Even though the red marriage certificate [the official legal document of marriage] was already tucked safely in her drawer, Lin Ying hadn’t moved out yet. With graduation just a few days away, she remained in the familiar clutter of her family home.
However, Su Yulan [Lin Ying’s mother] had already shifted into high gear. In her heart, a marriage without a ceremony was no marriage at all. Even if it was modest, she insisted on the tradition: Shao Mingyuan must ride his bicycle—with a massive, festive red silk flower tied to the handlebars—to pick up his bride. It was non-negotiable.
As Lin Ying listened to her mother’s frantic planning, she began to understand the wedding culture of this era. It was a world away from the grand hotel banquets and professional emcees of later generations. Here, the ceremonies were stripped down to the bone, mostly because everyone was desperately poor.
Transportation was another hurdle; if relatives lived in a different province, they simply wouldn’t come. The journey would take days and cost a small fortune that no one could spare.
Su Yulan, sensing her daughter’s indifference, grew sharp. “I’m telling you this for your own good, and you’re acting like you’re listening to a bird chirp!”
“Mom, I’m listening, I promise,” Lin Ying said, using the multitasking skills she’d perfected in her previous life.
Su Yulan sighed, her voice softening with maternal wisdom. “Our family is marrying ‘up’ into the Shao family, and that is a great honor. But honor must come with mutual respect. If he doesn’t come to our door to fetch you properly, if you just slip away into his house like a thief in the night without any formality, do you think you’ll have a standing in that household? People treat you how you allow them to treat you.”
Lin Ying nodded, finally understanding. In the original novel, Su Beibei had simply been picked up by a bicycle and performed a quick bow to the groom’s mother. Lin Ying had thought that was the standard, but her mother was fighting for her dignity.
Then came the day of graduation. Thanks to the relentless social energy of their classmate Zhang Lili, the class gathered for a final group photo. Zhang Lili claimed the center spot, with Hu Weidong [the school heartthrob] looming behind her.
Su Beibei, once the star of every scene, was pushed to the very edge of the frame. Lin Ying didn’t even glance her way; to her, the “heroine” was now just a passerby in her life. Hu Weidong had tried to sneak over to stand behind Su Beibei, but the teacher caught him. “Hu Weidong! Get back to the middle, you’re throwing off the height balance!”
As the shutter clicked, the reality of parting set in. Lü Xiaoju [Lin Ying’s close friend] suddenly burst into tears. “I’ll never see any of you again!”
“Life is long, Xiaoju,” Lin Ying comforted her. “We’ll cross paths someday.”
“How?” Lü Xiaoju sobbed. “Ma Fan is being sent to the frozen Northeast. An Xiaoqing is going to a remote island. Others are headed to the Northwest deserts and the Southwest jungles. We’re being scattered to the four corners of the earth!”
Lin Ying went silent. She realized the weight of the “Down to the Countryside Movement” [a policy where urban youth were sent to rural areas to provide labor and be ‘re-educated’ by farmers]. At this time, graduation didn’t mean a career; it often meant exile. Unless you were an only child, sick, married, or lucky enough to have a factory job waiting, you were gone. And since most graduates were under 18 and their parents were too young to retire and pass on their jobs, the countryside was their only destination.
“At least I still have you,” Lü Xiaoju said, wiping her eyes. “We mustn’t lose touch.”
“I promise,” Lin Ying whispered.
With school finished, Lin Ying found herself with too much free time—which Su Yulan filled by obsessing over wedding logistics. Eventually, she sent Lin Ying to the hospital to consult with Shao Mingyuan.
The hospital was a labyrinth. There were no helpful digital maps or clear signs like the future so after searching the outpatient clinics in vain, Lin Ying wandered into the inpatient department. At the cardiac surgery nurses’ station, she saw a nurse in her thirties watering plants, her desk suspiciously clear of paperwork.
“Hello, may I ask where I can find Dr. Shao Mingyuan?”
The nurse didn’t even look up, her voice dripping with irritation. “Dr. Shao is busy. If you’re sick, go to the front building and register like everyone else. This isn’t a walk-in clinic. Move along, I have work to do.”
Lin Ying frowned. “I’m not here as a patient—”
“Then why are you here? Can’t you see I’m busy?” the nurse snapped, still tending to her flowers.
Lin Ying’s patience snapped. “I asked a simple question. If you’d answered it, I’d be gone by now. Instead, you’re wasting both our time with this lecture. It’s not even noon and you’re standing here watering flowers during your shift while claiming to be ‘busy.’ If I were a patient, would you treat me with such arrogance?”
The nurse stood up, her face flushing a deep, angry red. “You little…! Do you believe I can make sure you never get seen in this hospital again?”
The patients in the hallway pulled their blankets tighter, eyes wide. “Lord,” one whispered to his wife, “that girl has a spine of steel to talk back to Nurse Liu. Everyone knows Liu has a temper like a firecracker and connections in the administration. That girl better hope she never gets a cold.”
Lin Ying just turned her back and walked away. A younger nurse, who had been watching from the shadows, caught up to her and whispered, “Don’t mind her, she’s always like that. Dr. Shao is in Ward 3 checking on a patient. It’s just down the hall.”
Lin Ying thanked her with a warm smile and headed toward the ward, her heart beating a little faster at the thought of seeing the man who was now, legally at least, her husband.
Shao Mingyuan caught sight of Lin Ying standing outside the ward waiting for him . He gave her a brief, professional nod before turning back to his patients, continuing his rounds with focused precision. Lin Ying wasn’t in a rush; she leaned against the cool corridor wall, knowing that once his duties were finished, they would have a quiet moment to speak.
As the clock finally struck twelve the morning shift ended, Shao Mingyuan stepped out of the ward, exhaling a long breath. He walked toward her, his expression softening. “Have you been waiting long? I’ll just head to the office to take off my white coat [the standard professional attire for doctors] and put my charts away, then we can go grab some lunch.”
“Okay,” she replied with a small smile.
The doctor’s office sat right next to the nurses’ station, which was currently a hive of activity as staff prepared for their break. The nurses looked up, their eyes widening in surprise as Lin Ying walked back in—especially since she had just had that sharp exchange with Nurse Liu. Their shock only deepened when they saw Shao Mingyuan walking right behind her.
Nurse Liu was still there, tucking a stray hair under her cap. Seeing Lin Ying, she sneered, “You again? How dare you show your face back here?” Her voice died in her throat as Shao Mingyuan stepped into the light. Her expression shifted from arrogance to a confused, flickering uncertainty.
Shao Mingyuan frowned, looking between the two women. He couldn’t fathom why Nurse Liu would speak to a visitor with such venom. Lin Ying leaned in and whispered softly, “Don’t worry about it now. I’ll explain everything while we eat. Let’s just put your things away first.”
The young, bold nurse who had helped Lin Ying earlier couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Dr. Shao… is she a relative of yours?”
Shao Mingyuan didn’t hesitate. He reached out, his hand hovering near Lin Ying’s shoulder in a protective, public gesture. “This is my wife,” he introduced her, his voice carrying clearly across the room.
The office erupted into a flurry of hushed whispers.
“I can’t believe it! Dr. Shao is actually married? I thought he was wedded to his scalpels and cardiac monitors. I figured he’d be a bachelor until the day he retired!”
“Tell me about it! We never saw a single girl hanging around him, and suddenly, he shows up with a wife. And look at her—she’s breathtaking. No wonder he kept her a secret.”
An older head nurse began to tease him, a playful glint in her eyes. “Dr. Shao, you certainly know how to keep a secret! Only a few days ago you were single, and now you have a beautiful wife. You didn’t even bring us Xi Tang [traditional wedding candies given to friends and colleagues to share the joy of a marriage]. That’s a serious breach of etiquette!”
Shao Mingyuan remained calm, though a hint of a smile touched his lips. “That is my fault. Everything was a bit rushed; we only just received our marriage certificate. I promise, once we hold the ceremony, there will be plenty of wedding candy for everyone.”
Watching him navigate the social waters so smoothly, Lin Ying realized she had underestimated him. Between the respectful way he visited her home and the decisive way he handled the Caili [betrothal gifts], it was clear he wasn’t a socially awkward academic. He was simply a man who preferred silence, but knew exactly how to act when the situation required it.
Once they reached the hospital cafeteria, Lin Ying recounted the “battle” at the nurses’ station.
Shao Mingyuan sighed, shaking his head as he pushed a tray toward her. “That nurse is a ‘connected’ person [someone hired through nepotism or social favors rather than merit]. She was squeezed into the staff list through the back door. She only works when the head nurse is watching; otherwise, she just idles away. Everyone dislikes her, but because of her family ties, no one dares to challenge her.”
Lin Ying snorted. “She told me she’d make sure I could never see a doctor in this hospital again. Does she think she owns the city’s First Hospital?”
“She’s a relative of another department head,” Shao Mingyuan explained. “But her luck is running out. Aunt Han—our head nurse—is tired of her antics. She’s already been shuffled through three different departments. Even with connections, a person who refuses to do the work can only be pushed so far.”
Lin Ying paused, her chopsticks mid-air. “Wait, is Aunt Han actually Han Ying? The one in your department? Why didn’t I see her earlier?”
“She’s my head nurse,” he confirmed. “You didn’t know?”
“I only knew she was my mother’s old classmate. I had no idea she worked right alongside you!”
Shao Mingyuan smiled. “Well, I’m in Cardiac Surgery. If you ever need me, just come straight here. If I’m not in the ward, check the outpatient building in the front.”
After lunch, they found a quiet wooden bench in the hospital courtyard, shaded by the leafy boughs of a plane tree.
“So,” Shao Mingyuan said, turning to her. “What was it you needed to tell me today?”
Lin Ying relayed everything Su Yulan had insisted upon—the bicycle with the red flower, the formal fetching of the bride, and the small family meal. “My mother is very serious about the ‘proper etiquette.’ She thinks that if we don’t do this, the neighbors will look down on me and your family won’t respect me.”
She looked at him, half-expecting him to find it a hassle. After all, this was a contract, a fake arrangement. But Shao Mingyuan looked at her with a depth of sincerity that caught her off guard.
“I haven’t told you this before,” he said earnestly, “but my plan was always to remain unmarried after our… after the three years are up. I intended to use this marriage as a permanent shield to appease my mother’s constant worrying.”
He paused, his gaze softening as he looked at her. “Since we are doing this, we should do it right. I won’t refuse your mother’s requests. If she wants a ceremony, we will give her a ceremony. You deserve to walk out of your home with your head held high.””I’ll tell my mother that I really like you,” Shao Mingyuan continued, his voice steady but carrying a hint of hidden depth. “I’ll say that if we ever part, I’d be too heartbroken to ever date again. That way, she’ll stop pressuring me for good.”
He looked at Lin Ying, his expression earnest. “So, even for my own sake, the ceremony can’t be simple. If it’s too plain, she’ll think I don’t care for you. Don’t worry, I will fulfill every one of your mother’s requests. I’ll head home in a few days to discuss the logistics with my family and let you know the plan.”
Lin Ying felt a wave of relief. Her mission for Su Yulan was officially accomplished. She didn’t mind being his “shield”; in this era, a shield was a very practical thing to be.
She was ready to head home, but then she remembered Aunt Han Ying. Since her mother’s old classmate worked in this very department, it would be a breach of li [traditional etiquette and social propriety] to leave without a greeting.
Shao Mingyuan mentioned that Han Ying was in a meeting but would return shortly, so Lin Ying stepped back toward the nurses’ station to wait. Immediately, she was surrounded by a flutter of curious nurses.
“How did you two meet?” one asked, leaning in close. “When was the ‘big day’?”
“Just like anyone else,” Lin Ying replied with a breezy smile. “A blind date, a bit of talking, and then we got our certificate.”
“And the Caili [betrothal gift]?” another teased, her eyes sparkling with gossip. “Did Dr. Shao treat you well?”
“I’m quite satisfied,” Lin Ying said, her vague answer drawing a round of delighted laughter.
While the air was light with jokes, Nurse Liu sat at her desk like a stone, staring at nothing. The atmosphere around her was cold. She had already started to regret her sharp tongue the moment she realized Lin Ying was a doctor’s wife, but now, a new fear was taking root.
“Why are you still here, Xiaolin?” one of the friendly nurses asked.
“I’m waiting for Aunt Han Ying,” Lin Ying explained clearly. “She’s the one who introduced me to Dr. Shao. Since I’m here, I must say hello to my matchmaker, or my mother would scold me for being impolite.”
The color drained from Nurse Liu’s face.
Nurse Liu knew she had misjudged her “prey.” In the hospital hierarchy, doctors were respected, but they were colleagues. A doctor couldn’t easily fire a nurse. But Han Ying? She was the iron-fisted ruler of the ward. If Han Ying decided a nurse was unfit, that nurse was as good as gone.
Lin Ying, however, wasn’t thinking of revenge. When Han Ying finally returned, Lin Ying greeted her warmly. “Auntie! Dr. Shao and I are getting married. It’s all thanks to your keen eye for matchmaking. You absolutely must sit at the head table at our wedding!”
Han Ying beamed, patting Lin Ying’s hand. “Of course, child! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Lin Ying went home after a bit of a chat , but the ripples she left behind turned into a storm.
Hospital gossip is like a spark in a dry forest. Once it came out that Nurse Liu had been watering flowers and bullying the Head Nurse’s guest, every other grievance came pouring out.
“She’s never there when a patient rings the bell!” one whispered. “She’s late every morning!” another added. “I saw her miss a vein three times yesterday because she wasn’t paying attention!”
Han Ying had always suspected the “nepotism hire” was dead weight, but she had been too busy to catch her in the act. Now, she moved with clinical efficiency. Within two days, she caught Nurse Liu abandoning her post for an hour-long “restroom break.”
Han Ying marched straight to the administration. The hospital director tried to offer a weak defense, but Han Ying laid out the facts: negligence, lack of compassion, and a toxic attitude. There was no covering it up.
Nurse Liu was kicked out of the department. When her uncle, Director Liu, heard the news, he was furious—not at the hospital, but at his niece.
“I put my reputation on the line to get you that job!” he roared. “Now every department head is looking at me like I’m a fool. They say I’m incompetent because I can’t even teach my own relative basic manners. Go home! Don’t come to me for help again. I’m done with you.”
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