Chapter 185: Colored Gold

Yan Ruhai curled his lips, "I knew it would be like this."

Zhong Yuxiu could not help laughing, seeing a new side of Yan Rushan.

Yan Rushan turned his head to look at the smiling girl beside him, a tender light welling up in the depths of his eyes. Considering that Yan Ruhai, this younger brother of his, had some marginal use, he decided not to bicker with him.

"It will be ready soon, go wait outside."

"Waiting is the same anywhere, I want to watch you cook." Zhong Yuxiu faded her blooming smile, pursed her lips into a soft grin, and quietly gazed at him.

Just like that, Yan Rushan's heart softened involuntarily. "Mm, stand a little further back, don't let the oil splatters get on your clothes."

"You guys installed a range hood, the oil drops can't splash that far." The range hood in the Yan family kitchen was installed in a very interesting way; it was positioned low, only about a meter away from the wok. Because of this, it had exceptional suction power, and the oil drops that flew out were few and far between.

Yan Rushan didn't tell her to stand back again. Instead, he turned his body slightly to block the side closest to her, shielding her behind him. Even if any oil drops escaped, they would land entirely on him.

The braised pork was done, and he stir-fried two more small side dishes, along with the sliced meat soup he had prepared earlier. Every dish had a generous portion, which was completely enough for four people.

"Grandfather isn't back yet, don't serve the dishes out just yet." Yan Rushan spoke up, and Yan Ruhai nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll call Grandfather and ask when he'll be back."

Yan Rushan took off his apron, washed his hands, and led her out of the kitchen. When they reached the main room, they saw Yan Ruhai talking to the old master over the telephone. Seeing them approach, Yan Ruhai said,

"Grandfather, big brother and sister-in-law are here. You should talk to them."

Yan Rushan stepped forward, sat down beside Yan Ruhai, and casually pushed Yan Ruhai aside to pull Zhong Yuxiu down to sit with him.

"Hello, Grandfather, when will you be off work?"

Old Master Yan said with a hearty laugh, "I'm getting off work right now. Xiao Hai said you've cooked dinner."

"Mm, Yuxiu and I got our marriage certificate."

"Got your marriage certificate? So fast." The old master was quite surprised.

Yan Rushan looked at Zhong Yuxiu and said to the old master, "We chose the date on the spur of the moment, which delayed Yuxiu's class time."

"You rascal, you move fast! Don't delay Yuxiu's matters, and don't be so rash next time. It would have been fine to wait until Yuxiu had time. You should discuss things before acting—how old are you and still so rash?"

Scolded by his grandfather, Yan Rushan's handsome face still retained a smile. "Alright, Grandfather, don't worry."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Hanging up the phone, Yan Rushan said, "Yuxiu, Grandfather will be back shortly, and we can eat soon. This afternoon I'll take you to school and explain things to your teacher by the way. Today's matter cannot be blamed on you, it was primarily my fault."

"I will explain it to the teacher myself; you don't need to make a special trip." She shook her head and added, "The teacher knows I have a partner, and marriage was bound to happen sooner or later. Since I missed class today, I will go explain it properly to him, and the teacher will understand."

Originally, she was also at fault for getting married on a whim without even greeting her relatives and friends.

She would inevitably receive a lecturing from her teacher.

Yan Rushan held her hand, gently massaging her fingers. "Yuxiu, we are married now, I should meet your teacher so we don't end up not knowing each other if we meet in the future."

"Alright then." Since they were married, it was indeed proper to meet the teacher.

While the two of them were talking, Yan Ruhai felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles, feeling somewhat stuffed in his stomach before they even started eating.

Old Master Yan hurried back. Hearing movement at the doorway, Yan Ruhai hurriedly stood up and went to greet him.

"Grandfather, you're finally back." If he hadn't returned, Yan Ruhai wouldn't have known whether he should continue standing like a wooden post in front of his older brother and sister-in-law.

"Why so excited? You're a grown man now, you should learn to be a bit steadier." Old Master Yan glared at him, took off his coat and handed it to him, and told the two guards to go back first and drive over to pick him up later.

As he was giving instructions, Yan Rushan walked over holding Zhong Yuxiu by the hand. "Grandfather, you're back."

"Grandfather Yan." Zhong Yuxiu greeted him with a smile.

"Mm." Old Master Yan glared at his eldest grandson again, but when he turned to look at Zhong Yuxiu, his brows and eyes became gentle and kind, as if he wasn't the same person who had just worn a stern expression toward his grandsons. "Yuxiu, you've been wronged. This boy Dashan acts without a sense of proportion and lacks discretion. Getting a marriage certificate isn't such a simple matter—you have to pick an auspicious date, present betrothal gifts, and only then get the certificate. I'm sorry for you, I'll deal with him later."

"Grandfather is right, it was I who didn't handle things properly." Yan Rushan took over the conversation, squeezing her hand to signal her to leave everything to him.

Old Master Yan cast a sideways glance at him. "It was your fault to begin with. If you don't understand, why didn't you ask? It's fortunate that Yuxiu is such a good person; if you had met a family with strict rules, you wouldn't know what hit you. You must treat Yuxiu well from now on. If I find out you treat Yuxiu poorly, I, as your grandfather, will be the first one not to let you off."

"Yes, yes, yes."

No matter how Old Master Yan scolded him, Yan Rushan patiently agreed with every word. From the old master's reprimand, he also realized that marriage must be treated with great solemnity—presenting betrothal gifts, deciding on a date, and offering a bride price; going through every step one by one was what showed importance and respect to the bride's family.

"Then Grandfather, shall we hold a retroactive ceremony?"

Old Master Yan said with annoyance, "How can you retroactively hold a wedding after you're already married? Alright, I have my own plans regarding this matter. I'm going upstairs for a moment, you guys bring the dishes out, and I'll be down shortly."

The old master went upstairs, Yan Ruhai scurried into the kitchen, and Yan Rushan took Zhong Yuxiu by the hand to help serve the dishes.

With the food on the table, the old master also came down from upstairs.

"Sit down and talk." Old Master Yan walked to the head of the dining table and took his seat. Yan Rushan led Yuxiu to sit in the first and second seats on the left, and Yan Ruhai sat opposite them.

Old Master Yan said, "Yuxiu, Dashan acted incorrectly in this matter, he has wronged you. Grandfather knows you are a magnanimous child with your own capabilities, having both money and status. My Dashan is still good for nothing right now, so strictly speaking, Dashan isn't worthy of you, yet he still let you suffer such a great grievance."

"Grandfather, you exaggerate." Zhong Yuxiu shook her head hurriedly. "The matter of marriage was decided by both of us; you can't blame Rushan alone. If I hadn't nodded in agreement, there was nothing he could do."

"Good child, what a good child!" Old Master Yan took out a deposit slip from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of her. "His handling of the matter was lacking, so Grandfather will make up for it. This is the betrothal money from us; keep it and buy whatever you want. His parents have already prepared the betrothal gifts. Tomorrow I will lead him, and we'll invite some old friends over to present the betrothal gifts together, so we can go through all the proper steps that should be taken."

"It's just that since you are already married, I'm afraid an engagement ceremony is out of the question." Getting engaged before getting married is good for both parties and is considered a sign of mutual respect.

While it wasn't unheard of to skip the engagement and get married directly, any family that cared about propriety would always have an engagement first, presenting betrothal money and gifts at that time to ensure the bride's family retained their full dignity.

"Grandfather Yan, we cannot accept your money." Zhong Yuxiu waved her hands repeatedly.

Old Master Yan said firmly, "We aren't discussing with you how much the betrothal money should be; we are simply giving it to you directly. To begin with, our Yan family didn't do things right. If you don't accept it, Grandfather's heart won't feel at ease."