Chapter 185 - 171: Let’s Go Snatch the Bride Together

Chapter 185: Chapter 171: Let’s Go Snatch the Bride Together

Half past seven.

Chen Yuan and the others had just finished dinner. Tang Ying and Xu Juan hadn’t cleared the table yet, and Chen Yuan was about to share his thoughts with Chen Li about the research he’d done that day.

That’s when Zhou Jianming and Zhou Lin walked into the courtyard.

"Well, look at that — still eating, huh."

Zhou Jianming’s hearty laugh carried over before he even got close.

"Ha, still at it! You two eaten yet? Come join us."

The table hadn’t been cleared yet, so Chen Jun stood up to wave them over. It wasn’t like there wasn’t enough food left.

"We’re good, we’re good — don’t mind us, keep eating."

Zhou Jianming waved his hands quickly when he saw Chen Jun about to signal Tang Ying to fix them something.

"Alright then, we won’t stand on ceremony. Come sit down."

Tang Ying didn’t push it either — at this hour, they’d almost certainly eaten already.

She grabbed a couple of stools for the two of them, waved them over, then started clearing the table. Xu Juan and the others got up to help, and in no time the table was tidied up.

"Have a smoke, have a smoke."

Zhou Jianming came over and pulled out his pack, offering one to each person in turn.

Chen Yuan took one, then went with Chen Li to pour a few glasses of herbal tea and bring them to the table.

"Where’s your wife?"

Chen Yuan handed Zhou Lin a cold bottle of cola.

The older generation settled around the round table while the younger ones sat off to the side — it had always been that way growing up. The elders chatted among themselves, and the kids did their own thing.

"Sent her back to her parents’ place today. We’re going to fetch her tomorrow."

They weren’t married yet, after all — the bride was supposed to spend the night at her own home.

"How are the preparations coming along?"

Chen Yuan offered a bottle of cola to Chen Li. His older sister waved it off, so he twisted it open and took a sip himself.

"Pretty much sorted, but there are a few things we could use your help with. That’s why we came over — to talk it through."

Zhou Lin grinned sheepishly, looking a little embarrassed to be asking.

"Just say the word. It’s a wedding — how could we not help?"

Chen Li got along well with Zhou Lin.

So did Chen Yuan.

He still remembered trailing after Zhou Lin like a little shadow when they were kids, and all those funny memories of Zhou Lin standing up for him at school. Now that Zhou Lin had come to ask for help, there was no question — if they could help, they would.

And if it was hard, they’d find a way anyway.

"Ha, there’s actually quite a bit we need help with."

Zhou Jianming took over.

"Go right ahead, Uncle Zhou. We can all figure it out together."

Chen Yuan smiled warmly. Chen Jun felt the same way — both families could use the occasion to smooth over whatever small friction had built up between them over the years. There was no reason not to help.

Besides, a child’s wedding was no small thing. Who knew when they might need to turn to Zhou Jianming’s family for something down the line.

"When Lin came back and fished at Old Pond before it opened, he mentioned the parasols there were really something. We were hoping to borrow a few for the wedding day — do you have any to spare?"

Zhou Jianming got straight to it.

"No problem at all. I’ll see if I can put together a proper shelter too — make sure nobody’s dying of heat at the outdoor banquet."

Chen Yuan said with a grin.

Sitting outside for a banquet in the dead of summer was no joke.

But the parasols at Chen Yuan Fishing Ground were genuinely impressive — with their ability to keep things warm in winter and cool in summer, you could sit under them at high noon without breaking a sweat. Throw in some industrial fans and the whole setup would feel practically like being indoors.

"Ha, that’s more than we could ask for! Though honestly, the parasols alone would be enough — the wedding company is handling the rest of the venue setup."

They were hosting in the village to give everyone a festive time, but that didn’t mean skimping on the wedding services — especially since the bride’s family had their expectations, and those couldn’t be ignored.

"The other thing is the cooking. If the fishing ground can spare her, I’d love to have Xu Juan head up the kitchen for the eve-of-wedding dinner tomorrow night."

Wedding tradition around here wasn’t just about the ceremony-day feast. The groom’s family was expected to hold a pre-wedding dinner the night before, inviting close relatives and everyone who’d be helping out.

"Not a problem. Starting tomorrow evening, Aunt Juan will be in charge of Brother Lin’s wedding banquet. My aunt will stop by to help out whenever she can."

Chen Yuan thought it over and nodded.

During Old Pond’s opening event, the fishing ground’s meals were mostly boxed lunches with a few side dishes. Judging by how things had gone the past couple of days, his aunt and Liu Fang working together would be more than enough.

"Thank you, thank you. Come over for dinner tomorrow night, all of you."

Zhou Jianming thanked them repeatedly.

They’d talked about this beforehand, but Xu Juan was still a fishing ground employee — if Chen Yuan hadn’t been willing to let her go, there would’ve been nothing he could do.

"There’s one more small thing — since the wedding’s in the village, the bridal room will be here too. We were hoping Li could help decorate it. There just aren’t many young people around the village anymore."

Zhou Jianming glanced over at Chen Li.

"Sure, no problem. I’ll head over tonight and take a look."

Chen Li agreed without hesitation.

"There’s one more thing, and this one might be pushing it a bit."

Zhou Jianming actually looked a little embarrassed bringing it up.

"Go ahead, Uncle Zhou."

Chen Yuan pulled his chair up to the round table and casually passed a cigarette to each of the elders.

"We’re still a bit short on people for the wedding procession."

Zhou Jianming took the cigarette with a sheepish grin.

"Hold on — you still haven’t sorted out the procession party? You idiot, how did you let it get to this?"

Chen Jun gave him a good-natured scolding.

The older generation had a habit of giving each other ribbing nicknames. Zhou Jianming’s name included the character "建" (jiàn), which happened to sound like part of an unflattering phrase — calling him "lowlife" would’ve been too much, so they’d settled on something just as teasing but lighter in tone.

The procession was a serious matter. The fact that it still wasn’t sorted out the day before was really something.

"Most of it’s taken care of — his eldest uncle is coming back to lead the group."

Zhou Jianming quickly explained.

Zhou Jianming actually had two older sisters, both living in the city. Zhou Lin’s brothers-in-law were around, and either of them could easily lead the procession.

But there was a local custom against having the groom’s brothers-in-law lead the trip to the bride’s home — the word for "brother-in-law" in the local dialect sounded too close to the phrase for "let someone down," which was considered a bad omen.

So the only option was to find someone else in the family with a bit of standing.

"It’s just that the kid got married on short notice, and he didn’t pick a holiday or long weekend, so there aren’t many relatives his own age on our side. His school friends and other buddies can’t get away either. And the bride’s side? She’s already lined up six bridesmaids."