It wasn’t without warning.

Everything the senior official did left traces, from visiting the rural area of Yunan during the Spring Festival until now, almost a year had passed.

Last time, he had also appeared with Comrade Liu Fen at his ex-wife’s wedding banquet. Things had progressed naturally, and it was time for the official to marry. Secretary Peng bumped into the table corner, held back his pain, and smiled:

“Congratulations!”

Tang Hongen gave a gentle “mm” in response. “Also, help me prepare some wedding candy. I might need to give them out.”

Tang Hongen certainly wouldn’t hold a wedding banquet in Peng City, and Liu Fen understood this point.

This was his second marriage, and his position in Peng City was sensitive. His associates were either colleagues or foreign businessmen seeking favors. Holding a banquet would only give others an excuse to send gifts, something Tang Hongen wouldn’t do.

He could give wedding candy to those close to him though.

As for the Song family, who had been concerned about his marriage prospects, Tang Hongen had to send them wedding candy, hoping they would understand the message.

The more Tang Hongen thought about it, the happier he became.

If there was anything imperfect about this situation, it was that after marriage, he and A-Fen would still need to live separately for some time.

Tang Hongen estimated that they would have to wait until Xia Xiaolan finished her undergraduate studies before A-Fen would feel comfortable leaving.

His salary, it seemed, would be going toward round-trip tickets between Yang City and Jing City.

Liu Fen’s financial situation was better, but Tang Hongen hadn’t planned to rely on her. He couldn’t always ask Liu Fen to come to Peng City. They had agreed earlier that he would visit Jing City at least once a month.

This time, Tang Hongen didn’t even bring Little Wang, traveling to Shang City alone.

One arrived in the morning, the other in the afternoon.

Meeting in Shang City, Liu Fen could barely look at Tang Hongen.

Tang Hongen was quite forthright, “I borrowed a car from someone. If you’re not too tired from the flight, we can head to Anqing now.”

If Tang Hongen had asked his friends in Yunan Province, Liu Fen wouldn’t have needed to come back personally for the certificate.

But then, wouldn’t they have missed this chance to spend time together?

Running these marriage errands personally would become an unforgettable experience.

Liu Fen tried to stay calm, “Wouldn’t it be too late to go back now?”

Tang Hongen was well-prepared: “It’s not too late. We can first go to Qijing Village for the certificate, and then handle the procedures at Anqing County Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow. Tonight we’ll stay at the Anqing Guesthouse. Although we have a house in the hometown, it’s too cold to start a fire there.”

Seeing Liu Fen’s silence, Tang Hongen added:

“Of course, we’ll get two separate rooms at the guesthouse.”

Liu Fen felt like she might explode on the spot.

Her daughter was already in college, and she wasn’t some innocent young maiden anymore – she knew about matters between men and women.

But growing up in her environment, such things were never discussed openly.

If Tang Hongen hadn’t emphasized it, she wouldn’t have felt so strongly about it: after they became husband and wife, they would be sleeping in the same bed!

Seeing Liu Fen’s ears turn red, Tang Hongen looks innocent.

He hadn’t even done anything yet!

But Tang Hongen knew not to overdo it. Although he and A-Fen were getting married, they had always maintained their principles before, at most just holding hands at the Yang City clothing wholesale market.

They were very familiar with each other, yet in some ways, still strangers.

They would only be legal spouses after getting their marriage certificate, and Tang Hongen decided to take everything slowly.

Tang Hongen changed the subject to other topics, such as whether Xia Xiaolan knew and how she reacted, how business was going, if the new store’s renovation was complete, and so on – topics that weren’t boring.

Talking about these matters was Liu Fen’s forte, and she felt particularly confident.

“The new store is decorated already. This time we’re not selling women’s clothing – one store will sell men’s clothing, and one will sell children’s clothing!”

The women’s clothing market seemed a bit too crowded.

Season’s brand had opened six stores at once, deliberately choosing locations near Luna and Blue Phoenix, clearly trying to compete for business.

Liu Fen couldn’t act like those rural shrews who would curse in the streets, like Old Lady Xia who had no bottom line and would throw two buckets of manure at people.

Luna’s reputation was bigger than Elegance’s at this time, so they weren’t worried about Elegance opening nearby.

Blue Phoenix had a smaller reputation.

It would affect their business to some extent.

After discussing with Xia Xiaolan, Liu Fen decided to take a different approach. Blue Phoenix’s core development was in retail terminals, not being limited to selling specific types of clothing since it wasn’t a brand anyway.

The original store in Shang City had sold men’s clothing before.

Just because men had fewer clothing needs didn’t mean they didn’t buy clothes.

“I also think adding a men’s clothing store is good. Xiaolan suggested adding a children’s clothing store too.”

When mentioning men’s clothing, Liu Fen couldn’t help glancing at Tang Hongen.

Tang Hongen’s observation skills were too sharp to miss Liu Fen’s emotional change.

Regardless of why they were selling men’s clothing, when mentioning it now, did Liu Fen think of him?

Tang Hongen thought that in the future, his clothing would probably be managed and handled by Liu Fen – part of a man’s longing for marriage is wanting to be taken care of. While fighting and scheming outside, the home becomes a warm harbor. Even Tang Hongen wasn’t exempt from this.

He didn’t need Liu Fen to be his housekeeper; he already had one taking care of his meals and daily life.

But how could a housekeeper compare to a wife?

One works for a salary doing their duty, the other cares for him from the heart.

They hadn’t even gotten their marriage certificate yet, but A-Fen was already settling into the role of wife.

Realizing this, Tang Hongen didn’t even try to hide his joy!

Liu Fen also sensed his happiness.

Gradually, Liu Fen started smiling too.

When they reached the village, it was already past 6 PM.

Winter days grew dark early, and in the cold weather, people were reluctant to go out. As Tang Hongen’s car entered the village, dogs barked and chickens jumped about.

Amid the sounds of people scolding dogs and chickens, some opened their doors to look.

The car could only stop at the village entrance. Tang Hongen, worried Liu Fen might slip, held her hand the whole time.

This was exactly what others saw when they opened their doors.

Liu Fen looked much more refined than during New Year’s, seeming younger as time passed. Fourth Sister Chen stared for a while before daring to confirm:

“A-Fen?”

Liu Fen softly responded, “Fourth Sister, it’s me.”

Fourth Sister Chen looked at the man beside Liu Fen – neither tall nor short, average build but with an impressive presence – it was the same official who had visited the Liu family during New Year’s.

People said he was some high-ranking official.

Even County Director Fang from Anqing County wanted to meet him but didn’t get the chance.

These two were holding hands, not hiding it at all… Fourth Sister Chen’s mind froze, not knowing how to address them, stammering “you, you, you” without forming a complete sentence.

Tang Hongen held a bag in his other hand, and he took out a box of wedding candy:

“A-Fen and I are back to get our marriage certificate. Everyone we meet gets a share – take it home for the children to enjoy!”

Fourth Sister Chen accepted the candy, and Liu Fen, holding back her embarrassment, smiled at her: “Fourth Sister, we’ll chat later. We need to go to Uncle Da’s house first.”

Only after the couple had walked away, still holding hands, did Fourth Sister Chen pinch her thigh:

“Oh, my heavens! Back for their marriage certificate… A-Fen is marrying the senior official!”