Qin Shuyao and Zhang Baogen had never registered their marriage certificate.
This was her final insistence when negotiating with the Zhang family: they could hold the wedding first to show sincerity, and officially register only after her grandmother recovered.
Fortunately, this allowed her to preserve herself in this life of Rebirth.
With Lu Jinzhong’s mediation, the marriage application, which normally required step-by-step approval—was quickly handed to Chen Qilan. As she held the fresh marriage certificate, Qin Shuyao, walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, felt a sudden daze. Was she really married now?
“Oh my! What wonderful news! Let me see your marriage certificate!” Old Lady Jiang Baoping rushed over, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Pei Luoying, smiling so widely she couldn’t close her mouth. She took the certificate from Qin Shuyao, examined it closely, and then looked at her granddaughter-in-law with affectionate, satisfied eyes, repeating “Good,” several times.
“From now on, we are family. If this little rascal bullies you, you tell Grandma, and I’ll stand up for you, help you take him down!” Jiang Baoping said, holding Qin Shuyao’s hand and smiling.
“Grandma, can you please stop calling me ‘little rascal’? I have a proper name, you know!” Chen Qilan couldn’t help but protest. “And what do you mean by ‘help take me down’? Get it straight, I’m your actual grandson!”
Aunt Pei Luoying teased him with a laugh: “It’s true, our A-Lan is a grown man with a wife now. Calling him ‘little rascal’ all the time isn’t suitable; he might lose face in front of his wife!”
“Face? What ‘face’ are you talking about with your wife?” Jiang Baoping had not let go of Qin Shuyao’s hand. She curled her lip and said, “I hate men who are obsessed with saving face. It’s one thing to put on airs outside, but what, do you expect your wife to worship you when you get home? Why don’t you just squat on the altar table and have three sticks of incense lit for you?”
Chen Qilan, rendered speechless by the attack: “…” My grandmother, the venomous tongue. When it comes to hitting where it hurts, she is absolutely a professional!
When Jiang Baoping looked at Chen Qilan, her gaze was icy and dismissive, but when she turned back to Qin Shuyao, her face blossomed into a smile. “Oh my, that A-Lan managed to snag such a beautiful girl. Tsk, that boy really hit the jackpot!”
Qin Shuyao was still unaccustomed to such overt affection, feeling a little guilty even. How long her marriage with Chen Qilan would last was unknown, and she felt she truly didn’t deserve the old woman’s deep favor.
Jiang Baoping followed them to the hospital, where Lu Jinzhong happened to be present. Technically, this was the first meeting between the elders of the bride and groom’s sides.
Grandpa Shepherd, not wanting to shame his granddaughter, rummaged through his bundle to find his cleanest set of clothes, carefully smoothing out every wrinkle. Despite his efforts, he still looked threadbare compared to Chen Qilan’s family, but Jiang Baoping paid it no mind.
Entering the ward, she walked straight to the bedside without any airs, warmly greeting the blind grandmother and taking her hand. Calling her “in-law” repeatedly and praising “our Yaoyao,” she quickly established a sisterly relationship with the blind grandmother.
“I’m just a few years older than you, so I’ll call you ‘little sister’ from now on!” Jiang Baoping guided the blind grandmother’s hand to gently trace her own face, saying with a laugh, “You must recognize me clearly, don’t mistake any other old woman for your elder sister, or I’ll be cross!”
“I won’t! I won’t!” The blind grandmother had worried that her granddaughter would suffer once married, but now that she had met Chen Qilan’s family, she completely relaxed. If nothing else, based on this “elder sister’s” hearty and straightforward temperament, she wouldn’t allow her granddaughter to be bullied or made to suffer!
“A-Lan’s leave isn’t long enough this trip, and since your body hasn’t fully recovered, little sister, we’ll postpone the wedding for now. Once everything is ready, we’ll hold a grand and spectacular ceremony for the two children!” Jiang Baoping declared. “Although we’re keeping things simple, the proper etiquette must be followed, especially the betrothal gifts. We cannot shortchange Yaoyao a single cent!”
She turned her head and saw her daughter-in-law, Pei Luoying, pull a savings certificate from her bag and hand it over. Jiang Baoping immediately passed the savings certificate to Grandpa Shepherd.
Seeing the amount on the certificate, Grandpa Shepherd was stunned. That sum… was a massive amount of money he couldn’t save even if he tended sheep his entire life! But after just a glance, Grandpa Shepherd handed the savings certificate back to Jiang Baoping.
“I am marrying off my granddaughter, not selling a child. I don’t want money. I only hope Chen Qilan can fulfill the promise he made to me that day at the county hospital!”
Chen Qilan guaranteed without hesitation. “Unless I die, I will absolutely keep my word!”
Qin Shuyao, standing nearby, asked suspiciously, “What promise did you make to Grandpa?”
“The promise to let you become a teacher!” Chen Qilan leaned in close to Qin Shuyao’s ear, deliberately positioning himself so close he was practically biting her earlobe.
The warm breath in the girl’s ear canal made her shiver, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck practically stood up. Snapping back to reality, Qin Shuyao backed away several steps as if fleeing a monstrous flood.
Chen Qilan grinned and deliberately followed her. “Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you trust me?”
Could Qin Shuyao believe this man’s nonsense? Was the promise to become a teacher really worth prefacing with the four weighty words, “Unless I die”?
Before Qin Shuyao could figure it out, Jiang Baoping stuffed the savings certificate into her arms. “If you don’t accept it, you must have a problem with me!”
The astute old woman used a move of moral blackmail, effectively blocking Qin Shuyao’s attempt to return the certificate. She stood frozen, holding the certificate like a hot potato. Her slightly bewildered look was rather adorable, making Chen Qilan want to kiss her.
“This isn’t my money; it’s a gift A-Lan’s mother left for her future daughter-in-law!” Jiang Baoping softened her tone, reaching out to tuck the certificate into Qin Shuyao’s pocket. “If his mother were still alive, she would have loved having you as her daughter-in-law!”
Hearing this, Qin Shuyao gasped. Chen Qilan’s mother was dead? But… but in her previous life, Zhang Lingzhi had said that Chen Qilan was a High-ranking Cadre’s Child from a prominent Beijing family, and that both his parents were alive, and he had a younger brother and sister!
Now, she was officially married to Chen Qilan, yet she knew absolutely nothing about the man’s background!
As if reading Qin Shuyao’s mind, Chen Qilan leaned close and explained softly. “My birth mother died long ago. The woman in Beijing now is my stepmother!”
They were very close, and Qin Shuyao clearly saw the deep loneliness and sorrow in the man’s eyes. Her heart instantly melted into a mess, and just as she was about to offer a few words of comfort, the next moment, she heard the tune the man was humming, and she felt an urge to strangle the scoundrel.
“Little cabbage in the yellow field, lost its mother when it was just three years old. Following Daddy to live a good life, but fearing Daddy will take a stepmother…”
Qin Shuyao took several deep breaths, silently clenching her small fists. The man she chose, she would have to endure him, even if she had to do it on her knees!
Watching the affectionate newlywed couple, especially Chen Qilan’s deliberately annoying behavior meant to provoke Qin Shuyao, Jiang Baoping and Pei Luoying covered their mouths and giggled. Even the habitually serious Lu Jinzhong coughed uncomfortably and turned his head, though the corners of his mouth were slightly lifted.
If his sister were watching from the heavens, seeing this happy scene, she would surely be pleased for A-Lan.