Tao Tao looked at Jiang Zhida, Yang Mei, and Uncle Jiang, and said, “Uncle, Auntie, I really don’t care about the bride price—it doesn’t need to be so much. You’ve seen our family, and we can’t prepare a dowry of the same value.”

Yang Mei held Tao Tao’s hand, smiling. “You bring what you have. These things were already prepared for Zhida, and this is the standard he would get regardless of who he marries. His older brother had the same for his wedding.”

With this, the Tao family couldn’t really refuse, as it would put Yang Mei and her husband in a difficult position; after all, they wanted to treat their sons equally.

Yang Mei continued, “Oh, and about the dates for the engagement and wedding, his father and I consulted a fortune-teller yesterday and picked some auspicious ones. I brought them along today. Tao family, you can decide which one works best and let us know through Zhida.”

Tao Tao’s parents, unsure of what to choose, left the decision to her.

Already prepared for marriage, Tao Tao didn’t hesitate and quickly chose three dates.

She picked the earliest ones, not wanting to wait until her pregnancy started showing.

They settled on the 16th day of the second lunar month, an auspicious date for marriage.

Seeing the chosen date, Yang Mei and Uncle Jiang’s smiles grew even wider.

“That’s a great choice!” Yang Mei said warmly. “It also gives us enough time to plan everything. Tao Tao, feel free to let Zhida know what kind of wedding you’d like, and we’ll make it happen.”

Tao Tao nodded, and the meeting between the two families ended successfully, with everyone feeling satisfied.

After the Jiang family left, Tao Tao’s parents, finally relaxed, wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

They’d been so nervous the whole time.

“Look at you, Tao Tao. You’ve found yourself a wonderful family,” Tao Tao’s father said, his eyes turning red. Her mother, already teary, grabbed Tao Tao’s hand and expressed her joy with a series of “ah-ah-ah” sounds, which Tao Tao understood perfectly.

“Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’ll cherish this blessing,” Tao Tao assured them.

---

After dropping his mother and uncle off, Jiang Zhida went directly to Yunmengze.

He spoke to the head chef about preparing some nutritious dishes suitable for pregnant women.

Then, he went around to his friends’ offices, knocking on each door to announce the big news.

Those not at Yunmengze received a phone call instead.

Today, it was Shen Chuan who was on duty, and he almost fell out of his chair when he heard the news. “Whoa! Zhida, you’re just suddenly getting married? With no warning at all! Who’s the bride—Tao Tao?”

Jiang Zhida gave him an exasperated look. “Who else would it be?”

Shen Chuan, now standing up, smacked himself on the head, still processing what he’d just heard.

But he was genuinely happy for his friend and clapped him on the shoulder. “Congrats, man! You two finally made it work!”

Shen Chuan knew a little about Jiang Zhida and Tao Tao’s journey—starting as a fake couple, later becoming a real one, breaking up and getting back together.

It had been a bumpy road, and he had expected it would take them longer to reach this point.

He hadn’t anticipated the news would come so suddenly.

Even Tu Hongxiao joined in, saying, “Congratulations.”

Hearing about the wedding, other friends rushed over, bombarding him with questions about the sudden decision, who proposed, how many kids they planned to have, and even suggestions for a bachelor party.

After all, Jiang Zhida was the last single guy in Yunmengze; Shen Chuan had even married two years ago!

Jiang Zhida picked a few questions to answer, while he brushed off others.

As for the bachelor party, he declined, saying he was too busy with wedding preparations.

Just then, the chef announced that the meal was ready, so Jiang Zhida grabbed the food container and immediately headed out, unwilling to let anyone else deliver the food to Tao Tao.

“There’s something going on here,” Shen Chuan said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “He’s never been one to deliver food personally like this.”

Tu Hongxiao, catching on, headed to the kitchen with the others following. “What exactly did Jiang boss ask you to make?” they asked the chef.

The chef chuckled and replied evasively, “Just some of the future Mrs. Jiang’s favorite dishes.”

Since Jiang Zhida had instructed him not to share specifics, they let it go, figuring they’d eventually find out anyway.

---

When Tao Tao saw Jiang Zhida bring another food container, she told him, “You really don’t need to keep bringing food over. I can take care of myself and the baby.”

“I know. But I want to take care of both of you,” he replied.

At that, Tao Tao was at a loss for words.

---

Not long after, Chu Xia received a call from Jiang Zhida, expecting some news about Yang Mei, only to learn it was about his and Tao Tao’s wedding date.

With a laugh, Chu Xia replied, “Congratulations! I’ll definitely bring a big red envelope for you two.”

“Thanks, Cousin,” Jiang Zhida said. “And tell Cousin Brother to bring one too.”

Chu Xia laughed, “Of course! Should we have An An pitch in too? After all, he’s soon going to have a little cousin or cousin-to-be.”

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Zhida replied, “Sure, why not?”

After hanging up the phone, Chu Xia couldn’t wait to share the news about Jiang Zhida getting married.

However, Cen Zhengnian hadn’t returned home yet, so she found Cen Huaian, who was watching TV.

“An’an! Your cousin is getting married. The date is the 16th day of the second lunar month. When the time comes, you should give him a red envelope too.”

Cen Huaian replied, “That doesn’t make sense, Cousin is an elder.”

Chu Xia explained, “It’s not for him, it’s for his child.”

Cen Huaian frowned, “When did Cousin have a child?”

Chu Xia smiled as if it were obvious, “In the future, of course.”

Cen Huaian sighed, “…Alright, fine.”

That reasoning was acceptable.

When Cen Zhengnian got home and heard the news about Jiang Zhida’s marriage, he called to congratulate him.

Jiang Zhida personally asked Cen Zhengnian for a big red envelope.

Jiang Zhida had already informed everyone he needed to, and finally, he made a call to Jiang Zhiyi, who was abroad.

As usual, Jiang Zhiyi wasn’t at the embassy and missed his call.

Jiang Zhida wasn’t in a rush.

It wasn’t until two days later that he received a call back from Jiang Zhiyi

. She had been out for work, doing interviews, and had just returned after being away for several days.

Jiang Zhida asked, “How is everything over there? Have you encountered any problems you couldn’t handle?”

Since going abroad, Jiang Zhiyi’s only feeling was how much she missed her homeland.

Though she had adapted well to everything, work had been going smoothly, and she had made some achievements.

“No, not really. Since I have the embassy behind me, the locals are quite cautious around me, so they don’t cause any trouble.”

Jiang Zhiyi chatted with Jiang Zhida for a while. She mentioned how much she missed home.

It had been two or three years since she left, and she hadn’t returned even once.

It was mainly inconvenient to go back.

Every time someone from the embassy returned to China, she happened to be out on work assignments, so she hadn’t had the chance to go home.

“Zhiyi, I’m getting married, in February, after the Spring Festival.”

Jiang Zhiyi was stunned by Jiang Zhida’s sudden news, then smiled, “It’s about time you got married. You’re over thirty already, and I’m sure Auntie and Uncle have been urging you.”

“Zhiyi, when are you coming back? If you don’t return soon, Qian Ran really won’t be able to wait for you.”

Before calling Jiang Zhiyi, Jiang Zhida had already spoken with Qian Ran.

When Qian Ran heard about the marriage, he first congratulated him with a smile, but then there was a long, silent pause.

After a long while, Qian Ran finally said in a confused tone, “Da Zi, I don’t think I can wait much longer.”

Jiang Zhida understood what he meant without hesitation and said, “Then don’t wait. Zhiyi has chosen her career over your relationship. Even if you had broken up with her earlier, I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

Qian Ran let out a long sigh, “My mom has been pushing me, and now that you’re getting married, I don’t have any other excuse. I can’t refuse the blind dates my mom has been arranging anymore. Brother, I really love Zhiyi, but I can’t wait for her forever.”

Jiang Zhida replied, “You don’t have to wait. I’ll talk to Zhiyi.”

Qian Ran said, “Once I make my decision, I’ll talk to her myself.”

It was clear Qian Ran hadn’t fully made up his mind yet.

He and Jiang Zhiyi had been together for so many years; it wasn’t something he could easily let go of.

Jiang Zhiyi was the first person he had truly loved as an adult, and he loved her deeply.

He thought he had met his soulmate, so how could he just let that go?

When Jiang Zhiyi heard what Jiang Zhida said, she fell silent for an even longer time.

When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed emotions, “Brother, I understand.”

Jiang Zhida said, “Zhiyi, we all support your pursuit of your dreams. But you can’t be selfish. You can’t stay abroad indefinitely while keeping Qian Ran waiting. And you need to think about your family as well. Ever since you left Beijing, you haven’t been back, except for when Grandpa got sick. You should reflect on this.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Zhida felt conflicted.

Though Second Uncle Jiang and Second Aunt had their flaws, seeing them constantly ask him about Jiang Zhiyi, not being able to reach her, made his heart ache.

However, this was ultimately between Jiang Zhiyi and their uncle’s family, and Jiang Zhida couldn’t intervene.

He had only spoken to Jiang Zhiyi about these matters because of his upcoming wedding.

If she continued to prioritize her career, he didn’t know about anything else, but he knew that she would lose a very good partner.