Chapter 439: Chapter 432: They’re Getting Married!
Lunar New Year, Capital City
Just after the Chinese New Year’s Eve, He Xuewen started to get busy. Together with Aunt Ye, they tidied up their own mansion. The windows and doors were covered in festive ’Xi’ characters, and even the trees were hung with red lanterns, creating a celebratory atmosphere.
This mansion was precisely the one borrowed by He Chunfeng for filming before. It’s even larger than the Yun Mansion and usually uninhabited. However, since a wedding was to be held, naturally, a larger venue was preferred.
Yes, our girl Sisi was finally getting married. Originally, He Xuewen planned to hold the wedding in spring, but since Tian Xinhua was starting his new position on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, they set the wedding date on the eighth day of the first lunar month to ensure a propitious and lucky day.
Guests came from all over, the Mo Family from Guangzhou, the Mo Family from Hong Kong, Li Junji, the couples He Chunfeng and Zhang Jie, Shangguan and Yang Shu, Huang Xiaoguang, Liu Yongsheng, Gu Jiaming, and the couple Zhuge Yun... etc.
Shangguan and Yang Shu got married last year, and Yang Shu bought a mansion near Sisi’s house. The couple almost dine at Sisi’s every day, and Sisi’s delicious meals made them well-nourished and radiant.
Lei Gang was promoted and became the mayor of a county in H Province. Zhang Jie followed her husband in harmony, working successfully in their locale. She’s now four months pregnant, which makes Lei Gang nervous every day.
After graduation, Huang Xiaoguang became a director, yet he hadn’t managed to make a successful movie, probably due to career frustrations, and became much more solemn compared to his past lively self.
After graduating, baby-face Gu Jiaming stayed in university to teach and do research, while Wu Tianfang went to a prestigious research institute, rumored to be a high-level confidential organization, inaccessible to outsiders, very mysterious.
After studying philosophy, Liu Yongsheng, who probably had a mental misconnection, abandoned the government job his parents arranged for him and went to the Soviet Union to do business. He returned resplendently in less than two years.
After playing around for half a year, Liu Yongsheng set up a trading company, though unlike Yang Wenbin’s company. He specialized in foreign export trade, doing very well, presumably making lots of money. He constantly changed cars and girlfriends.
Sisi once whispered with Tian Xinhua that Liu Yongsheng, though seemingly dull, turned out to be quite a playboy.
The child born to Mo Xiaomi is a girl, looking very much like Tian Shouhua, chubby and extremely cute. Her nickname, Little Tuanzi, was given by Sisi. Tian Shouhua strongly opposed this nickname, thinking it sounded too rustic, but since Little Tuanzi herself and her grandparents liked it, the name stuck, and Tian Shouhua had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.
Mu Xiulian was in the room talking with Sisi. Mu Xiulian came over before the New Year, accompanied by Qiao Zhenbang and Qiao Xingbang. Boss Qiao, due to his sensitive identity, couldn’t come to the Mainland.
Qiao Zhenbang got married last year, his bride a Hong Kong woman from a peaceful business family. Over these years, under Boss Qiao’s teaching of enduring the hardest to become the best, Qiao Zhenbang has become much more stable, no longer targeting Mu Xiulian and Sisi like before.
"Ah Nan, here’s the dowry Mama prepared for you. Since Xinhua’s job always changes, Mama didn’t prepare items, just some jewelry in this suitcase and a fixed deposit slip with some money for you to keep as dowry."
Mu Xiulian handed Sisi the suitcase and deposit slip, and spoke a few words about the duties of a wife and daughter-in-law, but recalling Sisi’s relationship with the Tian Family, she smiled and stopped.
She gazed unwaveringly at her daughter’s beautiful face and sighed lightly, tenderly stroking Sisi’s cheek.
"How time flies! Ah Nan is getting married!"
"By the way, what dowry has your Daddy prepared for you?" Mu Xiulian seemed to recall something and asked in a low voice.
"I don’t know, Daddy didn’t tell me." Sisi blinked, not knowing why Mu Xiulan would ask such a question.
"You silly girl, if your father doesn’t tell you, won’t you ask him? Now that your Dad is getting married again, you don’t even know what kind of person your stepmother is. What if she speaks ill of you to your Dad and you end up with a lesser dowry? Wouldn’t that be a big loss for you?" Mu Xiulan looked at Sisi with disappointment.
"It won’t happen, Aunt Ye is not that kind of person, and Daddy wouldn’t do that either." Sisi found it amusing to hear that.
"You’re just a kid, what do you know? No, I must go ask your Dad." Mu Xiulan got up and hurried out.
Sisi chuckled silently to herself, feeling a bit teary. Though Mu Xiulan’s suspicions seemed petty, the maternal love behind them was profound; perhaps only a biological mother would consider so much for her daughter, right?
How Mu Xiulan questioned He Xuewen, Sisi did not know, but from Mu Xiulan’s pleased expression, it seemed she was quite satisfied with the prepared dowry.
Before they knew it, the eighth day of the first lunar month had arrived. The banquet was held at He Family’s mansion. Traditionally in Sui City, there would be a banquet at the bride’s home at noon, and one at the groom’s home in the evening, but since they were in Capital City, the two banquets were merged into one evening dinner.
Sisi’s bridesmaids were Tian Lili, Mo Hui, Mo Dan, and Zhong Meiying. Mo Hui and Mo Dan were girls from the Mo Family; since Shangguan and Zhang Jie had both gotten married, Aunt Ye had called her two grand-nieces over.
The groomsmen were Mo Liu, Huang Xiaoguang, Liu Yongsheng, and Li Junji. Mo Liu had resigned from Qinghua School two years after his injury healed and went to teach in Hong Kong. It seemed that his mental knots had been undone, and Mo Liu had changed a lot.
Although still a shy boy, he no longer seemed as sensitive as before and could even crack a few jokes!
Sisi was dressed in a traditional cheongsam, especially tailored for her by Mu Xiulan, embroidered with beautifully paired lotuses on bright red fabric, which made Sisi look even more stunning.
Not only friends and relatives attended the wedding, but some government officials also came. Some were there because of Mr. Yun, and others due to He Xuewen’s connections. Ever since He Xuewen started his electronics factory, he frequently interacted with government departments, naturally forming good relationships with the officials.
As everyone eagerly awaited, the bride, led by He Xuewen and surrounded by four bridesmaids, gracefully appeared. Everyone’s eyes were captured by the beautiful Sisi; their breath seemed to stop.
From afar, Tian Xinhua watched his bride, his heartbeat racing and his palms sweaty. Stunned, he wasn’t sure what to do next. The guests chuckled kindly at the groom, who seemed as clueless as a fool.
Huang Xiaoguang looked disdainfully at the groom and nudged him, snapping Tian Xinhua back to reality. He strode toward Sisi and took her hand from He Xuewen.
The applause thundered, cheering for the lovers who had finally united, but while some rejoiced, others felt a loss.
Li Yuxi watched the joyfully smiling bride ahead, bitterly sipping her drink after drink, feeling like her past self was a joke.
Tang Anzhi also shook his head regretfully; such a great catch had slipped to Tian Xinhua so inexpensively, truly a pity.
Tang Qiubai also felt uneasy, feeling as if there was a void in his heart, as if he had lost something. But hadn’t he known all along that Sisi wasn’t fond of him?
Then why did he still feel so miserable?