Chapter 410: Try Stealing One

(Combined into one)

"They're here, they're here—the wedding procession is back! Get ready to set off the firecrackers."

Yang Yumin, leading Li family's bridal escort, had just returned to Zhongguancun when Sun Xianjin, the lookout stationed at the street corner, sprinted all the way to the Yang household gate and directed several classmates from the Lone Army Literature Society to raise the prepped firecrackers.

Back then, firecrackers weren't laid out flat on the ground to explode randomly—they were tied to poles and carried around while being lit, crackling and popping as they moved, far more lively than just laying them down and letting them go "automatically."

So lighting firecrackers was a coveted job, and Sun Xianjin had only secured it by leveraging the Lone Army Literature Society's name.

Hearing the wedding procession had returned, the Yang household courtyard erupted in commotion; many rushed to the gate, among whom three people—a man, a man, and a woman—stood out sharply.

The two men were both around thirty, wearing ill-fitting suits and brand-new cloth shoes, embodying the distinctive style of the early 1980s.

Although suits of this era did have a "loose and baggy" look, since the Fenghua brand had emerged, fashionable suits were increasingly trending toward "fitted" cuts, making these two men's suits look awkward in every way.

The woman, by contrast, wore ordinary clothes, but she was now blocking the doorway, shifting left and right to prevent Yang Yujiao from stepping out.

"Go back inside. You're not even related—why are you coming out today? You'll make people laugh."

Yang Yujiao, by nature timid, was instantly reduced to tears and lost all courage after being scolded by this middle-aged woman.

Sun Xianjin knew Yang Yujiao; seeing her shrink back inside, wanting to come out but afraid to, he simply couldn't understand it.

It was his girlfriend Bian Jingjing, better at picking up gossip, who whispered to Sun Xianjin: "Those three seem off. Last night, after they arrived, they talked for a long time with Aunt Yang and Yang Yumin. When Aunt Yang came out, she'd clearly been crying."

"Here to cause trouble?"

Sun Xianjin, a man from Heilongjiang with a straightforward temper, immediately took a dislike to those three.

But Bian Jingjing quietly nudged her boyfriend and whispered: "Yang's boss is here today! We're outsiders—we can't act first. Let's wait and see how Yang Yumin handles it."

Sun Xianjin glanced at the three again and suddenly said: "They better not cause trouble—otherwise someone will show them what real trouble looks like."

Bian Jingjing nodded deeply in agreement.

After all, Li Ye, as the younger brother-in-law, was definitely coming to escort the bride—and he wasn't someone who'd take being slighted lying down.

Whoever made him uncomfortable, he'd make them twice as uncomfortable.

Yet despite Bian Jingjing's sharp instincts, she could never have guessed that today's trouble wouldn't fall to Li Ye—he wasn't even on the list.

"Pipipapa pipipapa"

Amid loud, dense firecracker blasts, a line of cars pulled up to the Yang household gate, drawing countless stares and eliciting a chorus of surprised "Ohs!"

"So many cars! This Yang family that just moved in must be important."

"Maybe the bride's got ability! I've often seen that new bride driving a small car over here—it's that Fenghua brand manager, the one always on TV."

"Whoa, so young and already a manager? That's not her ability—it's her father's."

"Say that again—you've got ability, wouldn't your son benefit? You probably don't even have any."

It wasn't surprising neighbors pointed and whispered—cars in 1984 were still rare, even in the capital.

If a family could borrow a car from a unit leader for a wedding, that was pure prestige.

But the Li family's bridal escort didn't have just one or two cars—it had many.

Leading the line, adorned with red flowers, was Jin Peng's brand-new car, followed by Pei Wenhui's BMW, several Santana models from Pengcheng Seventh Factory,

while the Volga recently assigned to Wang Qiang, the Lada Niva from Chen Donggou, and a Beijing 130 cargo truck were relegated to the rear.

The two men in suits licked their lips, eyeing the line of cars with intense envy.

One whispered: "Big brother, when will we ever get to ride in a car like this?"

The other replied confidently: "Today we will. I'll tell my sister-in-law—her new bride just arrived, she won't dare disrespect my face."

"But… I don't think our little brother even respects us."

"He dares? There's still an organization—he won't dare ignore us. I'll go to his unit and report him—he'll regret it."

The Yang household's firecrackers were long, and the fuses back then weren't quick—crackling for a long time before finally stopping.

When the firecrackers ended and the sulfur scent still hung in the air, the elder brother at the gate glanced at the woman beside him; she immediately dashed to the rear door of the lead car and reached for the handle.

"Come out, bride!"

But after pulling twice, the door wouldn't open—the window rolled down instead.

Little sister Li Ying blinked her big eyes, sweet and crisp: "Who are you? Stop pulling—it'll break, and we'll have to pay for it."

The woman froze, realizing that besides the bride Li Yue and groom Yang Yumin, the back seat held this annoying little girl.

"How could it break? Hehe, I'm Yumin's sister-in-law—I'm eager to welcome the bride. We're home now, can't miss the auspicious hour?"

"You're here to welcome the bride?" Li Ying tilted her head curiously, then suddenly pointed at Yang Yujiao inside the gate and shouted: "Yujiao! Come get your sister-in-law! Hiding back there like a ghost?"

Li Ying had only met Yang Yujiao once, during the families' first meeting, and their relationship had always been distant.

But after learning this morning that Yang Yumin and Yang Yujiao were related, that bond suddenly multiplied many times over.

Because Yang Yujiao's relationship to Yang Yumin was exactly Li Ying's relationship to Li Ye.

Not blood siblings, but closer than blood.

Trapped inside, Yang Yujiao, hearing Li Ying's call, instantly found courage, shoved past the two "big brothers" blocking the gate, and hurried to the wedding car, yanking the door open.

Yang Yumin's "sister-in-law" immediately dropped her smile.

She'd pulled twice and couldn't open the door—but Yang Yujiao, a sister across the wall, opened it with one tug—was this meant to humiliate her?

But before she could react, Li Ying from the back seat and Li Juan from the front passenger seat both stepped out, flanking the door and together pushing the "sister-in-law" aside.

Only then did Yang Yumin emerge from the car, gently helping his bride Li Yue out.

"Hey, look at this bride—I told you she's prettier than any movie star!"

"Whoa, what's up with her dress? But it's so beautiful."

"You don't know? This is the wedding dress trend from Hong Kong—Xiushuijie has a store importing them. It's our ancestors' tradition."

"Her dress isn't entirely ancestral tradition—I saw my aunt's wedding dress as a kid, and it was different. But hers took a ton of stitching—clearly expensive."

"Too bad—if only she had a red veil, it'd be just like a movie."

"Look who the groom is—he's from a unit! A red veil? This outfit's already bold enough."

"Bold or not? She only gets married once in her life—do you control what she wears? Are you going to make her wear foreign suits?"

A noisy buzz erupted at the gate—it was lively indeed.

But the two "big brothers" blocking the gate had grim faces.

The bride hadn't even stepped inside and was already acting so high-and-mighty—how could she ever respectfully serve her in-laws?

So when the three girls escorted the newlyweds toward the gate, the two men in suits and cloth shoes blocked their way.

"Ah, our little sister-in-law has finally arrived! Why didn't you let your sister-in-law help you out earlier? Hahaha, if you've got issues with her, tell me—I'll scold her when I get home. A woman, rebelling?"

"This is all old three's fault—getting married in secret, never telling family ahead of time. No wonder you're strangers. Let me introduce myself—I'm your second brother, this is your big brother, that's your big sister… and your big nephew."

In Huaxia wedding customs, there's always a tradition of playful obstruction—some places even have the custom of blocking the bride at the gate with laughter and teasing.

But usually, only the younger brother can block the gate, stubbornly demanding red envelopes from the new bride—big brothers blocking the gate is inappropriate.

Yang Yumin clenched his teeth, wanting to punch these two bastards right then and there.

He knew perfectly well—these blood brothers intended to force Li Yue to address them as "big brother" and "big sister" in front of everyone.

Yang Yumin understood clearly: everything has a beginning. If he accepted these "big brothers" today, more demands would follow.

His mother, Yang Huaihua, was usually a strong-willed woman, but today she was utterly lost—worse, he, a junior, was paralyzed by some damn moral pressure.

This moral pressure was so damn absurd—if rumors spread that someone had punched his own parents or siblings, wouldn't it affect how superiors viewed him? Absolutely impossible to avoid.

Yang Yumin suddenly felt an urge.

To hell with this job—I'll quit. I'll sell clothes with my wife instead.

But just then, Yang Yumin felt his arm tighten—Li Yue squeezed his arm, warning him not to act rashly.

Then Yang Yumin saw his youngest sister, Li Ying, head down, walking straight toward the gate.

But the two big men blocked the way—she bumped right into them.

"Aow!"

Li Ying burst into loud sobs, wailing: "What are you doing? Why won't you let us in? We have to make it on time for the wedding ceremony—why are you doing this?"

Though Li Ying's crying was all noise and no tears, it immediately threw the big brother and second brother off balance.

Li Ye, standing behind, was deeply surprised.

He was surprised because of his grandmother Wu Juying's insight.

Wu Juying had warned Li Juan and Li Ying ahead of time: if anyone blocked them, cry—but crying required skill! He hadn't expected little sister Li Ying to actually possess this "skill."

"Keh"

A steady cough came from behind the crowd.

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Li Zhongfa stepped forward, hands behind his back, face stern, pushing through the crowd.

"Gentlemen, the auspicious hour is nearly here—why not let us enter first? We've brought our daughter—surely you won't refuse her entry?"

"Old comrade, how could we refuse the bride entry? We're just following tradition… But who are you, sir? May we know your name?"

Li Zhongfa smiled faintly and pointed at Li Yue at the gate.

"She's my granddaughter. I'm her grandfather."

Hmm—Grandfather has arrived. How do you address me?

Of course—you call him Grandfather.

The big brother and second brother were stunned—it violated all norms.

Normally, in a bridal escort, there'd be no direct elder relatives of the bride—uncles and maternal uncles usually led.

But Li Kaibian had only one brother; Li Yue had no uncles. Fu Guiru had no brothers either, and her paternal uncle lived in Malaysia.

So today, the main male guests were originally supposed to be Uncle Zhao Yuanchao and Uncle Cui Zhi, with Li Dayong's father Li Zhanjun as the primary representative, while the women were to be led by Aunt Li Mingxiang.

But things changed, so Grandpa had to step in himself and "screen out" Uncle Cui Zhi.

The two older brothers, seeing Li Zhongfa, didn't know how to receive him—they could only cry out, "Grandpa!"

"Oh my, Grandpa, why did you come in person? Yumin didn't even notify us. We're terribly sorry for the poor reception!"

Yang Yumin's eldest brother could only force a smile to welcome Li Zhongfa, then was gently ushered into the courtyard by Zhao Yuanchao and Li Zhanjun who followed behind.

Completely powerless to resist!

Today, the Li family's whole strategy was "usurping the host's role."

Li Yue tugged Yang Yumin's arm and whispered, "Let's go! Today, say nothing. If you don't speak, you won't make a mistake—leave everything to Grandpa."

Yang Yumin's nose tingled with emotion, and he couldn't help saying, "Thank you—I owe you so much today."

Li Yue turned and gave Yang Yumin a look of disdain. "If you say stuff like that again, I won't even walk through the door!"

"Stop dawdling—you two! There are two elders inside! Hurry up and take me in so I can see what kind of skill they've got."

Li Ye pushed Yang Yumin from behind, finally shoving the two newcomers into the courtyard.

After entering the courtyard, Li Ye saw the guests clearly divided into two groups: one was Yang Yumin's classmates, the other naturally his colleagues and superiors.

As for Yang Yumin's biological older brother and second brother, they, along with two elderly people sitting in the main hall, formed the third group.

Those two elders had already moved chairs and sat motionless in the most prominent spot in the main hall, as if they were the hosts themselves, waiting for the newlyweds to pay their respects.

But after the eldest brother whispered a few words to them, they couldn't possibly remain seated—there was a generational gap! They were standing in the courtyard, while you sat inside the room—did you glue your butt to the chair?

The old man hurriedly rose and stepped out to meet Li Zhongfa. "Oh my, Grandpa of the girl, why did you trouble yourself to come? This is too much trouble for you."

Li Zhongfa smiled and said, "My daughter married far away—of course the family was uneasy. But today, Yumin told me something, and his father became even more anxious. His father's too soft-hearted—he can't bear to see his daughter marry—so he shoved me out here to see her off."

"What's there to worry about? Grandpa, rest assured—we're a good family. We'll never treat Li Yue poorly."

The old man patted his chest to guarantee it. Li Zhongfa nodded with a smile, said nothing more to them, and turned toward Yang Yumin's colleagues.

Li Zhongfa hadn't come today to deal with Yang Yumin's biological parents—those two weren't worth his trip.

Before Li Zhongfa even reached Yang Yumin's colleagues, they all stepped forward to greet him with cheerful smiles.

"Old comrade, you've worked hard! When did you arrive in the capital? How long was the train ride?"

After answering each question, Li Zhongfa turned to a man wearing glasses and asked, "Are you Director Yang?"

Director Yang looked slightly surprised. "How? Do you know me?"

I don't need to know you—I guessed who you were from how everyone treats you.

Within the system, there are unspoken rules—Li Zhongfa could instantly spot who the top person here was.

"Oh, just heard your name, never seen you," Li Zhongfa chuckled. "I read the papers every day—I saw Director Yang's article on the front page of the sixteenth of last month. Then I heard from Yumin and realized you were his superior!"

Director Yang smiled.

"Old sir, you read the papers daily—what's your line of work?"

"I'm just a small-town factory manager—the one who runs the Qingshuihe instant noodles factory."

As Li Zhongfa introduced himself to Director Yang, he pointed toward the gate.

At the gate, Li Dayong, Jin Peng, and others were carrying in boxes of instant noodles, stacking them high.

"It's a small rural unit—nothing fancy. Just happened our factory recently ran a market survey—we'd appreciate it if everyone here took a box home to try. Consider it wedding candy."

"Of course, if any flavor doesn't suit you, please tell us—if it helps us improve the product, we'll officially thank you."

"Qingshuihe instant noodles? Isn't that the one on TV ads?"

Director Yang suddenly understood. "I know this brand, but what's this market survey about?"

Director Yang was meticulous—even if it was called wedding candy, he still had to ask.

So Li Zhongfa explained how Qingshuihe instant noodles had undergone dozens of flavor adjustments before being officially launched, and would continue to refine taste based on customer feedback.

During this explanation, Director Yang learned Li Zhongfa was only half a rank below him. Though Director Yang's position as a full director carried higher prestige, Li Zhongfa had greater freedom—they could actually talk on the same level.

Within the system, there are unspoken rules—if Zhao Yuanchao had come instead, he'd probably just have exchanged a few pleasantries and left it at that.

"I wasn't supposed to come today, but the kid's young, gets flustered easily, and feared our family might look down on him."

Li Zhongfa sighed. "But how could we look down on him? Yumin's had a hard life—he's come this far against all odds. So I came myself—just to make sure their wedding goes smoothly."

Director Yang slowly nodded, smiling warmly. "Indeed, young Yang is a good kid. This morning he only told me a few vague things."

"I'm an outsider, don't know the full story, so I couldn't advise him. I was just worried—but now that you're here, I'm at ease."

"Alright then, Director Yang, please bear with us."

Li Zhongfa said no more, bowed slightly to Director Yang, then turned back toward Yang Yumin.

He'd made it clear: whatever happens next, it's Li Zhongfa's doing—please bear with it.

"Where's your mother? Why isn't she here?"

Li Zhongfa asked Yang Yumin in a low tone.

Yang Yumin pointed to the west wing. "Mom said she wouldn't come out today. I refused, so she cried. Just now, Li Ye and Aunt went in to persuade her—I don't know how it went."

As they spoke, Li Ye and Aunt Li Mingxiang emerged from the west wing and nodded to Li Zhongfa.

Then Li Ye went over and whispered to Li Huai and the Youth League cadre.

Both men paused, then nodded repeatedly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this wedding. All units now require simplicity, so we'll invite both families' elders to speak briefly, then proceed with the wedding rites."

As the bride's senior family representative, Li Zhongfa naturally spoke first.

"Parents raise children for over a decade—today, their duty is complete. The children's own paths lie ahead, but they must always be grateful for their parents' nurturing."

"There's a small twist today: the groom's biological parents have arrived unexpectedly to congratulate the couple."

"I, as the elder, will take the liberty to arrange this: biological parents give life, adoptive parents give nurture—neither can be omitted in the bowing ceremony."

Li Zhongfa called Yang Yumin and Li Yue over, then announced loudly: "Today is a joyous occasion, and some matters aren't particularly festive—but I must mention one thing."

"The groom's adoptive father died in the 1962 war—he never saw his son's wedding day. That's his regret. But these two children must never forget those who sacrificed for us."

"Mother-in-law, aren't you ready to come out?"

The door to the west wing opened. Yang Huaihua, eyes red, stepped out holding a colorful photo frame.

Inside the frame was a color photograph: a man in a green military uniform, vigorous and upright.

Yang Huaihua placed the frame gently on a chair in the main hall and sat down silently.

The two elderly people who had been seated there, reluctant to leave, suddenly froze—when they looked up, they were startled.

Every gaze turned toward them, cold and disapproving—as if saying: "Go ahead, try competing with the man in that green uniform."

"Try competing with the red star on his cap!"

"First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the elders."

The couple, eyes red, bowed deeply to Yang Huaihua, her eyes also red—completing today's most important ritual.

But those two elders suddenly didn't want to receive a second bow from them.

Impossible to match. Too humiliating.

And to bow after Yang Huaihua? What kind of thing was that?

(End of Chapter)

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