Chapter 116: Wedding Banquet

From taking their photos to obtaining their marriage certificate, the entire process took no more than thirty minutes.

Word of their union had already spread throughout the military district, and it happened that the woman in charge of processing marriage certificates was Tang Hui’s sister-in-law. Tang Hui had made arrangements in advance, so when Song Tingshen arrived with Zhong Xiao, all the paperwork was swiftly completed. As they worked, the staff couldn’t help but shower compliments.

“Commander Song, your wife is truly stunning—undoubtedly the district’s most beautiful woman. You’d better keep a close eye on her! Such a lovely comrade—tsk, tsk, tsk—I’ve only seen beauties like her in magazines before.”

Song Tingshen glanced at Zhong Xiao. Though he said nothing aloud, only Zhong Xiao could hear the voice in his heart.

[That’s right. From now on, I’ll have to keep an eye on every man who comes within ten miles of her.]

As they were leaving, a few staff members presented them with a small booklet as a token, wishing them an early and happy addition to their family.

Zhong Xiao had intended to open the booklet and see what was inside, but the moment she flipped it open, Song Tingshen stopped her. She looked up at him; he seemed a little embarrassed, averting his gaze as he said, “Let’s wait until we get home to look at it.”

Although Zhong Xiao didn’t know why Song Tingshen was being so mysterious, she didn’t dwell on it. She tucked the little booklet away, thanked the staff, and left with their marriage certificate in hand.

Two small red booklets, bearing their names and photographs, were stamped with an official seal that bound them tightly together. In that moment, there was a sense of fated beauty.

As they walked home, Song Tingshen’s mood was completely different from when they’d set out. Before, he had wanted everything to move faster—faster, to get the certificate as soon as possible. Now, he wished time would slow down, even stop. If only there were forty-eight hours in a day instead of twenty-four, he thought, he might be able to make up for the twenty-odd years he and Zhong Xiao had spent apart.

“Are you planning to hold a wedding banquet?” Zhong Xiao suddenly asked, breaking Song Tingshen’s pleasant daydreams.

She spoke up because she simply couldn’t stand the endless stream of rosy, romantic thoughts spilling from Song Tingshen’s heart. The contrast was overwhelming, so she quickly found a new topic.

Song Tingshen took the question seriously, turning to ask her, “What do you think? Would you feel uncomfortable with all those people?”

Zhong Xiao considered for a moment. “Either way is fine. If you’ve given out a lot of wedding gifts over the years, we could have a banquet and get some of it back.”

She was being practical. She didn’t care about banquets or ceremonies, or being the center of attention. What mattered was the chance to collect some money.

In all her years, she’d never received a wedding gift in her own right. Back when Du Huacheng liked to put on airs, all the banquets held at the Zhong family’s expense were free for the guests—no gifts allowed. All the invitees were relatives from the Du family or Yang Yuehe’s hometown, people Zhong Xiao didn’t know. The money spent was all from the Zhong family, just to boost Du Huacheng’s reputation.

But Song Tingshen misunderstood her meaning.

He thought Zhong Xiao was short on money.

After all, as far as he knew, Zhong Xiao had fled from Yuecheng to Taizhou Island. The Zhong family fortune had either been squandered by that man named Du or donated away. Zhong Xiao couldn’t have much left.

Judging by the luggage she brought to the Song household, it was clear she didn’t own much—just a few small to medium suitcases. Even if they were full of gold, it wouldn’t amount to much. But there was no gold at all. Song Tingshen hadn’t seen a single valuable piece of jewelry in her luggage.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached for her. Such a lovely, delicate woman—who knew how much hardship she’d endured all those years in Yuecheng, ending up all alone, with nothing to her name but a few suitcases, as pitiful as a stray kitten.

Without hesitation, Song Tingshen declared, “We’ll have a banquet. All the gifts we receive will be yours, your private savings. When we get home, I’ll give you all my savings and my future salary. You can spend it however you like—no need to keep accounts, no need to contribute to household expenses. Your only job is to spend the money.”