The Li brothers quickly found Li Ying—it didn’t take much effort. They found her hiding at Xie Yuejin’s place.
Li Ying had a look of utter disbelief on her face. She’d been the first one from the family to be released. She’d only been taken in for questioning and let go soon after. She was young, had no savings or job, and there was no way to tie the family’s crimes to her. Plus, she was let out to take care of the kids.
Li Ying had taken care of her nieces and nephews until news came that the rest of the family had been released. Then, she quickly packed up and rushed off to find Xie Yuejin.
Xie Yuejin had some suspicions, but since Li Ying was so familiar with the town, she managed to fool him with ease.
She told him her family didn’t want her marrying him, looked down on him for being from the countryside, so she ran away to be with him.
She said she didn’t want anything—not a dowry or a banquet—just to marry him.
Xie Yuejin was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to go register their marriage.
When the Li brothers arrived, Li Ying’s first instinct was to deny knowing them. But Fourth Brother Li hit all her pressure points.
“You better think this through. You lied to Xie Yuejin, told him you were a formal worker. You think you won’t get exposed after you marry? You think you’ll be in the clear once the marriage is done? What if I go tip him off right now and tell him to check with the factory in town? He just has to ask the gate guard and he’ll know you don’t exist. Think your wedding will still happen?”
Li Ying’s face turned deathly pale.
The only reason Xie Yuejin had never suspected her was because she’d secretly taken her brother’s work clothes and badges, and had deliberately shown up after work dressed like a factory worker several times when she went to see him.
It was precisely because of this that Xie Yuejin never suspected her and never went to verify anything.
But things were different now.
Her brothers had lost their jobs, and news about the Li family was gradually spreading.
Lately, Li Ying had been terrified, afraid that every time she went out, she’d overhear someone talking about how a certain Li family in town tried to hoard food and ended up ruining their entire family’s employment.
Li Laosi kept pressing, “And as long as you do what I say, even if the two of you don’t get along after the marriage, you don’t need to be afraid of Xie Yuejin divorcing you. You’ve got four brothers. If Xie Yuejin tries to divorce you, we’ll go to his restaurant and make trouble. We’ll make sure he can’t stay on as head chef! What are you afraid of? Isn’t it a good thing to have people backing you up?”
With this mix of coaxing and threatening, it didn’t take long before Li Ying was persuaded.
That night, Li Ying told Xie Yuejin, “My mom sent my brothers to come find me. Yuejin, she’s finally given in. She says she doesn’t want any bride price, and you don’t have to hold a big wedding. We’ll just set ten tables at your restaurant. We won’t even do an engagement—let’s go straight to marriage. What do you think?”
Xie Yuejin thought… this was perfect!
Overjoyed, he looked at Li Ying with gratitude written all over his face. “Yingzi, you’re so good to me. I’ll make sure you never suffer any grievance.”
Li Ying: …
She shifted uncomfortably and said, “Mm, then you better remember what you just said. Don’t let me suffer, and don’t divorce me. You have to treat me well forever.”
Xie Yuejin, face full of determination, raised his hand to swear: “I, Xie Yuejin, swear I will never divorce Li Ying. I will always treat her well.”
Xie Yuejin felt he had really struck gold—marrying a town girl with a job, and he only had to spend 60 yuan on the banquet! Maybe not even 60! Wang Guodong even gave him a big ‘Great Unity’ (ten-yuan note) red envelope. That alone offset 10 yuan!
Soon, Xie Yuejin went to visit Li Ying’s home.
After the visit, he felt even more like he’d found treasure!
Li Ying’s house looked solid and spacious, a large brick structure with seven or eight rooms—enough to make anyone envious!
Though he didn’t meet Li Ying’s mother, her brothers and one sister-in-law were there with him. Xie Yuejin was very satisfied.
He gave the four traditional engagement gifts, formally went through the betrothal rites, and set the wedding date.
October 8th.
The Li brothers all agreed, and Li Ying also gave her consent.
Xie Yuejin had initially worried they might find the date too rushed, but he didn’t expect everything to go so smoothly.
He hurried to make arrangements and quickly finalized everything.
On the wedding day, October 8th, the restaurant was bustling with activity from early morning.
Li family’s relatives came in from the countryside and were still unaware of the family’s situation. The Li brothers deliberately kept things hidden, so people only found it strange that Li Laotai (the matriarch) wasn’t present.
Li Laoda had gotten so used to lying that he now did it without blinking. “My mom went to visit my aunt, but right after she got there, she fell ill. She even called us and said we had to get my sister’s wedding done quickly. Otherwise, if something happened to her, my sister’s marriage would have to be postponed to next year.”
The relatives all understood.
“Yeah, your mother’s health is really important. She’s getting on in years.”
“Better to marry earlier. Your sister’s fiancé looks like a good one. What if he runs off by next year?”
“This banquet’s really well done!”
“Right? The wedding pastries are delicious—way better than what we get from the co-op in our area!”
“Why bother with pastries? There’ll be meat dishes soon! I heard the groom works at the restaurant. Isn’t that him on stage? I heard he’s the boss’s right-hand man!”
“Wow, Yingzi really found a good one. Keep a tight hold on him. Maybe he can help find a match for my Cuiya too. She’s about the right age…”
Wang Guodong straightened his collar. He had cleared his schedule today to host the wedding for Xie Yuejin. It wasn’t just to show face—it was to strengthen ties with Xie.
Xu Shuang had already passed the Level 2 chef’s certification, and even a fool could see he’d likely be promoted or transferred soon.
He was a golden phoenix, not someone who’d be satisfied working at the town’s state-run restaurant.
So Wang was even more determined to bind himself to Xie Yuejin.
If Xie could pass the Level 3 certification next year, Wang could guarantee he’d be promoted to head chef.
Then the two of them could work a few more years and enjoy a lifetime of stability.
Wang stood behind the counter and gave a few formal words.
The guests applauded.
Xie Yuejin also felt very proud.
He raised his glass and said, “Thank you all for coming to my wedding banquet. Today, I solemnly promise to Comrade Li Ying that in the days ahead, I will treat you well, never wrong you. We will improve together, strive together. In the future…”
Xie Yuejin suddenly choked up.
There was a commotion from below.
“What’s going on? Wasn’t he speaking just fine?”
“Yeah, why’d he stop?”
Xie Yuejin stared in shock toward the door.
At that moment, standing at the entrance was a ragged couple, flanked by a string of thin, bony children of various ages. Every one of them looked emaciated.
The couple’s eyes glowed brightly, and even from afar, their bodies gave off a foul stench.
Xie Yuejin was frozen in place.
The woman in the middle suddenly burst into tears and shouted at him, “Yuejin, I finally found you!”
“You’ve been gone so long. Why haven’t you come home? Your dad and I have been thinking about you all this time!”
