Yunmengze is not open to guests today; the entire space has been reserved for the wedding of Jiang Zhida and Tao Tao.

The whole Yunmengze is now a sea of intertwined pink and red flowers.

It’s not the season for flowers to bloom, and Jiang Zhida went through a lot of effort to find them.

The wedding venue was designed by professionals, unlike the weddings of others in this era—it bears more resemblance to something from the future.

Because of his business, Jiang Zhida knew a lot of people and had seen much of the world, so when it came to his wedding, he had to make it the best.

Before the wedding began, Chu Xia and Jiang Shengnan came to Yunmengze to check out the wedding venue.

She also liked the decor—a mix of pink and bright red, layer upon layer, with subtle color gradients, creating a dreamy and beautiful atmosphere.

Although Jiang Shengnan was no longer young, seeing this wedding setup still made her grab Chu Xia’s hand with excitement on her face.

“Are all weddings like this nowadays? It’s so beautiful! When your father and I got married, forget about a wedding like this—we didn’t even have a regular one. Back then, at the base, we became husband and wife after swearing an oath in front of the leaders’ portraits.”

That was how things were at the time—everything was kept simple, and no one thought about having a grand wedding.

There were no conditions for it, nor the opportunity.

Now, seeing that people’s lives were getting better, Jiang Shengnan felt a sense of comfort.

It meant that the sacrifices of their generation hadn’t been in vain.

“Chu Xia.”

Hearing Jiang Shengnan call her, Chu Xia turned around to look at her, waiting for her to speak.

Jiang Shengnan held her hand. “I want to visit my old friends. Do you have time to go with me?”

“Sure.”

Chu Xia agreed without asking where they were going.

After all, they were in Beijing, and with a car, it was easy to go anywhere.

Jiang Shengnan smiled gently. “Call me when you’re free, and we’ll go directly.”

Chu Xia showed a bit of confusion.

She figured Jiang Shengnan’s old friends, like her, had probably retired and had more free time.

---

When the wedding began, Jiang Zhida and his friends arrived at the alley where Tao Tao’s family lived in a convoy.

The cars lined up from her door all the way to the entrance of the alley, and even then, the convoy wasn’t fully parked.

The neighbors around Tao’s house couldn’t hide their envy and jealousy.

Even though they knew the grand engagement Tao Tao had, they couldn’t help but feel sour seeing the grandeur of the wedding.

But none of that concerned Tao Tao.

She sat in her small room, watching Jiang Zhida use red envelopes to open the door, as he and the groomsmen searched for her wedding shoes.

The power of red envelopes was too strong—the bridesmaids couldn’t resist. Soon, Jiang Zhida found both shoes.

Tao Tao sat on the bed, her lips curling as she watched Jiang Zhida proudly hold up the shoes, giving her a smile that seemed to ask, “Impressed?”

Tao Tao’s smile widened.

From the moment she woke up that morning, knowing she was marrying Jiang Zhida, she had been in a great mood, and now she felt even better.

Jiang Zhida knelt on one knee, lifting Tao Tao’s foot to put on her socks and the beautiful red wedding shoes.

Since it was early spring, the shoes were red high-heeled leather boots—stunning and not at all tacky.

As soon as she put on the shoes, a crowd around them started cheering, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Tao Tao blushed deeply, using her bouquet to cover her face as if it could hide her shyness.

Jiang Zhida, with a beaming smile, squinted at his cheering friends before lightly kissing Tao Tao on the forehead.

The crowd groaned in disappointment, shouting that it didn’t count—it had to be on the lips.

Jiang Zhida immediately scooped Tao Tao up in his arms. “Alright, enough! My Tao Tao is shy. Stop teasing us.”

He carried Tao Tao to the car, where Shen Chuan quickly opened the door, and Jiang Zhida gently placed her inside.

Turning around, Jiang Zhida looked at Tao’s parents, who stood at the door.

He bent down to whisper something in Tao Tao’s ear before walking over to her father and mother.

“Dad, Mom, I’m taking Tao Tao now. Thank you for entrusting her to me. I’ll love and cherish her just as you have, and I won’t let her suffer any grievances.”

Saying this, Jiang Zhida knelt down and bowed deeply to Tao’s father and mother, which startled them.

They rushed to pull him up.

Jiang Zhida finished the bow, stood up with their help, and pointed to Shen Chuan.

“Dad, Mom, you can ride in his car, and we’ll head to Yunmengze together.”

However, Tao’s parents firmly refused, saying that it wasn’t customary for the bride’s parents to attend the wedding ceremony.

Jiang Zhida wanted to say that it was a new era and old customs weren’t necessary anymore.

In foreign weddings, fathers personally walked their daughters down the aisle.

But he knew Tao’s parents, like many of their generation, were traditional.

Forcing them would only make them uncomfortable, so he didn’t insist.

“Then, Dad, Mom, Tao Tao and I will visit you in a couple of days.”

Tao’s parents waved him off, as well as Tao Tao, watching the car drive further and further away.

Tears welled up in their eyes.

They wiped the corners of their eyes, feeling both comforted and saddened.

After all the years of raising her, their daughter was finally getting married.

Though they were happy, they couldn’t help but feel a little lost.

In the car, Tao Tao watched her parents’ somewhat stooped figures grow smaller in the distance, and her mood suddenly plummeted.

Jiang Zhida held her hand, understanding her feelings.

He rubbed her hand with his thumb and said, “Don’t be sad. Even though you’re marrying me, you’re still your parents’ daughter. Now they also have me as their son-in-law—how wonderful is that? We’ll take care of them together. If you want to go home, I’ll drive you back. If you need anything, you can lean on me. Does that still make you feel sad?”

Tao Tao shook her head and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the corners of her eyes. “Hearing you say that suddenly makes me happy for my parents.”

Jiang Zhida teased her, “Smile a bit. It’s our wedding day! If anyone sees a sad bride, they’ll think I’m a bandit who kidnapped you to marry me.”

Tao Tao burst into laughter. “Even if you did kidnap me, there would be a lot of girls who would want to be kidnapped by you.”

Jiang Zhida raised an eyebrow, grinning with a touch of mischief. “I only want to kidnap you.”

Tao Tao’s face flushed a bright red, but her smile was sweet, radiating happiness.

As the car took a new route back to Yunmengze, Jiang Zhida got out, walked around to the other side, and carried Tao Tao out, holding her all the way into Yunmengze.

They first went to pay respects to Jiang Zhida’s parents.

Yang Mei and Uncle Jiang were already seated inside, waiting for them.

Jiang Zhida held Tao Tao’s hand as they approached the two elders, offering them tea and formally addressing them as parents, receiving two thick red envelopes from them, which were the customary betrothal gifts.

When Yang Mei and Uncle Jiang heard Tao Tao shyly call them “Mom” and “Dad,” their smiles grew even wider, unable to contain their joy.

Afterward, Tao Tao changed into a beautiful white wedding dress to continue with the wedding ceremony.

This wedding followed a different format than traditional weddings, embracing a Western-style ceremony.

However, there was no one to escort the bride.

Tao Tao walked steadily toward Jiang Zhida on her own, while he also stepped forward to meet her halfway, taking her hand and walking together for the rest of the way.

The officiant began the ceremony, and when Tao Tao and Jiang Zhida were asked if they wished to become husband and wife, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes and nodded firmly, saying, “Yes.”

Tao Tao had waited a long time for this moment.

When she heard Jiang Zhida say “yes,” her nose tinged with a bit of sorrow, and she struggled to keep her eyes wide open to avoid crying.

But it was futile. During the ring exchange and the couple’s vows, as she listened to Jiang Zhida recount their journey of knowing, loving, and falling for each other, she began to cry uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Zhida was taken aback by her tears.

He reached out to wipe them away, joking, “If you keep crying like this, I’m worried that by the time I finish my vows, I’ll be drowned in your tears.”

Tao Tao managed a laugh between sobs, saying, “You… you said… it was so beautiful.”

Jiang Zhida rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “Silly girl.”

He decided not to continue reading the vows he had spent days writing and handed the speech to Tao Tao instead. “Forget it. You can read it later.”

Tao Tao made an effort to compose herself, carefully folding the speech, and then she took the microphone to share her feelings about getting married today.

She began to reminisce about their relationship and the bittersweet moments before they became a couple.

She hadn’t prepared a script, as everything was already in her heart.

However, as she spoke, her tears flowed even more freely, making it impossible to continue.

“I… I don’t want to cry. I… had planned to be a… beautiful bride today.”

Jiang Zhida wiped her tears, holding her gently in his arms while softly patting her back. “I know. Let’s skip this part; no more crying.”

The guests listening to the bride and groom’s love story couldn’t help but feel moved, breaking into applause.

Chuxia clapped her hands and leaned closer to Cen Zhengnian, whispering, “Watching their wedding makes me want to have another one.”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “If you want, we can have one.”

Chuxia quickly shook her head. “No, that sounds exhausting. But we could take some modern wedding photos or travel together and have a wedding celebration while we’re away.”

Cen Zhengnian nodded. “That sounds good.”

He reached out and ruffled Chuxia’s hair. “What kind of wedding photos do you want? Where do you want to travel?”

Chuxia replied, “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I just suddenly thought of this place.”

Cen Zhengnian pondered for a moment. “Our new project is nearing completion, and I’ll have some time off afterward.”

Chuxia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Then I’ll plan where we should go!”

“Sounds good.”