Extra 5
At the end of the year, Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye both returned to Ningcheng.
Originally, they thought getting married was a simple matter of just taking their ID cards and household registration documents to register. However, when they actually started the process, they realized that marriage was quite complicated.
On this day, the Jiang family of three and the Duan mother and son went to a restaurant to have a meal.
The meal was secondary; the main purpose was to go through the motions and discuss the wedding matters.
These trivial matters had already been discussed by both Mother Jiang and Duan Ye’s Mom once before, so this time was more of a summary.
Even so, when Jiang Yumo listened, her scalp tingled.
“First, we need to have a formal engagement. I’ve already informed the relatives,” Mother Jiang calculated for a moment. “It’s not too many families. Following the tradition, we’ll just bring two bottles of wine and a pack of cigarettes.”
“Wouldn’t that be too ordinary?” Wu Meiyun hesitated and said, “How about adding a box of milk? It would look nice when presented, and milk isn’t expensive.”
Mother Jiang considered it and quickly calculated the cost in her mind. Within an acceptable range, she nodded.
She knew that Duan Ye was earning a lot now, and his real estate business was thriving, but she still felt that it was safer to hold onto more assets.
She had just this one daughter, so of course, she needed to plan for her own child.
“Later, we’ll count how many tables of guests we’ll have, how many relatives are coming from out of town, and how many rooms we need to book…”
Jiang Yumo’s mind went blank as she listened.
She decisively closed her ears and sat in the corner booth, playing with her phone.
After all, this kind of thing wasn’t her concern.
Duan Ye entered and saw Jiang Yumo looking extremely disheartened. He quietly sat down beside her and asked, “What’s wrong? Did Mom scold you again?”
Since receiving their marriage certificate, Duan Ye had quickly changed his way of addressing people, now calling Jiang Yumo’s parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ along with her.
If it were someone else making Jiang Yumo feel this way, Duan Ye might have a way to handle it.
However, the ones who usually made Jiang Yumo feel like this was his mother-in-law. To be honest, Duan Ye was quite afraid of his mother-in-law, and he had no way to deal with her at all.
Jiang Yumo shook her head pitifully and said, “No, it’s just that they were discussing marriage, and I find it so bothersome.”
Arranged meetings, wedding banquets, wedding ceremonies, toasts…
So! Much! Trouble!!
Duan Ye chuckled. Taking advantage of the three elders not looking, he gently pinched her cheek and whispered to comfort her, “Just bear with it.”
It’s just this one time.
According to the young people’s ideas, destination weddings were currently in vogue. No inviting guests, no elaborate feasts—just the two of them going on a trip together.
When Jiang Yumo tentatively brought this up, she almost got scolded by her parents.
Mother Jiang sneered, “You’re thinking too beautifully!! If you haven’t managed a household, you wouldn’t understand the expenses of daily life. Do you know how much your father and I have spent all these years? We’re counting on this event to make up for it!”
…
Jiang Yumo nodded weakly and helplessly, “Okay.”
Seeing her looking so adorable, Duan Ye really wanted to kiss her, but with the elders present, he didn’t dare to be presumptuous. He lightly brushed his fingertip against the corner of her lips.
The two sat in the corner, while the three elders, or more accurately, throughout the entire process, only Mother Jiang and Wu Meiyun were discussing. The two mothers were particularly invested in this matter, having already made plans to go to the provincial capital to order matching qipaos.
Jiang Yumo pinched her fingers and calculated, “According to my calculations, this dinner party is probably going to last for over an hour.”
Bored, she leaned on Duan Ye’s shoulder and vented in her best friends group chat : [You can’t imagine how complicated the steps of marriage are!! We haven’t even started, and I’m already exhausted!]
Yan Qing replied instantly : [Come on, new bride, don’t show off. You guys are smoother than Dove chocolates already, do you know that? Many couples break up before they get married. Don’t even talk about getting married; they often end up as enemies. My cousin is an example. They even went abroad for wedding photos, but in the end, they split up without finalizing anything.]
Jiang Yumo : [That’s good news! You should be happy for your cousin; she didn’t jump into a pit.]
As they were chatting, suddenly a word entered Jiang Yumo’s ears—’child.’
She suddenly raised her head, and Duan Ye was also surprised. The two people sitting in the corner simultaneously looked at their three elders.
They had no idea when the conversation had shifted to the topic of a child.
This was too startling.
Mother Jiang smiled and said, “The house in the provincial capital can also be prepared for renovation. I heard that there is quite severe smog in Yanjing during autumn and winter. At that time, we can have them send the child back here for a few months. If necessary, we can go over to take care of them ourselves. I don’t mean to think badly of anyone, but it’s hard to know someone’s true intentions. When it comes to our own children, it’s best to have someone keeping an eye on things, even if we hire a nanny.”
Jiang Yumo : “?”
She was dumbfounded and looked at Duan Ye.
Duan Ye : “…”
The way they said it made it sound like the young couple were already going to be soon-to-be parents.
In reality, the two of them had discussed this topic before and wanted to enjoy a few more years of their own world. Duan Ye didn’t want her to go through too much trouble. His career was currently on the rise, and he often had to go on business trips for up to ten days a month. Could he be so selfish in this situation? She was the same; she had only been working for a little over two years. Although the treatment and stability in the dance troupe were good, she clearly wanted to develop further. Naturally, they would only consider having children when the time was right.
This was terrifying!
Jiang Yumo dragged Duan Ye away on the pretext of going shopping.
In Ningcheng, winter remained just as cold.
When they came out, they happened to see a young couple, students, walking hand in hand.
Sometimes in the morning, when she brushed her teeth with Duan Ye at the sink, she would have this realization that it seemed like they had really passed the age of eighteen.
But in this world, there will always be someone who is eighteen.
He still had the same crew cut, and his features were the same, but his temperament had become much milder.
Specifically, when they went out, some people dared to ask him for directions, and others handed him flyers.
And she had also shed the naivety of eighteen; she could now apply very delicate makeup. Whether it was her figure, facial features, or her aura, they were gradually becoming closer to that girl in the red dress she had dreamed of when she was seventeen.
It was really nice.
Jiang Yumo’s hand was held by Duan Ye and placed in the coat pocket.
His palm was warm and dry.
“Where are we going?” Jiang Yumo asked him, turning her head slightly.
Duan Ye replied, “Anywhere.”
The two walked along the street, and Jiang Yumo occasionally looked up at the night sky, reminiscing about that year when she was seventeen. At that time, although her Mom didn’t explicitly oppose it, her Mom didn’t seem to support her relationship with Duan Ye either, thinking they wouldn’t end up getting married. Now, the two of them had achieved that, and her Mom also referred to Duan Ye as ‘my son-in-law.’
“We’re really amazing,” Jiang Yumo exclaimed.
They had actually gotten married!
They had actually achieved it.
Duan Ye seemed to know what she was talking about and also looked up at the night sky.
He remembered his younger self, who used to anxiously calculate on scrap paper during evening self-study, worrying about not being able to give the girl he liked a happy future.
In recent years, he has also encountered some people who would ask him, “How have you persevered for so long?”
To this question, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
It seemed to have become an instinct, as if on that evening by the riverbank, God had set a program within him, one that only looked at her.
He never thought about looking at anyone else.
In the world, there was only one Jiang Yumo.
As they continued walking, they arrived at a convenience store, and Jiang Yumo was pleasantly surprised to find Häagen-Dazs in the freezer.
In the summer when they were seventeen, Duan Ye had searched the entire city of Ningcheng and couldn’t find it.
“Actually, I forgot to tell you back then,” Jiang Yumo took a bite of ice cream, “I think this isn’t as good as pudding.”
Duan Ye nodded and kindly reminded her, “You can have two bites.”
Jiang Yumo : “? You’ve changed!”
He used to buy her a lot, but now he was limiting her.
Sure enough, men change after they get married!
Duan Ye sighed, “I have changed. I have an additional role now, I hope you can understand.”
What additional role is that?
Son-in-law.
Ever since Jiang Yumo had a period irregularity, Mother Jiang had been very concerned about it. Despite Jiang Yumo’s boldness, she turned into a helpless kitten in front of her Mom.
Jiang Yumo : “Hmph.”
Duan Ye could only turn his back, “I can temporarily go blind for ten seconds.”
Jiang Yumo poked his back, “Twenty seconds.”
Duan Ye : “Alright.”
As spring blossomed, Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye’s wedding proceeded as planned.
Jiang Yumo had four bridesmaids, including her three close friends and her Aunt’s niece.
Duan Ye also had four groomsmen, besides his three close friends, there was also Sun Mengting’s new boyfriend.
The wedding was very lively, and all four groomsmen were full of energy.
Zhou Ji was forced to drink a glass of vinegar, making a sour expression.
Zhao Zheng took the microphone and sang ‘Xi Yang Yang, Mei Yang Yang1,’ but others were stomping their feet because of the wrong lyrics and off-key singing!!
Guo Shichao, who had once been nicknamed ‘White Chicken,’ did dozens of push-ups, almost losing his life.
The wedding ceremonies were all similar, but many people in the audience were moved to tears. Jiang Yumo’s three best friends had to redo their makeup several times. Father Jiang didn’t hide his emotions, holding Duan Ye and crying and scolding, “I only have one child, one treasure like this. Xiao Duan, I was quite the fighter when I was young.”
“You two take care of each other,” Father Jiang choked out.
Mother Jiang cried until her eyes were swollen.
Finally, only Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye were left on the stage.
When the microphone came to Duan Ye, he was at a loss for words. Looking at the person in front of him, the girl he had liked for so many years had become his wife today.
Jiang Yumo pressed her lips together, watching him.
Electronic fireworks were still displayed on the big screen.
It seemed as if they were back to that year again.
The guests below patiently waited. Later, with a hoarse voice, Duan Ye began, “I will… live every day as if it were the end of the world.”
The guests thought they had misheard.
The end of the world??
Why did these words sound so eerie?
But Jiang Yumo understood Duan Ye’s meaning.
She was actually a bit embarrassed and shy. After all, standing on the stage and being looked at by so many people was awkward. But in this moment, she couldn’t care about that. She treated it as if there were only the two of them in the world, and she threw herself into his embrace.
Living every day as if it were the end of the world.
Yes.
On the day of the end of the world, he had said that he would love her for a very, very long time.
“They have a very romantic relationship.” The host came out appropriately; his hosting skills were outstanding. Although he didn’t know them, his eyes were red, and his acting skills could have easily taken him to the big screen. “I believe the bride also wants to share this happiness. Please, bridesmaids, come up and see which lucky girl will catch the bride’s bouquet.”
The bridesmaids exchanged glances.
Yan Qing cleared her throat, “I’m not really looking to get married right now.”
Sun Mengting added, “Me neither…”
They were enjoying their relationships but weren’t ready for marriage.
The other bridesmaid was still in college and had no plans for marriage either. The three of them looked at Ning Zhiyu simultaneously.
Ning Zhiyu smiled and waved her hand, “I’m the same.”
“Will this make Yumo feel embarrassed? How about we go up just to show our intentions?” one of them suggested.
Ning Zhiyu spoke softly, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to make it up there.”
“Huh?”
The four of them looked towards the stage.
Surprisingly, the four groomsmen rolled up their sleeves and went up, looking like they were ready for a showdown.
The host was also taken aback. “This?”
His hosting skills were impressive, and he quickly adjusted, raising his voice. “I’ve been in this business for years, and this is the first time I’ve seen groomsmen going for the bouquet. Alright, ladies, you have the power to veto. Is there any woman here who opposes?”
The women in the audience shouted, “No, we don’t object!!”
So, the four groomsmen on stage started warming up, as if they were about to turn this into a battlefield.
Jiang Yumo : “?”
Duan Ye lowered his voice and said in her ear, “Zhou Ji is the first one on the left. He said he’s bidding three hundred.”
Jiang Yumo replied disdainfully, “This bouquet is worth more than three hundred!”
This bouquet was very precious.
What kind of overbearing CEO was this!
She had never seen such an overbearing CEO before.
“Zhao Zheng said he’s bidding five hundred.”
Jiang Yumo : “Why are they bidding? Are we having an auction?”
Duan Ye chuckled and said, “One wants to get married, the other wants to get out of being single.”
“Then let them rely on their own abilities. Don’t go for all this cheating stuff.”
So…
The groomsmen on stage pulled out all the stops. When Jiang Yumo turned around and threw the bouquet, the guests below had an illusion that ‘maybe what was written in martial arts novels was real.’
They seemed to know martial arts, seemed to know acupuncture points, seemed to have the Nine Yin and White Bone Claws.
Now, there were no brothers or buddies. Zhou Ji wanted to kick Zhao Zheng away, and Guo Shichao, who had someone he liked, wanted to grab the bouquet and confess at night. He emphasized strategy. Sun Mengting’s boyfriend shouted, “Brother Zhao, Brother Zhou, be on guard against Brother Guo!” This prompted Zhou Ji and Zhao Zheng to react and hurriedly went on the defensive. Guo Shichao’s ‘when two dogs fight for a bone, a third runs away with it’ tactic failed…
Perhaps this was the hottest moment of the whole wedding!
Jiang Yumo laughed uncontrollably, leaning on Duan Ye’s chest, and the bridesmaids below let loose, starting to cheer and shout. The four competitors on stage were even more encouraged.
Amidst all this, Jiang Yumo thought :
We’re married!
rokumi’s note : the extra chapters are also over now~ next, there are six chapters about ‘Jiang Yumo’ of the original plot, and I’m going to post them all tomorrow~
- possibly a song from a Chinese cartoon “Happy Goat and Big Gray Wolf” ↩︎