January 1, 1981. New Year’s Day!
The 26th day of the 11th lunar month in the Year of the Monkey—an auspicious day for weddings!
Today is Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying’s big day, and everyone at the Jiang family’s old residence got up early!
After waking up and having a light meal, Jiang Shiying set out with Li Yi and Tang Xue.
However, they weren’t heading to the Ye family home; instead, they were going to the nearby police station to transfer Tang Xue’s household registration and, while they were at it, change her surname.
The main reason for the rush was that Jiang Shiying was too busy to stay at home for even a few days.
Since they had a few days free, they might as well get this taken care of sooner rather than later!
Moreover, for Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun, their daughter changing her surname was an absolute priority. The thought of their daughter carrying that scoundrel’s surname every day made both of them deeply uneasy.
Therefore, this matter had to be resolved without delay!
Li Yi and Tang Xue understood their feelings and naturally had no objections, so they fully went along with Jiang Shiying’s arrangements!
When the car arrived at the police station, someone was already waiting for them there.
Jiang Shiying had already mentioned to Li Yi on the way that he had specifically asked for help from a leader at the Municipal Bureau.
After a brief greeting, Li Yi and his group entered the police station under the guidance of this municipal bureau official.
With this person’s assistance, the process of transferring the household registration became much simpler and was completed quickly.
Moreover, at Jiang Shiying’s specific request, not only was Tang Xue’s household registration transferred to Beijing, but her name on the household registration booklet was also officially changed to Jiang Xue.
Looking at the two large handwritten characters “Jiang Xue” on her new household registration booklet, Tang Xue suddenly felt a mix of emotions.
It wasn’t that she objected to the surname Jiang; she just wasn’t quite used to it yet.
Although the name “Tang Xue” hadn’t left her with any fond memories—especially when it came to the Tang family, where all she could recall were painful experiences—
But after all, this name had been with her for twenty years, and suddenly switching to a different one left her feeling a bit at a loss.
Li Yi clearly sensed the shift in her mood and immediately said, “You were born with the Jiang surname anyway. Changing back to it is a good thing—just think of it as making a clean break from those people in Yong County!”
Tang Xue… no, Jiang Xue nodded slightly upon hearing Li Yi’s words. “You’re right. From now on, I’m Jiang Xue, and I have absolutely no connection left with the Tang family!”
“Hmm, I imagine Mother will be very happy to hear this!” Li Yi said.
“Yes, Mother cares deeply about this…”
Just then, Jiang Shiying finished saying goodbye to the official from the Municipal Bureau and returned to the two of them.
Hearing her daughter’s words, Jiang Shiying immediately asked, “What were you two talking about? What does your mother care about?”
Jiang Xue replied immediately, “We were saying that Mother cares a lot about my surname. Now that I’ve changed it back to Jiang, she must be especially happy!”
“Haha, silly girl, your mother and I aren’t concerned with what your surname is—we just want you to be happy!”
Jiang Shiying continued, “Those people from the Tang family never treated you like family in the first place. Using their surname—we feel that’s a disgrace to our whole family!”
“Dad, I understand!” Jiang Xue said.
“All right, get in the car. We still need to make a trip to the subdistrict office!” Jiang Shiying said.
“What are we going to the neighborhood office for?” Jiang Xue asked, a bit puzzled.
“To get your marriage certificate, of course. You’re both about to have babies—it’s time to get the paperwork done!”
Jiang Xue’s face flushed, and she lowered her head.
She had thought about getting a marriage certificate many times before, but she never imagined she’d be getting it in Beijing, let alone with her own father by her side.
Li Yi immediately helped his wife into the car, and the group promptly left the police station, heading toward the neighborhood office.
Jiang Shiying knew the way to the neighborhood office well and had the car there in no time.
He then led his daughter and Li Yi into the community office and headed straight for the Civil Affairs Office.
When the staff at the Civil Affairs Office learned that Jiang Xue and Li Yi had come to apply for a marriage certificate, they weren’t particularly surprised—even though Jiang Xue was visibly pregnant.
Such situations were all too common these days—it was even considered normal not to get a marriage certificate!
After verifying both parties’ household registrations, the staff member immediately retrieved two small red booklets, leaned over the desk, and began filling in the information by hand.
Soon, after stamping them with the official red seal, two brand-new marriage certificates were ready!
“Here are your marriage certificates. Please keep them safe!”
“Thank you!”
As Li Yi accepted the marriage certificates handed to him by the staff member, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of candies, and placed them on the other person’s desk.
He had brought these candies with him specifically when he left the Jiang family’s old mansion!
After leaving the Civil Affairs Office, Jiang Xue couldn’t wait to take the marriage certificate from Li Yi’s hands and began examining it carefully.
The marriage certificate was encased in red plastic; the front bore the three golden characters “Marriage Certificate,” while the back featured a large “Double Happiness” character.
When unfolded, the beautifully designed inner pages are revealed.
The inner pages contain the personal information of the bride and groom, including their names, genders, and ages.
In addition, the inner pages feature exquisite decorative illustrations, such as beautiful flowers symbolizing a wonderful life, and two magpies perched on a plum blossom tree, symbolizing joy and celebration.
It is worth noting that at that time, wedding photos were not required to be affixed to the marriage certificate.
Overall, the marriage certificate exudes a sense of simplicity with a touch of solemnity.
“Do you like it?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“It’s beautiful!”
“Do you know what these two little booklets mean?”
“Does it mean we’re officially married?”
“Yes, but not entirely!”
Li Yi continued, “These two little marriage certificates represent our commitment to each other. They mean that from now on, we’re no longer fighting this battle alone—I’ll always be by your side, walking this path with you.”
Jiang Xue reached out and clasped Li Yi’s strong arm, saying, “I’ll do the same. From now on, I’ll always be by your side. For this life and the next, we’ll never part…”
Before she could finish, a soft cough suddenly rang out from behind them!
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Yi knew it was his father-in-law.
He turned around, and sure enough, it was him.
However, it was clear his mood was somewhat complicated—his daughter had only just been reunited with him, and now they were getting married.
More importantly, that rascal Li Yi had already bought a house in Beijing so quickly; from now on, if he wanted to see his daughter, he’d have to go to his place, which left him feeling a bit annoyed.
“Dad, look at our marriage certificate!”
Jiang Xue clearly hadn’t given it much thought; she was actually showing off their marriage certificate right in front of her own father.
“Hmm, that’s great!”
Li Yi immediately changed the subject: “Dad, now that we’ve got the certificate, let’s head back early. We still have to go to Cousin Jianhua’s wedding later!”
“Let’s go. Your mother must be waiting impatiently by now!”
With that, Jiang Shiying led the two of them out of the neighborhood office and drove toward their family home.
Back home, Jiang Xue was immediately pulled into a room by Ye Lingyun, who began getting her ready.
Meanwhile, Li Yi and Jiang Shiying drove to a large shopping mall not far from DXMBang. Since Ye Jianhua was getting married, as close relatives, they couldn’t just contribute a little wedding money—they had to show their support in a more meaningful way.
So, while the mother and daughter were getting ready, the father-in-law and son-in-law set about preparing a wedding gift for Ye Jianhua!