After the initial excitement, Yu Lili felt a deep sorrow upon seeing Xu Donglai. He was fine now, but she was getting married, and they still couldn't be together.
She wanted to say a few words, but someone entered the room, forcing her to sit back on the bed.
"Lili, the wedding procession will be here soon. Are you nervous?"
The person who entered was Yu Lili's cousin, Yao Jinling, who was a year younger. They were best friends, close since childhood, and told each other everything.
"Nervous about what? I'm just annoyed. You know I don't want to marry Su Ning."
Yao Jinling was surprised. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about Xu Donglai? But he went in. There's no way for you two."
Yu Lili replied, "He's out. Just now, he even came to see me."
Yao Jinling couldn't stay calm anymore. "What did you say? No, cousin, what are you planning to do? I'm telling you, don't mess around. With so many relatives here today, if you dare do anything rash, Auntie will beat you to death."
Yu Lili said, "What are you talking about? What could I possibly do? I can't do anything. This is fate!"
As she spoke, tears welled up. She didn't want to accept her fate.
"Jinling, go see if he's still here. Tell him I'm breaking up with him. Tell him to find a good girl and live happily. Seeing him today has put my mind at ease."
"Okay, cousin. Take care, and don't do anything foolish."
Yao Jinling walked out. She worked with Yu Lili and naturally knew Xu Donglai. In fact, Yao Jinling had been the one to encourage their relationship.
She had thought Xu Donglai had no chance, but to her surprise, he had reappeared at the most crucial moment. This was going to be interesting.
After searching for a while, she finally found Xu Donglai. He walked towards her. "How is Lili?"
Yao Jinling replied, "Not good. Cousin truly loves you. Why didn't you get out a few days earlier? But I'm not trying to discourage you, my aunt doesn't approve of you. She doesn't agree to you two being together, which is why she arranged the marriage with Su Ning."
Xie Sui thought he misheard. "Su Ning?"
"Yes, a technician at the factory. He's a vocational school graduate, handsome, and sweet-talking. Auntie likes him a lot. Do you know him?"
"No, I don't."
Xie Sui waved his hand. He only knew of Suning.com, and this was just a coincidence of names.
"Who are you?"
Yao Jinling wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was lively and spirited, possessing the sweet, innocent charm of a girl next door, yet also playful and mischievous, making her very likable.
Her eyes twinkled as if they could speak.
However, the constant darting of her eyes made Xie Sui dislike her. People like that were usually cunning, manipulative, selfish, and insidious. He felt he needed to be cautious around her.
Xu Donglai asked, "So, is she planning to marry that guy named Su like this?"
"What else can she do?"
Yao Jinling looked troubled. "It seems you two are destined not to be together. I'm worried cousin might do something foolish. She even thought about eloping with you!"
"Eloping?"
Xu Donglai's eyes widened. The thought surfaced, and he couldn't shake it off. As long as he could be with Yu Lili, he'd elope.
Xie Sui, who had no ideas initially, found a plan forming in his mind with Yao Jinling's appearance.
"Eloping won't work. With so many relatives here, your mother-in-law will never forgive you. However, there's a way. You can marry her openly and save the Yu family's face. Cousin, right? Help me out later. Whether brother Donglai's marriage succeeds depends on you. When their children have their full moon celebration, they'll send you red eggs."
Xu Donglai's face turned red. "Brother Xie, don't joke around. We still have to figure out the immediate problem."
"There's definitely a way. Let's do this..."
After discussing the plan, Yao Jinling's mind was still a jumble. This "Brother Xie" was truly a resourceful person!
As it neared twelve o'clock, firecrackers sounded from outside the alley. A line of bicycles, adorned with red silk on their handlebars, rode in, their bells jingling – the wedding procession had arrived.
Relatives crowded the entrance, eager to see the groom and receive red envelopes and wedding candies.
In the courtyard, Yu Lili's mother, Director Su, was about to come out when Yao Jinling pulled her aside. "Auntie, the chef just said there isn't enough meat. There are more relatives here than expected today. What do you think we should do?"
In that era of scarcity, buying meat wasn't easy. Although meat coupons were gradually becoming unnecessary, acquiring meat still depended on luck. It was always prepared in advance for important events like weddings.
"Could you use your connections to try and buy twenty catties of meat? We'll need it for the groom's entourage when they escort the bride back this afternoon. We have to buy it."
The custom at the time was that the wedding took place at noon. After the meal, the groom would escort the bride's relatives back, and the mother-in-law would host a meal before the groom returned home, marking the completion of the day's ceremony.
Director Su hesitated. "But the groom will be here soon. I need to see Lili off!"
"It's alright. I'll ask the groom to wait a little. With all the aunts blocking the way outside, it'll take them a while to fuss. It won't cause a delay."
The Yu family was a case of the wife being stronger than the husband. Yu Lili's father, Yu Jianshe, had little say; Director Su managed everything. Director Su didn't think much of it and quickly went to buy the meat.
With so many people making a scene outside, she didn't get a clear look at the groom's face.
The wedding escorts were all young men. They held candies, peanuts, walnuts, and chestnuts, scattering them generously. As the children scrambled to collect them, half the crowd dispersed.
Following Xie Sui's lead, they scattered a large number of red envelopes, each containing one yuan, which was a considerable sum at the time.
"Kind aunts, please help us out. Don't let us miss the auspicious time. I'll give more red envelopes. Please be lenient and let us take the bride. Thank you, thank you!"
"No, everyone gets at least ten. We won't let you pass without them."
Every family has a few troublesome relatives. Seeing that Xie Sui was easy to talk to, they pushed their luck, demanding more red envelopes.
"Oh, Director Su's relatives are all understanding. Is there really a rule about not letting the groom pass without red envelopes? We don't have ten, but we have two. If you're not satisfied, we'll just barge in! Everyone, get ready. Let's test our strength against the aunts!"
Xie Sui's shout galvanized the young men. They rolled up their sleeves, ready for a confrontation, looking as if they were about to seize the bride.
"Fine, two, two. Hurry up."
The aunts panicked. If they truly charged in, they wouldn't get a single red envelope.
With the red envelopes paving the way, they successfully reached the bridal chamber. Yu Lili held the bouquet, listening to the commotion outside, feeling incredibly nervous. Was she really going to marry Su Ning?
But when the groom entered, she saw Xu Donglai's equally nervous face. Her eyes widened in shock. "You..."
"Lili, I've come to pick you up. If you're willing, will you marry me?"
Xie Sui kicked him. "Kneel down! The ring! Put the ring on the bride! Propose!"
"I have to kneel?"
This was Xu Donglai's first time being a groom, and he was unfamiliar with the custom.
In fact, Xie Sui was also doing this for the first time. He was following the customs from his previous life: proposing on one knee, putting the red high-heeled shoes on the bride, then bidding farewell to her parents and getting into the wedding car to complete the ceremony.