Free Web NovelChapter 299: Chapter 299: The Back
Li Hua’s eyes welled with tears. ’Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao are such good people,’ she thought. ’They’re letting Gu’er pay her respects to me, and letting me sit here with them. I’m truly content.’
And so, Lin Shan, Chen Fengjiao, and Li Hua sat together in the middle of the sofa. Sun Jiaming led Gu’er forward to pay their respects to the three of them.
Seeing that Sun Jiaming and Gu’er were about to kneel, someone hurried to place cushions in front of them, and they knelt down right onto the pads.
Gu’er called out, "Dad, Mom," and Sun Jiaming followed suit.
Lin Shan, Chen Fengjiao, and Li Hua all nodded in acknowledgment. Chen Fengjiao and Li Hua were on the verge of tears, and Lin Shan’s eyes reddened as well.
’At this moment,’ he thought, ’everyone must be feeling overwhelmed with emotion.’
Lin Shan, Chen Fengjiao, and Li Hua each gave Sun Jiaming a red envelope, a traditional gift for him now addressing them as his parents.
Lin Shan, Chen Fengjiao, and Li Hua each took a turn giving Gu’er some words of advice—the usual things, like being filial to her elders, taking care of her husband, managing the household well, and being a good wife now that she had married into a new family.
"Hey, you in the front, move aside! You’re blocking the shot, I can’t get it on camera."
The videographer shouted. He had been recording perfectly, capturing a very important and touching moment. But then a woman had led a group of people right into his line of sight, completely blocking his view. No matter how he moved, he couldn’t get the shot, which was why he had yelled.
"What’s all the shouting? If you can’t get the shot, why don’t you stand on a stool? Shouting blindly when you’re the one who’s incompetent. Do you have any idea who I am? I’m Gu’er’s aunt! She’ll have to kneel and bow to me later, so what’s your hurry?"
Liu Yue Mei retorted unhappily over her shoulder. The only reason she had pushed to the very front, blocking the videographer’s view, was that she wanted Gu’er and Sun Jiaming to kneel to her so she could have her own moment in the spotlight.
"That’s right! You shout again and you can forget about getting paid. I’ll tell my brother-in-law not to pay you, and you can forget about eating later, too!"
Chen Yu added with a glare.
The videographer was furious. He was about to say something back, but then he remembered it was a wedding day and held his tongue.
When the videographer fell silent, Liu Yue Mei and Chen Yu became even more smug, assuming he was afraid of them.
Meanwhile, Sun Jiaming had helped Gu’er to her feet. The two of them sat down next to Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao, posing for the photographer and videographer.
"We want in, we want in!"
Liu Yue Mei scrambled to squeeze onto the sofa, pulling Chen Damin and Chen Shuangbao with her. Chen Yu also pushed forward and sat down next to Chen Fengjiao.
Chen Ping stood behind the sofa, her face red with embarrassment. She knew her mother’s behavior was out of line, but she couldn’t control her.
Gu’er was speechless. ’This picture was supposed to be for the immediate family,’ she thought, ’but Lin Sui’er and Lin Zheng haven’t even joined us, and they’ve already pushed their way in.’
Lin Sui’er was furious and started trying to squeeze Chen Yu out. That spot should have been hers. What right did Chen Yu have to sit next to her mom?
On the other side, Sun Jiaming smiled and pulled Lin Zheng over, letting the boy sit on his lap.
"Alright, alright, everyone settled? We’ll take a few shots like this, then switch people out," the photographer called.
As the photographer gave instructions, everyone held their smiles.
After several photos, the photographer called out a few times for people to rotate. Many others were crowding around, eager for a picture, but Liu Yue Mei and Chen Yu refused to get up. No matter how many times the photographer called, the two of them sat there motionless, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
"Sister-in-law, why don’t you let some others have a turn?" Chen Fengjiao said.
Chen Fengjiao couldn’t understand how her sister-in-law could be so completely tactless.
"Why should I get up? I’m your sister-in-law, aren’t I? Are you dense? There’s someone over there who isn’t even related to us, why don’t you tell her to get up?"
Liu Yue Mei glared at Chen Fengjiao, thinking she had her priorities all wrong.
Hearing this, Li Hua immediately stood up. Gu’er didn’t stop her; she knew Li Hua must feel very uncomfortable. The important thing was that they had already paid their respects to her, and that was enough.
Li Hua stood, but Liu Yue Mei still didn’t budge. Gu’er couldn’t be bothered to argue. ’Let them take whatever pictures they want,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, my dear aunt will just say something even uglier and make us the laughingstock of the entire room.’
Once they had taken more than enough photos, Sun Jiaming and Gu’er stood up.
"You haven’t bowed to us yet! Quick, quick! Give me and your uncle three bows."
Liu Yue Mei yelled, and instantly, all eyes in the room turned toward them.
Gu’er was getting annoyed. ’There’s a saying that your mother’s family holds a place of honor, and that’s true,’ she thought. ’But you’re just my aunt. You didn’t raise me, you’ve never done a single thing for me, we’ve barely ever met, and you aren’t even close with the Lin Family. What right do you have to demand I kneel and bow to you?’
Sun Jiaming looked to Gu’er. If she was willing, he didn’t mind bowing. If she wasn’t, then there was no need.
Gu’er shook her head.
"Aunt, I’m sorry," Sun Jiaming said. "We don’t have that custom here."
Before Liu Yue Mei could protest, Li Zhi quickly jumped in. "Alright, alright, it’s time to go! We need to get the bride to the next stop, and then head to the hotel! The reception is at the Four Seasons Hotel—I’m sure you all know it! We’ve booked out tables, and there will be plenty of cigarettes, liquor, candy, and food for everyone. Eat and drink your fill! We hope to see all of you there!" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
As soon as Li Zhi said this, the room erupted in enthusiastic cheers. The Four Seasons Hotel was no small-time restaurant; it was one of the best in the city. Almost no one could afford to go there on a normal day. Who would pass up a free feast like this?
Amid the sudden excitement, a crowd formed around Gu’er and Sun Jiaming, ushering them toward the door. The videographer and photographer followed, as did the crowd of onlookers. No one was paying attention to Liu Yue Mei anymore.
"What kind of upbringing did that child have? She’s so arrogant she looks down her nose at everyone. Have you ever seen anything like it? I’m absolutely furious!"
Liu Yue Mei was still grumbling, but no one was listening anymore.
Lin Shan ignored her. Chen Fengjiao was just upset by the whole scene. Li Hua had already been escorted away, and Lin Sui’er and Lin Zheng had gone with the wedding party. Other than Chen Damin, no one was paying her any attention.
As for Gu’er, she was now sitting in a car—Li Zhi’s car. She had noticed earlier that it had been washed spotlessly clean and decorated with red "double happiness" characters, looking very festive.
Several vehicles had arrived for the procession. In addition to three sedans, there were also a few trucks. These were the trucks used to haul goods for their department store, but now they too were decorated with festive red characters. Today, they weren’t carrying cargo; they were carrying people.
Gu’er felt a little nervous. Sun Jiaming was sitting right beside her. They knew each other so well by now, but for some reason she couldn’t explain, she was just nervous.
Sun Jiaming must have noticed her unease, because he reached over and took her hand in his.
Gu’er’s palm was slick with sweat. When he took it, she almost yanked her hand away out of pure reflex.
She let him hold her hand, telling herself to ’Be calm, you have to be calm, there’s nothing to be afraid of.’ But it was beyond her control; her heart was still pounding.
When they arrived, Sun Jiaming got out of the car first. He then opened her door and bent down. Gu’er knew he was going to carry her on his back.
It was a wedding tradition that the bride’s feet should not touch the ground, so Sun Jiaming had to carry her inside.
Gu’er settled onto Sun Jiaming’s back. She heard the deafening roar of firecrackers and the chatter of the crowd around them. She knew many people were watching, but at that moment, she saw no one but Sun Jiaming. ’This back will be my support from now on,’ she thought. ’For the rest of our lives, we will be bound together, never to be parted.’
