Chapter 645: Marriage Proposal

Once the photoshoot was over and Su Li could finally relax, she felt a wave of exhaustion.

She was drained, both mentally and physically.

Su Li slept especially soundly that night, too tired to even think about Tang Mo when she got back.

Just as Wu Qihua had said, they had taken several hundred pictures that day.

That was no exaggeration.

And since they weren’t using a digital camera where you could pick, choose, and delete as you go, every shot taken on the film rolls counted.

Because they wouldn’t know how the photos turned out, they had to develop all of them first, then pick the good ones to make extra copies. With such a big order, the shop owner promised to have them developed as soon as possible.

As soon as the photos were developed, Su Li went to see them right away and was quite pleased with the results.

Aside from a few shots where someone had blinked or something else went wrong, the rest of the photos turned out exceptionally well.

Even the funny ones with closed eyes had their own unique charm.

Su Li was very satisfied, and the owner, beaming with delight, was also extremely pleased. He even asked for Su Li and Wu Sheng’s permission to use some of them as display samples to hang outside his shop.

That… Su Li couldn’t agree to that.

Besides feeling a bit embarrassed, she had many other things to consider.

After all, she was a public figure now. In a later era, this would be considered an endorsement, and she couldn’t just do it casually.

In the end, Su Li declined and took all the negatives with her.

The owner was disappointed but not angry. He was filled with motivation. ‘I can start offering this kind of service regularly! If I start before any other shops get the idea, my business will definitely be better than the competition!’

People’s lives were getting better and better, and with extra money in their pockets, they were seeking more out of life. You only get married once, so there were plenty of people willing to spend a little extra for more photos. He wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of business.

While the owner prepared to go all out and expand his business, Su Li, for her part, was overjoyed.

She selected the photos, had an album made, and finally presented the exquisite photo album to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng was exceptionally pleased with his birthday gift.

After Wu Sheng’s birthday came New Year’s Day. A new year was about to begin, and their wedding day was drawing even closer.

On New Year’s Day, Wu Sheng said he had to go on a business trip. He assured Su Li it wasn’t dangerous, just some matters to attend to, and told her not to worry.

Since it wasn’t a dangerous mission, Su Li wasn’t worried. Wu Sheng didn’t say where he was going, which meant it wasn’t convenient for him to say.

Su Li never expected, could not have even imagined, that Wu Sheng’s trip wasn’t for some other business, but to Su Family Village.

Her family’s home.

Wu Sheng had gone to the Su Family home to find Miao Fenghua… to formally propose marriage.

And he hadn’t gone alone; Wu Qihua went with him.

Su Li and Wu Qihua didn’t talk every day, so when Wu Qihua left without saying anything, Su Li remained unaware.

Marriage is a major life event, but it is also a major family event. Under normal circumstances, the family and parents must be involved. A proper, formal marriage means ensuring everyone knows about the union, making it legitimate and perfectly justifiable.

The traditions surrounding marriage are the cultural essence of Huaguo, honed over thousands of years. They are a precious heritage of a great culture, the foundation for a happy life, and the basis upon which two unfamiliar families become relatives. This holds true regardless of the era or the family involved.

The groom’s parents, along with a matchmaker, visiting the bride’s home to propose according to custom is a tradition passed down for millennia. It cannot be broken and is also a sign of respect for the woman’s family.

If a couple were to marry without a formal proposal, without any of the customary steps, outsiders who didn’t know the situation would assume the girl wasn’t valued. Her in-laws wouldn’t respect her either, because she was obtained cheaply and casually—the difference between a common stone and precious jade.

If you truly cherish a woman, you would never do such a thing.

Everyone who knew them was aware of how much Wu Sheng and Wu Qihua cherished and adored Su Li. But outsiders didn’t know. The Su Family, the people from her village, didn’t know. Miao Fenghua didn’t know.

If they didn’t come, there was no telling what sort of vicious gossip would spread through Su Family Village.

Although Wu Sheng and Wu Qihua might never hear the nasty things people said and could simply ignore it all, Wu Sheng couldn’t bring himself to do that.

Therefore, even though Su Li had long given up on Miao Fenghua and the others, never expecting their blessing and preferring to ignore them as much as possible—and had certainly never mentioned wanting Wu Sheng to formally propose—he and Wu Qihua went anyway.

It wasn’t for anyone else. It was for Su Li.

Wu Sheng wanted to give Su Li the very best, so without telling her, he came to do what he felt he had to do.

Wu Sheng knew what scoundrels Miao Fenghua and Su Dan were and how they had treated Su Li. He knew better than anyone that they didn’t deserve to be her family. So, while he went to propose, he did not do so with the utmost sincerity one would normally show.

If he had shown the utmost sincerity by offering many fine things and a large betrothal gift, there was no telling how frantically Miao Fenghua and her husband would try to latch onto them, which would only make things worse.

Wu Sheng was not one to act blindly. After arriving in Fengcheng County, he first made some inquiries to understand the local customs, as well as those specific to Su Family Village.

Then, he proceeded to their home, following the most common local customs to the letter.

He also brought along a special matchmaker: Fang Luo.

Normally, choosing a matchmaker involved certain considerations. They had to be silver-tongued, a prominent local figure to give the groom’s side face, or a mutual acquaintance of both families to make negotiating minor details easier.

Of course, Fang Luo wasn’t a professional matchmaker, nor was he particularly silver-tongued. But he was a prominent local figure. Naturally, there were many other prominent people who would have been happy to act as a matchmaker, yet in the end, Fang Luo was the one they invited.

This was because of Fang Luo’s special status: he was someone both parties were very familiar with.

Well, perhaps Miao Fenghua and her family had no desire to be familiar with Fang Luo at all.

But the twists of fate in this world are a funny thing; you don’t always get to choose who you’re familiar with.

As Fang Luo was someone Miao Fenghua and Su Dan feared to their very bones, Wu Sheng felt his presence at this proposal was essential.

He needed some intimidation factor for this proposal.

Previously, Miao Fenghua had managed to extort support payments from Su Li, but that plan quickly backfired. Her lingering resentment had ultimately been suppressed by Fang Luo.

The sight of Fang Luo made Miao Fenghua and Su Dan grit their teeth and tremble.

And so, on this day, Fang Luo arrived at their home to make a marriage proposal, leading a group of people and setting off firecrackers.

When Miao Fenghua saw that Fang Luo was the matchmaker, she was so furious she could have spit blood.

“You… you…” Miao Fenghua’s face turned a deep, blotchy red, but she couldn’t manage to get a single word out.

Su Dan hid behind Miao Fenghua, his shifty eyes darting between Fang Luo and Wu Sheng.

Su Dan would never forget what a tough man Wu Sheng was; after all, he’d been taught a lesson by him before. He never imagined Wu Sheng would actually want to marry Su Li, let alone have the gall to show up at their door to propose!

Wu Sheng, Wu Qihua, and Fang Luo stood side-by-side at the entrance. They waited until the commotion had drawn a crowd of onlookers from Su Family Village, then Wu Sheng bowed slightly, smiled, and spoke politely.

“Ma’am, hello. I am Wu Sheng. I have come to formally propose marriage and ask for Su Li’s hand.”