Xie Linlang couldn’t see what was happening outside, but she could already imagine that if today’s events reached Madam Xie’s ears, the steward would be in serious trouble. Yet, she felt happy.
In Xie Manor, those servants trusted by the master and mistress had always held more dignity than half-masters like her.
It took nearly half an hour to travel from the high-ranking official–gathering Qinren Lane to the West City Xiao Family’s residence. Along the way, Xie Linlang listened to the various sounds outside. Even though she knew she would soon be living the life of an ordinary married woman, she still felt a sense of joy in her heart. She had never liked a life where her fate and survival were entirely in someone else’s hands.
Han Ming was also off duty today and had arrived early with his wife to wait at the Xiao residence.
Since Xiao Ji had no parents or elders, the couple acted as his elders for the day, helping him host the guests.
Han Ming, being of commoner origin and a military man, carried none of the haughty airs of an official. Han Furen personally led the way, moving among the guests who had come for the wedding feast, calling out loudly, “The newlyweds will be here soon. Everyone, please go inside and find your seats.”
When the clear sounds of gongs and drums reached her ears, Han Furen rushed out ahead of everyone. “Quickly, quickly! The bride is here—set off the firecrackers!”
The sound of firecrackers erupted, and the air was filled with vibrant red, but unfortunately, Xie Linlang, veiled beneath her bridal headdress, couldn’t see any of it.
Throughout the wedding, she only remembered her hand being passed from the matron of honor’s grasp into another pair of large, well-defined hands. Led by these hands, she bowed to heaven and earth and then entered the bridal chamber, where she sat on the wedding bed strewn with peanuts, longans, and red dates.
Xiao Ji still had to go out to entertain the guests.
“You sit here for now. Han Furen has arranged for a maid to keep you company. If you’re hungry or thirsty, there’s food on the table. I’ll go out to attend to the guests.”
Xie Linlang nodded gently to show she understood.
Xiao Ji was quite popular. Not only had the neighbors from around come to celebrate his wedding, but colleagues from several other City Gate Guard Stations had also come to offer their congratulations. In a way, Xie Linlang’s wedding was exceptionally lively.
The Xiao residence was a single-courtyard house, and Xie Linlang could clearly hear the men outside drinking and playing finger-guessing games.
She sat upright with her back straight for half an hour before she began to struggle. Han Furen’s maid had been instructed beforehand that the bride was in poor health. Seeing her growing restless, the maid said:
“Lady Xie, it will likely be a long time before things wrap up outside. Would you like me to help you freshen up and have something to eat first?”
These military men could drink endlessly once they started.
Xie Linlang gladly agreed, finally relaxing her stiffened back. She had never heard anyone say that getting married could be such an exhausting affair. From morning until now, it was already late afternoon. If she didn’t eat something, she truly couldn’t hold on any longer.
The maid brought over a basin of water, and Xie Linlang lifted her own bridal veil.
Previously, she had only heard that the Third Miss of Xie Manor was a sickly girl, but no one had mentioned that this Third Miss also possessed striking looks—her eyes were bright and lively, as if they could speak.
The maid suddenly felt a pang of pity for Xie Linlang. Even she couldn’t imagine how such a delicately raised young lady would manage to live in the Xiao household in the future. It was said that Xie Manor hadn’t even sent a single servant along with her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this girl was truly a biological daughter of Xie Manor. Otherwise, how could they be so heartless?
The maid kept her thoughts to herself, not uttering a word in front of Xie Linlang. She felt this young lady must be suffering inside—from being the daughter of a Vice Minister of Revenue to the wife of a low-ranking soldier, wasn’t that like falling from heaven to the ground?
After helping Xie Linlang wash her face, the maid caught a glimpse of the bride’s true appearance and couldn’t help but inwardly criticize the Xie family for their lack of consideration. Where did they find this makeup artist? She had aged the bride by several years for no reason.
Miss Xie, fair and tender, so fresh and lovely—what a waste on that big brute Xiao Ji.
Xie Linlang had no idea what messy thoughts were running through the maid’s mind. She lifted the hem of her skirt and sat at the table, taking a sip of tea. The makeup artist who had prepared her that morning had advised against drinking water to avoid the inconvenience of needing to relieve herself halfway through the journey.
Xiao Qiu was also inexperienced and hadn’t thought to secretly slip Xie Linlang something to eat.
Since it was her first time in this household, Xie Linlang felt somewhat reserved. She barely managed to fill her stomach a little before rinsing her mouth and returning to sit by the bed.
The maid was not young, and seeing the bride, fair and tender like a delicate doll, with no familiar person by her side, she pitied her and spoke a few more words:
“Madam Xie, if you’re tired, lean against the pillow for a while.”
Xie Linlang was accustomed to taking afternoon naps at the Xie family home. After a day of exhausting activities, she was indeed weary, so she replied, “Sister, if things outside are about to end, please call me. I’ll just close my eyes for a bit.”
Sometimes, people are like this—they think they’ll only sleep for a short while, but once their head touches the pillow, they lose control.
When Xie Linlang suddenly opened her eyes, candles had already been lit in the room, and the large red dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles crackled softly.
The room was quiet, and she was the only one left. She hurriedly sat up and realized she had unknowingly lain down on the bed, covered with the bright red wedding quilt.
Xie Linlang clutched the quilt in frustration. On her wedding day, falling asleep in bed before her husband returned—was she the only one in all of Daqing to do such a thing?
Xiao Ji had just stepped out to return the tables and chairs borrowed from the neighbors. Glancing toward the main room and seeing no movement, he headed to the kitchen. Living alone, he didn’t have many pots, pans, or dishes, so the wedding feast had relied entirely on borrowed items from the neighbors.
Since others needed them back, he had to wash and return them as quickly as possible.
As he bent over, struggling with the greasy bowls and chopsticks, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded behind him. “With so much grease, you need hot water and soap pods. If you don’t have soap pods, use plant ash to wash them clean.”
Xiao Ji, who had lived alone for years since his mother passed away, hadn’t heard a woman’s voice in his own home for a long time—let alone such a young one. Even someone as bold as Xiao Ji felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned to look at the person leaning against the doorway, comforting himself inwardly that it wasn’t because he was timid but because this person moved as quietly as a cat.
This was also Xie Linlang’s first proper look at her new husband. At first, she felt a bit frightened seeing the man’s tall and imposing figure, even as he crouched on the ground. But when she noticed his large hands struggling to clean the dishes for so long, that fear inexplicably faded away.
Seeing that he remained silent, Xie Linlang walked in. “Do we have soap pods at home? If not, go grab a handful of plant ash. I’ll wash them.”
Xie Linlang had not been taught music, chess, calligraphy, or painting by Madam Xie in the Xie family, but she had put considerable effort into culinary skills, so she was no stranger to kitchen work.
Just as her hand was about to touch the dishes, Xiao Ji blocked her.
“No need, you can go out. I’ll wash them.”
Xiao Ji felt he had softened his tone, but Xie Linlang’s movements still jolted abruptly, and she withdrew her hand in a fluster.
She thought Xiao Ji must still be upset about the Xie family’s difficulties during the wedding procession earlier and was unwilling to engage with her now.
But Xiao Ji’s next words pulled Xie Linlang out of her anxiety: “A bride shouldn’t do any work for the first three days after entering the household.” This was an old rule passed down from their ancestors, and there was no reason not to follow it now.