"Still not enough?"
Meng Ge was dumbfounded. She had already stuffed in at least twenty red envelopes.
Matchmaker Sister Wang’s face darkened a few shades, and several black, centipede-like veins popped out on her forehead.
“This is your first time getting married, girl? This is just the beginning. Twenty’s not nearly enough. When I got married back in the day, I prepared five hundred.” A man in the hallway shouted out.
“Finally, it’s your woman's turn to feel what it’s like to be blocked at the door! Hahaha.”
“Festive, not tacky! Your sincerity is seriously lacking. Back when I got married, I had to answer questions too—not just give red envelopes!”
In an instant, a chorus of men in the hallway, clearly enjoying the show, began shouting. It was like a wave of long-awaited revenge. Compared to how the bride’s family used to torment them during weddings, this was nothing. Just peanuts.
The matchmaker, who had been on the verge of losing her temper, was now forced to slap on a smile so fake even she could hardly bear it. She pulled out another three stacks of red envelopes from her cloth bag and handed them to Meng Ge, forcing a cheerful face. “Keep stuffing!”
As a matchmaker, of course she knew all the door-blocking customs. She was just hoping to sneak by and pocket a little extra. Now that the groom’s family had shown up, forget extra cash—she’d be lucky if the 20,000 yuan Meng Ge’s mother gave her could even cover the cost.
Meng Ge, clueless about all these customs, stood awkwardly at the door. She could only grit her teeth and keep pushing red envelopes through the crack.
Watching her dwindling stack of red envelopes, her anxiety only grew.
“Why aren’t they opening the door yet?” Meng Ge knocked and called out.
Then, a child’s voice came from inside the room, “Excuse me, what do you find most attractive about the groom?”
Meng Ge froze. She turned and looked at Sister Wang, whose face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
“Just answer honestly,” Sister Wang said.
Meng Ge nodded, stood up straight by the door, and replied seriously, “His sincerity. It was his sincerity that moved me.”
“Correct answer,” the child inside called out.
“Can I go in now?” Meng Ge asked. She was pretty sure that the kid inside was a relative of Lu Zhaohui’s. After all, a wedding this big—his whole family would’ve come back for it.
“Next question: peanut oil or olive oil—what’s the groom’s favorite?” the child asked again.
Meng Ge was completely stumped. How would she know? She hadn’t even been with Lu Zhaohui for that long.
“That kid is clearly here to mess with us. I say we just barge in!” her uncle growled beside her.
Hearing that, Sister Wang frantically waved her hands. “We can’t do that! His family’s inside, and the whole hallway full of neighbors. If word gets out, how are we supposed to show our faces?”
The hallway crowd started getting rowdy again. That same loud guy from earlier shouted, “Don’t know the answer? It’s 'I love you'!”
Meng Ge’s face turned bright red. She lowered her voice and said toward the door, “I love you…”
“Can’t hear you,” the child inside replied.
Even redder now, Meng Ge took a deep breath and shouted, “I love you!”
“Can I go in now?” she asked again, knocking while stuffing the last few red envelopes into the crack.
On the other side of the door—
Li Ziyang’s little face lit up with joy as he hugged a pile of red envelopes in his arms.
“Daddy, should I open the door?” he asked.
Outside, Meng Ge’s uncle finally lost his patience. He banged hard on the door—thud thud thud—and shouted, “Open up! If you don’t open this door, I’m kicking it down!”
(Three strikes only—block the door, not the heart.)
A line of words lit up on the doorframe.
Truth be told, even without that message, Li Ran would’ve told them to open the door. After all, this was just the first gate.
Lu Zhaohui’s wedding—he was in charge today, and there was no way he was letting Meng Ge’s family just whisk him away like that.
“Son, open the door,” Li Ran said.
Li Ziyang opened the door, and a wave of people came pouring in from outside.
“Where is he? Where’s the groom?”
As soon as they got inside, Meng Ge’s uncle started looking around for the groom.
Inside the room, Li Ran, Su Bingyao, and Zhao Yingzhi sat calmly on the sofa, not even glancing at the newcomers.
Sister Wang led Meng Ge in and looked around the room, finally locking eyes on the bedroom door.
“He’s in the back room,” she called out.
Hearing that, Meng Ge’s uncle headed straight for the door, ready to knock.
Just then, Su Bingyao stepped forward and stood in front of them. “Marriage is not a joke. I’d ask everyone to sit down and discuss this properly.”
“And you are?” Meng Ge’s uncle asked.
“What do you think?” Su Bingyao stood tall and composed, radiating the air of someone in charge.
“They’re Zhaohui’s brother and sister-in-law,” Meng Ge explained. She remembered Lu Zhaohui mentioning someone called Brother Ran before—clearly, that stern-looking man sipping tea on the sofa was him.
That man sat there quietly, drinking his tea as if he couldn’t be bothered, giving off an unapproachable aura.
Upon hearing they were a close family, Meng Ge’s uncle didn’t dare act up anymore. He nudged the matchmaker, signaling her to speak.
“So you’re the groom’s family, huh? Well... then let’s sit down,” the matchmaker said, seeing no other way forward.
She had the uncle and Meng Ge sit as well.
The nosy neighbors were still crammed at the doorway, craning their necks and trying to see what was going on inside.
The matchmaker, who had some sense, understood that while there weren’t any elder relatives here, this household’s authority clearly rested with the man in front of them.
“Dear in-law, it’s such a happy day today. Surely any serious discussions can wait until tomorrow?” she said with a strained smile.
“My brother says this marriage can’t be rushed through like this,” Zhao Yingzhi spoke up, voicing Li Ran’s stance.
“Didn’t we all agree yesterday? That boy is marrying into our family. Today we came to take him back, and we handled the ceremony afterward. Isn’t that simple enough? Why make it so complicated?” Meng Ge’s uncle barked impatiently.
“Complicated?” Li Ran set down his teacup, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he stared directly at the man. “Then allow me to explain what complicated really means.”
The trio immediately felt something was off. Meng Ge’s uncle regretted running his mouth.
“Our family raised Zhaohui all these years—it hasn’t been easy. And a man marrying out is like cutting off the family line. Since we’re talking about marriage, certain traditions need to be addressed. This is a major life event—we can’t just sweep it under the rug,” Su Bingyao said firmly.
“There’s a saying: better to tear down ten temples than ruin a single marriage. We’re not trying to make things difficult for you. Of course, we’re not unreasonable people either,” Li Ran said as he scanned the trio like an elder weighing the younger generation.
The matchmaker and the uncle clearly realized they had no leg to stand on—their presence shrank under the pressure, and neither dared speak.
But then, of all people, Meng Ge softly asked, “So… how do we discuss this?”
The moment those words left her mouth, the matchmaker and the uncle wanted to slap themselves. She’d said it—now there was no backing out.
Li Ran gave a faint smile and signaled Zhao Yingzhi.
“Bring the red scroll,” he said. “Let’s make a list.”
(End of Chapter)