What an unfortunate start.
Su Wan quietly slipped away from the dense forest. Though her expression remained calm, her heart was roiling with turbulent waves.
At the same time, she secretly felt relieved. Fortunately, she had been lucky enough to overhear the conversation between that old man and the young man. Otherwise, after all the effort she had spent hooking this golden catch, it would have been laughable if he ended up dumping her for some noble young lady from a prestigious family.
What this Young Master Liang sought was a legitimate daughter of noble birth. As the illegitimate daughter of a minor fifth-rank local official, what did it matter even if she possessed peerless beauty?
After weighing the situation, Su Wan silently crossed Young Master Liang off her hunting list.
No matter. There were plenty of noble young masters in Shangjing City. With one Young Master Liang gone, another would surely take his place.
Rallying her spirits, she squeezed back into Liang Fu’s bridal chamber and stood quietly behind Lu Jiayu.
The room had been a cacophony of noise, but it suddenly fell silent.
Then, a jubilant wedding matron strode in, her voice booming.
“The auspicious hour has arrived! The groom has come to fetch the bride!”
As the matron stepped aside, a tall, slender figure entered.
At first glance, Su Wan thought it was the groom, but upon closer look, she noticed the young man was wearing a black brocade robe. The groom should be in red, so this was not him.
It was only when Liang Fu called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Big Brother,” that Su Wan realized this was the eldest son of the Liang family, Liang Chen.
Liang Chen had a clear and handsome face, his fine features reminiscent of a pine tree. Unlike those upstarts with their potbellies, his frame was quite slender, and his overall demeanor carried an air of refinement.
However, his slightly uptilted peach-blossom eyes gave him a look of charm and amorousness.
“A-Fu, the third young master of the Liu family has come to fetch you.”
Liang Chen first glanced at his sister, then his gaze naturally swept over the group of bridesmaids surrounding her.
The bridesmaids were all lovely young maidens, dressed in vibrant finery. At a glance, they resembled one blooming flower petal after another.
Yet, too many blossoms could dazzle the eye.
Liang Chen’s eyes had seen too many beauties. Ordinary beauties would leave not the slightest impression after a single glance.
After skimming over this crowd of ordinary beauties, his gaze paused briefly in one spot.
Only then did Liang Chen’s peach-blossom eyes suddenly widen, like a budding peach blossom blooming in an instant.
Su Wan understood the meaning in that look.
It was the look of a hunter spotting its prey. She subtly tightened her abdomen, softened her waist, and fixed her eyes intently on the bride.
As if, in that moment, she had been completely captivated by the bride’s golden-thread-embroidered wedding dress.
Only a faint, almost imperceptible sidelong glance slipped past the bride and landed on Liang Chen.
The goose-yellow hem of her skirt set off the young lady’s snow-white skin, while the plain-colored belt clearly outlined her slender waist. Amid the sea of red festive joy, the young lady smiled, her eyes gazing at the bride with longing, as if envious, or perhaps imagining what she herself would look like clad in wedding attire.
Every subtle shift in her expression was as lively as a butterfly.
Innocent, artless, spirited, gentle.
Such a young lady Liang Chen had never seen before. Those eyes, adept at capturing beauty, were immediately ensnared by her.
After a moment of slight daze, Liang Chen finally withdrew his gaze. He said a few words to his sister, and then the crowd joyfully escorted them out of the bridal chamber.
Su Wan lingered at the back of the crowd, her face wearing a naive, innocent smile, while her heart was tangled in knots.Liang Chen was a dashing and handsome young talent, with a remarkable family background. To be honest, at first sight of him, Su Wan was deeply smitten.
But as soon as she recalled Mammy’s words, she felt somewhat disheartened.
If she were merely to become a concubine, she would be unwilling.
Her background wasn’t exactly poor, but neither was it outstanding. After all, she was the daughter of an official. It was just that the heights she aspired to were so lofty that her family background seemed inadequate in comparison.
Liang Chen came from a merchant family, and merchants were the ones most in need of official patronage. Therefore, the Liang family’s desire to marry into a noble family must have been very strong.
Su Wan’s status was not enough to catch the eye of the Liang family. Even if she won Liang Chen’s affection, she would not be able to enter the Liang household.
“How annoying. If only he were a big, fat man,” Su Wan thought to herself.
She quietly stamped her foot and bit her lip.
Well, she would just have to take things one step at a time.
After seeing off the bride, the group remained at the Liang residence for the wedding banquet.
Lu Jiayu kept Madam Zhou’s instructions firmly in mind, clutching a small pouch in her hand, her palms sweating nervously.
“Wan Sister, this pouch,” she said, flustered and sweating profusely, “Mother insisted that I give this pouch to Young Master Liang. But he’s so busy, and there are always people around him. I’m too shy to approach him.”
“It’s all right. This pouch is from Aunt Zhou to Young Master Liang’s mother, not to Young Master Liang himself. Don’t be shy. I’ll take you to him.”
Su Wan took Lu Jiayu’s hand and pushed through the crowd to Liang Chen’s side.
Liang Chen’s eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting. “This must be Sister Jiayu. I’ve often heard Mother mention you.”
Lu Jiayu’s face flushed instantly.
The Liang and Lu families had no real connection to speak of.
It was only after Madam Zhou learned of the Liang family’s rise that she swallowed her pride and wrote to her former friend, Madam Bai. Even though Madam Bai paid her little attention, Madam Zhou still shamelessly tried to forge a connection.
Every year during festivals, Madam Zhou would send gifts to Madam Bai, who lived far away in Jiangnan.
It must be said that in matters of social maneuvering, Madam Zhou was quite successful.
At critical moments, she knew how to set aside her dignity.
For the sake of her children’s future, pride meant nothing.
Despite Madam Bai’s cold shoulder, Madam Zhou persisted until Madam Bai finally relented, allowing the Lu family’s daughter to attend Liang Fu’s wedding and tacitly permitting Lu Jiayu to meet Liang Chen.
“Young Master Liang, this… this is a pouch my mother embroidered. She said it’s for Aunt Bai.”
Lu Jiayu dared not meet Liang Chen’s captivating peach-blossom eyes. She was like a blank sheet of paper. Under normal circumstances, Liang Chen might have enjoyed teasing her, but now, his attention was almost entirely focused on another young lady.
Liang Chen took the pouch and said politely, “Thank you for Aunt Zhou’s kind thoughts. I will personally deliver this pouch to Mother.”
“I wonder who this young lady is? How is it that I haven’t met her before?”
Liang Chen openly turned his gaze to Su Wan, offering her a smile.
“This is Wan Sister. She’s from Liuzhou, my second sister-in-law’s younger sister.”
Lu Jiayu was so nervous that her words came out a bit haltingly.
Su Wan took Lu Jiayu’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. A warm feeling flowed through Lu Jiayu’s heart.
Thank goodness Wan Sister was here. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the courage to give the pouch.
This Young Master Liang was quite handsome.
Su Wan was worried that Lu Jiayu might be bewitched by Liang Chen’s appearance, so she quickly stepped forward.
She gave a slight curtsy and greeted him.
“Young Master Liang, my surname is Su, and my given name is Wan.”
“Wan Niang,” Liang Chen curved his lips, his smile deepening. “My given name is Chen. You may call me Chen Lang or Brother Chen.”He then looked at Lu Jiayu and, to avoid seeming abrupt, deliberately added, “Sister Jiayu, you may also address me in this manner. Please don’t always call me ‘Young Master Liang.’ Given the friendship between our two families, it feels too distant.”
Su Wan immediately lowered her head, her shy and innocent demeanor amusing Liang Chen greatly.
Lu Jiayu, her face flushed, exchanged a few words with Liang Chen.
As the guest of honor for the day, Liang Chen had many matters and people to attend to and meet, so after chatting briefly, he bid farewell with a smile.
He left behind a meaningful remark.
“Sister Jiayu, Wan Niang, we shall meet again.”