Despite having missed over a decade, the two still happily tied the knot. Many present knew about their past and offered their blessings.
“Xiao Mei, you’ve always liked this kid Jian Guo. Live well together from now on, and don’t listen to your parents’ nonsense!”
“Jian Guo is a good man, and Xiao Mei is a fine woman. This is what they call lovers eventually uniting!”
“It’s truly fate—after more than ten years, it’s still you two getting married! May you grow old together!”
“Who do the Bai family think they are? Threatening us, saying if we attend your wedding, we shouldn’t associate with them anymore! I’m coming anyway. Xiao Mei, Jian Guo, if they give you trouble in the future, I, Jian Gang, will be the first to object!”
Amid the crowd’s blessings, Bai Xiaomei carried her wine glass to Zhu Qiuju and called out, “Mom.”
Zhu Qiuju responded with an “Mm,” then advised, “Xiao Mei, I don’t have much else to say. Since you’ve decided to build a good life with Jian Guo, stay out of your Bai family’s affairs. Focus on managing your own little family!
“Ming Chu is a good child—treat him well… Jian Guo, you must cherish Moon Maiden as your own daughter!
“Best of all, you two should have a little son…”
Seeing the conversation drifting off track, He Jianguo quickly interjected.
“With one son and one daughter, we already have the perfect pair! If we have more, we can’t afford to raise them!”
“Hahahaha!”
Amid the laughter, everyone took their seats. Lin Xiyue, relieved that the old lady hadn’t given Bai Xiaomei a hard time, tried to find a corner to sit in but was pulled up by He Mingchu.
“Where do you think you’re sitting?”
Lin Xiyue: “Hey, hey, I was just going to sit anywhere and have a quick bite!”
He Mingchu: “You’re the bride’s daughter. If not at the main table, where should you sit?”
He pressed her into the seat to the left of the old lady and sat down beside her.
Zhu Qiuju turned to look at her.
Lin Xiyue curved her eyes into a sweet smile and called out, “Grandma!”
Zhu Qiuju responded indifferently.
The girl was quite pretty, but her hair was sparse, her skin rough, and she was thin and small—clearly, she hadn’t had an easy life before.
Lin Xiyue shot a resentful look at He Mingchu.
She had only wanted to find a corner to enjoy the feast in peace, but now, seated next to Zhu Qiuju and having to mind others’ moods, how could she eat comfortably?
He Mingchu leaned close: “You said yourself you’d listen to me from now on. Are you giving me attitude, hmm?”
The last word rose in tone, like an intimate whisper between lovers.
He Mingchu was nearing the end of his voice change, his tone gradually settling into the maturity and steadiness of a grown man.
Lin Xiyue couldn’t help shifting away, forcing a smile: “I’m not giving you attitude!”
He Mingchu felt a twinge of displeasure seeing his little pet move aside. Suppressing the urge to pull her back, he snorted lightly, sat up straight, and began eating leisurely.
After the wedding, Bai Xiaomei threw herself wholeheartedly into job hunting.
Now with four mouths to feed and only He Jianguo working at the machinery factory—earning eighty yuan a month plus thirty jin of food stamps—what had been ample for father and son alone was stretched thin supporting a family of four. With both children destined for university and tuition fees looming, his salary was clearly insufficient.
Anxious, Bai Xiaomei inquired at several restaurants on the street and finally found one needing a dishwasher, paying 1.3 yuan per day.
She went off in high spirits.
That evening, she specially bought two liang of meat to celebrate landing a job.
Lin Xiyue was delighted. While she was working hard at her studies, Bai Xiaomei was actively job hunting, and both were gradually settling into stability at the He household.
After dinner, while doing homework, He Mingchu prepared Five Black Powder for her.
“Drink more. It’ll help your hair grow back.”
Lin Xiyue wasn’t ungrateful and accepted it with profuse thanks: “Thank you, thank you!”
She drank it in one go. While washing the cup, she sighed to herself, “The gentle male lead is truly different! Buying fabric for my clothes, nourishing my hair—I’m really enjoying this good fortune.”
But the development between the male lead and female lead seemed somewhat off.
Lin Xiyue cautiously asked He Mingchu, “Ming Chu, what do you think of classmate Jin Yao?”
He Mingchu paused his pen and frowned at her. “What does that have to do with the problems you’re working on today?”
Lin Xiyue: “No… I just wanted to ask. Everyone seems to like classmate Jin Yao, so I…”
He Mingchu: “So how does that relate to your studies?”
Lin Xiyue opened her mouth but no words came out.
He Mingchu took her book and circled several problems. “These are your weak areas. You have fifteen minutes to solve them.”
Lin Xiyue slumped dejectedly: “…Okay.”
They had been placed in the science track. He Mingchu excelled in every subject effortlessly. Though Lin Xiyue had been a math teacher in her previous life and was strong in mathematics, her other subjects were merely at her former baseline—not poor, but not good enough to get into Qingbei without serious effort.
Lin Xiyue watched He Mingchu solve problems, starting at 0 frames—glancing at the question and immediately writing the steps.
She couldn’t help marveling: “Ming Chu, did you skip grades to reach senior year?”
He Mingchu curled his lips slightly. When he first transmigrated, He Mingchu had been in middle school. Not wanting to waste time, he requested reassessment and directly advanced to senior year.
At the time, He Jianguo thought their ancestors had blessed them and insisted on taking him back to worship their forebears.
Worshipping ancestors was less useful than worshipping him.
“No, I told the teacher I wanted to take the college entrance exam directly, but they wouldn’t allow it.”
Lin Xiyue’s eyes widened. So arrogant, incredibly arrogant!
Seeing the little pet staring with wide, sparkling eyes, He Mingchu felt quite pleased.
A young girl’s voice came from outside. “Excuse me, is this He Mingchu’s home?”
Bai Xiaomei came out. “Yes, you are…?”
The girl smiled. “Auntie, I’m Jin Yao, He Mingchu’s classmate.”
Lin Xiyue’s ears perked up. The female lead had come looking for the male lead! The rivalry was about to begin!
Should she quickly pick a side?
Firmly support the female lead!
He Mingchu pressed her shoulders to make her sit down. “Do your problems. Why so curious?”
Lin Xiyue looked up: “Ming Chu, classmate Jin Yao is here to see you!”
He Mingchu’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his expression neutral. “I’ll go see what’s going on. Finish those problems quickly.”
The moment he left, Lin Xiyue immediately stood up and leaned against the windowsill to look outside.
The moment Jin Yao saw He Mingchu, her eyes lit up. “He Mingchu!”
He Mingchu maintained his faint smile, though it carried detachment. “Classmate Jin Yao, couldn’t this wait until school?”
Jin Yao smiled: “I came to invite you to my family’s banquet.”
As she spoke, she formally produced an invitation and handed it to He Mingchu.
He Mingchu glanced down at the invitation but didn’t reach out to take it.
“Classmate Jin Yao, there are less than two months left until the exams. I need to study and don’t have time to participate in these activities.”