"Congratulations, Jun! Congratulations, Ai!"
Mrs. Quan, the head librarian, hugged the two as they stepped down the altar. The couple grinned and hugged back into her warm, kind embrace. She was the first guest for the wedding who Jun and Ai personally invited. Not a guest but like a family member to them.
It was her library and her continuous and kind support which led them to meet in this life and eventually find love in each other.
"Thank you, Mrs. Quan!"
"You look so beautiful together," she nodded in appreciation. "I remember the days you used to bicker and banter."
"We do that now too," Ai chuckled.
"And that's a very good and healthy thing in any relationship. I am so proud of you two," her lips curled with warmth.
Their hearts melted with her tender smile, and they hugged her again. Jun said, "Let me introduce you to our families."
Ai beamed. "Yes, yes. Mom and Dad will be excited to meet you too."
They proceeded to meet the Liu and Zhou families that emerged a string of joy and laughter in the air. Jinhai and Nana especially appreciated Mrs. Quan's presence at a point in Jun's life when he was alone and lost. When he was away from the family and had no one to lean on. It was the warm library that had given him his sanctuary. As his parents, they couldn't be more thankful to her.
The couple then finally approached Great-grandma Liu, who was observing the ceremony, seated from her wheelchair. She narrowed her eyes at them and harrumphed. "So you remember to come to meet me? You don't have to."
Jun took a turn and standing on the back of the wheelchair, he bent down to hug her. "How can we forget you, Grandma?"
"Yes, yes, now no need to use that buttery tongue on me," she looked away.
Ai stepped to her side and asked, "Grandma, grandma, how do I look?"
She even twirled to show her full wedding dress.
"Stop right there! Do you want to trip and fall?" Great-grandma Liu gasped in horror and stopped her. "Take better care of yourself! You are going to become a mother now!"
She then mumbled. "You young people just don't know the dos and don'ts of being a pregnant woman…"
Her ears perked, and she asked, "Then will you teach me, Grandma? I am a novice. I need your guidance."
She glared at her but voiced down her tone. "Are you trying to butter me up too?"
"Of course not!" Ai gravely shook her head. "Why will I butter you up? We butter up people who don't like us."
Ai gasped. "You are just like Jin! Or maybe I should say Jin is just like you! He keeps saying the same thing, but he secretly likes his naturally lovable and warm sister-in-law. I now see how he became a tsundere!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fıre·net
Great-grandma threw another glare at her and decided to wheel herself away to Leina's side. "Don't you talk to me again!"
Jun's brow twitched as she left. He coughed and patted her cheek. "She will warm up to you in no time. She never liked Grandma and Mom either but look now. She cannot live without her daughter-in-laws."
"I know," she chuckled. "She is hard to please, but I know she will eventually like me. It's hard to resist the cute me," she innocently blinked.
He snorted and kissed her temple. "Stay away from the twins I tell you."
A while later as the congratulatory wishes and gift giving was done and dusted with, Nian took it upon himself to become the emcee of the event. Taking the mic, he cleared his throat and his voice echoed through the speakers.
"*Ahem!* Look at me! Everybody, look at me!" He waved his hand at the audience, putting all his hyperactive energy behind it. "First of all, a hearty congratulations to my dearest brothers! You have officially become wife slaves for the rest of your lives!"
Everybody laughed and clapped hard.
The shine on Leina and Ai's faces was unmistakable. Ai poked her husband's arm, sheepishly grinning. "Wife slave. You will do as I say. So you won't scold me for calling you cute."
He immediately glared at her.
"You won't glare at me either, hehe."
Jian's nose grew longer in pride. "I was already a girlfriend slave, so now I have been promoted to a wife slave. It's a promotion!"
Xu Liang, Leina's ever so doting father, pointed his trembling finger at him as tears poured out of his eyes. "Shut up or I will demote you to a divorcee!"
"Liang!" Ah Cy smacked hard on his head.
Nian ignored that banter and grinned. "Now that both the weddings are done, it's time for you four to step aside and let us bachelors take the spotlight! Hah, that's right! It's time for the one and only bouquet and garter toss! And Xing Bi and I will be the first ones to catch hold of them. Ahahahahaha! We will be the ones to get married next!" He laughed with an evil and villainous ring to it.
Xing Bi felt like she had no face left to show, and she buried her flushed face in her palms.
What is this idiot saying!
Liu Hai, who was munching on some meatballs, sneered at him. "Are you sure she would wanna marry my idiot grandson unless you do some black magic on her?"
"What the hell do you mean, stupid old man!"
"Talk with respect to your grandfather, stupid grandson!"
"Don't you curse my beautiful love life then!"
"I was just stating the truth!"
"Well Grandma tolerated you for all these years so I am sure I will be fine too!"
Liu Hai almost grabbed his shoe to throw at him. "We were always very lovey-dovey, you blind buffoon!"
"Enough!" Nana placed her hands on her waist and glared at them. "One more snarky argument and I am ending the celebration right here, okay?"
"Grandpa started it, Mom!" Nian cried.
He coughed. "I will continue eating my meatballs."
Nian harrumphed and went back to his emcee mode with a sparkling gaze. "So let's start with the tosses shall we!"