After Wang Qiqi changed into her clothes for the day, she pushed open her bedroom door and saw Han Tao sleeping soundly under the covers. She walked over and nudged him. "Han Tao, Han Tao, get up."

Han Tao hadn't managed to finish dealing with things and climb into bed until past nine that morning. He felt like he hadn't slept much at all before Wang Qiqi shook him awake. "What time is it?" Ah, the actual ceremony was tomorrow, and Han Tao had planned to head to the hotel around four that afternoon. But unexpectedly, a call came yesterday saying they needed to perform some ancestral worship ritual today, implying a new addition to the Han family, asking for ancestral blessings and so on. Han Tao had taken that call. When he hung up, his expression was far from pleasant. He put the phone down, turned, and hugged Wang Qiqi, saying that even without any ceremony, Qiqi would always be his wife. This struck Wang QiQi as very odd.

"...It's late. We need to get there early, or she'll start nagging," Wang Qiqi yawned. In her effort to prepare everything her mother-in-law had assigned, Wang Qiqi had completely missed her afternoon nap, and now she felt completely unrested.

Han Tao looked at Wang Qiqi’s tired face, knowing she hadn't slept well either. He had been working in the bedroom last night; even typing as softly as possible creates sound. Qiqi had even gotten up around four or five to boil a bowl of noodles. "Rest a while. We aren't the main event; why rush over there? We’ll just face their idle gossip and end up furious."

Wang Qiqi nestled in Han Tao’s arms, looked up with a mixture of confusion and delight, and asked, "Can we go later?"

"We aren't the protagonists; why rush? Besides, they never called us for New Year’s celebrations before. I bet the Han family ancestors have forgotten I even exist as a grandson," Han Tao thought. He suspected they might deliberately bring up ancestral blessings in front of him during this ritual, trying to make him indebted to the Han family. Such thoughts made him want to vomit. In his view, if the Han ancestors were truly so effective, why would they take away lives that shouldn't be taken and yet leave those whose time had come? "No rush. We’re just going for the meal, and frankly, the food won't be anything special anyway. We’ll leave early and find someplace decent to eat later."

Hearing Han Tao say that, Wang Qiqi naturally had no objection. If he wasn't planning on being a dutiful grandson, why should she bother being a dutiful granddaughter-in-law? She nimbly slipped out of her clothes and climbed back into bed, and Han Tao happily held his wife as they drifted back to sleep.

While the couple slept soundly, the Han family had everything prepared and waited for the auspicious time specially calculated by the Old Madam’s fortune teller. When they realized Han Tao hadn't arrived, she snapped, "Didn't you tell that boy Han Tao to get here early?"

Han Tao’s Aunt Xue Hong was exceptionally busy today, but she was busy and happy. After all, even though her son hadn't achieved much, he had managed to marry into money; the in-laws had gifted them an entire wedding apartment! Hmph, while it might not compare to the wealth of Han Tao’s girlfriend, so what? That girl had no parents—she was clearly an unlucky child from the start. Plus, her verbal sparring skills were sharp. Xue Hong didn't believe Luo Hongjuan would have an easy life in the future. Originally, she hadn't wanted to invite Han Tao, that jinx, to such a joyous occasion, but the old woman insisted. Hmph. If it weren’t for the fact that as long as she was alive, Luo Hongjuan, no matter her thoughts, would bring some gifts out of filial piety, and besides, if the Old Madam ever had trouble, Xue Hong could cause a scene. Han Tao was successful now, wasn't he? The more successful someone became, the more they cared about face. Then we’ll see how they try to avoid it. "I notified him, but you know that boy Han Tao never respected me as his aunt."

Han Jun was in an exceptionally good mood today. He felt profoundly grateful he hadn't married his ex-girlfriend; otherwise, how could he be enjoying such good fortune now? His father-in-law had promised him a car once the baby was born, provided the child carried the Ding surname. Han Jun hadn't wanted to agree initially, knowing the family wouldn't approve. But after extensive persuasion from his father-in-law and fiancée, and with the car and house looming as incentives, Han Jun agreed after a few days of thought. He reasoned that the Ding family had more than one grandson; there was still his cousin, Han Tao. Of course, he had made his in-laws wait until after the wedding before confirming anything, and they understood that pushing too hard might jeopardize the entire marriage. Besides, with Han Jun’s signed consent, they weren't worried.

Han Jun had just tried on the wedding suit that Ding Meina bought him when he heard his mother mentioning Han Tao. The name instantly irritated Han Jun. If childhood memories associated Han Tao’s name with a weakling he could easily bully, then the current Han Tao was someone he had to look up to. Mentioning Han Tao always brought up Wang Qiqi. Everyone knew Wang Qiqi was a walking treasury. Initially, everyone thought Wang Qiqi was just from a fallen family. Han Jun had often gossiped behind his cousin’s back, saying that Han Tao hadn't seen money in his life to be willing to marry someone so fierce, lacking wealth, and without in-law support. But as Wang Qiqi's true net worth began to surface, Han Jun's hatred for Han Tao grew. He felt Han Tao deliberately pursued her knowing her background—humph—and refused to introduce such a great prospect to his younger cousin. Especially as news of Han Tao’s increasing success filtered in, merely hearing Han Tao’s name gave Han Jun a headache, yet that name appeared frequently in their household. "Tomorrow is my big day; why must you bring up that name?" Wasn't this just making him angry? "Grandma, are you hungry? Should I go buy you something?"

Old Madam Han saw her grandson emerge, waved her daughter-in-law away. Although she wasn't pleased with her daughter-in-law, feeling Xue Hong hadn't behaved well when she was sick, she tolerated it because she had given birth to such a well-behaved grandson. "Jun-jun, I know you dislike Han Tao, but he’s successful now, and we need to show him he still has a cousin..." The Old Madam's only favored grandson was Han Jun. If Jun-jun weren't less successful than Han Tao, she wouldn't bother calling that jinx back on her grandson's wedding day. To her, Han Tao had stolen Jun-jun’s luck; otherwise, how could he have become so successful? "I just want him to know that no matter how successful he is, he is still a descendant of the Han family, especially if he ever intends to bring a wife home."

Han Jun was surprised the old woman had called Han Tao back with such an agenda, but he approved of the tactic. He knew that if nothing unexpected happened, his cousin was heading to the US. Later, he could have the Old Madam command him to arrange for him to settle abroad. As for life after going overseas, Han Jun figured, with such a capable cousin, why would he ever need to work? "Grandma, you are the best."

The Old Madam knew this grandson was much better than his unreliable mother. She stroked the hair of her grandson, who, as usual, was resting against her lap. "I know your mother dislikes Han Tao. Truthfully, I don't care for that boy either. If it weren't for him, why would your Uncle have died young? However, if he is willing to treat you well and look after you in the future, I wouldn't mind him being my grandson." The Old Madam acted as if she were looking out for Han Jun, but what she truly meant was that only by establishing a good relationship with Han Tao could she stop Xue Hong from her current veiled disobedience.

Hearing the old hag’s words, Han Jun revealed a look of contempt. He thought the old woman spoke sweetly, but did she really believe he didn't know her real intentions? Han Jun mused that if Han Tao and his mother suggested taking her in, she would probably leave faster than anyone. "Grandma, I know you are the only one who truly cares for me. Don’t worry; I know what to do."

Xue Hong, eavesdropping behind the door while the old woman brainwashed her son, couldn't help but send sharp glares toward the Old Madam. She thought the old woman was still dreaming. How much authority did she think she wielded? If Luo Hongjuan, that fool, didn't bring gifts occasionally, Xue Hong would have long stopped caring for her properly and wished the old hag would hurry up and die so she could free up a room. Oh, wait—she needed the old woman to live another two years because the area was scheduled for demolition soon; if she lived, they could get another apartment. Thinking of this, Xue Hong stormed upstairs in anger. She felt if she listened any longer, she would die of rage.

Han Ximing was upstairs working on some calculations on his computer. Seeing his wife storm up, he asked, "What’s wrong? Did the old woman provoke you again?" Han Ximing was also quite annoyed. He had genuinely thought that with Han Jun getting married, the old hag would finally bring out her private savings. But she only produced ten thousand, claiming she was broke. This left Han Ximing frustrated, as he had been expecting forty or fifty thousand from his mother. This created a significant shortfall for the wedding. Han Ximing was still conflicted. "By the way, did Luo Hongjuan send a gift package? And has that boy Han Tao shown up? Did he send a monetary gift?" Wasn't it said they were rich now? For their nephew's wedding, shouldn't his aunt, Luo Hongjuan, offer a substantial gift? And Han Tao too—the rich cousin couldn't be stingy for his cousin’s wedding, right?

The gift money? Xue Hong felt a surge of anger thinking about it. "His aunt hasn't shown any indication of giving anything, and I estimate the cash gift won't be large. If it were substantial, she would have given it already. Hmph, I’ll wait and see how much she offers." This made Xue Hong even angrier. "And your son! He knows the family money is almost spent on him, but he insists on listening to that little tramp and wants the wedding to be grand. Now look, we are short so much money." Originally, Xue Hong and her husband had calculated that the family funds were sufficient for a medium-sized, lively wedding. But the fiancée insisted on hiring an emcee, and the wedding cars alone cost several thousand. Not to mention other expenses; every little thing was slightly above standard. By the final tally, Xue Hong hadn't slept well in ages. Even though the fiancée had brought an apartment as part of her dowry, they couldn't sell it, and furthermore, the daughter-in-law wasn't easy to deal with. [To be continued]