Chapter 8: Here to Fetch the Bride

At the doorstep, Sang Yu twisted her arm hard, and her eyes instantly reddened.
“Mom, it really hurts.”
Then, Sang Yu opened the door and burst into tears as she entered, calling out, “Aunt.”
Chen Jinlan was startled. “You brat, what are you yelling about?”
Seeing her empty hands, Chen Jinlan’s heart clenched. “You brat, what about the groceries you were supposed to buy?”
Sang Yu shrank back fearfully, then sobbed, “Aunt, as soon as I got to the market, someone stole the money. I... I searched everywhere but couldn’t find it.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinlan flew into a rage. “You brat! What are you good for, losing the money like that!”
She raised her hand to strike Sang Yu.
But Sang Yu refused to stand still; she dodged and knocked over things in the house.
Chen Jinlan’s anger only grew.
Song Zhenhua opened the study door and, seeing the scene in the living room, shouted angrily, “What’s going on?!”
Chen Jinlan pointed at Sang Yu. “This brat lost the money for the groceries. I bet she hid it herself!”
Song Zhenhua’s dark gaze fell on Sang Yu.
Sang Yu sobbed, “Aunt, it’s not true. I really lost it. I searched everywhere and couldn’t find it. I’m sorry.”
Seeing her timid expression, Song Zhenhua withdrew his gaze. “Fine, it’s just money lost for groceries. It’s not a lot. Just go buy more. Why make such a fuss at home?”
Chen Jinlan held back her anger, unable to say more.
In the end, Chen Jinlan went out herself, cursing Sang Yu all the way.
Sang Yu didn’t care and went back to her room to draw.
Although the other matter hadn’t been resolved yet, she still had to prepare her manuscript in advance.
These days, Song Jiajia went out every day, and every time she returned, her face bore a smile.
Her gaze toward Sang Yu was always tinged with schadenfreude and pride.
Sang Yu was too tired to argue. The wedding day was fast approaching.
She had to figure out how to make Song Zhenhua cough up the money that day.
—
In the blink of an eye, the wedding day arrived.
Originally, they were not supposed to marry on the same day; Song Jiajia and Lu Hao’s wedding was scheduled for later.
But Song Jiajia insisted on saving time by marrying on the same day.
Lu Hao naturally had no objections.
At first, Chen Jinlan disagreed because if Li Rumei found out her daughter was marrying such a man, she would surely mock her to death.
But Song Jiajia was adamant about marrying on the same day.

—

In her room, Sang Yu dressed herself up; after all, Song Zhenhua cared about appearances.
He had asked Chen Jinlan to prepare a red wedding dress and a red flower headpiece for her.
But Chen Jinlan was not going to make up Sang Yu,
and Sang Yu didn’t trust her anyway, so she did it herself.
She styled her hair into a loose bun and pinned two red flowers in it.
Then she changed into the dress.
People of this social class didn’t have wedding gowns; they wore red clothes.
The dress Chen Jinlan bought for Sang Yu was clearly made of the cheapest fabric.
Sang Yu wore a thin layer underneath before putting on the wedding dress.
Once ready, Sang Yu went out.
In the living room, she saw Song Jiajia also dressed up.
Compared to Sang Yu’s simplicity, Song Jiajia looked very grand.
A bright red long dress, carefully styled hair, and even more flowers pinned in her hair than Sang Yu had.
But her makeup was somewhat questionable.
When Song Jiajia saw Sang Yu, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes. Despite having been given the cheapest things,
why did Sang Yu look so elegant wearing them?
And that face—though bare, was beautiful, almost more radiant than the flowers.
For a moment, jealousy twisted her features.
Chen Jinlan saw Sang Yu too and snorted coldly. That seductress, she knew it all along!
Song Zhenhua came in from outside and frowned at the stark contrast between the two. He shot Chen Jinlan a glare.
Chen Jinlan turned her head, pretending not to care.
Song Zhenhua held back his anger; now was not the time to lose his temper.
“The groom is here to pick up the bride!”
A shout came from outside.
Cheers erupted.
The alleyway courtyard filled with onlookers eager to witness the event.
Jiang Jingming was the first to arrive, driving a Hongqi sedan.
Everyone looked at the car with curiosity and envy.
Li Rumei felt a bit jealous but then smiled for reasons unknown.
“Mom, are you laughing from anger?” a dark-skinned little girl standing next to her asked. She bore some resemblance to Li Rumei.
“You understand,” Li Rumei said, patting the girl’s head.
The girl covered her head, puzzled.
Jiang Jingming was accompanied by several men, all from the police station.
Among them, Lin Wen was the happiest, carrying wedding candies and red envelopes, handing out sweets even to passing dogs.
No choice, their captain was getting married, and they were all excited!
Jiang Jingming’s expression was not so cheerful.
“With such a good match, why do you think Jiajia rejected him?”
“Yeah, he’s so capable, look at that physique.”
“His aunt, what do you mean by capable?”
The aunt who spoke earlier replied nonchalantly, “What’s wrong with that? Don’t you like capable people?”
The younger ones blushed at her words.
“But seriously, this guy is great—handsome, a police officer, and drives a car. If it were me, I’d hold on tight. Why would anyone give that up?”
“Sigh, I’ve seen Jiajia running around these days, laughing so crazily proud.” Li Rumei remarked.
“Mom, that’s called being elated,” the little girl chimed in, earning another playful smack on the head.
“You just know too much.”
“I heard that the man Jiajia brought back was a temporary worker at the steel plant. I heard he only has two old folks at home and a sister. The job was originally his sister’s.”
“Oh, so useless? Then Jiajia must be crazy to reject a good one and go for that.”
“Who knows?”
As they spoke, Jiang Jingming arrived at Song Zhenhua’s house.
The front door was wide open.
Jiang Jingming and Lin Wen went inside together; the others waited outside.
The room was so small that even just Jiang Jingming’s presence made it nearly impossible to stand.
Today, Jiang Jingming wore a military green uniform, standing straight and imposing.
His youthful face, shiny black crew cut, strong brows knit tightly, and deep black eyes swirling with unspeakable emotion.
Seeing Jiang Jingming dressed this way, Song Jiajia felt a complex mix of emotions, just like in her past life.