The bride, Yuan Yuan, is 25 years old this year. While her looks aren't outstanding, they are very charming, just like her name. Her round apple-shaped face makes people want to pinch it.
When they arrived, Yuan Yuan was trying on her wedding dress and reception gown with her bridesmaids. Seeing them come in, she cheerfully invited them to sit down for tea and snacks.
"I never thought I'd have celebrities helping with my wedding. My friends will be so envious," she said.
Ren Man smiled and replied, "We should be thanking you for entrusting your wedding to us. Don't worry, we absolutely won't let you down. We promise to give you a spectacular wedding. You just focus on being a beautiful bride!"
While they were all taking this task very seriously, Yuan Yuan herself was quite relaxed. "Oh, I'm not worried at all. Don't feel too pressured. Gu Tao and I have already discussed it. You can do whatever you like. The wedding itself is just a formality. As long as everyone eats well, drinks well, and has a good time, that's enough."
"Even if it's a formality, it's not just any ordinary one. Tell us, do you have any requests? You're the bride, so you call the shots!" Nian Suian took out a small notebook, ready to jot things down.
When asked about her requirements, Yuan Yuan found it difficult. "Actually, I don't have many requests, just two." She held up two fingers. "I just want the wedding food to be delicious, and secondly, I don't want too many procedures so that I can have time to eat at my own wedding." She finished with an embarrassed laugh.
Yuan Yuan's bridesmaids also laughed, but explained on behalf of their friend: "Our Yuan Yuan doesn't have any other hobbies, she just loves to eat."
"When I told my parents this, they said I lacked ambition and only cared about food. These are my only two requests. I don't know much about other things, you can ask my parents about those later."
Qiao Peipei, hearing this, felt she had found a kindred spirit. She had previously thought that at her own wedding, she'd reserve a whole table just for herself to eat. So she immediately declared, "Don't worry, we'll definitely fulfill these small requests. I'll personally oversee the wedding menu!" She added in her heart: hopefully there will be a food tasting session.
Nian Suian chimed in, "Rest assured, she's a big eater. She's definitely an authority on this matter."
Yuan Yuan's eyes immediately lit up. She nodded vigorously, "Good, good, good. I trust you."
Yuan Yuan's parents had gone to town to buy things and hadn't returned yet, so they chatted while waiting at Yuan's house.
"Sister, are you happy about getting married?" Xiao Yan asked Yuan Yuan, her eyes sparkling.
"Happy!" Yuan Yuan's answer was without hesitation and very firm. "Gu Tao and I have known each other since we were kids. I've been saying I'd marry him since I was sixteen."
The happiness on Yuan Yuan's face was undisguisable. Her friend added, "She's always going on about Gu Tao this and Gu Tao that. How could she not be happy?"
"Well, how could you not be happy when you're marrying the person you like? Don't you think so?" Yuan Yuan looked at them.
Unfortunately, among the six girls who came, not one was married. Nian Suian was married, but it was almost as if she wasn't.
Qiao Peipei tried to imagine what it would be like to marry Shen Huaizhi in the future, but found she couldn't picture it. So she poked Nian Suian, "Ask her, she's the only married one among us."
Suddenly, many pairs of eyes turned to Nian Suian. Yuan Yuan also asked expectantly, "Sister Suian, what does it feel like after getting married? Is it different from when you were dating? My mom always says that after marriage, things can't be the same as before. I don't understand."
...
Nian Suian really wanted to say that she didn't understand either. Who knows why Gu Junxing and the original owner got married, maybe it was even an arranged marriage!
But with someone's big day approaching, what could she say? She could only respond, "Marriage is quite nice. Living with someone you like makes life much more interesting! When your mom says things are different after marriage, it's because you form a family. You become the master and mistress of this family, so naturally, you have more responsibilities." Nian Suian improvised, breathing a sigh of relief after finishing.
Yuan Yuan nodded, looking thoughtful.
Fortunately, Yuan Yuan's parents returned soon after, and they finally didn't have to dwell on this topic anymore.
Yuan Yuan's father and mother were also round in shape, very cute. They were delighted to see them and insisted on having them stay for dinner.
When asked about their requirements, they only said they wanted everything to go smoothly, with no other specific requests.
"Just one thing," Yuan Yuan's mother said with a bit of concern. "We went to town today to buy decorations for the newlyweds' room, but looking at what's available in town, it's not very nice. For my daughter's wedding, I want to buy something better." Their village was quite far from the county town, and they were too busy at home to go today. Originally, Yuan's mother had planned to ask for help from villagers to go to the county town tomorrow, but since Nian Suian and the others were here today, "I was thinking, since you young people have good taste, maybe you could help pick some things out."
"Mom, the newlyweds' room doesn't matter. Everyone uses stuff bought from town, why can't I? Going to the county town is too much trouble," Yuan Yuan truly didn't care. If it were up to her, she'd be happy just having a meal at her own home and another at Gu Tao's.
"How can that be? Don't worry, it's no trouble. This isn't something for the bride to worry about, leave it to us!" Nian Suian guaranteed, patting her chest.
Since it was the bride's family, there wasn't much else to do. Other things like small games for welcoming the groom had already been prepared by the bridesmaids, so they didn't need to think about those.
Having gathered most of the information they needed, the group prepared to head back. They politely declined the Yuan family's dinner invitation, as they needed to return and compare notes with the others, figuring out how to coordinate everything. After all, time waits for no one!
"Why don't I go to the county town to buy things," Pei Zhi, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "When I was in my village, I helped decorate newlyweds' rooms a few times for village weddings. I've seen quite a bit."
Nian Suian shook her head, "We're too short-handed here." Arranging a wedding with just over ten people was barely enough, especially with such a short time frame. So she told everyone, "Don't worry about this, I have external help."
"Who?" Qiao Peipei asked curiously.
"Gu Zhijing's dad, of course. He happens to be in the county town tomorrow. Isn't this just heaven-sent?"
"Oh, you're good. I was wondering where you got this external help from, turns out you're using your husband as a tool," Qiao Peipei teased her. "Getting the esteemed Boss Gu to buy wedding decorations for you, you've really outdone yourself."
"He's a Party member. Serving the people is his duty," Nian Suian replied.