Lawn Wedding

When Shen Jingchuan saw that Mother Meng had asked about it, he already had a plan in mind.

"Auntie, I haven't discussed this with Xiao Ke yet, but I'd like to share my idea first, and you can hear whether it's suitable."

"I have a villa in West Mountain. I'll have someone tidy it up properly and hold the ceremony there."

"I don't have many relatives here, just an uncle and an aunt. Their two families are coming, along with a few cousins and their spouses, making about ten people in total, and not all of them might be able to come."

Mother Meng nodded and listened to him continue.

"I don't know who's here with you, but I'm thinking of inviting only close blood relatives. We won't invite anyone else. Let's keep it small, just lively."

"I don't want the wedding banquet to be too formal. I'll find a good restaurant to provide the food, and we'll have a buffet on the lawn in the yard, where everyone can help themselves."

"I also have a few old friends, and I'll invite them over as well. One of them, an elder, can be our witness."

After hearing this, Mother Meng's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.

"This is good, this is good."

"For the specifics, I think it's best to hire a wedding planning company to handle it. We're all novices, so it'll save us from getting flustered."

Shen Jingchuan thought about it and agreed that it made sense.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Mother Meng waved her hand decisively.

"Then you don't need to worry about this. Leave it all to me. I'll pay for it too. You two just need to wait to be the bride and groom."

Shen Jingchuan smiled and didn't argue with her.

"Auntie, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Anyway, I don't have any money. All my money is with her."

He glanced at Meng Ke, then turned back.

"If you're short on money or don't have enough, just ask her."

Upon hearing this, Mother Meng immediately pointed at Meng Ke and adopted a lecturing stance.

"You silly girl, your husband is away from home, you can't be too controlling with his money, not even giving him a penny of pocket money."

"Why are you keeping so much money? It's true that men are prone to going astray when they have money, but you can't leave them not a single penny."

Meng Ke looked helpless and spread his hands with a wry smile.

"Mom, don't listen to his nonsense, he has plenty of money."

"Just the money I have here, the money I help manage, amounts to several hundred million. He may not have much more, but he certainly has tens of millions."

Mother Meng froze on the spot, mouth agape, and turned to look at Shen Jingchuan.

"You... you're so rich?"

Shen Jingchuan was amused by the mother and daughter, but his heart was warmed. This mother-in-law had no idea how much money her son-in-law had. He liked this kind of parent.

Mother Meng came to her senses, her expression gradually becoming serious, and she took Shen Jingchuan's hand.

"Jingchuan, it's a good thing that you have a lot of money and can live a comfortable life."

"But let me tell you the truth, I don't care much about money. As long as I have enough to get by, that's fine. As long as you're ambitious and treat Xiao Ke well, I'll be at ease."

"That's why I agreed to let her marry you in the first place."

She paused, a hint of emotion welling up in her eyes.

"Xiao Ke told me everything. The path you've taken is something we ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of."

"I never imagined my daughter would be so lucky. Even I'm benefiting from it and will live a few decades longer."

As Mother Meng spoke, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed and sighed.

"You're telling me, as your mother, I can't even afford a small gift for you to address me as 'Mom.' Isn't that incredibly pathetic?"

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Jingchuan looked at her and respectfully greeted her.

"Mom."

Mother Meng was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with a smile, and her eyes even became moist.

Shen Jingchuan took her hand in return, his tone serious.

"Mom, now that I've called you that, I'll accept it. I'll call you Mom for the rest of my life."

"The 'change of address fee' thing is too cliché; we don't care about that."

"A family living together, with good relationships and a harmonious life, is better than anything else. All those ceremonies and pomp are just for show; they mean nothing."

Mother Meng nodded in agreement, seemingly lost in thought.

"But I really have nothing to give you. You don't lack money. How about I give you all the money I've saved up in my life?"

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Ke burst out laughing.

"Alright, Mom, with your meager savings, you should keep them for your own retirement. Be grateful you're not asking me for any."

"How about I transfer some more to you later?"

Mother Meng rolled her eyes at her, then looked at Shen Jingchuan and sighed.

"Hey, you know how tough it's been for us, a widow and her orphan, all these years."

As she was speaking, Meng Ke suddenly leaned over and tentatively asked.

"Mom, how about we invite Dad to my wedding too?"

Mother Meng's mother paused slightly, looked at her daughter for a moment, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, she slowly stood up and shook her head.

"This is your wedding. I won't stop you from inviting anyone; it's your decision."

"You two chat, I'll go make you lunch."

After finishing her words, Mother Meng turned and went into the kitchen, leaving the two of them in the living room.

Meng Ke watched her retreating figure, then turned to look at Shen Jingchuan.

"Jingchuan, when we get married, should we invite my dad?"

Shen Jingchuan nodded, answering readily.

"Of course you have to call him that, he's your dad."

Meng Ke frowned and gestured towards the kitchen with his lip.

"But look at what my mom did just now..."

Shen Jingchuan flicked her forehead lightly with his finger.

"Are you stupid?"

"If your mom disagrees, just tell her directly that you can't call her that anymore. She said it's your decision and she'll listen to you, don't you understand?"

Meng Ke blinked, still somewhat confused.

Shen Jingchuan explained to her with a smile.

"It's the same principle as proposing marriage. You ask the girl if she's willing, and if she says she'll listen to her parents, then she's willing; if she's not willing, she'll say she wants to stay with her family for a couple more years."

"You don't even understand this basic technique?"

Meng Ke chuckled and slapped his forehead.

"Hey, I'm just too caught up in it all, so I'm not always clear-headed."

"Okay, I understand. I'll go count the number of people first. Since my mom wants to organize it, let her do it; as long as she's happy."

She stood up, then remembered something and looked back at him.

"Once the date is set, you're not going to skip the wedding, are you?"

Shen Jingchuan reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair.

How could that be?

"On that day, no matter how much I have to deal with, even if it's raining knives from the sky, I will definitely come."

Shen Jingchuan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.

"Let's set the date for the Spring Festival."

"This year, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year falls on February 18th. I thought it was a good date, so I chose that day."

Without a second thought, Meng Ke nodded.

"Good."

She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly realized something, and her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute, why would you insist on having a lawn wedding in the middle of winter?"

"Won't that cold wind make everyone freeze? What kind of terrible idea is that?"