The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

Steel rolling mill.

Liu Hao and Ye Juan stumbled and slipped more than ten times before finally reaching the factory gate, only to learn that work was suspended and they would have a day off.

The reason was naturally that the snow disaster was too severe, and transportation was completely paralyzed. The Ministry of Metallurgy issued an emergency notice to suspend work for one day and called on workers to actively cooperate with the street office to clear snow and repair and reinforce houses.

Liu Hao sighed and began to miss the communication technology of the 21st century, where any notification could be sent directly to a group chat, and you could be woken up in the middle of the night to work overtime.

"Let's go see if the boss is in his office."

Ye Juan is a stubborn person; she's determined to get the marriage certificate today.

Liu Hao suggested, "Why don't you wait a few days before getting it?"

"No, we have to get it. If the factory can't issue a letter of introduction, we'll go to my dad."

"..."

Well, they're even more anxious than me. Are they afraid I'll run away?

Perhaps they were lucky; Peng Zhenian, the deputy director of the administrative office in charge of issuing all kinds of external and internal certificates at the factory, was still there.

After verifying the information of the two individuals, he picked up a pen and wrote out a letter of introduction, affixing the official seal.

The two men, carrying the letter of introduction, headed straight to the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office at No. 15 Yu'er Hutong, Nanluoguxiang.

Upon arrival, I learned that I needed to submit two 2-inch photos for registration and archiving.

This is what happens when you suffer from inexperience, but you only suffer this loss once.

When faced with difficulties, they resolved them by asking around until they reached Qianmen Street, where they found a state-run photo studio called Hongxing.

Stepping inside through the cotton curtain, a wave of warmth washed over me, dispelling the chill.

The photo studio wasn't large; the first thing you saw was a glass display case filled with black and white photographs, giving it a vintage feel.

On the left-hand counter, a woman wearing blue cloth sleeves was frowning as she fiddled with the abacus beads. Hearing the noise, she looked up and stared wide-eyed.

That young couple is really good-looking!

"Taking photos? If I'm not mistaken, you want to take two-inch photos?"

The older sister snapped out of her daze, stood up with a smile, and asked.

Liu Hao smiled and nodded: "Big sister, you guessed right. We need to take photos for our marriage certificate. Can we expedite this and get them today?"

"Congratulations! Express service? Normally it takes three days, but with the extra 50 cents and an industrial coupon, it'll be ready by 2 PM at the latest. There's no one in the shop today, so it should be ready by then!"

"It's one dollar and forty cents in total, two industrial coupons."

Ye Juan took out her hand-stitched sheepskin wallet, took out the money and handed it to her older sister.

"You count them!"

The older sister quickly counted the money and put it in the drawer, then waved and said, "Come with me to the photography studio."

The photography studio was in the inner room, with a red cloth backdrop hanging on the wall, dim light bulbs, and stronger heating than outside.

The older woman directed, "Young man, stand on the left; young lady, stand on the right."

The two walked over and stood still, raising their hands to straighten their clothes. Ye Juan stepped to the side and stood next to Liu Hao, their faces almost touching.

The woman holding the camera chuckled and said with a smile, "Hey, what's wrong with you two? Other people are shy and stand far apart when taking pictures, but you two are practically kissing. Don't get so close."

Ye Juan blushed and moved away slightly.

"Okay, that's settled!"

With a crisp click, the lights suddenly shone for a moment, freezing the image of the two standing side by side on the film.

"Okay, come pick it up at 2 PM this afternoon. It won't delay your marriage certificate registration."

The older woman released the shutter, but couldn't help glancing at Liu Hao and Ye Juan a few more times, praising, "You two are such a good-looking couple, where do you work?"

"At the Third Steel Rolling Mill, I was the announcer, and he was the accountant!"

Accounting?

The eldest sister, who was troubled by the problem of calculating the year's accounts, stared intently at Liu Hao with shining eyes.

"Oh my, I knew it! He looks like a cultured person."

"It's freezing outside, why don't you stay in the shop and wait? My surname is Ma, and I'm the manager of Hongxing Photo Studio. Accountant Liu, could you help me with the accounts? My older sister will treat you to lunch."

Liu Hao had no reason to refuse; the photo studio had heating, while he would have to light a fire at home, so sitting here and waiting was much more convenient.

"Sure, Manager Ma, I'll help you with this."

"Young man, you're generous. Come on, let's go to the front hall."

The three returned to the lobby, where Manager Ma cleared out a table for them to sit down. He then brought over a stack of account books, explained the issues and how to calculate the costs, and then went to develop the photos with great enthusiasm.

Ye Juan stretched and rested her head on the table, watching Liu Hao diligently calculate the accounts.

For Liu Hao, the account book of this state-run photo studio was as simple as it could be, and the speed at which he flipped through it dazzled Ye Juan.

"No, you're flipping through it so fast, how can you possibly remember it?"

Liu Hao, without even looking up, said, "You wouldn't understand the world of geniuses!"

"..."

Ye Juan pouted. So what if you're a genius? You're still under my control.

Trying to console herself, Ye Juan got up and stood in front of the shop window looking at the photos.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Bai Ling and Zheng Chaoyang, dressed in police uniforms, walked in. Ye Juan turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Sister Bai and Brother Zheng! Are you here to investigate a case or take photos?"

Bai Ling asked in confusion, "Juan'er, what are you doing here? Didn't you go to work today?"

Ye Juan quickly walked to Liu Hao's side and patted him on the shoulder.

"Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Liu Hao, the accountant at the Third Steel Rolling Mill."

"The factory gave us a temporary holiday today, so Liu Hao and I came to take photos and get our marriage certificate."

???

Bai Ling and Zheng Chaoyang then noticed Liu Hao sitting at the table in the corner on the right.

"Liu Hao, these two are outstanding police officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Technical Investigation Division: Comrade Bai Ling and Comrade Zheng Chaoyang!"

Ye Juan knew Bai Ling and Zheng Chaoyang. Liu Hao was only slightly surprised, but then he remembered that his father-in-law was the director of the Xicheng District Public Security Bureau, so he wasn't surprised anymore.

"Officer Bai, Officer Zheng, hello."

Ok?

As Bai Ling saw Liu Hao's silhouette, the image of the enemy agent who had infiltrated Prince Gong's Mansion the night before and knocked her unconscious subconsciously flashed through her mind.

Uh, I'm really obsessed. How could Juan'er's boyfriend be a spy?

Bai Ling banished her distracting thoughts and admired the perfect couple, whom everyone would agree was well-matched. Curious, she asked, "Comrade Liu Hao, how long have you and Juan'er been dating?"

"It won't take long, to be precise, three days!"

"..."

Zheng Chaoyang and Bai Ling were both stunned, and two words popped into their minds at the same time: a whirlwind marriage.

It's only been three days! Last year, when Ye Tingkai went to the Municipal Public Security Bureau on business, eighteen-year-old Ye Juan came along to play. She captivated all the single, unmarried young men in the bureau. They all stared at her longingly, but none of them dared to approach her. But Liu Hao beat them to it.

Zheng Chaoyang gave a thumbs up and praised, "Comrade Liu Hao, you're really amazing! You won over that pretty girl that so many young men in our city's Public Security Bureau have their eyes on in just three days. Congratulations on winning your beauty's heart, and congratulations to Xiao Juan on finding your Mr. Right!"

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Juan'er, remember to invite me to your wedding!"

Zheng Chaoyang added, "You'll have to invite me too!"

Ye Juan nodded: "Okay, we'll have the banquet before the New Year. I'll send invitations to Sister Bai and Brother Zheng then."

"By the way, when are you two getting married?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Ling's expression turned cold, while Zheng Chaoyang felt awkward.

Seeing this, Ye Juan quickly changed the subject.

"Sister Bai, are you here to investigate a case?"

"Investigate the case. Find the manager of Hongxing Photo Studio to get some information."