"Hey, you're here!" Huang Yunfei opened the door and smiled when he saw Jiang Hai standing outside.
"What can I help you with?" Jiang Hai stepped inside, glancing at the others who had gathered. He turned to Huang Yunfei with a smile, and Huang Yunfei followed his gaze.
"Go help me pack the candy boxes first. The balloons and everything else are almost done." Huang Yunfei glanced around the room. Despite the mess, most of the preparations were nearly finished. Fuyuan, Xianghua, and the others were busy playing with balloons and would head downstairs soon.
They still needed a few extra hands to finish packing the candy boxes.
"Alright." Jiang Hai walked over to the table. After greeting Huang Yunfei's mother, who was organizing the candy packing, he got to work. All these candy boxes had been ordered online.
Some people folded the boxes, others handed out the candies, while a few packed and sealed the boxes before arranging them in circles and tying them up. These candy boxes, mostly used for weddings nowadays, looked quite elegant.
The larger boxes intended for cigarettes were already loaded into the cars, so these smaller ones were packed separately. They were filled with candies to be placed on the wedding day tables.
"Jiang Hai, your wife hasn't come back yet?" Huang Yunfei's mother asked with a smile when she saw Jiang Hai sitting down.
"Oh, she's back, but she's a bit busy today. She'll come tomorrow," Jiang Hai replied with a smile. Huang Yunfei's mother nodded knowingly.
"Your wife runs such a big company; it's no surprise she's busy. You're really lucky to have such a wonderful wife. You'll get to relax for years to come," she said warmly.
Jiang Hai smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"Mom, what are you saying? Jiang Hai's got as much money as his wife now," Huang Yunfei chimed in, standing nearby.
Hearing this, Huang Yunfei's mother looked at Jiang Hai in surprise, then laughed, and the topic shifted.
Jiang Hai and Huang Yunfei had been neighbors for years—not just in the same community, but the same building. Huang Yunfei was a year younger, and their mothers had been high school classmates. Later, they even worked together at the same factory. Although Huang Yunfei's family was a bit more influential, both mothers worked office jobs and were well treated.
Huang Yunfei's mother had a bit of power and a strong personality. When Qi Li's father had resigned to move to the capital, she wouldn't let Huang Yunfei play with Qi Li. After the Qi family rose in status, she even visited them, hoping to arrange a marriage between Huang Yunfei and Qi Li. If Qi Li wasn't an option, her two sisters would be.
Of course, the Qi family never agreed, and Huang Yunfei's mother finally gave up only after Qi Li married Jiang Hai two years ago. Even so, it had taken her two years to fully accept her daughter-in-law—and she still wasn't quite satisfied.
Jiang Hai was familiar with Huang Yunfei's mother, but since he got along well with Huang Yunfei, he chose to ignore the issue. After finishing with the gift boxes, he and his friends went to tie balloons.
"Sorry about my mom. She's been in menopause lately and just can't keep quiet," Huang Yunfei whispered while they worked outside. Jiang Hai smiled and waved it off.
"It's fine. I've known you all for over twenty years; I know what your mom's like. I just choose to ignore it," Jiang Hai replied casually, unconcerned.
"By the way, I heard you say your wife is coming tomorrow? Qi Li's back?" Fu Yuan asked with surprise. He recalled that when Jiang Hai arrived earlier, Qi Li wasn't with him.
"Yeah, Qi Li's back. Tomorrow... well, it depends. Maybe it'll just be the two of us, or maybe more," Jiang Hai said, a bit embarrassed.
After yesterday's gathering, although the three women hadn't openly said they got along well, at least in front of Jiang Hai, the tension was gone.
After eating buns yesterday, Jiang Hai and his group of four walked around Central Avenue again. In the evening, Qi Li dropped Jiang Hai and the others off at home before returning to their new house.
Despite getting married last year during Chinese New Year, Qi Li had only actually spent one night there in over a year since their wedding—and often stayed there when Jiang Hai was away.
Jiang Hai slept well last night. After breakfast this morning, he came to help with the preparations.
He still hadn't figured out who would go to tomorrow's wedding with him. His plan was for four people to go—though that might be awkward. Leaving others behind felt a bit embarrassing.
"Men get bad when they have money," Huang Yunfei sighed.
"How dare you say that to me? You're just as bad!" Jiang Hai teased, giving him a playful middle finger. Huang Yunfei shook his head proudly.
"Yeah, I'm a bad man too. By the way, after helping tonight, don't leave. Let's go out and have some fun," Huang Yunfei said mysteriously. The men around them raised their eyebrows.
"What? You want a bachelor party?" Xu Wei asked in surprise.
"Play flying chess?" For some reason, Jiang Hai always thought of flying chess when he heard "bachelor party."
"Come on, I'm getting married tomorrow. We can't stay out late. We have to pick up the bride at six in the morning, so tonight will just be a simple bath," Jiang Hai said. Huang Yunfei looked at him with disdain.
"A bath?" Huang Yunfei smirked, clearly implying something else.
Though Bingcheng had many respectable bathhouses, some were less reputable.
Across China, this was understood by all men: fast food bathhouses offer massages and shampoos, the better ones include bathing, and the best feature entertainment clubs and such.
Jiang Hai felt a bit uncomfortable with Huang Yunfei's insinuations.
"Enough nonsense. It's a bachelor night; you should stay chaste for your wife. If the police catch you, tomorrow will be your wedding and divorce day," Jiang Hai said seriously, patting Huang Yunfei's shoulder.
"Tsk, so boring. You're a full man who doesn't know the hunger of a hungry man. You have Qi Li and that girl—what's her name? Oh yeah, Ai Xiaoxi—two beautiful girls, and you don't think about us at all?" Huang Yunfei complained sourly when Jiang Hai showed no interest in going out.
If only his wife were as beautiful as Qi Li or Ai Xiaoxi, Huang Yunfei wouldn't want to go out either.
"Don't talk nonsense. We're getting married tomorrow, so be honest. Wait until we get to the U.S... Well, I guess you won't be going out by then. Fuyuan and Xu Wei are single, but you should just give up on that idea!" Jiang Hai smiled at Huang Yunfei's frustrated expression. Fuyuan and Xu Wei, hearing about a show in Winthrop, raised their eyebrows with interest.
While chatting and laughing, they finished tying the balloons. Then they drove to the venue to check the decorations and the script for the master of ceremonies for tomorrow's wedding.
After everything was done, night fell. During dinner, Jiang Hai specifically invited Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi. When Huang Yunfei and the others learned Jiang Hai wasn't just with one girl but two, they teased him even more.
Feng Yunchen, Xianghua, and Fu Yuan especially knew Jiang Hai's situation well—they were classmates, after all.
Having such a beautiful girl now with Jiang Hai stirred a bit of jealousy among these married and unmarried friends.
Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi had also met Jiang Hai's brothers earlier. After dinner, Jiang Hai and the trio left first.
As for whether Huang Yunfei got his bachelor party, Jiang Hai probably had no idea.
Halfway through the meal, his father arrived to thank Jiang Hai and the others.
It wouldn't do to spend a bachelor night with his dad—his mom and wife would never forgive them.
No matter what, this busy day was over. After returning home, Jiang Hai, Feng Yunchen, and Ai Xiaoxi washed up and went to bed.
He still had to help out early tomorrow morning—but before sleeping, he needed to decide who would be going with him.
"You and Qi Li should go. It's not right for us. Besides, we've already met your friends. It doesn't matter if we go tomorrow or not," Feng Yunchen said bluntly.
Ai Xiaoxi, who had been interested in the wedding, fell silent. She knew Feng Yunchen wouldn't let anything happen to her.