Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The Civil Affairs Bureau's entrance was smaller than Lin Yanzhou had imagined. It had a light gray exterior, two neatly trimmed holly bushes planted at the entrance, and a dark-colored sign hanging above the door frame bearing the full name of the organization.

Xiaoya stood on the steps by the door waiting for him to lock his car, clutching the document bag containing his identification documents. Today, she was wearing a light beige sweater, and her hair was tied lower than usual, as if she had made a special adjustment. She glanced at him: "What are you so nervous about? Hehe, this is your third time at the Civil Affairs Bureau."

"I...I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous..." Lin Yanzhou said speechlessly.

She smiled, stopped teasing him, and went inside first. There weren't many people in the lobby. Two windows were open, and a young couple was sitting in front of one window, filling out forms. The sound of their pens scratching across the paper could be heard even through the counter.

Xiaoya went to the front desk and handed over the documents. The clerk took them, flipped through them, and then glanced at them: "Your household registration book, ID card, and photos are all complete. Fill out a form first." She handed over two forms and a pen to each of them.

They filled out forms at a small table next to the counter. Xiaoya filled them out very quickly, as if she had already mentally rehearsed the information beforehand. Lin Yanzhou paused halfway through filling out the form, glanced at the blank space next to his name, and then continued writing.

Xiaoya had finished filling out the form and was folding it in half, waiting for him to finish. She didn't say anything, just stood there, folding the already folded form back and forth between her fingers. Only after Lin Yanzhou finished writing the last stroke and turned the paper over to check it did she hand the folded form back to the counter. The clerk took it, checked it, and without saying anything more, bent down and stamped it with the official seal. The sound of the seal hitting the paper was very soft, like the paper being pressed down and then springing back up.

"Congratulations," the clerk said.

They received two deep red notebooks with the national emblem and name embossed in gold on the cover. Xiaoya glanced at the page with the photo, then closed it, put it in her bag, and zipped it up: "Let's go, my husband."

Once in the car, Lin Yanzhou asked her where she wanted to go next. She said she would pick up Xiaozhou first and then have dinner together that evening. As she said this, her gaze was fixed on the road ahead, her fingers resting on her bag strap, without any extra movements: "There are some things that need to be made clear to her face to face."

Xiaozhou ran out of the school gate after school, her schoolbag slung across her shoulder, the zipper pull dangling a few times as she ran. She saw Lin Yanzhou's car parked by the roadside, slowed her pace, walked over, opened the back door, got in, and fastened her seatbelt: "Why are you up so early today?"

Xiaoya, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at her sideways and said, "We're going out for dinner tonight. There's something I need to tell you." Xiaozhou leaned over from behind, looked at her, then popped a candy into her mouth and said casually, "Okay, I want to eat at that barbecue place."

For dinner, we chose a barbecue restaurant. The table we booked in advance was by the window, where we could see the streetlights and pedestrians outside.

Xiao Zhou sat by the window, looking down at the menu. Her finger paused at the edge of the page, turned the page, and then turned back. After all the dishes were served, Xiao Ya took a sip of water from her glass, placed it on the coaster, and then reached out to touch the back of Xiao Zhou's hand: "Xiao Zhou, there's something I haven't been able to tell you. You've asked me several times before, and each time I said I'd wait until you're older, but I think I should tell you now."

She paused, turned her head to look at Lin Yanzhou, and said, "He is your father. We separated before you were born, and many years passed in between. He didn't know all that time. But he is your father."

Xiao Zhou's hand paused mid-air, the chopsticks holding a piece of roasted meat. The juices slid down the edge to the tips of the chopsticks and dripped onto the rim of the bowl. She glanced down at the meat, placed it in her bowl, then picked it up with her chopsticks, took a bite, chewed, swallowed, and then picked up her drink. The clinking of ice cubes echoed on the rim of the glass. She put the glass down: "I guessed it."

Xiaoya looked at her: "Little brat, when did you guess that?"

"I had a feeling the first time I saw him. I can't explain why, but I just felt he wasn't an ordinary uncle." She lowered her head and picked up another piece of meat, putting it into her bowl.

"And later he kept bringing me things, and the questions he asked weren't the kind of questions an ordinary uncle would ask. I've seen photos, and the person in that old photo on your bookshelf looks a bit like him."

Xiaoya sat for a while, then reached across the table and touched her fingers: "There are some things that Mom didn't handle well, which made you wait a long time."

Xiao Zhou flipped her wrist over so she could touch it: "I know you didn't mean it." After she finished speaking, she let go of her hand, picked up the piece of meat again, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth to chew.

Xiaoya turned her head and glanced at Lin Yanzhou: "When is the wedding?"

"Well, my situation is a bit special now. They've given me the date as early as the 8th of next month. There are still more than twenty days left."

"Great! I have a dad now! I need to check if it's the weekend; I have to go out too," Xiao Zhou said excitedly, putting down her cup.

"It'll be soon. You're on vacation right now, so it won't interfere with your school," Xiaoya said.

Xiao Zhou nodded and picked up another piece of meat: "Who is the bridesmaid?"

"It's not decided yet."

"Then I'll take it."

Xiaoya glanced at her, and after a while asked, "Are you sure?" Xiaozhou had already finished the piece of meat, put down her chopsticks, picked up her water glass, and only put it down after drinking half of the water: "Is there anyone else?" After she finished speaking, she picked up her chopsticks again and picked up the next piece.

By the time they finished eating, the charcoal fire on the table had been extinguished. Xiaozhou sat by the window, quietly scrolling through her phone, as if checking the weekend weather forecast. The streetlights outside shone through the glass onto her profile. She glanced down at the screen, put her phone back in her pocket, stood up, and put on her coat. "Let's go," she said, "I still have homework to do when I get back."

The next morning, Hu Dahai called. His tone was noticeably faster than usual: "Have you booked the hotel and venue yet? If not, I have a few options. Would you like to tell me the approximate number of tables so I can arrange the staff?" Lin Yanzhou replied, "Just do what you think is best. Use every resource you can get your hands on—hotels, car fleet, event planning—as much as possible. Don't skimp on the wedding's scale; just make sure you have everything you need."

Hu Dahai was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, as if he was quickly arranging the information in his mind into an actionable sequence: "Okay. I'll book the hotel, and arrange a helicopter to fly around when the ceremony starts. I've contacted Hengda about the dance troupe; they can provide two groups. We'll decide whether to cover the entire stage or have a marching process depending on the size of the venue."

After he finished speaking, he added, "Don't worry, I won't mess this up for you. I've essentially tied myself to your coattails now, so it wouldn't be right to fail."

Lin Yanzhou said, "Once it's done well, we'll have even more opportunities for cooperation."

Hu Dahai chuckled on the other end of the phone, his voice short and abrupt, as if he were suppressing most of it: "Then it's settled. I'll send you the process sheet tomorrow for your review."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yanzhou sat in the living room and placed his phone on the coffee table. Xiaoya came out of the bedroom, holding a cheongsam with the tag still on, and held it up to the full-length mirror in the living room: "What did Hu Dahai say?"

"He booked the hotel and the car fleet, arranged a helicopter, and also contacted a song and dance troupe."

Xiaoya glanced at the waistline of the cheongsam, then turned back and straightened her collar in front of the mirror: "It seems he really cares."

Lin Yanzhou leaned back on the sofa, watching her retreating figure. She had finished trying on the cheongsam and was smoothing out the creases before hanging it back on the hanger. "I didn't intend for the wedding to be this big," she said, glancing at the dress as she hung it up. "But since it's already decided, a lively celebration is fine." After saying that, her gaze returned to the cheongsam. "Could you help me see if this color suits me?"

Lin Yanzhou stood up and took two steps closer. The light fell on her shoulders, and the neckline of her cheongsam was trimmed with a thin edge, which reflected a faint shimmer under the light: "It suits you."