Mother Qi and Father Qi came and sat at the dining table.

"How is it? Are you getting used to it?" Mother Qi asked with a smile.

Chang Yuncheng nodded back with a smile.

"It's delicious, thank you, Mother," he said. "It's just as delicious as Yue Niang makes."

"Oh, are you complimenting me or are you complimenting Yue..." Mother Qi laughed, and as she spoke, she seemed to realize what she had just heard...

Yue Niang?

"Yueliang," Chang Yuncheng said with a smile, "Yueliang cooks so well; it must be because you taught her so well, Mother."

Mother Qi beamed, unable to close her mouth from smiling.

"Oh, come on, that's enough, my teeth are going to ache from the sweetness," Qi Rui said from the side, tapping the table.

Father Qi watched them with a smile, his expression joyful.

"How did you two meet?" he asked.

How they met...

Chang Yuncheng smiled faintly.

The crude medical clinic, the smells of medicine and blood mingling, that woman burst in like a streak of light.

"Heavens, do you even know how to stop bleeding?" she exclaimed, frowning.

The triumphant, spirited, dazzling look in her eyes....

"When I was seeing a patient," he said.

Father Qi and the others didn't doubt this answer in the slightest, letting out an "Oh," as the answer seemed perfectly natural.

Just as Father Qi was about to say something more, Qi Yue walked over holding her phone.

"It's for you," she said, covering the mouthpiece. "That elder who helped you—did you give him my number?"

Naturally not, but what phone number could that old gentleman not obtain if he wanted one?

Chang Yuncheng took the call and walked a little further away.

While the Qi family exchanged a few words, Chang Yuncheng returned.

"Let's set the wedding for November seventeenth," he announced.

The Qi family looked at him, a little confused by his words.

"Getting the license tomorrow makes it official; it's done that way here, different from where you're from..." Qi Yue pulled him to sit down, speaking vaguely of "us" and "you," but fortunately, no one in the family paid attention, focusing only on Chang Yuncheng.

"You don't understand this," Qi Yue added.

"I understand," Chang Yuncheng stated, no longer looking at Qi Yue, but facing her parents. "Let's set it for November seventeenth."

Father Qi smiled.

"Good, good," he agreed.

Mother Qi couldn't help but look at him, but Father Qi pretended not to notice.

After dinner, Mother Qi pulled Father Qi into the kitchen.

"What about the restaurant? It's so soon, there won't be anything suitable available," she fretted.

"I'll think of a way, I'll think of a way. At worst, we'll invite fewer people, switch to a smaller place..." Father Qi said. "Since he brought it up, as an elder, I can't just let his words fall to the floor."

"You're the one lecturing me! He hasn't even called you Dad yet, and you're already spoiling him like this," Mother Qi chided playfully.

Father Qi chuckled sheepishly.

Outside, Qi Yue was also talking to Chang Yuncheng.

"...We need to book a venue for the wedding here, usually done way in advance; there's nowhere to book now. Mom and Dad want to have a grand celebration..." she murmured.

"I want you to have a grand celebration too," Chang Yuncheng interrupted, reaching up to gently stroke her hair.

"Chang Yuncheng, do we still care about that now?" Qi Yue looked at him and asked.

Chang Yuncheng just smiled at her without saying anything.

The phone rang again. This time, Chang Yuncheng answered, murmured in response to a few sentences, then hung up and headed toward the kitchen.

He knocked politely on the door.

Mother Qi was startled and opened it.

"Yuncheng, the fruit is washed. Come, sit down and eat quickly," she said hastily, bringing out a plate of fruit with a smile.

"Father, Mother," Chang Yuncheng said. "An elder of mine says the wedding venue is arranged."

Father Qi, Mother Qi, and the accompanying Qi Yue and Qi Rui all froze.

"Because of the tight schedule, the elder won't come to meet you. He asked you to prepare the guest list, and cars will be sent to pick you up then," Chang Yuncheng explained.

"Where is it set?" Father Qi couldn't help but ask.

Chang Yuncheng shook his head.

"He didn't say," he replied.

What kind of elder was this? The Qi parents exchanged a look of astonishment.

When the night deepened, Mother Qi entered the bedroom and closed the door, finding Father Qi organizing the guest list under the desk lamp.

"Are you really going along with what he said?" Mother Qi asked, sitting beside him, her expression uneasy. "He won't say where, and he won't say who the elder is..."

"Didn't he say he didn't know? How can you say he won't say?" Father Qi argued.

"If he doesn't know, that's the same as not saying," Mother Qi retorted.

Not knowing who the elder is, not knowing the wedding location—who would believe that? What kind of 'not knowing' was that?

"This boy is honest; if he says he doesn't know, he means it, it's not some hidden meaning," Father Qi said, frowning.

Mother Qi couldn't help but laugh.

"As if you gave birth to him! Look how well you know him," she teased.

"Don't worry. Since he said it, we'll just follow his lead," Father Qi said, looking at the list in his hands. "Then we'll only invite these people we're close with."

If there weren't too many people, and if something went wrong with the wedding, these guests would be understanding, preventing it from becoming a joke.

Mother Qi nodded.

Even though the Qi parents narrowed the scope of invitations, the news of Qi Yue's wedding still spread throughout the hospital.

"...Few people received invitations; they said it would just be a small gathering, not a big affair."

"...Oh, that Old Dr. Qi is going to lose out big on gift money this time..."

"...They're sacrificing the gift money for the sake of appearances, right..."

"...To pass up Dr. Peng, who knows what kind of person they ended up with for a son-in-law..."

"...Exactly, Dr. Peng is such a shame..."

"...Whose shame? Dr. Qi's shame, right? Did Dr. Peng dump her? Clearly, Dr. Peng dumped him..."

Various discussions and laughter filled every corner. Many people tried to find out who Qi Yue was marrying, but due to the sudden nature of the wedding announcement and the limited number of invitees, they couldn't glean any solid information, leading to a flurry of wild speculations.

Regardless of the speculation, the wedding day arrived peacefully three days later.

Huang Ying rushed over directly from the airport. As she hauled her luggage out of the taxi, she ran right into some colleagues from the hospital.

"Good thing you made it, Little Huang," two female doctors quickly took her bags.

"Ugh, I'm so mad!" Huang Ying exclaimed indignantly. "Such a big event, and what is she doing!"

"Looks like you don't know anything about the groom either," the female doctors laughed, patting her shoulder. "Come on, let's go see what surprise Yueliang has for us."

Just as they were about to go upstairs, a car pulled up. A woman dressed in festive formal wear stepped out first. Seeing Huang Ying and the others, she waved and smiled.

"Oh, you all came," she said.

Huang Ying's face darkened.

"Cui Xiu, were you invited?" she asked.

Cui Xiu smiled and tossed her hair back.

"No matter what, we were classmates and colleagues. If she's too stingy to invite us, we can't be too stingy to come," she retorted.

Wu Jianfeng hurried out of the car behind her.

"Give the monetary gift and leave," he said with a stern face.

"What? Will dying from eating one meal kill you?" Cui Xiu yelled.

Guests were already beginning to arrive at the entrance, and they all turned at the sound.

Huang Ying and the two female doctors looked furious.

"Cui Xiu, I'm warning you, if you dare cause trouble today, I will tear your mouth open right here," Huang Ying ground out.

"How am I causing trouble? Am I here to cause trouble by offering congratulations and a gift? Is it that hard to be a good person nowadays?" Cui Xiu shouted back without restraint.

The two female doctors pulled on Huang Ying.

"Forget it, stop shouting," they murmured, then turned to Cui Xiu. "Cui Xiu, we were colleagues. You should know your place."

Huang Ying glared at the two women hatefully and took her luggage upstairs.

Cui Xiu snorted and also started walking in.

Wu Jianfeng hesitated for a moment before following them in.

Since she was the daughter getting married, the Qi family had not put up any red decorations, only hanging a single red sash over the doorway. A dozen guests were already inside, chatting and laughing together.

When Huang Ying and the others entered, they did not see Qi Yue.

"She's gone to get made up," Mother Qi informed them.

"I was hoping to go with her," Huang Ying said regretfully.

"Her elder sister came back and went with her. Little Huang, you must be tired too; please sit down and rest," Mother Qi said with a smile.

"Auntie, I heard you couldn't book the Yan Jing Hotel. Are you going straight to the marital home?" Cui Xiu suddenly asked.

Huang Ying shot a glare over her shoulder.

Mother Qi didn't recognize her and assumed she was a colleague.

"No, we go to the restaurant first," she replied.

"Which restaurant?" Cui Xiu pressed.

Mother Qi looked somewhat embarrassed; even now, she didn't know which restaurant—it was unbelievable to say out loud.

Seeing Mother Qi's expression, Cui Xiu looked somewhat smug.

"Jianfeng and I drove here, so we can just go straight there then," Cui Xiu continued.

Jianfeng? Mother Qi blinked, then saw Wu Jianfeng walking in, and her expression stiffened.

"Auntie," Wu Jianfeng called out, bowing his head slightly.

Mother Qi forced a thin smile. She wanted to say something but felt it inappropriate, so she simply turned and walked away. But Qi Rui wasn't going to stand for it.

"Hey, who invited you? Do you have an invitation?" he demanded, striding over.

His sudden increase in volume drew the attention of everyone else in the room. Mother Qi quickly slapped his arm and shot him a warning look.

"It's your sister's happy day," she reminded him in a low voice.

Qi Rui snorted. Although he lowered his voice, his gaze toward Wu Jianfeng remained hostile.

"Get out," he muttered under his breath.

"Why? Can't we come? Do we need an invitation to attend?" Cui Xiu argued.

"That's right, without an invitation, you cannot come," Qi Rui confirmed.

Cui Xiu let out a scornful laugh, ignoring him, and began to survey the room, waving her hand dismissively.

"It's just a wedding; you can't come without an invitation?" she scoffed.

Qi Rui was about to say more when his phone rang. He quickly answered it.

"Mom, Big Sis and Second Sis went straight to the wedding site. They said the car is coming to pick us up too," he reported after listening.

"They aren't even taking the bridal car? No welcoming party either?" Cui Xiu whispered to the person next to her.

The colleague standing nearby took a step back, pretending not to hear.

"Let's go then. We'll just drive ourselves. Save them one car; renting a car isn't cheap these days," Cui Xiu said unconcernedly, snorting, and headed toward the door.

Just as they reached the threshold, they heard footsteps, and looking up, they saw figures entering.

They were men in military uniforms—ten of them entering in formation.

Cui Xiu froze for a moment and instinctively backed up a few steps.

The lead officer surveyed the room, spotted Father Qi, and quickly approached, snapping to attention and saluting.

The room grew quiet.

"Oh my, this one's a Major..." a guest recognized and whispered to the person next to them.

So the son-in-law was in the army, or his family was military. Having a Major come as the welcoming party wasn't bad.

The atmosphere in the room brightened again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Qi, I am your driver," the Major announced. "Please follow me to the car."

Driver?

Everyone paused again.

Weren't they expecting an elder to welcome them?

Meanwhile, the other soldiers approached each guest present and presented documents in their hands.

"...Are you Mr. Xu Wenqing?"

"...Are you Ms. Ling Cui?"

Inquiries echoed through the room. Looking at the stern, unsmiling soldiers examining them while holding documents, everyone present felt a knot of tension.

Some people even took a closer look; these documents were official Red Letterhead documents...

What was this... What was happening?

Some who had received invitations hadn't come alone but with family and children, and they were all verified one by one.

Naturally, the questioning turned toward Cui Xiu and Wu Jianfeng.

"What is this?" Cui Xiu demanded, snapping out of her daze. "What's going on? Is this a welcoming party or a customs inspection?"

The officer before her looked solemn and saluted sharply.

"It is our duty. Please understand," he replied. "Do you have invitations?"

"No," Cui Xiu snapped irritably. "What's the big deal? Who do you think you are, a national leader? Attending your wedding requires an invitation..."

"We are all colleagues," another colleague without an invitation, but who was close to Qi Yue, said awkwardly.

"Then please state your names," the officer instructed, pulling out a walkie-talkie.

"Forget it, I'm not going," the colleague said, feeling awkward and nervous.

Wu Jianfeng tugged at Cui Xiu's arm.

"Why not go? With such a huge fuss, if we don't go, are we disrespecting them?" Cui Xiu huffed, shaking off Wu Jianfeng's hand. "My name is Cui Xiu, and this is Wu Jianfeng."

The officer said nothing more, relaying the names into his walkie-talkie.

Seeing her resolve, the other colleague also stated his name.

Soon, a reply came back. The officer nodded.

"Please follow me," he directed.

The people in the room divided into two groups: one group clearly holding invitations from Father Qi, and the other consisting of those without.

Lined up downstairs were rows of Hongqi sedans. It was nearing noon, yet strangely, what should have been the liveliest time in the neighborhood was eerily quiet. There wasn't a single bystander or passerby.

"Dad..." Qi Rui asked quietly, "Did you really just give Chang Yuncheng the list of our family guests? Is this... is this going to a wedding? It feels more like we're attending a People's Congress..."

Father Qi was deeply shaken too. He vaguely suspected something, but still couldn't quite believe it.

The Major, who was the driver, opened the car door and invited them in.

The family of three sat in one car, and the Major entered only after they were settled.

The other guests, their faces full of astonished uncertainty, also boarded in sequence.

Qi Rui finally couldn't hold back inside the car.

"Officer," he addressed the driver, "Where are we going?"

"Guo Binguan [State Guest House]," the Major replied without turning around.

Qi Rui's mouth twitched.

Guo Binguan...

Was this the wedding venue Chang Yuncheng had arranged?

Oh my God...

Meanwhile, at the Guo Binguan, Chang Yuncheng had already changed into his groom's attire and stood before the mirror.

"Very good, very good," Old Cao chuckled; he too was wearing a new suit.

"So-so," Cao Wenjun muttered from the side.

"Old Sir," Chang Yuncheng turned around and said, "You really didn't need to come."

Old Cao glared.

"What? I helped you arrange the wedding venue, and now you won't even let me have a meal?" he pretended to be angry.

Cao Wenjun chimed in with a sneer from the side.

"Yes, yes! Since you dared to ask for one favor, why wouldn't you dare ask for a meal?" he said acidly.

This kid, was he genuinely naive or just fearlessly bold, asking someone with no prior relationship to arrange his wedding venue simply by opening his mouth?

To ask the Old Man to handle his wedding—did he know what that implied?

The most infuriating part was that the Old Man actually agreed!

Truly...

If you have the guts, invite the Old Man to formally receive your honors as an elder!

Chang Yuncheng straightened up, looked at Old Cao, and bowed with clasped hands.

Watching his etiquette, Old Cao narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Junior Chang Yuncheng, alone here, without family or friends, I was blessed by fate to encounter Old Sir. On this momentous occasion in my life, I request that Old Sir accept the respects of my wife and myself as an elder," he said slowly, bowing deeply three times with clasped hands.

The phrasing was slightly archaic; Cao Wenjun didn't understand immediately, but when he did, his eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Damn, he actually dared!

Old Cao laughed heartily.

"Good, then I accept with pleasure. I shall partake in the joyous occasion of you newlyweds," he agreed readily.

When only Cao Wenjun and Chang Yuncheng remained in the room, Cao Wenjun lit a cigarette and took a heavy drag.

Listening closely, he could hear lively chatter outside.

"Do you know what significance it holds for you that my grandfather stepped forward to arrange this wedding?" he asked, exhaling smoke.

Without waiting for Chang Yuncheng's reply, he pointed with his cigarette hand toward the outside and listened intently again.

"Mm, listen, the people speaking now are from the Military Commission. They've arrived, which means several high-ranking officials from the Military Commission must be coming too... Do you know what it means when Military Commission leaders show up?" He looked back at Chang Yuncheng and asked after taking two more puffs.

Chang Yuncheng just smiled, looking at himself in the mirror.

This strange attire...

"Hey, I just don't get it. Are you an ignorant savage from the mountains who doesn't know fear, or are you an immortal from the heavens, unfazed by glory or disgrace?" Cao Wenjun frowned and asked. "Look at you, it’s like that line from the opera—'Dined with the Son of Heaven, had his boots removed by an eunuch'..."

Son of Heaven...

Chang Yuncheng paused his hand, which was touching a button.

The Son of Heaven... he truly enjoyed drinking with him...

He sighed softly.

Despite the explosive rage, perhaps it was more about loneliness in the end.

"Hey, hey," Cao Wenjun raised his voice, pulling the distracted Chang Yuncheng back. "I asked if you knew..."

"I know," Chang Yuncheng interrupted him, turning around. "The Old Sir repays my kindness, and I respect his righteousness. I am the junior, treating him as an elder, and I request he accept our rites. That is all."

Cao Wenjun was momentarily stunned by his words.

Was he being sincere or not...

"That is what I think. As for what you think, it's up to you," Chang Yuncheng added.

Cao Wenjun took another heavy drag from his cigarette.

"You are truly lucky to have made my grandfather owe you a debt of gratitude," he commented.

Chang Yuncheng held up a finger and shook it at him.

"It wasn't my luck; it was what I deserved," he stated, looking at Cao Wenjun and smiling slightly upward. "Otherwise, if you were there at that time, would you have had such luck?"

Cao Wenjun was stunned, then let out a short laugh.

"I say, you certainly have a thick skin! Even if that's true, you don't have to state it so bluntly, do you? Brother, a person needs to be decent!"

Chang Yuncheng smiled without speaking.

The sounds outside grew louder, with faint music drifting in.

"Let's go, groom. Your bride has arrived." Cao Wenjun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, clapped Chang Yuncheng on the shoulder, and pushed him toward the door.

The door opened, and the sound of music and laughter rushed in. Many people were seated or standing in the hall.

These were not people he knew. Chang Yuncheng looked straight ahead and immediately spotted the woman in the bright red wedding robe amidst the crowd—the ceremonial attire that didn't belong to this era, the phoenix coronet and robes that, though imperfect, were recognizable. It formed a comical contrast with his black Western suit.

I did not come for you, but you came for me.

Qi Yue watched the man approaching step by step, tears unable to stop streaming down her face. She stretched out her hand, and Chang Yuncheng took it.

(End of Main Text) RS