Chapter 71 Extra -Three: Wedding

Wei Huatian came over from the entrance carrying another box. Last year when he visited his daughter’s home, everything was still vivid in his memory. At that time, the coffee table was so clean that it only had a few old books on it, but this year, several snack plates were piled high with goodies.

The butterfly orchids were competing to show off their beauty, and the silver willow branches were adorned with good fortune bags.

There was a strong festive atmosphere, and the place had the look of a home.

Wei Huatian knew his daughter had been away on business for nearly three weeks and casually asked, “Did your mother buy you flowers?”

“It should be Zhou Sujin.” Her mother wouldn’t randomly decide to add things to her small home; if she wanted to buy something, she would consult her in advance.

Wei Lai sent a message to Zhou Sujin, informing him that she was home. [Did you buy the flowers at home?]

Zhou Sujin: [Yes. You have a lot to do after you get back, so I bought them in advance.]

A few days ago, she visited her mother’s two old friends who were in Jiangcheng on business. Since she wasn’t in Jiangcheng, he went to buy the flowers during the time he didn’t have to accompany her.

Wei Lai put down her bag and poured water for her father.

Wei Huatian pulled his daughter back, “Why are you being so polite with Dad? I’m not thirsty; I can pour it myself.”

Feeling the strong festive atmosphere in the house, she was filled with appreciation.

“Dad is leaving; you should unpack your suitcase and go to bed early.”

Wei Huatian didn’t let his daughter see him out, closing the door as he left.

When he got home, the living room was piled with seven or eight big and small bags, and his wife was busy organizing and categorizing them.

Zhao Mei had finished work early today and had gone to the supermarket to buy New Year’s goods for their daughter.

Both their daughter and son-in-law had been busy before the New Year and couldn’t spare time to shop, so after their daughter got married, Zhao Mei took it upon herself to handle all the New Year’s preparations for their small family.

“Back already?” She glanced at her husband and continued with her work.

Wei Huatian responded, “Did you buy these for Yihan?”

“Yeah. They only get time off on New Year’s Eve this year.” As she spoke, Zhao Mei stood up and asked her husband what he thought of the new sweater dress she bought. If it looked good, she would wear it to pay New Year’s visits on the first day.

Wei Huatian took a look. “Not bad.”

He didn’t even clearly see the pattern of the sweater dress.

Zhao Mei’s joyful mood immediately dissipated. She stared at him for a moment as he took off his coat, arranged the cushions on the sofa, and casually tidied the items on the coffee table, completely oblivious to her gaze.

She and Wei Huatian were now a typical couple who had gotten together later in life, simply sharing a life together.

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The next day, Wei Lai arrived at the company early.

In the parking lot, she ran into Yu Younian, and they went upstairs together.

Yu Younian mentioned that he had received a call from Zhao Lianshen last night but didn’t report it to her because it was too late.

Zhao Lianshen had mentioned two things during the call: the team-building event after the New Year was moved from the third day to the fifth day, and that Baiduo Industry had decided to allocate a special fund each quarter to support free libraries.

“I can’t figure out Zhao’s decision either.” Previously, he had been strongly opposed to setting up free libraries, but now he not only supports them but also allocates money.

Buying books doesn’t actually cost much; what’s important is the big boss’s change in attitude.

Wei Lai speculated, “Maybe he visited a store and saw books he was interested in.”

Since Baiduo had expressed its stance and shown sincerity, her job was to implement the special funds effectively.

In the morning, she held an impromptu executive meeting and proposed to add a book manager in each city, stating that the free library would no longer be managed by store managers; the new managers would report directly to her.

This proposal was unanimously approved at the meeting.

That same day, the HR department issued a recruitment announcement. In addition to regularly replacing books in the store, the book managers would need to go to various bookstores to find books, so there was no requirement for them to be on-site, nor was there any work experience requirement. The only strict condition was a love for reading.

The next day, dozens of applications for the book manager position were received in Jiangcheng.

The HR officer printed out the resumes, organized them, and brought them to her office.

Wei Lai was on the phone with Zhou Sujin, saying, “Zhou, can you hold on a moment?”

The HR officer placed a stack of resumes on the boss’s desk and briefly reported on the number of resumes received from various cities.

This recruitment was different from previous ones; there were suddenly no job requirement references. They were unsure how to determine if applicants loved reading, so they brought the current resumes to the boss for review, hoping to have some direction on how to filter them later.

Wei Lai held her phone slightly away as she carefully reviewed each resume. When she reached the last one, her gaze fixed on the applicant’s ID photo; it looked familiar. Upon checking the work experience, it was detailed and straightforward, noting a six-month experience as a driver after resigning.

On the night she broke up with Zhang Yanxin, she and Zhao Yihan had been drinking and were hurrying to a watch flagship store, so she had hired a driver. During the time they were in the flagship store, she had told the driver to look around nearby. When she and Zhao Yihan came out of the store, the driver was leaning against the car, seriously reading a book.

That book had been one she loved and had read many times.

At that moment, she thought his inner world must be calm and rich.

Wei Lai kept the last resume.

The HR officer returned, and she continued her call: “Zhou, are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

Zhou Sujin picked up the previous conversation, asking if she wanted to take wedding photos in winter on the overpass.

The forecast said there would be heavy snow on the first day of the New Year, and the overpass would be less crowded during the holiday, making it suitable for shooting.

He said, “If you don’t wear a wedding dress, you’ll be too cold.”

Wei Lai didn’t hesitate: “Let’s wear coats for the shoot.” Her excitement was hard to conceal.

Coats were more suitable for the snowy overpass; a wedding dress wouldn’t create the atmosphere she wanted.

“Darling, when are you coming to Jiangcheng? I’ll pick you up.”

He had given her plenty of surprises over the past two years, and she suddenly wanted to pick him up from the airport.

Zhou Sujin considered for a moment. “I won’t tell you yet.”

“I want to pick you up.”

“If you pick me up, it won’t be a surprise.”

“Anyway, I already know you’re coming on New Year’s Eve.” What she wasn’t sure about was his flight time.

Zhou Sujin looked at his watch. “I can board in half an hour. Are you coming to pick me up?”

Wei Lai’s reaction was a beat slow; today was only the twenty-ninth day of the New Year. In disbelief, she exclaimed, “You’re coming today!” She hurried to close her computer. “I’m going to the airport right now.”

Thinking she could stay calm about it, her joy still overflowed.

Exiting the office building, Wei Lai hurried straight to the open-air parking lot in front of the supermarket.

Cheng Minzhi happened to be coming out of the supermarket, wearing a dark green coat, looking intellectual and elegant, holding a price list for holiday items while chatting with the store manager.

Her mother was so focused that she didn’t see her.

Wei Lai took a moment to appreciate her mother’s outfit today. Since being with He Wancheng, her mother’s smile was clearly more genuine and radiant.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Cheng.”

Cheng Minzhi looked up in surprise, giving the store manager a few instructions before walking over to her daughter with a smile.

“Are you off to check the stores again?”

“I’m going to the airport to pick up Zhou Sujin.”

“He’s coming today?” Cheng Minzhi was happy for her daughter.

Wei Lai nodded vigorously with a smile, then told her mother that they would be rushing to Beijing to take wedding photos on the first day of the New Year.

“Let’s shoot on the overpass, wearing our own clothes.”

“It sounds romantic.” Cheng Minzhi was worried about her daughter getting cold, so she opened the driver’s side door for her, tilting her chin to let her daughter get in, and continued with a smile, “You must have walked over it with Zhou Sujin.”

Nothing could be hidden from her mother. “Yeah, in our first year of marriage, I went to Beijing to see him, and we walked over it once.”

She had forgotten that they were supposed to take a set of photos there; Zhou Sujin still remembered.

After chatting a bit more with her mother, Wei Lai was ready to head to the airport. Before closing the car door, she praised her mother’s coat for being youthful and elegant.

Cheng Minzhi felt a bit shy from her daughter’s compliment. “He Wanchen brought it back for me from his business trip abroad. It’s my first time wearing this color; I feel awkward walking in it.”

“Uncle He has a unique taste. Mom, this color suits you very well.”

She suggested her mother try more colors she hadn’t worn before.

Her mother had come out from past relationships, and even her demeanor was completely different now.

Cheng Minzhi reminded her daughter to drive carefully, closed the car door, and watched her daughter’s car leave the parking lot before returning her gaze to the office.

Just ten minutes ago, He Wanchen had called her to say he was off the expressway into Jiangcheng and would arrive in the city within an hour.

Wei Lai waited at the airport for over an hour before Zhou Sujin’s flight finally landed. She went to a café to buy him a cup of coffee.

Unfortunately, holding the coffee made it impossible for her to leap into his arms.

He wore a black coat, and his shirt was also black.

He wore black shirts two or three days a week, while her black camisole appeared three times a week as well.

She wondered if he noticed that on the days he wore black, she was also wearing something black to sleep in.

Zhou Sujin took the coffee and pulled her into his arms with his other hand.

Wei Lai hugged him tightly but quickly let go.

He had brought two suitcases, and she pushed one of them over.

“So you’re not going to the family dinner at the old house tomorrow?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Grandpa moved the dinner to noon on the third day of the New Year. After we celebrate the New Year’s Eve dinner with Mom, we can still make it back to Beijing.”

The Zhou family was large; Zhou Sujin had three uncles, and their long-standing family dinner tradition was changed because of her.

Grandpa was stubborn, never changing his mind easily, and even Grandma found it hard to persuade him. The change in the dinner schedule must have taken Zhou Sujin a long time to negotiate.

Wei Lai kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Zhou Sujin swallowed hard.

It was only when Wei Lai got into the car that she suddenly understood why Zhao Lianshen had moved the team-building event from the third to the fifth day of the New Year. No matter what, she would attend the family feast that day, and Zhao Lianshen had no choice but to reschedule to the fifth—his conscience hadn’t found him…

This year, she would finally no longer be the only one putting up the Spring Festival couplets.

At seven o’clock on New Year’s Eve, the fireworks in the old town began to light up.

Wei Lai was at Jiang’an Yuncheng store, waiting to see the second round of fireworks from the park side.

At seven-thirty, after the store doors closed, Zhou Sujin took out a folding ladder from the trunk of his car.

Wei Lai held the ladder, helping him check if the couplets were crooked.

A bright red sports car roared past the street in front of Jiang’an Yuncheng store.

Wei Lai didn’t pay much attention; she no longer subconsciously associated the sound of the sports car with Yuan Hengrui.

Just a moment ago, Yuan Hengrui had passed by Jiang’an Yuncheng store and deliberately glanced at the supermarket entrance, seeing two figures busy pasting the couplets.

Having not driven a sports car in a long time, he took it out today to relax.

After passing the intersection, the sports car pulled over, and he took out his phone to edit a message, no longer deluding himself by sending a mass message to Wei Lai.

【Wei, wishing you a happy new year in advance, may you strike it rich in the new year! May you have today every year and this moment every year!】 Helping her paste the couplets for the seventeenth store was likely the happiest moment of her year.

Twenty minutes later, after Wei Lai finished pasting the couplets and saw his New Year greeting message, she replied: 【Thank you. Happy New Year, wishing you a spot on the billionaire list soon! (celebrate)(celebrate)】

After finishing with the couplets at Jiang’an Yuncheng store, her mother and Chairman He also completed the couplets at Wei Lai’s supermarket headquarters.

Zhou Sujin put away the folding ladder, and they headed to her mother’s place.

This year, Wei Lai bought her mother a loose-fitting bright red sweater, while she bought herself a rose-pink gradient sweater dress.

“Mom, should I change now or after dinner?”

Cheng Minzhi replied, “Changing now is fine.”

The mother and daughter went upstairs to change clothes, and since the kitchen didn’t need them, He Wanchen took charge of cooking while Zhou Sujin occasionally lent a hand.

This year’s New Year’s Eve dinner was mainly Suzhou cuisine, with a couple of Jiangcheng specialties as well.

Dumplings and tangyuan were already in the fridge, and Cheng Minzhi and her daughter had made them in advance.

He Wanchen took the dumplings and tangyuan from the fridge and asked Zhou Sujin, “Have you boiled them yet?”

“I boiled the tangyuan.”

He Wanchen laughed, “You haven’t boiled your favorite dumplings?”

“I haven’t boiled them.” Zhou Sujin rolled up his sleeves to cook the tangyuan.

In the living room, Cheng Minzhi and her daughter came down after changing clothes.

“Mom, let’s take a few pictures first.” Every year during the New Year, she would take pictures with her mother for keepsakes.

“Are you two taking wedding photos tomorrow? Has the photographer been arranged?”

“Yeah, Zhou Sujin took care of everything.”

Wei Lai found a good angle, with the kitchen in the background.

During the shoot, the background was blurred, but the busy figures in the kitchen could still be seen.

On the first day of the New Year, she wouldn’t be in Jiangcheng, so she entrusted the store inspections to her mother.

On the morning of the first day of the New Year, just as dawn broke, she and Zhou Sujin set off for the airport.

“What do you think looks good on me, which coat should I wear?”

Zhou Sujin said, “The camel coat with the brown turtleneck sweater should look nice.”

Wei Lai remembered that this was the outfit she wore when she went to Beijing to find him after getting married.

As they landed in Beijing, it started to snow lightly.

In the afternoon, snowflakes danced down, blanketing the entire city in white by the end of the day.

The photographer taking their pictures was the wife of Zhou Sujin’s childhood friend. It was the first time she met her; she was a woman with an extreme romantic flair. The photographer said she wasn’t afraid of heavy snow or the cold; she just feared there wouldn’t be enough snow to capture the right atmosphere.

As evening fell, the streetlights lit up one by one, surrounding them in a colorful glow.

The photographer didn’t specify any poses: “Just walk across the overpass like you did before. Walk fast or slow, it’s up to you. You can walk, stop, or do whatever you like.”

Wei Lai grasped Zhou Sujin’s fingers, worried that she wouldn’t look natural while walking.

Just like the first time they crossed the overpass, Zhou Sujin held her hand and walked with her.

As night enveloped them, snowflakes swirled down, landing on both Wei Lai and Zhou Sujin.

Together in the snow, together in old age.