The next day at breakfast, Li Zhengguo made arrangements.
He and Tian Jing were going to Beisheng.
The elder brother and sister's families would go out to play with Ouyang Lei.
Dama and Xiaomai's families could either go with Ouyang Lei or go separately with Yuan Man.
With the little ones, and considering that any tourist attraction in the capital was quite far, they would drive.
They could take their own car, or if they split into two groups, they could use Ouyang Lei's car.
After arranging for the people they brought, Li Zhengguo also instructed Han Lushiduo to pay close attention to Lili's physical and emotional well-being.
Then, he and Tian Jing left in a hurry.
...
When Shen Jianrong learned that their in-laws had all gone to the capital, she could understand.
After all, it was the busy season in Kushan. If they arrived early, they might as well visit the capital. After the wedding, they wouldn't be in the mood to travel.
However, she asked, "Xiaobo, did your mother really say she wants to add a welcoming ceremony?"
"Yes," Li Weibo nodded. "My mother said the welcoming ceremony is an important part of the wedding and should be included."
Shen Jianrong looked troubled. "The welcoming ceremony is indeed difficult to arrange when we have marriages with people from outside the compound."
"When your mother suggested canceling the welcoming ceremony, we decided to hold the wedding in the compound's mess hall."
Li Weibo was also at a loss. "My parents will be here tomorrow morning. Why don't you discuss it with them and see what can be done?"
"That's fine," Shen Jianrong said, leaving the space to the two young people. "I'll go and ask your Uncle Yu."
Li Weibo held his girlfriend's hand tightly. "Ziyu, I'm very nervous."
"Pfft," Yu Ziyu chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the one who's nervous?"
Li Weibo gently tapped her nose. "Aren't you nervous?"
"I am nervous," Yu Ziyu nodded. "Seeing you so nervous actually makes me less nervous."
"Tomorrow we're going to try on the wedding attire, the day after tomorrow we'll take wedding photos, and get our marriage certificate."
"Once we're busy with so many things, I won't be nervous anymore."
"I'm sorry." Li Weibo apologized guiltily to Yu Ziyu.
"What for?" Yu Ziyu asked, not understanding.
Li Weibo reached out and brushed her long hair. "Other brides get to take engagement photos, but we'll only have a small photo for the marriage certificate."
"Others are others, and I am me," Yu Ziyu said with a pout. "I don't want those three words."
Li Weibo lowered his head and pecked her forehead. "I love you."
"Hehe." Yu Ziyu giggled. "Yes! I like hearing you say those three words."
"Let's buy a painting of twin dolls to hang above our bed, like in our parents' era."
"Okay." Li Weibo felt a lump in his throat. With such a wife, what more could a man ask for.
...
When Tian Jing and Li Zhengguo arrived at the Shen residence, lunch was already prepared.
Shen Jianrong introduced the new chef to Tian Jing. "This young man is nephew Xiao Yuan's nephew. His cooking is quite good. I can finally be free from the kitchen."
The young man looked to be in his early twenties, with clear eyes and a lively expression.
When he saw Tian Jing looking at him, the smile on his face seemed to be an emoji. "Captain Tian, hello. My great-great-aunt said you are her savior, so you are the savior of our entire Yuan family."
Tian Jing waved her hand. "Your great-great-aunt is being too polite. Just focus on honing your culinary skills here."
"Okay!" The young man nodded vigorously. "My aunt said I'm not allowed to run around unless she summons me."
After tasting the young man's cooking, Tian Jing understood why Yuan Feng kept Xiao Yuan by her side to teach him.
It was indeed a bit chaotic.
By ordinary standards, Xiao Yuan and this young man's cooking were both good.
However, compared to Yuan Feng's culinary skills, the flavors seemed somewhat jumbled, lacking the purity and richness of traditional cuisine.
The young man was still waiting for Tian Jing's evaluation.
Tian Jing couldn't bear to discourage him.
Li Zhengguo, however, was blunt. "There are too many flavors in the dishes, and the main and secondary are indistinguishable."
"Yuan Feng's dishes only have the pure taste of the ingredients, making them more fragrant and rich."
"You need to practice more and find the essence of each ingredient's flavor."
"Yes, yes, yes." The young man nodded with a serious expression. These two were former employers of his great-great-aunt and had tasted her cooking many times.
After the meal, Li Weibo and Yu Ziyu went to try on their wedding attire.
The two sets of in-laws discussed the wedding ceremony.
After hearing Shen Jianrong's concerns, Tian Jing also felt helpless.
"I just feel that brides like a lively welcoming ceremony. Ziyu, following Xiaobo, has to bear too much alone."
"I don't want her wedding to be so simple. Does that large mess hall have private rooms?"
"No," Shen Jianrong shook her head. "It's a large open space with many tables and chairs."
"Usually, not many people eat there, only those whose families are not around and who eat in the mess hall regularly."
"Or, like us, when we need to host a banquet, we rent the venue and hire cooks."
Venue and cooks?
Tian Jing thought for a moment and said, "Since the welcoming ceremony can't be done, let's put more effort into the wedding and banquet."
Seeing that Tian Jing had given up on the welcoming ceremony, Shen Jianrong breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you want to put in the effort?"
Of course, by decorating the venue and changing the chef.
Shen Jianrong strongly supported the idea of decorating the venue. No matter how many "xi" characters they pasted in the empty and simple mess hall, it wouldn't create a festive atmosphere.
However, the suggestion of changing the chef was a bit difficult.
Every master chef had their pride. Replacing a master chef in his own territory was practically an insult.
"Hehe." Tian Jing chuckled. "I don't care what the master chef thinks. I just want the guests attending my son's wedding to have an unforgettable banquet."
Shen Jianrong looked at Tian Jing with anticipation. "What do you mean?"
Tian Jing nodded under her expectant gaze. "Let's call Yuan Feng."
Shen Jianrong also wanted to taste Yuan Feng's cooking. After Yuan Feng arrived, she would only direct Xiao Yuan, not cook herself.
"But isn't it the peak tourist season in Kushan?"
"Isn't Xiao Yuan here?" Tian Jing said nonchalantly, taking out her phone. "Look, I'll call Yuan Feng. She'll definitely come."
As expected, when Yuan Feng heard that she was asked to be the head chef for Xiaobo's wedding banquet, she agreed without a second thought. She even said she would contact her grandnephew to purchase the ingredients.
After Tian Jing hung up the phone, Shen Jianrong clapped her hands and laughed excitedly.
"Hahaha, regardless of anything else, just the high-end catering will surpass everyone."
"Throughout history, apart from emperors, who could have a royal chef as the head chef for a banquet? Would the mess hall chef still get angry?"
"Certainly not," Tian Jing shook her head. "First, tell him Yuan Feng's identity. If he believes it, not only will he not get angry, but he'll even strive to be an assistant."
"There's a possibility," Shen Jianrong stood up. "Let's go to the mess hall now and find the master chef."
Tian Jing also stood up. "I'll go and see the size of the mess hall and think about how to decorate the venue."
Shen Jianrong looked at Tian Jing with gratitude. "Ziyu is fortunate to have a mother-in-law like you who is wholeheartedly dedicated to making her wedding more colorful."
Tian Jing smiled faintly. "I am making up for my son. I hope that whenever Ziyu encounters setbacks, she can think of this moment and gain the courage to continue waiting."
"She will," Shen Jianrong said with certainty. "I know my daughter."