"I haven’t had the chance to tell them yet."
Although Third Uncle had already reassured Huo Tingzhou over the phone, he still didn’t dare to bring up the matter to his family without her explicit approval.
"We can stop by the post office later and call them."
Since marriage involved both families, Jiang Si felt it was only right to inform them.
Huo Tingzhou nodded, and the two soon headed to the post office.
"Hello~ Who’s calling?"
"Grandma, it’s me."
At this hour, Father Huo and Mother Huo weren’t home, so Grandma Huo answered the phone. Hearing Huo Tingzhou’s voice, she was overjoyed.
"Tingzhou, it’s been so long since you called! How have you been lately? Everything alright?"
"Yes, yes, don’t worry. Your grandpa and I are in good health, and so are your parents. You don’t need to worry about us."
"By the way, are you coming back for New Year’s this time?"
Just as Grandma Huo was about to say, "You haven’t come back for New Year’s in two years," a soft, sweet voice suddenly came through the receiver.
"Grandma—"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice call her "Grandma," Grandma Huo froze for a moment before frowning.
"Where’s Tingzhou? Put him on the phone."
As soon as Huo Tingzhou took the receiver, Grandma Huo launched into a furious scolding.
"Tingzhou, I’m so disappointed in you! How could you forget your roots like this? Do you understand what you’re doing?"
"You’re already engaged to Si! How could you go messing around with another girl?"
"Have all those years in the military taught you nothing?"
Huo Tingzhou thought to himself, Who have I been messing around with?
"Grandma, let me explain—"
"I don’t want to hear it!"
Grandma Huo made her stance clear.
"Let me tell you this—I won’t accept any granddaughter-in-law except Si. Don’t even think about bringing anyone else home!"
"And I won’t cover for you or plead on your behalf."
"If your father breaks your legs over this, you’ll deserve it!"
Huo Tingzhou sighed helplessly. Just then, Jiang Si took the receiver again.
"Grandma, it’s me, Si."
What?
She’s Si?
Grandma Huo thought she must have misheard, but upon closer listening, the voice did sound like Jiang Si’s.
"Si, you… you went to Qiongzhou Island?"
"Yes, I just arrived yesterday."
Before Grandma Huo could recover from the shock, Jiang Si added,
"Grandma, the reason we’re calling is to let you know—we’ve decided to get married."
……
The news of their impending marriage left not just Grandma Huo stunned but the entire Huo family in disbelief.
To be fair, their reaction wasn’t unwarranted.
Everyone knew how resistant the Jiang family’s little princess had been to this arranged marriage.
If not for that, Third Brother wouldn’t still be unmarried at nearly thirty!
At least, that’s what the eldest and second branches of the family thought.
The fourth branch, having married recently, wasn’t as familiar with the Huo family’s affairs.
Plus, Fourth Brother’s wife, Guan Xue, wasn’t one for gossip, so she took the news in stride.
Right now, the most excited person in the family was Mother Huo!
She often wondered what sins she’d committed in her past life to be blessed—or cursed—with four sons.
The eldest, Huo Tingtao, worked in the municipal government, while his wife, Su Shanshan, was a nurse at the city military hospital.
They already had three sons—10, 7, and 5 years old—with a fourth on the way, currently six months along. Judging by the pregnancy signs, it was likely another boy.
The second son, Huo Tingze, served as the procurement department head at the Capital City military logistics division, while his wife, Yang Meina, worked at the Capital City sports bureau.
They, too, had two sons, aged 8 and 6.
The fourth son, Huo Tinghan, had just married this summer. Both he and his wife, Guan Xue, were researchers at the city’s Academy of Sciences, with no immediate plans for children.
Of all her children, Mother Huo felt the most guilt toward the third.
Huo Tingzhou had gone missing at six and only returned as a grown man over six feet tall. In all those years, she hadn’t been able to fulfill her duties as a mother.
Not long after coming home, he enlisted in the military.
Ten more years passed, with him stationed at Qiongzhou Island, rarely returning home.
Mother Huo understood—he’d never felt a sense of belonging in this family, which was why he sought to carve out his own path elsewhere.
She could accept that.
Her only wish was for him to have someone by his side who truly cared for him.
But Qiongzhou Island was remote, and his missions were unpredictable.
Mother Huo couldn’t bring herself to ask a pampered young lady to endure hardship on that isolated island for her son’s sake.
She’d already braced herself for the engagement to fall through.
Never had she expected such a delightful surprise!
After calming herself, Mother Huo asked, "Mom, did they say whether the wedding will be in Capital City or Hu City? If it’s in Hu City, we’ll need to make arrangements soon."
The Jiang family had only one precious daughter, and this was a long-distance marriage. Mother Huo refused to let her be slighted in any way.
She glanced at Father Huo. "National Day’s over—you should have some free time now, right?"
"Take a couple of days off. We’ll go to Hu City together to visit the in-laws."
"Of course. I’ll sort out the schedule tomorrow," Father Huo agreed, equally thrilled about Third Brother’s marriage.
As the couple discussed what to bring for the trip, Grandpa Huo interrupted.
"The two of them said they want to keep things simple—no banquet or formalities."
"They also asked us not to trouble ourselves with traveling to Qiongzhou Island."
"They’ll come back to Capital City for New Year’s, and we can all celebrate together then."
Hearing this, Father Huo and Mother Huo immediately grasped the underlying message.
With the ongoing political tensions, a lavish wedding would be ill-advised.
Still, Mother Huo refused to let her future daughter-in-law feel shortchanged.
In front of everyone, she declared, "If that’s what they’ve decided, then so be it. We’ll just give them the money we’d have spent on the banquet."
"As for the betrothal gifts, we’ll match what we gave Fourth Brother—the ‘Three Circles and One Sound,’ a full set of furniture, plus 888 yuan in cash."
The eldest and second sons had married earlier, before the "Three Circles and One Sound" became customary, and their bride prices had been lower.
When the fourth son married, Mother Huo had made up the difference for the first two branches.
So no one objected to the amount set for Third Brother.
But when Mother Huo added that she’d give the newlyweds 2,000 yuan as settling-in funds,
Eldest daughter-in-law Su Shanshan, rubbing her belly, was the first to protest!
