Time Travel: The Queen's Coronation

The New Year's routine is pretty much the same every year. Perhaps as an adult I no longer have the anticipation and excitement I had as a child, so aside from being off work, I don't really have any special feelings about it. After returning from my grandmother's house on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we discussed house renovations with my dad.

I was about to speak when Rong Zixuan grabbed me and spoke first, "Uncle, Wei Qing and I have been together for almost two years. Our relationship is quite stable. We plan to get married after graduation. We originally wanted to get engaged during this winter vacation, but we are only sophomores now, so it may be a bit early to talk about this big thing, so we wanted to tell you first."

"Oh," my father answered absentmindedly, and it seemed that he was shocked by his words. Although it is quite common to get married early in the countryside, I am still in school and my focus is on my studies.

"I've been working on a number of projects, both large and small, over the past six months and have made a bit of money, so I'm thinking of renovating our house first. While this rough-hewn house is habitable, it's not exactly comfortable. Now that I can afford to improve things, I'd like to offer you this suggestion. What do you think?"

My dad thought for a moment and didn't answer, so I interrupted him in my native dialect, "What he meant was that he wants to marry me, but it's too early now and we can't get the marriage certificate yet. He's afraid that I won't marry him in the future, so he's giving you some money for renovations now, which is like a betrothal gift to sign an engagement with our family."

My dad understood and answered me in his native dialect, "Does he really want to marry you in the future? Are you willing?"

"Of course I am willing. He is a local, so I don't have to marry far away. He is also a student of Jinghua and has a high degree of education. I am still in charge of his money, and we have a good relationship, so there is nothing I don't want to do."

"It's fine if you're willing. This matter mainly depends on your wishes."

"There are so many people chasing me lately, he's afraid I'll be snatched away, so he wants to agree on a marriage agreement between him and me first."

"Hahahaha, I see. Are you sure he's the best among your suitors?"

"He's not the best looking, nor does he come from the best family, and he doesn't even have the best abilities, but he and I are the most compatible. Moreover, we almost died in America, and he risked his life to protect me. It would be foolish to let go of someone who loves me more than himself! So it's him. If we can't be together in the future, the worst that can happen is that I return the money to him."

"You have money, why don't you use your money to decorate your home? Why use his money?"

"My money and his money are the same at the moment, but he's really afraid that I'll be taken away. His parents died early, so he's very dependent on me."

"Okay, since we're engaged, let's make it official. Let's pick a good day and invite friends and family over for a meal."

"I'm getting engaged so early, aren't you afraid of the neighbors gossiping?"

"Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. There is nothing to gossip about this. Besides, early marriage is normal in rural areas."

"But those who marry early are those who don't continue their studies after graduating from junior high school. I went to the best university in the country. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? So what if your daughter goes to Jinghua? In the end, she will still get married early. It's better not to go. It's a waste of money and other people's sons will get married early."

"They're just sour grapes. Don't listen to them. Their daughters didn't have much education so they got married early, but my daughter found a good partner while she was still studying. And it's just an engagement. You can get a divorce even after getting married. It's just an engagement party. You can cancel it if you're not suitable for each other in the future."

"Dad, you are so open-minded."

"After you went to Jinghua, you received scholarships from various sectors of society. You also worked part-time to earn money while you were in school, and usually sent money home more or less, which relieved a lot of pressure on our family. I don't have to work as hard as before in factories outside the city. I can find some odd jobs near home. Although I don't earn much near home, I have more time to do other things. I love to surf the Internet in my free time and learn a lot of things online! And your mother has been addicted to domineering CEO novels recently."

"Hahahaha, fine, as long as you love to learn and can accept new ideas, that's fine."

"What are you talking about?" We chatted in our local dialect, completely blocking out Rong Zixuan, who could only ask awkwardly.

"Oh, my dad agreed. He also said that we should pick a date to invite relatives and friends to have a meal together, and the engagement should be formal."

"Really," Rong Zixuan said happily, grabbing my shoulders.

"Fake," I answered him expressionlessly, trying to tease him.

"Ah!" His face was full of disappointment.

"Just kidding! Do you have any relatives? Call them over to meet you."

"No problem, I'll go notify them right away," he said, and immediately stood up to make a phone call.

"Dad, we'll give you the money, and you can find a construction team to do the renovation. You can do whatever you want. It's up to you. If you don't have enough money, just ask me for it."

"it is good"

The renovations were finalized, and my dad was asked to find a construction team himself. There were villagers in the village who had formed their own construction team specializing in renovations. He could come to our house to discuss the details, and we would just foot the bill. Next, we were busy preparing for the engagement. My dad had someone calculate it, and they said the ninth day of the first lunar month was a good date, so we could choose that day. We also told all our friends and family the news.

Our whole family was busy preparing for the engagement banquet all day on the eighth day of the New Year. Rong Zixuan also went back to the city to buy things. He will not be back tonight and will bring his relatives with him tomorrow.

Early in the morning of the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, I wanted to sleep in a little longer, but my mom kept knocking on the door, urging me to get up. I dragged my sleepy body out of bed. Although it wasn't too cold after the Lunar New Year, the warm blanket was still relatively comfortable. I went downstairs and found my aunt, my aunt's wife, my aunt's wife, and my sister-in-law all helping in the kitchen. I wanted to ask if I could help, but was suddenly escorted out. They told me to change into nice clothes and put on some makeup. Well, I was the star of the show today, so it was only natural.

I returned to my room and searched for clothes. Oops! I didn't have anything festive! It was just casual clothes, but I could wear the coat I bought in Hegang! I washed my face again and slowly put on my makeup. The more I put on, the happier I became. The thought of marrying my beloved was all a girl could ever want. My beloved couldn't wait to marry me. Although there were external forces at work, the feelings were genuine.

After I finished putting on my makeup, I waited in the living room, chatting with my childhood friends and welcoming guests. Their company made me feel more at ease, not having to face this scene alone. Around ten o'clock, my sweetheart arrived in a sedan. He was dressed in a smart suit, his hair meticulously styled, and he walked towards me with a huge bouquet of roses, a beaming smile on his face. As he approached, he set off firecrackers, the usual blast marking the start of the engagement party.

Behind him were his relatives and friends. I remember he said that he didn’t have many relatives, and the only close one was his uncle, so the middle-aged man and woman behind him should be his uncle and aunt, and as for those young boys, they should be his good friends. They all carried large and small bags in their hands, walked into my house with a smile, and then filled my living room with large and small bags. Surrounded by the crowd, we sat in the middle of the sofa in the living room, the center of the protagonist, accepting blessings from all sides. Because his parents are gone, the roles of his parents were replaced by his uncle and aunt. His uncle and aunt had a great time talking to my parents, and the betrothal gifts his family gave were also very thoughtful and luxurious. However, I was more curious about how he prepared so many betrothal gifts in such a short time. It’s not even the 15th of the lunar year yet, and many shops have not yet opened for business.

We went through all the procedures and it was afternoon in a flash. The final part was the dinner. We toasted each table. I had never drunk alcohol before, and this was my first time. This wine made me dizzy and light-headed. The second half of the banquet was the men's show. They drank and played finger-guessing games, emptying and refilling their glasses, and clearing out bottles of wine. My father couldn't drink, so he could only watch from the side. However, my uncles, cousins, and uncles were good drinkers and could drink for my father. Rong Zixuan's uncle seemed to be able to drink as well. So far, he hadn't blushed, while others had more or less blushed. Rong Zixuan also joined in the drinking game. He kept drinking even after vomiting. I couldn't stand it and stopped him, so I took him back to the room to rest.

The drinking party lasted until midnight. It was a common occurrence in the village, so the neighbors were used to it. If I had wine at my house one day, I might have it at his the next. Everyone was understanding and wouldn't say anything about disturbing the neighbors. It was late at night, and they were all drunk. Driving wasn't practical, so I had to drive them back to the hotel in town one by one.

My mother and I simply cleared the table, making sure the mice didn't leave any food, and then went back to sleep. I thought at least we could have a simple meal together with our relatives, but I didn't expect there would be so many procedures to go through. Wouldn't the wedding process be even more complicated in the future? I was a little terrified. For an introvert like me, this kind of situation is more painful than killing me.