The old man showered District Chief Xie with thanks before finally walking over to us with a beaming smile. He headed straight for my grandfather and said cheerfully, "You must be the esteemed elder from the Shen family. I was just telling the old man this morning that we should head to the airport together to pick you up. But it was such unfortunate timing—when the district chief came to offer his gift, it wouldn't have been right if we weren't here. Sir, the wedding is tomorrow, and things are absolutely hectic. If we've neglected anything, I hope you'll forgive us."
My grandfather wasn't quite used to such warm enthusiasm, and he had something he couldn't quite wrap his head around. "Hold on a second. Why are you calling me 'Grandpa-in-law'? Aren't we of the same generation? There's no need for such formality."
At that, the old man's face flushed a little. He replied somewhat awkwardly, "Well… you're Shen Tian's grandfather, and I'm the father of Xie Mochou. Judging from the kids' relationship, I suppose calling you Grandpa-in-law isn't entirely off the mark."
That was when Sun Fatty perked up, looking the old man over with a twinkle in his eye, almost ready to give him a thumbs-up for still being so vigorous at his age. The old man seemed visibly uncomfortable but didn't lose his temper. Eventually, he explained, "I had my child quite late in life. I'm seventy-three this year, and my daughter just turned twenty. She's the apple of my eye, so I wanted to find a stay-at-home son-in-law to take care of her. All my assets will go to the young couple in the end."
My grandfather's expression, which had started to ease, darkened again at the words "stay-at-home son-in-law." I quickly changed the subject. "Where's the young couple? Why haven't they come out to say hello?"
The old man looked at me and pointed toward an unremarkable little island offshore. "They went over there to rehearse tomorrow's wedding ceremony."
"Island?" Sun Fatty and I echoed in unison.
This time, it wasn't the old man who replied. My second uncle interjected, "The wedding will be held on that island tomorrow. We'll be counting on you for support."
At the arrangement of the Xie family patriarch, we were also accommodated in his villa. Initially, a hotel had already been booked for us. But when he saw that our group included a blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigner, his view of us shifted. Later, upon learning that a bureau-level official from the capital was among us, he directly invited us to stay at his home.
My second uncle's in-law had rooms prepared for us. After settling our luggage, my grandfather gathered all the Shen family members in a guest room and let loose a furious tirade at my second uncle and aunt. His good-for-nothing grandson was becoming a live-in son-in-law? Back in our hometown, my grandfather was a respected figure. This whole thing had brought nothing but shame. At the peak of his rage, he nearly took off his shoe to beat my second uncle again, and only under the repeated persuasion of my father and third uncle did he finally calm down a little.
It was only then that I understood—the elders in our family hadn't known the full story of this marriage. Finally, my second uncle and aunt revealed the truth.
The name of their in-law was Xie Pang. He had fathered a daughter in his old age and named her Xie Mochou. Since she was a child, he had treated her like the very apple of his eye. Xie Mochou didn't make it into college after high school and ended up working a cushy job in one of her father's companies. Her main responsibility was to spend money across the country. Then, for better or worse, my younger brother showed up, and somehow, the spoiled heiress took a liking to him. My brother seemed to like her too, and before long, the two got together.
Once the passion died down, Xie Mochou found herself pregnant.
Xie Pang, ever attentive to his daughter's wellbeing, immediately noticed her unusual behavior. Realizing what had happened, he flew into a rage. But thinking for his daughter's future, he coaxed and tricked her into going to the hospital for an abortion. However, during the pre-op exam, the doctors discovered her physical condition was poor—if she went through with the procedure, she might never be able to have children again.
That's when Xie Pang started to panic. After some deliberation, he had someone investigate my brother's background and then sent people to find Shen Tian, requesting that he marry Xie Mochou. However, the condition was that he must join the Xie family as a live-in husband. He also got in touch with my second uncle.
At first, my second uncle was completely opposed to the idea. But then Xie Pang offered two conditions that made him reconsider.
First, if my brother agreed to marry into the family, the villa they were currently living in would be transferred to his name. Additionally, my second uncle and aunt would receive a fully furnished, two-hundred-square-meter apartment in one of the city's high-end neighborhoods—all expenses covered by Mr. Xie.
Second, if my brother and Xie Mochou had a son, the child would take the surname Xie. When the child was born, Mr. Xie would give my brother eight million yuan as a "reward for his hard work."
After discussing it, my second uncle and aunt agreed to the terms—and even started convincing my brother. "That old man Xie is already in his seventies. How many more years can he live? In the end, won't all of this still belong to you? As for the surname—who cares if the child's named Xie or Shen? It's your own flesh and blood either way. And when the old man's gone, just change the surname back to Shen. No big deal."
So the three of them hid everything from my grandfather and quietly arranged for my brother and Miss Xie to register their marriage.
When my grandfather found out what had really happened, he was immediately overcome with rage. He slapped my second uncle across the face on the spot. But that wasn't the end of it—Grandpa reached for a nearby vase, ready to carry out a righteous act of "eliminating kin for justice." Fortunately, my third uncle and my father were right beside him. The two of them held Grandpa back with all their strength, and I chimed in, pleading desperately. The rice was already cooked—there was no point in carrying out familial execution at this point. My mother kept throwing meaningful glances at my second uncle and aunt, who quickly caught on and bolted out the door. The rest of us spent quite a while calming Grandpa down. Even so, he firmly refused to attend the wedding. He told us to stay and said he was going to return to our hometown that very night.
At that moment, my younger brother and his wife finally came back. Once he learned that Grandpa had arrived, my brother was visibly rattled. In the end, it was only under the escort of Xiao Heshang that he dared to bring his wife to greet Grandpa. Out of regard for Xiao Heshang, and with a pregnant granddaughter-in-law sweetly calling out "Grandpa" again and again, even the greatest fury couldn't be vented on them. After my sister-in-law begged and pleaded, Grandpa finally softened and reluctantly agreed to stay until after the wedding.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, once everything was ready, we left the villa and were taken aboard a passenger boat heading straight to a small island out at sea. My brother had mentioned the main wedding venue the night before. The island had once been used by the Xie family for sea cucumber farming. A few years back, when tourism became popular, the Xie brothers developed the island, building a resort that integrated sea fishing, leisure, and entertainment. The hotel had been operating for a few years and gained a decent reputation not just locally but even across the three northeastern provinces. So, the family decided to host the wedding there.
Upon landing, we saw that Xie Pang and my second uncle had already arrived. Several passenger boats for guests were docked at the island's pier. An inflatable arch had been set up in front of the hotel, where Xie Pang and my second uncle were greeting guests. It was February, and the icy sea winds on the island chilled us to the bone despite our thick fur coats. When they saw Grandpa and the rest of us arriving, my second uncle and Xie Pang immediately came to greet us. My second uncle had clearly braced himself to come over, but it was Xie Pang who spoke first with a beaming smile, "Grandpa-in-law, you've come all this way yourself—later when Xiao Tian and Mochou offer you wine, you must not let them off easy." Grandpa exchanged a few polite words—after all, no one can strike a smiling face. Then, Mr. Xie spotted Sun Fatty in the crowd and said, "Director Sun, you'll be seated at the main table later. We're counting on your presence to lend the event some gravitas."
Xie Pang was over seventy but still had a shrewdness that radiated from his bones. He was the kind of man who could charm anyone. Sun Fatty just smiled and waved it off. "Oh, don't say that. The head table isn't for me. I'm only here to enjoy the meal. You must have already arranged the main seats long ago. It wouldn't be right to change it just for me." Sun Fatty was a born performer. In just a few lines, he captured the tone of a central official visiting the grassroots—friendly and approachable, yet subtly exuding superiority. That alone was enough to suppress Mr. Xie's momentum. After Sun Fatty politely but firmly insisted, Mr. Xie had no choice but to seat him at my grandfather's table on the groom's side.
Inside the hotel, someone from the wedding planning company came and pulled Hugo aside to go over the ceremony schedule. Speaking of Director Hugo, he had been sulking all night. When he met my sister-in-law yesterday, he had gifted her a handwritten Bible personally transcribed by a Cardinal. But it was only during their later conversations that he discovered the Xie family's eldest daughter was merely a self-proclaimed Christian fan. (The entire Xie family actually worshipped the Jade Emperor.) She didn't even know the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism. She had just watched a few TV dramas and thought that getting married in a church, with a priest acting on behalf of Jesus's father to offer blessings, was the height of romance. She even planned to send her future child to a temple and have Guanyin Bodhisattva serve as the child's godmother. Poor Hugo was beside himself with regret. He pestered me all night, asking me to help him retrieve the rare Bible he had given away.
Once everything was in place, the guests gradually made their way into the hotel. Just then, my second uncle quietly pulled me aside. He told me the groomsman my brother had originally arranged had come down with a severe case of diarrhea the night before—he'd spent the whole night in the bathroom and was now hospitalized due to dehydration. Since my brother didn't have any unmarried local friends around his age, he had no choice but to ask me to stand in as groomsman. Since my second uncle had made the request himself, I couldn't refuse. I told Grandpa and the others, then followed the wedding planner upstairs. After changing into the groomsman suit, the planner explained the ceremony flow, and I waited backstage with my brother and his bride for the wedding to begin.
Before long, we heard music from the hall, and the emcee officially announced the start of the ceremony. After the opening formalities, the host began introducing the attending dignitaries. First up was Sun Desheng, a bureau-level official from a central ministry. Then came the city's deputy mayor and heads of various banks and agencies. Nearing the end of the list, the host said, "We also have a distinguished guest who traveled all the way from Thailand to witness the union of the bride and groom—Mr. Hao Zhengyi!"
The moment I heard that name, I completely forgot about ceremony protocol. I stepped past the bride and groom and walked to the edge of the backstage area. Sure enough, the last person at the head table had just stood up, nodding and smiling toward the audience behind him. Who else could it be but Hao Zhengyi—the same man I had seen in Hong Kong just before the New Year? Across the hall, Xiao Heshang and Sun Fatty were both coldly watching this "Chinese expatriate from Thailand."
Why was Hao Zhengyi here? If you told me he was just here for the wedding banquet, I wouldn't believe it even if I were dead. Just then, the bride and groom were about to head out, and my brother coughed behind me. That snapped me back to my senses, and I stepped back to stand next to the bridesmaid. "Hey, you know that guy named Hao?" she asked. My mind was a mess, and I blurted out, "Only a bastard would know him." Realizing I'd said something inappropriate, I quickly added, "Anyone who knows him is a bastard." The bride and bridesmaid were already doubled over with laughter. I steadied myself and repeated with emphasis, "Who'd want to know that bastard?"
At that moment, the host loudly invited the bride and groom to make their entrance. I followed behind them with the bridesmaid. As we walked out, I deliberately glanced in Hao Zhengyi's direction—and sure enough, he looked right back at me. Our eyes met. He showed no sign of evasion; in fact, he even gave me a slight nod. I, feeling awkward, turned my gaze away—only to unintentionally land my eyes on another familiar face seated at a nearby table. Dressed all in black, it was none other than Crow, whom I had met not long ago.
Add in the presence of Xiao Heshang and Sun Fatty on our side—this was practically a northeastern edition of the Hong Kong trip.