asked him to live in the Xu Mansion, which made sense.

Deng Linlin leaned against the pillow, thinking deeply: Shen Yu was indeed a man chosen from a million, and she liked him from the first sight and was willing to do anything for him...It was a pity that he wanted to get married just like that, it was too sudden, and the person he was going to marry was from another province, had never been to college, and maybe hadn't even finished high school.

Deng Linlin sighed: How can such a person be a good match? Shen Yu must have made a mistake. I really hope he wakes up in time and has a chance to correct it! The next day, Meng Tao was awakened by a knock on the door. She opened her eyes and saw that it was a little after ten in the morning. She and Shen Yu went to bed at about four o'clock last night. She didn't sleep for long, only five or six hours, and she was still sleepy.

Who is so bored as to disturb her rest? Grandma Xu and her aunt clearly told her last night: Don't get up early tomorrow, get some good sleep, and sleep until you wake up naturally.

Shen Yu had gotten up and left long ago. He wrapped Meng Tao tightly in a towel blanket and gave her a big pillow to hug. No wonder she slept so soundly, thinking she was hugging her husband.

Before going to bed, Shen Yu said: He could only sleep for two hours at most. He had to rush back to work this morning and would probably be busy until the afternoon.

So the question is: since Shen Yu has gone out, why is the door still locked from the inside? So that the people outside can't push the door open and keep knocking on it. How did he do it? Who is knocking on the door outside? Is there something urgent? This continuous noise, and the force is not light, even with fists.

Meng Tao got up. She didn't get enough sleep. The noisy knocking on the door made her irritable. She really wanted to smash the door with her slippers, but unfortunately she was sleeping in the inner room, which was too far away and she couldn't do it.

I had no choice but to get out of bed, without changing my clothes, and walked out to open the door in my pajamas.

The door opened, and four women came out. One of them was the one Wu Hong and Deng Linlin had seen before. The other two were wearing elegant and fashionable dresses and half-heeled leather shoes. One had short hair that reached her ears, and the other had two pigtails. They both had the same curly bangs and sideburns, but they had their hair permed, which looked very fashionable.

In an era when the whole country emphasized hardship and simplicity, there were only two types of people who could and dared to perm their hair. One was literary and artistic workers, such as actors, who needed it for stage performances. The other was privileged people who had a strong backstage support and dared to be so high-profile and unscrupulous, allowing them to be as beautiful as they wanted.

These two women with permed hair are indeed outstanding, with beautiful facial features and elegant and noble temperaments. They are truly as stylish as movie stars.

Being disturbed in sleep was already annoying, and seeing their eyes scanning him up and down like X-rays, with an inquiring expression, the corners of their lips slightly raised with a hint of sneer, knocking on the door but not saying anything, Meng Tao couldn't help but frown and asked impatiently: "Who are you looking for?"

The four women outside the door were stunned for a moment, probably because they didn't expect that Meng Tao was not intimidated by their aura, but was so direct and impolite in her tone. Deng Linlin and Wu Hong stood a little further away, not intending to come up and answer, with an expression of watching the fun.

The two women in front looked at each other. One of them, who was relatively more beautiful, smiled with eight teeth showing, and her attitude was still superior:

"This is where Shen Yu rests. Your presence here means you are the Tao Tao?"

"Yes, I am Meng Tao, the wife of Shen Yu. May I ask why you have been knocking on the door for so long? Is there something urgent?"

The beautiful woman paused, and the woman next to her couldn't help but say: "Taotao, what's your attitude? We..."

"I'm sorry, I don't know you, and I'm even less familiar with you guys. There's no need to address me in such a familiar way. Please call me Comrade Meng Tao."

"Hey, why are you..."

The beautiful woman raised her hand and gently supported the woman's arm, signaling her not to speak. She looked at Meng Tao reservedly and said, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Pan Lina, and I am the wife of Xu Hengze, the second brother of the Xu family. Shen Yu should call me second cousin."

Meng Tao nodded: "Hello, Comrade Pan Lina, please tell me what you want to say."

“…”

Pan Lina pursed her lips, put away her smile, and her eyes darkened slightly, as if she was annoyed by Meng Tao's attitude, but for some reason she was not really angry. She coughed lightly, and her expression became dignified and serious:

"It's like this, Shen Yu is getting married, and the wedding will be held in ten days. Since you are the bride, you have to be prepared. Apart from other things, the clothes you will wear at the wedding, if you make them by measurements, I'm afraid that time will not allow for them to be made properly. You may not be able to buy ready-made clothes that fit you. My opinion is to do both at the same time, looking for suitable ready-made clothes while having them custom made. I'd rather spend more money to ensure that there will be no delays when the time comes... I am best at dressing up, so grandma and mom will leave you to me.

I went to my best friend's house yesterday, and when I came back this morning I heard that you and Shen Yu were already at home, so I came to find you. Time is running out, so we have to hurry up - I also specially called my best friend to be a consultant, this Gu Panpan, she has a very good eye, you have to cooperate with us, and on that day, we promise to dress you up decently and not embarrass Shen Yu. "

When Meng Tao heard that these two self-righteous and arrogant women were responsible for her wedding dress, she was immediately very unhappy and refused directly: "I have already prepared a dress, so there is no need to trouble you. Thank you very much."

Pan Lina was slow to react. Before she could say anything, Gu Panpan shouted at Meng Tao in disbelief: "Are you kidding? You brought your own dress? Do you think you are in the countryside and can just buy a few dollars of clothes and get married? This is Beijing, Beijing, you know? All the people who came to the wedding banquet are well-known people, relatives and friends of the Xu family, colleagues of Shen Yu... You can't be stingy and be reluctant to give this or that. You have to learn to consider the overall situation and win face for Shen Yu!"

"Yes, Taotao, you are wrong... Cousin Shen Yu is so pitiful. How could he meet you? We have different concepts and our thoughts are not on the same level. We are basically from two different worlds."

Deng Linlin at the back echoed, her words directed at Meng Tao, but her eyes were on Wu Hong, who immediately received a strong resonance: Wu Hong, contrary to her friendly attitude from last night, bit her lip and glared at Meng Tao, as if Meng Tao's existence was a sin, and she felt sorry for Shen Yu, feeling sorry for him, and her eyes were instantly filled with tears.

Meng Tao didn't have time to pay attention to Deng Linlin and Wu Hong. She was angry with Pan Lina again.

Pan Lina pouted and said, "Meng Tao, you must not take out your rural junks and make people laugh. I'm going to be honest with you and tell you clearly: all the expenses of your wedding with Shen Yu, big or small, will be covered by my Xu family. You don't have to pay a penny. You see, the Xu family is so good to their grandchildren! So don't worry, don't worry about anything, just cooperate with us, sit when we tell you to sit and stand when we tell you to stand, be honest and obedient, don't be stupid and don't cause trouble!"

(End of this chapter)