Chapter 263: Three Women, One Stage

When Wei Ming told Gong Ying he was returning to Beijing for the wedding, he considered that Ziyè had not yet officially wrapped, so she might still need to stay in Shanghai on standby.

But unexpectedly, the General Political Department Art Troupe was being disbanded; her unit, the General Political Department Drama Troupe, was undergoing restructuring, and Gong Ying received official notice that if she wasn't currently filming, she needed to return for a report.

Since she was now back in Beijing, she felt it necessary to attend—after all, both grooms were Wei Ming's friends, and one of the brides was even his cousin.

Once she said it, Wei Ming could only agree, and he personally helped her pick out a simple yet elegant outfit, teasing her: "You can't dress too beautifully, or you'll outshine both brides."

This left Wei Ming in a panic, because he had also promised Lin Jie to attend the wedding—so Gong Ying from the south and Zhu Lin from the north were about to face off for the first time in history.

Fortunately, his relationship with Xue Jie had changed dramatically; he now had some risk resilience, and with caution, he could probably handle it.

What is a true brother? A true brother is someone who knows you've done something utterly ridiculous but still stands by you unconditionally.

"Brother Wei, tell us what to do," Biaozi said with loyalty.

Wei Ming: "Listen to me—I've made the following arrangements. First…"

After leaving Mei Wenhua's new home, Wei Ming went straight to Zhu Lin's building, unlocked the door, and waited until dusk. When the door opened, Zhu Lin's mood improved instantly at the sight of the man's leather shoes at the threshold.

She had just finished work at the Beijing Film Studio when she received Wei Ming's call, so she rushed over immediately.

"I just passed Building One and saw some wedding characters pasted up," Lin Jie said.

"The ceremony will be held in the courtyard tomorrow. My dad somehow met Wang Gang from the Central Broadcasting Station and got him to be the master of ceremonies," Wei Ming said, gently hugging Lin Jie as he spoke of tomorrow's wedding.

"You're filming tomorrow, right?" Wei Ming asked hopefully—if she couldn't come because of filming, that would be perfect.

"We're resetting the set tomorrow, and it's Sunday, so they gave us actors a day off," Zhu Lin beamed. "Perfect, no conflict."

Wei Ming said with sincere expression: "That's great. But as a friend of both grooms and Yunyun's cousin, I'm responsible for greeting and seeing off guests—I'll be busy tomorrow. I've arranged for Long Xiaoyang to accompany you."

"Your clever little cousin, right?"

"You remember him? Good." Wei Ming smiled. When they had gone to Yunnan to search for relatives, Zhu Lin had fallen ill with fever, and both her uncle and Xiaoyang had met her and even shared a meal.

An hour later, looking at Zhu Lin sprawled like a pile of mud on the bed, Wei Ming felt a sudden surge of confidence: "I could take on two of her."

He kissed her flushed cheeks: "I'm busy today—I have to go back. You stay here and rest tonight."

Zhu Lin understood and hugged him tightly before letting him leave.

There was no need to visit Gong Ying—Wei Ming had already called her.

Xue Jie had expected to return to the Sihe Academy after coming to Beijing, but now someone was living there, so it wasn't convenient for her to go. She'd wait until her uncle returned to Sichuan.

Wei Ming had also mentioned on the phone that he'd be busy tomorrow and told her to let Liu Rulong host her—since he was her future brother-in-law, it was only fitting.

Perfect—each woman had someone to look after her.

Ah Long was also good friends with Biaozi and Xiao Mei, so he stayed overnight at the Tuanjiehu new home and would help out early tomorrow.

Also present were Liu Zhenyun, Liang Zuo, and other Peking University classmates and colleagues familiar with them. They watched the 18-inch color TV in the evening; after the broadcast ended, they played mahjong and poker, with plenty to eat and drink.

Back when Biaozi and Xiao Mei were campus security guards, these two university students never looked down on them. Now that they'd become big bosses, each owning a house and a motorcycle, spending generously, Liu Zhenyun and Liang Zuo remained calm—there was some envy, but not yet jealousy or hatred.

After all, they had their own ideals and ambitions, and looked forward to their futures.

Fat Liang Zuo pushed up his glasses and asked Liu Zhenyun: "Wasn't Teacher Wei back in Beijing? Why haven't we seen him?"

Liu Zhenyun ate roasted peanuts: "He's family on the bride's side—he'll be over there. Maybe he'll even block our entrance tomorrow."

Liang Zuo laughed: "You're with Biaozi tomorrow—I'll be with him, so I won't run into him."

They had clearly divided roles: Liu Zhenyun would accompany Mei Wenhua to fetch the bride; Liang Zuo would go with Biaozi.

Speaking of Wei Ming, Liang Zuo had many thoughts: "My mom just came back from Shanghai and teamed up with Teacher Wei again to revise his manuscript. This time he's publishing a long novel in Shouhuo. Mom read only the first few ten thousand characters and said if there's a national award for outstanding long fiction, this novel has a shot at first place."

Liu Zhenyun knew about this novel but hadn't read it yet: "It should be published in January—I need to get it from him quickly and write a review in advance."

Since receiving his first novel royalty payment, Liu Zhenyun had been building up in fiction writing, but rejections outnumbered acceptances, and the publications were all small local journals, far from prestigious.

So if he wanted to appear in major journals, he still needed to write a review of Teacher Wei's book.

They guessed right—Wei Ming was now heading to Beichi Zi Sihe Academy.

On the way, he had run into Li Chengru and exchanged a few words.

His company, the Jingshan Clothing Factory, was an important partner of Dongfang Xintiandi, so he had also been invited to attend the wedding of the two bosses tomorrow.

This was Wei Ming's first return to the Sihe Academy since coming back to Beijing—the door was locked, worried the puppy might run off.

After pushing his motorcycle inside, he saw the whole family there, including Wei Hong, who had come after school and was now playing with the puppy alongside her two younger siblings.

After greeting the elders, Wei Ming suddenly noticed a new eight-legged table in the living room, antique in style, seemingly Ming dynasty.

"Where did this table come from?"

Old Wei chuckled: "I bought it. When I first came over, I saw your furniture was still sparse, so I walked around town and picked up a few things."

He then took Wei Ming to other rooms to show him the other furniture he'd bought.

"How's this bookshelf? I think it's prettier than the one in the Overseas Chinese Apartment. And these stools—so dignified to sit on."

Wei Ming was astonished—he'd bought plenty of antique furniture himself; while he might not be expert at dating pieces, he could easily tell the materials: not huanghuali, then zitan.

These pieces Old Wei had bought would easily sell for over ten million in the future.

"Dad, how much did you spend on these?"

"A bit over two hundred yuan," Old Wei said.

Wei Ming: "..."

Much cheaper than what he'd paid for his own furniture—probably because he wasn't good at haggling, and maybe because he seemed rich.

Wei Ming asked again: "Did you buy these randomly, or did you carefully pick them out?"

"Hehe, how would I know how to pick?" Old Wei laughed. "I met an old man recently. I asked him to help me buy these. He said they're all good pieces—no loss in buying them."

So that was it—he'd met a master.

Beijing had plenty of such masters, and Old Wei was likable and skilled at socializing; it wasn't strange that someone would give him advice out of goodwill.

Old Wei continued: "The old man said he works at the Forbidden City. I met him right outside the Forbidden City gates. I figured he was trustworthy—and judging by your expression, I didn't buy wrong."

An old man who works at the Forbidden City?

Wei Ming asked: "Do you know how to address him?"

"He said his surname is Wang—Wang something. He's over sixty. I just call him Old Wang."

"Wang Shixiang?" Wei Ming's mind immediately flashed that name.

Old Wei immediately: "Yes, yes! That's the name! Do you know him?"

At that moment, Wei Hong walked in: "Brother, who's Wang Shixiang?"

Wei Ming: "A nobleman from a prestigious family, a wastrel who squandered his fortune, a repentant prodigal son, a renowned cultural relic expert and collector—the land where Peking University Attached Primary School stands was bought from his family."

Wang Shixiang's major achievement was his research on ancient furniture, and he had published several books on Ming and Qing furniture. Old Wei had chosen the right person to consult for buying furniture.

Wei Ming wanted to buy a larger, three-compound Sihe Academy. If his father could maintain this unlikely friendship with Old Wang, he'd never have trouble acquiring matching Ming and Qing furniture in the future.

After walking around the courtyard, Old Wei called over the little yellow dog and told Wei Ming to name it.

Wei Ming thought hard: "Since its fur is yellow, let's call it Ginkgo."

Though it was a male pup, the name was a bit feminine—but it couldn't protest. From then on, "Ginkgo" became its name.

Little Red smiled and patted the dog's head: "Ginkgo, be good. In a few days, I'll bring Jingzhang to play with you."

November 30, lunar October 23, Sunday—auspicious for meeting friends, weddings, and opening businesses.

Since Xu's family had few people in Beijing, Wei Hong invited her dorm mates. Early in the morning, before dawn, before the groom arrived to fetch her, several Peking University female students came over to celebrate.

This was due not only to Wei Hong's influence but also Wei Ming's reputation.

As the bride's family representative, Wei Ming quickly arranged Ping'an County specialty tofu pudding for the girls—made personally by Xu Shufen, salty, and utterly authentic.

In Ping'an County, tofu pudding was customary at weddings and funerals, though in Ya'an they ate noodles—both had been prepared.

Then Wei Anping arrived with his entire family, smiling and licking his lips: "I smelled the scent of home tofu pudding right at the gate!"

Old Wei laughed: "When you got married, it was my mother who made it. This time it's your sister-in-law—she's surpassed her."

Hearing Old Wei mention Grandma, Wei Ming thought of his grandfather in Hong Kong, unable to return home. He'd likely be able to go to Hong Kong next year.

Old Ghost had shown concern for Uncle Ping'an in his letters. When I get there, I'll ask him personally whether to tell Uncle Ping'an he's still alive—it feels wrong to keep hiding it.

He leaned over to Xi Zi and Le Le, putting his arms around their shoulders: "I've found you a job to earn some pocket money."

One was a child actor, the other a child singer—but neither had much money. At the mention, they perked up immediately.

The bridal bed needed a boy and girl to roll on it, symbolizing early birth of a noble heir.

Both kids were perfect in appearance and demeanor. Wei Ming had pre-arranged this task for them—they'd get two big red envelopes.

The Sihe Academy's front door was now locked from inside. Yunyun had changed into her wedding attire, and her auntie was styling her hair, eyes brimming with happy tears.

They had taken wedding photos in wedding dresses, but on the actual wedding day, she switched to more traditional attire—since Mei Wenhua would ride his motorcycle through half of Beijing, it was best not to be too flashy in this city.

"Bang bang bang!"

Outside, the sound of firecrackers signaled the arrival of the bridal procession.

The female university students immediately excitedly rushed to the door to test the groom.

The girls confronting Mei Wenhua were all university students; on the other side, the scene was entirely different.

The women guarding Huang Jiaoyan's door were her teammates from the sports school and martial arts team—each one formidable.

Comrade Zhao Debiao was being forced to challenge them one by one with eighteen traditional weapons—they had actually brought the weapons and made Biaozi perform. If he didn't do well, they wouldn't let him take the bride, making Huang Jiaoyan inside anxious.

Fat Liang Zuo hid behind, stunned—Brother Biao must have married a tigress.

But when he saw Huang Jiaoyan in her red bridal attire, Liang Zuo—who had only felt slight envy at Biaozi's earnings—was now consumed by jealousy and hatred.

How the hell did Biaozi get such a beautiful bride?!

The occupancy rate of these two new apartment buildings at Tuanjiehu was still low, usually quiet—but today they were unusually lively.

Besides wedding decorations everywhere, a stage had been erected in front of the buildings, with tables and chairs arranged, a central aisle left open, the left side for the Zhao family, the right for the Mei family.

Both Biaozi and Xiao Mei's parents were present. Old Zhao had fully retired from the third line and was just waiting to become a grandfather next year.

The Mei family had more influence and more connections. The Zhao family refused to fall behind—Old Zhao invited many colleagues from his unit, and Biaozi's mother invited everyone from the clothing factory.

Everyone followed the signs to find their respective Zhao or Mei family tables and sat down.

After getting up from bed, Zhu Lin pulled back the curtain and glanced outside, feeling it was time for her to make an appearance.

As she stepped downstairs, she heard firecrackers—she'd heard them earlier before dawn, a signal that the bridal party had set out to fetch the bride; now it meant they'd returned. She didn't know who came back first, or whether Xiao Wei was among them.

Ah Long was guarding Tuanjie Lake; his contact was Gong Ying, but he spotted Zhu Lin first and quickly turned away, facing the opposite direction.

It was Biaozi who brought Yanzi back; Yanzi was eager to marry and interrupted Biaozi's performance, so she returned quickly, while the other side lagged behind.

Ah Long waited a while but still hadn't seen Mei Wenhua return; however, he spotted Gong Ying and hurried over to call out, "Second Sister," then guided her to the Zhao family's area.

"The Zhao family has few guests—you're a big star, so help liven up the scene," he explained.

Soon after, the second bride arrived; Long Xiaoyang, following Wei Ming's directions, quickly found Zhu Lin, who was looking around nervously, and led her to the Mei family's section to settle in.

"Sister Zhu Lin, we meet again—do you remember me? I'm raising quails back home now…" Xiaoyang chatted brightly with Zhu Lin to distract her.

Wei Ming immediately took the two children upstairs to the bridal chamber to roll on the bed and collect red envelopes, avoiding any contact with the two women.

While Zhu Lin and Gong Ying watched the unfamiliar faces around them in separate areas, a commotion suddenly erupted nearby.

Someone shouted: "Zhang Yu—Zhang Yu's here!"

(End of Chapter)