Cheng Ying glanced at Chi Wu's reaction, not daring to voice what she truly felt. "Even if that's the case."

Chi Wu stated, "I don't need you to worry about me. You can just wait to marry me."

Cheng Ying countered, "I'm tired in my heart. Marriage? This is fine as it is. As long as I'm happy, that's what matters. Anyone who comes won't necessarily be offering sincere blessings, so why make such a fuss? Besides, look at the Old Madam—can you bear to make her fuss and exert herself so much?"

Chi Wu thought to himself that he would only marry once in his life. What was this talk of 'just getting married'? If he weren't genuinely afraid of challenging Cheng Ying, he would insist on a grand celebration, no matter what. In Chi Wu's heart, even if he wasn't riding a white horse to fetch his bride, he’d be happy for his wife to ride one and bring him along—there was room for compromise.

Cheng Ying said, "Enough. Think about how much trouble there was during the engagement ceremony in the village."

Chi Wu pursed his lips. He hadn't felt there was anything wrong with it; he'd actually rather enjoyed it.

Looking at Chi Wu's expression, Cheng Ying understood his meaning without him saying much. Cheng Ying felt that her efforts to simplify the wedding ceremony were perhaps too dominant, but she truly didn't want the clamor. "That was because we were rushed, wasn't it? Look, the 26th is just around the corner; there isn't enough time to prepare. We can celebrate grandly after we have children; it's the same thing."

While Cheng Ying saw it as merely placating words, Chi Wu's expression brightened, looking more radiant than a spring blossom. "Mmm, I'll listen to you. The 26th, already? It’s the 19th! I'll go pick up my maternal uncles and the others."

With that, he turned and left. What was this child rushing for? Going to pick people up when it was only the 19th? Wouldn't they just end up bickering with Grandma all day long once they arrived?

Cheng Ying thought to herself that men were all about action; look at that decisive spirit.

Taking a deep breath, she realized he must already be on his way to fetch people—he was that quick. She quickly called for Sister Rong to start cleaning the rooms in the back house, thinking of the maternal uncles' family, the Elder Uncle's family, and the Second Uncle's family. If Old Aunt came too, the house would barely be enough; Old Aunt would have to share a room with Grandma.

She really needed to clean thoroughly.

If it was just their immediate family being lively, it would still be manageable, but all this fussing over guests! Cheng Ying couldn't imagine how much more she'd have to worry about if she let Old Madam and Chi Wu run things as they pleased. This was the difficulty of running the household yourself. If her own mother and father were around to manage things, she could just wait to be a happy little bride.

Cheng Ying sighed. Her sighs had become more frequent lately. She had money, she had people—she didn't know what she was sighing about.

Yang Zhi was very concerned about her daughter's marriage. It wasn't that she, as the biological mother, was irresponsible, but she genuinely didn't know where to begin to arrange things properly for her daughter.

Chi Yong was equally concerned about Chi Wu's wedding. He knew how to manage these affairs, yet his son didn't need his help for anything, from start to finish. Chi Yong was simply expected to wait for the wedding liquor.

At the Chi family home, Old Madam Chi and Old Man Chi felt absolutely no sense of joy about their grandson's wedding; there wasn't a single sign of it from their side. If they weren't going to celebrate heartily in their own home, what was the point of preparing things? What kind of wedding was this? Old Madam Chi was quite displeased. It wasn't that the family didn't agree, they had the means, and the two children were certainly presentable—why couldn't everyone celebrate together? Why wasn't she experiencing the joy of a new member joining the family? Old Madam Chi found a way to cheer herself up: she dragged Old Man Chi out to pick out items for their grandson, all things for a newly married couple. Old Man Chi looked at the pile of goods and thought his wife had lost her mind. Could she really send these things over to the Cheng family? Wouldn't that look even more like a dowry contribution? This suggested their grandson was heading toward the bride's side for good. Old Man Chi decided firmly that whatever his wife bought, he wouldn't let her send it over; it would all stay at home to be prepared for the young couple when they came back to visit.

Old Man Chi understood things very clearly.

Granny Yingzi was absent-minded half the time in her old age, but ever since setting the wedding date for her granddaughter, she had been busy in her own room, paying no mind to outside matters. She had long trusted her granddaughter's ability to manage things.

The Old Madam had gone out a few times accompanied by Sister Rong and the driver. Cheng Ying didn't know what the Old Madam was up to, but the two of them were acting very secretive. Cheng Ying felt that the Old Madam had become rather autocratic and willful in her old age; she did whatever she wanted without even consulting her granddaughter—it was quite disheartening. Couldn't they be willful together?

When the 21st arrived, Chi Wu drove a small passenger bus, sourced from goodness knows where, and brought over Grandpa's family, Elder Uncle's family, and Second Uncle's family.

Cheng Ying looked at the crowd filling the courtyard and took a deep breath. This was just adding more work for Sister Rong; look at this spectacle.

Chi Wu said, "Old Aunt and them will come in a few days; it won't delay things. Also, the gifts from the Village Chief and Second Grand-Uncle are in the car; I'll show them to you tonight."

Cheng Ying asked, "You went to invite the Village Chief?"

Chi Wu replied, "No, I listened to you and only invited our relatives. But Second Grand-Uncle needed to be informed, didn't he?"

Cheng Ying nodded. "If Second Grand-Uncle can come, that's really good, but the old man definitely won't leave the mountain property; he can't be away." She turned. "Then how did the Village Chief find out?"

Cheng Ming walked up from behind. "Aiyo, your man is being quite generous! That vehicle won't return empty. Take those White Rabbit candies—your man got two huge sacks and went door-to-door in the village handing out wedding sweets. I estimate every household got at least a pound or two. The barefoot doctors in the village will be busy!"

Cheng Ying glared. Chi Wu looked utterly bewildered. "What does that have to do with the barefoot doctors?"

Cheng Ying said, "You practically choked all the children! Don't you know better?" She turned and walked away. Was this wretched boy deliberately acting foolish? How embarrassing! If she didn't know he was wealthy, she'd think he was trying to collect gift money.

Cheng Ming curled his lip, looking quite displeased at Chi Wu. "What? You got a problem with that?"

Chi Wu didn't bother looking up. "I like it, I’m happy. Are you jealous, Brother? Is it because no woman is handing out sweets with you?"

Cheng Ming snorted. "Hmph. Don't say that. You handed out your wedding sweets all by yourself."

That was a low blow, really hitting Chi Wu where it hurt. Not inviting guests didn't mean not handing out sweets. In Chi Wu's view, his wedding was an event deserving of universal celebration. He made a mental note of this.

That evening, the whole extended family sat at three tables, packed in tightly. Looking at the scene before her, Cheng Ying truly thought Chi Wu had gone mad. Serving such a large family until the 26th was practically the same as holding a grand wedding.

Unfortunately, Chi Wu didn't let Cheng Ying rest easy. After serving dinner to the whole family, he drove Cheng Ying out, with Cheng Ming and Xiao Ye following behind. Miao Miao wasn't just handing out sweets to the neighbors; Chi Wu even took her to the staff dormitory to give them out—this was clearly a deliberate act to show Cheng Ming.

Cheng Ying asked, "Why didn't you just hand them out in the town square?"

Chi Wu replied, "It wasn't the right time yet."

Cheng Ying felt it wasn't worth getting angry at Chi Wu over. In any case, she'd just have to walk a bit more. It was probably quieter in the car than staying at home with all those people stirring things up. Fussing? Didn't they say it was a blessing to have a man who would act foolishly for you when you got married? She would simply accept it as a great blessing, since her husband was acting so ridiculously.

It was just candy. As long as Chi Wu didn't lose his mind and start handing out gold bars to everyone he met, Cheng Ying figured she could endure it.

Regardless, having to manage this was better than watching a house full of people cause trouble. Her Elder Uncle's wife and Second Uncle's wife were certainly characters.

Second Uncle's wife was merely inclined to covet things and make a few pointed remarks.

Elder Uncle's wife was different; she was the type who, if she were within three meters of you, would make you feel uneasy. She found fault with everything, but it all boiled down to one sentiment: these things weren't good enough. Cheng Ying couldn't understand it. Setting aside her own background, someone who had lived two lives and experienced the future—surely her taste in things should be somewhat refined? Compared to Chi Yong, she felt the preparations were quite presentable, so why was Elder Uncle's wife deliberately finding fault with her eyes wide open? How could she be so willfully blind to quality?

Cheng Ying mused that she would see how much trouble Elder Uncle's wife would cause when Cheng Ming and his brother got married.

It wasn't your wedding; what exactly did you have to criticize? You even picked apart the new house!

Thinking about it gave Cheng Ying a headache. Elder Uncle's wife had just arrived, and she was already causing trouble. How would things be later?

Old Madam and Chi Wu wanted to take advantage of the rare occasion that the entire family was together this year to spend New Year's together. Cheng Ying felt a pang of dread just thinking about it—wasn't this just suffering?

Why hadn't she thought of a honeymoon trip? Why was her mind so dull at that moment? Why?

Before having a fiancé, she longed for a man to rescue her. After the engagement, Cheng Ying didn't feel much difference from before. But now, on the verge of marriage, Cheng Ying felt a strong yearning—a deep desire for this wedding ceremony to pass quickly so everyone could go back to their own homes. That's what life was like.

Chi Wu said, "Yingzi, Grandpa and the maternal uncles have gone over to Xiao Ye's place. Elder Uncle's and Second Uncle's families are staying in the rear courtyard; three rooms per family are more than enough. See? Having a big house has its advantages. If we were having the wedding here, we could set up a hundred tables in the front and back courtyards combined; it would still be big enough."

Cheng Ying shot back, "Why didn't you invite everyone on the main road over? A hundred tables? Do you want to be annoyed even more? I'm telling you, you shouldn't have brought people over so early."

Chi Wu said, "What are you talking about? That's too cold. I think it builds atmosphere; look, this is what a wedding should look like—lively and bustling!"

Seeing Cheng Ying's brow still furrowed, Chi Wu softened his tone. "Besides, look how happy Grandma is, right?"

Chi Wu cautiously observed his wife. "Don't be annoyed. If you're upset, you can go out with Mom tomorrow; you still need a new outfit for the wedding, don't you?"

Cheng Ying replied, "Mmm, that's true, but shouldn't you be going out with me?"

Chi Wu said, "I can't. I'm busy. I'm very busy."

Cheng Ying leaned in. "Is there anything more important than me? Do you believe I'd wear a floral jacket and cloth-soled shoes to marry you?"

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying, took her hand, and said, "Yingzi, whatever you wear, I'll think it looks beautiful."

Chi Wu never mentioned that what he had envisioned from the beginning was exactly this image of Cheng Ying, even if she were wearing the new floral padded jacket of a village bride. (To be continued)