Shen Jian and Manman returned to Siping five days before the wedding.

As a groomsman, I thought arriving a day early would be enough, but Shen Jian urged me to come three days early. I had agreed to be a groomsman for three friends during this long holiday, so the sudden change in schedule was a bit unexpected. I couldn't change my flight, so I went through a lot of difficulties to get there by car.

After I arrived, I finally understood why he wanted me to come early.

It turned out that Shen Jian was handling the entire wedding himself.

His father didn't show up at all before the wedding!

His relatives and friends didn't help either.

They all let his father offend everyone.

Fortunately, it was held at a hotel, which saved a lot of effort.

And this hotel was booked by Shen Jian himself a year ago, without his father's involvement.

Why book so early?

Because of the pandemic, he couldn't come back after booking, so he kept changing the wedding date.

But no matter how much effort was saved, with no involvement from his own parents or help from relatives and friends, I, as the only groomsman, was still busy as hell.

Since it was October 1st, the wedding planning company was also busy. There were several weddings at the hotel in a single day, so the service from the company wasn't that great.

Unfortunately, Shen Jian's mother was extremely thrifty. She even bought loose candies and packed them at home. She made more than ten phone calls a day, asking her son and daughter-in-law to help her pack the candies.

Well, Shen Jian's father had always been absent, but at least his mother helped out a bit by buying candies and red envelopes, trivial things like that.

But I was confused. Aren't the candies supposed to be pre-packed and picked up from the store directly?!

So Shen Jian was busy running around, taking care of everything personally.

I remember when my cousin got married, they simply hired a wedding planner who took care of everything for them. All we had to do was be good bride and groom and not worry about anything, including the in-laws. Just play our own roles.

I shared this idea with Shen Jian, and he smiled bitterly, saying, "My wedding planner is the wedding planning company, but they only handle the superficial matters. These days they're too busy, so we had to take care of everything ourselves. Thanks for your hard work, bro!"

So, without further ado, we got down to business!

Finally, it was the day for the bride's family and friends to arrive, two days before the wedding, on the 28th.

Originally, they planned to come on the 29th because Manman's younger cousin didn't have a day off until the 28th.

But Manman was angry that her family was coming so late. "Why are you coming so late? Just to attend the wedding?"

Well, wasn't it just to attend the wedding? Manman's parents were a bit confused by her rhetorical question.

"Don't you want the parents from both sides to meet? We're getting married, and both sides haven't even met yet. Don't you want them to meet a couple of days in advance?"

Manman's parents were caught off guard by this statement, and her father was almost furious. "Don't bring up meeting to me!"

"Why can't we mention meeting? Shouldn't these things be arranged in advance? Do we have to wait until the last day?"

Manman was forceful on the phone.

Her father was so angry that he almost exploded, saying he wouldn't go anymore!

What a waste of raising this daughter!

With all this back and forth, why was it the fault of the parents who didn't meet each other?

Manman probably forgot about her previous remarks about her father.

But Manman's mother still wanted her daughter to have a relatively perfect wedding without any regrets. So she swallowed all her grievances and moved the date to the 28th, using both hard and soft tactics to convince her father to come.

Although there would be another celebration in Hangzhou, according to Chinese customs, everyone subconsciously believed that only the wedding from the groom's side was the formal one. How could the formal wedding be without the presence of oneof the parents?

So, on the 28th, Manman's family arrived in Siping.

The meeting between the two families was a bit awkward at first, but they quickly adjusted and started getting along. Shen Jian's mother was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to show Manman's parents around. She even prepared a big feast for them.

Manman's parents were surprised by Shen Jian's mother's hospitality. They had heard from Manman that Shen Jian's family was not well-off, but they didn't expect such warm treatment.

During the feast, Shen Jian's mother kept filling Manman's father's glass with wine, hoping to establish a good relationship with him.

Manman's father, on the other hand, was still a bit reserved. He didn't drink much, but he didn't refuse either. The atmosphere at the table was a bit tense.

After dinner, Manman's father pulled Shen Jian aside and asked him, "Why did you bring them to visit the house? Aren't we supposed to visit the groom's family's house?"

Shen Jian was taken aback. He didn't expect Manman's father to care so much about this tradition. He explained, "We don't have a house of our own yet, so I thought it would be better to show them around the city and let them see the hotel where the wedding will be held."

Manman's father nodded and said, "That's understandable. But after the wedding, you have to bring Manman back to visit our house."

Shen Jian agreed. He knew that this was an important tradition and he didn't want to offend Manman's family.

After the meeting, the tension between the two families eased a bit. They started chatting and getting to know each other better.

The next day was the rehearsal for the wedding. Shen Jian and Manman had chosen a simple ceremony, so the rehearsal went smoothly.

After the rehearsal, the two families went out for dinner together. This time, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. They laughed and talked as if they had known each other for a long time.

On the day of the wedding, everything went according to plan. Shen Jian and Manman exchanged their vows, and their families and friends witnessed their union.

After the wedding, there was a grand banquet where everyone enjoyed delicious food and celebrated the newlyweds.

Shen Jian and Manman were exhausted but happy. They had overcome many obstacles to have their dream wedding, and now they could finally relax and enjoy their new life together.

And as for me, I was relieved that my duties as a groomsman were finally over. I could now congratulate my friends and wish them a lifetime of happiness.