Gu Xia was wearing a red dress with dotted patterns; it was loose enough to conceal her rounded belly without making her look large.
She was naturally slim—only her lower abdomen had grown—and her lower back was still slender enough to fit in one hand. Viewed from behind, all one could see was her slender waist; it was impossible to tell she was pregnant.
Still, she was afraid people would discover she was pregnant.
So Lu Xiaoyan had her put on a light jacket to cover up a bit.
Her hair was styled simply—very ordinary—yet it made her oval face look particularly full and beautiful.
Zhao Lixin instinctively muttered under his breath:
“Lu Shaoting, you’re really going for the younger ones. This lady looks way younger than you, and yet you’re standing here acting all reluctant. This wedding isn’t nearly as lively and festive as the one I had back home.”
Lu Shaoting replied calmly, “If I weren’t willing, would I have married her?”
“We just don’t go in for all those elaborate rituals.”
Zhao Lixin snorted. “Oh, come on. We’re all just ordinary folks—you’re the only one acting all high and mighty, making this wedding so frugal.
“But I’ll give you credit—your young wife is pretty. You’re looking a bit grumpy, though. A wedding’s such a big celebration, and you didn’t even let us know. Were you afraid we couldn’t afford the gift, or do you just look down on us guys?”
Zhao Lixin and Lu Shaoting were on relatively good terms in the military.
A few harmless jokes like that—no one would take them too seriously.
Zhao Lixin knew full well that Lu Shaoting wasn’t the type to look down on people.
It was Political Director Wu Yanhui standing nearby, however,
who cast a complex glance at Lu Shaoting.
Then, lowering his voice, he said, “Shaoting, you’re not the type to rush into a marriage on a whim. Is there some underlying reason? You’ve already held the wedding banquet, but you haven’t even filed the marriage application yet. Let me tell you, don’t treat marriage like a joke.”
Lu Shaoting said nothing.
This only confirmed Wu Yanhui’s suspicions.
But he didn’t press the issue there, thinking to himself that once Lu Shaoting had recovered and returned to the unit, they would have a proper talk.
Marriage is a serious matter; it can’t be taken lightly, especially for military personnel, who face stricter requirements for their partners and more thorough vetting.
Lu Shaoting hadn’t even reported it to his superiors; he’d simply held the wedding banquet and brought his wife into the family.
That was indeed a bit reckless.
However, this was someone else’s wedding banquet. As a guest in attendance, Wu Yanhui knew the proper etiquette: one doesn’t discuss official business during the meal.
With the bride’s arrival, the banquet was about to begin.
They didn’t have a officiant or a master of ceremonies.
The Lu family patriarch simply stood up and said a few brief words to the guests.
It boiled down to this: Today is the wedding day of my youngest son, Lu Shaoting.
The young couple didn’t want a big celebration; they found it too much trouble. So they simply set up a few tables to entertain family and friends, so everyone could eat and drink to their heart’s content.
They didn’t even mention the bride’s name, Gu Xia.
The guests were curious, but they didn’t ask too many questions.
They assumed the Lu family wasn’t satisfied with this new daughter-in-law, which was why they’d put together such a hasty, casual affair.
Not holding a banquet at all would have looked bad.
But since they were dissatisfied with the bride, they naturally didn’t go out of their way to throw a proper banquet.
As for Lu Shaoting’s comrades-in-arms,
they assumed that Lu Shaoting must not like the bride, which was why he wasn’t willing to make any preparations.
Gu Xia didn’t seem upset at all throughout the event.
When a few children came to tease her, she responded with a smile.
Lu Shaoting was well aware of how simple this banquet was; he simply wanted to use it to test Gu Xia’s limits.
And just as she’d said, she went along with his arrangements completely, not caring about a thing.
If she didn’t even mind, why did he feel a sense of unease?
Surely no woman would be indifferent to her own wedding banquet being so half-hearted and careless?
But Gu Xia truly didn’t care.
She was all smiles and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her meal.
Since Lu Shaoting was recovering from an injury, it was best for him to abstain from alcohol.
A few relatives and friends from the compound insisted on raising their glasses to toast him, saying that as the groom, he had to have a few drinks…
Lu Shaoting couldn’t refuse.
His comrades-in-arms had already stepped in to deflect many of the toasts for him, so it really wasn’t right to keep making people offer him drinks.
Lu Shaoting also felt a bit annoyed by Gu Xia’s attitude.
How could Gu Xia manage to maintain such a dignified and composed smile even when being brushed off?
Didn’t she ever lose her temper?
As the wedding was drawing to a close, a few people from the compound who had interacted with Gu Xia before recognized her.
They were curious as to how Gu Xia had ended up marrying the fourth son of the Lu family.
Lu Shaoting was the most outstanding among the younger generation in the compound, but he was also the most decisive and unyielding.
Getting him to do a favor was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
As a result, very few of these ordinary neighbors and relatives actively sought to maintain a relationship with Lu Shaoting.
As for Gu Xia, the neighbors who recognized her simply knew she was the daughter of Professor Gu from the university staff housing complex next door.
Gu Xia’s father was a very low-key man. Because his wife’s father had a somewhat complicated social background, he never sought to stir up gossip. Professor Gu was known primarily because he had two beautiful daughters.
Especially the eldest daughter, Gu Mingyuan—tall and elegant, radiant and graceful, strikingly beautiful—she would attract attention wherever she stood.
Young men around her age all had their eyes on her, hoping to secure a good match.
Unfortunately, this incident suddenly befell the Gu family, forcing the entire family to relocate to the far northwest—all due to political factors. As a result, everyone feared being implicated, and no one dared to speak up on the Gu family’s behalf.
Today, at the wedding banquet for the Lu family’s youngest son, someone spotted Gu Xia wearing a red dress and recognized her: “Isn’t that Professor Gu’s daughter?”
Gu Xia had a quiet and reserved personality, unlike her sister’s warm and lively nature. Relatively speaking, while those who knew her had heard her name, most people preferred a woman like Gu Mingyuan—graceful, poised, and exuding a natural air of elegance.
But as Gu Mingyuan’s younger sister, it was only natural that someone would recognize Gu Xia.
Two middle-aged women in their fifties glanced at Gu Xia a few times, then leaned in close to each other and began whispering.
“Weren’t Professor Gu’s family sent down to a rural village in the Northwest? Didn’t Gu Xia, the youngest daughter, go with them? How come she’s back now—and married to the fourth son of the Lu family?”
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed—the fourth son of the Lu family married Professor Gu’s daughter.”
“That’s strange. How did they end up getting married?”
“Who knows?”
They dared only whisper a few words among themselves; after all, this was the wedding banquet for the Lu family patriarch’s youngest son. If anyone overheard them, they’d be the ones left in an awkward position.
Besides, Lu Shaoting’s status was plain for all to see—he’d become a deputy division commander at such a young age. In the future, their own children might very well have to go to him to ask for favors.
They didn’t want to say too much, so they just exchanged a couple of gossipy remarks.