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What was she even talking about? None of that had ever happened.
Sensing the dark, heavy gaze Chen Zai cast in her direction, Shu Yuan looked back at him with a cheerful smile. She was confident that with Chen Zai’s personality, he would absolutely not expose her in front of everyone.
Chen Zai looked away, only to turn and meet Zheng Jianshe’s sympathetic gaze again. He was speechless all over again.
After lunch, Shu Yuan and her little family of three set out for Chen Zai’s home. Once they had left, Li Hongxia asked her two daughters, “Do you think I won’t have to worry about Shu Yuan anymore?”
Shu He said, “Try worrying less. Just watching you worry all the time makes me feel exhausted.”
Shu Ping smiled and coaxed their mother, “They’ll definitely live a good life.”
Li Hongxia beamed with joy, though she still had some doubts. Shu Yuan’s marriage was going so smoothly it felt almost suspicious.
The young couple first took Xiao Man to the park. It was still early for dinner, so there was no need to rush home.
Shu Yuan felt a bit uneasy about the upcoming visit and asked, “You brought so much fabric to my place. Was that something your family had prepared in advance for your wedding? I can’t just show up with some pastries and fruit. Should I buy some cigarettes and alcohol too? What brands does your grandfather like?”
Chen Zai thought for a moment and said, “Grandfather already has a lot of cigarettes and liquor at home. No need to buy more. I have a three-hundred-year-old ginseng root, dug up from the deep mountains in the Northeast. I’ll go home and fetch it later. Just give that to him as if it were from you. He’ll love it.”
Shu Yuan replied, “…I don’t even know how to dig for ginseng. Won’t it seem suspicious?”
Chen Zai was confident. “No, it won’t. If he asks, I’ll cover for it.”
“Alright then,” Shu Yuan said.
It really was using the groom’s resources as the bride’s gifts. Still, she felt a bit more favorable toward Chen Zai. He was putting in real effort to help Grandfather accept her and Xiao Man.
Around 3 p.m., they split up. Shu Yuan took Xiao Man to buy some pastries and fruit, while Chen Zai went home to fetch the ginseng. They met up afterward, and by a little after four, they had arrived at the Chen residence.
The spacious old courtyard had a classical elegance. The scent of sandalwood and rosewood hung in the air, rich and mellow, but there was also a heavy sense of age and restraint that pressed in around them.
Shu Yuan guessed this was why Chen Zai didn’t want to live here after the wedding. Maybe moving out also meant freedom for him.
Meanwhile, Xiao Man was thinking that Mom had successfully “sold” him to Dad, and now Dad and Mom were teaming up to “sell” him to Great-Grandfather. He wasn’t sure if they’d succeed this time.
Would Great-Grandfather accept Xiao Man?
If not, it was fine too. He still had Mom and Dad.
They passed through three gates before reaching the main residence. Old Master Chen, much like the house itself, was plain and unadorned in appearance. But the moment he saw his great-grandson and granddaughter-in-law, his lean face immediately lit up with energy and brightness.
“Grandfather, Shu Yuan stood by me through the toughest times when I was in the countryside. Xiao Man is our son,” Chen Zai introduced.
Shu Yuan suddenly felt as if her image had been polished up by Chen Zai. He really was going all out to portray their past in the best possible light in front of the old man.
Half of Chen Fumi’s heavy doubts melted away. There was no need to urge a marriage anymore. A great-grandson had fallen from the sky. That handsome little face looked exactly like Chen Zai did when he was a child.
The granddaughter-in-law was very young, with a lovely appearance. It seemed his earlier suspicions, that she might be a married woman or a widow, were unfounded. She looked like Chen Zai’s proper match, and the two of them seemed well-suited.
The moment the three of them entered, Chen Fumi immediately felt that the room was filled with a bright and lively presence. Of course, that fresh energy came mainly from Shu Yuan.
His expectations had originally been buried in the dust, so naturally, he was very pleased with Shu Yuan.
Now that she was here, all thoughts of Sheng Zhiyi and Tao Leshan were thrown to the back of his mind. A proper marriage was still the best kind.
“Xiao Man, come here and let Great-Grandfather have a look,” Chen Fumi called out, beckoning him over.
Xiao Man had already taken in everything around him, including the elderly man in front of him. When he heard the call, he stepped forward on his little legs.
Chen Fumi gently patted Xiao Man’s soft hair and examined him carefully. This child really did look like Chen Zai when he was young, only he seemed more well-behaved than his grandson had been at that age.
The old man was clearly very fond of this great-grandson who had appeared as if from the heavens.
The chapped skin on Xiao Man’s face had long since healed, leaving his complexion fair and smooth. In front of his great-grandfather, he didn’t display any of those crooked-mouth, nose-twitching tics. He looked handsome and adorable.
Chen Fumi pulled Xiao Man into his arms and tapped the table beside him with his right hand. “Chen Zai, put this bracelet on your wife.”
The old man was casual about it. He had already decided. If he liked the granddaughter-in-law when he saw her, he would give the bracelet. If not, then he wouldn’t.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zai stood up, walked over to the table, picked up a wooden jewelry box, and took out a bracelet of fine, warm, white mutton-fat jade. Then he walked over to Shu Yuan and said, “Give me your hand.”
The bracelet was generously sized and thick. Chen Zai held it in his hand and looked at Shu Yuan’s fair, slender wrist, suddenly unsure how to put it on.
Aunt Du Kang, unable to hold herself back, had rushed back and stepped into the room just in time to see that hefty bracelet. Her expression turned slightly displeased. A girl from a modest background, sure enough, beauty was her biggest asset. All she had done was take advantage of a vulnerable moment, have a child out of wedlock, and now she had married into the Chen family. On her very first visit, she received a bracelet better than the one she had gotten back then.
The old man was clearly biased toward Chen Zai.
Besides, Chen Zai’s marriage was even less proper than Chen Hui’s. Both had their children while living in the countryside, but at least Chen Hui got married, with everything above board. What Chen Zai and Shu Yuan had done was completely outrageous. Shu Yuan had managed to enter the Chen family by relying on the child, while Chen Hui’s husband was still obediently staying put in the countryside, with no hope of ever stepping foot into the Chen household.
Still, Aunt Du Kang wore a warm and gentle smile, looking every bit the kind elder. She said, “Here, let me help put the bracelet on your wife.”
Chen Zai refused.
Remembering how his mother used to put on bracelets when he was young, he instinctively instructed Shu Yuan to pinch the widest part of her right hand with her left hand, while he held the bracelet with both hands and tried to slide it on.
Shu Yuan quickly realized that he absolutely didn’t want to touch her hand. Not even a little.
The two of them struggled to work together, completely out of sync. Shu Yuan started to worry the bracelet might slip and smash on the floor. After all, it wasn’t just any bracelet. It was a very fine one. It would be a real shame if it broke.
She blinked frantically at Chen Zai, trying to signal him. Grandfather had already looked over at them several times. They had to stop drawing attention. But Chen Zai was entirely focused on figuring out how to put the bracelet on and didn’t notice a thing.
Fortunately, the bracelet slid on smoothly and now rested on Shu Yuan’s wrist, glowing with a gentle luster.
Chen Zai straightened up and rubbed his temple lightly. Good, there had been no physical contact between them.
Meanwhile, Xiao Man had received a golden longevity lock[1]A golden longevity lock (长命锁) is a traditional Chinese pendant, typically made of gold or silver and shaped like a lock. It is commonly given to children—especially newborns—as a symbolic … Continue reading from his great-grandfather and was already chatting happily with him. The old man didn’t completely trust what Chen Zai had said, so he asked Xiao Man about his parents’ relationship. Xiao Man smoothly repeated the story Shu Yuan had prepared for him, and the old man found the phrasing oddly familiar. He then started asking about Xiao Man’s time in the countryside.
No matter how the old man pressed, Xiao Man didn’t reveal anything about being sold. He only spoke about picking pine nuts in the fall and fishing under the ice in the winter. Even so, the old man still listened with growing anger.
When Chen Zai finished putting the bracelet on Shu Yuan, the two of them were immediately confronted.
“You really shouldn’t have left Xiao Man to be fostered in the countryside,” the old man scolded. “You should have brought him back and handed him over to me.”
Shu Yuan, having long grown used to being scolded by Li Hongxia, treated it as nothing more than background noise. Chen Zai didn’t argue either and simply listened in silence as he was criticized.
Du Kang thought the two of them deserved a scolding, but she still had to maintain appearances and offered a few words to calm the old man.
“Xiao Man has suffered enough. From now on, you two must take good care of him,” Chen Fumi said in conclusion after his lecture.
His grandson had endured hardship during his years in the countryside, and he hoped his great-grandson could live a smoother, more fortunate life.
Chen Zai nodded. “Understood, Grandfather.”
The Chen family had placed great importance on this visit. The eldest uncle and his wife, the third uncle and his wife, Cousin Chen Hui with her adopted son Duobao whom she brought back from the countryside, and Cousin Chen Xian had all returned home for dinner.
After dinner, Chen Zai escorted Shu Yuan and Xiao Man back home.
Xiao Man sat on the crossbar of the bicycle while Chen Zai pushed it. The three of them walked down a narrow alley. Shu Yuan, worried the Hetian jade bracelet might get scratched, carefully tucked it into her sleeve. Seeing that no one was around, she asked quietly, “That bracelet was a gift from Grandfather to his granddaughter-in-law. If we end up divorcing, does that mean I have to give it back to you?”
It was just a fake marriage, and she had the basic awareness of that.
Chen Zai turned his head to look at her, his pupils dark as ink, his eyes swirling with unreadable emotion. “The bracelet belongs to you now. You don’t need to return it. I won’t be getting married a second time anyway.”
Shu Yuan gave a soft laugh. “Alright then. You said it yourself. So I’ll keep it and won’t be giving it back.”
Chen Zai’s gaze grew even deeper as he asked, “When do you plan to get a divorce?”
Xiao Man, hearing the question, instinctively shrank his neck, his little heart tightening. His parents didn’t seem like other people’s parents. Something about them felt unreliable.
Was it because they had no experience with marriage? Maybe things would get better if he gave them some time.
Shu Yuan pressed her lips together and looked back at him, displeased. “Are you just waiting for me to bring up divorce so you can take Xiao Man away by force? The way you’re scheming, the beads on your abacus are practically flying into my face. So that’s the real reason you proposed marriage. I won’t let you get your way.”
Xiao Man let out an audible sigh of relief. That meant Mom wasn’t planning on getting a divorce.
They had just gotten their certificate, there was no way they’d split up so soon!
——
Chen Fumi asked his two daughters-in-law who would be willing to handle the wedding preparations for Chen Zai.
“It’s simple,” he said. “Just notify the relatives, hire a cook to come make the food at home. Chen Zai doesn’t like too much fuss, so the ceremony will be simple.”
Du Kang immediately felt unhappy. She was the eldest daughter-in-law, did that even need to be asked? Of course it should be her job. Bringing the third daughter-in-law into it was just a way of overlooking her and stirring up internal family conflict.
Du Kang said, “Dad, I’m the eldest daughter-in-law. Of course I should be the one to handle it.”
The third daughter-in-law replied with a bright smile, “Dad, let me take care of it. Chen Zai has always been closer to me since he was little. I also really like Shu Yuan and Xiao Man. Shu Yuan and I both come from modest families, so it’s easy for us to communicate.”
Du Kang immediately picked up on the implication in her words and felt displeased, but with the other woman smiling so pleasantly, she had no way to refute it without seeming petty.
Chen Fumi quickly made a decision. “The eldest daughter-in-law has too many work obligations. Let the third daughter-in-law handle it.”
Du Kang choked. “…”
When Chen Zai returned home after seeing Shu Yuan and Xiao Man off, he found Chen Fumi waiting for him. The old man asked, “Your father still doesn’t know you already have a child, does he? Marriage is a big deal. You should inform him.”
Chen Zai answered in a low voice, “I don’t think it’s necessary. He probably doesn’t want to know either.”
When he was a child, he had once naively believed that his mother had only wanted to go abroad with the family. As he grew older, he began to think it might have had something to do with his father having an affair and fathering a child outside their marriage.
After his scumbag father remarried and started a new family, he was raised by his grandfather. From that moment on, he considered their relationship completely severed.
He didn’t think his father had simply fallen in love with someone else. He believed it had been a fraudulent marriage from the start.
Just then, Chen Fumi spoke in a way that sounded both directed at Chen Zai and like he was talking to himself. “Blood ties can’t be severed. You and your father aren’t truly cut off from each other. He might still care about his eldest son. Your wedding is a good opportunity to ease the tension between you two.”
Chen Zai responded bluntly, “He doesn’t need to care, and I don’t need to mend anything.”
Uncle Chen Junzheng, as the family’s eldest son, saw Chen Zai’s disrespectful tone toward Grandfather and immediately invoked the concept of filial piety to pressure him. Speaking with a lofty air, he gave a round of stern advice and concluded, “He’s still your father. For a wedding, something this important, you can’t leave him out.”
Chen Zai had no intention of giving face to anyone. He said, “My opinion is not to invite him, but I’ll let you all decide.”
Chen Fumi sighed and dropped the subject.
Compared to that, the atmosphere at Shu Yuan’s home was much more harmonious. When Li Hongxia saw the bracelet on her daughter’s wrist and the longevity lock on Xiao Man, her mood brightened considerably. It meant they had received recognition from the Chen family.
She was currently using the fabric Chen Zai had brought to make new pants for Shu Yuan. All of Shu Yuan’s clothes were old, and for a wedding, she definitely needed two new outfits. As for tops, her own sewing didn’t look very good, so those would need to be custom-made at the tailor shop. She also needed to get some summer clothes ready for Xiao Man.
This fabric was truly a timely gift.
As Shu Yuan flipped through the cloth, she said, “Mom, washing and changing quilts is such a hassle. I really can’t handle it. Let’s just make two quilt covers instead. These fine cotton fabrics should be more than enough.”
Li Hongxia scolded half-jokingly, “Who can afford to use quilt covers? Always so particular. You just know how to boss your mom around.”
Chen Zai had officially started working at the hospital. That evening, he came to pick up Shu Yuan and Xiao Man to go see the one-bedroom apartment that had been assigned to him and to discuss the wedding arrangements.
The main street was bustling with bicycles, weaving through the crowd. While riding, Chen Zai asked, “The wedding will be handled by my third aunt. Since you said we should present ourselves as a loving family of three, we’ll invite all our relatives and friends. Does your family have any requests for the wedding?”
The more cooperative their arrangement was, the more he felt the woman’s side should be respected.
Shu Yuan didn’t have any particular requests. To her, it was just a formality, meant to clean up the stigma of having a child before marriage and to present an image of mutual support and deep affection between the two of them.
But after thinking for a moment, Shu Yuan spoke honestly. “If this were a normal marriage through matchmaking, my mom would want me to marry into a working-class family, to marry a worker. She thinks your family has too many rules, too much fuss, and that dealing with you would be troublesome. My mom has one request. She wants a seat at the main table. In other words, your family needs to show mine enough respect.”
Chen Zai nodded. “Alright. That’s a small matter.”
Before long, they arrived at the hospital’s family housing compound. It was noticeably smaller than the one at the electronics factory. Chen Zai was worried Shu Yuan might not be satisfied with a one-bedroom unit, but clearly, she hadn’t even realized there might be a problem yet, maybe because she hadn’t seen the place yet.
References
↑1 | A golden longevity lock (长命锁) is a traditional Chinese pendant, typically made of gold or silver and shaped like a lock. It is commonly given to children—especially newborns—as a symbolic blessing for long life, good health, and protection from evil spirits. Often engraved with auspicious phrases like “长命富贵” (longevity and wealth), the lock represents “locking in” the child’s life and fortune. It is usually worn around the neck on a red thread and is often gifted by elders such as grandparents as a sign of affection and good wishes. |
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Avrora[Translator]
Hello, I'm Avrora (≧▽≦) Thank you very much for your support. ❤️ Your support will help me buy the raw novel from the official site (Jjwxc/GongziCp/Others) to support the Author. It's also given me more motivation to translate more novels for our happy future! My lovely readers, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I do.(≧▽≦) Ps: Feel free to point out if there is any wrong grammar or anything else in my translation! (≧▽≦) Thank you 😘