Chapter 18 - part 2

Early in the morning, He Mingchuan had already gotten the address for the family lunch from his father.

It wasn’t a special day, so the Civil Affairs Bureau wasn’t too crowded—just the usual number of couples coming in for marriage registration.

By the time they arrived, it was already past 9 a.m. There were five or six couples ahead of them.

They waited over an hour before it was finally their turn.

He Mingchuan had all the required documents in a manila envelope and handed them to the clerk at the window.

The staff checked both of their household registration booklets and marital status certificates. Because He Mingchuan was in the military, he also had an extra document: marriage approval papers.

Once the paperwork was confirmed, they were asked to fill out the marriage application forms truthfully.

The clerk had seen all kinds of couples, from twenty-somethings to eighty-year-olds, but ones as calm as these two were rare.

After they finished the forms, came the usual question: whether both parties were marrying voluntarily.

Though it was routine, the clerk put extra care into her tone today. “You're both marrying of your own will, right? There’s no coercion involved?”

Lu Miao smiled and shook her head.

He Mingchuan, staring straight ahead, said, “There’s no coercion.”

The clerk couldn’t help thinking—this guy's face is so stiff. Doesn’t look voluntary at all.

The bureau offered photography services for the marriage certificate photo. The two sat side by side on chairs under the photographer’s instructions.

The photographer had high aesthetic standards. Looking through the viewfinder, he just wasn’t satisfied. They were good-looking people, sure, but they didn’t give off newlywed vibes at all.

“Comrade, don’t be so stiff.”

“Comrade, smile a little. Getting married is a joyful thing, isn’t it?”

“Comrade, can you smile a bit more naturally?”

The familiar line of nagging didn’t get a response from the male comrade, but the female comrade next to him couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Lu Miao was laughing way too freely. He Mingchuan sounded slightly annoyed. “What are you laughing at?”

Even the clerk had been too intimidated by his face to laugh.

Lu Miao, still smiling, said, “He’s talking to me. Don’t worry about it—if you feel like laughing, go ahead.”

He Mingchuan thought Lu Miao was getting bolder by the minute. The first time they met, she’d been so polite.

The clerk looked at Lu Miao with sympathy. Such a pretty girl—how’d she end up with someone with such a bad temper?

Lu Miao kept laughing.

Finally, He Mingchuan couldn’t take it anymore. “When you laugh, can you not slap my leg?”

That finally got her attention. Quite the lecture for someone so stoic.

Lu Miao reluctantly pulled her hand back. “Sorry, I hit the wrong spot by mistake.”

He Mingchuan gave her a skeptical look. Could she really not tell the difference between a skirt and pants?

But with people around, he couldn’t say anything more.

In the end, he just said, “Let’s hurry and take the photo. It’s getting late.”

Right—they still had lunch plans with the family.

Lu Miao quickly composed herself and turned to the staff. “Sir, his face got frostbitten a couple years ago while stationed on the border. He can’t smile.”

The photographer immediately apologized sincerely. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Lu Miao could practically feel the burning stare coming from beside her, but she stayed calm and generous. “It’s okay. As long as I look good in the photo, that’s all that matters.”

The photographer nodded quickly. “No problem.”

He Mingchuan was still glaring, but Lu Miao played dumb and patted his hand. “Look at the camera, okay?”

The photographer chimed in, “She’s right! Comrade, look at the camera. And you, comrade lady, sit up straight!”

He Mingchuan had no choice but to suppress his irritation and look at the lens.

“Okay, smile…”

“Three, two, one!”

“Perfect!”

The photo wouldn’t be printed immediately, they’d have to come back in three days with the receipt and marriage certificate to pick it up.

By the time they left, He Mingchuan’s back was practically radiating fury.

Lu Miao stood outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, feeling amused. “Hey, slow down! I can’t keep up. It’s my first time in Beicheng, I don’t know my way around. I’ll get lost!”

The tall figure ahead of her stopped, but didn’t turn around.

And so the two of them walked and paused all the way to the state-owned restaurant, arriving around eleven.

Professor He had reserved a private room days in advance. The He family’s relatives and friends had already gathered, just waiting for the newlyweds to return from getting their certificate.

The moment Lu Miao pushed the door open, a woman’s voice rang out. “This must be our Sanshui, huh? So pretty! She and Mingchuan really make a striking couple.”

It was He Mingchuan’s second aunt speaking.

Professor He had three sons and one daughter. Mingchuan’s father was the eldest.

The youngest sibling was a daughter—an elementary school teacher.

The fourth sibling worked in a government agency. He’d settled down in another province when job hunting. His wife came from a somewhat influential family, and they only had one daughter. So the fourth uncle had kind of married in, though the kid still carried the He surname.

The second uncle and aunt were both factory workers—solid jobs at the time, but not impressive compared to the other siblings.

Professor He’s wife had passed away over a decade ago. After his reinstatement, he stayed in his original house.

Second Aunt always felt like the old man owed their side of the family. If he’d helped her husband more back then, they wouldn’t have stayed as factory workers all their lives.

When Professor He’s name was cleared and his position restored, he moved his two grandsons into the faculty housing at Beicheng University.

He said their parents weren’t educated, so he, as the grandfather, would help tutor the kids.

That year, the eldest grandson was in his last year of high school. Professor He had studied abroad in his youth—tutoring a high schooler was nothing for him.

And if there were ever subjects he couldn’t handle? No problem—there were teachers of every subject living in the same compound.

The second uncle’s eldest son turned out to be quite capable—he got into Beicheng University on his first try and was now a junior.

His success made Second Aunt feel like she’d made the right decision. Even though her second son was only in middle school, he’d been sent early on to build a solid foundation.

They were praising Lu Miao's looks out loud, but in their hearts, they were thinking, so what if she’s pretty, she’s still just some country girl.

Forget about helping her husband’s career, just the mismatch in family background was enough to cause who knows how many embarrassing moments.

There was a faint, unreadable expression on You Yonglan’s face. Second Aunt He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or not.

But if she had to guess, probably not. After all, who’d be happy about being forced to accept a country bumpkin as a daughter-in-law?

She grinned cheerfully. “No wonder the old man dotes on his eldest grandson. Look at such a great girl, and all he thinks about is Mingchuan.”

She knew full well that You Yonglan didn’t like Lu Miao as a daughter-in-law, yet she still had the nerve to say that in public. If that wasn’t deliberate provocation, no one would believe it.

You Yonglan was the straightforward type, if something annoyed her, she’d blow up on the spot. She let out a cold snort. “Back when the old man wanted to find a match for his benefactor’s granddaughter, no one else was willing. That’s the only reason Mingchuan came into the picture. And now people are saying we’re the ones being favored.”

What she said was totally inappropriate, like Lu Miao was some kind of dirty thing no one else wanted to touch.

For the sake of that wad of cash she’d gotten this morning, Lu Miao could pretend she didn’t hear it.

What could she do? The money was just too generous.

When she got back earlier, she’d snuck a peek—it was ten full bills of "big unity" (large denomination RMB).

With that kind of money, even if You Yonglan slapped her, Lu Miao would probably be more concerned about whether her hand hurt.

Lu Miao pretended not to understand a word. She grabbed Second Aunt’s hand and smiled sweetly. “I didn’t expect you to like me so much. I’m really touched.”

Second Aunt He glanced at You Yonglan. “I could tell from the start you’re a good girl.”

Truth be told, she never liked her older sister-in-law much. You Yonglan came from a prestigious background, her father had been a revolutionary, her brothers were all accomplished and carried on the family legacy.

She had a happy marriage, a thriving career, and a son and daughter. Basically, she was the most blessed woman Second Aunt had ever met.

Which made Second Aunt all the more eager to trip her up.

And since she had a fiery temper and was quick to explode, just a few words were enough to piss her off.

If she lost her temper in front of all the relatives, it would make her seem rude and lacking composure. Which just made Professor He even more annoyed with his eldest daughter-in-law.

“So,” Lu Miao said with a teasing grin, “you mean you want me to be your daughter-in-law?”

Second Aunt didn’t hesitate. “Of course!”

“But… what about your son? What if he’s not interested?”

Back then, Second Aunt had stirred up trouble between You Yonglan and the rest of the He family. Now that there was a daughter-in-law in the picture, she was already starting to drive a wedge between them.

Everyone knew how much the old man valued this marriage, how much he doted on his future granddaughter-in-law.

If You Yonglan and Lu Miao fell out, that wouldn’t just be a mother-in-law–daughter-in-law issue, it’d offend the old man too.

And her eldest brother-in-law was the filial type. Who knows which side he’d choose?

Second Aunt waved her hand. “My Yongming is a very obedient boy. He listens to his elders. If a family elder asks him to do something, he’d never disobey.”

Not only was that a veiled jab at You Yonglan, implying she wasn’t a filial daughter-in-law, it was also a dig at how she had stubbornly opposed the old man’s wish to marry Mingchuan off to Lu Miao. The whole thing had been a huge scene.

Even He Mingchuan had gotten dragged into it.

Lu Miao squeezed her hand tighter, earnestly saying, “The moment I saw you, I just knew you’d be a good person, a great mother-in-law.”

Second Aunt was visibly pleased. Unlike that stiff older sister-in-law, I’d be a great mother-in-law, right?

“Well, since you like me so much, and your son’s so obedient and filial, why don’t I just marry your son?”

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