SES Chapter 151 Part 1

Chapter 151

Cao Jinhua was shoveling rice into her mouth as fast as she could.

That morning, her Seventh Aunt had come over to tell her that she’d be in charge of the table for the bride’s friends and family. In other words, she wouldn’t have time to eat—she’d have to keep her eyes and ears open, take care of the guests from all directions, and show off Caojia Village’s famous hospitality.

So, filling up in advance was necessary.

After cleaning her bowl spotless, she even stuffed a bun into her pocket before heading back to her room. There, she used the last bit of quiet time to look over her client schedule for the month—pending contracts, renewals, follow-ups, and new leads. No matter how she crunched the numbers, there was no way she’d hit her sales target this month—unless she could close that one “three-birds-one-stone” deal fast.

No, she couldn’t afford to waste time. Time was money. She’d have to tell Seventh Aunt that she couldn’t stay for all three days of the banquet—she’d be leaving tomorrow.

She was still deep in thought when her sister-in-law suddenly called out from the yard, “Big Sis! Someone’s here for you—it’s your coworker!”

Coworker?

Cao Jinhua was so startled she forgot to chew the bun in her mouth. She hurriedly opened the door and saw a young woman standing in the middle of the courtyard. Outside the gate were two curious villagers—it seemed they had led the woman here.

She had listed her hometown address on her employee information sheet, but the roads here were winding and remote. How on earth had a coworker found her? And that uniform didn’t look like the company’s official one.

Her head was full of questions, but the confusion didn’t last long.

Two reasons.

First, the girl introduced herself as Yan Hongsha, from the local branch of Atlantic Life Insurance’s Customer Service Department. She even called her “Jenny.”

Second, Yan Hongsha said that customer service had received a call from a client named Henry, who wanted to buy insurance for himself and a pair of siblings, and he had specifically requested Jenny as the agent. When Yan couldn’t reach her by phone and found out she’d gone home for a wedding, she rushed all the way out here with the client’s info so that Jenny could prepare product recommendations ahead of time.

Henry—wasn’t that the exact “three-birds-one-stone” deal she’d been dreaming about all morning?

Cao Jinhua was overwhelmed with emotion. Yan made it sound so casual—“just a quick trip”—but Jinhua knew it must have been her direct supervisor who begged her to come. In the insurance business, even one or two successful deals could affect an agent’s rank, commission rate, and their supervisor’s bonus. Sometimes, the whole team would pitch in to help—everyone working together to close the sale.

This was the power of teamwork!

Cao Jinhua took the client folder, so excited she almost tripped over her own words. “I’ll start right away—I’ll make the policy recommendations immediately, really soon!”

Yan Hongsha adjusted her glasses, speaking in a calm, serious tone. “Quality over speed. The most important thing is to maintain service standards.”

Cao Jinhua nodded eagerly. Wow, she thought, people in the Customer Service Department really do talk like professionals.

But the woman’s professionalism didn’t last very long.

Once she’d finished giving a flurry of instructions, Yan Hongsha began looking around curiously.

“Are you having a wedding here?”
“I’ve never seen a mountain village wedding before! In the city, they’re all handled by wedding planners—everything looks the same. But this—this feels unique.”
“I rushed here this morning without breakfast. The road was so rough… and now it’s raining too…”

As a seasoned salesperson, Cao Jinhua could easily read between the lines.

By a few minutes past eleven, Yan Hongsha was seated comfortably at the guest table in the very front row.

And truly, mountain weddings were lively. The entire courtyard was decorated with red ribbons and bright banners. Up front, a canopy-covered stage had been set up with four grand armchairs and a large speaker for announcements.

Cao Jinhua explained to Yan that both the bride and groom were orphans. During the “parental blessing” part of the ceremony, the four armchairs would stand in for their missing parents.

She added that local weddings also had a “bowing to the ancestral tablet” ritual—and when that part came, not just the couple, but all the guests had to stand.

“Ancestral tablet?” Yan Hongsha asked curiously.

Cao Jinhua nodded and gestured to show her. “It looks just like the ones you see on TV—but instead of saying things like ‘Ancestor So-and-So,’ it has a bronze plaque inlaid in the middle with an old Chinese character. I didn’t recognize it at first, but I looked it up online—it’s an oracle bone version of the character ‘tu’ (earth).”

Oracle bone script? Yan Hongsha’s heart started pounding.

Cao Jinhua didn’t notice her reaction. “When I was little, I asked about it. No one in my family could explain it either. My guess is—it’s meant to thank the land for giving us food and crops.”

Even as she said it, her voice wavered a bit. After all, Caojia Village didn’t grow large amounts of crops; their livelihoods weren’t tied to farming at all.

Before they could say more, the distant sound of gongs echoed closer. The courtyard erupted in excitement. Seventh Aunt came running in, panting.

“Hurry! The ancestral tablet is coming in! Where’s Qingshan? The groom needs to go to the entrance and greet them!”

Qingshan? That’s right—he was the groom. He should’ve been greeting guests already. Why hadn’t anyone seen him for a while?

Cao Jinhua stood up, looking around the crowd, trying to spot him in the bustling chaos.

Seventh Aunt gave her a shove. “Go find him! The tablet can’t enter until the groom greets it. We can’t keep the spirits waiting!”

She pushed a few more people to help look.

Auspicious timing couldn’t be delayed. Jinhua took it seriously—she circled the courtyard once, then went around the outer area. Still no sign of Qingshan, and the rain was getting heavier.

The gong beats were nearing the gate. Shielding her head with her hands, Jinhua ran toward a nearby storage tent. Qingshan was usually a responsible man—it made no sense for him to vanish now of all times.

This tent was the farthest from the main area, used to store extra supplies for the wedding—things they’d borrowed or bought but hadn’t needed. Because of the rain, it was covered tightly with waterproof tarps and thick ropes tied around the edges. Wiping rain from her face, Jinhua caught her breath, ready to move on—then froze.

From under the tarp, she thought she heard voices. The rain pattered on the fabric, making it hard to tell—but yes, faint murmuring. Maybe some village kid had crawled in there to play?

Puzzled, Jinhua walked around to the other side. The voices grew clearer—and she recognized one of them.