Chapter 31: Holding a Wedding

On the road from the county town to the countryside, Guo Yanwen drove an electric tricycle, with her sister Guo Yanqiu sitting beside her, while Zhao Xiaoyang sat in the cargo bed.

Zhao Xiaoyang showed no displeasure on his face, smoking a cigarette, looking cool.

Behind the electric tricycle, a white Range Rover followed slowly.

"I thought I could ride in the car!"

Guo Yanqiu glanced at the car behind and said in a resentful tone.

Guo Yanwen laughed and said, "Didn't you see that Xiaoyang brother was kicked out? The couple just met, they need to whisper sweet nothings; us sitting in the car are just third wheels."

The brother and sister didn't know that in the car, Guo Yanru was introducing the family situation and various precautions for after arriving home.

Since they aren't really boyfriend and girlfriend, some things need to be communicated and guarded against in advance.

For example, sleeping at night is a big problem.

There are only three bedrooms in the house.

Guo Yanru's parents occupy one room, her younger brother Guo Yanwen another, and the third is Guo Yanqiu's.

Usually Guo Yanru works away and doesn't come back often; each time she returns, she shares a room with her sister.

Lin Feng thought it over and indeed it was not easy to arrange.

Should he, Guo Yanwen, and Zhao Xiaoyang squeeze into one room?

Three people can't fit.

Sharing a room with Guo Yanru… would be comfortable.

But where would Old Two Guo Yanqiu sleep?

"It's fine, just tidy up a woodshed for me to stay in."

Lin Feng said indifferently.

In his previous life, when he was drifting, he had even squatted under bridges.

Guo Yanru gave Lin Feng a sideways glance, "How could I let you stay in a woodshed! Now there are mosquitoes; otherwise you could sleep on a floor mat!"

"Why don't you guys fix up your house?" Lin Feng asked curiously.

Guo Yanru said, "Our family is poor! Things had improved a bit over the past two years, we had some money and were preparing to build a house, but then my father fell ill."

Lin Feng sighed, "Your parents are really not up to it!"

"Yeah!"

Guo Yanru nodded and said, "If I were placed in another family, I would have been pulled out of school long ago, dropped out to work, and then married a local man. If that had happened, I might already have a child in middle school."

Lin Feng chuckled, "If that were true, the world would have one less female enchantress."

When they first met, Guo Yanru's tactics had him so dazed he couldn't tell north from south, and he actually agreed to the outrageous demand of reducing his rent by a thousand yuan!

Guo Yanru recalled this, feeling a bit embarrassed, and laughed, "It's not because you're handsome! I just wanted to tease you, I didn't expect the little handsome guy to be so weak-willed."

Lin Feng laughed and said, "For a humble man like me to be bewitched by a female enchantress is truly a fortune across three lifetimes."

Over twenty kilometers, walking would take most of the day.

But by car it arrives in less than an hour.

Upon entering the village, Guo Yanru's house is very conspicuous.

Because among the row of houses distributed along the low hill, only one is a mud-wall, blue-tile house.

An elderly woman and an old man leaning on a cane were standing at the door.

Besides that, many neighboring aunties and uncles came out of curiosity, gathering in twos and threes to watch from afar.

Some were curious, but many more were jealous.

"The boyfriend of the Guo family's eldest is not bad—coming back in such a nice car!"

"This car must cost several hundred thousand!"

"Several hundred thousand? You don't know Range Rovers? They start at one million."

"Guo Yanru is good-looking, so it's normal for a wealthy person to take a liking to her."

"Guess how old her boyfriend is and what he looks like."

"No need to guess—he's probably thirty-four, short and chubby, maybe even balding."

"Even if he really looks like that, it's annoying—but he's rich."

"Heh! What boyfriend? He's just a big boss keeping her."

"No wonder we objected to setting her up on dates—turns out a big boss took a fancy to her."

Although they were a hundred meters away, these sounds still reached Lin Feng's ears.

Lin Feng glanced at Guo Yanru sitting in the passenger seat and suddenly understood her worries.

People's words are truly frightening!

Actually, the people saying these things are envious to death inside.

The car soon arrived at Guo Yanru's doorstep.

Although the house is dilapidated, the courtyard is spacious enough, and the car was easily parked.

"Auntie, Uncle, hello."

After getting out of the car, Lin Feng smiled and greeted the elderly couple.

Then he opened the car's trunk and took out the gifts he had bought.

The elderly couple smiled so wide their mouths couldn't close.

Besides the two bottles of Moutai, they didn't understand the value of the other gifts, but seeing how much there was made them very happy.

Finally, Lin Feng brought out two flat cardboard boxes.

"Second sister, third brother, these are the laptops I bought for you; you can use them in college."

Lin Feng handed them to Guo Yanqiu and Guo Yanwen.

Besides the red envelope, there's also a gift!

The two of them took it with surprised smiles.

"You two, aren't you going to start cooking!"

Guo Qingyuan looked at Old Two and Lao San, whose joy made them forget themselves, and chided.

In this place, when distinguished guests arrive, they must prepare sweet‑water poached eggs to entertain them.

Guo Yanqiu and Guo Yanwen quickly set down their laptops and rushed to the kitchen.

Lin Feng then introduced Zhao Xiaoyang to the old couple, saying, "This is the son of Aunt Wǒ Wáng, named Zhao Xiaoyang."

"Hello, uncle and aunt."

Zhao Xiaoyang greeted the two.

"Hello, hello!" the old couple quickly nodded.

The room was a bit dim, and with the fine weather, Guo Yanwen brought out a table and chairs, and then everyone greeted each other and sat down.

After the initial awkwardness, the atmosphere finally became relaxed and natural.

"Xiao Feng, how old are you this year?"

Qin Li looked at Lin Feng with a kindly expression and asked.

Lin Feng smiled and answered, "Aunt, I'm this year two; this is my ID card."

After speaking, Lin Feng took out his ID card and handed it to Qin Li.

Qin Li took it in her hand, glanced at Guo Qingyuan, and then immediately returned it to Lin Feng.

Guo Yanru was a bit surprised by Lin Feng's act of producing his ID card.

Lin Feng turned his head and winked at her.

Country folk are very straightforward; they say empty words, but they might not believe it.

Moreover, the ID card, besides name and birth date, also contains the household‑registration information.

That's a Yanjing household registration!

Qin Li asked about Lin Feng's parents again.

Lin Feng replied, "My parents are both gone; besides Zhao Xiaoyang's mother Aunt Wǒ Wáng, I have a little aunt, so I have no other relatives."

At this moment, voices came from outside the door.

Qin Li and her husband Guo Qingyuan exchanged a glance, then Qin Li rose immediately and invited the two middle‑aged women who had arrived outside to come in.

One of the middle‑aged women was Liu Yu; the other, surnamed Li and named Li Cui, was of the same generation as the old couple.

Lin Feng smiled and greeted the two.

After Liu Yu and Li Cui sat down, they showered Lin Feng with praise.

Guo Qingyuan and Qin Li were extremely delighted hearing the compliments.

Although Lin Feng was only 25, more than seven years younger than Guo Yanru, the old couple saw nothing wrong with it.

Their own daughter has a beautiful face and good figure; as long as she takes care of herself, married life should have no problems.

"Xiao Feng, where do you work, what do you do?"

The question came from Liu Yu.

Lin Feng smiled and said, "I work at my little aunt's company; here's my business card."

He then took a gold‑bordered card from his pocket and handed it to Qin Li.

The card printed Lin Feng's name and his position: xx International Media, Assistant to the General Manager.

A hint of astonishment flashed in Guo Yanru's beautiful eyes.

Lin Feng is just a rent collector; when did he become a corporate executive, and now he has a little aunt who runs a company?

Sure enough, he's well prepared!

"So you're a leader! Your annual income must be sizable, right?"

Liu Yu took the card, looked at it, and said with a smile.

"Not much, maybe just over a million!" Lin Feng replied lightly.

Liu Yu and Li Cui were very surprised; the first thought in their minds was disbelief.

But seeing the car parked nearby, they thought Lin Feng didn't seem to be bragging.

After roughly learning Lin Feng's background, the conversation finally shifted elsewhere.

Such as when to marry, have children, where to buy a house later, how current housing prices are, and so on.

Guo Yanqiu and Guo Yanwen finally finished cooking the sweet‑water poached eggs and brought out two bowls.

One bowl was for Lin Feng, the other for Zhao Xiaoyang.

Each bowl contained four poached eggs, symbolizing wealth in all four seasons.

These eggs from chickens they raised themselves, the glutinous‑rice wine they brewed, and the poached eggs they cooked exist only in Lin Feng's childhood memories.

Lin Feng and Zhao Xiaoyang finished them in a few bites.

After Guo Yanqiu cleared the bowls and chopsticks, everyone continued chatting idly.

At noon, after lunch, Lin Feng drove with Guo Yanru to the county town to purchase some meat and vegetables.

Now Guo Yanqiu finally sat in the car, enjoying the feel of riding in a luxury vehicle.

With Guo Yanqiu along, Lin Feng and Guo Yanru dared not discuss the "fake boyfriend" matter.

Instead, the two had to act a bit more intimate.

For example, while shopping, Guo Yanqiu linked her arm with Lin Feng's.

Lin Feng occasionally took the chance to wipe off oil, enjoying himself.

If the two seemed a little distant, Guo Yanqiu would notice something off.

Guo Yanru quietly told Lin Feng, Old Two has liked to inform on people since childhood.

Originally, she wanted to discuss this matter with her younger sister and brother.

But thinking that those two would easily show weakness in front of their parents, she could only keep it hidden together with them.

In the evening, the three of them finally returned home.

Zhao Xiaoyang was the most bored, squatting at the doorway and smoking for an entire afternoon.

He originally didn't like talking, but after being bombarded by the aunties all afternoon, he even had thoughts of suicide.

Seeing Lin Feng's car appear in his line of sight, Zhao Xiaoyang almost burst into tears.

After dinner, Qin Li went to arrange the rooms.

Guo Qingyuan kept Lin Feng and Guo Yanru behind, looking as if he had something to discuss.

"There's something I want to discuss with you."

Although Guo Qingyuan said the word "discuss", his gaze carried an unrefusable meaning.

"What's the matter, Dad?" Guo Yanru asked.

Guo Qingyuan frowned and said: "The 24th, the fourth day of the first lunar month, is a good day; you should hold your wedding then."

"Ah~"

Guo Yanru looked astonished.

Lin Feng also felt surprised.

Guo Qingyuan then said: "These past few days I feel my body getting more and more agitated; I fear I won't last much longer. Before I die, I want to see you two get married—just hold a wedding, without making you obtain a marriage certificate."

Having said that, he looked at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng hesitated, then nodded and said: "All right, Uncle, I have no objections."

For Lin Feng, as long as they didn't have to get a marriage certificate, it would be fine—just treat it as an act!

"This... this..."

Now Guo Yanru was at a loss.

"Xiao Feng has already agreed; what objections do you still have?"

Guo Qingyuan stared at Guo Yanru, frowning as he spoke.

His tone sounded somewhat stiff.

"Good... good!"

Faced with her father's stern gaze, thinking he had little time left, Guo Yanru felt sad yet nodded in agreement.

"Dad, tomorrow is the 20th; the time is rather rushed!"

Guo Yanru calculated the days, frowning as she spoke.

Guo Qingyuan calmly said: "Tomorrow I'll have Yan Qiu and Yan Wen go deliver the invitations, invite everyone who should be invited, and hold it at home."

Having said that, he struggled to stand up.

Lin Feng quickly stepped forward to support Guo Qingyuan.

Guo Qingyuan looked satisfied at Lin Feng and said: "Xiao Feng, you're a fine person; I feel at ease entrusting my daughter to you."