Bright Era of China Entertainment

Chapter 745: Big Family Meeting

The atmosphere of the dinner was very harmonious, but my uncle and second brother left halfway through the meal because they had to catch a plane back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year.

My aunt stayed behind to accompany Ankang to a group meeting tomorrow with my uncle and aunt.

My uncle is also a busy man. He will return to his public office the day after tomorrow to attend to official business, and will leave early tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow's rally is scheduled for noon.

Since the time was set at noon, no one drank too much at the dinner to avoid delays.

So the dinner ended a little early, and ended at eight o'clock in the evening.

Last night, Liu Yifei said that they would wait for Chu Xuan to come and set off fireworks together today. After the dinner, Ankang and Chu Xuan accepted her request and went downstairs to the community square with the remaining fireworks at home to set them off. Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua stayed at home for the time being and continued to be guests.

"Chirp, chirp—" the fireworks rose into the sky, bright and brilliant.

Ankang looked up at the sky and couldn't help saying, "I don't know if there will be another opportunity to set off fireworks like this in the future."

Liu Yifei tilted her head to look at her father, sensing his melancholy, which made the originally beautiful atmosphere of fireworks a little bit depressed. She couldn't help but comfort him, "Dad, didn't we agree that we would come back every year in the future?"

Ankang took off his glasses. The stains from the burned-out fireworks stuck to the lenses. He took out a lens-cleaning cloth from his left pocket and wiped it gently, saying, "You have a sufficient reason for your wedding to take a leave this time. I don't know when I will be able to come back for the next Chinese New Year. You should spend more time with your grandparents in the future. Your uncle and I don't have to worry about them."

"Uncle can't come back, so we will go to France to see you and set off fireworks in France every year." Chu Xuan said.

Liu Yifei nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Chu Xuan's decision: "Yes, it's not like you don't work on Earth."

Ankang laughed for a moment and glanced at Chu Xuan: "I asked you to come to Wuhan in the past few years, but you didn't come. Now you want to come to France to see me. I don't mention other things, but from this aspect, your credibility with me is a bit low."

Hearing her father using this matter to ridicule Chu Xuan again, Liu Yifei was about to say something good for Chu Xuan, when she heard Chu Xuan self-reflectively say: "Uncle, don't worry, I will turn over a new leaf in the future."

Liu Yifei took back the nice words she was about to say and was amused by Chu Xuan. This matter didn't require her to start a new life. Chu Xuan's words could please her father better than the nice words she wanted to say, so she simply stopped talking.

Ankang couldn't help but nodded with a smile: "Okay, I'll remember what you said and see what happens next."

This simple exchange between the father-in-law and son-in-law made Liu Yifei clearly feel that her father's attitude towards Chu Xuan had changed. She felt very happy and took Chu Xuan's arm, and they looked up at the beautiful fireworks in the starry sky more closely together.

Ankang glanced at his daughter's intimate behavior towards Chu Xuan. Compared to the displeasure he felt when the couple held hands in the afternoon, a lot of resistance in his heart now disappeared, and he became able to accept it.

He was unaware of this change, and his intuitive feeling was that he liked Chu Xuan much more.

Chu Xuan also has a different feeling. The family of three consisting of Liu Yifei and his mother-in-law is full of warmth from the inside out. However, the family of three consisting of Liu Yifei and his father-in-law is restrained and needs to be experienced carefully, and it has a different taste of home.

This may be the difference between women and men, and the difference between emotional love and rational love. Each has its own tenderness and warmth. It all depends on how children appreciate it.

Last night, there were a father and daughter under the fireworks, and tonight there is one more family member. This is the first experience for this family of three, and it is also the beginning of establishing a closer connection between the three in the future. Everyone has different feelings, but the common feeling is that they all lead to a beautiful blueprint.

"Let's go."

"Don't you need to clean up these things?"

"No need, someone will clean it up tomorrow morning."

The fireworks ended at nine o'clock in the evening. The family of three turned around and walked towards home, talking and laughing. The moonlight stretched the shadows of the family very long, covering a pile of dull and dilapidated empty fireworks boxes.

This seems to indicate that all the fireworks have fulfilled their mission by blooming to the fullest, and under the guidance of the moonlight, this brilliant life has been continued and given to a family who may be able to make it bloom more brilliantly. I pray that they will not forget their original intentions and continue to spread the brilliant and shining light in the starry sky.

"Grandpa, auntie, take care of yourself. We are leaving now."

"Take care, come often."

"Everyone, see you tomorrow then."

"Goodbye, see you tomorrow."

Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua said goodbye to the An family, and Chu Xuan also waved goodbye to Liu Yifei inside the door.

After the dinner and the fireworks, Chu Xuan also had the same firm feeling as Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua. The An family had already supported his marriage with Liu Yifei and reached a consensus. Otherwise, it would be impossible for this family to be so harmonious with them and have no critical words towards him, not even a questioning voice.

Even if the father-in-law finds fault, it is only because he is unhappy about his daughter's marriage that his words and actions are based on. This is very normal.

Chu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. The stage of settling down was not as difficult as he had imagined. It was still a good thing.

No, why is it called Anjia? It's our father's home!

He easily won over his grandmother's family, and he also dealt with An's father's family. The future of his marriage with Liu Yifei had been paved with a smooth road, which made him a little complacent.

He was still timid about the An family the day before, but a day later he confidently labeled it as "our father's home" in his mind.

The only thing that made him a little unhappy was that Ankang forcibly separated him and Liu Yifei in a playful way. He felt a little uncomfortable that he couldn't spend the New Year's Eve with his woman.

But there was nothing he could do about it. Before getting married, his father-in-law's requests were like an imperial decree, and he had no choice but to accept them.

However, the mother-in-law has her own opinion on this matter: "You can't even control your own fiancée, you are a bit inferior."

The next morning was the second day of the Chinese New Year.

Liu Xiaoli, her aunt and uncle came to the hotel to meet up with Chu Xuan and the others. Liu Xiaoli, who didn't see her daughter, learned about the situation from Chu Xuan and couldn't help but complain about Chu Xuan.

Ankang obviously kept his daughter at home in order to attack Chu Xuan. Of course, this was also due to his fatherly love for his daughter, as he wanted his daughter to spend more time with him.

Liu Xiaoli understood Ankang's behavior, but she was still merciless towards Chu Xuan's teasing.

Chu Xuan had nothing to say about this and could only eat breakfast at the dining table in silence.

Wang Jinhua, Dong Zhihua, Zhou Wenqiong and his uncle felt amused and glanced at Chu Xuan with amused smiles.

"Let's go." Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Liu Xiaoli invited everyone to go to the private room to wait for the An family to come and meet them.

The meeting place was in the private room of the restaurant of the hotel where Chu Xuan and his friends were staying. Chu Xuan, Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua were the men's party, while Liu Xiaoli, Zhou Wenqiong and her uncle were the representatives of the woman's family.

The two families were more like one family. They had already reached a consensus on the details of the marriage and were well aware of them. They were just waiting for the An family to arrive and then brainwash them together.

Today's collective meeting is equivalent to two kings against four twos. No matter how powerful the four twos are, they can only sing Ma Hu's "Conquer".

"Mom, aunt, uncle!" At nearly 12 noon, Liu Yifei walked into the private room and greeted her family members happily. Then she sat down next to Chu Xuan with full of affection. The two of them couldn't help but hold each other's hands. The family members wanted to complain but didn't know what to say.

Ankang, uncle, aunt and aunt were representatives of Liu Yifei's father's family. After entering the private room, they greeted Wang Jinhua gently and naturally, but they were embarrassed when facing Liu Xiaoli's family.

When Ankang and Liu Xiaoli were getting divorced, no one in their An family supported Liu Xiaoli. Now meeting each other after many years, they were really awkward and speechless.

Just looking at Liu Xiaoli's graceful and elegant appearance, there was not a bit of embarrassment and anxiety that she had in the An family back then. Uncle and aunt felt that the world is really unpredictable and everyone's circumstances and changes are difficult to predict.

Zhou Wenqiong and her uncle smiled but didn't say anything or say hello. Liu Xiaoli also lowered her head and didn't look at them. She just picked up the teapot and poured tea, which was considered an expression of welcome for their arrival.

"Uncle, uncle, aunt, please order the food." Chu Xuan tried to break the awkwardness and handed the menu to Ankang and the others.

Ankang handed the menu to his sister and aunt, and his aunt shared the menu with his aunt. With the menu, the two women temporarily avoided the awkward atmosphere.

Ankang and his uncle were left alone and felt a little embarrassed, but Ankang's first speech broke the freezing atmosphere.

"I communicated with my friends at the consulate in Beijing yesterday," Ankang said.

For Liu Xiaoli, her daughter's reversion to nationality was a big deal, but ordinary people like them could not do much to help with this matter. Only officials like the An family could intervene and help.

As soon as Ankang's words came out, everyone present, except for his aunt and aunt who were ordering food, pricked up their ears and listened.

"After getting the marriage certificate with Xiaoxuan, it won't be a problem for Xixi to change her nationality back, but it will take some time."

"If it's an ordinary family, two to three months is enough."

"But Xiaoxuan and Xixi are not ordinary families, so the process will be much more complicated."

"Based on the responses from my friends, I think it will take at least half a year, and if nothing unexpected happens, it will take less than a year."

Last night, Ankang discussed this issue with his colleagues at the Beijing Consulate. The above is the result of his analysis and his response.

When it comes to nationality, the more common the identity, the simpler the process; the more complicated the identity, the more complicated the process.

This is like a scientist who wants to obtain Chinese citizenship. His ancestors for eighteen generations must be investigated thoroughly, otherwise what if he is a spy?
It is based on this consideration that Chinese nationality is recognized worldwide as the most difficult nationality to obtain.

However, if someone already has Chinese citizenship, it is not very difficult to change to Chinese citizenship, but it will be cumbersome to investigate the background, which means it will take a lot of time to review.

The first condition is to have a Chinese permanent residence permit, and the criteria for obtaining a Chinese permanent residence permit is that the business is in the country and has been maintained for five years. The review period starts from five years and can range from several decades.

Fortunately, Xixi has a permanent residence permit in China.

With a permanent residence permit in China, the review process for an ordinary family to change their nationality would only take one or two months. However, for a divorced family like my daughter's, and the complicated financial situation of her and Chu Xuan, the review process would be very cumbersome.

No matter how complicated it is, Sissi's change of nationality will eventually be a smooth process.

Since it went smoothly, Ankang and his uncle would not use their connections to help. It would just take a little longer to review the nationality transfer, but it would not affect the result.

After hearing what Ankang said, Liu Xiaoli and Wang Jinhua had an idea in their minds.

At least half a year, at most one year, this is the approximate situation for Sissi to regain her nationality.

Based on this situation, the timing of the wedding can be considered.

Liu Xiaoli thought that the two children would be filming a movie after the New Year, and Xixi would be preparing for further studies and graduation in May and June, so there was no suitable time to hold the wedding in the first half of the year.

In the second half of the year, "Enemy at the Gates" will be on a global roadshow, and no one knows how long it will take. A costume wedding is not as simple as a Western wedding, and there are many things that need to be prepared in advance.

Where should the wedding date be set?

"How about holding the wedding on March 3th next year?"

Liu Xiaoli was still considering it, and Ankang and the others were also thinking about it, but their daughter's words brought them back to reality.

March 3th next year?
So, March 2010, 3?
Ankang didn't understand what his daughter meant by this day.

Wang Jinhua explained: "March 3th is Xiaoxuan's birthday."

Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized.

Liu Xiaoli looked at the two children with warm eyes, and the others also looked at them with loving eyes.

Chu Xuan's heart was a little throbbing. He really didn't expect that Liu Yifei would take the initiative to propose to set the wedding date on his birthday. He was very moved and couldn't help but hold her hand tighter.

Liu Yifei felt the warmth in the palm of her hand, and she turned her head to look at Chu Xuan lovingly.

What she never forgot was that on Chu Xuan’s 20th birthday, if she had not celebrated his birthday, Chu Xuan might never remember the date of his birthday.

Her birthday is the anniversary of their love. If the wedding anniversary is set on Chu Xuan’s birthday, it will not only make Chu Xuan unforgettable, but also make her remember this day forever, which is very meaningful.

"Xiaoxuan, what do you think?" Liu Xiaoli asked Chu Xuan.

"Sure." Chu Xuan nodded.

"Then it will be March 3th next year." Liu Xiaoli said. She respected her daughter's idea and also wanted to meet her daughter's wish to change her nationality first and then hold the wedding. She also respected the consensus reached by the two children.

Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua didn't say anything. As for when the couple would get married, they would naturally follow the opinions of the family.

The uncle, aunt and aunt were also speechless. The question of when to get married was decided by Xiaoxuan, Xixi, Liu Xiaoli and Ankang, and there was no need for them to interrupt.

Ankang glanced at his daughter and saw the desire in her eyes. He said silently, "Okay, let's propose on March 3th next year, which is Xixi's birthday, and get married on Xiaoxuan's birthday. This is very meaningful."

Liu Yifei smiled and looked at Chu Xuan very tenderly. The couple felt waves in their hearts, and unspeakable excitement spread in their hearts.

The couple flirted with their eyes, and the family members found it funny but chose to ignore it. Ankang then talked about the next topic: "For the sake of the child's growth environment, Xiaoxuan and Xixi want to buy a house in Shenzhen. How do they get this house?"

"I'll buy it." Liu Xiaoli blurted out.

Ankang and uncle were silent, just thinking, if you buy the house, what should we do?

Liu Xiaoli saw through the An family's mentality and said bluntly: "The dowry jewelry that Xiaoxuan prepared for Xixi is estimated to be worth 100 million. It should be difficult for you An family to return this gift. It's better for me to do it."

Her words were polite, but implicitly she was mocking the An family's ability to return the gift.

Ankang, his uncle, his aunt, and his aunt all looked stunned. Judging from the 1-square-meter mansion where Xixi lived in Beijing, they expected that the house they bought in Shenzhen would not be small, but they never expected that Chu Xuan's betrothal gift would be worth million yuan.

They didn't think Liu Xiaoli would joke at this time. The uncle stared at Chu Xuan in a daze: "Xiaoxuan, you are a little bit disrespectful to us."

The uncle was speechless, he had never heard of anyone spending 1 million on jewelry for a wedding. If it was a few million or something, they could just use their family savings, but forget about the 1 million, they really couldn't afford it.

Chu Xuan was also a little confused. He didn't expect that his mother-in-law would consider the jewelry as a betrothal gift, and he didn't expect that his mother-in-law would take care of the purchase of a house in Shenzhen. This was really beyond his expectations.

Liu Yifei was also a little surprised. She had been thinking about buying the house in Shenzhen with her own money, but she didn't expect that her mother had already made plans. But doesn't her mother represent her? Therefore, she agreed with her mother's decision and accepted it with pleasure.

Ankang also reacted. No wonder Wang Jinhua didn't want to talk about the house yesterday. It turned out that Liu Xiaoli had been prepared. Based on Chu Xuan's 1 million jewelry gift, the value of buying a house as a return gift must be very high. They couldn't afford it. Wang Jinhua didn't mention it yesterday to save their face.

Ankang now understands it and does not argue with Liu Xiaoli about this matter. Liu Xiaoli owns shares in Brilliant Times, and even if he does not want to admit it, he can only face the fact that Liu Xiaoli's financial resources are stronger than their An family's.

But the An family couldn't just sit there and do nothing when it came to their daughter's wedding, so he said, "Xiaoxuan has the jewelry and gifts, and you have a house, so we'll take care of the wedding."

"Why are you here to take care of it?" Liu Xiaoli refused and said, "You are all busy people. Wedding matters are complicated and tedious. You just do your own things. If you can come and have a drink together, it will be the greatest blessing for the two children. I will take care of the wedding."

"Xiao Li, you are being unreasonable." The uncle retorted: "You are in charge of the wedding and the wedding process, so what should we do? Are we just going to have a couple of drinks? Xixi is your daughter, and also the daughter of our An family. It seems like this wedding has nothing to do with our An family. Isn't that bad?"

There are so many things to do at home, it would be more relaxing if you can avoid troubles.

But for the Yu An family, with a family background that is not prominent but not unknown, when their daughter gets married, there are some things they have to do even if they don't want to cause trouble.

What's more, Xixi is the only daughter of the An family and their beloved family member. As for Xixi's marriage, they will definitely contribute even if they don't say how much money it will cost, otherwise they will lose face and feel bad.

The two sides had an argument and the rest of the people were reluctant to express their opinions.

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes and looked at her aunt: "Mom, don't you want to have an ancient traditional wedding? Auntie is very knowledgeable about traditional culture. If Auntie is willing to help, then my wedding with Chu Xuan will be more perfect."

My grandfather was an old Red Army soldier who served as the political commissar of culture and ideology, and my grandmother was a military doctor who was well versed in traditional culture and trained in ancient Chinese medicine. Under the influence of such traditional cultural ideas, my father's family are all cultured people.

My aunt is the only member of the An family who has no job and stays at home with my grandparents all year round. She is most deeply influenced by traditional culture. As for my mother's desire to hold an ancient wedding for her and Chu Xuan, my aunt seems to be more professional than those wedding companies on the market.

The aunt didn't expect Xixi to call her name, but she was very happy to say what Xixi said: "Sure, if you trust me, Xiaoli, I will do my best to hold a Song Dynasty wedding for Xiaoxuan and Xixi, with authentic Chinese etiquette."

Hearing this, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei were looking forward to it. Although the Song Dynasty was not strong in military power, its culture was the best in all dynasties. What was the wedding like in the Song Dynasty? The couple was very interested in this.

Wang Jinhua didn't care about the Tang and Song dynasties. From Xiaoxuan's perspective, the most important thing was for the whole family to live harmoniously together. So she said, "We will provide the jewelry gift, Sister Li will provide the wedding house, and Brother An and Sister-in-law will organize the wedding. I think this is very suitable."

She looked at Liu Xiaoli: "Sister Li, what do you think?"

Although Liu Xiaoli was resentful of the An family and wanted to plan a grand wedding for her two children and did not want the An family to have any involvement, her reason told her that such an idea was neither realistic nor appropriate.

After hearing what Wang Jinhua said, she took the opportunity to step down: "Then I'll trouble you, big sister."

The aunt smiled knowingly, "Big sister?" This is how Liu Xiaoli called her a long time ago. Liu Xiaoli called her that again after so many years, which shows that this is Liu Xiaoli's compromise for the happiness of her children, and it also shows that Liu Xiaoli is a good mother and a good mother-in-law.

She said, "Then I will prepare after the New Year."

She looked at Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei: "I need your cooperation with the costumes, sedan chairs, and some etiquette. You must find time to come back."

"Okay, of course." Chu Xuan agreed.

"As long as my aunt calls, we will be there at her call." Liu Yifei said happily.

My aunt smiled and nodded, and my uncle said, "The wedding date is set, March 3th next year."

He looked at Ankang and said, "Then it's up to you and Xiaoli to make the arrangements. Whether it's getting a marriage certificate or changing nationality, we can't help you. As a father, you should just give them some advice."

Ankang nodded, and he would take care of these things without much explanation.

"Knock knock knock..." There was a knock on the door, and then the waiter came in with the dishes.

After all the dishes were served and the wine was filled, even though there was some awkwardness between Liu Xiaoli and Ankang, with Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei present, the dinner for the entire family was generally happy and cheerful.

(End of this chapter)